All was quiet on the Duchy of Tifrait, the southeastern most province of the Slaegian Heartland that bordered the Cambervale Valley Pass. Among its landscape was the evergreen Cambervale Forest that provided the Empire one of its richest sources of Iron Bark Timber. Although the area is considered within the heavily protected core of the Empire, the region is not without its notable dangers.

Besetting the citizenry Tifrait typically but are not limited to: viperous Bandits, Man-Eating Monsters and Rogue Mage Lairs. Nothing of the sorts the Duchal Soldiers couldn't handle, especially when the Fortress of Brynbach, known as 'Little Hill' assisting the Duchy in all manners of security.

Being known as 'the Protector of the South' in defense of the Empire's Heartland. Within Little Hill contains a stockpile of Arms, Supplies and Men that can weather whatever storm that comes out of the Southern Frontier or project Imperial Power within or throughout the region. It had a proud history of stalwartly stemming any hostile tides of invading hordes from breaching any further pass its Ironbark Gates, its proud roster of Veteran Defenders and a corps of Knights who specializes in riding the Avian variety of Steeds such as Gryphons, Pegasi and Wyverns. The Fortress was originally built to centuries before the conquest of Tyr Rian as a Castle Fort that guarded the Cambervale Mountain Pass from intruders. Overtime, the fortress rose quite literally from its humble beginnings, expanding the facilities within the Fortress to include a Courtroom, a Prison, an Aviary Stables, an Adventurer's Guild Office, larger Warehouses and even an Arcanaeum for College Magi to convene within. Even though Tyr Rian eventually took over in terms of functionality as 'the Protector of the South', Little Hill's long history of defending the realms was cemented with legendary repute. The only other fort of its grandiosity would have been its sister, Ghana's Wall (colloquially called 'the Northern Aegis') situated at the Northern Provinces that guards against the roaming Daosne Beastmen tribes that marauded the area.

The Fortress today was brimming with activity as the Fortress Knight-Captain, Ser Dalaulmas spoke down with authority from the Emperor himself, the construction of the Empire's Defensive Perimeter dubbed 'the Dragon-Wall' around the Duchy of Souviel and the Duchy of Tifrait. To give said Dragon its formidable teeth, Barricades, Traps, Magical Wards, and all sorts of impediments to deter any prospective would-be invader from breaking through were being erected and still being with an overall of estimate of a third of the planned defenses already have been constructed, stretched across the Cambervale Forest. Redundant, but a precautionary redundancy. The Legion took every precaution could by placing evenly dividing his forces across the province with a reserve force coming in from Neuogonia in the event any part of the 'Dragon-Wall' was at risk of falling in addition of sapping through any usable shepherd passes and underground tunnels they could find to control the flow of troop movement for the Invaders to force them to fight on grounds that the Legion shall dictate, which is the tight Cambervale Valley Pass.

The Plan for the Legion as it stands: Hold the Invaders at Cambervale Valley until reinforcements from additional elements of the Slaegian Legion and the Elves were to arrive. Then once the Attackers tire themselves out attempting to breach the walls, counterattack with a headstrong march to Tyr Rian. At his immediate Disposal, Ser Daulaulmas has the strength of 15 Legions, exactly 150,000 of his own countrymen supplemented with an additional 45,000 Dwarven Warriors to man and construct the Dragon-Wall's defenses. Supplementing the core infantry were irregular fighters from the Adventurer's Guilds and Mages from the College to perform special tasks exploiting their unique abilities to the fullest.

It was morning, greeted with a red dawn from Lehsol as Ser Dalaulmas awoke for his daily pattern, for it was all just a repeat of many dozens or so tasks until the Otherworlder's finally pour over from Tyr Rian into the Legion's awaiting battlelines. It had been over a month or less of the construction of the Dragon-Wall, another day of drills, supplies accounting and routine inspections for the Fortress Knight-Captain as he made out of his quarters, suited up in his resplendent armor and marched off with his retinue to inspect the construction of the Defenses. He was a man who demanded perfection in all things yet contrastingly calm and cool headed despite this, always looking to observe his surroundings before he engages his plan of attack. He wasn't much of a frontline fighter however, instead relying on his vast knowledge of defensive formations to win himself the illustrious position as the Fortress-Knight Captain of the legendary Little Hill.

He arrived several miles away from Vercourt greeting the Lumberjacks and the Legionnaires stationed there of their progression so far.

"Milord, we are going as fast as we can to supply the Wood we would need as always." The Duchal Sergeant in charge of overseeing the Timber harvests reported.

"Yes, we have only cut down half of the Ironbark that my people are expected to harvest for this year." The Lumberjack Foreman added.

"I am afraid you are all not going fast enough." The Knight Captain sternly told them. "By the rate we are moving with our Wood, the Demons would have run over us by then. May I remind you that this 'Dragon-Wall' was meant to be built yesterday?" he reminded them.

"But milord! Ironbark is notoriously tedious to cut down. We need another month to not only cut the tree down but turn it into lumber at our mills too." The Foreman protested.

"Is there no other way then?" Ser Dalaulmas asked. "The Legion needs results not more problems to fix with!" he exclaimed.

With his nerves stricken profusely with a disabling morning migraine soured the beginning of his day. He dismissed the two men as he took refuge by his personal retinue, readying his daily morning ration to start his day right anew once again.

As he bitten down the bread from his mouth, the elderly Knight took one moment to breathe the calm morning aura radiating the land, the chirping of the soft-songed birds, the rush of the little creeks and the brushing winds…

But as his nerves realigned itself with rationality and tranquility, his meditation was violently disturbed by the sudden screeching noise.

"What was that noise?!" the Knight-Captain shuddered. He alongside his men and the Lumberjacks quivered with cold sweat of what kind of creature could be the source of the noise.

The Guards accelerated to high alert as they scoured their surroundings for any possible signs of intrusions, was it a Monster? A Force of Nature? Or maybe even the first wave of the Demonic Invasion?

"Look over there!" one of the Guards exclaimed.

Above them, to their horror the Slaegians saw a host of Metal Dragons that loom over the horizon of the Cambervale Valley Mountains from their South, beyond Tyr Rian. From out of their bottoms, the Metal Dragons excreted strange but slowly descending puffs of clouds that carried with them carriage like objects and humanoid shaped men that controlled their descent so their feet landed safely to the Imperial Lands that they made their hellish entrance with. Another set of Metal Dragons meanwhile began to breathe fire down onto the Forest below, unleashing a hellish fire straight from the nightmarish of stories, cindering the Forest of all of its content whilst stripping the land bare with its incinerating kiss.

"The Invasion has begun!" the Knight-Captain shouted.

A panic amongst the Lumberjacks upon his declaration immediately consumed the scene as Soldiers scrambled into their Battle Formations. They will need to make their stand here and now to buy the common citizenry time to escape to the safety of their strongholds. Today the valiant Slaegian Legion shall make their stand against the first Demonic Tide of the Invasion. A glorious stand for civilization against those who wish to seek its destruction like their ancestors before them…

But it was all for naught…

What was supposed to be a glorious battle for the fate of the Alliance of the Light as expected by Fortress Knight Captain Dalaulmas with the mightiest Legionnaires of the continent face against the demonic horde with their pride set high and courage burned to their hearts, ready to spill the impure blood and vanquish the darkness from the realm. It was supposed to be the moment for him and all the Sleagian legions to write their name in the history book to be remembered as heroes whether they make it through the war or die with dignity in battle. However, reality is so cruel to him and the rest of his men. Like an apocalyptic storm, the demons came unexpectedly, while their fortification was still in an infantile stage, leaving their supposed strong footing that they give so much grandiose about was found wanting of the original thought. With a swarm of the Otherworlder's Metal Dragons, Beasts and their iron-cladded warriors wiped out more than half of the Legions and incomplete defense line in mere minutes. No matter what weapon they used to strike, what Battle Formation they assembled unto or Spell that they threw upon the Otherworlder's it simply did not suffice in laying a single ounce of damage upon them. Inversely so, the Invaders struck like a tidal flood upon the Alliance Soldiers, overwhelming them with their otherworldly magicks consisting of explosions and infernal fires that obliterated all that tenough to attempt to spear it down like any large monster would, only to be expeditiously ran overed to a bloody pulp upon its legs. Their Dragons breathed fire below their Shield Walls that instantly disintegrate upon contact despite their steadfast discipline in maintainingline in maintaining Shield Walls upon pressure of overwhelming force. Much worst yet was their Warriors, whom move in blinding speeds as they vaulted over the corpses of the fallen Imperial Defenders with impunity. The greatest insult was their lack of honor, contenting themselves to only fight from a distance like viperous bandits with their black staves that gave a thunderous crack that instantly curses whatever unfortunate soul to a death curse. Their blood suddenly flowing out of their bodies

It was slowly becoming apparent that their current position will quickly be overwhelmed by the Demonic Tide. Their onslaught beginning to route and pursue them in a terrifying display of speed as many were cut down as soon as their backs were turned tail towards the open forest of halved trees. Those who hid behind the now mangled defensive walls or through the still uncut forest fared slightly better.

"Retreat! Retreat to the Auxiliary Lines!" Ser Dalaulmas rallied; he knows that the situation as it stands is a hopeless affair. He needed to preserve the lives of his men against this wholesale slaughter.

But as he shouted orders, waving his sword mightily as a Valiant Leader braving any great battle as one should, a piercing cut wounded him. A Hidden Viper, struck him down from afar with his alien magicks from his black stave. As Ser Dalaulmas fell down to the ground and embraced Tivna, he prayed that the rest of his men would safely retreat to Little Hill where they could a chance against the Demonic Invaders. He hoped that the rest of their Defensive Preparations, especially from the Battlemages from the College of Magi and the Dwarven Sting-Eyes could succeed where he had failed.

-------------------------------------------

It was a terrifying sight to behold…

Above the verdant mountains of the Cambervale's rode a great wind of hundreds upon hundreds of metal dragons. Each bearing within their belly's lay legions of men, their war machines and their frightening weapons of mass destruction. Their intentions were clear as all of them had known after weeks of planning, preparations and practice. The oracular invasion into the Slaegian Heartlands, just as the Empire had feared.

