Starlight spiraled high above, a shimmering cascade drawn into an endless whirlpool. The Epliss Embers’ haze bled into the boundless glow of the cosmos, a fusion of misty fire and celestial radiance. Vertigo gripped her, swirling through her senses before dissolving into stillness. The sky settled, unveiling billions of winking lights piercing the velvet dark, the ember-haze threading through them like a whispered secret. A tranquil hush fell over everything, the universe pausing in quiet reverence.

  “So beautiful,” she murmured, her voice a soft echo in the void.

  Reaching toward the stars, she froze—her arm shimmered into view, an otherworldly blend of glowing green, yellow, and white. Concern flickered through her. “What is this? I… I have an arm?”

  Curiosity overtook her, and she twirled with delight, inspecting her luminous limbs. Mid-spin, she realized she wasn’t tethered to the ground—she was adrift, weightless in the vastness. “This… this feels… I know this. But how?”

  As she hovered, two radiant bugs blinked into existence beside her, their tiny forms pulsing with light—one a pure, gleaming white, the other a warm, flickering orange. She could see their hum, vibrations rippling through the air like delicate waves. “Hello,” she ventured, tentative yet awed.

  The glow bugs responded in unison, bobbing and weaving as if caught in a pyful dance. Her glowing arms shimmered and dissolved, transforming into twin orbs of light that mirrored the bugs’ brilliance. She joined their rhythm, swaying and spinning in a silent, cosmic waltz.

  Then, faint voices drifted up from below. Peering down, she glimpsed the Salva Pace, its stone walls aglow under the starlit haze. Guards paced the ramparts, but her gaze settled on three figures leaning against the wall: Ryder, Natilite, and—impossibly—herself, Assiaya.

  “It wasn’t a dream?”

  She descended, drawn toward the scene. There she y, her sleeping form cradled in her father’s p. As she drifted closer, Natilite’s hand shed out, swatting at her glowing presence. Startled, Assiaya darted back, her light pulsing with a surge of fear.

  From a safe distance, she hovered, watching. The muffled voices of the Valkyrie woman and Altaerrie man blurred into the night, their tones warm and light. Natilite’s ughter—a rare, angelic trill—cut through the haze. Assiaya’s gaze lingered on her sleeping self, nestled against Ryder. Drawn in again, she floated nearer, circling the Captain as he raised his drink. Her presence brushed against him, and the cup tipped, spshing liquid into the night.

  April 10th, 2068 (Military Calendar)

  Salva, the former Confederacy of Daru'uie

  Nevali Region, Aldrida, Agore

  *****

  Staring out from the balcony, Fvius-Elpidius Antius found the city beautiful. Throughout his military career, he had seen many towns. He could not pinpoint precisely what he found attractive, maybe because the war had only touched it, so it still had its innocence. It was not as rge as the megacities in Hispana, like New Eboracum, Allsari, or the capital city Matho, being below moderate. Still, he could tell there was history here—when Salva once had importance.

  He wondered if the ndmass added to the feeling of living. The tall mountains in the distance mixed with the ck of light pollution. While Nevali had always been in the center of Aldrida, it had been the least accessible because of the multiple treacherous mountain ranges. It was a pce forgotten by time, only seen as a buffer to the Kiriyaks and Vampires.

  "From what I understand, this region was once important," Antius said.

  "You are speaking about the Uristans Empire," ?lia said.

  The Capitaneus turned to his noble elf pyromancy battle mage, sitting by the firepce, reading a book, and ignoring the chaos in their room.

  "The what?" Antius asked.

  "You humans avoid any history that does not revolve around you," ?lia commented as she turned the page.

  "That is not true," Rutilus stated, chuckling. "We do not enjoy learning our own."

  ?lia closed her eyes in frustration before continuing reading her book, ignoring the Lat teammate. "It was a Vampire-Elf civilization that colpsed before your kind arrived in this world. The records state that a volcano erupted, which broke the Empire."

  "To this world?" Rosa said as she sat in the adjacent chair.

  "It is evident that the Lats came here from Altaerrie," ?lia said. "I believe we can turn the legend into history. Humans came from another world; the Thali'ean Fiefdom robbed the Orcs of their civilized status to promote the Lats as the next great people. It begs the question, what else is true?"

  The Luperca member of Horatius, Derion-Luciferus Warcw, stared at an MRE bag, attempting to figure out how to open it. "The Orcs have been bming the Lats and Elves forever. If they were truly destined to join the ranks of civilizations, then they would have done so by now."

  "I hate to agree with the furball, but he is correct," Vestalis said. "One incident cannot alter your trajectory that greatly."

  "History is defined by single moments," ?lia countered. "Such as the Bridge discovery."

  "Speaking of the Bridge," Rosa said. "Fvius, do you believe the Senator or Legate have known all along?"

  "I doubt it," Antius said. "The mannerism of how this mission was closer to a gamble than a greater scheme. The question is, will this benefit us?"

