***

--- Thaluilas, Elies Region ---

Date: August 1st, 2026

Feeling a tremble, Empress Pina Co Lada grabbed the strap over her. While she has grown used to flying, it never felt natural to her, especially these army Chinooks. She thought it was much better than riding any flying beasts as it was much safer.

"You made the right decision, Empress," Albert said, sitting across from her.

"I know," Pina replied. "I just feel like I am betraying my brother."

"If I recall, when you were trapped at Legrath, Krysist delegated to Sharpe and the Girls to free you," Albert pointed out. "When you are in command, delegating is just as important as doing it yourself. We have a saying on Earth, the needs of the many-."

"Outweigh the needs of the few," Pina added. "Spock, Star Trek, which he was not born on Earth."

Seeing the confused reaction from Albert, she smiled. "Let's just say the rest of my knights and I have endeared ourselves quite deep with Earth's Pop Culture nights with Vanguard-7."

"Really? So what is your favorite movie and video game?" Albert asked.

"My favorite game, the guys make fun of me for it, but I really do enjoy Candy Crush," Pina said. "My favorite movie so far is Mulan. I feel a personal connection that she disobeyed her father to save him. While not fitting in, being an outsider, she found her place among the men and saved her country..”

While the two laughed, Pina looked out the back of the Chinook. The helicopter was starting to land. It was dark with the moonlike being blocked, which was no longer a problem with the night vision feature in the Hyperspectral Digital Visors her Knights had been wearing. She had often wondered the potential of the Empire if they had one of these high-tech devices: night vision, radio or something else NATO considers common; how one of these small things could revolutionize war. While thinking about it, she remembered seeing a marine compass that was sold for ten Dollars in America. For the people on the Earth side of the gate, it's just another cheap tool. But on this side, that cheap tool could revolutionize naval navigation and travel of the entire Uros..

Once the Chinook landed, the Rose Knights, the SAS, and the three Clanless got off. Unlike the first two groups, one of the three members of the Clanless along with Lartia dropped to the ground, practically kissing it. The two Neko’s were relieved to be touching the ground once more, still not used to the concept of air travel.

Beefeater approached them and commented, “First time I see.”

“Not really, but I don’t think she will ever get used to it,” Kryuune responded. “Nelia, you’re making us look bad. It’s just transportation, just… in the sky.”

“If Nekos were meant to fly, we would have wings,” Nelia retorted while helping her friend up.

“Oh, don’t be such a baby. You’re starting to sound like Aldon,” Sebille teased with a giggle.

"Hey, in my defense I'm not as bad as him." Nelia retorted as she stabilized herself back on her feet.

Watching the Chinook and its escort fly away, Pina then looked toward the city. She zoomed in her visors and saw the elvish towers in the distance. “I wish we could land closer.”

“Nothing wrong with a hike,” Kryunne said as she stood up. “You people have gotten used to riding everywhere.”

“Besides, they would spot us and could shoot us down with magic blasts,” Albert replied. “Stealth is our advantage while the distraction force engages the outposts.”

To help distract the enemy, it was agreed that the Japanese and British would launch Air Assault missions against a few outposts close to Thaluilas. The goal is to flush the enemy out, hopefully, lure out reinforcement from the city. Still, the main issue is getting in.

“Lartia, you said there was a water drain somewhere?” Albert asked.

“Yes,” Lartia said. “A few loyalists took me to a cellar where I went down this sewer. It took me many leagues away from the city.”

“Do you think the enemy knows about it?” Pina asked. “We would be screwed if the enemy knew of our only way inside the city.”

“There are dozens of sewers that lead out of the city,” Lartia said. “The city is old; I don’t think they know about them all. At least that is what one of the maids said while I was there.”

“You also had maids?” Nelia asked. “It sounds like you had a well-off life.”

“That is not what I meant,” Lartia replied.

“Knock it off,” Albert said. “And the idea has merit. The Rangers did when we took Legrath and what my team did at Sadera. Ancient cities that have been built and rebuilt over centuries, good chance.”

"Besides, it is like every fantasy RPG plot out there," Sergeant Filip Walsh jokingly commented.

"If it is not broken, don't fix it, I guess," Corporal Aleisold said but with a questionable look. "Did I say it right?"

Albert walked over, patting Aleisold's helmet. "Yes, little bunny." He said with a wink. "Alright, lads, keep your senses sharp. There is still a good chance the enemy could know we are coming."

“Doubt it though,” Bozes said. “How would they know that Lartia reached her destination? They would have to have had a mole in Legrath that could somehow pass that information along before we could act.”

“She is right,” Nelia added. “We killed all the Oprichnana that were following her.

“You mean we did,” Sebille corrected.

“Details. But it would take time for them to realize their men are dead, especially with NATO watching the river,” the Neko continued.

