“Yesterday, ten people were hospitalized from concussion and broken bones injuries during a scuffle with a witch in central park. Eyewitnesses have stated that the mage identified as Adola Smith used her magic to violently throw the ten people. She claimed it was in self-defense after they pulled knives and pistols on her and yelled hate speeches. This incident marks the 20th incident involving violence against mages in the US in recent months after a Voodoo gathering hall in New Orleans being set on fire by arsonists from an anti-magic hate group.

Some experts believe this was a reaction after it was discovered a Witch possessed a woman to commit a murder. The Wiccan North American Coven Council discovered the act and arrested the Witch. Once subdued, they properly handed over the criminal Witch to the FBI. This situation has led to many police departments reopening old cases; one believed to be unsolvable or past acts that seemed not to fit the case are being re-examined to see if outside forces forced people to commit criminal acts against their wills.

Despite the positive rise in tolerance toward mages in many countries, the intolerance toward the magical community is also intensified. The most horrific one is the torture and beheading of a witch doctor in Nigeria after a lynch mob falsely accused him of cursing a young boy who suffered from seizure, leading to mass arrests. In many developed countries, mages are suffering from discriminations both in workplaces and schools.

Many influential witches and wizards in many covens are calling the authorities to do more to ensure their safety and educate the public so as to not repeat the past hate crimes during the Witch Hunts. Furthermore, they also emphasize their roles in dealing with the supernatural threats by emphasizing the live exorcism in the past month to remind the public that mages are vital members of society, which lead to huge support from the public” - Timcast

***

--- Fort Minick, VRTF-2 Command Center ---

Date: June 15th, 2026

Sarah leaned back into her chair as she monitored her staff. It is a busy day as all three Vanguard teams are engaged in three different theaters. As she watched, she took some medicine to help with the morning sickness she has been suffering in recent weeks.

Looking at First Lieutenant April Elliott station, Sarah watched Vanguard-2 assisting the Turkish Infantry in mopping up Vampire Knights and goblins. From the reports, that campaign has been a bloody one. The early days of Shock and awe have ended as they are forced to attack regions that benefit the enemy and are easily defendable. However, cracks in the enemy defensive strategy are beginning to open, it’s just a matter of time until the nutshell is broken, so General Stanford said.

Vampires, that was a new enemy to fight. Current reports show them to be highly civilized, which explains why they are loyal to the Empire.

An academic report came out stating that major population centers lean towards the Empire and are willing to fight for their place in the Imperial order. The rural areas are less loyal to the Imperial order, only using it to trade with. A two-class system.

It explained when NATO took over a region why so many of the locals supported them. However, what Sarah found interesting is that the reported stated loyalty among the rural population is purly economic in nature, just like it was with the Empire. As long as people can thrive, they do not care about who flag they are selling to.

“Sad, I was really hoping for the hot, romantic type of Vampires. Why is it that we have to bomb everyone until they give up.”

“Stubbornness, I believe,” Warrant Officer-1 Shandy Gaff Marea responds. She looks at Sarah a little confused and asks further. “What did you mean by that?”

Puzzled, Sarah responds, “mean by what?”

“The vampire thing.” Understanding what she meant, Sarah set down her cup of coffee, she replied, “Well, on Earth, it is the female fantasy that a hot, smooth-talking vampire seduces you into bed. Then he sucked the blood out of your body, but the point was that he did all that work to get to the point, making you special.”

“You people are strange,” Shandy commented. “There are times that I wished I was born in your world. Vampires are a scary and brutal race. Strangely, I think that is why our people got along so well with them but to imagine blood-sucking beasts is something to gaze at still baffles me.”

Chuckling, Sarah replied, “That is what we call First World problems sweetheart.”

“I heard that term before, what does it mean?”

“It is simple. It means my daily crisis is getting my coffee too hot or cold. Having a strange fantasy about a scary blood-sucking beast is so baffling, it must be nice not to fear every single day.”

“And that is what we mean by First World problems. It means we are so spoiled, wealthy, and protected; the most minor things are the big drama of the day.” Sarah then checked on Vanguard-5 and the Alnus Knights situation.

Second Lieutenant Keira Hill gave Sarah an update. Bailey's team are in their MH-47G Chinooks, heading to the city of Marais, the one battle which ended in a US defeat. The defeat was not a major one, more of a side note however it has been a thorn in NATO plans for the Mealud Valley. With the highway construction finally reaching the city, General Stanford has stated it is time to correct a past mistake.

