“The campaign in Elies in approaching its final stages. Lieutenant General Charles Stanford said taking Havcristen is key to securing the region. The city being a staging ground to strike the last remaining position the Empire controls. It is believed that taking the Elies region will clearly cut the Empire into two.”– SCNR News – Jessica Moore

***

--- Havcristen, The Greater Elies Region ---

October 22nd, 2025

Rory Mercury jumps from the rooftop and lands on the next building. As she runs, she can see her favorite team, Vanguard-7 battling down below.

For a moment she thought they were in trouble as these enemy soldiers storm out of the buildings around them.

But the team leader Major Sharpe reacted quickly enough and had his unit engage before they were swarmed. They formed a tight circle and cleared out that street.

She has always been impressed by how good of a soldier he is. While he is not the strongest, she has ever seen or the smartest she has ever seen.

What she likes about him is how strong will he is, leading upfront by example. Not many in the Empire would do that. He always presents himself confident during a battle and everything he said is well throughout, like speaking with experience.

The only downside she sees is that being a good Soldier has not fully translated into a confident person outside the battlefield. She has noticed the difference; on the field he is confident while back in Alnus he hesitant more.

Looking ahead she sees this formation of troops.

She smirks and jumps into the girl, doing a twirl in the air.

She lands right on top of the Imperialist's shields crushing them down to the ground.

"Hi boys." She said in a sadistic voice.

With one strong swing with her halberd, she slices eight men down with a single stroke.

The surviving men break formation, fearing for their lives.

"Rory, what are you doing? You… you should be helping the people of this world?" This man said, crawling backward.

She sees him and can see he is the unit leader. She could not help but smirk. "Oh, I love it when the big strong man begs for his life."

She walks over to him and raises her halberd. As she gets closer, she can see the fear in his eyes. And a moment later the life in his eyes disappears.

---

The Minotaur rams through the last wall and runs into the street where Vanguard-7 is.

Lelei turns around and sees this. Her eyes widen seeing a new threat, it is not just the Minotaur, it looks like thirty legionnaires right behind the beast.

"Bring me their heads!" The Minotaur demands with a roar.

"Rangers! Contact left! Fan out and suppressive fire," Sharpe orders.

She looks to him and sees him moving around, directing the team to the new threat.

The Rangers reposition themselves and move back to give themselves some room.

She takes her staff and swings it to the side. She chats a spell and this cart to her side begins hovering. She then swings her staff towards the beast. The chart flies forward and hits it.

The cart shatters into dozens of pieces.

She looks up to the Minotaur and notices that the cart did not do anything. "Bad idea."

The beast gets angry and looks down at her.

"Lelei! Clear out!" Sharpe yells.

She then feels Sharpe tackle her onto the ground. His hand holds her head down.

"Fire in the hole!" Frost yells.

This grenade from his M320(1) grenade launcher is fired from his attachment and hits the Minotaur. The beast blows up.

After the frag explosion, she stands up and is pulled by Sharpe back to the Ranger line.

"Are you ok?" Sharpe asked as he brings her by Scott and Alicia's side.

She nods her head and looks at him. She smiles at him. "I am fine sir. Just used the wrong spell."

He pats her on the shoulder. "All good kid. Can you push them back?"

"Yes, sir," She stands up and looks around.

She sees the Rangers firing at the Empire soldiers who are advancing. Even though their bullets are tearing through the enemy soldiers, it just seems to be an unlimited number of them.

"Lelei, sonic blast there and there," Sharpe orders.

She looks at him and then at the Empire force. She points her staff and closes her eyes. She then opens them, and this blue energy glow comes out of her eyes as her staff powers up.

Unlike in the past, she tried to use all her strength to use her spells in one giant blast. She was not confident that the spell would work any other way. When Sharpe took her out and helped her learn to do smaller spells. He helped her focus on what she has learned and now it is easier to control.

In moments, she firs two small sonic blasts, pushing back the first two rows of the Imperialist rows. Seeing that and seeing the number of their comrades die, they start to fall back.

---

Sharpe pats Lelei on the shoulder again. "Nice job."

She looks at him and smiles. "Thank you, sir."

"Sir, this is Corporal Steele. I see where that attack came from. There seems to be a base in that direction. They are regrouping."

