《Project COMET》


 Ch. 01: Ordell

    ''When is it okay to surrender?''I thought I knew the answer¡ªuntil I stared into the eyes of death itself.


    That question lingered in my mind as I stood there ¡ªparalyzed, dehydrated and exhausted¡ª completely defeated by the never-ending scourge of the sun. I had walked for what felt like thousands of kilometers through these dunes and I still wasn''t sure why I was here exactly or why I had left my home.


    Now, Elidia might not be the perfect place to live, especially for a young woman, but I always thought it was better than submitting myself to the cold steel of the military complex that Arcadis was slowly turning into. If there was a time to get out of that hellhole, it was now... or at least, that was my motivation during those first days of travelling through this scorching desert. But now? Now it felt like this "small" trip wasn''t really worth it, especially since I wasn''t sure if starving to death was a preferable demise compared to, I don''t know, getting lost in a sandstorm.


    However, as funny as it might sound, that wasn''t the biggest of my issues. No. It was all about the creature in front of me: A giant feline with legs as big and strong as those of a stallion, a stinger on the tip of its tail and a mouth brimming with fangs ¡ªmore fitting for a dragon than a cat. It''s quite easy to understand why people call them Devilcats. I couldn''t help but stay there, not knowing what to do. I''m sure that, in any other scenario, I would manage to survive for a few more days in the intensity of the wasteland''s conditions, but standing in front of that beast? Not a chance. My death felt inevitable. So you might be wondering, how the hell am I still alive to be able to tell you this tale? Well...


    "Get back; I''m handling this." Those were the exact words I heard seconds before that mysterious guy, appearing in front of me, pointed his gun at the colossal monster with no fear in his sight, no shaking, no hesitation. Just a precisely aimed bullet to the head of the beast was enough to save my life.


    I let out a scream as the boom of the gunpowder made the dunes around us tremble, covering the air with a dusty cloud. After the roar from his attack had settled down and the high-pitched noise in my ears disappeared, I found myself squatting, shaking in fear from what had just happened.


    "T-Thanks..." I said, my face frozen in shock. It was too much for my thirsty brain to actually process everything that happened in a matter of mere seconds, but, somehow, I knew I had to say something to my savior.


    "No need to thank me." Said the man who had pulled the trigger that allowed me to stay alive with an unfazed look on him. I wish I could have said something meaningful, something that would''ve allowed me to express how much of a lifesaver he was, but no words came out of my mouth. I could only stay there, impressed by him.


    "Why are you here? This desert is no place for a lady to go for a walk, you know?" The mysterious man asked me as I slowly regained my senses, with barely enough energy to reply to him. I gathered the little strength and courage I had left to stand up.


    "I-I''m traveling. I come from Arcadis, and I''m trying to reach Olimpia" was my answer. It was only then that I actually got a better look at him: He was a young man, about my age¡ª or maybe slightly younger? He was probably just 17 or 18. How did someone so young become this skilled with a gun? He probably had a long story behind him, but my mind drifted toward his other features: His dark hair spilled from under his hat, framing his sharp, almost feline eyes. His height was enough to tower over me, but probably not that tall considering the height of most Elidians. He compensated that fact with his athletic build, though. No wonder why he was fine engaging in combat and, even more incredibly, killing a Devilcat.


    He didn''t utter any other word after hearing my reply, but with a slightly annoyed, maybe reluctant, look on his face, he made a gesture signaling his permission for me to follow him. I immediately fell in behind him, knowing that it was for the best. He was a complete stranger, but the fact that he saved my life had to mean something, right? In fact, company from another human was better than being stalked by hostile desert creatures. Besides, he was kind enough to let me drink water from the bottle he had with him.


    Only the sound of the wind could be heard as we walked through the sandy roads, not a word passing between us. This felt weird to me ¡ªweren''t Elidians supposed to be quite talkative and open, even towards strangers? My curiosity grew up with every minute that passed until I couldn''t hold it in anymore. I needed to know more about him.


    "M-my name''s Chryssa, by the way." I mumbled, hoping to get a reaction from him, but I wasn''t sure if my words were that inaudible or if he simply didn''t care, as no answer came from him. Not even a hum.