  "What do you mean?" Rosa asked.

  "What Antius means is that we should be cautious of our new Altaerrie allies," Canina said. "They might look like Lats, but that does not mean they are one of us."

  "But, why do you state that?" Rosa asked again. "They seem fine so far. Is it because they are different?"

  The pale Noble Elf woman turned the page of her book and responded, "Because Fvius does not trust them."

  "Can you bme him?" Derion said. "They are foreign."

  "Foreign, foreign," Rutilus said. "They are not even from our world. Forget the human element; they have nothing in common with anyone on Agore."

  "Especially these bag meals," Derion stated, struggling with another MRE.

  "Let me show you again," Vestalis said.

  ?lia Valhana closed her book, frustrated by the ongoing conversation. "Let me speak what is in the air. How is the Altaerrie not another Unity? A radical, different, powerful empire from another nd, storming our nds?"

  "That is the fear," Vestalis said. "But I will grant the Altaerrie this: Anyone terrifying those traitorous vampires might be all right with me."

  "What about you, Centurion?" Rutilus asked. "You are older than ?lia."

  The Noble Elf lowered her book and gave the Lat a hateful gre, which made him chuckle. She then ignored him, commenting on Lat's human humor.

  "I meant seasoned," Rutilus jokingly said.

  The heavily built, gray-haired male Centurion walked into the center of the room, which got everyone's attention, except for their Neko Legionary – who was sleeping in a ceiling-hanging bed. The Lat was wearing a brown tunic, and his arms were visible. Scars from previous battles around his arms, the most standing one was an IX branding mark on his upper arm. The mark was considered the highest honorable reward for any legionary within the Imperium. He's the only one in Horatius that has such a mark.

  "I am concerned that the Altaerrie are too soft," Canina said. "Their leader is an Orc sympathizer because he and the Princess were saved by one."

  "You think they might be too empathic?" Rosa asked.

  "Mispced empathy has crippled empires to the ashes of history," Canina replied.

  "You are concerned they will ally with the Unity?" Derion asked.

  "Makes sense," Vestalis said. "The natives always swim together."

  "I will counter that the Tempr and Legate have blessed this alliance with the Altaerrie," ?lia stated.

  "What position are you on?" Vestalis asked.

  "Whichever that brings us to the truth," ?lia said.

  "Will we gain any truth from a false noble?" Vestalis asked.

  "I wondered the same," Derion said.

  Fvius-Elpidius Antius took a frustrating deep breath as the debate continued. During his dinner with Mathew Ryder, he was not thrilled to learn that the Altaerrie Captain and Duke defended an Orc, regardless of its intended meaning. Still, he stopped short of decring the Duke a sympathizer. He also couldn't disagree with his Primipilus Centurian perspective that the Americans might be too soft, swayed by Unity utopian ideals, like the Verliance Aristocracy.

  "The Senate will not look fondly on this," Vestalis said. "A self-appointed Duke with a girl ciming to be the dead Ban princess. There is much to be worried about."

  "Hold," Antius said. "I know little of Altaerrie culture, but I do not believe they are lying."

  "Not to correct," Canina said. "Ryder confessed that he was not nobility nor wished to be. That their House status was a front for public image."

  "True," Antius replied. "But he was honest. It does not matter if Assiaya is or was King Ban's daughter; he took the leadership role out of love for a child from our world, not theirs."

  "Interesting insight, Capitaneus," ?lia commented. "A reluctant leader and entrenched love."

  "Is that enough?" Derion asked. "Enough to overlook their simirities to our mortal enemies?"

  "Does it matter?" Rutilus asked. "We are losing. Besides, it is not like our nobles cannot be corrupted."

  As Ovidius Vestalis was about to counter Rutilus's point, a loud snore interrupted the group. Everyone turned and saw their sleeping neko moving around in his hammock ball.

  "I do not care," Rosa said. "I trust the Altaerrie. They seem good-hearted. Besides, the Tempr Natilte seemed to trust them. At least enough to work with them directly."

  "You trust too easily," ?lia stated.

  "And you distrust too harshly," Rosa responded. "Look at us. After decades of losing, we finally have something positive happen for our side, and all you are doing is whining about what could happen. For the first time in any of our lives, we have hope."

  While the mood was against the orange kitsune healer, Antius struggled to disagree with her logic. Years of defeat, barely holding the line, would make the most optimistic individual into a pessimistic person. While everyone had genuine concerns, this had been the only light at the end of the tunnel in this bloody war.

  "Rosa is correct," Antius said. "We should remain cautious; however, we should not write them off. Our new mission will be to aid them in breaking the siege and go from there. If they are a second Unity, they will be ours, as we have no choice. Regarding the Comanche leader, he might be a fake Duke, but we will not question his honor."

  "Like Ovidius," Rutilus stated, pissing off his fellow Lat.

