The Friends of Our Enemies...

In the dead of night, a small Tryscarian outpost and shipping center several hours' drive from the southeast border of Tryscar became the victim of a brutal, unexpected attack. With absolutely no warning, dozens of assailants appeared from the darkness, shrieking incoherently like bloodthirsty banshees. Within just a few minutes, the outpost's entire occupation of nearly one hundred people - mostly ServaCorps employees, along with a group of traders and businessmen from the New USSR - were helplessly slaughtered.

Corpses were strewn across the ground, piled up in the blood-splattered roads and impaled by wooden spears across the small settlement. Many of the bodies were beheaded, and some of the heads were missing entirely while others were planted on pikes lining the deserted road that led back towards Tryscar. Some corpses were mangled so badly that they were almost unrecognizable as humans, and others appeared to have been half-eaten and desecrated to the point of complete mutilation. Buildings were set ablaze, tumbling down into worthless heaps of rubble. The sheer brutality of the attack was chilling and sent shockwaves through Tryscar as the news was broadcasted internationally.

Almost every news source would be buzzing with these reports. There were no survivors, and no firm evidence of the identity of the attackers yet, but Navokha was instantly and almost unanimously suspected. They were, in fact, the perpetrators, although this was the first open act of violence they had ever committed against any other nation. This was only a tiny hint of the revenge that they intended to bring down upon the nations of Tryscar and the New USSR.

Atrum heard of this and sent Arkenfel out to find some Navokha to created and alliance with. They though perhaps he would relate to them better.

Arkenfel was sent alone with a pack of shadow wolves to find the Navokha. He went tot he areas the reports were coming from.

The Navokha left no traces of their presence in the village. There were no clues to their whereabouts, and no Navokha remaining anywhere in the area. If Arkenfel wanted a chance to find them, he would have to venture to the east, towards the dense, swampy forests in northeastern Elysium, miles away from the Tryscarian town.

Arkenfel would sigh and swear "Damn people. We'll never understand why they cant just be easier to find. What do you think?" he asked a shadow wolf that responded with a shrug and a grunt "Oh your fine company." he would say as he and his wolves made a quick run east.

It would be at least an hour's ride away from the massacred village before Arkenfel would come close to the forest. The forests that stretched out across most of eastern Elysium seemed beautiful, lush, and welcoming - but these forests seemed to lack that luster. The ground was dark and soggy, and the trees twisted up into unnatural positions, draped with winding vines that spiraled down. The land here seemed inhospitable, but if Arkenfel was determined to look for the Navokha homelands, he'd at least be looking in the right direction now.

Arkenfel looked out and sighed "the 15 damn you all. why a swamp. why a nasty smelly swamp. Alright, we guess this is it" he walks forward determined as ever to find these people running him all over elysium.

For a good distance into the swamp, it would seem completely worthless to Arkenfel. This place was desolate, and it didn't seem like any civilized group of people would call this their home.

And then, he'd hear a rustle in the bushes, just as a spiked javelin flew straight towards him from the darkness and a shrill cry pierced the silence.

He would heard the javelin and grab it in mid air his creatures forming a circle around him as arkenfel began to laugh, he snapped it in half "We came just to talk, but if you want to have some fun, we are happy to oblige you. Our name is Arkenfel, lord summoner of Atrum Veneficus. We advise you dont make us an enemy."

A thousand creepers spawn from the javelin and ruin Arkenfel's shit.

A warrior in tattered leather rags with a stone blade emerged quickly from the darkness in front of Arkenfel. He stepped towards Arkenfel with primitive rage carved into his eyes. His voice was heavy and thick, like the swamp-water that coursed through this forest.

"This is not your land! You will leave, or suffer!" He raised his blade, only a few steps away from Arkenfel now.

Arkenfel smiled "We arent here to harm you, we just want to talk. We are no friends of the USSR or Tryscar, enemies in fact. We are preparing to declare war against the nations and that would further your cause as well as our own. we will leave you alone after its done, no one will take your land or enslave you. Trust us. We are not friends of your enemies."

The warrior was ready to strike at Arkenfel, completely ignoring his words of trust and friendship, until a woman's voice shot out of the forest.

"Stop!"

A girl stepped forward, with strips of cloth hanging down across her body like swamp-vines. Her hair was matted and tangled.

"Stand aside, warrior. I will deal with this." She hissed like a snake and stepped forward. "You are from the Outside, yet you are not like the others. You do not reek. Come with me...we will talk..."

