He stared at the nervous faces of the militiamen who were chained to the beds as the high priestess and the captain began their line of questioning regarding their involvement with the rebel forces. While he could only hear their muffled voices from outside the room, it was obvious that Ingrid was more inquisitive and aggressive whenever she spoke to the prisoners, while Erskine was more restrained with his inquiry. Drakul can’t help but feel partly responsible for the plight of these young men, if he had only invested more time in strengthening Zorenth’s military arm, then perhaps his brother’s rebellion wouldn’t have affected the people of Bredon.

After a few minutes of tense back and forth between the prisoners and the high priestess, they finally reached a conclusion that brought some sense of relief to the anxious militiamen. Erskine left the room while the high priestess remained inside to hold a short sermon to the prisoners to extend the lady’s clemency and the eventual penance they soon have to face.

“My lord, they claim that the rebels came to their town and demanded that they submit to your brother’s cause, or else be killed and reanimated into an abomination. Most of the loyal and veteran militiamen had disappeared the night before, so there was little to no resistance against the rebels when they arrived. Lieutenant Milton and his men were out investigating a nearby ghoul barrow at that time, and when they finally returned, the rebels were holding the entire town hostage. They had no choice but to capitulate for their own safety and for their families.” The captain explained as he watched Ingrid stand beside one of the militiamen and hold his hands before muttering a prayer. “The lieutenant insisted that their loyalty has always remained to the kingdom, but they will still have to be investigated by the Inquisition for any demonic taint.”

It’s been a while since someone mentioned them outside of hushed tones and hearsays. The Inquisition now is a far cry from the enormous power and influence they once had; they've been operating in the shadows ever since the end of the last demonic invasion that left them at the brink of total collapse. It didn’t help that the elves had gone back on their promises of massive compensation for the losses they took while serving as both bulwark and spearhead of their once promising alliance. If only they hadn't been so eager to prove themselves to the world, maybe things would’ve turned out different for all of them.

“Tell the high priestess that the inquisition has my full support on their duties at Bredon.” Drakul replied as he faced Erskine. “On the condition that they show restraint in their investigation, I don’t want the otherworlders getting the wrong idea on their… methods.”

“I’ll pass the word as soon as the high priestess is done, your highness.” The captain acknowledged. “There’s another disconcerting news you should hear, my Lord. Lieutenant Milton claimed that during their brief time with the rebels, he saw an agent of the Sapphire Branch who was working alongside the Dark Talon bandits on supplying the rebels with weapons and even refined mana stones on several occasions.”

“Does he have any proof of this happening?” He asked as he glanced back at the militiamen lying on the white beds.

“He said that he managed to steal some official papers stamped with the Sapphire’s seal from their town hall; apparently the mayor had been collaborating with the rebels long before they made their move on Bredon, and was probably the reason why the loyalist militia disappeared overnight.” Erskine replied. “The lieutenant told me that he buried it near the church of their town. I’ll have my men search for it when we get back, my lord.”

He always had a nagging suspicion that someone was aiding his brother's rebellion from the outside. But hearing that one of their own was cooperating with the enemies of their kingdom had made him feel uneasy. Who else could be in the pocket of the towering beast that is the Aevum Empire? Who else is planning to take Zorenth for themselves?

“When we return I want you to lock down all of our border outposts and have them on high alert, then send out a communique for General Leon to have the 2nd Army to relocate and reinforce the Arkhill Garrison and its surrounding area; let the 3rd Defenders Army handle the extermination campaign to the west.” Drakul commanded. “As for the Sapphire agent, I’ll let Lenore’s Crimson Hand locate and eliminate that rat. For now, monitor the border for any troop movements from the Empire.”

“It will be done, my lord.” The captain acknowledged his order before entering back into the room.

Drakul stood there for a moment as he tried to assess the predicament he was in. It was clear that the Aevum Empire was making their moves on bringing his kingdom into their fold. Of course, the two powerful alliances on the other side of their world could not be bothered to interfere with the empire’s aggression, so that leaves him with the otherworlders. They’re the only ones who can deter the empire’s expansionism, or at least delay it until they have the proper strength to defend their borders. Right now he has to secure their loyalty if he wants to safeguard the future of his kingdom, but there lies his biggest obstacle yet. Most of the otherworlder’s demands can be easily granted, except for their request for foodstuff. His kingdom had barely managed to fill their stockpiles for the upcoming winter, and now he has to find a way to feed an entire military base which houses almost half of the population of their largest trading town. He can either let his citizens starve this winter and risk dissent from them and the governors, or empty out their kingdom’s treasury and buy unreasonably expensive foodstuffs from the empire. Neither of which is a choice he wants to make at this time.