  "Saying that," Antius continued. "I will trust that for now because he loves his family and Comanche Patini. It is better dying alone against zealots who are attempting to erase our way of life."

  "If this is your command, Fvius, so be it," ?lia said. "We shall follow."

  "You all might be able to trust them," Derion said. The Luperca then held up a half-eaten MRE bag, "I cannot trust those who cannot make tasty food."

  Antius shook his head as some of his Horatius chuckled. Before he could respond, the ground shook violently. Everyone froze for a moment before realizing that the city was under attack.

  The legionaries dropped their work and rushed toward the armory to prepare for battle. The Capitaneus and Primipilus Centurian went to the balcony to assess the situation.

  The two didn't take long to figure out what was happening. Over to the southwest, the hill Horatius and Comanche had captured earlier was glowing brightly as the Unity was attacking the American forces occupying it.

  "It seems the Unity is trying to recapture the hill," Antius said.

  "Possible," Canina replied.

  Noticing the senior legionary response left room for alternative possibilities of what the enemy could do.

  "What do you think?" Antius asked.

  "You can tell it is the Unity based on the glow over the hill," Canina said. "But it was the Aristocracy who had occupied the hill before. Why is the Unity trying to retake the hill?"

  "The hill is important to maintain oversight over the city."

  "That is true. But then where are Verliance Vampires? They always operate with an angle."

  The Horatius Capitaneus stared out at the emerging battle. Weapon fire sprayed from both sides as the Americans fought to hold the high ground. The smaller artillery, known as mortars, lobbed from the city in support.

  Clearly, the enemy was unching their main assault to recapture the hill; however, Antius decided to trust his second, who had long experience. "Where will they attack?" he asked.

  Canina carefully analyzed the ndscape until his gaze reached the city's northern section, where the construction of the Altaerrie fort was underway. "There," he said.

  Turning toward the north, it was hard for Antius to see. While he could barely see the outline, he understood why his Centurion believed the Aristocracy would attack there.

  The Americans correctly noticed this was a weak spot in the city's defenses and started building a new facility on the hill to prevent the enemy from capturing the high ground. It was nearly complete, with a ptoon of soldiers defending it, but it was not yet operational.

  "It is the weak spot," Antius said.

  "Correct," Canina replied. "From my understanding, the enemy had yet to attack from that direction. That keep is almost complete, and this is their st chance to strike it."

  The two Legionaries agreed and marched to their armory. There, the Capitaneus saw his Patini almost ready for battle.

  Once everyone was ready, they left the armory and joined the Minutemen combat teams storming the halls. When outside, Colonel Hackett was providing assignments to each team Captain. Using a transtion amulet in a slot on his armor, he heard the Colonel dividing the teams into two strike groups: one assisting the Space Cowboys and the other reinforcing the city walls.

  Seeing Comanche gathering, Antius marched toward Ryder, rushing through the other Minutemen. "Ryder, we must go to the northern keep."

  Ryder turned toward the Lat in confusion. "The action is here, and I have orders."

  "No. I believe the Aristocracy will attack from the north."

  "How do you know?"

  "We do not," Antius said. "But Verliance would use the current battle to gain favor elsewhere."

  The Capitaneus saw the confused reaction fade away as the Altaerrie man saw the logic. If there were a secondary attack, it would be now. The Comanche leader then asked the Tempr for her opinion and acknowledged that it was possible, but she couldn't know.

  To Antius's surprise, Ryder walked toward his Colonel and requested the deployment alteration, which was granted. Outside the Pace, dozens of UGV transport Deuces and LIRVs rapidly transported the teams through the city.

  It was uncomfortable for Horatius to mount the American vehicles. Soldiers would face away inside a wagonette while sitting on the sides, not facing together. This allowed the soldiers to dismount into combat without needing complex movement.

  As Horatius was transported through the city streets, Antius expected fewer panicking civilians, which was understandable. The siege had been going on for many months in Agore, and the people must have been hardened.

  Many soldiers took up defensive positions, and others directed civilians to underground bunkers—to Horatius's surprise, the townsfolk were not frantic from the sudden attack. With the constant attacks, the people had grown used to such moments.

  The closer the Hispana Patini reached the north, they could see a glow emerging over the American fort. Over the LIRV radio, while they couldn't understand the nguage, the tone became clear that the Verliance Aristocracy was attacking, as Canina predicted.

  When Horatius dismounted, soldiers and militia fought frantically against the enemy Aristocracy, who attacked the pza. Some were forced to the east gate, wanting to open it from the inside to allow the main army inside. However, it seemed that the defenders could repulse the first wave of attack, but Antius knew this wouldn't st. The sound of battle was still being waged at the fort above them, showing that the Americans were still fighting; however, it was clear that the Aristocracy had captured the facility.