Taking the city, however, will be easier said than done and the brass knew that. “Shandy, please pull up the latest aerial footage of Marais.” Once the screens showed the city, she saw what the brass feared.

The city itself looked like any other standard classical-era human city, with more defenses and a trench network scattered around it. Space Force thermal detection has already discovered a few underground bunkers to ambush any approaching armor and infantry and they expect dozens more of these bunkers. The real fear is inside the city.

Reports have stated that the city has been turned into an internal fortress, meaning every home, shop, street, alleyway, everything has been turned into a bunker. The Imperial Primus pilus of the city has learned from NATO invasion of Havcristen(1), Elies regional capital.

Fighting in the open field only made their Legions an easy target. The trench system helped but NATO armor and aircraft still crushed them. The real bloody fights were when NATO had to storm each city and close quarters in the Empire’s domain.

But the brass has learned from those experiences and has a Trump card that Bailey’s team is about to deploy. It is a gamble, but the war needs to come first. She does not like the plan but it is above her paygrade.

“Green, put the Rondel theater on the main screen.”

Sarah got up from her seat and walked to the center of the room, looking at the main screen.

The screen showed US, Italian, and a few other national forces fighting the strange zombie outbreak. While progress has been made it is requiring so many resources and air support. Crety has been secured and turned into a FOB(2). From there, a cleansing operation cleared out a twenty-five-kilometer radius. The campaign has been slow and brutal, relying heavily on armored and air to protect the Infantry but at the end of the day, Infantry is still required to do the job. The saving grace is the help of Knights from the nearby cities who are helping with protection.

“From Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe's last report, the situation is still unstable,” Greene said. “There seems to be an outside force undermining the operation and they are investigating it.

The situation is still developing however it seems like the Rondel mission is falling apart. It sounded like an unknown enemy has supplanted the Empire, Rondel, and the United States. “I can see that.”

“Why don’t you call in the troops Ma’am?” Shandy asked.

“Because what would they do when they get there?” Sarah replied. “The problem is that the situation is political, not military yet. Sending in the troops now and invading without knowing who the enemy is will only backfire on us.”

“But we cannot leave them, my Princess is there too,” Shandy said in a worried tone.

“Watch your emotions Warrant Officer, you're in the Command-and-Control center so remain calm,” Sarah calmly said. “I know you worried about your leader, your friend but don’t worry. There is a reason why we sent Vanguard and not Marines on the Diplomatic mission. If shit does hit the fan, it’s why we sent soldiers who have thrived under chaos.”

Looking at the screen, Sarah had begun to worry about the situation. Sadera is the key to ending the war, but Rondel is key to the future of Falmart. The hope is that taking Rondel, one of the most important cities falling into NATO hands willingly, should create a domino effect. Any city within the Empire who wanted the war to end will be able to see a path out. Sending in the Marines too early might push the domino effect in the opposite direction where everyone feels the only option is to stay loyal to the Imperial regime.

“Shandy, I need to talk to Colonel Yang.”

***

--- Marais, Mealud ---

Date: June 15th, 2026

Bailey, looking at the other stealth Chinook cockpit pilots. Out the window, he noticed the other Chinooks waiting, carrying the Alnus Knights.

To Bailey's surprise, he has gotten used to his wife's overly aggressive presence. Outside the fact that she is a great warrior, he has gotten used to being together with her, due to Her cheerful attitude on life and loyalty. Right now, he and his team could use her cheerfulness. She has always been a moral boost, charging ahead toward enemies during dangerous situations to ensure his team's safety or facing dangerous foes with fearless demeanor.

“We are over the target sir,” the pilot said.

“Roger that. Tell the other Chinook the operation will begin soon.” Bailey turned around and saw his Rangers leaning against the sides of the cargo bay. Everyone is uneasy but not because of their mission but who was attached to it.

Between Specialist James Ward and Staff Sergeant Trenton Hicks is the Apostle of Elange, Frayen. “First time in a helicopter?”

“Yes Captain,” Frayen replied. “It is a strange and loud experience.”

Bailey responded with a chuckle, “I can agree with that. Shocking, this is the quiet version. You should be on the standard ones. Now, how is the body?”

“I can hear the strangeness in your tone,” Frayen replied. “I can understand. The Apostle's ability to regrow the word you use called cells and reattach is unnormal. It is even abnormal for this world. To answer your question, yes. It is good to have my body reattached. Being a head was boring.”