“Are you alright, your highness?” A voice broke his concentration.

“Oh – of course, General.” He smiled at the human before him. “I’m still getting accustomed to the bright lights you have here.”

“We can turn some of them off if it’s bothering you, sir.” Collins offered to him as he walked up to his side and stared through the clear window.

“I appreciate it, General. But really, there’s no need to.” He declined.

“Well, there’s something you need to know about, Lord Drakul.”

“What is it?” He asked.

“Follow me.” Collins beckoned at him. He took one last glance at his people inside the room before he went along with the general.

He was escorted to the adjacent hallway by Collins, where everything is almost the same as the hallway they just left – with the only exception of having more armed men present here. He was led to one of the rooms on the right where two soldiers were standing guard; the soldiers quickly stood to attention as they approached the blocked observation window next to the door. The general knocked at the glass, then an otherworlder inside the room had pulled back the blinds, revealing something that he wasn’t expecting to see.

“Before the rebels attacked us, these two elves approached one of our gates.” Collins said as he motioned at the two lying figures inside the room.

One of the figures was a male wood elf with several distinct green tattoos around his face and neck; it was the mark of a proud warrior of house Millward. The wood elf was unconscious and had his hands chained on the bed’s metal frame, while several strange machineries surrounded his bed.

“One of them struck my men during their initial contact with us, and he was shot during the ensuing scuffle. Luckily, we managed to stabilize his condition, but we can’t put him under any serious surgery to avoid any complications to his health.” Collins explained as he pointed at the unconscious elf. “On the other hand, his companion was knocked out briefly, but otherwise she’s fine.”

Drakul glanced at the other figure on the opposite side of the room; it was a female snow elf with a familiar face he hadn’t seen for a very long time. She was staring blankly at her counterpart across the room.

“Her name is Valindra Talina. She said that they were traders for a Silverrun alliance, and that they were chased by those nasty looking things while on their way to the nearby town.” Collins added, “I was hoping that you might be able to tell me more about these elves, your highness.”

He had so much to say about the true nature of the elves, however, his mind had drifted to trying to think of a plausible explanation for the elven presence in his kingdom. How did they get past the border guards and the guardian tower? Had they been smuggled in by an unknown traitor in his ranks? Or did they get lucky and managed to slip through the chaos when the rebellion swept the southern region? And what significant importance could there be in this area for a prominent high scholar to risk her neck to the rebels, the inquisition, and even the empire’s agents?

He has to get to the bottom of this while the high priestess is busy; he doesn’t even wanna to think of the fallout if the church had found out that the otherworlders were sheltering elves within their borders.

“May I talk to the elf first, general?” He asked.

“Uhhmm – Sure.” Collins hesitantly replied. “Well, as long as you extend the same courtesy we’ve agreed on with the prisoners, then you’re free to speak with them, your highness.”

The general then nodded at the soldiers standing guard, letting him in while one of them followed him inside. As he entered the room, he quickly caught the attention of the high scholar, who seemed to both livened and tensed up as he walked towards her.

“L-lord Drakul! It's an honor to meet you, your highness!” The tired looking elf anxiously greeted him. “I-It’s been awhile since our last meeting.”

“It is, Valindra.” He glared at her. “That tends to happen when your kind goes against their word.”

“We did our best to c-convince the ruling Milward at the time, Lord Drakul. You have to believe me!” Talina exclaimed.

“Enough! What are you doing in my kingdom, elf?” He asked sternly.

“W-we were just examining and performing some rituals at the Bluefield ruins, your highness” Talina nervously replied.

“You have the gall to trespass on holy grounds?! If the church got wind of this – “

“B-but Madam Lenore granted us safe passage! She said that you gave us permission to go on our expedition as long as we don't make our presence known to the locals.” The high scholar shot him with a confused look while she explained.

“I gave no such permission!” He snapped back.

“W-what?” the elf stuttered.

“If I found out that you’re lying to me elf, then you better hope that these otherworlders keep you locked up here forever.”

----------

“Thank you for your time, Ms. Becker. Oh – If you need anything, just ask one of our field doctors around here.” The otherworlder thanked her, just before departing in one of their steel wagons. He had been questioning her about the nature of the healing potion she used on their wounded soldier yesterday; even though she couldn’t give a clear answer on some of the man’s questions regarding the ingredients and methods used on brewing the potion; he remained polite and considerate the whole time.