The group moved through the tall, tan-like crop stocks, similar to the corn stocks Pina saw in Ohio. The difference between corn and these Uogger beans was that the beans had a tannish color and a meatier taste than corn while having the same size.

The path to Thaluilas had been cleared. Key patrols and checkpoints, they had to avoid or take care of. As they approached the city, patrols had been getting larger so to further conceal her aura, the fairy hid within the undershirt of her companion, Kryuune.

"They must know about the sewer after tracking down Lartia," Panache commented. "Too many scattered defenders."

"Unless they don't know which one it is," Aleisold replied. "If they did, why wouldn’t they be there, waiting for us."

"Aleisold is correct," Pina said. "Getting ambushed in a sewer would give them the advantage in melee."

As they moved, Shandy Gaff Marea, the Rose Knights Logistic Officer spoke from Vanguard Command, "Strike Team November, ISR has detected a wagon inbound your position."

Albert ordered everyone to remain quiet. The sound of the wagon and duel horses approached, bypassing them.

Jalin Tu Fendro peaked above the crops and quickly came down. She then whispered to Pina, "They have a Volraden."

"Horse pie." Pina frustratedly whispered. She reported it to Albert.

Volraden, besides their superior physical strength, had excellent hearing and a sense of smell like Earth wolves. Once used as shock troopers within the Imperial Army, Pina noticed that they were used to help discover potential ambushes or incoming vehicles and attacks like artillery or missile strikes. NATO equipment had many wonders, however, most were noisy enough to be heard, prominent enough to be sniffed and sensed kilometers away by most animals and Demi-human.

“Stay down, let them pass,” Albert whispered over the radio. “Pina, get your knights ready to strike. I want to stay as quiet as we can.”

The wagon passed, being pulled by two Hogus Boars with a pair of guards at the helm. Four others sat in the back fighting the urge to fall asleep as they chattered away, but remained vigilant.

Unable to get a good view, Pina checked her VISOR, filtering through the other soldiers' head cameras until she found Suissesse Co Mein with a perfect view through her scope, crossbow at ready.

It seemed like the wagon was passing them. Pina's body was tense as she grabbed her sword handle, waiting for the situation to take a turn for the worse.

Hearing someone curse over the radio, Pina saw the wagon stop. The chattering amongst the guards ceased as the Volraden stood up, noise in the air. It was clear it caught someone.

“It will only be a matter of time until they find us, prepare to fire,” Albert said.

“Hold on,” Pina said. Remember we have a Siren among us. “Kryuune, can you redirect the wind a little? Just enough so that the beast cannot smell us?”

“I can try,” Kryuune replied.

Feeling a slight tug in the air as it was redirected, Albert’s team was in awe as the wind around suddenly ceased, and almost instantly, went in the other direction. The issue now was could Kryuune do it quietly enough so they wouldn’t be spotted. The Volraden looked around, ears pointing in all directions, hoping to catch some indication that someone was around. The remaining guards jolted up and were alert with hands at the hilt of their swords. He took one last good whiff before disregarding what he smelled earlier and pointed down the path before sitting back down. The tense air surrounding the wagon settled as they carried on down the path.

“Good call,” Albert said. “Vanguard Command, that wagon isn’t heading to the city. Can you get another drone to follow it? Might be something of worth.”

“Roger that,” Shandy said. “I will relay that to Legrath Command. Also, I see nothing in the current area however there are roaming patrols. Better head to the sewer entrance ASAP.”

The group moved through the farm fields quickly. It took an additional hour, bypassing two checkpoints and another patrol, where they were forced to engage in stealth kills. From the unexpected amount of patrols, the enemy most likely knew Lartia escaped from around this area but did not know the exact location of the sewer entrance.

To everyone's relief, there was no sign of the enemy guarding the entrance. Albert and Pina got their units into two groups; worried about being ambushed while in the sewer network, and once they were inside the city. Pina approached the captain and said, “Sir, I think it might be wise to send a few up ahead as an advance force”

“Good idea,” Albert said. “We’ll send two each.”

“I think you should keep your men back,” Pina said. “Two of mine and the Clanless. I don’t think we should spoil our hand and the noble Neko needs to show us the path.”

“Noticed you added the Neko part,” Albert said. “Is it really that unusual?”

“Is it that hard of a concept for you to accept, princess,” Nelia pointed out. “With these otherworlders here, it won’t be like it once was; Nekos won’t be playthings to be preyed upon.”

Those words pierced Pina deeply as she considered her response. “I apologize; I meant no disrespect. It is just that it was common for a noble to lay with one at a brothel, or to buy an enslaved one for some type of gratification, but marry one? That would end a nobleman's career,” Pina replied, annoyed at herself for pointing out the Neko part. “Please disregard that as I am trying very hard to change.”

“Old habits die hard it seems Empress,” Albert commented then smiling. He then gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. “We will go with your plan.”

