Since the Defence of Holith, Lt. Ferguson was proud of himself for surviving the attack and was praised by many fellow officers. Sometimes even exaggerating what happened. This annoyed Frank, making him envy Lt. Ferguson's respect and infamy. But Frank couldn't do much about it. Lt. Ferguson was a more respected man than him. Hardly anyone even knew what his name was.

  The high command of the campaign on Eulero 43Z, was in a panic because there were way too many enemy forces hiding that kept ambushing their troops and transports, even in Quadaric territory. There were more tensions than ever before in the upper ranks as rebels infiltrated the Q.A.F. The death toll was skyrocketing under their command and they didn't want to be the ones to take the blame, they were irresponsible, and that's when one man came up with an ingenious strategy. The man was called Colonel Denise Vozareilia or Colonel Vozareilia as they called him. He was a mad lad. He came up with the most unethical and most definitely demoralizing tactics to use against the enemy. For example, the Zeouan fighters were subpar in hand-to-hand combat so he trained his troops to be as lethal melee fighters so that when enemy troops called for a fair fight, the Quadaric soldiers always won by cheating, and that wasn't even the pettiest of things he's done. This time, he would have to win a battle that had been going on for years.

  The Tennissis trench lines were located right at the centre of the Tania theatre which was right below the Umbarken Tundra (Which is a part of Antrova, the northern continent) but the northeastern part of Ugropa and the western part of Verlasia. Ugrasia if you will. Tennissis was the capital city located right in the heart of Tania, a batch of the land of a continent, but a country, a super state nonetheless, well known for treasonous acts against the I.F.Q.S. They were the opposite of royal followers. They were traitors. They were the first of many to join the Alarics and supported the A.A.F. (Alaric Allied Forces). All Tanians were now considered Unionists and were to be arrested and even executed on sight. They were deemed irredeemable and to put it simply, sub-human. The Quadaric troops committed horrible atrocities against the Tanians.

  Under the Quadaric control, the Quadaric troops raided houses. They dragged the men out while capturing the women and children, burning down homes, and killing those who resisted the re-occupation. They gunned down and executed those who tried to run away—torturing those who refused to give up valuable information. They purged the Tanians of their impurity. Cities stunk of blood and rotten flesh. Corpses of innocent Tanians lay all over the places, hung or bombed. Their bodies were burned and incinerated. Their jewellery, clothes, and all their belongings were taken from them. Bits and pieces of organs and intestines were littered with no one even willing to clean them up due to how horrible they smelled and looked. Then to top it all off, the Tanians were allowed to live after that, under extreme surveillance, living their life miserably, though, it felt more like a ghetto than anything, more like Denizens. The Alaric troops couldn't attack the city due to fear that the Tanians might suffer more. The sheer bleakness of the situation gave the Alaric commanders a headache. They were too afraid of backlash. If something were to go awry, they would be the ones to blame as the Tanians had just joined them ultimately and they didn't want to screw up their alliance now. The Quadaric command wanted to keep the pressure on the Alarics to make a bad image of them.

  One day though, Lt. Ferguson was ordered, directly by Colonel Vozareilia, to take his 50000th Infantry Platoon to take over a nearby town behind the city wall to Tennissis called Tegresse. And so Lt. Ferguson hatched up a plan. He would have to cut off all supply lines from Tegresse and surround the town from all sides. Then, reinforcements would swoop in and counterattack if there was an assault. The town was inconveniently settled next to a river that was blocking reinforcements from the East. The river also flowed right into the ocean where a seaside defence by the Tanians had been set up. Lt. Ferguson planned to take the mayor hostage and trade for an involuntary surrender. Then they would immediately capture all the men and arrest all the women and children and if there was resistance, they would be killed. The plan was ingenious, something only a Quadaric officer could come up with.

  Lt. Ferguson presented the plan to the higher-ups. The higher-ups in question were Colonel Vozareilia, the commander of the 326th Ugropa Mechanised Regiment, Major Luz Kewinski, the commander of the 52nd Ugropa Infantry Company which consisted of mainly conscripted Tanians, and last but not least Lieutenant General Osmerius Darvoka, the commander of the 44th Ugropa Machine Gun Artillery Division, responsible for most of the artillery support in the Ugropa theatre. They were all impressed. All but one of them, Colonel Vozareilia. He was certainly not impressed. He was disappointed. He had the utmost respect for Lt. Ferguson but it seems that his plan was just not good enough for Colonel Vozareilia. He added in Operation: Western Demons. The operation was simple. They would launch a counter-offensive on Tennissis through Tegresse, a small city near the southeastern side of the city walls as it provided an easy route for Quadaric troops to pass and attack Tennissis directly while the Tanian forces tried to take positions in the Tennissis trench lines so they'd be busy with that. If they ultimately refused to surrender for the last time, they would execute all Tanians who got in their path and march straight into Tennissis—a sort of blitzkrieg tactic of encircling a main force and penetrating through the Alaric-occupied territories.

