"Laufgraan Party 1?" The sentry at the command base asked Matthew and his group before directing them to the command center.

The army appropriated a bank with thick walls and bullet proof windows as their command center for that operation. Inside, there were dozens of computers and personnel operating them. Some were overseeing communications, others were operating drones and others were operating logistics.

In the center of all the computers, a huge screen was laid on tripods. Around it, high army officers fiddled with the screen while discussing their options and strategies.

When Matthew and the others entered the room guided by a soldier, no one stopped doing their work. Only when the soldier saluted General Yu, a Chinese descendant who looked to be in his late 50s, that the officers around the screen acknowledged them.

"You must be the party that defeated the Balor in the Safe Zone 3." General Yu said lifting his face from the electronic that was used as a table to look at them. "I thought there were more of you." He said after looking at them.

"The others were too tired to continue fighting. They stayed behind to rest." Vanessa explained.

"I understand." The General said taking a tablet and looking at the data there. "Are the levels you reported correct?" He asked scratching his head trying to understand how a low level party like that defeated a greater demon.

"Mine isn't." Matthew said. "I'm level 35, but the soldier didn't believe me, so I lied about my level." He explained.

"Makes sense. You're too young to be at level 35." General Yu said looking at Matthew's eye patch. "You've survived a lot, didn't you, kid?"

Matthew just nodded.

"We also leveled up after the fight." Faralynn added. "I'm level 19 now, Vanessa is 16. Faynn is from Nuilynn, so she doesn't have a level, but she should be above level 40 if she did."

"Good." The General said putting his tablet down. "Let me give your party a run down of what's going on." He added opening way for them to approach the screen laid on the center of the room.

There, General Yu opened a map of the city similar to the ones they saw earlier, but the shaded areas were a bit different.

"We managed to contain the invasion to the center of the city and evacuated most civilians to safe zones." The General said pointing to the map's blue areas. "These are the parts of the city where the demons made bases for themselves and we're currently trying to take back." He continued showing the red areas of the map. "We have a Warlock at our side who's helping us to close the gate. Miss Laufgraan might know him. Your father employed him when you, yourself was abducted to hell."

"Morris?" The elf asked.

"That's his name, yes. He said that this gate is being maintained by another Warlock who we believe is hiding here." General Yu said pointing to a building on the map.

"The Howling Spear HQ." Vanessa let out scape her thoughts out loud.

"You're familiar with them?" The General asked.

"We have history." Vanessa said. "Not a pleasant one." She added.

"Good. This makes you all perfect for our plan." The General said. "We are too busy containing the demons and trying to take back the parts of the city they took from us. We need a unit to infiltrate enemy territory and assault their HQ."

"That's us?" Faynn asked incredulous.

"No. But I want you there. We've briefed two of our elite units to go in there, but they have no experience fighting demons. I need you there to support them." The General said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Vanessa asked confused.

"I'm afraid they might falter. We've been dealing a lot with desertion in this fight. The demons they seem to invoke a deep fear even in our most valiant soldiers. Having you who bested a greater demon with them might keep them in line." The General explained his reasoning.

"So… We are to infiltrate deep into enemy territory with your special forces and bring down the Warlock who opened the gate." Faynn summarized.

"Precisely. Corporal Yuna here will take you to meet the team. I wish you the best and good luck." The General finished and turned to the officers that were waiting for him to finish and immediately went back to talk about troop movement.

Matthew and the others were taken to another building where a group of soldier wearing heavy military gear were. There were 14 of them, all hunched over a single tablet where a 15th soldier showed them drone footage of the city. They were debating how to better infiltrate the building.

When Matthew's party walked inside, they all stopped speaking and looked at them side eyed.

"These are the party that defeated the Balor?" One of them said sarcastically.

Matthew noticed one of the soldiers rubbing his googles which reminded him of Claudio.

"Are they serious? These guys?" That man said. "The blonde in black is strong, but the others are too weak."

"Despite that, they killed a greater demon." The one with the tablet, who looked like the leader of the group said. "If they're not powerful, they are resourceful." He added getting up and extending his hand to Vanessa who he assumed was the party's leader.

Vanessa took his hand and forced a smile at him.

"We're a bit on edge. Sorry about my men." The man said. "I'm Major Job." He added.

"Vanessa. That's Faralynn, Faynn and Matthew." Vanessa introduced herself and the others.

"You really did kill a Balor?" The only woman among the soldiers asked her while getting close.

"That's Lieutenant Mara." Job introduced the woman. "She's the second in command."

"We did." Faralynn said for Vanessa who was uncomfortable with Mara's closeness.

"How?" Another soldier asked, the younger of the bunch.

"Lynn imbued a tank with holy mana while Faynn and I distracted the demon. Then they shot it down with the cannon." Matthew explained.

"That's so cool." Mara said with her eyes shinning.

"We are to bring you all with us for emotional support." The man with the googles said with an acid tone. "Don't get in the way." He added taking nods of agreement from most of the other soldiers.

"That's Lieutenant Vasconcelos. He's a bit on edge." Job introduced his subordinate. "He's also the third in command."

"It's alright. I know our levels aren't big enough to be here." Vanessa said. "But we do have experience fighting those things." She added. "Matthew and Faralynn survived Saint Helen's Inferno."

"They did?" Vasconcelos said looking at then with a different look now. A bit of pity in his eyes. "And they're going back?"

"We are." Matthew said smiling creepily at the soldier taking a shiver out of him.

Matthew took a look around the room with his Identify skill. Job was level 32, Mara was level 36 and Vasconcelos was level 29. All the others were between level 20 and 25. That meant Faynn was the strongest there, if he excluded himself boosted by the demonic mana.

Matthew decided not to use it anymore since he lost the hearing on his left ear. He didn't know how long he had before the demonic part of his soul took him whole, meaning it was better not to use it anymore.

"Matthew." Mara said pulling his shirt. "You don't have an armor?" She asked when he turned to her. She was almost half his size.

"My armor got damaged in a dungeon. I had to come without it." He explained.

"Grab a spare protection vest from the arsenal there." Mara said pointing at a door.

"Thank you." Matthew said going in the other room with the Lieutenant.

"You're discussing how to enter the Howling Spear HQ?" Vanessa asked Job when he returned to his tablet and called in the men.

"Yes." Vasconcelos said almost shooing her away.

"I know that building very well. I spent a long time investigating them." Vanessa said taking the liberty to take the tablet from the Major.

"Are you a member of the guild?" Job asked her.

"No. I'm their enemy." Vanessa said in a tone that made everyone know that she wasn't going to elaborate further.

"And what of it?" Job urged her to continue.

"On the western side of the building, their underground parking lot has just a thin wall separating it from a sewer gallery. Here." She added pointing to the map in the tablet. "There's a huge pipe for rainwater that comes through here to here. We can all fit in there. We can go in through this park here." Vanessa added with proficiency.

"You've been in there before?" Job asked her impressed by her knowledge, but also skeptical.

"I infiltrated the HQ a couple of times through there. Though I doubt most of you could fit through the hole I made, we can always break down the wall." Vanessa explained.

"Then it's just a matter of getting to this park." Job stated. "Vas, can you get us there?" The major asked his Lieutenant using a nickname.

"Of course I can." Vasconcelos said.

"Then we have an entry point. Everyone get ready. The mission is programmed to start in 2 hours." Job said.

The army would launch an assault to keep most of the demon's forces away from the HQ and they had to coordinate well with them first before they attacked.

Matthew came out of the arsenal having restocked his bullets and wearing a military protection vest. Faralynn held the vest and tugged at it certifying that it was fastened on him.

"Let's go." She said to him with a smile.

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