    After a little more than an hour, we finally found ourselves on a paved road. The desert was left behind our backs as more and more plants, bushes, and finally trees, started to surround us. This was the Sacred Royal Road, the one that connected Olimpia, the capital of Elidia, with all the other provinces and, of course, with the three-way frontier between Elidia, Arcadis and Akaia. This would have been the road I would have taken had I migrated here legally, but rising tensions between the three nations, free transit was anything but free. Most Arcadisians and Akaians were forced to cross the border through the desert. Sadly, those who attempted it tended to die or get sent back to their countries, deported after being found by the Elidian authorities.


    "The city''s three hours from here. This is the closest I''ll get you." He said serenely, the tone of his voice matching the stoic espression of his face.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Wh-what? Are you leaving me alone?" I cried, surprised and slightly upset by his words. I couldn''t believe what I was hearing.


    "I never said I was coming with you." He replied, clearly annoyed by my helplessness. "Besides, I noticed you have a dagger with you. You don''t need a bodyguard."


    "I-I know..." I replied, sadness and disappointment filling my heart. "But... I really wanted to repay you for saving me." I said, looking deep into his eyes, hoping to catch a hint of his emotions, but to no avail. He simply stood there, waiting for me to let him go.


    "I didn''t do it to get any kind of reward." He said, his words carrying a coldness that made me shiver in place, but that coldness was coupled with the warmth of his honesty. "It wouldn''t have been right to let you die."


    Even if I tried, I couldn''t come up with words to continue the conversation. Like, there was nothing I could say against what he had just said, so... what now? I didn''t want him to just leave me in the middle of the road, and I was too tired to walk for another hour, let alone, three of them.


    "Fine!" I exclaimed. "But, at least, could you keep me company until a carriage passes by and takes me to the city, please? I''m too tired to walk or fight on my own, and I don''t want to be alone in the middle of the road where a group of bandits could rob me or... something else, you know?"


    He stood quiet for a second, with his eyes closed, listening to what I said. He suddenly opened his mouth and talked back. "Okay."


    We both sat down to the side of the road for a bit. At first, I thought I was starting to get through to him, but I wasn''t even close to the truth. In fact, he wouldn''t even look in my direction, as if pretending I didn''t exist. That annoyed me more than you can imagine. How could someone act with such indifference? Was he an automaton or something?


    Not long after, a carriage passed by. I quickly stood up, signaling to the driver in hopes he would stop and agree to take me to Olimpia. "Hey, sir! Could you please help me?" I shouted, hoping to get noticed.


    The carriage came to a stop and the door opened. The driver, an overweight, balding middle-aged man, adressed me. "Good afternoon, lady? What do you want from yours truly?"


    "Hello. I was wondering if you were headed to Olimpia and, if that''s the case, would it be possible for me to accompany you?" I asked him boldly, but at this point, I was starting to feel like I had no other option than stating out loud what I actually needed.


    "Well, of course! I can take both you and your boyfriend there with no issue."


    Boyfriend? "Uh, thanks sir, but it''s actually just me. I don''t really know this man." I answered, feeling a bit flustered by his words. The awkwardness only grew when I noticed my savior glance at me after I answered. I wondered what was on his mind when I spoke.


    "Oh, I''m sorry for my inappropiate comment!" Said the driver, lowering his head as an apology. "In any case, I would appreciate it if you could come here and sit down now, I need to get to Olimpia as soon as possible for an appointment."


    I went into the carriage, looking at the face of my mysterious savior, with a somewhat sad look cause by the fact I didn''t really get to know him. But I guess it was too late now and, honestly? I didn''t think we were going to see each other after this day... At least that was what I thought.


    About half an hour had passed since the carriage started moving. What would be a three-hour trip by foot would be about 45 minutes if everything went well. Finally, I was closer than ever to reach my destination. However, my blissful thoughts were interrupted by the sudden halt of the carriage.


    "Sir? Is there something wrong?" I shyly asked, waiting for the driver to answer, but no sound actually came from him. What is going on? As soon as I was about to ask again, to know if there was something wrong, the carriage started moving again, but this time, it took a sudden turn and started drifting into the woods beside the road. "Sir? SIR?!" It was no use, no answer came from him. A few minutes later, the vehicle stopped again. A few seconds of silence passed, but they were quickly interrupted when a group of masked men boarded the carriage in a violent manner.


    "Sir! Help!" I said, waiting for the driver to do something, but he simply turned back his head to me, with an evil grin in his face.