It all felt surreal to Emma; last week she had only been reading a book about the heroic and righteous deeds that the otherworlders had done for their world. Now, she can see it happening right before her eyes. For a moment, she pondered over the idea that she might be dreaming; perhaps she might’ve passed out from the lack of water as they waited for help to arrive; perhaps this was all in her mind as she slowly drifted to oblivion.

Her contemplation was suddenly interrupted when she heard someone call out her name.

“Emma! Emma! Oh thank the lady, you’re alive!” A handsome undead boy wearing red leather armor ran up to her and embraced her tightly.

“Devyn? I thought I’ll never see you again.” Emma teared up as she hugged her childhood friend.

“Where are your brothers? Are they safe?” Devyn asked.

“Yes – yes, they’re inside the church right now.” She replied as she wiped her tears.

“When I heard that Bredon was attacked, I was prepared to lead a volunteer party to drive the abominations occupying our village, or at least get some survivors out, but….” Devyn paused before whispering to her. “The Inquisitor kept us on a short leash; he said that we have much more pressing matters to deal with, and that we’ll be wasting our lives trying to save souls that are already at the lady’s embrace.”

“It’s okay Dev. I understand – really, I do.” She assured him. “Thankfully you listened to your inquisitor. I don’t want to survive only to learn that you and others died trying to save us.”

“I’ll try and make it up to you, Emma. I promise.” Devyn smiled as he held her hands. “Oh – where’s father Engel by the way? Inquisitor Graham wants to talk to him.”

“He’s at the graveyard giving burial rites to those who died in the attack.” She replied.

“I see uhm – Thank you Emma. I have to get going. I’ll see around Em.”

----------

[8/21/35] [1500] [Somewhere north of the Bredon Garrison]

For a strange world that was supposed to be alien to them, it’s quite underwhelming to see that it shares the same surroundings with the ones back on Earth. He was expecting to see floating islands and sprawling mushroom forests; instead, he felt like he was just taking a joyride on some backroad in Portland. And compared to a joyride, this one was painfully slow.

Whoever thought that a joint op between them and the local forces this early deserves to be subjected to latrine duty for the entire duration of their deployment; they’ve been burning both daylight and gas just by slowly tailing behind the group of undead knights for the past hour and a half. He can’t exactly blame the knights for the massive tech gap between them, but the colonel should’ve let local forces handle this job without them. Now he’s stuck here, watching the same endless sea of pine trees while listening to his squad’s chatter over the comms.

“Orbe Novo…. Ain’t it a little on the nose, don’t cha think?” Jose, the one driving their Hunter, joined in the conversation.

“Well, what do you suggest then?” Martinez asked.

“I don’t know man, I prefer that we stick to the naming convention.” Jose replied, “Just call it Combat Outpost Alpha and be done with it.”

“Come on man! We're making history here and you can’t think of something creative?” Martinez huffed.

“Thinking is way above my paygrade man.” Jose replied, which made Kerry grin a little bit and some of his men chuckled over the comms.

“How about you, doc? Do you know any good names for the forward base back at the village?” Martinez asked over the comms.

“How about Crossroads?” Sarah suggested over the radio, she was riding in the rear vehicle of their small convoy. “Not the colonel’s callsign, but the mall in Dawn of the Dead.”

“Finally, we're getting somewhere!” Martinez blurted out. “Though it’ll probably get rejected by the nerds at the outpost, but still, plus points for the creativi–.”

“Heads up! We got contacts up front!” Jose Interjected as their vehicle halted.

Looks like there was some sort of commotion up ahead as their undead escort had disembarked from their horses. Expecting some action, he and his squad quickly donned on their APR masks and readied their weapons.

“Woah, are those – humans?” Martinez leaned forward from the backseat to get a better look.

“Looks like it.” Kerry muttered as he unlocked the door on his side.

A bearded man wearing some sort of dark leather armor and a thick fur jacket approached the undead captain and his retinue, he handed Lisandro some parchment and began conversing with the captain. Behind the bearded man were more humans with the same clothing and were wielding swords, crossbows, and even what looked like a couple of large muskets. They looked like mercenaries, but something feels off. Before Kerry could voice his doubts, something large emerged from the forest up ahead.

“My god, look at the size of that thing!” Martinez exclaimed as he gazed at the two towering figures that were twice his size and height.

“Ogres… I never thought I would get to see one in real life.” Jose muttered.

