Chapter 9: Blonde-haired Devil in Royal Clothing

Zolzal's Estate

Late in the evening

Zolzal was infuriated by the fact that the bandits were unable to take down the Ghosts at Italica, and that a large amount of the bandits were massacred by the superior technology that the Ghosts had possessed. He wanted a way to end the Ghosts, but every solution he tried to use against them ended in a massive failure...

"Why are they not eradicated?" Zolzal said angrily.

"The Ghosts possess a power that only they can control, and it was capable to eradicate the bandits." Crispin, one of his inner circle, said.

"That power has managed to coerce a large amount of the Senate members into wanting peace." Hector, another member, said.

"We can't let the Senate make peace with these brutes." Zolzal said.

"I might have an idea in mind, but I need time to organize the details." Delvin said as Tyuule entered the room.

"Tyuule, what is it?" Zolzal asked.

"Sir, word is spreading about a recent feat of strength that the Ghosts have just carried out." Tyuule said.

"What?" Zolzal asked.

"The village of Coda just had evacuated in fear of a Fire Dragon attack after a nearby elven settlement had been destroyed. You can guess who aided in the escort." Tyuule explained.

"So they aided in an evacuation, how is that a feat of strength?" Crispin said in disbelief.

"They fended off the Fire Dragon when it had attacked them in the Badlands, saving over hundreds of lives." Tyuule said.

The four men were rendered speechless by what Tyuule had just said, a small number of Ghosts had fended off a Fire Dragon. By hearing this, they were left with only one question: WHAT ARE THE GHOSTS?

Temple Base

4:50 pm

The group arrived at the outpost that had transformed into a large base, which was commanded by a joint staff of over 100 Ghosts and 300 volunteers from the settlement itself, technicians from the Think tank, and engineers from the Drillers. The refugees were amazed at the construction of the base that they were standing in, in which Xavier turned to Mikayla after he noticed that the elven girl was still wrapped in a blanket...

"Can you see about getting her some clothes, we can't have her streaking through the base." Xavier said in a polite tone.

"Of course." Mikayla said.

Xavier went to the command building to speak with Commander Ashton about the matter pertaining to the refugees that they had brought in. Mikayla brought the elven girl over to the supply building, and walked up to the main desk...

"Hey Lily." Mikayla said.

"Oh hey, Mikayla, did you just get back?" Lily, the girl behind the desk said.

"Yeah, I have been busy with work." Mikayla said.

"Who's that?" Lily asked.

"(Signalling her to come closer.) She's a refugee we brought in, the settlement that she had clearly called home was wiped out." Mikayla whispered.

"What?" Lily said.

"We found her unconscious at the bottom of a well." Mikayla added.

"Why is she wrapped in a blanket?" Lily asked.

"Her clothes were soaked and she was possibly entering first stage hypothermia. So we had to cut the girl's wet dress off." Mikayla explained.

"Oh." Lily said. "Well then, lets get you dressed." She added.

"Don't worry, Lily is going to get you some clothes." Mikayla explained to the nervous elven girl.

Mikayla and the elven girl followed Lily down the hall to a dressing room, in which Lily opened the door into the room...

"You can wait here, I'll be back with some clothes for her." Lily said to Mikayla.

"Sure." Mikayla responded.

Lily exited the room, leaving the elven girl alone with Mikayla as she went to get some clothes for the girl...

"You seem a little bit nervous." Mikayla pointed out after a bit.

"Sorry." The girl in broken english.

"It's alright, english can be a bit of a confusing language." Mikayla said.

"English?" The girl said.

"It's what everyone on this base speaks. I'm Mikayla, by the way." She said.

"I'm ... Tuka." The girl said in a shy tone.

"Nice to meet you." Mikayla said.

"I'm back." Lily said, entering the room with a white T-shirt, blue denim jeans, a pair of red sandals, a brown belt, and some blue undergarments folded up in her arms.

"Ok, you can get dressed, then we got to get you and the others' paperwork filled out." Mikayla said.

Meanwhile at the Command Building...

"Lieutenant Moore, your squad has been busy." Ashton said.

"Yes sir, that we have." Xavier said.

"Well, first you survive an assassin attack at the capital, then we aid in the defense of this region's largest strategic city and trading hub from a large bandit army, now you and Rayne's unit just aided in the evacuation of an entire village and managed to survive an encounter with a large Fire Dragon?" Ashton said.

"Yeah, that thing put up a fight." Xavier said.

"Well, your actions have given The Ghosts quite a reputation as the refugees that you saved are telling stories about how your group saved them." Ashton said.

"Really now?" Xavier said.

"Yeah, I understand that you brought back a couple of refugees with you." Ashton pointed out.

"Yes sir." Xavier said.

"Is there a reason for that?" Ashton asked.