The Ultimatum had not been met, broken by the Empire's non-response to the Otherworlder's message. Prince Clovich's Letter of Ultimatum sent discreetly through the UFEAF's UAVs to the Imperial doorsteps was expectedly ignored and even ridiculed when the intended spat through Clovich' coercive and doomsaying threatening along with the pictures of UFE's extraordinary technologies to convince the Emperor and his courts to stand down or face total annihilation. As they originally declared during Operation Bakumatsu, the Otherworlder's launched their assault. First came an earth-shattering barrage of fiery power from the Federation's Artillery, rockets, Gunship autocannon and SPG alike. Their hammering assault levelling the initial stretch of defenses, mix of completed barricades and work-in-progress palisades along the Cambervale Forest. Forward Observers, who had infiltrated the enemy lines days before, pinpointed the optimal location the Metal Dragons could make their landing. A relatively flat stretch of terrain that was deforested due to the earlier Lumber harvests the nearby town of Vercourt had cut down weeks before. Codenamed: Landing Zone Timber, the area had to be clandestinely 'adjusted' to allow the scale the Otherworlders deemed fit to move their armies across to the Imperial Territories via a mixed of night-time engineering work and a coldly efficient Napalm bombardment of the forest floor, scorching and blanching the ground like a hellish uprising like Demons from the Old Legends. (Thankfully the UFE had Fire Extinguishers on hand to not complete destroy the forest.)

Karliah Silverdane sat inside the Metal Dragon, thankfully not being digested but instead held inside a wide containment chamber where she stood by the side of the Share Holder herself, Captain Samantha Rose, her squad and a few dozen of other soldiers. Their faces were a banquet of visages as some men were grimaced stoically, others smiling with optimism while others show an aspect of shuddering turbulence as the Dragon made its flight. Their black staves, idly holstered for now, yet their terrifying power ready to be called upon by the slightest touch of their triggers. From the avian position she finds herself in, Karliah caught an unequivocal glimpse, through a Magical Mirror of sorts within the Metal Dragon that displayed the Federation's full-warlike might. Seeing the Forest and hills of the southeastern province of the Empire be reduced to and burned to ashes sweeping away even the most stalwart of defenses froze the very marrows of her bones. She can only imagine what sort of damage these powers can do in an Imperial City or even one of their Fortresses.

Power… that she is now partly albeit unwittingly bringing over to rain down an unsuspecting Empire.

For the newly defected College Mage herself, she was… conflicted… to simplify her current train of thoughts. Upon her arrival to the Otherworlder's stronghold or tactfully speaking 'Colony', Karliah was now fully confronted with the cold hard truth about new war that is now being transpired on her homeland's soil. The Otherworlder's known formally as the You-Knighted Fe-der-ray-shun of Erf, were initially peaceful colonists looking for land to call their new home. Coincidentally the time on their arrival was at the same juncture of time that Geltagar's Comet passed over Gliesia. Consequently, the Colonists of New Albany thought Gliesia was an empty land when the landed-on Tyr Rian, thanks in no part to the College's Mass Illusion Spell to hide the signs of harvestable life in Gliesia from the perceived 'Demonic Scout' which was simply just a Golem-like Scout with no malicious intent whatsoever. This led to the Federation almost violently jumping headfirst into danger when they encountered the many myriad dangers that plagued the Eastern Frontier of the Empire. They called to arms the aid of their homeland to grant them security which explains the massive built up of Soldiers that littered New Albany and had strong armed Prince Clovich Rian of Tyr Rian to be seduced by their strength. From a political perspective, her country would have done the same, in similar vein to the Southern Frontier Colonies that the Empire had recently established beyond the throes of Tyr Rian. Yet she still couldn't fully abide with the fact she is now fighting against the Empire rather than to protect it. If it were not for her extraordinary circumstances, this bid of her throwing her lot to the Otherworlders in a matter of her own honorable principles to work alongside the Invaders and at least by a limited proxy, Prince Clovich Rian himself. She had only hope that the young prince would wisely be able to rule over the broken pieces of the realms when this war that should never had happened in the first place, is all over.

When it came to her newly made assessments of the Otherworlder's proper: At first, Karliah thought of the United Federation's many marvels were a result of an advanced or new form of Magicks. Oh! What a callow little lamb was she! The Federation had no Magicks of any kind whatsoever too! Nothing was built by the Gods, given through nature nor of any Eldritch powers that being, but pure unadulterated craftsmanship and sheer ingenuity alone. The more she learns about the nature of their technology and the foundation of their circle of thought, Karliah growled loathingly and enviously as she now fully sees what the Otherworlders truly are capable of. The UFE with "pure craftsmanship" or in layman's terms, technology and science alone without a single ounce of Arcane Elements being used was able to achieve them god-like statuses of advancement for their civilization, enabling them to do feats that can be considered as utterly impossible even by even the wisest of Sages, the Elves or any ancient kingdom beforehand such as the ability to travel great distances within seconds, the might to shatter mountains, the ability to turn wastelands into livable lands, and the extra-planar ability to move to new worlds with their giant flying boats. Such achievements would greatly increase the lives of many of her fellow Slaegians ten-fold, yet if it weren't for them, it became not meant to be.

The upsetting truth about the UFE's technology and sciences as their means of advancement for their technologically superior civilization as compared to the Arcane-Centric society of Gliesia is not even worse enough for Karliah to stomach but another truth struck her the same time she learned the previous revelation. During her time in New Albany, she finally met the third and final Chosen One: Estysygol, the Scholar one David Mahelona. At first, she thought the Scholar was either a sagely looking man who would lock himself into his scrolls and books for hours on end every day, but instead a significantly rotund yet very brilliant man whose hands are locked into a blue cup of Strawberry Ice Shakes that he addictively drinks more compared to holding any articles related to his job. When it comes to his branding, the Sacred Crystal Heart would be quite please to choose David, his wisdom and advanced knowledge are far beyond any Mages back in the College or even the Elves as he demonstrated to her an intuitive understanding of Magic with the concept of a science known as 'Fis-ziks'. Along with Sam, he shows her that Technology, Science and Magic can advance side-by-side effectively with the evidence of the Hecate Suit, a special piece of armor designed for the full benefit for Mages to efficiently use the nigh-fullest peak of their powers. The first if not the only one of its kind that she has heard of in all of Gliesia. The Suit surpasses any arcane craftsmanship in merging two opposite elements Actocolite and Ghyranite together and enables an approximate 90% siphoning of energies from Mana Crystals. Integrating their already extraterrestrial understanding of these Arcane Geodes was application of the Principles of 'Fis-ziks' when it comes to utilizing Mana to perform a variety of new and/or enhanced Magicks that not even the greatest of Mages from the College would concoct or tried. It was no wonder Samantha was able to defeat Faithleann with such ease.

Karliah tearfully cursed Grandmaster Owyne and Mogul Dolmond's name from the bottom of her soul. If not for their arrogance, power-hoarding, and utter short-sighted ignorance, the people of the Ysanigrad, perhaps the whole of Gliesia could have been… so much more… than what they are now. An emboldening new light as proud as Lehsol's sunrise. A Gliesia that can finally learn of Peace, Prosperity and Healthful Lives.

Yet for better or worse, this war that the Grandmaster had provoked into coming must happen and no matter how many people wish they could… Gliesia will never be the same anymore. The UFE's arrival perhaps does indeed bring about a destruction, a destruction of the Old Order to make way for the New, like the dying dragon giving birth to the Great Forest from its hearthfire body. If things were different, like a second thought, learning the truth sooner or whatever, the weave of fate would have threaded to a less violent consequence. But the Gods, the Heart or whom-whatever is weaving this story have spoken that the future shall be set forth by the strength of the warriors of two factions: the hegemonic Alliance of the Light consisting of the Human Slaegian Empire, the Elves of Alfel-Nora and remnant Dwarves of the Ostalrocs in its numerously united selves shall fight for the future of Gliesia with the technologically advanced United Federation of Earth and their Tyr Rianni, Beastmen and Greenskinned collaborators.

"This is Hammer Five-One. The Landing Zone is secured, all Hostiles have been eliminated. Second Wave is cleared to land on EL-Zee Timber. Over." A Radio Broadcast from the First Wave informed everyone on the Metal Dragon.

The Western Incursion into the Empire was split into Four Waves, the First were a constrasting mix Heavily Armored War Machines that were tasked to smash any obstacle that could still remain by the nearby Landing Zone along with the first wave of an Airborne Regiment. Those light infantrymen were tasked in disrupting any immediate responses from the Slaegian to the Invasion's Landings. The Second and Third Waves is where the bulk of the Infantry and of War Machines would follow in that which Karliah is part of the former. They are tasked with the general push of the Invasion, blitzing through and occupying the territory they will pass along the way. Lastly the Fourth Wave is when they deployed their Artillery Pieces and the Supply Trucks fueling the Invasion's advance.

Seeing firsthand of the easy destruction of the Imperial Defensive Lines, Karliah whispered a prayer to the Death Goddess Tivna to all the brave but ignorant souls being sent to their undignified death to what is essentially a butcher shop that is the Federation. At the same time, she reluctantly came to the terms that the Slaegian Empire, at least in its current incarnation, time has come to an end but optimistically hope that the Federation and Prince Clovich could bring Ysanigard and the whole Gliesia into the next and better era.

Therefore, as she swore to herself now, and as a promise to her late student Olayra, she will do everything in her power to save as to ensure a better tomorrow for her homeland, even if it means collaborating with the invading Otherworlder's.

"Landing…" the Dragon Rider known as Kaprelian said. "Steady as she goes…"

"Any brave words before we do this Captain?" Edward Clay asked Samantha.

But Rose swallowed herself silently, still hesitant and nervous of her and her entire squad's promotion. She was given charge of a Company of 130 Soldiers under her wing which was already a huge leap in responsibilities under her wing compared to simply just commanding Stryder Group.

"Captain?" Clay pressed her.

"Just… call me Lieutenant for now… I need to get used to it…" Samantha replied to her Radioman. "Eh… Crocker?" she turns to her second-in-command.

But Crocker shook his head, out of overruling respect of the traditional chain of command, yet still shared his restraints on the growing pressure the newly-promoted Captain Samantha Rose has for her first large commanding post.

"Troopers!" the newly promoted Staff Sergeant Crocker yelled to the top of his lungs, rousing the spirits of the UFEAF Soldiers under there presence.

"Welcome to Gliesia Ladies and Gentlemen! We are here and for one thing only! The Common State Party, our Nation and the People we serve to protect has given us the task to crossover beyond the Cambervale and to bring down the Iron Hammer to these Savages who dared tried to attack our colony, it is only right we come and do the same to them. We come here, as a Team… A Company… an Army and we are gonna take some! Show them how we do it on Earth! We are gonna conquer and chew shit and we are all too clean to actually chew shit… but most of all! We are gonna bring the fight to'em lot! Understood?" Crocker spoke.