The undead knights were also taken aback by the ogres, while the bearded man and his men laughed at their reaction. The undead captain was not pleased by this.

“Everyone keep it cool, but stay sharp!” Kerry said over the radio. “Let the knights deal with them.”

The conversation between the knights and the caravan guards turned into an argument as Lisandro threw away the parchment that was handed to him and demanded that the men leave. The bearded man refused, which prompted the knights to draw their swords on him.

“Nomad, we got multiple armed contacts moving on both of our flanks.” Sgt. Barklem, the commander of the AMV Marshall attached to his squad, reported.

“Copy that Sierra 1, if things went sideways, prioritize the heavy targets at the front and provide cover for the knights.” Kerry replied.

“Solid copy, Nomad!”

“Colbert, command your hunter and make sure that our rear is secure.” He ordered as he looked through his side of the bulletproof window and caught a glimpse of shadows moving along the trees and thick bushes. “The rest of you will cover your respective sides.”

“Copy that sarge.” The corporal replied.

His hands begin to tremble again; he tightens his grip on his rifle, hoping that it’ll go away without anyone noticing it.

The bearded man raised both of his hands casually – as if surrendering; and assured the knights before him that they didn’t want any trouble with them. The two large ogres behind the man were getting restless as they fumbled with their crude maces, while the men further behind had their muskets ready to draw at a moment's notice. The bearded man then grabbed a large pouch on his back and offered it to the undead captain.

Before Captain Lisandro could say anything, a gunfight erupted in the nearby forest which disturbed the uneasy silence. The undead captain immediately shoved aside the large pouch out of the bearded man and gave him an ultimatum to leave the area or face the consequences. The bearded man then smiled sinisterly before drawing out a flintlock pistol from his jacket and shooting Lisandro in the chest. Then a volley of musket fire soon followed from all sides, hitting both the knights and their vehicles.

“Shit! Engage! Engage!” Kerry shouted at his comms as he kicked his door open and started shooting at the areas where the large clouds of white smoke were present.

The heavy thud of the Marshall’s 40mm autocannon echoed through the forest, while the .50 cal CROWS of the Hunter at the back of the convoy came to life and began shredding both foliage and flesh alike.

Kerry quickly dove behind a nearby fallen tree trunk after expending his magazine. He glanced at the undead knights while he reloaded his rifle, and to his surprise, most of them had somehow survived the initial volley of musket fire and were now engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the group of hostiles they were just talking to.

His attention was quickly diverted; when he heard heavy clunking slowly getting louder, he peered out from his cover and saw a trio of hostile knights rushing towards him. He immediately brought up his rifle, then he unleashed a short burst for each figure that was closing on him. The 6.5mm caseless rounds made short work of their steel plates.

“Grenade out!” Martinez shouted as he tossed an RGO grenade into the forest.

The explosion took out a small group of hostiles hiding behind a large rock, and kicked up dust and leaves in its wake. He saw a couple of figures stumbling out of the dust cloud with blood and shrapnel injuries visible on their faces; he swiftly put them down before they could recover from their daze.

“Enemy wizard, 3 o’clock!” Jose called out before several electrical arcs had struck the side of their IFV.

The Marshall quickly retaliated on the perpetrator by turning the poor hooded figure who was making weird hand gestures with a staff, into pink mist with only a couple of high explosive rounds. Kerry checked the condition of the Marshall, and to his relief, the electrical arcs did little but ruin the painting of its side armor.

“Sierra 1, you alright?” Kerry asked as he swapped mags on his rifle.

“Just a little shocked, Nomad.” Barklem replied as the Marshall’s coaxial gun laid down suppressing fire on his side of the treeline.

After chambering a round on his MX, he immediately got up from his cover, and scanned the treeline for more targets when suddenly, several smoke bombs erupted in the treeline, covering the forest with a thick white fog. At first, Kerry thought that they were probably trying to close in the distance between them and force them into a melee. But that was quickly proven wrong when he heard hostiles shouting at each other to retreat. Still, not about to let his guard down, he stood his ground and waited for something to appear on the smoke while the 50. Cal CROWS of their rear vic began unleashing hell on the fleeing enemy. The smoke might have hindered their ability to see, but it can’t fool the IR sight of a remotely operated weapon station.

After a tense minute of anticipation, the gun fire began to die down and the thick smoke slowly dissipated, leaving them with a gruesome sight of piles of dead bodies and an eerie silence as they stood there, watching for any movement among the treeline. Well, it was not complete silence though, as the distant gun fire had started to get louder and louder by each passing moment.