  With the enemy occupying the top of the metal ramp, the Patini Luperca, Derion leaped onto the cliff-side of the hill and climbed. When he reached halfway, the wolf beast thrust himself over the railing wall and nded between the j'avais infantry. With his giant size and strength, the beast humanoid used his ax and cut through the j'avais, attempting to secure the ramp.

  This allowed the two Horatius shieldmen, Ovidius Vestalis and Darius Rutilus, to form at the ramp's base and rush. Their enchanted shields absorbed the enemy energy bolts, allowing them to reach the top, providing suppressive fire with their elecprobus, allowing the rest of the Patini to scale the ramp safely.

  The design of the American fort became apparent to the Capitaneus. Unlike the rest of the city, which had an evident Elvish design and a natural feeling and used the Agore as its feature, this facility was different. Being double or triple tiered, there were many high rises shaped like lunettes to protect the many American sensors, structure defense, command systems, and heavy weapons.

  The interior walls were reinforced with metal, and artificial lights were everywhere, with strange symbols and signs over the surfaces. On the exterior of the walls were Hesco bastions double-stacked with two tall Bremer walls on each side. In addition to the wall, many redans with two ravelins throughout the fortifications were bunkers, and many heavy weapons were entrenched into them.

  Behind the defensive structure itself seemed simple. Buildings in the center for the troops and command assets allowed the safe passage of many soldiers through the complex. Behind the defenses was a fttened dirt surface with a few roads and half-started structures. This showed Fvius-Elpidius Antius that this pce was meant to be permanent, cementing the American position in this region. While designed to protect the city, with the scale of construction, this was meant to host thousands more soldiers once complete.

  The fort defenses were mostly complete, the American priority; most of the facility was still under construction as half of the visible structures were half-complete. Antius could see why the Aristocracy focused here.

  With the Americans securing the ramp and preventing a second assault against the city gate, Horatius reformed.

  "Maintain tight formation," Canina said. "These Altaerrie might not hesitate to shoot those who look different."

  Navigating the steel corridors with their two shieldmen taking point, Horatius saw damage, scars, and blood all over the walls. All the Altaerrie and Salva bodies were torn apart. Limbs hanging from the ceiling. Many had their armor taken apart and their heads separated. Anything that showed brutality and disrespect to the fallen.

  "I had no idea how brutal the Aristocracy could be," Rosa said as she covered her mouth.

  "This was not Verliance's doing," Canina said.

  "It is not?" Rosa asked. "Antius, do you wish for me to-."

  "No," Antius said. "There is nothing we can do for them. We have a mission to complete."

  Feeling motivated to reach the battle, the elite Legionaries entered a rge pza between the command structures and the exterior wall. A significant battle was unfolding as Americans defended the entrance to a ravelin. Enemy soldiers were pressing against them without mercy.

  The enemy force was a mix of orcs and j'avais, with a few vampires acting as commanders, attacking the rear of a ravelin. With the enemy focused on the Americans, blowing the gate and overwhelming the defenders, this allowed Horatius to fnk them. With one volley, the Legionaries could catch the enemy by surprise, neutralizing half.

  Moving from the aggressors and partly surrounded, the Aristocracy retreated through the breach in the Hesco bastion, allowing the Americans to exit the ravelin and secure the breach.

  An American Sergeant approached Antius and began speaking, which he couldn't understand. This caused the Capitaneus to activate his transtion amulet, which was attached to his armor, allowing them to speak.

  "That feels strange," the Sergeant said.

  "What is happening?" Antius asked.

  "No idea. We first got reports of worms appearing from the ground. This allowed the Aristocracy to take over one of the ravelins; however, this was a distraction. All I know is that enemy forces slipped through to seed as much chaos as possible, and there is a major firefight in the northern section. When we got trapped, we lost COMs with our CP."

  "Where are your commanders?"

  "Down that path."

  The Capitaneus decided to investigate the command post, leaving the pza. When entering the American complex, they still heard the battle raging. The Patini believed they were under the first lunette because of the heavy sounds of weapon fire.

  But when they drew closer, they heard screams.

  "I know that sound," Canina stated. "That is the sound of torture."

  "That had to come from the CP," Kirath said.

  "Then hurry," Antius ordered.

  When Horatius heard the sound of screams, they found a rge room with computer terminals, drawn maps of the facility and surrounding area, and other equipment. There were five vampires, two dwarfs, a Wraith Harpy, and three Farians collecting anything valuable. Among them were seven Americans and two Salva Militiamen.

  What concerned Fvius-Elpidius Antius wasn't the many warriors within their ranks. It was their armor. None wore the Verliance Aristocracy purple theme armor with gold rims, but a blood red coat with hunter green tint.

  Hearing a man scream, one of the Vampires lifted an Altaerria man. After some ughter between the group, the blood-sucking humanoid bit into the man's neck, causing immense pain while his blood was drained from the body.

  "Who are these folks?" Rutilus asked.

  "The Tourmaline Prepotency," Canina replied. "That expins the brutality we had seen."

