***

--- hidden command bunker, Elies Region ---

Date: July 21st, 2026

The growing pain slowly built within Legatus Fabius Aulus’ head as his commanders explained the current news. It was official, his army was officially cut off from the eastern part of the Empire. The sudden beachhead by the enemy toward the north cut off troops and supplies.

“Legatus, it might be wise to pull back into the mountains,” a Senior Centurion proposed. “We can use the Hunto Mountain Range as cover.”

“There will be no retreat,” Katsuo, the gray-leonoid Oprichnina said. “You will stay here and protect Thaluilas until your last breath.”

Placing a hand on his forehead, Fabius burst in annoyance, “You will get your wish Katsuo. We all will lay here dead at this rate. My Senior Centurions are correct; retreating to the mountains is our only option left.”

“The Empire has never retreated in a war-,” Katsuo stated before being silenced by one of the Centurions.

“The Empire has never faced such an opponent. And what is the point of defending this place if we run out of men faster than the enemy? At least by retreating, we can preserve our force and fight for another day, not all die together by staying and fighting futilely against an overwhelming force!” Senior Centurion Tullus Varro rudely interrupted.

“Thank you,” Fabius said to his men, then looked toward the Leonoid. “Let me remind you who is in charge here. I am the Legatus, not you. It should be clear, even by you, that this situation is no longer tenable.”

Grabbing the blue figure from the large table-map of the region, Fabius placed it on the town called Davolson Den and continued, “With the town taken, we can only retreat west. We will not have enough supplies for the winter, and we cannot wait until our last line of escape is closed from us.”

“Let us make it official,” Fabius said. “Tell the Army to begin breaking camp.”

“What about the Ticaret, Legatus?” Varro asked.

Taking a painful breath, Fabius responded, “Those damned dogs. If they are not late, then they did not bother to show up. I had to get a dwarf. Find them and report-.”

Glancing toward the gray-leonoid Oprichnina, Fabius saw a calm demeanor, glancing toward the large map between them. The more he spoke, he realized that Katsuo had shown little resistance toward his plan. Something that he wasn't expecting out of Katsuo. At least not so suddenly.

“What did you do, Katsuo?” Fabius demanded.

The room went silent as all the slaves and soldiers stared toward Katsuo. The leonoid, remained silent, staring toward the map.

After a moment had passed, reacting only to his term, Katsuo grabbed the Ticerat figure, holding it in his hand. He then placed the figure on a forest that is on the other side of the Agaront Stream.

Leaning on the map, Fabius read the forest name, ‘The Becwood Forest’. Looking toward Katsuo with hateful eyes, he yelled, “You bastard! How dare you!”

“You refused to act, Fabius,” Katsuo calmly said. “Retreat was never an option. With the north compromised, this is the perfect chance to exploit the enemy's weak spot. The Ticaret forces were already heading to the forest.”

“For what mad scheme?!” Fabius demanded, slamming his fist onto the table, nearly breaking it.

Katsuo pointed to the Becwood Forest and said, “if the forest is taken, we can use it as cover and as a beachhead. We will be in the striking distance against Havcristen. If we take the capitol, the people of Elies will side with us and we will cut off the enemy troops stationed at Legrath.”

Taking a breath to calm the nerves, Fabius looked toward the map. “Fine plan. It probably would have worked if we were fighting an opponent equal to ourselves, you moron! The reason why I never ordered an attack was that NATO's response was always swift, our army would be caught out in the open. They would be slaughtered!”

"And you should have known about this already after being here for this long!" A senior centurion added angrily.

"Even our infantrymen and slaves know that!" Another senior centurion joined in on voicing their protest.

"Damn sweepers! If you want us to charge head on at NATO that badly, why don't you try leading the way for once?!"

“Even so, risks must be taken if we are to win the war,” Katsuo replied, not caring about everyone in the room who was voicing their protest.

“You just sent the Ticaret to their deaths!” Fabius stated. “Once the League learns of this, they will-.”

“If the attack is successful, my old friend, then the glory will be placed on the Ticaret for doing what you were unable to do, using the excuse of 'The NATO is too strong to fight against'.” Katsuo said. “However, if what you believe is true, then half of the League army will be slaughtered.”