“Sound off Nomad!” He shouted.

“We’re good here, sarge!” Colbert replied over their comms.

“Still alive sir!” Sarah shouted from the other side of the Marshall.

“Still breathing, sergeant.” Martinez replied as he repositioned himself for a better cover.

“Alright, everyone keep your eyes peeled for any hostiles! I’ll check on the knights.” Kerry shouted as he stood up from his cover and made his way towards the undead men at the front of their convoy.

Thankfully, most of their undead allies were still standing, even though their crimson armors were plastered with bullet holes and were leaking some kind of dark brown sludge. They didn’t seem to care about their injuries, and were more preoccupied with celebrating their victory and looting the remains of their enemies. Some of them were gravely injured though, those who had suffered an injury to the head or had their limbs severed were being treated by their comrades.

“Captain Lisandro!” He called out for the man crouching beside the lifeless body of the bearded man, “Are you alright, Captain?”

“I’ll live, Sergeant.” Lisandro replied as he stood up to meet him. “All thanks to you and your powerful weapons, I guess all the myths and legends about you otherworlders are all true.”

“What the hell happened anyway? Who are these people that just attacked us?”

“They were Dark Talon raiders, Sergeant Kerry.” The captain replied as he handed Kerry a talon necklace. “Bandits who terrorize towns further south of our border. They told me that governor Bernhardt had hired them to clear out a rebel hideout, but their paperwork was clearly a forgery. I have a sister that works for the governor’s office, and I’m sure that they don’t stamp official papers several times.”

“Should we investigate the fight nearby, Sergeant?” Lisandro asked as Kerry examined the talon necklace.

“I need to call this in first. Do you need medical assistance, Captain?” He asked.

“I always bring my own potion, Sergeant.” The captain replied as he brought out a bottle of red fluid from his leather knapsack.

“Crossroads, this is Nomad; we had engaged a large group of bandits near the objective. No casualties on our side, but a couple of the knights were injured.” Kerry reported on the radio. “There’s also a firefight taking place nearby; gun fire is too rapid to be muskets. Do we have any other units nearby?”

“Negative, Nomad. You’re the only outfit in that area. Move in and investigate. I’m tasking Assassin 1 to cover your asses; your QRF is inbound to your position. ETA 5 mikes, Crossroads out.”

“Solid copy crossroads.” Kerry replied. Not wanting to waste time waiting for the QRF to arrive and risking possible innocent lives that the rest of this bandit group could be fighting nearby, he quickly got back to his radio. “Lester, Elijah, and Nick. Stay with the Hunters and wait for the QRF to arrive; the rest of you hop on the Marshall, we’re checking out that firefight.”

“Captain Lisandro, we’ll investigate the nearby fighting. I need you and your men to cover this area.” He said to the undead captain as he handed back the talon necklace. As much as he wanted the knights to cover them when the enemies got too close for comfort, their tactics right now are night and day, and he didn’t want to complicate things when shit hits the fan and someone on either side could end up in a body bag.

“Will do, Sergeant” The undead captain replied just as the Marshall parked beside them. “May the lady and Byron guide and protect you and your men, Sergeant Kerry.”

----------

Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. As much as he internalized Murphy's law within him, he still hates it when it does happen at the most inconvenient of times. It was clear that this wasn’t a simple highway robbery, someone must have set them up; Dark Talon bandits this far north and somehow they got their hands on some muskets, not to mention that he caught a glimpse of a figure wearing a dark blue robe and giving orders to the bandits before disappearing into the woods again. The whole thing reeks of Sapphire Branch’s fuckery; they are probably after the holy artifact. The good thing is that they don’t have it yet, the bad thing is that they have to get to it before the empire’s spies get a wind of their situation and right now this fight is draining their ammunition and daylight. They had to finish this fast.

Sykes sets his sights on a talon blademaster that was weaving through the trees and heading towards one of his fire teams that was pinning down a sizable portion of the bandits musketmen. He took aim, held his breath, and waited for the perfect shot to present itself. Then –

CHUNK

“Fucking son of a – ” He cursed under his breath as he hastily cleared the misfire on his rifle.

Thankfully, one of his marines noticed his predicament and immediately switched targets to cover their friendlies. A single shot from the elf’s M16A1 nailed the attacker right on the head.

“Got him staff sergeant!” The blonde high elf proudly smiled at him.

“Keep ‘em stacking Shifty!” He affirmed the blonde high elf before scanning for more targets in his zone of fire.