---

“I cannot believe there is a place that smells worse than the male locker room or that Durian Fruit, that smelled like barf, Ling brought to us as dessert during dinner last week,” Balalaika Id Litoria commented.

Annoyed by the Rose-Order of Knight's comments regarding the smell, Nelia replied, “You think it smells bad for you? My kind has a superior smell than you humans so imagine how we feel.”

Glad that the humans shut up about the smell, Nelia looked to her partner Kryuune and asked, “what do you think?”

"So far, so good," Kryuune replied. "Unless we run into a patrol, I do not think we will run into anyone. Truth is, I am surprised a noble got through all this."

“No kidding,” Sebille chimed in, flying out of Kryuune’s shirt. “Hmm, makes me wonder if all the people in your village were this resilient, or were you two special cases.”

"The desire for survival is strong in anyone with the right conditions," Nelia said as she looked at her friend Lartia. Her friend was hiding behind one of the Rose Knights she believed was Nikolasha Le Mon.

“Lartia is out of her element,” the fairy said.

Moving closer, Nelia whispered to her friend, "You did not have to come. You knew that, right?"

"Never was an option," Lartia replied. "You do not know the path." She then returned the look and added, "Did you say that because you think I am weak? Because I lived a noble life?"

"I did not say you were weak," Nelia corrected. "I just could tell you are scared. I understand that you are not used to this." Due to her misunderstanding, Lartia looked away embarrassed, following the Knight.

"Quiet," Suissesse Co Mein whispered.

Noticing Suissesse aiming her compound crossbow. Looking down the path, all Nelia could hear was water dripping until Kryuune pointed at something. Seeing a glow against the wall slowly getting bigger, she realized someone was approaching.

"We should attack," Nelia whispered.

"Hold on," Kryuune said. "Nelia, Sebille, move closer and get ready to strike. Suissesse right? I want you to take the first shot."

"Take them out at once, got it!" Suissesse replied. Holding her crossbow tightly, she began controlling her breathing, aiming steadily down the tunnel.

Nelia quickly moved in silently as the fairy clung tight to her shoulder. Owing to her Neko abilities, she got into position without making a single sound. As she moved into the sewer intersection, she could easily tune out the surrounding sounds and heard the enemy approach; she picked up two sets of patrolling feet. Her mouth was left slightly ajar, excitement filling her. Her vertical slit pupils dilated ever so slightly as she crouched low, hand at her blade, ready to pounce.

“Ready here, too,” Sebille whispered. She positioned herself, ready to fling herself forward to slow them if one tried to flee.

As the two came around the corner, a bolt went through the first elf's eye with deadset accuracy. The elf stood there for a moment before tipping over to the slug-water.

Hearing the other elf panic and preparing to run away, Nelia ambushed him, moving in faster than the elf could react to slash his throat. In pure reaction, he grabbed his throat before being rear kicked into the slug water.

Standing up as she cleaned her claws, Nelia chuckled, proud of her kill efficiency. A decade of practice was well worth it.

"Nice shot with that crossbow," Nelia stated. "Dead in the eye."

"All thanks to this," Suissesse said as she pointed at the scope in her compound crossbow.

“Beautiful kill. Looks like I wasn’t needed after all,” Sebille commended.

“Was there any doubt?” Suissesse teased.

With a laugh, Nelia then noticed Lartia with a strange look. "You do not have to worry about them, Lartia; they are dead."

"It is not that," Lartia responded, staring at her old friend. "It is just… you can kill, and it is normal?"

"Well, yeah," Nelia replied, confused by the statement. Then it hit her; this had been her life for a decade now.

After the destruction of their village(1) and their separation, she didn't realize how different their lives diverged.

"This is who I am now," Nelia Said. "Atilius and my fellow brethren saved my life, and we did what we had to do to survive. Besides we don’t kill any undeserving or those that minded their own business.”

"I get it," Lartia said. "It is just that I thought maybe things would go back to what they were for a moment. I just did not expect how different you are now."

"I can say the same to you," Nelia responded with a chuckle.

"Hey," Bozes said. "Both of you can catch up and have a good cry later. We are on the clock."

***

--- Skies over Ticaret Conglomerate ---

Date: August 1st, 2026

"We are forty-five miles to LZ Utah, sir."

Looking out of the MC-130J Commando II transport plane, Sharpe saw the sun, or as the natives call it, Flare, peeking from the west and about to sink into the horizon, marking the start of the night in Ticaret.

"Thank you, pilot," Sharpe said.

Looking toward the back of the giant plane, he saw his unit, the Legrath Knights, and a few of the Clanless as experts.

Usually the Rose Knights would have gone along. However, Pina decided to deal with the situation with Elies, a decision he agreed with.

The Legrath Knights seemed to have an over-eagerness on this mission. Until now, they mainly operated around Elies to root out insurgents and win the hearts and minds of the people. Now, they get to get some real action again.