"Yes sir!" the Troopers spoke in unision.

"You got that right!" the Staff Sargent cheered. "Where do we go Troopers?"

"Porro Terra!" the soldiers shouted.

The Metal Dragon landed steadily on the ash-sooted ground of a once resplendent Dale as the people inside the Dragon stood up from their seats and faced the its tail, a ramp fell down before them from the Dragon's rump allowing the disembarking of the soldiers.

"I can't wait to bring a piece of my mind to those pompous Castella's" Iris raised her Astro-Magnum Pistol. A hand-cannon personally gifted for her own self-defense by Aparo Corporation that she now openly carries on her specially made pistol holster that is enchanted by her to be able to be concealed like a hidden viper's lethal strike. A popular weapon on Aparo Arsenal's product catalogue by home-owners (and criminals alike) who wish to have an affordable weapon with a premium grade of stopping power.

"You said it!" Crocker nodded approvingly at the Vampire Witch's enthusiasm.

"Let's 'Climb Mount Denali' lads!" the newly promoted Staff Sergeant Crocker roused the soldiers.

The Soldiers grabbed their gears and fondled their black staves of War called 'Guns' giving an ominous clicking noise as they did, before bravely stepping out of the beast and on to the Landing Zone.

"Let's finish this on schedule everyone! Push on!" the newly dubbed Captain Samantha Rose ordered. "We should easily mop up the rest of what First Wave cut up a while ago." She optimistically smiled, knowing full well the Defenders, even with all of their valorous might would easily crumble before the advance of the UFEAF.

Thousands of UFE Riflemen, Airborne Troops and Aparo Mercenaries swarmed in formation together down the hills of the Cambervale Valley, not finding much resistance as they kept up with the Cataphract Tanks and Fjord IFV's. Before long, they could see Vercourt and Little Hill over the horizon. Like a great tidal wave of human bodies readying to descend upon an unwary settlement.

"Shield-Father! Landing Zone Timber is…" Samantha was about to relayed to Colonel Polonsky the good news of the uncontested advance.

A Great Fireball imploded 10 feet away from her as Samantha twitched, reflexively covering her head with her arms.

"Not Clear! Not Clear!" Samantha shouted.

She and her squad giddishly scrambled for cover but among the decapitated trees of the Cambervale Forests, there was little to no respite from the suppressing barrage of Magical Spellfire that rained down on them. Magicks such as Fire Balls, Lightning Bolts and even oversize conjurations of bladed weapons along with arrows, bolts and explosive Ozegoth bolts bombarded the UFEAF advance, injuring and even killing dozens of men from the surprise counter-attack. To make matters worst, some summoned Golems made of the flesh of tree barks, stone and flames to jostle against the UFEAF's Armored Spearhead.

For the young officer, Samantha's first time where she and her squad were placed in a significant disadvantage. She was always used to being able to get the drop on her adversaries, but fate decided that she remained idle in the at lofty position for too long. To truly test her, the powers that her role shall be reversed, now that the enemy had expected her. Exposed, bombarded by enemy fire in all directions and men dying everywhere, the tumultuous scene corroded her initial optimism as her fight-and-flight instinct and her Officer's Academy Military calculi fought amongst their psychic selves for control of her brain, as each mental skill shifted themselves into high gear, racing through the course of her brain to win the prize of allowing to dictate the next course of action Samantha must make and quickly… she must, for her cover too is equally corroding at the same rate her volition is starting to falter. Suddenly being thrown into the deep end with the lives of her men on the line and her own too… the true test of the Captain's capabilities have begun.

"Covering Fire!" Samantha ordered everyone. They were too exposed and bunched up together that they became easy pickings for the enemy Magick's to fully multiply their effective damage upon them.

Firing upon the direction of the Dwarven Sting-Eye Crossbow Bolts, those who could get a clear shot returned fire at the enemy to screen the advance of the troops.

Suddenly three pillar of flame erupts from the ground where three Super-Ospreys floated upon engulfing the planes in flames causing several others behind it to pull up and back out

"LZ is too hot! We can't land!" one of the Pilots exclaimed.

Several of the Dropships activated their Anti-Incidiary countermeasures to clear out the fire but they have to do it away from the Landing Zone to safely finish their procedures. But in essence, the situation has become dire for the Invasion. They needed those reinforcements to complete the Plans of the Operations or they will come up short of what they initially want for the outcome of this War.

"Shield-Father! Shield-Father we need Air Support at sec---" Samantha frantically attempts to Radio Command but amidst the chaos, she saw large oversized ball of lightning, like a floating Tesla Coil hurl straight towards a group of some UFEAF Soldiers.

Dropping the Radio Call, Samantha dashed towards her men, conjuring her hands a Ward Spell to shield them from the enemy's Magicks. But in her rush of her selfless act, she underestimated the degree of Battle Magicks being of an exponential degree of power compared to her singular ward. Upon collision with her shield, a huge explosion of electric sparks snapped forcefully in a great area-of-effec sending the Captain flying while severely injured the troops she tried to protect.

Her senses slowed and her ears rang violently as Samantha struggled to realign her senses. Thankfully, Staff Sergeant Crocker, as ever intrepid as he was reliable, grabbed Samantha's body and quickly dragged her away to the safety of a makeshift foxhole, produced unintentionally by the earlier First Wave's Air-to-Ground Missiles. Aliathra quickly tended to Samantha's wounds and swiftly healed her. The Elf's new Bionic Arms worked their Restoration Magicks unhindered thanks to the help of artificial Arcane Meridians that were the frameworks for Samantha's Hecate Suit.

"Where are they coming from?!" Kayin gnashed his teeth. "Our Airstrikes should have gotten most of them by now?"

"There must be some Battlemages nearby." Karliah answered.

"Over there by that Forest!" Crocker pointed. "Opening fire!" he shouted as he fired his rapid-firing LMG towards the treeline.

"Jesus Christ how the hell those shits survived our Airstrike?!" Obediah asked.

"The whole lot of them must have used the combination of Illusion Magicks to hide their force and Earth Shelter spell to hide underground briefly. Its a common tactic to combat dragons!" Karliah explained.

"That's fucking great!" Diaz rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Captain! We need Fire Support on that Forest!" Crocker yelled to Samantha.

Samantha frantically breathed heavy and activated the Hecate Suit's Visor system for Tactical and Environmental analysis. Her panicked thoughts slightly fudging UI interfacing as the bombardment erupted the ground around her. This recent upgrade from Dr. Mahelona had given Samantha the ability to conduct more comprehensive readings of Mana Energies, the triangulation of sources rich with it, and how the Magicks were being manipulated in her immediate surroundings. Based on her computer's calculations, the Imperials had rallied with their Mages and are using, quite above their normal efficiency rate of casting high-leveled spells that threaten to cut down the advance no further than a klick or less away, she cannot tell easily the range if it weren't for her oppressive conditions, she finds herself in. It was a (currently at the moment) one of a kind, the bleeding edge of UFE Technology.

She notes to herself, Doctor Mahelona really needs to use his new funding to build more Mana Sensors.

But just as Samantha was about to say a word to her squad, suddenly a dozen or less (she couldn't tell do the repressive conditions of their pinned down state) huddled down next to her on their makeshift cover.

"Captain! I lost my CO!" one soldier screamed. "The fuck are we goin'to do?!"

"We'eed those enemy guns silenced or'were fucked!" another soldier shouted.

"Quiet! Quiet!" Samantha yelled back. She was hyperventilating, her ears still ringing from the near-death she had just experienced from the earlier Lightning Bolt. The Chaos was now slowly degrading her composure.

"Captain!" Crocker crawled to his CO and shook her back to reality. "We need to call in a Strike!" he yells at her.

"I…" Sam hesitated but quickly returned to her senses. "Yes. Kayin! We make every Drone paint that Forest!"

"Rodger that!" Kayin nodded as he deployed his UAV Drone. Meanwhile, Samantha synced the UAV and multiple other Combat UI's among the UFEAF Soldiers in the Area.

"Calling all UFEAF Ground Forces, we have heavy Magical Activity threatening to halt our advance. Laze this Forest to stop the Imperial's bombardment." She explained on the radio.

"We need to pop smokes too, some of us have to expose ourselves to Laze the target properly." Crocker advised.

"Oh yeah… that too…" Samantha nodded, she was still slow to the pacing of the battle to realize that she forgot that when ordering a Heavy Missile Barrage followed by a large Infantry advance, UFEAF Doctrine states that smoke grenades must be popped to mask the headway. "Sorry…" she lowered her head.

"It's okay… Rose." Crocker emphatically gave him his clemency. "Just don't stop."

"Say again Stryder?! We are taking fire over here… literally!" one such response from Clay's radio said.

Samantha swallowed her courage once again and pressed call on her Radio:

"This is Stryder Lead, Pop Smokes on your position… to cover the… advance!" Samantha as she ordered the rest of the soldiers. "If you have a Laser Designator, paint the Forest I have marked on your minimap, a couple hundred meters or more…front!" She added, forcing herself to push along the way.

Grabbing her Portable Laser Designator from her pocket, Samantha peaked over from the Fox Hole and activated the device. In conjunction with her Hecate Suit's Visors detecting the expedient amounts of Mana Energy permeating the forest in front of her, Samantha lazed the approximate positions of the Enemy Ambushers, relaying the coordinates to the FNAC Tenacity and her escort of Missile Frigates under the ship prefix of FNMF.

"We got heavy Hostile Magicks firing at the Landing Zone! Get me Lasers on that Forest! I need Strike Packages and Tank Fire at my marker." She shouted.

"Bloody Hell! Remind Doctor Mahelona to get more of those Mana Detectors soon!" Crocker cursed.

Clay began radioing in her orders to the rest of the Invasion Forces as the bewildered UFEAF rallied to the Captain's call.

"This is Gray-Dog! Following your command." Another Company Captain gave his affirmation.

"Express 11-B! Smokes out!" a Fjord IFV Commander rallied as he fired his vehicles Smoke Screen countermeasures up into the sky. The rest of his platoon and several more followed suit and popped their Smoke Canisters, masking the Battlefield in obscuring dust.

"Redwire hear! Lazing the Target!" one of the Assault Engineering Platoons added.

"This is the Captain of the FNMF Indian Sea. Missile Battery has your coordinates. Firing for Effect." The Navy Ship confirmed the coordinates.