  Antius had heard of them—a rogue City-State of Vampires outside the grasp of the Aristocracy. For centuries, both Houses have had a rivalry, with Verliance wishing to unite the two. At the same time, the Tourmaline fought to remain independent.

  Everyone feared the House of Verliance, which was strong and known to discipline its enemies harshly. However, they always acted civilly to maintain a positive face. Everything was about maintaining respect and order, so there was always restraint, and actions were tactful. The Tourmaline, on the other hand, were known as brutes. Picking a fight with them meant there was no mercy.

  The Tourmaline Vampire tossed the bloodless body onto the ground, allowing the Harpy to shred the corpse as the wing beast feasted. The others ughed as they watched.

  Seeing that they had to act before the others were simirly killed, Horatius quietly got into position.

  The two t shieldmen, Ovidius Vestalis and Darius Rutilus, took positions on opposite ends of the hallway, using their scutum to protect their comrades as they joined the battle. But what instilled terror within the Aristocracy was Derion-Luciferus Warcw, charging through the corridor with his scutum held high and ax drawn for blood.

  This had caught the Tourmaline warriors by surprise, firing against the Hispana massive scutum. The two ts broke through the door, suppressing the enemy with their staff weapons attached to their shields. The dark gray Luperca with bck and brown stripes passed the two Lats with ferocious speed, attacking the Wraith.

  The Vampires charged the Legionaries, trying to gain the initiative while being outnumbered. The fiends rushed out of the room, carrying equipment. Before the st one left the command post, a fire bolt impacted the leg, causing the rodent to drop to the ground.

  The Luperca raised his ax; however, the Wraith rammed her free-grooved hand into the giant beast's snout, causing him to lose his grip.

  This, though, didn't stop Derion's aggression as he swung his ax into her chest piece, thrusting his opponent back into the pilr. The Harpy unleashed her sword against the Luperca, forcing the giant Horatius Legionary back as the two prepared to duel.

  Antius witnessed his beast comrade, quickly readied his Hispana-issued circiletum, and fired against the warrior harpy. His flechette impacted the demonic creature, causing blood to gush from her body. However, the Wraith flexed her wings and started charging them.

  Derion leaped onto the Wraith's back, causing the Harpy to trample around the room, knocking one of the Vampires onto the ground. The Luperca grabbed onto the wing and ripped it off her body. Canina then charged against the screeching demonic warrior and thrust his sword into the chest, finally killing the Harpy.

  With the primary threat neutralized, Antius saw one of the remaining vampires holding a staff weapon; the Legionary Capitaneus fired his circiletum, feeling the energy leave the mana-crystal battery and flow through the coils within the barrel of the wooden frame. The flechette quickly accelerated out the muzzle and killed. He then pulled the lever on the right side as a new flechette entered the chamber from the clip.

  Seeing the battle was over, the Legionary commander lowered his weapon, watching his Legionaries policing the area. Inside the command post was horrific. There were body parts everywhere. A man y on the table, blood soaking the many handcrafted maps. Others were scattered around the ground, limbs separated, and other forms of degradation. Skulls were physically crushed not by tools but by hand. Only a few races had the raw physical strength to do that: vampires, harpies, luperca, and kiriyaks.

  "They are all dead," Rosa said.

  "There is no honor in this," Rutilus said.

  "These people were not tortured," ?lia stated. "They were tormented."

  "That is what the Tourmaline do," Canina said.

  Antius had seen the horrors of battle, witnessing the savagery of the Unity erasing all who didn't follow their path; however, he could rationalize it. It was all in the context of the war, but this was intentional. The Unity used brutality to convert people to their way of life. The Tourmaline Prepotency was doing this for fun.

  The Capitaneus approached a wounded Vampire lying on the ground. Derion's foot stomped the fanged humanoid's arm, preventing the enemy soldier from escaping.

  "Why did you do this?" Antius asked.

  The vampire hissed in defiance.

  "We do not have time for this," Canina said.

  "I agree," Antius said. "?lia."

  The Noble Elf approached the wounded vampire. She kneeled and pced her hand on the chest pte. Their Luperca asked if she wanted it removed but she refused.

  ?lia Valhana's hand combusted into fmes, causing the metal chest pte to glow brightly. The Vampire began screaming from the intense heat, forcing everyone to hold him limb.

  "Answer the question," Antius asked.

  "…No!" the Vampire yelled. "I will not speak!"

  Hearing footsteps from behind, Horatius turned with their weapons at the ready. To their delight, it was American reinforcements. However, their reactions were not as pleased as they were, all horrified by the carnage inside the command post.

  "What did you people do?" a Sergeant asked.

  Antius saw his neko drag a wounded farian, thrusting the rodent onto the ground. The Capitaneus walked over, lightly stepping on the beast's humanoid right hand to gain its attention. "We did not do this. These two did."

  "We are needed in the North," Canina said. "We will leave them to you."