"These people have no where else to turn to, they just survived an attack that destroyed everything they had, and the kids that were brought back are practically orphans as the Fire Dragon killed their parents during the attack." Xavier explained.

"Well then, on Humanitarian grounds, we're allowed to take them in." Ashton said.

"That's good to hear sir." Xavier said.

"But that doesn't mean that I am going to make this easy, I am placing the responsibility of taking care of them on both you and Rayne's unit." Ashton said.

"Understood." Xavier responded.

"Oh, one more thing." Ashton said.

"Yes?" Xavier asked.

"Get your suit on, you're going to a party." Xavier said.

"Hmm?" Xavier asked.

"Mr. Shepard was invited to a party by a Lord Cicero and Gravekeeper wants somebody with him in case of anything happening such as the Crown Prince trying to make a move against us by killing Shepard." Ashton explained.

"So when is the party?" Xavier said.

"In a couple of hours, which will give you plenty of time to sort out the business regarding the refugees that you brought in." Ashton said.

"Understood." Xavier said.

Xavier exited the room and proceeded to regroup with the teams to discuss a plan to handle the refugees...

"Erin, Kiana, Scrounge up some food from the mess hall for the folks." Xavier said.

"You got it."Erin said.

"Brian and I will handle getting the refugees together. Anthony and Dante, get some tents from the engineers and get them set up." Xavier said.

"Ok." Dante said.

"Hoyt and Diana, you two will handle the paperwork." Rayne ordered.

"Understood, ma'am." Hoyt said.

Both groups of the Ghosts went to work on the assignments that they were given. Xavier and Brian went to work, gathering the refugees under a nearby pavilion to get them out of the boiling sun, in which Diana and Hoyt arrived with the paperwork followed by Erin and Kiana, who were carrying a couple of boxes of food.

"Alright, these people are going to ask each of you a couple of questions about yourselves, then these two kind ladies are going to get some food in your bellies since you are probably hungry." Xavier said as a lot of the refugees' stomachs growl loudly.

"It's a good thing that the paperwork is going to be quick, they got to feed the beasts." Dante said sarcastically.

"Let's start with the elderly couple, then end with the kids." Diana said.

Diana and Hoyt immediately began to process the refugees in an orderly fashion, simply asking their names and writing them down on a list and asking them of what ailments that were afflicting them. While the refugees were being processed by Diana and Hoyt, Xavier took off to get ready for the party that he was going to be attending as the bodyguard for Ambassador Shepard.

"What's with the uniform?" Dante asked as Xavier buttoned up his shirt.

"Your dad's got me on security detail for Ambassador Shepard." Xavier explained as buttoned up his jacket.

"He's got you playing bodyguard?" Dante asked.

"Shepard got invited to a party by a Lord Cicero, so your dad has got me watching Shepard's back in case of Pinya's older brother trying to put a blade in it." Xavier explained.

"You get to go to a party while I have to play babysitter for the refugees? Lucky." Dante said in an annoyed tone.

"Moore, your ride to the Cicero estate is here." A Ghost named Reaper said as he appeared in the doorway.

"Alright." Xavier said.

Xavier walked out of the building and hopped in a jeep that sped off to the estate of Lord Cicero, leaving the group to look after the refugees...

Cicero Estate Gates.

5:01 pm

The jeep stopped right outside the gates of the estate that was owned by Lord Cicero, a highly influential member of the Imperial Senate and a wealthy nobleman, in which Xavier stepped out of the vehicle, wearing a formal military officer's uniform. He was greeted by Aiden Shepard, who was wearing a formal robe provided by Pinya, who was standing next to him, wearing a formal princess dress.

"Surprised to see you again, Lieutenant Moore." Aiden said.

"Commander Perez wanted me to be part of your security detail in case someone from the Anti-Peace faction tries to sink a blade in your back." Xavier explained.

"Good to see you again, Lieutenant Moore." Pinya said.

"Same to you, Princess, you look lovely today." Xavier said.

"Thank you, shall we head inside?" Pinya asked.

"Of course." Shepard said.

The trio walked up to the gates of the estate, in which the guards let the group inside. They saw nobles and their families talking amongst themselves, sipping on cups of wine and eating foods of all varieties.

"This is quite a party." Xavier said.

"I should have had your superiors inform you to have brought a second stomach." Pinya said.

"I remember a dietary plan that the Ghosts have." Xavier said.

"In our world, the military always upheld a dietary plan for their soldiers to stay in peak condition." Shepard explained.

"So your military valued soldiers who were in peak physical condition." Pinya said.

But as they walked along the yard, a little girl in a pink and red dress was hurrying along but only to accidentally bump right into Xavier and fall on her butt...

"Oww." The girl said.

"Hey, you alright?" Xavier asked.

"Huh?" The girl said as she looked at the strange boy.