A couple of musketmen tried their luck to get a quick shot at him, but they stood no chance against the reaction time and marksmanship of a veteran US marine.

“Shit, we got an ogre coming in the left side!” One of his marines shouted.

“Ranger, work your magic! Battlemage, shield and amplify her! Everyone else, keep them covered!” He shouted before snatching the 40 mike-mike bandolier and the M79 grenade launcher holstered at the back of the blonde high elf.

Meanwhile, Lyndis stood up from her cover wielding their new whirlwind heavy crossbow and began charging its wind runes as she kept it aimed at the lumbering beast. The Whirlwind crossbow was basically a discount nifty-fifty that required at least half a minute of uninterrupted warm-up before being able to fire its devastating titanium bolt.

Battlemage Paerel quickly moved beside the ranger and erected a protective bubble around them. She then began channeling her own mana reserve to amplify the wind runes on the heavy crossbow – cutting its charging time in half and giving it more punch in process.

However, even with the much needed boost from the battlemage, the distance between them and the rampaging ogre was getting too close by each passing second. Not wanting to risk a close encounter with the towering monster, he immediately sent a high explosive 40mm round on the beast’s chest, momentarily knocking the wind out of the beast and buying enough time for his wife to take the perfect shot.

“Firing!” The Ranger shouted before the titanium bolt shot out from the heavy crossbow so fast that it left a strong gust of wind it left in its wake.

The titanium bolt basically obliterated the poor ogre’s head before shattering at a tree behind the beast – sending out fragments of wood on some unfortunate raiders that were nearby.

“Woooo! Get some!”

“Stay the fuck down!”

“Bring it on shitheads!”

His marines hollered and taunted as the lifeless body of the ogre collapsed on the ground. It made him proud for a moment, as he admired the fruits of his labor. A year ago, most of these elves were just outcasts, nobodies, and rejects from the ranger school. Now, they are one of the most kickass units in the alliance.

Their celebratory mood was cut short when several smoke bombs landed near them, instantly creating a thick fog that severely limited their vision to only a couple of meters.

“Alpha and bravo team, fix bayonets! Charlie, fall back and provide cover! Ranger, get on overwatch!” Sykes ordered as he swapped his M1A for his 1911 and trusty gladius.

His squad immediately got into action as they formed into a wedge and prepared for a close quarters fight. The ranger holstered her heavy crossbow and began climbing the tree near their rear; her job is to make sure no one is actively trying to get behind them and also to provide assistance when a melee ensues.

As they got into their positions, he heard the war cry of the Dark Talon bandits erupted beyond the thick smoke. Just as he made sure his .45 was loaded, he heard a feminine voice call out for him at his back.

“Staff sergeant!” Paerel whispered at him before presenting a couple of small pouches of flammable spore powder to him. “Let's spice up their day, shall we?”

He nodded at the smiling battlemage before him. Paerel Helephyra, or “Smoky” as her squadmates liked to call her due to her specialization on multiple fire spells, and her tendency to get a little too excited whenever she sets something on fire. She used to be a part of a gang that ran protection rackets on several farms and businesses on house Millward territory, before she got caught by house guards. Sykes managed to bail her out and since then, she is fully committed to her role in the elven marine corps.

“Everyone back up! Smoky is setting up her grill!” He said while the battlemage began scattering the volatile spores around them.

After exhausting two more pouches, she quickly dove away from the clouds of flammable spores and waited patiently for raiders to enter the cloud of smoke. As soon as the first bandit emerged from the smokescreen, the battlemage immediately ignited her trap, setting the entire killzone ablaze and filling the air with screams of pain and agony from the burning raiders.

“Burn baby burn! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Paerel laughed maniacally as she lobbed fireballs at the fleeing raiders, while the rest of their squad were simply picking off the unfortunate souls who were caught in the kill zone.

Just as the last raider fell to the ground, another group of them emerged from behind them.

“How many of these fuckers are in these woods?!” His sergeant blurted out.

Sykes switched back to his primary, then started coordinating his squad to respond to the new threat that appeared when he heard a loud and familiar sound that he hadn’t heard for almost an eternity. He could never forget the roar of a high caliber autocannon.

Fuck, not right now! – he thought to himself.

“Everyone, get ready to disperse! We got a new plan!”

----------

“You haven’t killed them yet?!”

“T-these aren’t your ordinary elven rangers, Edruvius!” The leader of the bandits explained. “They have an otherworlder leading them! A-and they are wielding muskets that can fire continuously!”