  The Americans secured the room and took possession of the two prisoners, allowing Horatius to leave. As the Legionaries walked through the rge corridor, they heard shots from the command post. The sound came from Altaerrie's weapons.

  No one said a word, but everyone knew what had happened. Antius couldn't bme them and rallied his Patini to continue advancing.

  "Capitaneus," Kirath said. "I was talking with the farian. He said there was a Kiriyak leader with them. They were using the command post to gather prisoners, and the Kiriyak took some and escaped."

  "I was concerned about that," Antius said. "There were too few in that room. But a kiriyak working for vampires?"

  Hearing the sound of the battle ahead, conversations stopped as everyone advanced through the Altaerrie complex. At the end of the path, they saw an intense battle rage between the Americans and the Aristocracy inside a partly constructed building.

  Like before, the Horatius shieldmen took point, with the rest of the Patini following behind. The two Lats charged forward and exited through the doorless entryway. An Aristocracy-equipped Vampire stood at the entryway, turning to engage them.

  Rutilus rushed forward and bashed the Vampire with his scutum while ramming his elecprobus weapon into the enemy soldier at point-bnk range, killing the Aristocracy soldier and securing the entryway.

  The other Horatius members arrived and fanned out, engaging the Aristocracy forces. As the firefight expanded, the enemy, who once were the aggressors, were now pinned between the Americans and the Legionaries but stood firm.

  When their mage appeared, ?lia flung a stream of liquid fire toward one of the vampires. The fanged armor flickered from its enchantment, specializing against magical spells; however, the intense heat roasted him alive, causing fear.

  "Be careful," Canina said. "We do not want to catch the building on fire."

  "Especially with us inside," Kirath said.

  The Neko leaped past Horatius and slid around a J'avais, appearing behind the human before executing the enemy soldier from behind.

  Seeing they were being overwhelmed, the remaining Aristocracy warriors retreated through the opening in the walls, heading toward the pza. Horatius' pyromancy mage pced her hand on the wall, focusing her spells on igniting the wall, creating a firewall that blocked the remaining retreating enemy. Being blocked, the remaining hostiles charged against them, resulting in them being cut down by Horatius and American weapons.

  Seeing that the coast was clear, Antius turned toward the American soldiers. To his surprise, two held their weapons called rifles at them while another was helping a wounded man.

  Rutilus adjusted his staff weapon toward the Americans and other Horatius members. "We saved them, and now they point weapons at us!"

  "I thought we were allies," Rosa asked.

  Stunned by the sudden betrayal, Antius studied the situation carefully. Recalling his evening with Ryder and Natilte, he quickly realized that Altaerrie knew little of this world, including them. He wasn't surprised they were rattled with how desperate this battle became. These soldiers were probably thinking the same as them, confused by each other's presence, and this was their first time encountering a Legionary.

  The Capitaneus took a few steps forward, making himself vulnerable to his Centurion's protest. He then lowered his circiletum and raised his hand, a gesture he had witnessed the Americans do.

  At first, the American looked confused but lowered his weapon, finally understanding they were allies. The soldier ordered his comrades to be friendly and secure the area while others put out the fire.

  Seeing the situation resolved, Antius ordered his healer, Rosa-Plutas Gavia, to assist the wounded man. The rest, being at the most northern end of the fort, heard the raging battle outside the building.

  "We should not stay here," Canina said.

  "Agreed," Antius replied. "Rosa, stay with them and help the others if you can. Horatius, head toward the northern side."

  The Patini regrouped, and their scutum Legionaries took point, all rushing through another facility. They were not alone, as Americans from other units joined them, heading to the north. With their reinforcements, their allies seemed to have recaptured most of the fort and were making their counterattack.

  As they reached the exit, they heard a powerful circiletum firing, shaking the building. This surprised everyone, making them believe it came from the Aristocracy. However, Antius was not convinced as the sound was too close.

  Once outside the facility, a raging battle was unfolding. American and Militia soldiers were taking cover from any position they could, refusing to surrender at this point as everyone knew that whoever controlled this breach would control the fort. Some stood in heavy armor with an attached third arm, firing a string of bullets against the enemy. Antius had not seen this before outside of the Americans, rapid-fire weapons. Ability also gave the assaulting vampires a struggle.

  However, they had successfully captured the exterior wall, using the elevation to pin down the defenders on the ptform and firefight against the soldiers inside the building over them. With the pza, their position was unnaturally dark, closer to a deep cave than nighttime, concealing most of the enemy force.

  "Why is it so dark?" Kirath asked.

  "It is luxmancy magic," ?lia said.

  Capitaneus Antius quickly realized what was happening. The light mage was concealing the Aristocracy forces.

  "It seems the Americans can see," Kirath said.

  That was when Antius noticed that all the Americans had their VISORS down. Natilite had attempted to expin this feature on their battlesuit: one must be able to see in the dark.

