The next morning, the news of Adders being evicted from the crown reached the ears of Ducan through the pigeon. His butler read the letter, "Although the Templers failed to capture the Adder siblings, the Temple has successfully seized the crown from the heretic King and princess. By the decision of Congregation, the Lord has mandated Ducan Goldfield, the Duke of Rode, as the caretaker of the crown until the coronation."

"Tsk* those pests got away, huh?" The Duke said frustratedly but he was satisfied with the result that he would finally be sitting on the purple throne. He couldn't wait for a moment so he decided to go right away. He told his butler to ready his carriage. The butler asked who would he leave in charge of Rode. He recommended Adam Goldfield, his oldest nephew. Adam was a successful lord, owning many businesses himself. The butler thought a reputable lord like Adams would be a good fit for the seat of Gambit. Ducan had another thought. He feared a powerful lord like Adams would take Gambit and Rode region for himself the moment he went to Midlake. Adams would be hard to control. He chose his distant nephew Mandy to take his seat. Mandy was Maria's father and a mediocre lord. A black sheep in the Goldfield family. Ducan felt a coward like Mandy would never dare to go against him.

"There is another item to discuss, your Grace. Easton has called for reinforcement. Our spy reported that more than thirty ships are coming from Indra as we speak. There may be more." The butler gave him the alarming news.

"God damnit." Ducan cursed. He had no choice but to stay longer in Gambit to call his bannermen. He told his butler to travel to Crown City before him and establish the rooms. The butler asked, "What about 'the' cargo? I shall leave it behind." He meant Leila. He assumed his lord would need his favourite doll by his side during the most stressful time. Ducan said no. "Take her with you. Let her choose any room she desires. ... And tell her I will be joining soon so she won't feel lonely."

Meanwhile, somewhere in the mountain near the crown city, Cleo joined Louise's group again. She was dead worried about her brother being with Maria. So, when she saw him again unharmed, she hugged him in tears. Maria stared at her like what was wrong with her.

After two days, the sentries around Midlake City dropped significantly. They had no soldiers to spare to be idling and inspecting the commuters when there was a war coming from both East and West. Banners were raised across Midland to prepare for war.

Cleo used that as a chance to join her private army in the desert. She left the entire unit of the loyal king's guards at the mountain so that when she retook the Midlake from the south, they could intercept any reinforcement coming from the north and east. Only Cleo, Louise, Maria and Luther travelled to the desert. Arthur was left behind because of the injury and also to command the station.

They rushed to the desert. They did not have much time but had so many to do. Their initial plan was to raise an army in Midlake and use the wars in the east and the west as distractions to disperse the forces of Temple while they seized the Grand Temple in Gambit. Since the crown was the ally of the Emperor of Indra, they would have no problem in the East. As soon as they defeated lord Mordu' and Temple, the imperial armies of the east would return home. All they needed to do was to march to the west and defeat Claudian forces at the Fork.

However, their initial plan was swayed greatly when they were kicked out of Midlake. They did not have enough manpower to siege the Gambit without the army from Midlake. The Revenant was a small special private force to counter the Templers when they attacked the Grand Temple; not the force to seize a walled city. They had to retake the crown before they proceeded with their plan. Or everything would be nought.

"Oh, Clara... I mean your highness. Have you arrived? It is a shame you miss the feast. I shall prepare the bath and bed." The Madame of Indran welcomed Cleo humbly. She got up from her seat and gave it to Cleo in respect. She suspected that Clara had a connection with someone powerful since the day Clara bought the book of Sahel with a huge sum of coins. But she didn't expect Clara to be a very powerful person herself.

"We don't have time to sit and rest. We need to go to the desert now. Is Jonah here?" Cleo asked. She was in a rush. Before the ships from Indra showed up at the shores of Easton, she had to prepare her troops at Imba to be able to siege a town.

Madame replied that Jonah wasn't at Imba at the moment but he might be coming the next day since it would be the fourth day of the week. "But if you are in a rush, I can prepare a guide from Imba. He isn't as good as Jonah but you will be fine even if you encounter some monsters, right?"

Cleo nodded but Louise and Maria weren't as sure as her.

Madame glanced at the couple cowering behind Cleo. She had never met Louise but she was observant enough to notice that the young man might be the king. When she bowed to him, Louise didn't bow but reacted like a king until Cleo coughed to remind him to act like an average man. 'Something is wrong' Madame noted, for a king to be outside the city in disguise. As soon as Cleo and Louise left for the desert, she told her spy to investigate the matter immediately.

