"A recent report that came out of the University of Yale comparing the current situation of the Empire to the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. During that war, the Roman Republic lost about four to five hundred thousand soldiers out of the estimated seven hundred and seventy thousand deaths. The economy was nearly destroyed, and most of the elite and experienced leadership died. And yet, Rome did not just win the war; it decisively defeated the Carthaginian Empire. Rome was still contained within the Italian Peninsula and not yet an empire, as most people remember it.

The report estimates that the Empire has suffered more than two hundred and eighty thousand casualties, far less than the Roman Republic. Rome was still contained within the Italian Peninsula and not yet an empire. Unlike the Empire, most people remember it where it is a continental-size country on par with the Mongol Empire(1).

There are critical differences between the two. For one, the Second Punic War was spread out over twenty years, while the current war with the Empire has only been going on for over a year. Another is that the Empire’s economy is between four and six times larger than that of the Roman Republic. A third difference is the Roman Republic had a population between sixty to seventy million, while the Empire is estimated to be around two hundred and ten million but only half of that is considered citizens. However, multiple sources claim other numbers.

The significant takeaway from the report came from the fact that a younger and smaller Roman Republic was able to sustain similar losses both in the workforce and in the economy; the Empire should have more resources to mobilize, which it has used to form the Falmart League.

The report concluded with these resources' advantages, they have only been able to inflict around six hundred casualties on the NATO Expeditionary Force. The lopsided numbers are thanks to superior technology and training. However, it also represents the fact that one of the biggest reasons why the Imperial force still thinks they can win this war is because of the large reserve of manpower and resources they are able to throw at the firing lines of NATO force and despite being significantly weakened and suffered daily massacres, the Falmart League is still considered to be dangerous.

As the war becomes intense and NATO forces keep stretching in the front lines, PMCs have now been called in to cover the fronts that NATO cannot effectively cover as well as to do some security operations. There are at least 4 PMCs groups present in Uros: Triple Canopy, G4S, FDG and MRPI. It is reported that PMCs are often in charge of protecting the oil field in the Elbe Kingdom from rebel and Imperial forces. Some reports said they are also contracted to harass the Imperial force.

In other new, several days ago, the whistleblower hacker group, the Anonymous, leaked an intel from Uros stating that the Imperial force is in liege with a secret sinister group that can mind control people and several NATO personnel had been brainwashed by them but were deprogrammed before they could cause any significant harm. The NSA tried to hide this information from the public to avoid panic that the enemy from beyond the Gate can potentially control the leadership of the Earth government if left unchecked. The NSA has declared this information as a hoax"  – Inverse News.

 

***

Date: April 10th, 2026

--- Haina Forest, 30 miles from Alnus, eastern Italica ---

 

Myuute stands there as she watches the battle. "I have to admit; they are brave."

"I take it this is a legit Adventurer mission?" Miloslav asks as he stands next to her.

"Yes," she replies. "This is why the Empire created the Guild for a situation like this. And they don't call them missions; they call them quests."

"I don't care," Miloslav says.

She looks at him and giggles.

This is the second attempt to secure these ruins. The first group that the AMP had to flee after two died.

The local villages were attacked, with a farming family murdered. The AMP thought it was another bandit gang. When they arrived, they didn't find a bandit group but a Barlgura beast.

As the military tried to bring in the death squad and trackers to deal with the beast, Karther seized the opportunity and said that this was the exact situation the Adventurers are meant to deal with. 

Now she finally gets to see Adventurers fight, a lifelong dream. "Maybe we should help?"

"No," Miloslav says. "They wanted to do this. This is their way. If they want a role in our society, they need to prove that there is a place for them. If we step in, it will ruin any opportunity for them to integrate into our ways."

"You are right," she says. "I just don't like watching."

"I understand… ugh," Miloslav mumbles.

She looks at Miloslav and sees his hand on his head. He gets headaches here and there, a byproduct of having a brain lug attached to his brain.

She doesn't mind because if it weren't for the Other Worlders medical technology, he would still be a slave or dead.

She places her hand on his shoulder. "It is ok. We will watch."

Miloslav takes a relaxing breath. "By the way, I have enough points for some leave. I am thinking of going home for Christmas. You want to come home and meet my folks?"

She looks at him and smiles. "Really! I would love that. I like to see more of your world and your parents."

She likes the idea. She looks back down at the ruins and watches the fight.

 

---

 

Karther is breathing heavily; the cold sweat drips down his back from the heat.