Using its advanced coordination computations, the Taiko Missile Battery outfitted to all Federation Navy Missile Frigates fires a barrage of Hypersonic Kinetic Missiles.

From across her Visor, multiple hitboxes from dozens of Squads painted the forest where the ambushers stood in bright orange. Like a great altar, like lambs awaiting slaughter, that the unknowing natives could not fathom that they are now marked for death.

Knowing that the blast will be dangerously close to her position, the Captain grabbed her radio once again.

"All Soldiers! Kinetic Missile Strike is Danger Close. Take shelter in the APC's and IFV's from the Blast!" Crocker warned on the radio.

"This is Gurkha Team! Not all of us can fit Stryder!" one such Leader, from an Airborne Regiment aforementioned on the radio.

"Tell those men of yours to come to us. We can shield them from the blast." Aliathra charitably offered.

"Got it." Crocker nodded. "Gurkha, Take your team to my current position ASAP." Crocker hurried the Airborne Leader along.

The Airborne Troopers double timed their sprint as the Young Captain and her fellow Mages began to channel their collective energies to conjure a 'Resilient Sphere'. A shimmering force field-like globe encapsulated Stryder and their accompanying men, but they hesitated completing the concentration heavy spell to allow the Airborne Soldiers to enter the Sphere safely. For nothing, not physical objects, energy, or other spell Effects, can pass through the barrier, in or out, though a creature in the Sphere can breathe within it. The spell requires the intensified concentration of one or more Mages to maintain the barrier.

"Hurry!" Crocker shouted at the Airborne troopers as the four women finished sealing the Resilient Sphere. The Airborne Troopers made it all inside, all 6 of them before the Sphere fully sealed itself from the perils outside of its warding grace.

"3…2…1… Impact!" the Captain of the FNMF Indian Sea declared as the Supersonic Kinetic Missile struck the designated position, dead between the bullseye.

A great mushroom cloud shook the earth, its shockwaves unleashing a torrential gust of energy in its wake. The Forest erupted brilliantly as clouds of dust, dirt and even a few bits of wood imploded from its impact zone. Only those who find themselves within a Vehicle or inside Samantha's Resilient Sphere weathered through the Missile's impact unharmed. When the dust cleared, the whole forest before them was annihilated, wiped from the face of the Earth.

"Kinetic Strike good effect on target." The Captain of the FNMF Indian Sea congratulated himself.

"Indeed, nothing could have survived that. All Units give me a sitrep over." Colonel Polonsky radioed.

"We took casualties and the Ospreys are attempting to catch up on schedule with the landings Sir. But I fear that's not going to be the last of them for now…" Samantha answered.

"I see Stryder Lead. Continue the advance once the Third Wave has disembarked. Shield-Father out." Polonsky ended his broadcast.

Samantha took a sigh of relief as she rested herself by an idle Fjord IFV. She caught her breath as the Young Captain look over the battlefield before her. The woman stared in dismayed detestation on the grisly sight before her. Bodies of men, UFE and Slaegian alike fallen together like flattened cards, their bodies charred, squashed and cleaved in two. Those of the Federation's casualties were shipped off in Super Osprey Medevacs who ferried the wounded and deceased away from this hellish ground. The Capatain also saw to her deepest regrets that several of the UFE Casualties were of her own men, their death masque's frozen forever when they were struck down grisly by the Imperial's Magicks.

"How many of my Company had fallen?" Samantha whispered.

"12th Rifle Company has taken 43 Casualties out of 150 Soldiers." ISAC informed her.

The Captain depressed her body, sinking her head despondently as she absorbed the grave news. That was less than a third of her men under her command. It was her first day being the Captain of her own Military Company and already she had reached an unacceptable account of men that perished under her wing.

"Captain Rose…" Crocker approached her slowly, his LMG nestled by his side. "What's our next move?" he asked her.

"Sarge… am I not good enough?" she returned his words with another question.

"What are you saying?" the Staff Sergeant twitched his brow.

"You saw me a while ago Crocker, I froze while many of our men died." Samantha confessed her weakness. "You? You were in the service longer than everyone else. How do you sleep at night knowing so many of your fellow soldiers die every day?"

"I will not mince words Captain." Crocker sternly responded. "In all of my years, I know one thing that I as your advisor, friend and second-in-command shall say that in War we never signed up to have things easy. Casualties, Death and Injury are all inevitable in our line of work. I know that, you know that, the whole squad knows that and even your father. What matters is that we do our job no matter the costs. We swore an oath." His answered resonated Samantha.

"You always seemed to know what do for everything… the way you ordered everyone what to do… I feel… so… not… good enough whenever I am around you." Samantha shared her feelings of inadequacy.

"Don't say that Captain. Don't say that you are 'not good enough'." Crocker gently patted his hand over Samantha's right shoulder. "Our men died trying to accomplish something more than themselves. Do not spit on their graves by failing them now. We cannot control everything that happens around us, all we can do is be ready to fight back. The rest of us still needs you. Your leadership and magic powers." He said.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"But how can I learn to lead?" Samantha asked.

"You got your whole life ahead of ya… if you know how to play it smart Sammy. Me? When this shit is all over, I am going to retire. But by then, I hope I rub off as much as I can of myself on you if you get me?" Crocker offered his other hand. "Come, let's get shit done, shall we?" he asked of her.

"Your right… I still have a long way to go." Samantha softly smiled back to her sanguine self.

Karliah looked on to the shareholder with admired awe as the Captain stood back up from her damaged state to bring herself back together after the harrowing adventure they had earlier. The College Defector had to admit, she too was quite shaken by the sheer violence of the Federation's assault on the Imperial Legionnaires and their Dwarven allies. But through the strength of their arms and their tenacity in the face of adversity they had triumphed over this first obstacle in the road of this war. But there was one more thing that Ladui Silverdane remarked about Samantha, that she has one key intrinsic feature that made the Shareholder's character stronger than the Bane's: Humility. The Humility to learn and keep moving forward even after being brought down to the decrepit state of failure.

After her little moment of silence to collect her thoughts, Samantha pulled out from her pocket her Holographic Projector and deploys it to the ground. It displays out, a Satellite Image brilliantly showcasing a live overview shot of their current surroundings within a 50-mile radius. It detailed current troop positions, landmarks and a smartly highlighted view of the Imperial's Battlelines.

"Okay, so we are here and we can consider this first couple dozen or so meters good as cleared." Samantha pointed out on the map crossing out the immediate 500-meter radius around Landing Zone Timber.

"Vercourt and Little Hill, situated here and here will need to be taken down if we want a clear road into Neuogonia. We will use our superior speed and arms to encircle these enemy strongpoints." She explained. "Any questions?"

"Little Hill would seem to be the most troublesome since it's an actual Military Fort. Vercourt only has a basic Wooden and Stone wall. Plus, that place is carved within a mountain." Kayin raised.

"You are right Priva---I mean Corporal Mudwin. Little Hill should be the most well defended of the two. But the plan still stands, we have to encircle those two areas, shot down any attempt for a break out and then its smooth sailing to Neuogonia we go. Anything else?" the Captain answered.

"We should be wary of more traps and ambushes. In my experience we ain't seen the last of them just yet." Crocker suggested intuitively.

"Us Sappers can easily remove most of them with enough time." Redwire Leader nods.

"Very well then, lets move out!" Samantha raised her fist into the air. "Porro Terra!"

"Porro Terra!" the Soldiers cheered.

With the Landing Zone now secured, the rest of the UFEAF Reinforcements could now be deployed into Tifrait. The Joint Mechanized and Airborne thrust of the Eastern Army Group pushed forward, its war machine blitzing pass the primitive and magical defenses of the native Gliesians. Most of the Alliance of the Light were barely able to reach their second line of defense against the Otherworldly tide as most could not outrun the stampede of the Fjord IFV's and Arabian APC's, who were cut down by their mounted Machine Guns no matter what kind of valiant act of defiance they attempt to stop them. But it was not a total steamroll into the Imperial Countryside. Several of the Slaegian's defensive traps ranging from pitfalls, spike pits, wheat flour/Uzeagon IED's and Magical runes slowed down the advance causing many untold amounts of hindrance, injury, and death for the Invaders as the Native Defenders, despite their technological disadvantage made sure that every inch of land will cost the Otherworlders profoundly. The Sappers from the 20th Engineering Regiment alongside Captain Rose and her Mage allies however made quick work of disabling said traps but at a stalemate pace to the growing rates of setbacks brought by the devious ambuscades by the Natives. It took them about until nightfall before the battered East Army Group reached visual distance from Vercourt. There was only a marginal garrison 200 or so Guardsmen, 1200 regrouped Slaegian Legionnaires and a simple wood and stone wall protecting the town as word had only began to reach the inhabitants of the Invasions happening, not expecting the invaders to push this deep into Imperial Territory so soon. The UFEAF Troops quickly went to work surrounding the Lumber Town with mechanized/motorized elements encircling the settlement in their embrace whilst Combat Engineers set up a containment perimeter around the gaps to prevent any attempt for a break out. To guarantee a perfect blockade to cut off Vercourt and its valuable supply of Lumber from the Imperial's strategic field, Captain Rose ordered the Circumvallation of the settlement to box in the defenders and prevent any chances of an attempt to breakout both from within or from the outside world. This calculated action was a Roman tactic used by the great General and future Emperor Julius Caesar when he besieged the Gallic fortified town of Alesia. Machine Gun emplacements, Electrical Fences and trenches began to be installed into the night as the UFEAF completed their encirclement of Vercourt.

When Citizenry and Defenders of the town realized what is now slowly happening right in front of their eyes, they began to panickingly throw whatever means of last-minute communication to the rest of the Imperial Defenders of the Dragon Wall of this most grave news, that they were being besieged and require immediate relief and prayed to their Gods that as many souls hear their desperate call for aid.

"There they go, the Message Spells." Aliathra pointed to the pyrotechnic display of azure-avian shaped spells being casted out of Vercourt, a town she had only grievous memories of.

"We should Dispel as much of them as we can." Iris suggested.

"No." Samantha shot down the Vampire Witch's proposition, "Let them come."