It was already the third day that the crown was seized by Temple. However, the Temple didn't let the news travel outside Midlake yet. They didn't want the public to panic and distrust the Temple for seizing the crown. The war was coming and they needed support as much as possible from the public.

It was daytime so the scorching sun and blazing sand burned their body and feet alike. There was no camel left for them. Everyone in Indran took the camels to join the celebration in the desert. Maria complained about the heat and the sweat the whole time along the way. She thought she was sent to the inferno for defying Lord Mordu'. Luther was fine even though it was his first time. Louise wasn't but he pretended to be to look cool in front of Maria.

By the time they reached Imba, the sun had set and the heat subsided. Maria lost it when she found out they could travel at night when the temperature dropped. She wouldn't be slimy in sweat or covered in sunburn, then. She swore at Cleo silently.

When they reached the camp, everyone was drunk, and not in the mood to work or train. Cleo approached Jonah, the leader of the camp. Even he was out of commission. Annoyed and frustrated by them, she went up the bell tower and rang it hard. "Get up!! We are under attack!" She shouted.

Only when the striking sound from the bell entered their eardrums, did they wake from their daydreams and rush to their premeditated positions. Some lost their sense of direction. Some wobbled. Some hit with each other on their way. Cleo saw a complete mess from above. She sighed dejectedly.

Cleo kicked Gura in the shin and put some sense back to him when he came out tightening his trousers from his bedroom. A woman was still lying on his bed. "Mr Gura. Why are you not in armour yet? You are in charge of defence. How will you command the defence when you can't be in armour within minutes? The enemy might have already reached the gate when you finish wearing your armour."

Gura lowered his head in shame. He had no excuse.

"Where is Ethan?" Cleo asked. She didn't see him anywhere. He can't be sleeping in the room with a woman like Gura, can he? For a moment, the thought heavied her heart. Only when Gura explained that Ethan went out to the desert to fight the monsters as training, she was relieved. She saw him come running with a worried face from afar. She smiled contently. At least there was one person she could rely on.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Cleo ordered her men to refresh themselves immediately and be ready for anything. She figured the Temple might be attacking the desert soon. "They may not notice the desert is the revenant base. But they have known for a while that fugitives and dissidents camp in the desert. They might try to obliterate any possible opposition before the war. We must be ready." She debriefed her Revenant members. She also introduced Luther to them as the new consultant.

"We will also set up new defensive perimeters. Mr.Gura, I want you to cooperate with Luther on that matter. Meanwhile, Abel and I will go to the shore and retrieve the cargo with a small team."

Cleo rushed everyone as soon as she reached the camp. She also pushed herself to go on another journey without getting any rest. She ordered a new weapon from the western continent and it was bound to be at the shore. "Tonight, right?" She asked Abel. Abel nodded. They told her to rest at the camp but Cleo insisted.

The moon was high and it was a cold midnight but a group of people and camels travelled across the white dunes on a mission. Ethan, Dovos and Igüan were forced to go along with Jonah, Abel and Cleo. Dovos massaged his head hoping to ease the headache. Igüan rubbed his belly to relieve heartburn. Jonah slapped himself in a desperate attempt to refresh himself. Abel closed her mouth tight with her hand so as not to puke at every step. "I shouldn't have drunk that much," said Abel regretfully. Ethan and Cleo were the only ones sober. Cleo scolded Abel on the way for forgetting to retrieve the cargo. If she wasn't in the camp, Abel might have completely forgotten. Abel couldn't give any excuse. She was the one who let the men party for two days and forgot the appointment.

"Why are we travelling at night? Can't we go tomorrow morning?" Dovos complained. He believed it was better to travel the next morning when they all would be sober. It would be safer too. Currently, they might not be able to fight properly if they were to encounter any monsters. "We might die." He continued.

"No. We must go now. The appointment is tonight. This is not the port so if they don't see us on the shore, they will sail away without dropping the cargoes." Cleo explained.

Igüan asked why they didn't make an appointment at the port. Then, they wouldn't need to go in a rush. The ship would drop off the cargo and the workers would store the cargo safely inside the warehouses until they came to pick it up. "It would be easier," said Igüan. He was proud of himself to be able to come up with a better plan or so he thought.