To his displeasure, Lelei and Tuka were not here. Only Rory and Yao are only on this mission. Tuka, felt she needed to help her people more, while Lelei, Sharpe decided she needed a break which was against her wishes.

Glancing toward the right, Sharpe saw Frayen reading the Bible for some reason.

“You seem to be interested in our religion?”, Sharpe asked Frayen.

“Well,” the apostle began. “I want to know more about your so-called almighty God whom the vast majority of Terrans worship. This is the first time I have heard of a God that represents everything in existence, unlike our gods, the Greek or Norse Gods back on Earth, who only represent certain aspects. Uros might be the God of Creation but he is still not a God of Everything. I am also fascinated that your version of demons is that they used to be the messengers of God until they rebelled against him under the leadership of Lucifer, the fallen Archangel.”

“At least demons in this world as far as I know are tangible unlike what it said in the Bible,” Sharpe remarked.

"Thank you for requesting us, Lieutenant Colonel," Beluutie said.

Looking toward the pink Siren, the usual scowl had been replaced with joy.

"Ahh, so you can smile?" Sharpe said.

Beluutie quickly replied as her smile completely evaporated, "Hey, I am a delightful person. I only get angry when you are around."

"Just ignore him," Rory said as she approached. "He gets off on getting on people's nerves."

"I know," Beluutie said. "He thinks he can get away with it. The issue is, he is right. Still, thank you for letting us come along."

"No problem, Pinkie," Sharpe said. "You know what is at stake. If he is alive, then you will get him."

Beluutie’s smile returned. "We should have prevented all this back then. We won't fail him again."

When that conversation had died, Beluutie’s smile was gone once again and replaced with a somber expression as she looked out the plane’s window. She began to reflect on something as she peered into the night view of Ticaret’s desert. “You know? It’s funny. A lot of this wouldn’t have happened had we just refused to listen to that bastard Herm. Maybe if we just killed him the moment he showed his face and stated his intentions. And now, many of our comrades died and an honest Legatus who was just solemnly doing his duty is about to be executed because of some arrogant and hard-headed people who refuse to accept reality. I feel so guilty. I wish I could turn back time.”

Seeing Beluutie beating herself up, Sharpe tried to console her. “It’s just natural, that you don’t know the future and the consequences of your choices and actions. Trust me, I also have a lot of times where I wish I could turn back time and keep bad things from happening. But I guess the thing about living is to make a choice that you’re confident with the most and you’d regret the least. And when that choice turns out to be a bad one, you have to accept the reality that it’s bad and rectify it as soon as possible. And when it’s too late to rectify it, it could still be a lesson for you in the future to not repeat that mistake.”

Sharpe put his hand on Beluutie’s shoulder, catching her attention. “We can still rectify this mistake. That’s why we’re here.”

Beluutie looked at Sharpe for a moment before her smile came back. “You know. For a rash guy who doesn’t have a limiter for his mouth, you still have a way with words. Thank you, Sharpe.”

“Glad I can help,” Sharpe replied while patting Beluutie’s shoulder.

As the two talked, the Clanless leader, Malena, approached. "Do you have a plan?"

"He always has a plan," Rory stated.

"I see," Malena said. "Although I am impressed with your fearsome reputation and quite excited to work with you; I just want to make sure you are not just going to keep getting involved in any of your bold and dangerous improvised plans along the way.

“And yet, fortune favors the Bold,” Rory stated.

“I get the vibe you do not like outsiders," Malena asked.

"Usually no, I don't," Sharpe said. "It usually just means another thing that can go wrong. No offense."

"None is taken, I understand," Malena said. "My question, though?"

This has been the primary question for Sharpe while on this five-hour plane ride. While they are an X-factor, he is willing to give some credibility because of one of their members' relationship with his wife. Sebille, the fairy, has been helping at the school.

"According to Fabius' wife, there is already an underground network trying to get Ticaret out of the war," Beluutie said. "All we have to do is move in and contact them as soon as possible. The sooner we make contact, the better."

"If it was that easy, they would not be sending us," Malena pointed out. "None of you look like you belong in Falmart, let alone Ticaret."

"She is right," Randy said as he overheard the conversation. "All of us are soldiers. They will spot us a mile away."

"Agreed," Sharpe said. "This won't be like Rondel. Before making contact, we need to know the lay of the land and who we are dealing with. Malena, your people can blend in better than we can."

"Makes sense," Beluutie said. "We do not know even if there is an underground. For all we know, they were discovered from the betrayal."

"That will be phase one," Sharpe said. "Malena’s people will go inside and contact Falson, Nara, or Azariah."

"Do you know what they look like or what they do?" Malena asked.