She knew the sheer strategic value of Vercourt means to the Imperial War Effort, there Lumber supply that is the basis of their primitive Military Industry were to be cut off from its riches source of wood would severely hamper their plans for arming the populace into the Alliance's cause. They will likely emerge from their defensive fortifications and guerrilla hideouts to attempt a relief. A maneuver that the Federation can capitalize on. The more the Imperials exhaust their energies emerging from their fortifications rather than inside will be far more advantageous, for UFEAF can sever the strands of their enemy's total cohesion with a prepared Counter-Attack within a 360-degree angle of the vital Lumber Depot of Vercourt. Once a good number of Alliance foolishly expose themselves to the UFEAF's guns the easier it shall be to push forward when the time again it is to continue the push into the Slaegian Heartlands. This same principle is also being enacted for the Fortress of Little Hill with their enmassed concentration of Legionnaires and Aerial Cavalry stationed within its venerable walls.

"Citizens and defenders of Vercourt! This is the Armed Forces of the United Federation of Earth! Your 'Dragon-Wall' has shattered and have surrounded your entire home! Your Legionnaires, now lay broken by the march of our soldiers! Surrender and let us inside the town and nobody will be hurt." An IFV Commander blared his demands from a UAV Drone with a megaphone attached to it.

For the Lumber town's inhabitants, the news that the invaders gave about how easily they had impregnated their defenses, their claim of slaying multitudes of the Empire's Finest and their brazen display of besieging their homes utterly shocked them.

"Got some activity Rose." Obediah whispered as he looked on with his Sniper Rifle onto the inhabitants of Vercourt.

Thanks to his slightly elevated position and concealed visibility he was able to get an uncensored view of the active movements of the trapped denizens of Vercourt.

"They are all shaking. It looks like they might fold… wait…" Obediah updated but as he continued to observe the Defenders, he spotted one particularly well-topped Slaegian Legionnaire, a sort of officer due to his distinct aura he resonated from himself to the disconcerted Imperials.

"He's waving his sword around like he owns the place… the other soldiers and people to are raising theirs too… He's rallying them." Obediah grimly informed the Captain.

"Looks like they are going to do this the hard way… keep an eye an---" Samantha sighed but then Obediah interrupted her.

"Wait, they are on the move… to the Gates!" Obediah alarmed them.

Vercourt's two massive Ironbark Gates opened forth slowly as the audacious Denizens of Vercourt readied themselves to sally forth and confront the demons. Impassioned into their hearts was from one valiant Legionary Lieutenant who inspired them to defend their homes and loved ones citing the Ages old eidolons of past Heroes, specifically the Empire's Founder, Caldell who fought against all odds agains the first Demonic Invasion alongside the horror stories of what atrocitious acts the Demons had done in the past to rouse them from the pits of their apprehension to a seiche of gallantry as Legionnaires and brave peasant folks alike marched forth with the Legionary Lieutenant taking point, his sword drawn forward…

And his head evaporating into a crimson mist as a loud bang broke the silence of the night. A shot had immediately gone off.

Samantha turned around to see that the source of the discharge was from none other from Obediah himself. The Marksman, rapidly pulling the straight bolt of his Sniper rifle and zoning in just as fast as he unloads his .308 rounds to several more of the sallied Slaegians. He wasn't hesitating for a second to shoot them down one by one as soon as they entered within range. There was a primal boil that the Young Captain could see on Obediah's eyes, tears slowly dropping towards 'Leah' as he loaded and unloaded every shot of his rifle.

The sallied-out Imperials, after seeing their up-starting leader die so dishonorably from beyond their sight, instead of running back to the safety of their walls in fear of their lives, roared with a renewed vigor as they charged blindingly towards the dark outskirts of their city.

With no other choice left, knowing that there were several irregularly armed civilians wielding pitchforks, Lumberjack Axes and cooking knives. The Captain gave out with a squeamish pause one chilling order:

"Open fire."

The Mounted Machine Guns illuminated the night's blanket as they smite down on the fool hardy Imperials who sallied forth from their settlement's walls. They gunned down several hundreds of men and women who died bravely yet effetely upon the blood-wetted mud soil of their homelands like Martyrs eagerly willing to shed their blood to the cause of the defense of their homes. It had left a sick mark many of those of the UFEAF who willingly pulled the trigger alongside those who bore witness to the event happening.

Sam recoiled away from the grisly sight as she combated within herself what she had just done. Attempting to rationalize what had just happened. She saw them all die by her orders, every last one of them. The Young Captain looked at her blood-stained hands, that jittered away from the Radio's mic as she reels from what she had just bore witness to. Despite taught clearly in training that armed and hostile civilians are no different from enemy combatants, Samantha was still disturbingly shaken of the order she just gave out as she could feel within the depths of her bones, the vengeful ghosts of the recently killed Imperials curse her name forever for their demise. Not even Crocker's reassurance that her penitent head mentally blocked off could alleviate the guilt in her heart.

"Lightning Ball!" screamed one UFEAF soldier as Samantha was snapped back to reality to see that a glowing azure, ball-shaped lightning vortex had suddenly emerged from within their lines and began to wildly float around their Circumvallation. Thankfully the soldiers were quick on their feet to retreat a distance away or flee inside the Transport Vehicles where the smiting lightning bolts harmlessly crawled pass them.

"What the hell!?! More mages?" Clay exclaimed.

"It must be the Altar of Telin at work!" Samantha exclaimed.

During the erudite interrogations that Agent De Sardet and Capatain Rose conducted with Karliah Silverdane shortly after her arrival to New Albany, they had learned a great many things about of the more Arcane elements of the Dragon-Wall's defenses. For one, the Empire will be relying on their diverse pool of talented Mages and Enchanted Artifacts to give them delivery in the upcoming War. Mages with a supreme aptitude for battle-applicable spells would be promoted to Battlemages. A group of powerful men and women who can channel the Aether Winds to cast wide-area effecting spells to buff or debuff as what they seem fit from destructive vortexes and gusts of Magical Energies casted from the elements of Destruction to far more supportive spells like mass-enchanting Soldiers with thicker armor, weapon imbuement and healing. Complementing their abilities was several carriages-born Magical Artifacts known as 'Altars of Telin', named after the God of Magicks, they amplify the spell casting of any Mages that channel's their powers into the device for greater potency, area of effect and range. Using the Altars alongside a 'Scryer' to aim the Altar's firing mechanisms at the intenteded target essentially turns this Magical Artifact into a nigh-stealthy Artillery Piece that can fire a variety of spells at a large radius without leaving a visible trace of a smoke trail for triangulation and counter-barraging. However, it is visually distinct due to its religious décor and one can detect an Altar of Telin via scrying for Mana Sources that which Samantha can artificially do with her Suit's Mana Detector. They were marked as a priority target for elimination by the UFEAF's High Command although they are encouraged to recover an intact Altar for Doctor Mahelona's Research if retrieval is possible.

The UFEAF soldiers, remained in heightened alert, their cohesion on the edge as they thoroughly re-examined their surroundings for anymore surprises these Natives have concocted. They knew that Mages have ways to bypass several of their technological advancements yet they were also briefed of how to circumvent their enemy's advantages.

Samantha turned on her Mana Detector from her Hecate Suit and began to triangulate the origin of the Lightning Vortex.

"So?" Crocker asked her. "Where's this fucking fireworks coming from?"

"It's coming from… Little Hill!" Samantha answered.

"That's miles away from us." Kayin bewilderingly commented. He was quite flabbergasted by the Magical Projection range the Altar had.

"Not only that but Little Hill right is where the best Defenders of the Dragon Wall are stationed right? Its stopping us from fully accessing the Cambervale Valley Pass as a Corridor for our troops to move into." Kayin added. "I hope the Men there will be able to shut it down for us." He prayed.

"Stryder Group! Stryder Group!" the Radio echoed to life.

"This is Lieu…Cap…Stryder Lead… reporting." Samantha answered.

"This is Shield-Father you and your squad have been given immediate Transfer Orders." Colonel Polonsky replied.

"Transfer Orders? Where?" Samantha asked.

"Little Hill! The Assault Engineers were trying to Sap the Castle's defenses and they have requested that you have them solve a problem that requires your… expertise." Colonel Polonsky said. "A Sargeant Buchanan from the 9th Artillery Company will brief you on the situation. Get there ASAP! Shield-Father out." The Colonel ended the call.

"I spoke to soon." Kayin grumbled.

"Looks like we still got more work cut out for us Stryder." Samantha turns her squad.

"Well most of the men will breathe easier if we can silence that Altar inside Little Hill. We can't have some enemy guns harassing our rear ends." Crocker crossed his arms. "Y'all ready to move out lads?"

"I am starting to grow weary today from all of this running…" Aliathra yawned. "May I have a moment of… respite?"

"And I am hungry." Obediah raised.

"You can do that on the way to Little Hill." Samantha informs them. "Hey! This is Stryder Lead! I got orders from the Colonel to transfer to Little Hill immediately. Anyone got a Cab to spare?" the Captain called out from her Company.

One IFV Commander volunteered to take the prestigious Capatain and her squad to her destination. Under the cover of the night, they took these few moments of peace to rest and recuperate themselves. Before long, the Fjord IFV escorted Stryder Group to their destination, the Rear Echelons of the elements of the East Army Group assigned to taking the legendary Imperial Fortress of Brynbach, know commonly as Little Hill.

Or at least… what's left of the Fort:

The scene before them was utter devastation. Boulders, dust, corpses and broken flags littered the once proud Imperial Fortress, the Southern Door to the Imperial Heartlands lay demolished into crumbled ruins as they arrived. No one else of Stryder's three Native Auxiliaries were more shocked by just how swiftly this bastion of Imperial Power had fallen than Karliah Silverdane. The Slaegian Fortress of Brynbach, 'Little Hill', 'the Sky Fortress', carved atop of the two peaks of twin mountains by the Cambervale Valley Pass. The Fortress that once stood against the tide of Barbarians, Rebels, Monsters and the Undead alike; boasted to be that the Fortress that 'No Army in Gliesia could ever break' lay in rubble and scorched rock. Its valiant defenders of the Empire's Finest Knights, Legionnaires and Battlemages lay upon a mountain of corpses, tossed aside by sanitary minded Rear Echelon's who tossed their bodies aside enmasse like common street trash. All of these great insults to the Slaegian Empire happened while the UFE's begirdling white flower flowing proudly above Little Hill's corpse.

Upon reaching the highest point of the once proud fortress, Stryder was greeted to the banners of the 9th and 4th Artillery Company, the 2nd Regiment of the Gliesian Colonial Militia, the 88th Mountain Brigade, Steel Breaker's Cavalry-For-Hire, and Raven's Company PMC.

"Captain Rose!' Sergeant Buchanan of the 9th Artillery Company saluted Samantha as she arrived within atop of the Fortresses ruins.