He was immediately shut down by Abel who swore at him for being a dumbass. "We are fugitive organizations. We will be arrested immediately if we go to the port. Are you that dumb?" She yelled at him.

After being scolded by Abel, Igüan was silent completely.

The night got deeper but the group of people still couldn't sleep or rest like others. "This is the last hill," said Jonah to encourage his men. Jonah went up the hill first. "Pass this dune and you shall see one of the marvels this world offers," shouted Jonah while extending his arms to the fullest as he took a refreshing breath. "Behold! The beauty of nature!" The others also followed him in short. They all could hear the sounds of waves crashing to the shore. As soon as they reached the top, they extended their arms just like Jonah and took a refreshing sea breeze into their lungs. Although the desert was as cold as chilling their bones, the sea breeze was warmer than they expected. Ethan remembered the sea was cooler than inland in Easton but here, it was warmer. What a strange phenomenon, he concluded.

Dovos quickly ran down the hill, and so did the rest. But Igüan stopped Abel on her track and said, "Wait, Miss Abel. I have a better way to get down there." He pointed to his shield. Abel understood immediately. She smiled happily as she took the shield from Igüan and sat on it like a sleigh. When Igüan gently pushed her from behind, the shield swiftly went down the hill like an eagle. "Kyaa!!" Abel screamed happily as she passed over the others who went down first. She reached the bottom first. "Yay! I win." She boasted like a child.

They waited on the white sandy shore for the ship. As soon as Dovos lay down on the beach, he fell asleep. Ethan and Cleo also sat down and took a rest while Jonah wandered near the shore in search of some coconut trees. Igüan and Abel didn't rest. They rode on the shield alternatively.

Soon, Ethan saw a flickering light at the sea. He notified Cleo. "Tat tat...tat... Tat tat." Cleo returned the signal. Two Rowboats were dropped and docked at the shore. And it was the first time Ethan had ever seen the most hideous-looking man in his life. His face was powdered with white while his cheeks were red, and so were his lips. His white hairs were curled up like rolls of paper. His fingernail was long only on his right index finger. How would he write Ethan wondered?

"What makes him think he looks cool in that ridiculous outfit?" Igüan mumbled to Abel. Abel concurred. Everyone had the same thought.

The sailors loaded the crates off the boats and opened one.

"There are only two crates here. Where are the rest? I ordered six." Cleo told the strange man. He yawned and nonchalantly replied, "They are heavy. You expect me to carry all six when you haven't shown me the money yet?"

Cleo called Abel to the front. Abel ran to her with a camel carrying a box of gold bars. Even under the dim moonlight, the gold bars were shining brightly. The strange man smiled like the most greedy person. He signalled his men to drop the rest with his index finger.

Cleo picked up one weapon from the crate. It was a metal stick with a wooden club. Why did she pay a ridiculous amount for such ridiculous weapons from the ridiculous man, the rest wondered. And why was she grabbing it from the club, not the handle? But Cleo seemed like she knew what she was doing so they watched her silently.

She put some black powder into the metal pipe, then a metal ball. She aimed it toward a coconut Jonah brought. A sailor approached to light the fuse for her but she stopped him. She had another idea. She handed the weapon over to Abel. Abel was flustered. She didn't know what to do with the metal stick. As a non-combatant, she had never wielded a weapon before. Cleo smiled and assured her. "Just follow my instructions." She taught her the stance and told her not to let it go at any time. The sailor lit the fuse. The fire spread from the match to the fuse and little sparks appeared. When sparks went into the wooden club, a thunderous clap soared across the shore with a big spark from the metal tip. Instinctively Ethan, Dovos, Igüan and Jonah couched on the shore like cowards when they heard the monstrous sound. The coconut was shattered into pieces.

"Woah!!" As the wielder of the new monstrous weapon, Abel shouted excitedly. She had never felt this powerful before. Cleo smiled contently, "This is the power of the new age. The firearm. It can pierce even the thickest armour of the Templers. With this, even the non-combatant can fight the Templers now."

The team returned to their desert camp after the deal went well. With the collection of new powerful weapons, they were confident that they could stand against the ever-powerful Temple. The excitement lightened their feet and widened their eyes so that they no longer felt sleepy or tired. They wanted to show it to their comrades at the camp as soon as they could.

However, when climbed up the last dune near their camp, they saw their little paradise turned into ruin.