"Very little," Randy said. "The only intelligence we have are from POWs and Madam Lartia. Nara Tozuko is a Kitsune who operates brothels and banks, and Falson Altin is the head of House Atlin, one of the major houses in the Ticaret. A conglomerate, if you will. Meanwhile, Azariah Galen is a Dark Elf who is the head of the Seckin Sanctum. But we don't have much more than that. Not even photographs."

"That really isn’t much to go on, but it is where we will start," Malena said. "Aldon frequently spends time at brothels, so he knows the culture. It is a good place to gather information."

"True," Rory said. "You men usually love to spill important information when having a good time. Ego stroking your importance to remind people of how important you are."

"Don't forget about the Seckin Sanctum," Randy said.

"They mean nothing if we cannot contact them," Rory said. "And all it takes for this mission to go south is unknowingly talking to someone who's pro-war, and our covers will be blown."

"Then we agree," Sharpe said. "Make contact, and then we will enter the city stealthily, hopefully. But let me be clear, our mission is to make contact with the rebels and figure things out with Krysist, not to join in a civil war."

"You will not back them up?” Malena asked, confused. "I’m not a politician, but simply making contact with them will most definitely trigger a civil war."

"We are a small unit, Malena," Randy said. "Assuming the rebels are legit and the war in Elies ends, we can easily back them up."

"I have authorization to form an alliance if needed," Sharpe said. "But, we need to know the reality on the ground first. The last thing we want is another Operation Cyclone, maybe along with us being killed by the very people we just made an alliance with."

"Uhmm… What's Operation Cyclone?" Beluutie asked, along with Malena next to her who was making curious looks.

Before Sharpe could answer, Randy already stepped in. "Long story short, we helped an enemy of our enemy at one time, only for them to turn against us at a later date using weapons that we gave them."

"Ouch… Being stabbed from the front is one thing, but from behind using weapons you gave them, at that?" Malena commented.

"Actually, it wasn't that simple," Sharpe interjected. "The group that we supported had an internal strife leading to their collapse, and a new and radical group took their place and their weapons. But my point still stands. Whether they backstab us or made an alliance with an unstable group, we don't want either of those to happen. We have to understand the reality on the ground and think thrice before we make an alliance."

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking." The onboard PA system blared, amplifying the pilot's voice in a humorous tone to the passengers in the cargo hold and interjecting the group discussion. "We are approaching LZ Utah in 3 mikes. Please get back to your seat and buckle up. This is gonna be a bumpy ride, and we are not responsible for any broken neck injuries sustained during the landing."

"You heard them, ladies!" The loadmaster yelled to everyone. "Everyone, get back to your seats and buckle up!"

Everyone sat at the foldout seats on the side of the aircraft. After making sure Rory was strapped in, Sharpe secured himself. Hearing the loadmaster warning everyone, the meeting ended.

"I thought you needed a runway for this airplane to land," Frayen asked.

"That is ideal but not impossible, not for this baby," Sharpe replied while giving the hull a few bangs. "You can land these things on dirt, desert floor, or ice. All she needs is just a solid ground to land, and she can land anywhere. True and tested design for over fifty years. This baby is designed to fly, and she gets the job done. Still, I prefer the tarmac."

"It would be much easier if everyone here knew how to parachute since we would not have to do a rough landing like this!" Andrew complained as he pointed toward the parachutes near the cockpit.

“I would rather not jump out of a perfectly good airplane,” Yao replied.

"Please for Lunaryur's sake, no!" Pleaded Aldon. Malena turned to face her companion and shook her head as Aldon held tightly onto his strap for dear life; he hadn’t moved nor released his grip on it since they took off. "It is already terrifying enough for me to fly in this steel contraption, now you want me to jump out of it while it is in the air?!"

“I would like at least one combat jump in this war,” Andrew commented.

"Then please do so without me!" Aldon continued to protest.

"Aldon! Please just shut up already! You are just hurting my ears at this point!" Yelled Malena who looked more annoyed at Aldon rather than being bothered by the flight at all.

The JSDF 3rd Recon conducted an Airborne operation to secure and then prepared a landing zone for their aircraft. The plan is for this to be their extraction.

"I see," Frayen said. "Times like this make me glad I am an Apostle. I get to enjoy so many wonders."

Bastard. That is all Sharpe could think about now. If anything goes wrong they would be fine, being immortal. Dismembered limbs? Just pop them back in and wait for a few minutes for them to stick back up.

A tremble shook throughout the aircraft as it made its approach to the landing zone. The inside shook as the wheel hit the ground.

Once stopped, the red light turned green and the loadmaster cleared everyone to get up. The rear cargo bay door opened.

"Alright! That's our cue, ladies! Get off the plane!" Randy ordered everyone out the back. "And Malena, help your friend up," Randy ordered Malena while pointing at Aldon sitting next to her, slumped limp, pale-faced, and drenched in cold sweats.