  Lt. Ferguson and the other officers scoffed at the stupidity of the operation. What was he thinking? Marching straight into enemy lines and not expecting to get annihilated? This was nonsense. But Colonel Vozareilia was not joking around. He was serious. He was going to launch an assault on southern Tennissis trench lines with his division and while they were on their way, an artillery barrage would be put into place, through that artillery barrage come missile attacks, and ultimately, they would overwhelm the enemies with too many things to work around so they'd have no choice but to put all their resources into fending off the division. Then, the real assault would begin. Lt. Ferguson's platoon would open up an easy opportunity to sneak the division through the western wall and Tegresse and attack straight into Tennissis. Quite literally marching on in and taking it over. If the secretive operation were to succeed, then the entirety of the western Tanian territory would be cut off and encircled and the Quadaric troops could also regroup with the northern troops in the Umbarken Tundra.

  One week later, Lt. Ferguson ordered his platoon to travel to the attack position. They were transported by hovercraft. Frank looked out of one of the windows of the hovercraft, he could see dozens more of them. They travelled for a few minutes. The platoon waited patiently and nervously. Then, the enemy flak guns opened fire at the squadron of transport hovercrafts. The explosions rocked the hovercrafts. Frank could feel himself skipping a heartbeat. He prayed that he would make it out unscathed. Luckily for him, his prayer was accepted to fruition as all the hovercrafts managed to arrive at their designated destinations perfectly, except one. The platoon's hovercraft landed near some rocks. It was early in the morning and thus quite dark. There were small drops of rain. Frank crouched behind a jagged outcrop of rock along with a few soldiers of his designated team, the cold seeping through his gear as he tried to steady his breathing. His boots protected his feet from the mud. His heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline making his hands tremble slightly as he gripped his rifle. The crackle of radio chatter and distant explosions filled the air, but everything felt muffled compared to the pounding of his pulse.

  "Something's jamming the HoloCom," Frank thought as his visor blinked with an error message.

  Ahead, some enemy troops advanced through the rocky terrain, their forms silhouetted against the fiery glow of the battlefield, and their goggles made glints in the darkness. Then, something came through the radio.

  "Hold the line off until reinforcements arrive," Lt. Ferguson ordered.

  Frank adjusted his aim, peering through the scope of his rifle. The enemy was moving in a slow, methodical advance, their silhouettes flashing with every lightning, becoming clearer as they approached. Frank focused on the nearest target, a soldier in a green uniform with red accents that stood out starkly against the brown landscape. He took a deep breath, aligning his crosshairs with the enemy soldier’s head as that was the only to ensure a one-hit kill. His hands were steady now, the initial nervousness replaced by a sharp focus.

  "Fire!" Lt. Ferguson shouted through the radio.

  Frank squeezed the trigger, the rifle bucking slightly in his hands as a burst of gunfire erupted with a loud crackle of thunder. The enemy soldier dropped to the ground, his weapon clattering away. A split second later, a return volley of gunfire erupted from the enemy lines.

  "Get to cover!" a soldier shouted.

  Frank ducked instinctively as did others, the air around him splintering with bullets hitting the rocks. His body hit hard against the mud, splashing all over. A soldier's body fell on top of him. It was Cpl. Howard. Frank frightened by this pushed the corpse away. He carefully got up on his feet and looked back at the corpse to reassess. The deafening noise and the sense of imminent danger heightened his awareness. He could feel the heat of the explosions and see the flash of gunfire and the flashes of silhouettes, a stark reminder of how close death was.

  "Covering fire!" Lt. Ferguson shouted. "Move up! Move up, now!"

  Frank nodded, forcing himself to move despite the chaos. He glanced at the soldiers lying on the dirt, their faces set with fear as they fired from behind cover. He could see Amelia running to save the injured.

  "Move up, soldiers!" Lt. Ferguson yelled as he dragged soldiers to push them forward.