"Good evening Sergeant, give me a sitrep over." Samantha promptly saluted back.

"I would want to say you should have been here an hour ago when I called in my Arty'Barrage on the Fort! At first they created some form of magic dome to shield the whole place but those poor bastards didn't realize that they ain't no match for my good'ole friends Es-Pee an' Gee and Emmel Ar-Es. The dome shattered in by the fifth barrage and we hammered those dirty savages for another five more. After about an hour, well… you can see it right here already the 9th's work yeah?" Buchanan clapped his hands.

The College Mage, Karliah Silverdane, began to shrank tumultuously upon hearing the Otherworlder's boastful albeit gravely true accounts. Brynbach only lasted an hour against the Otherworlder's might. Normally a siege often last months to even years to topple a fortress that size of Little Hill but the Otherworlders could begin and end a Siege in their favor within a span of an hour. Not even the Dark Lord Alboen could accomplish such speed. Only the might of a Dragon or Several Archmages in full power can match such force.

"So much power and to witness the after effects with her own two hands, and yet this destruction was only the aperitif of what the Federation can truly accomplish when their wrath has been evoked. You truly wield the power of Gods." Karliah expounds her thoughts.

"Ah… shucks… I am a good Jesus-Boy through and through… but eh… thanks I guess." Buchanan embarrassingly accepted the blasphemous complement from the Vampire Witch.

For one thing that both Iris, Karliah and Aliathra gained from this revelation: that emerged from the ashes of this destruction as they she

"Forgive the Native auxiliaries Sarge, continue." Samantha urged the Artillery Leader.

"H'okey, well after we decimated the whole place, the boys began to sweep'ou any enemy survivors and clear some Debris to build an FOB for the Valley Pass Corridor as ordered. The sometime later, one of the patrols radioed me. According to them, several of my Boys chased several enemy mages carrying some sort of… 'fancy telescope on a carriage' thing into this door before sealing it off." Buchanan said, he guided the Captain towards a dark hole the Rear Echelon shed floodlights and sentinel vigils upon. "Initial examinations say that this was an entrance to some kind of Tunnel network that leads underground the mountain."

"Telescope? You mean an Altar of Telin right?" Samantha's eyes widened upon her question. "They moved their Altars down there? We have been getting reports of reoccurring Magical Attacks coming from here… and my Scanner says they are still doing it."

"Well its just A carriage. I don't know if there was more or we blew the others'sept that. Catching stuff alive and not exploded ain't my schtick Captain." Buchanan apologized.

"The Battlemages and the survivors must have moved their remaining Altars inside the tunnels to continue harass the soldiers." Karliah states.

"Guerrilla artillery strike from within the tunnel eh? Fuck me these guys are not as dumb as they look." Crocker facepalmed.

"Agreed, my men would be with ya too. My company is down by half because of them." Buchanan gestured to his injured men who lay at makeshift Medical Bay where there injuries were being treated intensely by Combat Lifesavers and First-Aid Drones.

"An underground system? For the Fort, that's bad news sans the Altars. They can theoretically hold out against us for a long time." Samantha commented.

"We'll be way behind schedule if we try to rat them out the ol'fashioned way." Crocker added. "Tunnel Rat them."

"Some of my boys who returned from the tunnels say that you should be aware there's gonna be lots of traps and really angry Opfor's waiting to jump at you as soon as you show your face." Buchanan warned Stryder. "They were able to give you a pretty basic map of the whole place. Uploading it to your visors now."

Receiving the data from her Visor's UI, the Young Captain and her Sergeant began to study the lay out carefully. There were highlights of dangerous zones, unknown layouts and even the farthest point the Sappers pushed through before they had to retreat.

"Lots of traps, right? Magical in nature?" she asked. The correct term was 'Runes' but they were Traps all the same.

"Yep, it's unlike anything my Sappers had experienced before. That's why I called you in for your help." Buchanan affirmed Samantha's intuition.

"Enemy Magicks!" one Soldier cried as a combination of Magical Attacks began to rain down on the Rear Echelon troops. Forcing to the UFEAF to scramble for safety and carry of their heavy yet precious gear haphazardly.

"Take cover dammnit!" Buchanan cursed.

"If those Mages are the people firing those Battle Magicks then they can continue to cast their spells from the safety of the Tunnels with impunity." Karliah informs them.

"Gah! We ain't having more greenjacks die to Stormy weathers with a chance of Fireballs. We need'ta knock out that Magic'Arty tonight." Crocker pressed.

"Alright, get me a team and let's gear up and venture in again." Samantha nodded.

"You can go on without me Cap. I need some… time to… sleep…" Obediah yawned.

"And I am pretty useless inside that place anyways." Clay added.

"Alright, you can go rest and grab some grub. You two deserved it after all that happened today." Samantha nodded.

As Stryder Group retrofitted their gear for Close Quarters and reviewed the available pool of volunteers brave enough to venture into Little Hill's depths, Karliah observed the ruins for a much more extensive examination. Getting over her initial trepidation of the desolation of the once-Legendary fortress, Karliah casted 'Detect Magic' to see about how the remnants of the garrison were able to still hold on stubbornly in spite of the Federation's superior advantages.

"It seem's that even after you devastated the Fortress, the remnants are still holding out below." Karliah tells Samantha. "Fortunately, I know how these Tunnels work…" the College Mage added.

"You do?" Samantha ask.

"I had inspected the entrance that your soldiers entered into and found that the door was enchanted with the 'Alarm' Spell. A simple cast, but a very useful one." Karliah explained.

"Like some sort of Motion-activated alarm?" Buchanan questioned.

"Indeed, one that only the spell caster can be alerted without the intruder knowing the wiser. They will always know to expect you whenever one of your men, no matter how many moves pass that hole. Thankfully I dispelled but even then, the enchantment can be hard to find unless you know where to look." Karliah explained.

Recalling her teachings, Samantha knows that the 'Alarm' spell one would abjure warded zone around a door, window or an area of no larger than a 20-foot cube with magic that when any creature, whether tiny or large would alarm the user either through a mental alert or an audible alert. For this case, it was a mental alarm, essentially a magical equivalent of a Silent Alarm.

"By that logic Karliah, even if we get rid off that Alarm they enemy will still expect us to enter through there." Samantha reasoned. "They know we are all on top of them and they will fight tooth and nail for every inch of ground left."

"I know, but fortunately, I know a bypass." Karliah pedantically rectified. "This is… was the Inner Keep of the Fortress is it not?" she asked.

Sergeant Buchanan silently nodded.

"Then this vestibule here is no ordinary threshold." Karliah walked towards the burrow's entrance and caressed the metallic casting of its 15-foot cubic meter outline. "There should be a secondary entrance somewhere around here."

"Another entrance?" Crocker asked.

"Indeed, Imperial Fortresses, at least the old ones have extensive networks of tunnels and entrances below their Inner Keep's, not just for defensive purposes but also to ease the flow of walking around."

The College Mage began to conjure a sprite of magical light with a flick of her hands and began to whisper a small incantation, programmed to find similarly built doors around the fortress. The animated sphere zoomed slowly pass the UFEAF soldiers whom they followed it until they reached a particular set of rubble. To Aliathra's religious recognition, several broken pieces of the rubble were infact once resplendent holy symbolisms inherent in the Elven-Human Pantheon.

"The entrance should be right here… or below here." Karliah informs them.

"Boys! Get to work!" Buchanan ordered.

The Rear Echelon soldiers began to prime their Exo-suits, Pickaxes and Shovels as they began to tear apart the ruined temple of the Gliesian Gods. They did give some courtesy to Aliathra who insist she preserves several of the still intact religious relics that littered the broken ground to Samantha's respect. Before long, the rubble was cleared away with only the foundation of the temple in its rustic marble floor remained of the once holy building. Quickly chanted both the spells of Detect and Dispel Magics, Karliah revealed before them, in a brilliant hue light in which the floor starts to deform and creates a doorway to a dark and spooky tunnel, similarly built like the first one before.

"Alright we got another tunnel inside." Buchanan cheered.

"Throwing a Scanner." Kayin calls out as he tossed a Sonar Scanner into the dark tunnel below. "Uploading map." The Engineer informed the team.

"Alright we will clear out as many rooms on our way down but priority is taking down that Altar of Telin. Capture it if possible." Samantha ordered.

"Let me come with you, I know how to navigate these tunnels." Karliah volunteered.

"How'you know all of this?" Crocker asked.

"The College were involved in designing these Underground pathways around the fortresses. I so happen to know where most of them would lay about." She answered.

"Damn… Tunnel Ratting…" Samantha murmured nervously bit her lip. It was a very tense and unpleasant affair that requires the upmost environmental awareness and split-second reflexes. Compared to her peers both from West Point and within her squad, she was found lacking in comparison to her more cybernetically enhanced and more experienced of her team mates.

She always had a lurking fear of darkened and dilapidated undergrounds. It was like being slowly being buried alive if it not were her companions and the aid of a simple flashlight to allow her mind respite. Especially when they entered Martainne's Old Tomb (though at least the Scary Monster who live there was actually a very friendly one, but that was beside the point). Yet still, she cannot allow these Enemy Mages to torment more Federation Soldiers. The choice was simply to conquer her old fear at that moment once again, not just for her own sake but for the men under her wings.

"You ready Cap?" Kayin asked her.

"Y-yeah… lets clock, lock and load up everyone. Let's silence that Altar. We will need to trace the Mana Signal in order to reach it." Samantha nods, obscuring her hesitancy. "Be ready to fight in Close Quarters everyone.

"We should be looking for a room called the Arcanaeum. That's where they will most likely shelter the Altar since they also store the Mana Crystals there too." Karliah added.

Turning on their tactical flashlights and Night Vision sights, Samantha leads the UFEAF clearing forces down the Imperial Fortress' Underground. Little Hill's Tunnelways were a contrasting mix between rugged and decayed stone-wooden construction decorated with patriotic heraldry of the Slaegian Empire's Azure and Gilded Dragon that carries in each of its two paws a sword and a bountiful cornucopia. There was some dust, cracks and leaked water that brings a fetid atmosphere that only grows more loathsome the further deeper they go. Not helping matters was that the ground they walk seemed to creak at the slightest of steps.

"Halt…" Aliathra raised as she whispered a incantation of from her new cybernetic hands. Her magicks encapsulating them in a prismatic bubble that some even commented saying it tickles upon its caress.

"Try stepping on the floor now." Aliathra informs the UFE Soldiers.