Fabius noticed that the Oprichnina intentionally stopped speaking at that point. The scheme was forming from the haze. From Katsuo's eyes, he could read that the leonoid knew what would happen to the Ticaret army. The real goal was to force himself to do something; if not, he would be condemned for abandoning an allied army out of cowardice.

To what end of this madness, Fabius had no idea. But the choices had been removed from his hand. While he had no love for the dwarf and his army, he could not afford to blindly lose it, nor does honor dictate he abandons those under his command. Seeing no other good option, he looked towards his staff and said, “Send word to the 24th Legion; we move to the Becwood Forest at once.

***

--- Becwood Forest, Elies Region ---

Date: July 23rd, 2026

The sounds of soldiers yelling and screaming echoed throughout the forest. The sounds of bullets whizzing through the air. What seemed like invisible objects, chipped away at the tree bark above.

“Right flank, keep advancing!” Gagnog Sand Shield ordered.

Gagnog watched the suitable unit start marching; about a hundred dwarves were divided into three groups. There were mages behind each group to prevent their slaughter, providing a defensive barrier to deflect the bullets. The tiny dwarf’s frame was a smaller target against the enemy’s ranged weapons, a rare benefit for their race. Even then, a direct charge was still suicidal.

The elf, Albon Dac Kalv, the commander of the local Seckin Sanctum directed his mages to provide cover.

Two human mages emerged from their positions and got into some sort of stance, ready to cast. The one on the left began chanting the incantation of Sky Magic as electric energy formed around the staff. A slight tingling sensation could be felt as the caster felt the hairs on his body begin to stand. The sky darkened above him as a crack of thunder signaled the beginning of his attack; a large lightning strike shot down from the sky and hit the enemy’s position. The other mage stood in his stance but remained silent as he held one hand over his staff. He concentrated as an orange magic circle slowly appeared underneath him. The temperature dramatically increased as sweat began to form on his forehead. His staff soon adopted the same color as his staff as flames emerged from it in the shape of a bird. The fire flew over the soldiers and burst midair, breaking into smaller fireballs that rained down on the NATO troops.

Leaning over a dwarf corpse, Gagnog watched the battle unfold before him. The dirt-based barriers seemed to be doing their jobs at stopping the enemy bullets until what the enemy called a rocket hit the center group, destroying the barrier and knocking back the front row of troops.

Turning toward the Draconian Saskax Fury Skin, the dwarf gave the order for them to advance. The Saskax warriors’ giant beasts let out a roar before swiftly moving through the trees, bushes, and corpses that littered the ground.

Listening to the fiery eruptions from the hidden explosives under the ground and ranged weapons flowing through the air, Gagnog watched as his tactics came into play.

Hearing someone approaching behind, Gagnog turned and saw Albon enter his hole. His face showed concern, but he abruptly turned back to the battle and said, “I do not wish to hear you complain like a nagging old hag. We are on the verge of open victory.”

“And the fact that it is this easy does not bother you?” Albon asked.

The constant warning by the elf had almost broken the dwarf’s final nerve. The Seckin Sanctum had always been feared and respected by the great houses of the Ticaret. Anyone who ever went out of line had always had the Seckin Sanctum appear at their door. Ever since arriving at Elies, however, the elf had preached nothing but what Legatus Fabius Aulus had said. Passive warfare is not the proper means of a warrior or a general.

“I already told you, you damned elf!” Gagnog said. “I am not a fool to strike the heart of the NATO-occupied territory.”

Planning cautiously, Gagnog and Saskax planned carefully on where their counter-offensive should begin. They thought the enemy was stretched too thin on five different fronts and that Elies had been forgotten. The strike on the Other Worlder’s outpost last week was a test, one they indeed failed. The Becwood Forest was on the outskirts of the enemy-occupied territory, with only a few soldiers protecting the flank.

With the forest providing protection, the League would have a beachhead into the rest of the region. The Oprichnina had been feeding his camp knowledge, confirming this is the weakest point in the enemy defense. Weeks of misinformation, tricking the enemy of League action toward the north, hopefully delaying any reinforcements.

“Now elf, unleash your sword and join us in battle!” Gagnog ordered. “And bring damn honor back to your blade!”

“The Seckin Sanctum values intelligence over honor, dwarf,” Albon quickly replied. “This assault does not feel right.”