  Frank was amazed the lieutenant hadn't been shot yet. The lieutenant was out in the open, barely ducking underneath the gunfire, in the numerous flashes of lightning and explosions under the rain and mud, yelling orders out of his lungs, going from soldier to soldier to push them forward. Suddenly, their team leader, Sgt. Critovsky, appeared in front of him.

  "Move, move, move!" the sergeant yelled.

  Frank shifted his position, rolling to another piece of cover—a smaller crater that offered better protection. He slid over the mud into the crater. He checked his ammo count, noting with relief that he still had a good supply. He fired again, targeting another enemy soldier who was trying to flank their position. The soldier fell, but Frank’s momentary lapse in concentration almost cost him as a bullet zipped past his ear. His nerves were on edge, but he kept his focus. He needed to remain calm and maintain his accuracy. He fired in short, controlled bursts, his training taking over as he aimed and fired with newfound precision. The enemy seemed to be pushing harder now, and Frank could see the reinforcements they had been waiting for in the distance as the sun rose ever so slightly. (The Eulerian sun is called the Zeir, but we'll call it a sun for simplicity)

  "Reinforcements in sight, keep holding!" Lt. Ferguson shouted again.

  Frank could see the glint of the Quadaric forces' armour approaching, giving him a renewed surge of hope. He continued to fire, working in tandem with his comrades to keep the enemy at bay until their reinforcements could relieve the pressure. Frank had to reload.

  "Oh no," Frank thought in fear as he looked down at the ammunition pouches. "It's empty."

  Frank pulled his pistol from his holster. Frank began firing the pistol into the field, hoping to hit the enemy.

  "Die rebel scums!" a soldier shouted.

  Then, more soldiers began chanting the same. Frank took out another magazine. He kept firing over the crater, unable to move forward as the gunfire was too much to handle. Then, if things weren't already bad enough, he ran out of pistol magazines. Frank suddenly began panicking. Frank pulled a grenade from his belt and prepared to pull the pin. He needed to make use of anything he had. Frank yanked the pin off. Frank threw the grenade far over the crater. Then, out of nowhere, an enemy soldier jumped into the crater. Frank and the Tanian soldier froze and looked at each other in confusion. The Tanian soldier tried to load a magazine, but it slipped out of his hands. Frank panicked and scrambled.

  Then, the Tanian soldier charged at Frank. Frank pulled out his combat knife from his belt just in time to block the enemy soldier's bayonet charge. Then, the soldier began to reach for the secondary in the holster. Frank pushed the rifle's bayonet and swung his knife at the soldier's neck. The soldier managed to move in time. Then, Frank charged blindly at the soldier to stab again but as he did, a bright flash and gunshot went out. Frank opened his eyes to see the knife inside the Tanian soldier's chest. Frank pulled the knife out. The Tanian soldier fell to his knees. His gun fell out of his left hand. Frank looked in horror at what he'd just done. The soldier looked up one more time, muttered a few words in Alaric, and fell limp to the dirt. Frank was in shock.

  "Soldier!" a voice shouted.

  Frank shook his head and looked up. There, a Quadaric soldier stood carrying a fallen comrade.

  "The enemy lines are beginning to waver!" he shouted. "Their advances are slowing!"

  Frank felt a mix of relief and exhaustion, the fight draining every ounce of his energy. He suddenly panicked and searched his uniform for bullet holes. Frank sighed in relief. He looked back down at the dead Tanian, lying in the puddle of mud. The rain began softening.

  "I-it's an enemy, Frank," he thought to himself. "He's not human, he's a traitorous animal. It's no different than hunting an animal."

  Then, a burst of machine gun fire ripped through the field of grass, sending a chill down his spine, and causing Frank to crouch for cover immediately.

  "Alright," the lieutenant suddenly spoke through the radio. "Good job boys, they're retreating now."

  As the enemies began to retreat, Frank let out a shaky breath, his hands gripping the rifle tightly. The battle wasn’t over, but they had managed to hold their position. Frank kneeled and grabbed the rifle and ammunition of the dead Tanian soldier. He also checked the personal papers inside the pockets. 'Tanian conscript' read one of the letters that was written in Dinen. There were several letters and photos. Some were of loved ones and others were of issued orders. The shoulder straps indicated the rank of a sergeant. Frank grabbed the important papers and climbed out of the large crater. He was soaking wet with mud and dirt.