  The Capitaneus pulled out a crystal eyepiece that allows a Legionary to see heat signatures, an expensive tool only elite warriors have. He could only conclude that all warriors from Altaerrie had this ability.

  After sliding his thermal eye patch through the helmet clip, he said, "Equip yourself for the night and aid the line."

  As Horatius focused on the enemy, everyone heard and felt the power from a circiletum fired from the top of a building to the left of the battle. Antius knew what it was: a heavy ballista stationed in the middle of an Altaerrie lunette. He could see the enemy's strategy: capturing the city's defensive weapon and aiming it at the city, bypassing the American yered defenses.

  "This is a mess," Antius said.

  "You should go after the ballista," Canina said.

  Seeing the Centurion strategy, Antius agreed. At the moment, the enemy was using the captured heavy ballista to fire on the city; however, at any moment, they could direct it here, killing everyone.

  However, there was one issue: the pza was covered in darkness. For all anyone knew, thousands of Aristocracy soldiers could be pouring through the breach, and they wouldn't know until it was too te.

  "?lia," Antius said. "Can you defeat this mage?"

  He saw the elf give a "of course" gre before turning to the fort's exterior wall. Fmes wrapped around her hand and then injected toward the enemy. The spell bsting against the concrete and rock caused minor damage; however, this caused the enemy to remain cautious and aggressive, allowing friendly forces to reform their defenses.

  Seeing one problem temporarily resolved, the Capitaneus turned toward the second level, which orcs and j'avais occupied. However, his attention was no longer focused on his Legionaries but on American soldiers on the ptform.

  "Derion, fnk the ballista," Antius said. "Rutilus, you are with me. We will storm that building. Everyone else, recapture the pza."

  "What about the mage?" Vestalis asked.

  ?lia Valhana emerged from cover, raising her left hand as fmes engulfed her arm. Three fireballs unched into the air, striking the Aristocracy's entrenched position like a small mortar attack.

  "Leave the enemy mage to me," ?lia said, tightening her gloves before moving toward the lower ptform.

  Derion leaped from the ptform toward the tower's rear. Antius and Rutilus rushed to the building, spotting a metal stairway leading to the roof. Meanwhile, the rest of Horatius assisted the Americans.

  The massive ballista fired again from the lunette, making the ground tremble. Antius knew the operators were using full power to maximize damage.

  When they reached the metal stairs, Antius instructed his shieldmen, "Take your gdius, and don't stop until you reach the top."

  Darius Rutilus secured his staff weapon to his back, drew his gdius, and charged up the stairs with a war cry. Antius followed closely behind.

  Halfway up, two orcs appeared and noticed their approach. They fired their staff weapons, some bsts hitting the metal railing, melting it. Other bolts struck Rutilus's scutum, activating the enchantment crystal in its center, hardening the rge rectangur shield. However, the hardening spell flickered, compromising the shield's integrity.

  Recognizing the threat, Antius halted and raised his circiletum. He aligned his iron sights on the orc targeting him and fired. The first flechette missed as the orc lowered his profile. The Patini pulled the lever and fired again. This time, the projectile found its mark, killing one orc.

  The Capitaneus shifted his aim to the second orc, distracting the enemy long enough for Rutilus to reach the top and cut down the hostile soldier.

  Upon reaching the summit, the Capitaneus saw Rutilus engaging a J'avais warrior. Two vampires and three other J'avais surrounded the ballista, all turning to face the Legionary threat. Derion reached the opposite side of the lunette, vaulting over the railing and attacking the human-like enemies, creating enough chaos to eliminate the Vampire commander with precise aim.

  Noticing an engineer Vampire holding a staff weapon, the Horatius Capitaneus fired at him. The circiletum's side fshed white before the mana battery pack cracked, cutting the electricity flow to the coils inside the barrel.

  With no time to repce battery packs as the Vampire prepared to fire, Antius hurled his weapon like a spear at the enemy engineer, then drew his gdius. His bde collided with the Vampire's staff. The enemy weapon's tip misted from intense cold—contact with any part of the Legionary would cause severe freezer burn or worse.

  He pushed his bde to the top of the enemy's staff, gaining leverage to thrust against the Vampire. This allowed the Legionary to move to his opponent's side and ssh with his gdius. The bde struck the Aristocracy engineer's chest armor, deflecting the attack. Antius quickly pivoted and thrust his bde into the Vampire's unprotected lower waist.

  Antius gazed at the fallen engineer. Looking across the lunette, he saw his comrades finishing off the remaining hostiles. He readied his gdius and stepped forward to assist.

  Suddenly, the Capitaneus rolled on the ground after a massive impact on his back. When he stabilized, lying on his back, he saw the Wraith directly above him, her cws striking his helmet. Drool, victim's blood, and grease dripped from her body onto his Lat armor.

