Episode III: Crossroads of Fate

Chapter 1-4:

The Calm before the Storm

Elizabeth was assaulted by a concerned Saibein before she could even set foot in the Guardians Branch. He appeared to be incredibly impatient and had grief written all over his face.

"Oh good! There you are Elizabeth! I need you to rush out to a location out in Raffon Meadow!" he quickly blurted out.

"Yes sir! …If you don't mind me asking however; what for?" Elizabeth acknowledged.

"I sent out a few fledgling Guardians to assist the AMF who were short-handed themselves in transporting some munitions and artillery to a base. Word has it; the shipment had come under attack by native creatures. I don't think they will be up for the task and they could use every hand they could get. Everyone else I tried to contact is still currently dealing with their own issues or individual missions."

"It's no problem. You can count on me!"

Flying overhead in the night sky, she noticed a small bush fire lighting up the ground far below. Sparks were seen here and there and small shadows darting around the clustered flares. Only a few miles away from the ensuing battle was a well-illuminated facility with giant arched walls; most likely the AMF base in question. Spinning the G-Flyer around, she made quick landing before taking rifle in hand to join the fight. Exponentially pounding the edge of her chest, the pace of her heart rate spiked with every step she took. Just over a small steppe was the firefight. Gunshots and swordplay were heard echoing and whizzing across the scattered trees and over the shaken grassland. She paused, tightly clenching her rifle near her breast. Hesitation had now consumed her.

[What if something happens? No one will be here to rescue me…No! I can't be fearful! Morganna was right. This is part of the job. They are clearly struggling and they need my help!]

Vaulting over and through the knoll, she was within reach of the party of five remaining AMF members and four Guardians. The AMF were stationed behind some makeshift cover that was comprised of debris and munitions crates from their crashed cargo ship while the Guardians were scattered about dealing with individual threats. The AMF were all mainly CAST, very few of which were any of the other races. They claimed that they were fair and just with their approval under purely "diplomatic" reasons; reasons which Elizabeth did not agree with. Regardless, she appreciated their help and the gift of peace of mind that they provided as they were around; despite their methods. There was a single CAST amongst the Guardians, followed by two Beasts and a human. The battle plan the conjoined forces were enacting had lacked any real structure, forcing all members to work themselves way past their normal limits. A wide gap was between the two of them, presenting a nearly impossible challenge for the AMF to defend the remaining cargo while making it easy for the Guardians to get surrounded if they weren't careful. True to the observation, the AMF were pinned down as wave after wave of Vahras came after them. Viciously holding back a Vahra with his spear, the Guardian CAST had no idea that another was positioning itself to finish him off. As the other three were dealing with their own problems, Elizabeth finally decided to take action. Diving onto her stomach, she immediately took aim and squeezed off three rounds, the first two nailing the sneaky myrmidon and third releasing the CAST from the deadlock.

"Where did those shots come from?" he yelled, turning around to stab a third Vahra that now approached him.

"What's that? Over there! On the ground! Is that one of us?" the Beast shouted, knocking back another Vahra with the backend of his Photonic knuckle. For only just a moment it would seem that the onslaught let up. Elizabeth stood up and waved as she jogged towards her compatriots. Before she got close enough to be within earshot, a bullet flew past her and into another Vahra that was making its way behind her. Tilting her head, she breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed its corpse.

"Thanks. I guess you can say I'm the back-up?" Elizabeth choked out her words, her hands trembling.

"About bloody time. But where is the rest of you?" the human chastised.

"I wouldn't know. Are any of you injured?"

"No, we aren't. But the AMF lost two guys."

"How many Vahras did you guys get?"

"No more than twenty."

"Then we should be expecting twenty more. They wouldn't be far behind." Moving over to the AMF, she decided to find out more what was going on.

"How did your ship crash?"

"You know the Polavohra? The giant and docile grey beasts we use as cattle? Yeah, one of those things decided to not be so docile. Rammed straight into the ship" one of the AMF grunts detailed.

"Yeah, on top of that, once we tried to take care of it, another appeared followed by this pack of Vahra. When it crashed into out ship, it knocked out our long-range communications. The base we are escorting the cargo to is currently out on a bombing run, so they won't have much force to spare either. I've never seen such a concentrated effort from mere creatures though. It was if the cargo we are carrying was attracting them or something" another added on.

"Wait, what are you carrying then?" Elizabeth asked.

"That's classified information. All I can tell you is that we aren't equipped for this level of combat. We're just a reconnaissance crew from the Relics that was bringing stuff we found there along with some extra ammunition and firepower."