  "I think I'm going to catch a cold," Frank thought.

  He looked around at his comrades, their faces etched with the same mix of relief and fatigue, some with scratches and injuries and some carrying the fallen as the rain fell even heavier. A soldier came up to them.

  "Aight," a higher-ranking soldier spoke. "Three of you come with you to secure those houses over there in the field. There might be hiding Tanians or potentially snipers."

  The soldier pointed to a group of small houses.

  "You other four," the soldier continued. "Keep going north-west. You might catch up with a squad of your platoon."

  A few soldiers began marching with him.

  "Glory to the Federation!" the corporal shouted while giving a weak and tired salute.

  Frank looked at Amelia who stood next to him.

  "Hey," Amelia spoke. "I'm going to go help the medical team."

  Amelia took off running. Frank looked to his left where a column of Quadaric reinforcements was marching. Frank looked around at the bodies of his fallen brethren.

  "May you all rest in peace," Frank thought sincerely.

  Frank adjusted his collars and began walking, over the corpses of enemies and fallen comrades.

  "Make sure to collect all the dog tags properly!" a sergeant shouted.

  A few soldiers carrying the corpses looked at Frank.

  "We've gotta keep moving!" Lt. Ferguson shouted. "North-west now!"

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  Frank looked at the lieutenant who was covered in dirt and blood. He walked forward as per orders, following right behind a few others in their team with Sgt. Critovsky leading the way. Frank sighed a shaky breath.

  "Nervous?" a soldier asked, wearing face armour and covered in dirt.

  "Yeah," Frank answered.

  "Here," the soldier pulled out his canteen. "I don't see yours on you."

  Frank looked down and hunted for his canteen but it was nowhere to be found. The soldier laughed.

  "I'm Corporal Wadsvitch," the soldier revealed. "I'm the new replacement. I was the only one alive from my last team."

  Frank slowly slid down his face armour and grabbed the canteen. He opened and drank.

  "Things are only bound to get worse, private," the corporal told. "Drink it like it's your last."

  Frank didn't know whether this was a warning or an advice. What he did know was that he didn't want to find out. Frank gave the canteen back to the corporal after drinking and continued to march through the mud.

  After holding against the small advancement of Tanian forces, Lt. Ferguson ordered his soldiers to move to the Tennissis trench lines where they'll rest for a while to regain composure. They started marching as artillery shook the ground in a beating pattern. They had to dodge and duck as Tanian snipers and machine guns fired out randomly. Finally, they made it to the trenches after some miles. Frank walked in as he looked around, the trench walls covering his view of the battleground. Then, artillery hit near him, though it was outside the trench. The dirt showered on him. Frank was glad he had his helmet on.

  As he and the other soldiers walked through the communication trench, the artillery only got more intense until they started to hear screams and shouts of pain. They were now in the reserved trenches, the safest trench line. Frank got on a wooden ramp, a firing step of some kind and looked out into the battlefield. It was a dark, cloudy day and there were strong breezes. It was nearly midday. Frank could see the support trench some dozen metres up ahead. He looked behind and to the right, he saw medical tents and heavily wounded soldiers. The screams of agony sounded painful. To the left, he saw their artillery and some flak guns stationed in a dug position, as well as machine gun bunkers slightly off into the distance. Frank could see the shells being transported by a makeshift conveyor belt. There was a line of soldiers carrying the shells onto the conveyor belt. Then, one of the artillerymen suddenly collapsed to the ground due to sheer exhaustion. The medics immediately came to the rescue. Then, almost immediately, another artilleryman went to reload the heavy artillery as a replacement. Frank witnessed this within a few minutes after they arrived at the trenches.

  After about a three-hour rest, it was already noon by then, though it wasn't as sunny as one would've thought. Lt. Ferguson ordered the soldiers to listen to his briefing. Frank got up from a dugout, he couldn't get himself to sleep well as the artillery was too loud. He wore his helmet, tightened the straps, picked up his salvaged Tanian rifle, and collected some extra grenades. He walked through the reserved trench once again, across the soldiers on the firing steps and the wounded who were being treated. He saw a crowd of soldiers up front, most likely his platoon so he jogged steadily until he finally made it to the group.

  "Alright, we've got everyone here, right?" Lt. Ferguson asked.

  "Yeah, I think so sir," a soldier answered.

  Frank recognized the soldier as it was Reagel.

