The sun had barely risen over Forward Base Avalon when Captain Alastair Reid and Gareth ap Llewellyn stumbled through the makeshift gates, their uniforms caked with mud, blood, and the ash-like residue left behind by Seraphine's undead forces. Reid's men rushed to greet them, a mixture of relief and suspicion etched on their faces.
"Looks like you've been through hell, sir," Sergeant Williams remarked, eyeing Gareth warily. "Did you bring back any souvenirs?"
Reid managed a grim smile. "Just the usual, Williams. Nightmares, bruises, and enough existential dread to last a lifetime."
As they made their way through the camp, Reid couldn't help but notice the growing tension among his team. Soldiers who had fought side by side against insurgents in Afghanistan now eyed each other with suspicion, their gazes inevitably drawn to the otherworldly knight in their midst.
In the command tent, Gareth wasted no time in sharing his intelligence. He unrolled a crude map of Aeltheria, pointing to a foreboding mountain range to the north.
"Here," he said, his finger resting on a peak that seemed to pulse with an eerie blue light even on parchment. "Seraphine's ley-line stronghold. It's where she draws her power, where she creates her abominations."
Reid leaned in, studying the map. "And I suppose it's heavily guarded by things that want to eat our souls?"
Gareth's lips twitched in what might have been amusement. "Among other delights, yes."
As they discussed strategy, Dr. Eleanor Whitaker burst into the tent, her eyes wild with excitement. "Captain! I've made a breakthrough!"
Reid raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me it involves a way to turn these undead bastards into garden fertilizer."
Whitaker grinned, holding up a small device that hummed with energy. "Better. I've found a way to disrupt the ley-lines that power Seraphine's magic. It's not perfect, but it should give us an edge in combat."
Reid nodded approvingly. "Good work, Doctor. Now if you could just whip up something to cure my caffeine addiction, we'd be set."
Outside the tent, Lance Corporal Parvati Singh was facing a different kind of battle. The elven refugees they had rescued were huddled in a corner of the camp, eyeing the human soldiers with a mixture of fear and distrust. Singh had been trying to bridge the gap, but centuries of conflict weren't easily forgotten.
"Look," she said, addressing both groups. "I know we've all got reasons to be wary. But right now, we've got a common enemy in Seraphine. We need to work together if we want to survive."
An elven woman stepped forward, her silver hair shimmering in the morning light. "And what happens when Seraphine is defeated? Will your people simply pack up and leave our world in peace?"
Before Singh could respond, a deafening explosion rocked the camp. The ground shook, and screams filled the air as a plume of smoke rose from the eastern perimeter.
Reid burst from the command tent, his hand already on his sidearm. "Report!" he barked.
Williams appeared at his side, his face grim. "Explosion at the armory, sir. Looks like sabotage."
Reid's mind raced. They had been infiltrated, but by whom? His gaze fell on Gareth, who stood calmly amidst the chaos, his expression unreadable.
"Lock down the camp," Reid ordered. "No one in or out until we get to the bottom of this."
As sirens blared and soldiers scrambled to secure the perimeter, Reid couldn't shake the feeling that they had invited a viper into their midst. The price of trust, it seemed, might be steeper than he had imagined.
He turned to Gareth, his voice low and dangerous. "I hope for your sake you had nothing to do with this. Because if I find out you've betrayed us, I'll make sure you wish Seraphine had finished the job."
Gareth met his gaze steadily. "I am many things, Captain Reid. But I am not a traitor to those who fight against the darkness."
As smoke continued to billow from the armory, Reid realized that the real battle had only just begun. Trust was a luxury they could ill afford, but without it, they were already defeated.
"Right," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Let's find this saboteur before they decide to redecorate any more of our base. I'd hate to see what they'd do with the mess hall."
With that, Reid strode towards the explosion site, his team falling in behind him. Whatever came next, they would face it together—even if that meant watching each other's backs as closely as they watched for Seraphine's forces.