"Alright then. If we don't want to lose any more people or have any more harm come to the equipment; you guys should listen to me!"

"I'm sorry? What reason should we? What makes you so special?" the second Beast exclaimed.

"Well…I…"

"Let's hear her out…If she has something different we can do that works better, I'm all ears" the CAST muttered. The Beast and the human looked towards each other before shrugging and then waving for Elizabeth to continue.

"Thanks… Right, I'll take position with the AMF right here around the cargo. We will form a six point axis where the four of you will defend at closer range. As you keep them barred away, we will provide cover fire. I'll need you guys to move your makeshift barricade around and make it a bit smaller but more wide spread. We will still need it in case any of them make it past the initial line of defense. Sound good?"

"Sounds better than what we were doing before. Let's move it men!" the AMF leader commanded. As they moved the munitions crates around, the second battalion of Vahras popped up along with another Polavohra. A massive four-legged beast, it was normally too timid to even react in self-defense but it would seem the SEED infestation has spread to domesticated animals by this point as well. With its tremendous bulk combined, with the fact that it stood taller than practically any person, its charges could produce serious and most likely fatal injury.

"Concentrate your fire on the Polavohra first! We don't want it ramming the equipment again! Don't stray from the circle though!" she loudly directed with a swift flick of her arm. In unison, the six of them fired at the giant mutated cattle with extreme prejudice with some help from the human with his handgun. Unyielding, it kept to its path as it seemed to just absorb the bullets. Encroaching around them now, the Vahras had made it to the circle. "Spread your focus between those around you but don't forget about the Polavohra!" The first made it towards the circle. The CAST jumped into the air and rained a multitude of stabs with his spear; most likely a form of Photon Art. The next came close enough only to be shot down where it stood. Now a small partition of seven was upon them, forcing the Guardians to move in full swing. One by one, the Vahras fell without incident or injury; however, the hulking beast still remained. Being the last one standing, it reared up to charge. In a low bellowed roar, it stamped its feet into the earth, ripping dirt and grass alike out from beneath it as it barreled straight for them. The CAST took center stage, right in front of its path. Shaking his legs and rear as he still contemplated what it was he was actually doing, he leapt skyward with his spear at the ready. In a single stab, he pierced the quadruped's skull. Carrying more momentum than the CAST had weight in his body; the force of his blow wasn't enough to stop it just yet as it sent him flying into the derelict cargo ship. With the weapon still lanced in its brains, it slowed down until it fell into a long, dragging slide, coming to a steady halt only a few feet from the ship. No other signs of danger made themselves apparent; making sure it was all clear, Elizabeth rushed over to help the CAST up. "That was pretty dangerous. Why would you do such a thing?" He moaned a bit before coherently speaking. He placed his hand on yellow and black helmet-like face.

"Hrnn…I dunno, it seemed like a good idea at the time…Did I get it?" he mumbled.

"Yeah! You did!"

"Awesome!" he cheered, jumping onto his feet. "Where's my spear?"

"Still stuck in its head."

"Oh, right." He bounded gleefully as he pried it loose from its cranial cavity.

"Well, that worked out well. What's next?" the human sarcastically praised.

"We still need to get this equipment back to base…Or what's left of it anyway" one of the AMF troops pointed out.

"Do you anything can lift it up and carry it? I don't all of us could really carry it on our own" Elizabeth indicated.

"Of course we do, we have the transport trucks that we would use to offload them when we were at base. They don't move very fast though, so we will need protection until we get there. With all the equipment and the fact we are down two men, we won't have any hands to spare as we move it."

"Alright, we'll help you load it onto the transport trucks. I'll cover the rear while two of us will take each side of the convoy line. Okay?"

"I dig it, I like this chick's way of thinking" one of the Beasts felicitated. Heaving and hauling, they all cooperated in tugging the luggage onto the floating trucks, which even Elizabeth helped out with despite her meager strength. After a good ten minutes of hard labor had elapsed, and once everything was loaded, the AMF sounded off the okay as they ventured forth into the night and towards the base that was still resided a few miles away. A more densely wooded area lay between them and their destination; if anything attacked them there, it would be a lot harder to see it coming in comparison to the open fields from earlier. While they proceeded, rustling could be heard chasing them from within the tree line and shrubbery. Walking backwards while double taking left and right, Elizabeth was becoming incredibly unsettled from it all. Additional rattling from her rifle as it trembled in her arms; more easily perceived than the rustling throughout the caravan. Mumbling was also coming from her right corner, the yellow CAST being its source. Trying to ease her own woes, she decided to consolidate a conversation.