Arkenfel smiled at the girl "We thank you. Your name is? Ours is Arkenfel." He would follow her into the woods "We heard about the recent attack on tryscar, i must say, my nation was mostly afraid but We? We were quite impressed. Master work, we couldnt have done better"

The barefoot girl stepped adeptly over the jagged rocks, thorny vines, and murky rivers as they went deeper into the swampy forest.

"Do not speak to me, spawn of the Outside. Follow." She glared at Arkenfel, sizing him up again before she continued leading him forward.

He shrugged as his beats followed him "Okay." he pet the lead one which was his shadow wolf.

Arkenfel was led through the swampy wastes. After what seemed to be at least a mile of trekking through the murky forest, Arkenfel would see a dimly lit fire sparking in the distance. If he looked closely, he would be able to see pikes and spears that were spiked up along the treeline. There appeared to be the well-camouflaged walls of a settlement that would've been impossible to see if Arkenfel wasn't guided to it. The girl rose up out of the swampy water, stepping onto an embankment of muddy land, and waited for Arkenfel to catch up.

Arkenfel caught up quick and smiled at the enviroment he felt truly at home here. It was nice. He chuckled as he walked up to her "We like it here, reminds us a little of our old home. Not Atrum, long before We became We. That's a story for another time though." He and his shadow wolves stepped up to the embankment and looked in "So, who can we talk too here that would be able to make some sort of....deal?"

"Do not speak, unless you want a spear planted between your pretty little Outside eyes. They will hear you. Wait here. Do not move."

The girl stepped forward, disappearing into the vines hanging down from the trees.

He chuckled to himself and he didnt move. But he mentioned to himself "Hehehe..she said we have pretty eyes." he waited and sat on the wolf's back waiting for her to return.

A few minutes later, the leaves and brush rustled near Arkenfel. The girl stepped forth, followed by two warriors and another, older woman. Her clothes were nothing more than woven, thorny vines and rags, and she had what appeared to be blood streaked across her face and body. She spoke harshly with the girl and the two warriors, as if in a different language. It was sharp and intricate, and accented with pointed, violent-sounding words. The warriors glared at Arkenfel, with their sharpened stone knives at the ready. The woman gestured at Arkenfel, arguing with the younger girl. The girl hung her head low, and turned to speak to Arkenfel.

"She wants to know why you have come here. You are not welcome."

"We have come by order of Atrum Veneficus, we are both enemies of Tryscar and we both want them to die for their slaving and killing of both of our peoples. A joint effort between us would be beneficial." Arkenfel smiled and seemed diplomatic and civil now, he was trying to get them on his side but he had to let his true self show through "As a demon we have to say, we admire what you did to those tryscarians. Atrum and you could make good allies. Atrum does not interfere in the lives of others, as long as other do not interfere with them."

As soon as the older woman heard the word Tryscar, she growled and lashed out in a mad rage. She went to lunge forward towards Arkenfel, but the girl held her back and quickly tried to explain. The woman didn't understand Arkenfel's language, and the girl had to explain that he was not from Tryscar, but trying to establish an alliance against Tryscar. She calmed down, still glaring at Arkenfel angrily as she spoke in her language, as if the very word 'Tryscar' itself was profane and blasphemous.

The girl spoke again. "She asks you, how many Ekh'nara have you killed? How many of the metal-scrapers from the Outside?"

he chuckled "We guess that means tryscarian? We have not personally killed any but atrum has killed many, we plan on personally doing so soon...very soon."

The woman snarled at Arkenfel. The girl quickly corrected him.

"We do not use their words here. It insults our people. Here they are called Ekh'nara - the Bloodless. While you are here, you will call them the same."

She spoke again to the woman, and translated what Arkenfel said. The woman spoke back to her again, and then the younger girl translated again.

"She says you must bring us an offering to speak here. The head of an Ekh'naen. Fresh."

Arkenfel nodded "Ok...ill be back soon then." he turned to one of the beats and gestured for it to sit and stay "zexen'uma ussta lince'sa, ulu ragar udossta i'dol rath" meaning 'stay my pet, i need you here to find my way back'. He smiled a sickly smile and sat on HIS wolf and the rest of the pack followed as he rode off in the other direction. The other wolf stayed and watched the Navokha.

The Navokha examined the wolf intently, finding it quite interesting and different from the creatures they had seen before. They decided to leave it undisturbed, and they returned back to the village to wait for Arkenfel.

Nearby was an establishment which was well-fortified, positioned to the northwest. It was a Tryscarian trade station, and Arkenfel may have known of its location. It would be the closest place to find any Tryscarians in the area.