    "Don''t kill this one! She might be useful, if you know what I mean!" He spewed to the masked men. One of them, probably the leader, took out a dagger from his robes and held the edge of his blade against my throat. The other men rapidly started taking turns in touching my pockets and looking if I had anything of value.


    "She''s not Elidian, you idiots! She has no money, the only thing we can do is collect her essence!" ''What''s essence?'' I thought as the masked leader shouted. "Take her out and start draining her!"


    After he spoke, the masked men launched me out of the carriage as the driver simply watch, feigning pity for me. While this was happening, one of the bandits took out a machine from the carriage''s trunk, it had a tank and a tube attached to it. The leader pressed his blade in my shoulder, slicing a shallow wound that drew a cry in pain from me. They put the tube in the wound and a mysterious golden fog started coming out of it and slowly making its way into the tank. I started to feel weak as I saw how they drained this mysterious substance out of my... soul?


    I was about to lose consciousness, but the sound of what I thought was thunder foreshadowing a raging storm kept me awake. However, in just a few seconds I learned it wasn''t exactly a storm as I felt a splatter of blood in my face coming from the forehead of one of the masked men. Was it him?


    Bullets started flying through the air, hitting the thieves one by one. It was indeed that mysterious boy who saved my life earlier. I couldn''t believe it! But how did he find me? Well, I didn''t care. The thing that actually mattered was that he was here and he was saving me once again. It took me almost as much of a surprise as it took the masked men, as they couldn''t even react to what was against them. One by one, they were executed in place, with one final shot directed to the driver that took me and made me fell into this trap.


    After taking out all the bandits, he looked at me, noticing my face stained by the red from one of his prey. He kneeled and produced a towel from inside of his coat, helping me clean myself. I was too shocked to react, but at the same time, I felt a certain warmth coming from him. Almost as if he actually cared about me.


    "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have let you go on your own." He said in a tender tone, I couldn''t help but smile after his words.


    "It''s not your fault" I whispered, looking deep into his eyes. "It''s not like any of us could have predicted this would happen."


    He nodded, acknowledging my words. He drew a breath and gave my face one last glance before addressing me again. "My name is Ordell, by the way."

 Ch. 02: Who are you?

    ''Should I follow her?'' That question was in my mind as I saw the carriage she was in go farther and farther away. I wasn''t sure if choosing not to help her was the right course of action. After all, it wasn''t part of my orders to do so. But something felt off. The appointment the driver mentioned, for instance. It made him look as if he was an important guy. But if he was, why was he driving his carriage instead of having someone else do so?


    "Are you worried about her?" I was startled by the sudden words of my commander, whose assertive and warm voice I could hear through the headphones I was wearing, connected wirelessly to my communicator.


    "Shut up, Theo. It''s nothing I should care about. She''s in good hands, I hope..." That was my answer. It was a little dubitative, but my voice didn''t exactly express that.


    "So you ARE worried." How the hell did he even notice that? "Don''t worry, man. Go follow her, I''ll send someone else to cover for you. Make sure she gets to her destination as safely as possible. Those are your new orders."


    "Thanks, I appreciate it." I replied as I went into the woods, looking for the tree where I had hidden my Es-Bike. I rode it and decided to follow the carriage from a safe distance, to not attract attention with the noise of the engine.


    About half an hour later, I noticed the carriage stopping for less than a minute, with my eyes perceiving it was being followed closely by a group of masked men. At the time, there were rumors of a gang of bandits kidnapping and robbing travelers, even killing them from time to time if there was nothing for them to steal. It was worse, WAY worse for women, as you could probably guess what they did to them. What made the hunt for them more difficult was that their modus operandi was unknown.


    As I watched closely, I started taking into account things about the pursuers of the carriage: Their masks and number (about 8-9) matched with the descriptions given by the surviving victims, so it was a safe bet that these were the ones causing chaos in the kingdom. It was my chance to hunt them down.


    The carriage started moving again and the masked men followed it as close as they could. I waited for a little moment before chasing them again, hoping I wouldn''t be too late if they tried to do something to Chryssa. Why was I so worried about her, though?


    I prepared some bullets and charged my gun before starting the engine of my Es-Bike once again, I started driving until I reached a forest clearing where the carriage had stopped. I went hiding in nearby bushes as I looked for the blue-haired girl they just kidnapped, but I couldn''t find her. That meant she was still inside the carriage. I thought for a moment about entering, but it would be dangerous for her if a fight broke out inside such a closed space.