  "Okay, soldiers, listen up," Lt. Ferguson ordered sternly. "In the last couple of weeks, all aircraft that goes into the Tanian territory kept getting jammed. We now know that it was a new jamming technology the Alarics made. Anyhow, Zeta Five, a squad of special operatives were dispatched to take out the jammer, but they were killed in the process."

  The soldiers were shocked to hear that.

  "Special operatives died?" a voice chatted.

  "Yeah, I thought they were the best of the best, no?" another voice chatted.

  Frank thought about that too.

  "How dangerous are the city walls?" he thought.

  Lt. Ferguson coughed to get the attention back.

  "Continuing," he said. "The high command doesn't want another incident like this to happen again. And they can't afford to lose more valuable soldiers—"

  An artillery shell hit near the trench, and mud was raining upon the soldiers.

  "The lieutenant can't even have a normal briefing with the constant bombardment!" a voice said aloud.

  The soldiers began laughing.

  "Mhmgh!" Lt. Ferguson cleared his throat. "Moving on, we've got to sneak around the trenches and find a way into the city without getting caught. To do that, we'll have a small team of soldiers sneak past the Tanian trench lines."

  The lieutenant paused to breathe but before he could speak again, a soldier shouted out a question.

  "But why does it have to be us?" the soldier asked.

  Much to Lt. Ferguson's dwindling patience, he gracefully answered.

  "It's because the high command has an expectation of us and if we want to keep our reputation, we must go through with this," he patiently explained.

  The soldier understood him well and his friends joked around with him after. Lt. Ferguson sighed.

  "The only passage to do that is to cross the river which intersects the trench lines," Lt. Ferguson explained further. "It's a couple dozen miles from here so a bit of a travel but enough time for at least a one-day mission. A squad of volunteers will be tasked with completing this mission. The infiltration squad will be split into two. A Team will do the infiltration while B Team will be on the lookout for potential dangers to the infiltration team."

  Frank bumped into Amelia as the lieutenant said that.

  "And the rest of you will wait it out while the 52nd Tennissis Infantry Company create a diversion to attack Tennissis," Lt. Ferguson finalised. "Then, once the signal is given, we'll move into the southeastern part of the city walls alongside some other units. That's plan A and plan B will be improvised."

  There was silence for a few seconds.

  "Any questions?"

  "Sir," a soldier spoke.

  "What is it?" Lt. Ferguson replied.

  "The attack will succeed, right?" the soldier asked.

  "Well," Lt. Ferguson tried to reply but had to think for a second. "It depends on a lot of things, quite frankly. I can't ensure that the plan will go well and I certainly can't ensure your survival."

  The soldiers looked worried.

  "But," Lt. Ferguson added. "What I can assure you, is that I certainly won't stand back to watch whilst my soldiers suffer on the front."

  The soldiers were quite surprised to hear that.

  "After all," the lieutenant continued. "We are the 50000th Infantry Platoon, tasked with clearing the way for our comrades. Going in, head first, into enemies so our supporting companies won't have to face an issue. We are the breakers of defences, the dividers of forces. We shall feast upon our enemies' dread! We shall reconquer the lands that once belonged to us, the great Federation!"

  Amelia glanced at Frank.

  "Hey, do want to be in the infiltration team?" she whispered.

  Frank wasn't sure. It seemed as if the infiltration would be safer, but if he messed up, their entire plan would be foiled. Frank sighed and made a decision.

  "Yes," he answered. "I'll be a part of the infiltration team."

  Amelia smiled.

  "Good for you then," she cheered. "By the way, I think Reagel's also going to be a part of the infiltration team too."

  "Wait, why do you think that?" Frank asked.

  "Well, he's been wishing for his moment to shine for a while now," Amelia revealed. "And I think he'll take this opportunity."

  Frank looked at Reagel. The young man looked the giddiest he's ever been.

  "Well, I guess so," Frank murmured.

  "I just hope things go well," Amelia spoke worriedly. "I just don't want him to die..."

  Frank could see Amelia getting emotional.

  "Well, I won't let him die if you want me to," Frank jokingly said.

  Amelia laughed softly.

  "Well, I sure hope you do," she said.