The UFEAF promptly followed the Elf and began to slightly pat their feet to the ground, it was muffled and silent, perfect for stealthy approaches.

"Alright, everyone teams we are about how many?" Samantha asks for the Order of Battle.

"We are about a 30-man team. We should clear as much ground as we can so that the Diggers can do some SSE." Crocker suggested.

"Roger, everyone split into teams of at least 7 and bring a Mage with you. Your objective is to clear this floor and the next one below of all traps and tangoes. One team go right, the other left, another as a rear guard and I will go after the Altar." Samantha ordered.

"Yes ma'am." The UFEAF soldiers nodded.

Aliathra, Iris, Karliah began to split off with their respective teams as ordered. Walking stealthily, swimming through each room and corridor with methodical efficiency. Whenever they encounter a magical trap, a mage would promptly dispel it although the more mundane of traps can still be easily defused or set off safely thanks to the Sappers help.

"I don't like this. There must be tons of hidden traps around here waiting to ensnare us" A UFE soldier fearfully states

"Actually, one trap is in front of you right now!" Aliathra points out.

The Rifleman heart skipped coldly as he lay still, his leg refusing to move another inch. For the keen-sighted Elven Ranger, she threw a pebble forward about two meters away from the soldier's position and the floor soon combusted into flames.

"Watch your step Firen's this gador is dangerous." The Elf whispered as she knelt down and began to dispel the Magical Runes that plague their path forward.

"Watch out for people too, there's still remnants of the old garrison walking around here…" Diaz radioed. "In fact… Put your hands in the air!"

A brief moment paused on the radio before three shots could be heard discharged from Diaz's channel.

"Three Tangoes downed. Movin'up." Diaz returned to his radio.

When it come to encountering any of the surviving Garrison, the Imperials were only given one brief second to place their hands in the air otherwise they would be swiftly gunned down. Those who move any muscle outside of their shoulders being raised up or attempt to shout were swiftly gunned down.

However even with the UFEAF's efficiency, there were cracks that the sly defenders of Little Hill managed to slip through thanks to their tenacity and relative homefield advantage in being inside the tunnel. Several UFEAF were injured and worse killed by the conniving ambushes and traps that littered the Underground. Those casualtie were being quickly siphoned out of the Underground thanks to the assisting Rear Echelons of the 9th Artillery Company where they were given immediate medical attention (with Healing Prayers from Aliathra to boot). Even though Samantha knew the procedure must be as slow and risk-averse as possible, she knew that the longer they dally the more opportunities the Battlemages can use their magicks with their Altar of Telin.

"They are flanking us! Hurry!" a low voice echoed the dreary corridors.

It slowly became apparent that the survivors holed up inside these first two floors of the Underground were slowly realizing that their defenses were slowly being unthreaded. But Samantha and her brave team did not care. They will purge this Fortress of all of its power one way or the other. As the Captain progressed through the dungeon, Samantha slowly began to push herself faster impetuously clearing the rooms as she goes catching even the tempo-intense Crocker out of breath too. She weaved through the Imperial Defenses with terrifying speeds, eliminating whatever came her way with rifle and sorcery, her power blending the Federation's bleeding edge technology harmonizing with Gliesian Magicks truly exemplifying the 'Share' word on her Chosen One's namesake title.

"Clearing everything now. Status report?" Samantha radioed.

"We are entering into…AAH!" Iris responded to the call but mid-sentence she screamed.

"Iris!?" Samantha cried.

"Samantha! C-captain! We are in some kind of… Paralysis… Hold Person…" Iris alarmingly updated. "Let go of me! Let go of him!"

"If you can hear me Rhannu-Prietar through this magic stick, if you want to save your Sochairfuil Master and your demonic minions, come here and yield to us." an imperial mage provokes

Samantha's pulse rocketed upon hearing the Vampire Witch and her Team being ensnared, Iris' additional cries set off an impetuous cocktail of adrenaline into the Captain's buoyant head. She could not bare to see more of her men die, get injured or worse today. Not while she can help it.

"Slow down Captain!" Crocker shouted, trying to reach out for her. "There goin'to try'ta capture you again!"

"I can't just leave them there! They will kill Iris, Kayin and the others if I don't…" she protested as she continued to Dash towards Iris' last known position.

"Samantha! Don't come closer you gallant twat… I… I… can…" Iris tried to speak but her mouth was muffled by her Imperial Captors.

"Shut up Vampire! When I am done killing your Shadow Familiar, I will personally burn you alive with my Holy Magicks!" he laughed tauntingly as he aimed his Magical Wand threateningly to Kayin.

Iris gnashed her fangs together as she forced her will off of the spell's enslaving effects, managing to regain minimal articulation of her right hand. It wasn't the first time she was caught in such a dire predicament, and she will be damned if her powers would fail her now.

"Iris!" Samantha yelled out into the distance as Samantha, now gaining visual of her Captive men, charged headlong with her FBR-H-20 Rifle on hand.

"Don't come any closer!" Iris warned her. "There is…"

But the headstrong redhead did not listen. Unknown to her, a few moments ago, Iris Kayin and an additional amount of five men were busy attempting to defuse a rather complicated framework of a set of booby traps around this chamber of Little Hill's Dungeon. Iris was busy at work attempting to defuse the Traps when Samantha's radio call unintentionally broke her focus, setting off a Magical Rune that cursed Iris and her UFE companions with a higher-powered Hold Person spell that ensnared them in its confining embrace. And that was not accounting the other Magical Runes of still indiscernible payload albeit their trigger was pressure-point based.

When Samantha's foot unknowingly stepped on the Rune's hidden triggering inscription, a great burst of flames burst forth below the feet of the five other UFEAF Soldiers, immolating them and with the Hold Person spell trapping them in place they became like skewers of meat that stood there as the inferno engulfed their bodies killing them. All Samantha could do, was revile in horror as the fire burned her men, leaving her vulnerable for one of the awaiting Imperial Mages to restrain her with a casted Hold Person spell.

"We have you now Share-Holder! Fear not, we shall free you from this harlot's bewitching spell." A very rugged Imperial Mage emerged from the shadows announced himself, his hands luminously powering up to prepare his Magical Spell.

"All together, we must combine our Magicks to free her mind from their grasps." Another Mage emerged followed by about ten more of them and an escort of equally grizzled Imperial Legionnaires and Dwarven Warriors.

"Relona Maxima!" they shouted in unison, their Magicks encompassing Samantha in radiant silvery light.

The only good thing about her status, in regards to the dangers of fighting against the Imperials and the rest of the Alliance soldiers is that they will go out of their way, if they could, to capture her alive and 'revert' her back to 'the side of Good', much to the Federations humor and annoyance. Yet try as they might pouring their Magicks onto Captain Rose, the native mages simply could not break the 'tough' enthrallment that was 'placed' upon the Share-Holder.

"Let me go! I will never join you!" Samantha growled.

"By the Gods! Our Disenchanting rituals on her is not enough to break. We need to bring her back to Haringpoint so that the Grandmaster Owyne and the rest of the college might find a way to save the Share-Holder from the hold of the Demon Invaders." One Mage cursed.

"Maybe we just need to go after the source itself." Another proposed. "Dispose of the Vampire and her Shadow Familiar!" he pointed to Iris and Kayin.

"I won't let you shitheads take me or get your claws on them!" Samantha continues to growl at them as she struggles to break free from the Hold Person spell.

"I am sorry Chosen One but for your own sake, we have to dispose these despicable Monsters that enthralling you. You cannot see for what they really are but they are Monsters, you have to believe us and you will when we are done here. Any last words before I pass righteous judgment on these… Creatures?" a Dwarven Ever-Beard brandishes his Actocolite Axe, its blade gleaming sharply from the faintest of torchlight. "I always dreamed of wiping that smug looks Vampires have." The Dwarf grinned.

If Samantha could move, she would actually whimper disconsolately dejected by the crisis before her. Two of her squad mates, her friends, her teachers and peers will be ritualistically executed before her olive-shaded eyes.

"Well keep dreaming stunty!" Iris roared.

The Vampire witch's hands regained full articulation, allowing her to swiftly dispel the rest of her body from the paralyzing Hold Person spell. She quickly drew her Astro-Magnum Pistol and discharged the head of the closest Imperial Mage, striking him dead in a gory explosion of viscera.

The Dwarf raised his axe in attempt to slay her quickly, but Iris' superior reflexes initiated the first and only contact she needed, her wolverine-like claws slashing through the Ever-Beard's exposed face, his head falling off of his body in multiple thick slices. Before even one of the Imperials could even shriek, call or say even a word, Iris, as if possessed fully by her bloodlust began to tore through… Nay… Eviscerated the Alliance Soldiers with blinding speeds. Before even half of a half of a minute had passed, the room lay quiet, blood splattered charitably into the ground with only Kayin, Samantha and a finger licking Iris being the only living people left inside the chamber.

"Kayin!" Iris exclaimed, her breath soothing in relief as she hurried to the Nigerian and quickly dispelled both his and the Captain's ensnares. The Vampire Witch and Stryder Combat Engineer shared a brief momentary embrace that both of them were still alive. Their amorous contact, liken to the Moon resting upon the dark blanket that was Night.

Samantha however, stares in distraught over the five dead UFEAF soldiers whose charred bodies lay on the ground. Five dead more, killed under her watch, this time through her own indirect actions. Her own hubris.

"Captain, we have time to mourn later. We need to shut off that Altar now." Kayin shook her out of it.

"Right… come on. Follow me, lets end this once and for all." She snapped back to reality, the next room they will enter shall be the last one. And that, no more of her or any other men would be at risk of dying… at least for today.

"Sargeant Buchanan, we have five… men down… bring Body Bags…" Samantha radioed, torturously grabbing the five men's Dog Tags from their corpses, their metal surfaces still burning in heat by the traps previous flames.

Iris, Kayin and the Captain soon regrouped with Crocker and the Rest of the Tunnel Ratting teams as they prepared to breach the last room on the floor, the Arcanaeum. Guarding the entrance was runic symbolisms that glowed a faint blue light that Samantha intrinsically salivated at the thought of seeing those strange engravings.

"The door is sealed with Magicks! Karliah, Aliathra dispel it and flash'em." Crocker ordered.

"How many are we looking at?" Samantha asked.

"Snake Cam says we got just 6 people inside. Four mages operating the Altar and two Imperial Foots. They are about to fire the Altar again." Crocker answered hurryingly.

"The Magicks has been dispelled." Aliathra informs the Sargeant.