"Would you like some help with getting up?" Xavier asked, holding out his hand.

"Yes, please." The girl said.

Xavier helped the girl to her feet, even helping her with wiping off some dirt that got on her clothes.

"Sherry, you need to be careful." Pinya said.

"Sorry, Princess." Sherry said as her mother came running up.

"Sherry! Are you alright?" Her mother asked.

"I'm fine." Sherry said.

"Mrs. Tyueri, your daughter is a free spirit, she just wanted to meet our new guests." Pinya said.

"I see." Sherry's mother said.

"Ambassador Shepard, Lieutenant Moore, this is Lady Abigail Tyueri of the Tyueri Family." Pinya said.

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." Xavier said.

" Abigail, this is Aiden Shepard, Ambassador to the world beyond the Gate, and his escort, First Lieutenant Xavier Moore of the Ghosts." Xavier said.

"A member of the Ghosts, here?" Abigail said in an amazed tone.

"Were you expecting someone else?" Xavier asked in a humored tone.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting a skilled warrior to be so young." Abigail explained.

"Trust me, a young warrior is worth in equal weight as an older one." Xavier said as Abigail's husband, Lord Victor Tyueri, came walking over.

"Dear, who are you talking to?" Victor said.

"Just Princess Pinya and her guests, one of the the ambassadors of the world beyond the Gate and his escort." Abigail explained.

"Ah, you must be Ambassador Shepard." Victor said, shaking Aiden's hand.

"It's and honor to meet you, sir." Aiden said.

"This is his protector, First Lieutenant Xavier Moore of the Ghosts." Pinya explained.

"He is one of the soldiers who participated in the battle of Italica and the fight against the Fire Dragon." Abigail explained to her husband.

"Really? It's an honor to meet such a great warrior, Lieutenant Moore." Victor said in an honored tone.

"The honor is mine, sir, some people back in Italica spoke highly of you." Xavier said.

"Is it true? That you and those soldiers that accompanied you actually wounded a fire dragon?" Victor asked.

"Yes sir, but the bastard took a lot of innocent lives." Xavier said in an angered tone.

"That upsets you?" Abigail asked.

"Yeah, all Ghosts hate seeing innocent people die in the middle of a fight that the Ghosts are trying to stop, as we believe that the people are a valuable asset to a nation." Xavier said.

"There is wisdom in those words, if there were more people who have that same perception of the world." Victor said.

"Well, you are probably hungry." Abigail said.

"That is true ma'am." Xavier said with a slight chuckle after his stomach growled loudly.

The group proceeded to get some food and drinks and then sat down around a table to talk amongst themselves, though the main topics of discussion were about Earth...

"So tell me, what is your world like?" Victor asked.

"It was once a peaceful world, a world with locations that would have left you awe-struck by their beauty." Aiden said.

"Was?" Abigail asked.

"Their world was devastated by an event known as COLOSSUS Day." Pinya explained.

"What?" Victor said.

"Oh my God." Abigail said in a shocked tone.

"What happened?" Victor asked.

"Years ago, the combined efforts of a organization known as the United nations developed a new weapons system that was called COLOSSUS, in which the weapon could drop a heavy, metal rod from the sky with great speed, devastating the area that the rod impacted in." Aiden said.

"You could almost say that is was "death from above." Xavier said.

"But something went wrong?" Abigail asked.

"Yes, a passing comet damaged a facility that we had built to control COLOSSUS, in which it accidentally activated the weapon, causing it to fire on the world's largest nations, completely obliterating the world's international infrastructure." Aiden said.

"World governments collapsed, and the local governments of the nations couldn't stay together for long." Xavier said.

"My god." Victor said, taking a sip of his wine.

"Now, the survivors of the event either live in walled settlements or roam the land in the form of degenerate raider tribes." Aiden explained.

"The expedition force was massacred by two of the degenerate raider tribes that Ambassador Shepard spoke of." Pinya said.

"What were the tribes that massacred the expedition force named?" Victor asked.

"They called themselves the Howlers and The Blood Riders." Xavier explained.

"Sounds like they were animals." Abigail said in a disgusted tone.

"Yes they were, but we wiped the two tribes out." Xavier said.

"Their banners now decorate the palace trophy room." Pinya explained.

The group watched as people got up to socialize with Lord Cicero, was a tall, grizzled gentleman with short tan hair...

"That is Lord Cicero, a member of a Senate party known as the Hawks." Victor said.

"Where does he stand on the matter pertaining to us?" Xavier asked.

"He is open to the idea of having negotiations with your people, but he will be hostile if you give him a reason to be." Abigail said.

"You can finish your meal, I'll let him know that you're here." Pinya said to Aiden.

"Of course." Aiden said.

After finishing up his food, Aiden and Xavier met with Lord Cicero in a small meeting room inside the estate itself, ready to talk...