Malena sighed at her helpless teammate. "By the gods, I pray one day you will get used to flying already." Malena cursed before wasting no time to unbuckle Aldon from his seat and shouldering him out of the plane, catching up with everyone else.

Once everyone was out, Captain Itami rushed over and said, "Sir. The area is secured. So far, no contacts. No roads so I think we are not on a trade path."

"Good work, Captain," Sharpe said to Itami before turning to his teammates. "Alicia, get on the comms and check-in with Overlord. Randy, get everyone to get the tarps over the aircraft. Randy… Randy?"

As Sharpe looked over toward the Master Sergeant, watching him look out into the desert.

"Master Sergeant!" Sharpe called out to Randy, startling him. "Is something wrong?"

"Sorry sir," Randy said. "Just seeing the irony."

Andrew approached and asked, "What do you mean?"

"That we traveled to another planet ten light-years away through a magical Gate, and yet we still ended up in another sandbox of a country," Randy explained.

The point hit as some of the Rangers laughed. The realization that no matter what happens, no matter where they go, the US will be fighting in a desert nation.

“Hope we are not going to bump into some giant Sandworms in this desert,” Andrew joked. “I rather face giant scorpions, giant sand lizards, Manticores, and Sphinxes that lurk around this place in the wild than those big ass worms.”

“Actually,” Frayen replied. “There are giant Sandworms deep in the Ticaret Desert but they are quite docile and are herbivorous, and only attack when they are actually being threatened. Besides, this is Uros not Arrakis from Dune.”

“Are there any Genies in Ticaret?” Frost asked.

“You mean Djinns?” Frayen said. “Yes, there are but they are independent elemental creatures that represent the basic elements like fire, water, earth, and air not a bindingly wish-granting genie in Aladdin. They serve as ultimate guardians of the Ticaret and can only be called to defend the land from outside threats. Their exceptional fighting prowess is one of the reasons why the Saderan Empire failed multiple times to conquer the Ticaret.”

“However,” Rory elaborated. “At the same time, they have no desire to participate in any form of conquests with mortals. That is why your forces have not yet seen them within the ranks of the Ticaret forces. The only way to defeat and destroy a Djinn is to overwhelm it with opposite elements that a particular Djinn embodies. For example, a fire Djinn is weak against water so soaking it with enough water will eradicate the Djinn and vice versa.”

“There is always something new with this place!” Sharpe jokes.

After the laughing was over, Alicia got on her long-range radio. "Overlord, this is Vanguard 7. Do you read, over?"

"Vanguard, this is Overlord. Reading you loud and clear. Go ahead." Answered their commander on the other side of the line.

"Roger that." Replied Alicia. "Be advised, we have landed at LZ Utah and linked up with JSDF 3rd Recon. Over."

"Solid copy, Vanguard." Answered Overlord. "Be advised, Recon satellite is operational and we have done some preliminary recon on the city. You better get moving now. You got one hell of a haystack to the comb-over. Do you copy over?"

"Solid copy, Overlord. We'll get moving now. Vanguard, out." Alicia cuts her transmission before turning to Sharpe. "Colonel! Comms is clear, and the satellite is online."

"Alright, Andrew, get your team ready for a recon mission," Sharpe ordered. "Get sights on the capital. Randy, Itami, you and the rest stay here. We’ll report back in four hours."

---

After taking cover by a sand dune, Andrew's team was set up to oversee the Ticaret capital.

Gazing at the dusted stone city erected around a massive wall. At the center of it, beyond the wall, a gigantic inner-city could be seen carved out of the various mesas that protruded out from the vast desert sand. Looking like a castle, many spires of intricate designs led to wide rounded tops and ended in more minor points. The steep sides of the formed structure served to elevate the inner city and provide a natural barrier. It contrasted heavily with the unappealing, congested outer city that wrapped the city. Some of the highest peaks nearly touching the sky served as natural towers to observe and keep watch throughout the entire city, with flares and fires flickering in many towers. Many houses were built of clay and stone with fabrics of various kinds fluttering in the moonlit night. Many small and narrow paths interconnected throughout, with a couple of main roads that led up to the wall.

Most of the residents had appeared to be already sleeping as most of the flames were out except for a few torches patrolling around.

"Holy fucking hell," Alicia mumbled in awe. "Overlord wasn't kidding. It is one massive haystack."

"Damn, look at that. The place is like ancient Baghdad," Scotts said.

"Yeah, but look at that in the center. Never seen that kind of spire before. It is almost as high as the World Trade Center. " Frost added that no ancient structures back on Earth can reach that height," Frost added.

"Remember, Sadera is one of the youngest mega-cities," Beluutie said. "Most of the major Jewel cities in Falmart are ancient and built with great construction magic."

"Shit," Alicia commented. "They have to be older than the Great Pyramids."

