Chapter V -1/2
Tides

The sky was red. The sunrise was painted across the ocean. The sky, the water, and the land before them all greeted them with spectacular shades of crimson. There were few ships left in the once mighty fleet, only three remained but the King had decided it would carry enough soldiers for he claimed this would be an easy battle. The Alexandrian Army did not know their objective or their enemy until they landed upon the beaches of the unexplored Outer Confident. The soldiers set up their camp quickly along these beaches and they gazed upon the land, the soil dust, the water scarce, and the sun unforgiving. What could they possibly be fighting out here other than monsters?

After a series of heated arguments between his majesty the King and General Beatrix over battle tactics, the General was sent to the plateaus to find strategic attacking points that she would not find. One of the captains sent orders out to the soldiers, she told them that their enemy lived within the nearby forest called 'Magdalene' and that they were what was left of Alexandria's dreaded Black Mage Army. This in itself brought sudden excitement to the soldiers, such a twist to be fighting your own soulless dolls that have turned against their owner.

But instead of following Beatrix's suggested plan of attack, they were to follow the King's orders. He ordered that no more than three soldiers were to attack at a time. They were to ambush, attack, and retreat. The King believed this guerilla plan would draw out the one black mage that they wanted. It was described as the odd one of the pack who had more magic in its veins than the rest of the black mage army put together. This one oddball had taken control of the other mages and, the soldiers assumed, was to be taken out as a future threat to Alexandria.

Much to the army's disappointment, their objective was not to exterminate the black mages within the forest. Nor were they to kill the leader. They had to somehow draw him from the center of the forest and out to where the King himself would take control of the situation. Some soldiers supposed this meant the King would kill the creature himself, others thought that perhaps the King knew some way to regain control of the mages, but no one knew for sure.

Squads were set, white mages sent to their medical posts ready to treat magical wounds, the King hid away in his tent, and the soldiers all milled about gazing at the dead forest before them, imagining all the battles to be fought, all the glory of battle to be won.

Meanwhile, within the dark forest, the creatures shivered and cried in terror for their nightmares were coming true. The world they fought so hard to escape had followed them over the ocean with their bloodthirsty eyes set only upon them. Some of the mages cried, and others hardened. Each prepared for the future in different ways. The genomes were unsure as to how to feel or what to do, and simply stood on standby, hoping a purpose for them would appear within the chaos.

The 'leader', as the opposing force had dubbed him, stood a nervous guard in the surrounding areas of the village, following the lead of his renewed comrade. The two had fought worse than the soldiers who landed on the beaches, but this was not a regular battle, it was far too delicate. A single slip could allow a wave of intruders into the village, and in a precious instant the village could be taken. It was decided that they would avoid actually killing any soldiers who attacked, they would only leave them wounded so they would retreat. And as the waves of soldiers came, they brushed against the village's borders as paced and smooth as waves upon the beaches…

A/N: Alright, I know I haven't posted anything in a long time. I'm very very sorry. I am struggling to keep up with my life, but I am working on the next chapter already. I'm throwing this little tidbit as a teaser, so I hope you enjoyed and are looking forward to some proper combat in the next chapter...