"Lord Cicero, allow me to introduce you to Aiden Shepard, Ambassador for the world beyond the Gate, and his escort, First Lieutenant Xavier Moore of the Ghosts." Pinya said.

"It is an honor, sir." Aiden said.

"The honor is mine, stories about your people are popular among the staff here at my home." Cicero said.

"I see." Aiden said.

"Pinya has told me some details about your world, all except for one." Cicero said.

"You decided to leave out some details about our world, Pinya?" Xavier asked.

"I thought it would be better that he heard about it from people who have experienced the same devastating event." Pinya explained.

"Ah." Xavier said, realizing that he knew what she had not told him.

"Tell me, Ambassador Shepard, What is this COLOSSUS Day?" Cicero asked.

"Then we are going to be needing a strong drink after the story I am about to tell you." Aiden said.

Cicero sat back as Aiden told him the story of COLOSSUS Day, in which Xavier shared with him the details of the hell year that followed COLOSSUS Day. Cicero was showing two different emotions at the same time, shock at how COLOSSUS devastated the entire world, and respect for the people who had survived the destruction and endured the world that was lain in front of them...

"You've been rather quiet as I told you the story, Lord Cicero." Aiden said.

"I'm sorry, it's just that, your world has been decimated and yet you remain strong." Cicero said in a surprised tone.

"Where we come from, you learn to endure and adapt, in which you can become stronger than ever before." Xavier said.

"We both were born in a state called New York, and one of the rules was when something knocks you down in a fight, you must get right back on your feet." Aiden said.

"Well, I hope you two will enjoy the rest of the party, I will share your story with my associates when I meet with them again at the earliest opportunity." Cicero said.

"Thank you, sir." Aiden said.

As Lord Cicero returned to the party, Xavier and Aiden conversed with Pinya on the results of the meeting...

"He is quite civil." Aiden said.

"Cicero can be a civilized man, but also a fierce fighter when it comes to matters pertaining to the empire or his family." Pinya explained.

"Well, having an influential member of the Imperial Senate as a friend can be helpful." Xavier said as an elven servant came over to Pinya and whispered something into her ear.

"Ambassador Shepard, we must hide you." Pinya said in a worried tone.

"What is it?" Xavier asked.

"My brother has been spotted charging down the road with some of his associates, if they see either one of you here, they will kill you." Pinya said.

"Is this the same brother that was with you on your expedition to our world, Pinya?" Aiden asked.

"No, I think she's talking about the one who had sent assassins to kill us the night at the palace." Xavier said.

"Oh, him." Aiden said.

"Pinya, hide the Ambassador, I can hide myself well." Xavier said.

"Will do, but-" Pinya said after having some guards whisk Shepard away.

Pinya was left speechless at the fact that Xavier had vanished from her sight, just as she ordered the guards to hide Ambassador Shepard from the scene so Zolzal couldn't find him. She went out to the grounds to face her brother and his group, in which she was approached by the blonde haired devil himself...

"Pinya, I'm surprised that you were invited to a party when I was not." Zolzal said.

"Lord Cicero thought you were busy when he was putting the invite list together." Pinya said.

"True, he must have sent a letter of invitation, but I failed to see it." Zolzal figured.

"Aside from that, what are you doing here?" Pinya asked.

"I heard rumors that one of the enemy ambassadors was going to be here, where is he?" Zolzal demanded.

"Brother, why are you treating them like an enemy?" Pinya asked as she spotted the sleeve of Xavier's jacket move behind a noble.

"They are not like us, sister, by all accounts in my book, they are the enemy." Zolzal said.

"They were the ones who saved me and Diabo from raiders." Pinya said.

"You will see that looks will be deceiving." Zolzal said.

After a couple of minutes, Zolzal and his group left the estate grounds with a couple of snacks, leaving Pinya to stand there as their horses took off with great speed.

"Man, he really is an asshole." Xavier said.

"Gah, where did you just come from?" Pinya said in a startled tone.

"One rule of being a Ghost, always be one step ahead of your opponents and walk in the shadows." Xavier said.

"I see." Pinya said.

"We should probably go tell Ambassador Shepard that hide and seek is over." Xavier said jokingly.

"Yes, we shall." Pinya said with a slight chuckle.

This concludes Chapter 9, as Xavier was attending a party that was hosted by Lord Cicero in which Zolzal appeared, but wasn't anywhere to be found by Zolzal himself or his lackeys. One of the crucial components of the training of the Ghosts is stealth, which is the central focus of two of the Ghost units, The Silent Knights and The Eagles. Stealth is also a central role in the training of the Night Witches as well. The next chapter will start off with the refugee camp being completed, but also Zolzal will learn of the plan that his lackeys have been compiling together...

WAIT AND SEE.