“Christ, you are like my high school teacher,” James stated. “Everything is a long, dragged-out response.”

“Knock it off James,” Bailey ordered.

“It is ok Captain, I understand his hostility. Everyone here has every reason to be concerned with her presence.”

That statement is true, even Bailey is uneasy by her presence. Looking right at Giselle, sitting toward the end of the cargo bay. “I cannot believe this is considered community service.”

“Why not?’ Frayen said. “While your electric cage and shock collar are impressive in containing an Apostle it was only temporary. As I told Lieutenant General Stanford, if she is not freed at some point soon Hardy might make a move to free her herself. A god does not like their apostle being trapped for a long extent of time.”

Bailey knows the story between Emroy and Hardy regarding Rory. While the US military arsenal is impressed he does not want to test them against a god. Right now, no one within the NATO brass wanted to piss off a god and make them an enemy.

“Basically, you people got scared of me,” Giselle cockily said.

“Shut up Giselle,” Bailey ordered. “No one here has forgiven you for what you have done. You tried to kill us all at Mount Tube.”

“You should be honored, young Human,” Giselle said. “My Goddess wanted to test your kind, your leader Sharpe and the rest of you were deemed worthy for the test. You should be honored that you passed her test. Why do you think Hardy never has attacked you people, you passed.”

Hearing that terrified Bailey. He can see the same look in his Ranger’s eyes. What did they pass and what would have happened if they did not pass? This is not the first time Giselle stated this however she refused to give more details on the matter. This is not the state of mind he needed his Rangers to be in. “Shut up Giselle. Remember, we can drop you in a volcano where even your healing abilities cannot work. Or, my personal favorite, dropping you into the ocean where the water pressure traps and crushes you for the rest of your life.”

As Giselle laughed, Frayen stared directly at her, eyes glowing black, terrifying her.

That is why Frayen is here, to keep Giselle in check as Karlin is busy with managing the Columna Lactaria. While Frayen does not consider himself a warrior, he has agreed to help maintain the balance of power between mortals and Apostles. The more Bailey hears Giselle speak, the happier he is glad Frayen is here.

As the red light turned green, Bailey ordered Giselle to the exit. Once he got to the open door, he noticed the raging battle in the distance. The 3rd Armored Brigade, 2nd Armored Division had engaged the Imperial defensive.

“So, this is the place of your famous loss,” Giselle said. “Too scared to take it on by yourself?”

Below is the city of Marais. After the defeat at Podet Lake – which led to the embarrassing retreat from Marais, theUS forces were forced to abandon the city after capturing it. Heavy weapons like Abram’s and Bradley’s were too heavy for this muddy ground without proper support and lack of air support at the time is why the mission failed. This time the US and its NATO allies have learned from that mistake.

Just like the goal to build two highways through the Dumas Mountains the US planned to do the same with the Roma Highway. It has been a major resource and engineering project to turn this highway from a speck of dirt, single-lane road into a modern multi-lane interstate to allow the free flow of heavy equipment. In addition, the helipad that was built in the region has allowed the Infantry to dominate the region. Besides doing the Vietnam-style patrol marching through the swamp and farmlands, troops can be deployed anywhere with full support.

The brass now felt that they had the resources to remove this city from the checkerboard, swinging the tactical advantage to their side. Vanguard-5’s mission, take the city palace, hold up and cause as much chaos as possible. That is why Giselle is here, to give them a special advantage.

“Just remember why you are here.”

Giselle laughed. “I know why I am here, soldier boy. Take out the defenses so you can land and do your thing. Don’t worry, this isn’t my first battle. Let me show you all how superior I am to Rory”

Bailey saw Giselle extend her wings and jump out of the Chinook. “Damn! Not even Rory would dare to jump like that from this height.”

---

The air pressed against the scales of Giselle's skin. It flows through her long ears as her wings cut through. Seeing her target, she smirks and pulls out her scythe.

Giselle's eyes lock onto a trebuchet on the inner wall. While locked up in the American cell she did learn new topics like science. She wondered how that little blue hair mage Lelei was able to summon such powerful spells that help defeat her Flame Dragons. One was breaking the sound barrier, something she never knew was possible.

To build up the speed that is needed, Giselle folds out her wings and then bursts as hard she can forward. Her body heats up, body shaking from the tremors. Eyes nearly blind from the shocking speed. Before she knew it, she landed on top of the trebuchet, destroying everything around it.

