Eleven: The Sequel of AlterMyth

Joy With You

Prologue

Near the heart of the rogue Keeper of Nature's growing garden, the two Chieftain tanks of the MACV contingent were knocked out in a clearing of the tall grass. Relentless vines and deceptively powerful roots of petrified wood wore down the tank treads and crushed the barrels of their powerful main guns. That left the tankers, along with the few troopers that had stayed with them, to fend for themselves with the L7 heavy machine guns and their own personal weapons.

Lieutenant Nanashi and Major Omega dismounted from their disabled tanks, leaving their adjutants to man the L7's. The two of them rallied the troops and fought back against the violent overgrowth of nature encroaching their position.

Suddenly, the 'saplings' of Fauna Ceres emerged from the tall grass, frightening the troopers. After all, many of them were dead MACV soldiers reanimated by the corrupted Keeper's power.

Mumei, however, held firm.

She shot at the saplings regardless of who they were. Her M14 barked loudly and she gave her orders to the troops. Her valiant, albeit ruthless efforts rallied the troops around her and she pushed back the violent overgrowth from the clearing. Even Omega herself joined in, shooting at the invaders with her short-barreled .38 Detective Special revolver.

After the battle, Mumei stumbled back and leaned against the wrecked treads of her Chieftain tank. Omega saw her subordinate and rushed to her.

"Are you alright, Lieutenant!?" Omega urged. She holstered her revolver and checked Mumei for injuries.

"I'm fine." Mumei tried to reassure her. She gripped her wood-stocked M14 rifle and argued, "It's just the recoil."

Omega, however, saw the bandages that had been wrapped around Mumei's body sullied by splatters of blood. Mumei's old, barely healed wounds, were opening and were robbing the owl-girl of her strength.

"Don't lie to me, Lieutenant. You're barely standing!" Omega lashed, "Where's your adjutant!?"

"Yes, madam Major?" Mumei's adjutant, Sgt. Paul dismounted from the Chieftain tank.

"Get your medic and tend to your Lieutenant, Sergeant. And help her change her bandages too." Omega ordered, "We're gonna need every soldier up on their feet for Dr. Ceres' next attack!"

Sgt. Paul saluted and promptly fetched a first aid kit, and their platoon's medic.

Mumei scoffed.

"Did I say something funny?" Omega glanced at Mumei.

"No, ma'am. It's just that I thought you were going to tell me to pull back and to stop fighting." Mumei reasoned, sitting down on the ground and leaning against her tank's treads, "You had a reputation among the officers in Da Nang, you see. A reputation of being way too cautious."

"Me? Cautious?" Omega turned away from Mumei. Omega tucked a lock of her long, white hair and adjusted her peaked cap, "I just employ the right strategies at the right time, Lieutenant. I'm a veteran of the Korean War, after all." She then looked up to the sky beyond the forming dome of twisted roots, "And even before that..."

Mumei turned to the Major, tilting her head with curiosity. However, Sgt. Paul returned with the medkit and the medic, allowing Omega to change the subject.

"What's your assessment of our situation, Lieutenant Nanashi?" Omega tested, speaking like a Cadet School instructor, "We're an inferior force deep in enemy territory. Why are we still standing?"

"Fauna's probably playing the long game, hrgh...!" Mumei grunted while Sgt. Paul and the medic treated her reopened wounds and changed her bandages, "She knows that we can't really hurt her with our tanks disabled like this, so she's biding her time. Because of that, she's happy to let her saplings and the overgrowth do the work for her."