  After that, their plan was put into action. Frank, Reagel, Cpl. Eimer Wadsvitch, and seven others whose names were undisclosed to Frank and as usual, their team leader, Sgt. Critovsky. Cpl. Wadsvitch was a confident man. Frank got along with him well. They got onto a spare Pelican Vtol that Lt. Ferguson had somehow managed to get his hands on. Then, they flew towards the river, unbeknownst to the Tanian flak guns. Frank looked out to the ground, seeing how high up they were. He stared into the horizon, amazed by the beauty of the sunset and the birds that soared through the air, it was almost a scene from a movie shown on the holoscreens back home. He never thought he'd encounter such a sight in his life before. Just as Frank thought, a humongous spaceship appeared above the clouds, casting a large shadow over the landscape. Then, Frank looked down at the ground and saw an empty field of tall grass. There were some trees, burned and charred. But most of all, there were rows upon rows of barbed wire. There weren't any more trenches so Frank thought they must've arrived at their designated location.

  The Pelican pilot flew for about thirty minutes until they landed at the river. The infiltration squad got out as the lookout team searched for a position to hunker down. The aircraft would have to be returned so it didn't get damaged or captured, so the Pelican flew off. Frank stared up at the Vtol as it swiftly lifted off the grass and took off. Frank now had to focus; the pressure was getting to him. Reagel, Frank, and Cpl. Wadsvitch crouched behind the grass to make a plan.

  "Okay, so," Cpl. Wadsvitch devised. "Along this river, there is a watergate and that's where we'll sneak into the city."

  "We'll have to scout out the area for a way to get into the water gate, right?" Reagel asked.

  "Right," the corporal agreed. "But, there might be patrols around here. Ask the lookout team if they see any patrols."

  Frank clicked the radio button on his HoloCom wrist device.

  "This is uhh," Frank cluttered.

  "What's wrong?" Cpl. Wadsvitch asked.

  "What should our team's call sign be?" Frank asked. "Any ideas?"

  "Oh!" Reagel spoke excitedly. "I know! Our team should be called Wraith!"

  Frank turned the radio back on.

  "Hello, this is Wraith, do you copy?" Frank asked through the radio.

  "Roger that, Waith," the other side of the radio replied.

  "Any patrols around the city walls in our general direction?" Frank asked. "I repeat, are there any patrols around the city walls in our general direction."

  There was a short pause.

  "Affirmative, there are two patrols, one to the east and one to the north," the radio man replied. "There are also drones in the area so be extra cautious."

  "Roger that, over," Frank spoke into the radio for the final time.

  The trio continued to crawl their way to the water gate, along the river, taking a short pause every once in a while and cutting through the rows of barbed wire. While they were in a short pause behind a tree, Frank stared deeply at the water gate. He pushed some buttons on the HoloCom and a small holographic map of the out city defences appeared. He wondered how they'd get through.

  "Maybe an explosive?" he thought. "No, that would make too much noise."

  Frank looked up at the city walls.

  "They're are probably looking out for us right now," Frank thought in doubt.

  Then, Reagel tapped on Frank's shoulder. It made Frank jump a little.

  "Woah," Reagel laughed. "Why so jumpy?"

  Frank looked slightly annoyed.

  "Do you think there might be landmines around here?" Reagel asked curiously.

  Frank thought about that for a minute.

  "Hmm, it is a suspiciously empty, plain field," he thought. "Maybe except for the barbed wires."

  Frank thought about that twice.

  "And maybe even the dead trees," he corrected himself. "Would be stupid of them to not have a minefield around here. Unless..."

  Frank looked at Reagel.

  "We are by their main source of water," Frank spoke. "It would be pretty irresponsible for them to have mines around here."

  Reagel kneeled.

  "Thought so," he said. "And by the way, we're supposed to be a team of five but the other three members of our team were tasked with extra reconnaissance, apparently."

  "Oh?" Frank looked in surprise.

  "They wouldn't tell us what their task was though," Reagel explained. "Sergeant Critovsky went with the other team."

  Frank stared at the water gate. It was gigantic and as tall as the city walls. Frank wondered how they might be able to get in. Then, in the corner of his eyes, he saw what appeared to be a woman in robes with a bucket. Frank turned his head to look closer and he was right. It was a Tanian woman who appeared to be getting water. It seemed that their main source of water had been in a shortage of some kind. Not surprising to Frank though as the river did seem rather thin for a whole city. Then, an idea popped into Frank's mind. He crouched and slowly walked closer to the woman until he could see her face. Then, he stood up out of the tall grass and aimed his rifle at the woman.

  "Don't yell or scream, or I'll shoot!" he ordered the innocent woman.