Both Steele and Tuka are in an elevated position to give his team cover and to act as spotters.

He looks at the situation and seeing what remains of the enemy force. He sees the chance to put pressure on the enemy.

"Alicia, tell Major Bronston we found the enemy and engaging. Requesting support." He said and looked to everyone else. "Rangers, engage."

Ordering that, he runs through the destroyed wall, making sure they do not get out of his sights.

"Rory. We are heading south. I want you to hit their position from the east." He orders.

"Ok big daddy," Rory replied in a cheeky voice.

Hearing her say that angers him. She said that over NW(2), right now which includes units outside his team. "Rory, it is Major."

"Everyone else, line up behind me. We’re going right in."

When they get to the end, there are dozens of Imperialist soldiers of all kinds.

That is when he sees a double line formation. The first line is on their knees and the second line right behind them. All have their bows and arrows point right in their direction.

"Lelei, counterblast now." He orders calmly.

"But you are in the…" Lelei was trying to say before he cuts her off.

"I said now!" He yells, not enjoying having to repeat himself.

He understands her hesitation, as always, he is upfront, leading the pack.

As the archer's fire, he feels this blast right behind him.

He intentionally drops to his back, sliding forward, carried by the blast.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

All the arrows were deflected by her blast.

He stops sliding and ends up right next to the enemy position.

He tried to tube his ear as it rings. Soldiers on the field have noise-canceling devices to help prevent soldiers from losing their hearing. Even then, they were not designed to stop Lelei's magic.

Seeing this shadow, he looks up and realizes where he is at. He looks baffled at the sight as these two Imperialist soldiers staring at him. To his surprise, they both look just as baffled as they look down at him.

He then raises his rifle and shots on in the leg. He starts to back away as he sees he slides far father then he expected.

He hears this stomp sound right behind him. He notices the Imperialist soldiers begin to hesitate and back away a little.

He looks up and sees this black and red skirt. From the angle, get gets an embarrassing glance up. "Rory…?"

He sees her grab his vest and then she jumps backward.

After flying backward and landing on the ground.

"Thanks, Rory." He said as he looks up at her.

"You are not getting hurt again you silly... and..." She said as she knocks on his helmet. She was cut off the loud sounds from their left.

He notices his Ranger team to his left. It looked like they were waiting for him to get out of the firing line.

"Fire at Will!" Johnson orders.

All five rangers that were with him open fire into the Imperialist's staging ground.

He gets up and moves to his Rangers. "Scott, adjust fire two o'clock. William and Moore, eleven."

"Everyone gets down!" Randy suddenly yells.

A wave of arrows come flying down.

Most of the team can get down, with arrows scraping their helmets. Scott, however, gets an arrow right in the vest, now landing on his rear from the impact.

"Doc, go check him out," Sharpe said as he goes to William's position.

As William gets up to check on Scott, he looked around, wondering where all that came from. All he can see is the same soldiers he saw before. Looking closer, he then sees this taller creator behind the few formations, a one-eyed beast. A Cyclopes.

He looks to Lelei. "Anything I need to know about the cyclopes?"

"There is a Cyclopes here? Be careful, even with one eye they have excellent vision." Lelei said.

What she said makes no sense to him. It takes two eyes at least for the mind to see depth. But he is not going to question her wisdom now.

"Steele, Tuka, are you in position?" He asked as he sits up and fires his rifle.

"Yes, sir. It looks like reinforcements from the 101st assault." Steele replied.

"Roger, both of you keep me updated and take out a target of interests." He said back.

That explains the sudden reinforcements, but he wonders what they are doing way over here. He investigates his NW feed that is on the helmet to see where the 1st Cavalry Infantry troops are.

He sees a choice, fall back and risk the enemy escaping into a new position. Or hold out and destroying the main enemy force around Combat Outpost Serenity.

He sits up and points out to the enemy position. He is intently making sure he is out in the open, to show confidence in the situation.

"Rangers! Maintain fire superiority. Do not let up and let's rock them!" He yells as he fires his M4A1.

All his Rangers refocus and engage the Imperialist infantry. All forming a line and having their weapons go full auto. Even Scott and Jerry got back into the fight.

The first two lines of the enemy infantry collapse from being torn up in bullets, another thirty or forty replace them.