As the wood debris scattered,the Imperial engineers fled or fell dead as Giselle stood up. “That was fun.” Looking up she saw a humanoid minotaur walk up. Based on the clothing this Minotaur was the engineer operating the trebuchet.

“Ahh, you are so scary.” Giselle teases as she swung out her scythe and burst past the minotaur, slicing it in half. Before the body hit the ground, she already extended her wing and flew to the enemy battery, a ballista. With one swipe she destroyed the weapon and three of its engineers.

All that was left is an orc and a man, both staring at her with fear and confusion. “Giselle? What are you doing here?” The man asked.

“Paying off a debt.” Giselle's ears twitched and she spun around, catching a Javelin with her hand. “It’s impressive how much has changed in the past two years.” She then tossed the Javelin at the battery that it came from, destroying it and the engineers around it. The act scared the Orc and Man, so they fled.

Seeing an archer formation line up on the palace wall, Giselle flew towards them and slaughtered them all. “Soldiers of the Empire. Emroy has left you, Idos has left you, Hardy has left you, and yet you fight? You will remember your place in this world and fall in line. But first…” She burst forward to the next battery and sliced an Orc in half.

Three Engineers and a Minotaur grab their weapons and attack. Giselle grabbed the Minotaur's large sword with her bare hand. While blood leaked from her hand as the blade slowly cut into her, she easily snapped the sword and rammed it into the Minotaur's head. The other men fell from a quick slice from the scythe.

With a quick look around Giselle saw the last remaining enemy batteries. Only a few remain and once they are taken care of, her next mission is to kill any mages in the palace to prevent the Chinooks from being blown up. No problem.

---

Vanguard-5 just blew the large door that led to the palace's main chamber open. The metal door fell backward, and a large thump sound echoed through the room. James stood there as arrows and a magical energy blast came through the door. “A mage. There always is a mage. Where is Deliah when you need her?”

“That is why we brought our surprises,” Bailey said. “Rangers. Night vision. Frayen, black it up.”

James watched Frayen walk to the door opening. A long black of ice struck toward Frayen but he held out his hand – taking the blast and redirecting it back into the chamber. He has seen powerful spells casted many times by Lelei but watching Frayen is watching magic on another level.

Frayen's eyes went completely black as a dark aura enveloped both of his hands. He held them both up as darkness poured out of his hands and blanketed the entire chamber until it was absent of light. “The pen house is now yours, Captain.”

After the order, James, the other Rangers, and the Alnis Knights stormed into the chamber. The first team formed up and opened fire, killing anyone that was nearby. The Knights formed around the Rangers to give cover. Wolf and his other Volralden charged up and tackled the three biggest enemy targets; two Orcs and one giant Man felt the Volralden’s wrath as they ripped and tore them apart. The other team advanced, taking cover by the marble pillars – taking out targets of interest.

With the chamber pitched black, theImperial forces stood around aimlessly as they struggled to find their targets. Aiming around, James fired his 6.8mm M5 killing an Imperial soldier in fancy armor, probably a mid-level officer.

Under Bailey's orders, the Alnus Knights break formation and begin attacking the enemy. Unlike the enemy who is blinded by Frayen darkness, the Knights have been trained to use night vision functions of the VISORS, giving them an edge.

“Watch out!”

Looking up, James saw a Bat-person drop from the ceiling and land on Private First-Class Daisy Wallace. She struggled to get the bat off, so James quickly rushed over and grabbed its wings. “Adam!”

“Got it.”

“One, two, three.” James ripped the bat off Daisy and tossed it to the ground where Adam unloaded a burst of 6.8mm.

“Thanks, guys,” Daisy said, catching her breath.

James aimed and killed another soldier. “It is all good, you just owe me a night.”

“Nothing fancy James, you know you suck at poker night,” Daisy jokingly replied. She kicked the bat's body and then helped finish clearing out the chamber.

“Cut the chatter,” First Sergeant David Richards ordered over the team radio.

Looking over, James saw another Minotaur standing there, letting out a roar, protecting someone. Wolf rushed up and rammed his spear into the beast. As the Minotaur roared, Wolf bit deep into its throat and ripped it out. Bailey, David, and Dohate followed up, securing a man behind it. As the darkness fades the man is the Primus pilus, the Senior Centurion of the city.