“I don't even know what to recon," Andrew said. "It is so massive. And we’re supposed to look for three people in that mega-city?"

Andrew looked at his rugged Getac laptop that connected to his scope and Space Force’s Keyhole satellite far up above. The image of the city from the satellite shows that the city was estimated to be 300 square miles, which was much larger than ancient Baghdad.

As the team gawked at the sight of the city, Frayen walked up beside the elf local that had volunteered his services in the mission. Being in the Ticerat before, sights like the capital didn’t really surprise him anymore.

“Truly marvelous, is it not?” Frayen began to say to the elf. “What one can achieve when people are focused more on growth rather than conflict.”

Hearing Frayen’s comment, Andrew couldn’t help but chuckle. “You say that, but conflict is also part of growth. Without the cold war back on earth, we probably wouldn’t have the internet or even thought of going to space. Without World War Two, we probably wouldn't have the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and still be practicing colonization."

Hearing Andrew’s reply, Frayen turned to him and rubbed his chin while thinking of Andrew’s point of view. “Hm. That’s one way to look at it, I suppose.”

“What do you want?” Aldon interjected. As Frayen turned back to face him, Aldon pulled out his knife and admired it.

Ignoring the gesture, Frayen answered. “I am just wondering what your stake is in all of this. The last time we met, you threatened us not to show our faces to you, yet here you are. I’m right in front of you, and you volunteered to save Krysist. What is with the change?”

Aldon twitched slightly, slightly cutting his finger as he turned toward the apostle. “My current leader, and friend, requested my aid, nothing more. I’d rather leave him to rot and die, but I remain loyal to my brethren, and so long as they do it, I will do as I am told.”

Frayen nodded in understanding. “Your loyalty is one to be commended. It is something familiar to me. My loyalty to Kry-

“Don’t compare me to you,” Aldon interrupted while pointing his knife at the apostle. “We aren’t the same.”

Aldon blinked a few times as a giant halberd suddenly appeared and stopped right before the blade touched his neck. A girly giggle soon followed as he followed the hand that held the weapon to a small, gothic-styled-dressed girl.

“Play nice, little boy,” Rory smiled while licking her lips. “Unless you want to play with me.”

“Rory, I do not need your assistance,” Frayen said.

“You sure? But you seemed like you were having so much fun.”

“Rory,” Sharpe ordered as a few others watched the ordeal occur. “Not the time.”

“I’m only teasing,” she responded with a cute smile as she retracted her weapon.

Aldon rubbed his neck, only a few inches away from losing it. He reflected and thought maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to antagonize two allied apostles. He looked around and noticed his leader merely shook her head as she headed toward Sharpe.

Looking back at them, a thought began to cross Aldon’s mind. While they were there, he might as well poke for some information. He sheathed his blade once more.

“You know, I was always curious about something,” Malena said.

“Hmmm, and what’s that?” Rory quickly responded to the hostile aura around her, now fully dissipated.

“Excuse her, but ask your question,” Frayen added as Rory stuck her tongue out at him.

“How is it that you two are loyal to mortal men, as powerful as you are,” Malena said. “So weak and fragile that any little thing would be enough to end them, yet you two work so diligently to serve them, one serving Sharpe while the other, Krysist. It never made any sense to me.”

“I also do find it strange,” Aldon added. “All my life, I have never seen an Apostle. I never met someone who had seen one before or at least was telling the truth of it but there are two of you here and following mortals.”

“I serve only Emroy,” Rory quickly retorted. “It is through his will that I carry on, and with Sharpe, he is a mortal man with tons of flaws, but he has a heart of a warrior, carrying within it a great love to do the right things no matter the big the obstacles are; the power to empower people around him to stand up and fight against the odds no matter how overwhelming it is as well as change for the better and the willingness to march to the dept of the inferno to protect, save and preserve those he cares for even though they never ask for his help. He saved me from many perils multiple times even though I could save myself, simply because he cares for me, but most of all, he sees me as an equal friend and family, which is something Taylin never gave me. Finally, Pina would never become like an Empress like she is today without Sharpe’s influence as a mentor in her life.”

“And for me, Krysist came in to aid my home village when he had no reason to,” Frayen answered. “I was away at the time, but if he had not been there, my home would have been destroyed, and that is a debt I could never repay until today.”

Aldon merely nods in understanding. “I can see the reasoning behind that, I suppose.”

“Hey Aldon,” Andrew called out. “When you’re done with your chat, come and help me out for a sec.”

Aldon proceeded to come up to Andrew. Satisfied with the answers and seeing Aldon got a job to keep him occupied, Malena left the conversation and walked up beside Sharpe as he continued surveying the area. “Excuse my companion; he can get excessive, especially with people he doesn’t like.”

“Just keep him under control. I know you two volunteered to guide us, but I cannot have him jeopardize the mission,” Sharpe responded.