"Is this your first time on the field?" she gestured.

"Huh? Who, me?" he said, nearly jumping out of his skin.

"Yes you, silly."

"Oh…No, but I'm still new to this…"

"Me too…"

"Really? But you seem to be so knowledgeable of each situation!"

"Yeah, but I suck at putting it in practice…I'm just too fearful of what would happen…I'm not really that strong like you…"

"Strength nothing. It's all in the spear" he motioned, brandishing his long pole arm above his head in a dancing fashion before bringing it back down to his chest as he then caressed it.

"Hehe…You're funny. What's your name?"

"Kuraga. What's yours?"

"Elizabeth…I just wish all this noise would stop and whatever is out there would come out…It's giving me the creeps."

"I'm sure we can handle it…Maybe it's just the wind…" At that moment, the eerie creation of turbulence decided to reveal itself. Small and green, the bulbous headed Polty leapt out from the brush with a bushel of nuts from the local trees in its small paw. A pair of shiny and white small fanged teeth was protruding out of its mouth, fangs which were used to crush the nuts they liked so much. Elizabeth had always though they were excessively adorable with their big blue eyes and chubby, rounded features.

"Aww…It's just a Polty making all that noise." She stopped and crouched over to pick up a nut that was on the ground as an offering to the creature. "Here you go, you can have this." Creeping slowly over to her, it extended its paw to take the nut from her when it suddenly sprang off the ground and went for her face. Falling over and dropping her rifle, a swarm of the little monsters dropped from the trees and emerged from the brush. Holding it back with both arms, the adorable monster desperately tried to claw her eyes out with terrible fury. Inching her leg between her arms and the brat, she kicked it away as she then scurried to grab her rifle. "They may be small, but don't let down your guard!" she shouted ironically, pushing her hair out of the way of her eyes. Despite the small nuisances, the rebellion was quelled and the rest of the trip was relatively quiet. After scaling the steep hill, the cargo and AMF had finally arrived at the base.

"Hey, thanks a ton guys. Didn't know that the Guardians could be that reliable in a pinch" the leader of the group motioned.

"It was no big deal, it's the girl you should be thanking" the human gesticulated.

"Elizabeth, was it?" the AMF member beckoned.

"Yes. Elizabeth Beltraz" she answered.

"I'll be sure to put in a good word with your commanding officer as soon as possible. It's a shame you didn't show up to sooner. Maybe with your help we could have saved those two souls who were lost tonight."

"Yeah…I'm sorry…"

"Don't be! We all made it through thanks to your planning!"

"Please, you're too kind…"

"No, I'm with the AMF guy, you were the bomb!" the beast complimented.

"Yeah, it's true! You really pulled us through" Kuraga cried. Blushing, Elizabeth spun her face away so they couldn't see. All said and done, they had their G-Flyers remotely land over to the base and they returned back to their places of origin. Exhausted, Elizabeth headed to her barracks were Commander Saibein was waiting. He was tapping his foot impatiently and his arms were crossed.

"Commander Saibein? What are you doing up so late? Is everything alright?" she inquired.

"Oh, there you are Elizabeth. I heard about what happened" he responded.

"…Am I in trouble for something? You look upset."

"No…No you did a great job on the field today…I was worried is all" he replied rather reluctantly. "Keep up the good work and you'll see yourself promoted!"

[As nice as that sounds, I feel like that wouldn't be the best idea to come about for me.]

Finished saying what needed to be said, he left silently as Elizabeth dragged herself into her room and plopped herself on her bed where she soon fell asleep. A well-warranted day of rest followed as the next tomorrow was going to be even harder still. Around midday, she was summoned once more to help purify the SEED which were causing an infestation around a farm that was adjacent to her old family estate. Green Green Farm, a Koltova farm that was owned by a man, his son, and a CAST attendant. Saibein said how there were already two squads on the field; she was to join one on the other side of the farm. Upon getting to the task site, she spotted three fellow Guardians; among the two Newmans, one female and one male, there was a CAST she recognized as Kuraga. They were currently fighting off two remaining Koltova that had went crazy while standing next to a SEED-Core. After they were finished, Kuraga noticed that Elizabeth was approaching them and ran up to her.

"Hey! Am I glad to see you again! Maybe you can solve our new problem?" he pleaded fervently.

"What happened?" she enquired.