  She didn't seem to speak Dinen to Frank though, but she begged for mercy, in a different language, most likely Alaric. Frank wondered why she hadn't learned Dinen.

  "I thought it was a national language," he thought. "It should've been taught since elementary. It's mandatory. How does she not speak it?"

  Frank, still aiming his rifle at the woman, paused to think while she continued to beg for mercy.

  "Well, I guess she wouldn't have spoken in Dinen under Alaric occupation," Frank thought. "For nearly a decade now."

  Anyhow, he signalled the woman to stand back up and called for his squadmates.

  "What—" Reagel stopped as he saw what was happening. "Wait, a hostage?"

  Frank turned his head to Reagel.

  "Let's get her to open the water gate," Frank suggested.

  "Then, execute her afterwards?" Reagel asked.

  Cpl. Wadsvitch, who had appeared behind Frank, frowned at the idea.

  "That's barbaric," he spoke.

  Frank glanced at him as the poor Tanian woman was still under gunpoint.

  "We'll turn her in if we have to," the corporal suggested.

  Frank liked that idea.

  "Alright, let's do that," Frank agreed. "But how do we order her to open the water gate?"

  Cpl. Wadsvitch walked up to the woman. He gave some hand gestures and pointed at the water gate and then began speaking a whole new language. The woman seemed to deny it. Frank prepared to hit her on the head with the base of his rifle.

  "No, don't!" the corporal reprimanded. "What are you thinking?!"

  Frank looked confused at his disapproval.

  "What?" Frank asked.

  "What do you mean 'what'?" Cpl. Wadsvitch asked back.

  "I'm doing what I needed to, why'd you stop me?" Frank questioned further.

  The corporal struggled to come up with a reason.

  "I guess so," he answered. "But for now, focus on what we have to do, okay? We cannot mess up right now. We're too deep into enemy territory."

  Cpl. Wadsvitch ordered the Tanian woman to open the water gate once more and this time in Dinen. She nodded.

  "Hah, I guess she does understand Dinen!" Frank thought.

  Frank followed from behind still pointing his rifle at her. At the water gate, there were some Tanain guards so Eimer devised a plan. They would hide out of sight of the guards, to the right, but still put the hostage at gunpoint. And so they did. The interaction between the guards and the hostage was an awkward one. Frank could tell because the woman would stutter a lot, despite Frank never having learned Tanian or whatever language they spoke. The woman could be seen shaking visibly. It seemed like the guard had agreed to open the gates. Frank exhaled in relief as his breath was stopped during the entirety of the conversation.

  Frank looked at the gate itself. It was large and almost looked like a giant jail cell with a stream of water rushing in. Next to it though was a smaller door. Then, the door opened. Frank and Reagel immediately ran and pulled their rifles at the guards. This time, they didn't even try to speak. The guards didn't seem to be armed. One of the guards looked angrily at the woman. Then, Frank and Reagel, despite Cpl. Wadsvitch telling them not to, executed the guards with their knives and hid their bodies in the bushes far away, leaving only their original hostage, the Tanian woman. She seemed to be undoubtedly horrified.

  "Come on!" Cpl. Wadsvitch ordered. "Let's get moving!"

  Frank pushed the woman with the barrel of his gun, moving her forward. She obliged in fear. They held the woman hostage. They walked across the farmland and small houses until they found a bell tower of some sort. It seemed to be an abandoned watch tower but it was still in good shape. It also overlooked the city itself. The silhouette of the city skyline could be seen in front of the sunset. Eimer suggested they hide in there until the next to launch their assault. Frank and Reagel agreed to the idea.

  For the next few hours, the trio would stay on the lookout for any Tanian soldiers. They took the duty equally until it was midnight where one would be on the lookout at a time. The Tanian hostage was still with them. Frank was unsure of what to do with her.

  "Corporal Wadsvitch seems to be against the idea of killing her," he thought. "But Reagel is okay with it."

  Frank sighed with tiredness.

  "We'll deal with her later," he resolved.

  Frank looked up into the night sky. It was full of shining stars. The Eulerian moon, Efarha (Translating to 'The Yellow Face' in Olden English), shone a bright, full reflection. Then, Frank saw what appeared to be searchlights far away near the city. It was from something far up in the sky. Frank didn't bother much though.

  "I should probably wake up Reagel and rest."

  Frank told Reagel that it was his turn and went to sleep. All Frank could think about was whether their plan would work out or not.