    Suddenly, I heard a man scream "She''s not Elidian, you idiots! She has no money, the only thing we can do is collect her essence!" and in a matter of seconds, they launched Chryssa out of the carriage, with some bandits getting a machine from the carriage trunk. It was an Essence Drainer! Weren''t those things supposed to be illegal?


    I knew time was running out and I couldn''t afford the time to ask Theo for permission. I had no other choice but to fight. I aimed and pulled the trigger, planting a bullet in the forehead of the bandit leader. They all noticed me as soon as I killed the first one, but they simply weren''t fast enough to react, so I took the chance to shoot them down, one by one, swiftly and precisely.


    After taking out all the bandits, I looked at her, noticing her face stained by the red from one of the outlaws I had just executed. I couldn''t believe I was so careless to let the blood of one of them splash into her face. What if she got infected by an illness? I kneeled next to her, trying to keep calm and using a clean towel I had with me to help her clean her face.


    "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have let you go on your own." I said, feeling regretful for not doing my best to protect her. I noticed a smile on her, which made my worries disappear for the moment.


    "It''s not your fault" She whispered, looking deep into my eyes. "It''s not like any of us could have predicted this would happen." Except I did, but telling her would be a bad idea, anyway.


    "My name is Ordell, by the way." Those were the words that came from my mouth. I knew she would want to know that after it had been two times now that I saved her.


    "I''m glad you came, Ordell," Chryssa replied. "I don''t know what would''ve been of me if you didn''t come to save me again..."


    I noticed the wound on her shoulder. It was shallow so not a lot of blood was coming out of it, but I knew it would be dangerous for her to go with it unattended, so I went running back to my Es-Bike and took a first-aid kit I brought with me. I came back to where Chryssa was lying and I cleaned her wound. She flinched a little bit as I disinfected it, a pretty normal reaction. I put a bandage around her arm, making sure she was fine.


    "Does it hurt?" I said as I followed the procedure.


    "Just a little bit... But don''t worry, I''ve been through worse". She answered, still smiling while I was taking care of her. How rough do Arcadisians actually have it?


    I helped her get up, letting her rest on my shoulder. I knew she was weak from the essence draining, as that was a process that basically sucked your vital energy from your soul. I took her to the part of the woods where I had hidden my Es-Bike. As we walked side by side, I contacted Theo once again using my communicator.


    "Theo, are you there?"


    "Yes, Ordell. How did it go? Did you find her?" My commander replied quickly, his voice sounding a bit more serious than last time.


    "Yeah. However, I have an update on the situation."


    "Understood. What is it?"


    "This is a Black Code. 10 dead men, all armed. I neutralized them all during a kidnapping and essence theft. Send a Cleaning Team and contact the Council of Sages. As you can guess, the bandits had an Essence Drainer."You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    "An Essence Drainer? Shit, this is bad!"


    Chryssa looked at me intensely, confusion clearly showing through her looks. She probably didn''t know what all this meant, so I decided to end communication with Theo, as I knew she had lots of questions to ask and it was up to me to answer all of them.


    "Yeah. Gotta hang, I need to attend to the victim, okay? I''ll contact you after the Cleaning Team has arrived."


    "Got it. Thanks for the update, Ordell." Theo finished our call with these words. Now it was the best time for Chryssa to ask me whatever she had on her mind, so I took her beneath the canopy of a giant tree, where we sat down, as we both deserved to rest for a while.


    I looked at her face. She looked contemplative, maybe slightly shocked. Which made sense as she was probably having the worst day of her life. It was only then that I actually got a better look at her: She was a young woman, about my age¡ª or maybe slightly older? She was probably just 19 or 20. Her physique looked delicate and fragile. How did someone like her manage to escape from the Arcadisian military? She probably had a long story behind her, but my mind drifted toward her other features: Her shoulder-length blue hair fell down into her face, framing her green, innocent eyes. She wasn''t tall at all and I noticed this a lot when we were walking together. She was about a head shorter than me.


    A few minutes of silence were enough to notice the sounds of the woods: Birds chirping, some wind blowing, making the branches and leaves crunch in the air. Summer was ending, but cicadas could still be heard. However, none of those sounds made a bigger impression on me than her breathing. It was fast-paced, but not rushed. Its rhythm was mesmerizing. While there were lots of times before when I listened to my own breath, this was the first time I had ever paid attention to someone else''s.