  The creature became frustrated that the Legionary had survived her surprise attack. She tore off his helmet and raised her cws to kill her prey. The Lat punched the harpy's side with all his strength but couldn't inflict significant damage.

  A small flechette struck the Wraith, causing the winged demon to stagger backward. One shot hit her eye, making the Harpy thrash about while screeching. Then suddenly, a final flechette to penetrate her throat, forcing the harpy to flung around in pain. This allowed the Legionary to grab his sword, slicing his opponent to death.

  After taking a deep breath, Antius sat up, shocked. For a moment, he'd believed he was dead. Wondering who had fired the shot, he turned to see Rosa-Plutas Gavia, the orange-furred kitsune healer, standing at the stairway holding a handheld single-coil circiletum.

  The Horatius healer waved excitedly, knowing she'd saved their leader. He returned her gesture with a fist-to-chest salute.

  After standing, he saw Rutilus and Derion had defeated their opponents, reciming the lunette.

  "Now what?" Rutilus asked. "Do we join the fight below?"

  Antius approached the railing facing the city, curious about the Aristocracy's objective. Though the enemy's advance seemed halted and the situation stabilized, he didn't know how to repel the invaders completely.

  Looking at the city, he saw multiple fmes and columns of smoke. While difficult to discern specific targets from his position, the fmes were high enough to provide a good view of Salva. The targeted areas were the American point defense weapons that had been protecting the city from enemy artillery and airships.

  City sirens wailed, warning of an incoming enemy artillery strike. With the reduced defenses, Aristocracy attacks targeted various parts of the city. However, dozens of bright rockets streaked across the dark sky from between Salva and Indoss, all heading toward enemy positions. Small bright explosions echoed in the distance as the rockets destroyed their targets, greatly reducing the enemy artillery attack.

  "That was impressive," Rutilus remarked.

  Fvius Antius struggled to respond, astonished by the American yered defense. Though not invincible, he understood why the Aristocracy prioritized neutralizing such defensive weapons. He imagined these rocket defenses in every Hispana city, potentially saving thousands of lives. Finally, he comprehended why Tempr Natilite was so invested in bringing the Altaerrie here. Breaking out of Salva could turn the tide of the war.

  The lunette's shaking reminded the Capitaneus of the task at hand. He turned to the battle below. The Americans and Militia still engaged enemy troops within the darkness, resisting a recent enemy push. Inside the darkness, bright fshes of light and fmes broke through the dark spell—?lia battling the enemy mage.

  Seeing the Aristocracy still holding the northern wall, Antius had an idea. He turned toward the rge ballista and smiled.

  "If they wanted this weapon, let's give it to them."

  The three male Legionaries began pushing the ballista to redirect it toward the Aristocracy. The weapon ptform was surprisingly heavy, causing them to struggle. This puzzled Antius—with Derion's strength, the task should have been easier. Their difficulty made him wonder how the vampires had managed it.

  To their surprise, the ballista suddenly moved with ease, stopping only when the barrel aimed at the enemy-occupied wall. The Horatius Capitaneus turned to see Rosa standing by a control panel.

  "What did you do?" he asked.

  "I saw arrows on it," Rosa replied. "There are directions on the panel in English, Elvish, and Latin, so I read them. When I pressed the arrows, the ballista moved."

  The three male Legionaries exchanged gnces and shrugged, surprised by the simple solution. Antius accepted the development and turned to his teammates: "Derion, load the ballista. Rutilus, aim the weapon."

  The Capitaneus checked the quadruple mana batteries and cables. Electric current flowed through all four coil sets, indicating perfect function.

  With everything ready, Capitaneus Fvius-Elpidius Antius pointed his sword at the enemy-held wall. "Fire!" he commanded.

  The batteries glowed before the coils hummed with transferred energy. The accelerator ballista fired with a thunderous sound, the massive projectile leaving the quadruple-set coils and striking the wall at nearly point-bnk range.

  Antius rushed to assess the damage. Sections of the concrete Altaerrie wall, cking magical enchantments or incomplete, had been destroyed. Aristocracy casualties littered the area.

  The enemy stood stunned, more from shock than defiance. The Horatius team reloaded the heavy accelerator ballista and fired again at the massive breach, inflicting significant casualties.

  The enemy finally realized what was happening. Many redirected their focus against the lunette, but this exposed them to the Americans and Militia, catching them in devastating crossfire.

  A mighty bze finally turned the tide as ?lia Valhana's magic burned through the darkness. She walked to the pza's center and, with hands csped together, unleashed a stream of fire across the now-transparent battlefield.

  The rest of Horatius protected her. Primipilus Centurian Alfredus Canina led the Militia shieldwall, supported by American riflemen, slowly forcing the remaining Verliance Aristocracy and Tourmaline Prepotency warriors to retreat through the breach.

  Watching the enemy withdraw, Antius pced his hands on the lunette battlements, exhausted. A rare emotion washed over him—the feeling of victory. "We won," he murmured.