“Alright everyone, we got the bastard,” Bailey explained. “Now we need to hold this place. We have gunship support until the cavalry arrives. Wolf, get your team to the stairways and prevent any of them from flanking us. Archers, Rangers, get into positions and take anyone that attacks.

David approached and rallied the Rangers up the stairs to the wall. Sergeant Oliver Harris, the team’s heavy gunner, set up by a wall pillar and aimed into the courtyard. The dozen Imperial soldiers that rushed through to retake the palace were mowed down by the 6.8mm SIG machine gun.

The other Rangers took up their positions and began engaging Imperial and city defenders. The few Alnus archers took a position with the Rangers and began sniping. One such archer was aDark Elf named Broutres. With careful precision, the elf aimed his compound bow and unleashed his arrow into the exposed neck of an imperial soldier.

“Nice shot,” James said.

“I have never shot accurately at a long distance like this,” Broutres replied as he fired another arrow. “I miss the feel of my wooden bow but I must say, your people's compound bow is impressive.

“True that,” James replied. He got up and headed to where Adam was. “What did you get?”

“They are swarming all around,” Adam replied.

Peeking out James saw the Imperial Army archers taking cover by the houses, rooftops, and the inner wall. But then, Giselle swoops down and sliced the soldiers on the wall. “Damn. Glad this one is on our side.”

As the Rangers and Dark Elves archers engage with the enemy from all sides, James spotted a well-armored man with golden lacing giving orders. With a quick aim, he shot that man down, causing fear among the legionaries.

Hearing someone yell watch out over the radio; James saw a fireball hit the palace and caused the roof to catch on fire. Looking out he saw a catapult being reloaded. “Adam, I see it right here.”

“Roger that.” Adam then gives the coordinates to the AC-130 gunship that is above the city.

Ducking from an arrow James returned fired, aiming at the archers on the roofs and crossbows from the windows. There was a High-Elf on the rooftop, using the chimney as cover. After a few suppressive shots, he was able to get the Elf into the position for a clear shot, taking the archer out. “Have you noticed elves never use crossbows? I wonder why?”

“That is because it is too artificial,” Broutres replied. “With the bow, you become one with the weapon.”

“Interesting,” James heard a warning over the radio regarding an airstrike. Looking out he saw the clouds burst as a 105mm round hit the catapult, destroying it and everyone around it.

The Rangers cheer from the strike. James noticed the Alnus Knights are shocked by the blast, an experience they are not used to. “At this rate, we got it.”

Bailey rushed past everyone. “Do not get comfortable. Adam, readjust gun support and level ours against the northeast side. They are forming up to flank us.”

“Let's go, buddy,” Adam said.

James got up and escorted Adam, the team radioman to the other side of the palace. It is the same situation as in the courtyard, the Imperial forces formed to storm the rear. The two took over with the other Rangers and Knights.

Looking down, James fired and killed an Orc as he gave the order to charge. Suddenly, a rain of bullets came raining down from the gunship’s 30mm autocannon, decimating the enemy formation which lay dead on the ground.

“If we just keep up this rate we will be fine,” James said. “Focus on the enemy range units, let the gunship take out enemy catapults and large formations. Just don’t get sniped.”

--- next day ---

Bailey watched the battle raged below. The siege of the palace was a success in distracting the enemy defenders.

“You people continue to impress me,” Giselle said. “Can I…”

“You have done enough,” Frayen stated. “Now let the Americans do their thing.”

As the palace was attacked, American forces from the 3rd Armored Brigade, 2nd Armored Division stormed the city. Giselle destroyed all the defense batteries that would have made the attack risky and destroyed the city gates. After that, everything else is history. The battle is still raging and is expected to last three days, but it is only a matter of time before the city is taken.

“Good job everyone,” Bailey said. “Mission accomplished. We will stay here to prevent the enemy from taking it so right now get some rest and enjoy the sight.”

“I will cast a protective….”, Frayen stated but suddenly stopped.

Confused, Bailey looked at Frayen. To his shock the Dark Elf stood cold, eyes glowing. While Frayen and Karlin are the most normal out of the group, Taylin being a zealot, Rory being a pampering queen, Jasis is bat-shit-crazy, and Giselle is a psychopath, Frayen is very reserved compared to the other Apostles. However, how reserved he is sometimes scares him as he can never figure out what he is thinking. “Frayen? Are you ok?”

“Captain Bailey; you, Giselle, and I must go to Rondel.”