    "I know you probably have lots of questions." I said, breaking the silence that was surrounding us. "So don''t be afraid to ask them. I''ll try to make sure I answer every single one of them."


    "Who are you?" Chryssa immediately asked. "And I don''t mean your name, I''m wondering who are you and why are you doing this and why were you so cold before but now are all protective of me..."


    "Huh, I would''ve never guessed this was where you were actually going..." I sighed, as I didn''t really like to talk about myself. "My name is Ordell Aashen and I''m a COMET. We''re a private security organization that helps the authorities keep peace in Elidia." I paused for a moment, gauging her reactions. Chryssa was concentrated on my words. She didn''t say it aloud, but it was clear she was eager to know more about us. "At the moment, we''re working with the Council of Sages to help irregular migrants arrive safely to the country. Obviously, this is an undercover operation as the military is quite fond of deporting people like¡ª"


    Chryssa opened her mouth, interrupting me suddenly "So that''s why you couldn''t escort me to the capital, right? That figures..."


    "I''m sorry," I mumbled as I tried to keep a straight look on my face. I didn''t want to look unprofessional in front of her. "I was just doing my job. I couldn''t have accompanied you and risked someone else dying in the desert, you know?"


    "Oh, that''s right! What if someone''s out there?" She said in an alarmed, loud tone, which I couldn''t help but chuckle a bit at.


    "Don''t worry. Someone else took my job for the moment. My commander allowed me to follow you and make sure you arrived at Olimpia safely..." I paused for a moment and, with a resigned tone, I continued. "Which I think was a failure too because I allowed you to get kidnapped."


    Chryssa put her hand on my shoulder and, with a reassuring smile, she declared. "As I told you, no one could''ve predicted this would happen. Don''t be so harsh on yourself, okay?"


    About 20 minutes after our conversation, Theo, accompanied by the Cleaning Team and the Special Operations Squadron (S.O.S for short) from the Council of Sages arrived in the forest. The S.O.S interrogated Chryssa and me for a moment, asking us for details of what happened. They corroborated the identity of the defunct bandits to make sure they were, in fact, the gang wanted for their crimes. Half an hour later, the Cleaning Team had retrieved the corpses and burned all evidence of what happened. On the other hand, the S.O.S confiscated the Essence Drainer.


    "Aashen!" A commanding voice called to me. It was the leader of the S.O.S and an old acquaintance of mine, Eidan Aster. Eidan was a twenty-something man. Tall and skinny, with deep black hair that contrasted with his ghostly-looking pale skin. His eyes looked devoid of life most of the time thanks to the black circles under them. Maybe pulling all-nighters was a habit of him? Besides that cadaveric look on him, he didn''t stand out that much. If it wasn''t for his position, he probably would pass as an unremarkable citizen of Olimpia.


    "Eidan. Didn''t think you''d come here personally and leave that murky-ass office of yours for once. Good for you!" I said with a sarcastic tone in my voice, clearly not pretending to be polite to him as I knew he held some contempt against me. To be fair, the sentiment was mutual, but it''s not like I wanted to pick a fight with him... At least not most of the time.


    "Very funny, Aashen." He replied. "But I''m not here to listen to your irrelevant offenses."


    "Oh, really? What is it, then?"


    "Well. The Council of Sages asked me to send you their regards, hoping you can rejoin someday."


    "Why would I?" I asked a genuine question. "I''m sure they hate me for, you know, that whole incident in the Korinthean Empire."


    "Oh, well, it''s not like I really agree with their message. I hate your guts like you can''t imagine. But then again, some of the Sages don''t really know what happened there or simply don''t care. All in all, it''s still your decision. Keep in mind that if you decide to join them, I''ll make your life a living he-".


    "Shut up. I won''t join your little clubhouse." I interrupted him, as I didn''t want to spend more time listening to him.


    Eidan hummed. "Well. That makes things easier." He gave me his back as he walked away. "But I also believe that being a COMET doesn''t fit you either. You''d be better off not wasting your time with those unpleasant bastards."


    Shut the fuck up. I really wanted to say that. But I knew that it would give me more trouble than what I really wanted to deal with at the moment. Besides, wasting my energy wasn''t something I was planning to do. He had already ruined my day, but it could still be salvageable if after all this issue I could grab a (non-alcoholic) drink with my friends in the night. Not like my day was going to get better, though.