“I don’t care who they are being led by or how powerful their weapons are! You outnumber them by a factor of twenty, and that’s more than enough!” He retorted. “I want that artifact in my hands before nightfall, or I’ll have you and your men’s heads on a pike by sunrise!”

“Y-yes sir!” The bandit leader acknowledged before leaving his side.

He knew that hiring these Dark Talon dogs would not be enough for this mission. If only that spoiled brat close to the throne had not interfered with the sapphire’s work, then he could’ve brought more agents and even a couple of assassins to swipe the elven artifact without any complications.

His grumbling was cut short when he heard gun fire in the opposite direction of their ambush, and then an injured bandit who was part of their rear guard had stumbled out from behind them.

“Help! There’s more of them coming from–” The injured man yelled before being gunned down by an unseen foe.

Edruvius instinctively casted a shield bubble in front of him just as the unseen attackers took out another one of his talon bodyguards near him.

“Get them!” He ordered his bodyguards, but it was fruitless. Within a matter of moments, all of them had been killed by automatic gunfire behind them.

If these unseen attackers had dealt with the bandits rearguard, then that means they have only a handful of men left to contend with the powerful elves. As much as it hurt his ego and pride, his mission was nothing but a lost cause at that point.

Not wanting to join the dead men around him and having no avenues of escape from his unseen attackers, he had no choice but to cast a teleportation spell on himself, knowing full well that it’ll cut a year off his lifespan and take a toll on his mana reserve for a month.

“Sweep the area!” He heard a muffled shout from the direction of the unknown assailants.

He peered out from his cover and saw several figures approaching his area; they were wearing some sort of dark mask and bulky clothing that matched the pattern of the forest around them. What stood out the most was the small insignia on one of the figure’s chest; it was the flag of the otherworlders.

“Contacts, 11 o’clock!” One of them shouted as they spotted the bandit leader and several of his lackeys running away from the direction of the ambushed elves. Without skipping a beat, the masked men fired their strange black muskets at the retreating bandits.

His emotions still running high and hoping to get some revenge on his attackers, he quickly capitalizes on the timely distraction. He emerged from the safety of his cover and blasted a nearby masked man with a stream of fire, right before his teleportation spell had reached completion and his physical body whisked away to a safe area.

----------

“Goddamn it Martinez, stay in cover!” Sarah shouted as she tried to smother the flame on the flailing soldier.

“It fucking hurts!” Martinez yelped as he removed his gas mask.

“Don’t worry, I gotcha – I gotcha!” Sarah said as she finally extinguished the flame before dragging Martinez behind a rock.

“Keep your eyes peeled for that S.O.B!” Kerry shouted as they formed a perimeter around the doc and Martinez. “He could still be out there!”

“Movement, 12 o’clock!” Colbert shouted.

“Don’t shoot!” A voice yelled at them. Kerry noticed a piece of white cloth tied to a battered rifle waving behind a tree.

“Throw down your weapon then step out with your hands in the air!” He shouted back.

“Alright, I’m coming out!” The man replied as he threw the rifle to the ground and revealed himself to them. “Staff sergeant Randolph Sykes, United States Marine Corps! It’s good to see some friendly faces around here!”

----------

The sky was getting darker and the winds began to feel a little cooler, while most of her kind would be wrapping themselves up for the colder climate of the northern regions; she herself doesn’t mind the chilly weather and actually prefers it over the warm climate back in the empire. It was oddly comforting whenever a cool breeze swept across her pristine fur; it always felt like the wind itself was giving her a brief massage. It was something that she needed to keep her sanity in check as she was subjected to endless whining and arguments from her fellow adventurers at the back of their wagon.

“Are we there yet?” Her younger brother groaned.

“This is the fifth time you’ve asked, Sachi. If you’re dying to meet the deadheads, then feel free to run ahead of the caravan.” She snapped back at him.

“I would, but I have to save my energy for the fights ahead.” Sachi smirked. “I don’t want all of you taking all the gold and glory from me!”

“Bah! You barely made it out alive on the trainees delve, son!” Lynch – one of the rank 2 adventurers accompanying them, scoffed at her brother’s remarks. “I highly doubt you can handle yourself in a real fight.”

“Lose your enchanted armor, then we’ll see who’s the better fighter between us.” Sachi hissed at the man that was twice his size.

“Alright, knock it off you two!” Brentwood – their guild overseer shouted from the front of their wagon. “I don’t want any of you killing each other before I could recoup my investment on this branch!”