"Count of three." Samantha rallies everyone on her mark, preparing her Flashbang Grenade on her hands.

"One…Two…Three!" the Captain shouts.

Crocker opened the creaked the door open allowing Samantha and the UFEAF to toss flashbangs into the room. Once they detonated a second later, the UFEAF Soldiers stormed the room, quickly dispatching the two Foot Soldiers before turning to the Imperial Mages manning the Altar.

The Magical Artifact was quite opulently designed, it had several telescopic lenses, a chamber to hold a Mana Crystal on the bottom of it in a receptacle where one Mage is using its powers within a heavy stone like object to cast his spells whilst the telescopic lens enhanced the range and maintains the power of said spellcasting. Meanwhile another mage by the Caster's side uses a crystalline mirror ball that allows her to scry through divinely above her surroundings in order to operate the aiming mechanisms of the Altar. Meanwhile two other Mages assisted them in moving the Altar of Telin, that rested upon a circular gyro-mechanism and also loading fresh new Mana Crystals when the time is needed to reload it. This was, as Samantha can discern from her own experience, very much like a Artillery Piece with a person manning the trigger, another aiming the sights, and another more loading the Cannon with its ammunition. All of this wrapped appropriately with a the glowing white symbol of Telin the God of Magic: an eight-rayed star with a halo encompassing around its arms.

The UFEAF soldiers wasted no time gunning down these last four Mages whose bodies fell upon the invisible smites of their rimless and bottlenecked cartridges.

"Clear!" Samantha declared as the men were set at ease.

"We did it. We got ourselves an Altar of Telin." Crocker cracked a proud smile at his face as he marveled over the Arcane Object.

"Indeed, your Magus… or… Dock-ter Mahelona will be pleased to have this in his Study." Karliah nodded.

"This is C-Ca-Captain Rose, Arcanaeum is secured, repeat the Altar of Telin has been neutralized. Commence SSE." Samantha radioed.

"Rodger that Samantha. You saved a lot of lives today." Sargent Buchanan replied gratefully back.

Captain Rose sighed, exhaling in relief at finally being able to rest herself easy after a long day of offensive pushes deep into the heart the Empire's lands. She cannot wait to have a good 6-8 hours of sleep and a warm MRE meal of Spaghetti Bolognese to recuperate her weary self. Today had been a long haul.

Stryder Group and their 9th Artillery Company companions returned to the surface of Little Hill where several of the Rear Echelon and Assault Engineer briefly congratulated them on a job well done while paying a moment of respectful silence for those who paid the ultimate price of eliminating the Altar of Telin that Crocker, Diaz and Kayin hauled over to the surface. Samantha looked away from the body bags in shame whilst she tried to hide her guilty visage with a stoic façade. Before long, the Rear Echelons of the 9th Artillery Company returned to work, reassured of their safety now they no longer have to scramble away from any spontaneously appearing conjurations of Destructive Magicks to harass them.

Sargent Buchanan was kind enough to offer a night rest on 9th Artillery's hastily erected tents used as a Barracks for Stryder Group to rest themselves for some very much needed R&R. There were just a few loose ends and a few casual words left to speak of before the Squad retired for a warm thermal blanket.

"Samantha, a word?" Iris approached her, fists clenched. "Those five men… I could have easily dispelled their enchantments if you didn't trigger that Fire Rune." She reprimanded her.

"I know… I-it was… my fault…" Samantha covered her face in shame not daring to look at Iris over her mistake, her five-men tragedy of impulsiveness, whose ghosts will now haunt her memories forever.

"Of course, it was your fault Sam! Why by the Gods would you charge in like that? I could have easily fended those Imperials off!" Iris shouted.

"I—I just… didn't… I just didn't want to see… I couldn't bear to see any of you guys getting hurt… I… wanted to… protect all of you… shield you… with myself and my powers…" Samantha confessed.

"Oh Samantha, do you not trust me? I trusted you and the Federation with my life being here and helping you and Stryder out." Iris sulked. "The least you could do is return that same trust back to me."

"Iris is right Captain." Clay backed her up. "You have been pushing yourself too hard as of late. You need to learn to trust us all. Your only one woman and there's like… seven of us. We won't be here if we needed to be babysat all the time."

"But I don't want to lose any of you. Especially you Iris! You are all my friends here. Those Imperials earlier could have easily killed you and Kayin. I can't bear it losing you!" Samantha cried out.

The Vampire Witch dashed towards Samantha and gave her a swift slap on her cheek, causing the Captain to recoil from the sharp pain that the feisty Sorceress inflicted upon her.

"Can your dolcop of a head of yours listen to me again Sam! Do not be so selfish like that again! You think you are the only one who experienced the pain of losing someone close? Do not forget you are my friend and friends trust each other!" Iris exclaimed. "It is painful for me and the rest of the Stryder to nearly lose you to the enemy too! So stop being a selfish ole'fool!"

"Iris that's enough." Kayin intervened, his muscular arm defining a clear border between Iris and Samantha.

The Captain, shedded a singular tear before turning back to the Vampire Witch… smiling:

"T-thank you Iris. Thank you for showing me that I was indeed being a 'selfish ole'fool'. I promise you and the squad that this won't happen again. I will trust you guys more." Samantha nodded.

"You better be Captain, Iris' assault on a superior commander aside… remind me to write that off is right. That kind of behavior of yours can get you killed… trust me you're not the first person I met who acted like you… and yes… of course he's dead." Crocker shared his piece.

"Tomorrow is a new day alright everyone? Let's just rest up in these tents and get read for the next day. There's still a long road ahead of us." Kayin requested.

"Yeah… your right." Samantha yawned, stretching her arms out. "Sometimes, we just need a good night sleep."

"I gotta pee first…" Diaz raised his hand. "You wait for me in the tent later sweetie you got that?" the Corpo turned to Aliathra who was just beginning to loosen her garments, readying to let the night's cooling air to relax her weary body. The Elf smiled softly as she faded to into slumber.

"Captain, I got a call from the Colonel." Clay passed his radio to Samantha.

Grabbing the mic piece, Samantha readied herself to absorb the next bit of strong words from her Superior.

"Captain Rose, sitrep from Vercourt. They just took the Town Hall and our Flag is waving atop of the Centre. Our side of Operation Haymaker is preceding… quite frankly ahead of schedule." Polonsky enthusiastically reported.

"That's gre—Affirmative I mean sir… sorry I am just tired. It's such a late call right now." Samantha apologized.

"I knew you could eliminate those Magic attacks within the day and also capture that Altar of Telin. Doctor Mahelona would be happy to get his hands on it when we ship them out. Ashamed really we lost some good men in that adventure… but alas there is no such things as a casualty-less war." Polonsky's tone lowered. "But those aside, with Little Hill and Vercourt now ours, the entire Imperial Legion and their Alliance of the Light are left in disarray within the region. Our Reconnaissance Aircraft says that it is virtually a clear road between us and Neugonia." Polonsky said.

"That is great! Anything else I need to know." Samantha asked.

"You will have to report back to your company tomorrow and you will be called in on occasion to get rid off any Magical traps that could threaten our advances but intelligence suggests we just broke through the worst of them. Have your team get some good nights rest and good meal because tomorrow noon the advancement will continue. To Neugonia! Shield-Father out." Polonsky gave his farewell as the radio feed was cut off.

"Looks like this war will be as soon as it began." Samantha looks onto Clay.

"Yeah… I hope so Captain… I hope so." Clay nodded back. "Good night Captain Rose." He said before retiring to bed.

"Good night too Clay… Sargent Clay." Samantha gave her adieu, stating Edward's new title.

-----------------

"Ravens Coo… Coo?" Diaz called out his secret challenge phrase.

His initial excuse of needing to excrete his liquid wastes was just a deception. The Corpo finds himself behind the backlines of the Rear Echelons hidden in a secretive meeting point near where one of Aparo Corporation's PMC Camps established themselves in, away from prying eyes and curious ears.

"The Raven does not say Coo-Coo." A voice responded; it was the correct response to that challenge phrase. "Raven Company, Private Military Contractors reporting, how may we be of service again to Aparo Corp?" a PMC emerged from the shadows holding a briefcase on his right hand. He represents one of the numerous private interests of the Pacification Campaign, by proxy, Aparo Corporation in Gliesia.

"Have you dealt with the Bodies of the Magic Users?" Diaz asked.

"Yep Bagged and stowed away as ordered. I assure you my men will make sure nobody will miss them when there gone. But, Dare-Runner? Doctor Sforza explicitly demanded 'Live' specimens." The PMC said.

"Tell the good doctor that I am still working on it. She will need to suffice with corpses for now… for her… study." Diaz weaseled his words.

"Outside of Don Aparo Dare-Runer, Doctor Sforza is the second person we should not be disappointing with." The PMC reminded him.

"I know… I know… I just need more time." Diaz sighed. "Just tell her this, when Haringpoint is captured I will make sure that this time, Doctor Sforza gets her 'specimens." Diaz promised.

"And let the Silverbacks get all the glory?" the PMC crossed his arms frustratingly at him.

"Me and Bobby will pull some strings so I can get you lads inside Haringpoint when we hit the fireworks yeah? Just keep pushing those 'materials' out on your 'Research Exports' and you'll get your bonuses on your upcoming checks you got that?" Diaz reminded the PMC of his 'extrajudicial' Job in Gliesia.

"Of course. Now… do you have the samples?" the PMC asked.

The Corpo reached out into his pockets and gave him three plastic vials of a crimson substance to the Mercenary. They were labeled 'Aliathra', 'Iris', and 'Samantha'.

"I barely managed to get these out of the Lab. Now be sure to tell Doctor Sforza this is the ONLY samples I can nab for her from those Government Nerds. For I CANNOT do that again." Diaz sternly bared his teeth. "Now… the new item?"

"For one smuggle to another." The PMC smiled as he opened the briefcase.

Pulling out from its soft cushions, a curved shaped sword, sheathed with a trigger-shaped hilt. It was something that he wanted to get his hands on from Bobby the very moment the blade was ready for delivery when the new shipment of Actocolite compounds arrived on Aparo Corps' new Metalworks, the first of its level of industrial prowess and refinement in Gliesia.

"As fast… no… faster than any eyes can see. Bobby said that." The PMC bowed.

"Beautiful." Diaz smiled as he unsheathed his new High Frequency Acto-Titanium alloy Katana. He can feel the whirr of the violently shaking alloys thirsting for it to be used as the Mayari moon glinted on its cerul