"We were told to purify the SEED here but these giant cores can't be broken. No matter what we hit it with, it does nothing but bounce off."

"Weren't you given a Photon Eraser?"

"A what?"

"One of these" Elizabeth pointed out, after taking out her invention.

"No, we weren't. What does it do?" Before she could explain, a pack of fire-coated Vahras burst out from behind the scenes of a batch of boulders to their left.

"No time! Keep me covered and I'll deal with this!"

"You got it Elizabeth!" As she took out her goggles and went to work, the Newmans brandished a dagger and saber each while Kuraga led them headlong with the tip of his spear. Marking each seedling with an icy beam, they withered and died in tandem with the slain altered beasts. The last of them was defeated and the bloom vanished and with a few well-placed shots from her rifle, Elizabeth removed the core from existence.

"So, you guys never got one of these? Never were trained how to use it?" she stated.

"No, we haven't. Once again, you're a life-saver!" Kuraga excitedly replied.

"Well, we aren't done yet. There are bound to be more SEED-cores around. Once we find one, you'll need to protect me so I can purify them."

[I thought Commander Saibein said that he was going to get them mass produced. I even heard of people using them in the field. Why weren't these three included?]

A lot of the herding fences were destroyed from the outbreak. Tons of local wildlife and domesticated farm cattle were infected. The ground was writhing in pain and it moved as it was alive. A nightmarish new reality had descended upon the system without end and without any sign of salvation in sight.

[For each core I destroy, I feel like there are two more waiting in up there in the void, all ready to drop down and release more of their vicious poison. Is there any actual point to fighting these? They seem to be endless!]

On the outside, she tried her best to remain strong and positive while keeping her head about her. But on the inside, she couldn't shake her fears. For how long would her luck allow her to survive? How long would she have to rely on the company and strength of others to even move? Droning noise from her device had drowned out everything else but these thoughts that she pondered. Whereas she was purifying and lost, a Vahra was getting too close for comfort from her side. A thud came from her right and she saw the dark, razor-talons that it held above its head. Unable to correctly react in time, she swiftly shut her eyes and braced herself for the blow that would ream her arm. That blow didn't come though. Looking a little further to her right, she saw a green, tri-tipped blade jutting out of its stomach. It quickly retracted and the Vahra fell as Kuraga gave Elizabeth a thumb's up. Sighing, she resumed the purification process. Only a few minutes more and this core was defeated, just as its predecessors. Not soon after, the sky brightened up to the normal opacity of a clear night. It was finally over.

"Thanks a million Elizabeth!" Kuraga applauded, flaunting his spear above his head.

"No thank you! If you guys weren't here, I wouldn't have been able to purify the cores" she humbly deflected.

"Likewise! Well I guess it's time to head back. I hope we get to see each other again. Work is always easy with you around!" As he waved, he skipped and jumped over to the approaching G-Flyer, as the Newmans got into one together and Elizabeth then got into hers. Making back to the branch, something seemed off. No one was waiting at the front desk to greet people and a few of the lights were off. The only real source of light was coming from the visiphone that was commonly used by visitors and clients to contact their family. The man accessing it was Commander Saibein. Even more suspicious still, the man on the opposing end he was talking to seemed to be distorted and garbled, as if he didn't want to be seen.

"Do not fail me again Saibein" he spoke in a metallic and dark voice.

"I won't, I promise. Next time will work, I'm sure of it" Saibein replied before ending the communication.

"Who was that?" Elizabeth asked out of the blue, frightening him enough that he flailed his arms above himself and into a defensive position. As he turned, his face became incredibly stern and scornful.

"You got back relatively quickly. It was a higher-up. He didn't like the local turn-out we've been making against the SEED."

"What do you mean?"

"Never you mind. You don't need to concern yourself with those matters. You have enough to worry about. I heard from your allies that you were a massive credit to the team."

"Yeah… about that…"

"Did something happen?"

"Well…None of them had Photon Erasers. I thought you said you sent the specs to a design team for mass production?"

"I did. I also had the training course given out. They must have skipped it. I'll be sure to reprimand them for that."

[Something doesn't add up. I wouldn't think that Kuraga would do that. I mean, he's eccentric, but I don't think he would stupid to skip out on something like that.]

Saibein's face was still sour as he looked down on her. "Anything else?"

"Oh, no sir. Sorry, I'm going to go now."

"Alright. Rest well…" Elizabeth nodded while she yawned, proceeding up the right ramp and through the door towards the barracks. "You'll need it."