"Holy shit man! How many are there?" Frost asked as he reloads.

"Be happy their just in front of us," Alicia answers.

"Focus fire. Do not overlap your fire!" Randy orders.

He keeps giving encouraging his men, making sure they maintain proper fire support. Lelei is by his side, helping with her magic.

"Lelei, get behind me. Keep those arrows away, can't afford a lucky shot," He said.

The truth is he does not want a stray arrow to hit her. He has seen when she starts a spell, she ends up venerable, unable to move. He rather has her use him as a shield as she does her thing.

He looks back out and sees that Cyclopes standing behind cover. He can that it is carrying this long javelin.

The Cyclopes(3) throws it towards one of its Rangers. As it gets close Rory jumps in front of it and grabs it.

Another one of those Minotaur can be heard. Before anyone could react, this one bashes through his forces, just so it does not have to slow down.

"Tuka, take that son of a bitch out! Rory, spear that bastard!" He said over the NW.

Then this enhances arrow appears and goes right through the Cyclopes eye. With the Minotaur, Rory uses the javelin as the Minotaur gets close jump up and round the beast. Once she lands, she swings it around and trips it.

The Minotaur flies forward, forcing Randy and Scott to jump out of the way.

Rory rushes up and plants the javelin into the beast's head.

He looks back out and sees the walls being crushed behind the enemy formation. This M2 Bradley IFV creates a massive hole allowing dozens of 1st Cavalry soldiers to enter the fight.

Right behind the Vanguard team rushes another platoon of 1st Cavalry soldier. They get in line and reinforces the Ranger's position. With both units, they all open fire into the collapsing Imperialist position.

The Imperialist forces seem to not know what to do after they were flanked. Cut off from their reinforcements and nowhere to go, it did not take long to clean them up.

Once the fighting seems to be over, he lowers his rifle and looks around.

His Rangers seem to be all pumped up, excited that they with stranded a large force.

He then looks over to Rory as she walks up to him, having this wonderful smile she always has.

"Thank you for the…" He said before being slapped on the face. Of course, she withholds her true strength, but it still hurt. All he wanted to do was thank her for pulling him out of the line of fire.

"What was that for?" He asked, looking back at her.

"For looking up my skirt you pervert," Rory said. She turns around crossing her arms.

He stands there in complete disbelieve by that. He looks over and sees his unit watching, smirk and laughing.

He looks back at her and sees her smirking, glancing back at him.

"I…" He glances down trying to think this through. They all were in the middle of a fight; it was not intended. "Well, you should wear a skirt in combat."

"Are you really blaming a lady on what she wears? Is that really a justification for being a creep on your world?" She said in a cheeky tone and ends it with a wink.

He was about to respond but stops himself, seeing that there is no good way this conversation is going to go down.

"Apology accepted." She said with a giggle. She then points her figure up. "Because of this, I get to call you whatever I want for on now. All of us can… Big Daddy."

He stares at her, baffled on what just happened. He knows she is playing a game; he even enjoys playing her games too. He learned a long time ago she likes to dish it however she hates taking it. Right now, though he is just too tired and there are more important things in his mind to deal with.

He looks back at his unit and sees them enjoying the show. The firefight was a stressful moment.

He looks at Lelei, looking for any form of guidance. He just sees her shrug her shoulders.

Taking a deep breath. "Knock it off and roll out back to Combat Outpost Serenity."

---

Tuka walks up and sees Major Sharpe walking up. She smiles and waves to him, happy about the victory.

"Hello, Major Sharpe." She said in a cheerful voice.

He walks by, giving her a salute. "Good job." Then he walks away, heading to the street.

She looks at him as he walks away. She then looks at the other Rangers who are following. "What's wrong?"

"Rory trolled him hard," Alicia said, still laughing.

"He looks up her skirt during the fight," Lelei adds.

She looks back down to see Sharpe, she has this disguised expression on her face. She then looks back at Rory and Lelei. She never could imagine that Sharpe was just another disgusting man like she has run into in this world.

"Do not worry Tuka, there was no ill motive. Rory is just trolling him. Is that how you properly use that word? Trolling?" Lelei explains.

"Trolling?" She asked as she pictures this big troll that kills and eats people.

"Not that kind of troll. It is a joke world Americans say in their world. I think it means when two or more people are making fun of people in a mean way," Lelei said.