    "You shouldn''t really try to pick a fight with Aster, dude." I heard a voice addressing me with rhotacism. It was my commander, Theo Elmwood, although I guess calling him that never sat right with me as he was actually younger by about two or three years, and we met each other when I was 15. At that time I was a young rookie in Elidia''s Army.


    "I''ll take your advice, even though I already knew I should avoid conflicts with the Sages."


    "Good." He said immediately after listening to my words.


    Our conversation fell silent for a moment. It was clear it was an awkward situation, so I decided to break the silence by asking something, but before I could do so, Chryssa, who finished talking with S.O.S Officers, came to us and addressed Theo with her delicate voice.


    "Oh, so you''re Ordell''s commander?" She said with a surprised tone. I agreed with her curiosity. I mean, was it believable that someone as young as him was directing a private security organization?


    "Name''s Theo Elmwood. Nice to meet you."


    "B-but aren''t you a tad too young to be a soldier?" She asked without hesitation.


    "I know you have lots of questions, Chryssa..." I said as I tried to prevent the situation from getting out of control. "Elidia is a completely different country to Arcadis, so, if you allow me, I''ll explain everything to you as best as I can..."


    "That''s nice of you, Ordell." Theo intervened. "But that''ll have to wait until we''ve finished our next mission."


    Next mission..?

 Ch. 03: Next Mission

    Night had fallen and the stars covered the skies of Elidia. What should be the calmest moment of the day ended up being quite chaotic. A squad of soldiers had deployed in a secluded region of the kingdom. A bloodbath was about to begin.


    "We''ve arrived at our destination," Said Liam Mercer, the squad leader for this operation. He was charismatic and had a calming ¡ªmaybe slightly high on its pitch¡ª voice, reasons which made it clear why Theo had chosen him to lead in the field. His dark brown hair, muscular body, and fiery eyes were a clear sign that he also was strong enough to fight on his own, but he preferred to be accompanied by someone else on his missions. "How should we proceed now?" He asked the commander, using his communicator.


    "The Ripper Bees'' hive is about 300 meters in front of you. No guards can be seen on the radar. The squad should encircle the nest before engaging in combat. You''re free to choose who should come from each flank, Liam." Instructed Theo from the COMET''s headquarters. "Liam, please tell Cassius to adjust his chip, the image is getting distorted and I can''t see shit!"


    "Chip?" I asked, intrigued by the commander''s order.


    "All of us have a special chip implanted in," Ordell answered eagerly. "They transmit the wavelengths of our essence and allow the radar to detect us and other things on the battlefield." And he was talking about essence once again. When would I finally know what it was and why it mattered that much?


    "That''s right," Theo continued explaining calmly. "That''s how we can see this blurry, but at least distinguishable, black-and-white image on the screen. It''s a real-time transmission!" He was excited to show off his tech.


    "Did you invent it?" I questioned him, letting my curiosity win again.


    "Haha, if only... This is a creation of the Council of Sages. We only took it and adapted it into something we call the Shooting Star System."


    I guess acquiring something like this from the military made sense. It was efficient and allowed for a more advanced control of the terrain.


    "So, what do you think of this, Chryssa?" Ordell asked me as I curiously wandered my eyes through the place. It was a small building, secluded enough from the bustling city, but with all the commodities the soldiers could ever need, which was practical as they all lived together.


    "It''s... quite impressive. I guess it makes sense how precise you can be during your operations, considering the level of technology this place has. Not even in Arcadis did I ever see something like this." I replied as I directed my glance towards him. "Oh, and thank you for accepting my request to allow me to spend the night here... I didn''t have the money to afford shelter for the night."


    "You''re welcome... Just remember that all of this is highly confidential, so nothing that happens here can get outside. Got it?"


    "Yes. Don''t worry, Ordell."


    That''s right, I had somehow convinced Ordell and Theo to allow me to stay with them for the time being. I honestly thought that was a pretty smart idea considering that, well, who knows what could happen to a lonely woman in a city like this, right?


    After such a chaotic afternoon for me, dealing with the Devilcat and then with the thieves, being inside a building felt like paradise. When I left my country, my mind was set on trying to live in a place like this... Well, not literally like this, but I decided that I wouldn''t go to a foster home. I hated that idea.