“Why do we have to look after these rookies, anyways?” Lynch grumbled. “We could’ve earned twice more profit if the guildmaster just assigned us rank threes and twos to Maharlika again.”

“The Maharlikan contracts are nothing but a meat grinder for the guild.“ She chimed in. Her wounds from their previous assignments on those tropical islands were still fresh in her mind. “Those flooded labyrinths under their islands are simply death traps for anyone foolish enough to brave those cursed halls.”

“Hikari is right, you know. As much as I love having a pouch full of gold just from a single scouting contract from the feds, I’d prefer to be alive and with all my limbs intact to be able to spend it in the first place.” Vance – a rank 3 adventurer hailing from the second civilization area, joined in on their conversation.

“Tsk, you guys were probably taking contracts that were way above your skills.” Lynch grinned. “Me? I grouped up with a couple of rank 2s on several contracts and made enough gold to sustain myself for the rest of my life.”

“Then why come back here then?” She asked the prideful human before her.

“I miss the thrill of the job, I guess.” Lynch chuckled as he took a swig from his metal flask. “I like living my life on the edge rather than sitting cozily in my home in the noble district.”

Hikari could only envy the man’s way of thinking; it was a luxury that a neko refugee couldn’t afford yet. Ever since her father died during their exodus from their homeland, she was the only one left that could support her ailing mother and young siblings back then. Now that Sachi had been granted guild membership, perhaps he could help alleviate some burden off her back after he completed his first assignment; perhaps in the near future, she could finally afford the mindset that Lynch has.

“I can spot Bredon from here! Finally, you can all stop whining no–” Their rotund overseer said before several rays of bright white light nearly blinded them all.

“STOP RIGHT THERE!” A booming voice shouted at them.

“What the hell?!” Lynch blurted before they all prepared for combat.

They all knew that undead renegades were terrorizing the southern region of this kingdom, and they all heard the rumors of rebels converting anyone they captured into one of those flesh puppets for their leader. It was a fate that everyone wanted to avoid, so if this is a trap laid by the undead rebels, then they’ll happily go down fighting.

“IDENTIFY YOURSELVES!” The loud voice demanded. Hikari could make out figures and shadows moving behind the bright light, while her ears quickly picked up a strange rumbling sound coming from the direction of the bright light.

“I’m Sir Thomas Brentwood! I was sent here on behalf of both adventurer and merchant guilds to establish an office for our operations!” Their plump guild overseer shouted as he waved the official document towards the people shining the bright light. “Is there a problem, gentlemen?”

Their guild overseer stood still as he waited for a reply from the men beyond the lights, while the rest of the adventurers began to dismount and form a secure perimeter around their caravan. After a tense minute of anticipating an answer or an attack, all but a single beam of light remained pointed at them while the rest were diverted to the surrounding woods nearby.

Hikari immediately noticed the three figures approaching them from the front, two of which were heavily armored knights, while the man in the middle was wearing a crimson – gold garb and a black cape.

“Inquisitor Graham! It’s a pleasure to see you, my good sir!” Brentwood gleefully greeted the imposing figure approaching them.

“Likewise, Sir Brentwood.” The inquisitor smiled as he walked up to their stout overseer. “I’m still waiting for my order of mystic wine to arrive, you know.”

“Oh apologies for the delay, inquisitor. The empire had been getting a little strict with their exports to… less cooperative kingdoms surrounding her.” Brentwood explained before going back to his personal lock box and bringing an unmarked crate to the inquisitor. “Nevertheless, I’m here to personally deliver you this.”

“You never disappoint, Brentwood. Just the way I liked it!“ The inquisitor cheered as he sampled one of the bottles in the crates. “Unfortunately, I cannot let you in the town proper just yet. The rebels had just decimated a large portion of the town, and the church is still investigating if there were any demonic presence left behind from the wake of their attack.”

“I understand, Inquisitor.” Brentwood nodded at the undead man before him. “We’ll just set up camp here on the outskirts of Bredon if you don’t mind, my good sir.”

“No, not at all Brentwood.” The inquisitor replied. “As long as you and your lackeys do not disturb or provoke our esteemed guests guarding Bredon, then we won’t have any problems.”

“Thank you inquisitor Graham, it’s a pleasure doing business with you.” Brentwood shook the hands of the undead inquisitor before turning around towards them. “Everyone! Unpack your gear and start setting up camp on that clearing on the left!”

“Huh, esteemed guests. Who could they be?” Hikari muttered under her breath.

..........