Picking up on the seriousness of the operations, Malena nods. “There won’t be any problems going forward.” Taking a slight pause, she thought to herself, hesitating, before asking a question that she’d mulled over in her head.

“Sharpe.” She meekly blurred out, somewhat hoping he didn’t hear.

“What is it?”

Realizing that Sharpe heard her anyway, Malena took a breath before she continued. “You faced multiple apostles many times, that was no easy feat. Slew flame dragons, single-handedly, beat a warrior acknowledged by my kin, and now even challenge the emperor of Falmart himself. You’re hailed as a hero in your people’s eyes and ours. And yet I heard rumors of you wanting to put all this behind you; to settle and put your weapon down after this conflict is over. Why? At the height of your legend, why would you want to throw it all away by ending it? Isn’t this glory enough for you? Your unborn son is going to be with us, wouldn’t you want him to carry your legacy much like your daughter? What made you decide to finally walk away?”

Sharpe turned to face her and stared silently.

Feeling she might have overstepped, Malena quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, I don’t ask to pry. I’m asking for myself too. I just need to understand.”

“I’m not offended, don’t apologize. I was just thinking about how to respond. I’ll get back to you on that, but for now, let’s focus.”

Sharpe went back to scouting the city, only to be interrupted just moments later by Andrew. "Colonel! Come take a look at this."

Sharpe immediately walked up to Andrew and asked. "What is it, Andrew?"

"I asked for help from Aldon here to scout some places of interest in the city." Andrew explained while patting Aldon's shoulder right next to him. Andrew then showed Sharpe his laptop showing the satellite feed of the city with some of the buildings tagged by Andrew and Overlord during their preliminary recon as targets of interest, such as guard barracks, Guilds headquarters, City Hall, and the likes. "His knowledge on the locations of the guard barracks and such is limited, and he doesn't know where Altin's house is. But he did manage to identify one place of interest."

Andrew zoomed in at the northern section of the city. Showing lots of luxurious houses and buildings spread across the entire section.

"Noble's district." Aldon pointed out while watching the satellite feed along. "Nobles and rich merchants live there. Pompous bastards."

Andrew then shifted the feed eastward to a cliffside, separating the noble district on the higher ground from another district on the lower ground which had slightly less luxurious buildings but was still considered luxurious to some degree.

"Valerianella sub district." Aldon interjected again as Andrew was trying to focus on a building marked by him previously. "If you're looking for some fun times and 'fun' times, that's where you should go. It's situated on the border of the Noble district and the Eastern trade district where the upper-middle class citizens live. Strategic place, where people from both districts can mingle together and spend their coins. It also has a beautiful sunrise view, too. One time, I stayed for a night in the Half Moon brothel, and the view the moment I opened the window in the morning was-"

"Okay! Okay." Sharpe interjected, stopping Aldon from spouting unnecessary information. Malena, who was lying prone a little distance away, was already facepalming herself at her companion's behavior. "Just stick to the essentials, Aldon."

"R- right… Sorry." Aldon apologized. Andrew then focused his feed on a marked building. ”There. The Half Moon Brothel. That is where we have to go.”

Sharpe took a closer look at the building on the feed. It was a large, multi-storied, U-shaped building with the bottom side of the U acting as the front of the building facing the west and the top side facing the east, overlooking the Eastern Trade district. The building was well-lit, especially the front yard and the backyard located between the building’s wings. From the feed, Sharpe could see guards either acting as sentries, staying in place, or patrolling in and around the establishment.

Satisfied with what he saw, Sharpe pulled away from the laptop and pondered for a second before speaking. “The Noble district is most definitely a no-go as an infiltration point. I’m guessing they don’t let everyone enter the district, right?”

“Yes.” Aldon replied. “Not only that, they also have more guards guarding the gates, the city walls, and the district itself compared to the other. They don’t spare any expenses when it comes to guarding the rich and powerful. I told you. Pompous bastards, all of them.”

“Just like everywhere else.” Andrew chimed in, to which Aldon chuckled.

Sharpe, meanwhile, kept pondering as he fiddled with Andrew’s laptop, zooming out the feed to show the entirety of the city. “Western gate is too far. Then the closest route would be through the eastern district, and the secondary route looks like it would be through the southern district.”

“Sorry, I forgot to tell you,” Aldon interjected. “Southern and western districts are Commoner's districts. It is where the middle to lower class citizens live.”

“Thanks for the little late info, Aldon.” Sharpe thanked Aldon with a hint of sarcasm, a little annoyed that Aldon forgot to tell such crucial information, before pondering again. “Alright. Andrew, map out the routes from the eastern gate and the southern gate to the brothel. Work with Aldon to identify and map out the guard's barracks, lookout points, and anything else of interest. Prioritize the ones that are along and near those routes. As detailed as possible, don’t let anything slip out. I’ll think of a plan in the meantime."