    I sat down on a couch, far enough from the computer where the leader was giving directions to the team, trying to process everything that happened thus far. Ordell sat down next to me and, with a serious look, he addressed me once again.


    "So, Chryssa. What are you planning on doing after this? Will you go to a refuge?"


    "Not in a million years," I answered slightly upset. "That sort of place would be hell to a young lady like me, you know? I would hate receiving charity out of pity, and, of course, that would be only a temporary solution. They''ll throw you out to the street after just a month!" I felt sad because, as harsh as it may sound, that''s the reality of those sorts of places.


    "That figures. But please remember that you don''t get to stay here for free, okay? If you want to live here, you need to work for us." He paused for a second to assess my reaction to what he just said. "Are you fine with that?"


    "Yeah, I expected that. Please don''t worry about me." I tried my best to look neutral, but I was kinda glad that I got a job opportunity this fast.


    "Well, Ordell..." Theo interrupted. "Keep in mind that we might have to deploy you to the battlefield if anything were to go wrong. But, for the moment, just stand by. Prepare the Es-Bike, just in case."


    "Got it, commander," Ordell answered pretty cordially. This was weird considering their previous exchanges, which were more informal. Friendly, even.


    Ordell got up and started preparing his Es-Bike. At the time, I didn''t understand how it worked, but I was amazed by that level of technology. It looked like your typical bicycle. But it had an engine that made it move without the need for pedals. I wondered how that thing even worked. Was it powered by essence?


    Theo was paying constant attention to the screen on his desk, ready to answer if Liam needed to, but apparently, everything was going smoothly.


    They had explained the mission to me previously: It was supposed to be a simple Monster Extermination Request, solicited by some farmers in one of the provinces closest to Olimpia. However, what they didn''t tell the COMETs was that the beasts that needed extermination were Ripper Bees, a type of giant insect resembling a regular honeybee, but the size of a human toddler, with venom three times as toxic as that of a jellyfish, and a stinger with a sharp edge that looked quite similar to a rapier. On top of all that, those beasts are pretty territorial, so their aggressiveness arises when approached by bigger creatures. Of course, that includes humans.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Yeah, while that may sound scary, these guys weren''t afraid to engage in combat with that type of enemy. I suppose they had experience killing creatures similar to these. Although I guess that makes sense, considering how easily Ordell killed the Devilcat. I wondered if that was the reason why Theo only sent what could be considered a small team, with only 5 soldiers in action.


    "We''re ready to attack. Waiting for permission!" Liam said via the communicator.


    "You have permission," Theo replied.


    Liam and his men started walking towards the nest, as we could see via the Shooting Star System. Their movement was slow but steady, with each step getting them closer to their objective.


    When they were about 50 meters from the objective. The silence of the night was interrupted by a buzzing sound emerging from the hive. A guard came out of its home and noticed one of the troopers. It started flying towards him, buzzing constantly and moving its head erratically. That soldier, whose name was Cassius Vale, noticed the monster coming at him. He reacted fast and swiftly used his knife to cut one of its fragile wings, killing it in the blink of an eye. Thankfully, these species of insects are mute, so the beast didn''t cry to its pain or had any way of alerting the rest of the colony.


    More guards started coming out of the nest, but they were rapidly dispatched by other soldiers of the squad, avoiding making any loud sound. However, it was pretty clear by now that the Empress Bee had already suspected something might be going on, as a bigger insect came from the den and launched an attack against Liam, pointing its stinger against the leader''s thorax, but before the attack could hit its target, the monsterwas killed by another of the soldiers: Matthew Banshee. If not for his intervention, who knows what would''ve happened to the mission?


    But as the giant Ripper Bee died, it released a mysterious smoke from its body. Pheromones? He was warning the colony!


    One after another, tens of swarmed out of the hive, making a defensive stance around it. They pointed their stingers towards the COMETs and as more of them began coming out, they expanded the radius between them and their home, forcing the humans to slowly take some steps back.


    "Dammit, what do we do now?" Cassius inquired, addressing their leader and hoping he would think fast.


    "Well, I believe we''ll each need to take down about thirty, considering how many of these monsters are starting to come out..." Liam replied, considering all possible options they might have.


    Back in the headquarters, we kept all our attention on the battlefield, monitoring all the movements of both the soldiers and the guards. Ordell started getting anxious and his stress was showing off by the way he started raising the tone of his voice.