The constant questioning and whining infuriated him even though their forces overwhelmed the enemy defenses. The sneak attack couldn’t have happened better, catching the enemy in complete surprise. Their mindless metal beasts acting as guards quickly fell by magic.

“That is what you said before, and we had the victory,” Gagnog said. “Now charge, follow us to victory or go home with your tail between your legs.”

With that, Gagnog stood, holding his ax high in the air to rally his men. Feeling the energy emitting from his soldiers, excited to overrun the enemy. Hundreds of dwarves, elves, humans, and draconian charge forward with the order.

---

The cheering of the Ticaret forces as they celebrated the capture of the enemy outpost brought much-needed morale to the troops that had gotten accustomed to hiding. Instead of waiting for the enemy to come to them, they were finally bringing the fight to these Other Worlders and even winning. Some of them looted what remained of the strange-looking crates. Soldiers sang songs while others tried to eat the strange food. The bittersweet victory that ran through the five thousand soldiers merely boasted Gagnog’s arrogance.

“Comrades, remember this moment!" Gagnog cheerfully announced. "Savor this victory, for it is merely our first among many victories to come against the Other Worlders! Every single one of you here has proven yourselves, the Empire, and Falmart that we can win against the Other Worlders! That they are mere cowards the moment they are stripped of their blasted, cowardly weapons and technologies! No more will we wait for the days to go by, hiding in the mud. No more will we cower in the face of the Other Worlders. From here on, we march! We fight! And we win!"

The Ticaret men immediately followed Gagnog's speech with a chorus of cheers, excited for their future victories and glory.

"Glory to the Ticaret!"

"Down the Other Worlders! Down the cowardly Empire!"

"We are the new master of Falmart!"

Satisfied with watching his men filled with soaring morale and hearing their cheers, Gagnog stepped away to let his men have their moment. Saskax approached and tossed a small brown bag with the letters 'MRE' on it into his mouth. After a gag, he swallowed the unopened meal.

"I find their food pitiful," Saskax boldly commented.

With a chuckle, Gagnog replied, "I see, old friend. The Other Worlders had many strange things. Just proof that they are not men if this is what they eat."

"I have the final tally," Albon said. "One hundred and thirty-five dead, forty-eight wounded."

"Not bad," Saskax pointed out. "The Imperials have greatly overexaggerated these Other Worlders."

"Even I must admit, I placed too much trust in Fabius," Albon said as the victory overwhelmed his sense of reason. "I was so amazed and fearful when we saw their air might that I refused to see what they really were. Weak cowards with fancy tricks and weapons. Without their war machines and when their guns run dry, they chickened out from real fights."

The three celebrated, talking about future battles and the possibility of replacing the Empire as the dominant power on Falmart.

As the celebration continued, Gagnog witnessed the normally reserved elf react with the instinct of a skilled hunter as Albon pulled out his bow and fired an arrow towards a tree. The arrow, enchanted by lightning magic, exploded once it hit its mark.

"What was it?" Saskax asked, preparing for battle.

"A spy," Albon replied. "One of the enemy's unnatural ones."

Confused, Gagnog looked toward where the area exploded. His dwarfs searched the area until one found something.

The dwarf walked toward the three and presented the small enemy device. "It is one of those insect machines the Other Worlders use."

"Why did they leave it behind?" Saskax asked.

"I don't know," Gagnog replied. "They probably were keeping it here to cover their retreat. See if we were going to follow them or not."

"No," Albon curiously replied. He picked up the device from the dwarf. "From what I understand, these are short-range scouts. That means…” The elf’s eyes widened in realization. “They are close."

"Impossible," Gagnog mumbled, realizing his fatal mistake.

"You arrogant pig!" Albon boldly exclaimed as he tossed the insect device onto the ground. "You led us into a trap! We were all played like fools."

Noticing the Volraden’s ears perk, Gagnog looked up, wondering what sound they heard. One of the few blessings regarding the enemy’s weapons was how loud they were. However, when the Volradens noticed them, it was usually too late to react.

The zooming sound before a large crackle above the Army signaled the start of the attack. Shrapnel rained down on everyone. The experienced mages quickly formed mana barriers. Others who were specialized in nature magic manipulated the ground to form walls, trenches, while others turned trees into Ents to act as shields. All in an attempt to block the projectiles; however, those who were not quick enough fell without a chance.