She looks at Lelei confused now, not fully understanding what is happening.

"You are thinking about it too hard Tuka. You have to play these games, so he doesn't end up like a brick again," Rory buts in.

"That is how Rory sees it. If you don't pick on him a bit, then he doesn't act human," Lelei said. "Follow me, I will explain everything."

"Ok… I am interested…. WAIT! Is it like that dwarf and elf people in that Ring movies? Who were they, Gimli and Legolas(4)? They hated each other but then became close friends who kept challenging each other?"

Rory stops and looks at Tuka. She thinks on that example and nods her head. "Yeah. I like that. We will get you up to speed. Us girls need to work together so we can harass him." She said with an evil laugh.

"Like the hotdogs," Lelei adds.

***

--- Combat Outpost Serenity, hours later ---

October 22nd, 2025

Major Sharpe walks outside and meets Colonel John Yang, the overall Ranger lead.

"Sir, thank you for coming on short notice," He asked.

"No problem Major. What is this mission you have?" Yang said.

"You got my report when we took this compound?" He asked.

Yang stands there and thinks. He is not trying to remember but how to properly say what he is thinking. "I already know where this is going, Major. It is best not to go looking for unnecessary trouble."

He knows what he means. He sent in a request about Krysist. He plans to use this facility to lure Krysist here into a trap.

When he learned that he is in the city, leading the defenses, that man has been all he can think about. His encounter at Fort Legrath showed him that Krysist should not be someone to be taken lightly. Just like the Cartel King Armando Carvallo in Mexico, he will not allow someone else to outsmart him and get his team killed.

Unlike in Mexico where his Delta unit was trying to hunt that man down, this time he wants to flush him out. Make a target so worthy where he could not ignore.

From what he took from Princess Pina's conversation, Krysist seems to want a challenge, a glories fight. Just like he once did in the arena, assuming the stories are true.

"You want Major General Stanford here to act as bait," Yang said in an unconvinced tone.

He understands his skeptical however he cannot think of a better target for Krysist. "I understand. I was careful in my mission request. He will not be in any danger.

Yang just looks at him, directly in the eyes. "Sharpe, don't you think you are going too far? Operation Squeeze Play is going well. Your team did a great job here. You guys took out a company-size force, clearing out this sector. Two more Combat Outposts are begin set up. Wouldn't it be better if we just wait and push them out? That will force him out of his hiding place."

"I thought of that sir. Any other person I would agree with but not him. I sent you a report on what the Princess said to me. Plus, my experience at Fort Legrath." He said.

"I know. I enjoyed reading the report that you wrote." Yang said with a chuckle.

He could not help himself but chuckle too. "Do not tell Sarah."

"I understand. Promise kept… for now." Yang responds. "Anyway, I understand that you think he is a threat. What do you think he is going to do?"

"I have no idea, sir. You serve in Afghanistan correct, walking into ambushes all the time. Anything can go wrong unless we take the proper actions in advance. He most likely has some ace up his sleeve. I rather not wait to see what he has planned and take care of the problem now." He said.

Sharpe does not like the idea of waiting when he knows his opponent is planning something. In his Delta Force days, a joking term always was flung around was they played four-D chess(5). Plans normally go out the door when you make contact with the enemy so you need to already plan on what the enemy might do.

"I see this is important to you. Are you sure there's no personal attachment to this?" Yang asked.

Yang wants to know if he is letting personal feelings cloud his judgment. He takes no offense to that, that is an important question when planning out a mission. Allowing personal issues to get good soldiers killed.

"No Colonel. All I want is to bring this guy down. Look, he is dangerous. I saw it in his eyes. It was clear as day." He responds.

He can see that he is going to say something.

"Colonel. He threatens to rape Rory and Lelei. He knows what they look like and unlike most of these imperialist bastards, he seems to be capable to put up a fight. There is a reason why the Imperial Army is fighting different in Elies then before." He said.

He can see that Yang is thinking about what he said. There is a moment of silence and he realizes he made it a bit personal. He is kicking himself for that.

"Ok. I still have some issues with your plan but let's head inside and figure this out. I see you are convinced that he needs to be taken out and I trust your judgment. Let's go inside Major and hammer this out." Yang said.