    "We have to do something, Theo!" He shouted, pretty clear he was trying to get his commander to deploy him.


    "Not yet," He answered. "At least not until the bees start getting aggressive."


    That decision was rational. After all, the bees were only protecting their home and not attacking the COMETs. But I understood Ordell''s concern. What if his friends were to be killed and he couldn''t do anything about it?


    On the battlefield, the squad started moving backward at a faster pace. Now the amount of guards protecting the nest was reaching about two hundred, and more of them kept coming out of their home. Was it even possible for the squad to actually do something?


    "Commander! Requesting for permission to use incendiary weaponry." Liam said via the communicator.


    "Permission granted." Theo immediately replied.


    Not wasting a second, one of the soldiers, Xander Giannis prepared a flamethrower and started approaching the monsters. He took the big gun and started launching waves of fire against the Ripper Bees. They didn''t know how to react against the new threat, making them retreat to the hive.


    As soon as the rippers started their withdrawals, Liam shouted, a signal for his men to run again towards the den and shoot at it, making thousands of holes in its shielded surface in a matter of seconds. It was pretty clear that the insects inside died. When it was clear no other guard would come out again, Xander ran and set on fire the nest, apparently killing the remaining monsters of its interior.


    Ordell let out a sigh of relief after seeing his friends'' apparent victory. Theo gave them their deserved congratulations for another successful mission. However, things weren''t even close to ending yet...


    Suddenly, a few guards started coming leaving the hive followed by the Empress. She was pretty much the size of a human adult, had a double-edged stinger and its maws were strong and sharp enough that it could easily take your head off with a bite.


    Liam let out a cry of war, asking his men to go ahead and fight against the giant beast. Contrary to her offspring, the skin of the Empress was nearly immune to bullets, so they had to resort to close-combat options. Daggers, knives, swords, whatever they had with them. Matthew stayed behind, using his rifle to take down the remaining guards who tried to defend their queen.


    The Empress moved aggressively, trying to stab the COMETs with her stinger and agitating her arms and legs to try and hurt the soldiers. They had to be cautious as she could launch herself against one of them.


    In a flurry of hits, Cassius used his knife to scratch one of the legs of the monster, having special care to not get closer to the stinger. When he saw himself overwhelmed by the Empress'' movements, he switched his position with Xander, who launched defensive flames that would take aback the creature. Liam lunged forward, using his battle axe to get closer and inflict damage on the crystalline wings of his target and, when he got the chance, used it to slash one of the eyes of the enormous insect.


    The Empress moved erratically and tumbled down from her wound. That was the signal for the squad to launch one final attack. They started hitting with all their might in a brutal carnage, cutting flesh, limbs, wings, eyes... After that raid, there was no way to tell how the creature looked before her painful demise.


    "We did it, guys!" Cassius shouted as he raised his arms. Everyone started celebrating their victory, hugging and giving each other a high-five. In the HQ, We all finally put aside our stress and anxiety.


    As we celebrated, though, one final thing surprised me. Troy Harper, the fifth member of the squad, started acting suspiciously as he stopped celebrating out of nowhere. He stood quiet and raised his gun against Liam. What was going on? I needed to scream and warn Theo about this!


    But before I could even move a muscle, Troy pulled the trigger and sent a bullet flying, hitting his target: One remaining guard, trying to avenge its queen. I was shocked and felt like I almost passed out, but I relaxed after Liam voiced his words of gratitude to his colleague.


    "See, Ordell? They can handle it on their own. You don''t need to save their asses every single time." Theo spoke with a joyful sound in his voice.


    "I guess you''re kinda right," Ordell replied. Their dynamic was clear enough for me now. Their bonds and camaraderie made them closer to simply being partners in a militia. They were like family to each other.


    About half an hour later, the squad returned to the base. Their armor was all covered in a green ooze, no need to be an expert to know that was the blood of their enemies. They took off their helmets and gear and I could finally take a look at the soldiers who valiantly fought to bring peace back to the countryside... But there was something weird. Shocking, even. They were just kids¡ªSome even younger than Ordell!


    I decided not to pry on that fact for a moment. We were about to have dinner, after all. But just after we all had our celebratory meal, I went and took Ordell to the terrace.


    I needed to know the truth about the COMETs.