Taking a quick glance up as the sky exploded, raining metal, Gagnog watched his men panicking, rushing for cover. In the distance, he saw the ground explode, knowing it was the enemy's other types of artillery. To his confusion, the strikes happened around him rather than the center of his forces and seemed more to keep them from retreating rather than outright finishing them. He broke out in a cold sweat as only those trying to flee were picked off. The enemy wasn’t planning on letting them leave but rather containing them. What terrifies him the most was, for what?

--- Five kilometers south of the Ticerat position, Becwood Forest, Elies Region ---

The sounds of artillery echoed in the distance. Rifle muzzles were heard as NATO soldiers cut down any Ticerat forces that tried to flee from the bombardment. Captain Beluutie stood on a log and listened.

"The trap worked," Beluutie mumbled.

Hearing wood breaking nearby, Beluutie looked and saw some soldiers carrying a wounded one. She directed one of her Legrath Knights to aid in the evacuation.

She saw a British officer; she could tell he was a Captain of the British Special Air Services from his uniform. To Beluutie's surprise, there was an orange Warrior Bunny swordswomen by his side. She jumped down and approached, asking, "Is that everyone?"

"That is correct," Captain Albert Nelson replied. "Seven wounded, five of them by mages. Bloody hell, I really hate magic."

“I am a mage too, mind you,” Beluutie chimed.

“I mean magic from the enemy,” Albert states.

Beluutie chuckles before replying, "Whether it's magic, arrow, sword, or guns, you don't want to be on the wrong side of them. Looks like war never changes in that aspect."

Glad to hear that the evacuation was complete, Beluutie looked back toward the battle. An American company was left behind to serve as a distraction at the outpost. Once engaged, their orders were to retreat, abandoning the outpost to the enemy.

What the enemy did not know was that they walked into a trap. The camp was surrounded by an American-British-Japanese force as they stayed hidden within the forest to prevent anyone from escaping. The American company that was defending the outpost was now regrouping with the British forces and preparing for the battle ahead.

Beluutie noticed a small tremor and turned around to find her trusted Centurion, Gal Joa, now better known as Terminator, walking up to her side. She chuckled when she remembered that now almost everyone refers to him with the nickname given by Sharpe, her included. Terminator then said something in his deep accent while watching the artillery strikes.

"Yeah, you got a point," Beluutie responded. "I just failed to see the essence of it all."

"What did he say?" Nelson asked Beluutie, not understanding what Terminator just said due to his accent.

"He said, 'All this work just to flush out the enemy leader?'" Beluutie replied.

"Oh" Nelson blurted before explaining. "Story of Hannibal.. The ancient Republic of Rome was nearly destroyed if not for a Rome leader, Fabius Cunctator. He fought Hannibal by refusing to fight. By doing this, Hannibal never could achieve his objective by bringing Rome to its knees."

Looking back toward the British soldier, Beluutie noted her jealousy. Her kind, Sirens, have no such ancient history. Though they have been on Falmart for a while, they haven’t really made much of an impact. The Humans of the Empire had always boasted about their past, their history. Even these Other Worlders, these Terrans reflect on their own ancient times. She wished her people had some proud history they could boast about.

"I see how the League refuses to battle so they don't suffer major defeats, but I don't see the connection you are trying to make," Beluutie said.

"To break this standoff, Hannibal found an arrogant Rome general who was thirsty for battle," Nelson said. "The Battle of Geronium. Hannibal tricked the Romans into battle, intentionally tricking them into thinking they were winning and luring them out of their safety before trapping and slaughtering them. The point of the engagement was to force Fabius to make a choice. Watch his brothers die or join the battle."

"And you think Fabius would fall for it?" Beluutie asked.

Nelson looked toward the pink Siren and smirked. "Fabius is a man of honor, or else he wouldn't be extra careful with his actions until now. But now, unlike before, he has a weakness that we can exploit, and that is the Ticaret. It's obvious that he doesn't get along with them, considering that they attacked us without the Imperial forces present, just like now and a few days ago when we tried to build that outpost on the northern side of the river. But that said, he has gone too far to simply ignore his honor. Just like the Roman came to save his comrades, he will do the same thing. And when that bollocks shows his damn mug, we end this right here, right now. I'm tired of playing his bloody game of cat and mouse, nuff said."