He stares at the Barlgura.

A Barlgura is a massive ape-like beast. About sixteen to twenty feet tall with muscles that make a Minotaur look weak.

The Barlgura throws a rock at him. He dodges and points his sword. "Lillie, flank right. Gorgth, flank left."

He sees both of them charge at the Barlgura, flanking it.

"Vauo, aim for the throat," he orders.

He watches as Gorgth and Lillie attack the Barlgura from the sides. He wants to keep it occupied long enough to whittle it down.

A Barlgura is extremely dangerous, and the key to defeating it is to keep it distracted and confused. Then you go for the kill.

If you let the Barlgura gain the initiative, then the beast will tear you to shreds.

That is why he plans to maintain as much pressure as he can.

Seeing that it is distracted, he charges forward.

An arrow hits the neck area, giving him the opening to slash the Barlgura in the back.

The Barlgura lets out a scream and slams its fist into the ground. The beast swings its arms around.

Gorgth slashes at the fist, but Lillie falls back after nearly being hit by it.

The Barlgura looks at Lillie.

Seeing this, he rushes over and uses his shield to deflect the Barlgura attack.

He sees this large dent in his shield. He grabs Lillie and runs away, and both of the Barlgura fists slam on the ground.

"Harthdru, cover," he orders. He stops and turns around.

He sees Harthdru rush up by the Barlgura’s side. He tosses his smoke bombs at the beast.

Small smoke explosions appear all around the Barlgura, making it roar from the confused. Within the smoke is a poison that helps confuse its target.

He points to Vauo and directs him to keep shooting at the neck. He wants to weaken the neck.

He points to Gorgth. "Gorgth. Ram!"

He looks directly at the Barlgura as the smoke and clears up. "Lillie, block, attack, attack formation."

"You got it, boss," Lillie says.

When Gorgth charges, so too does the beast.

Harthdru rushes past the Barlgura, distracting it while the arrow hits it again around the neck.

Gorgth strikes at its back while he advances with Lillie right behind him.

The Barlgura grabs his shield and starts to squeeze it. As planned, Lillie moves around him and slashes at the beast’s arm.

When the Barlgura lets go of his shield, he slashes at its arm with his sword.

The Barlgura takes a few steps back, and he thinks they’ve got it, and it seems that the battle is coming to an end.

But then the Barlgura charges forward with rage. He and Lillie had to dodge its charge.

He recovers and looks around. "Where did it go?"

Harthdru comes up. "I just lost him."

Liz walks up. "The Barlgura can cloak itself. We must be careful."

He hates fighting Barlgura. The Guild only lets Silver Ranks and above fight them because of how dangerous they are. Lesser ranks usually end up dead.

"Has your mana recharged?" he asks.

"Just about there," Liz answers. "What is your plan?"

"I can hear him," Vauo says.

"I see some dust," Harthdru says. "He is a quick bastard."

He looks around. "Liz, when you are ready, do a flare. The shining light should neutralize its cloak. Everyone else split into two's, spread out, and support each other."

He wants to control the movement of the Barlgura. Staying in a tight group leaves them vulnerable to the beast’s strength, but prevents it from using its stealth or speed against them. Spreading out by twos should allow his party to control the field, and when the Barlgura strikes, they can surround it.

Everyone rushes around as they get into position. Gorgth and Lillie to the left, Vauo staying with Liz and Harthdru with him.

"Give me something Harthdru," he asks.

"I am looking, but I see no clues," Harthdru states.

He looks around, not liking how quiet the battle has become.

Harthdru then points to the left in a panic. "Right there."

He looks and feels the tremors of the Barlgura. "Liz!"

Liz raises his staff in the air, and this bright light blinds the battlefield.

Blinded, he can hear Barlgura yelling and screaming from being blinded.

He gets his vision back and orders everyone to surround the beast.

Harthdru throws his throwing knives at the beast. An arrow from Vauo hits it in the neck. Gorgth attacks it from the left, and Lillie strikes from the right.

He sees his opening. He drops his shield and charges forward.

The Barlgura grabs him and lifts him. Lillie jumps up and slashes at that, arm freeing him. He holds the arm and quickly climbs up the beast's arm. He rams his sword into the weak point the arrows created. The blade goes through the neck of the beast.

He drops to the ground and watches the Barlgura fall backward, hitting the ground.

"We did it!" Vauo shouts with excitement.

Lillie jumps in the air. "I cannot believe it! My first Barlgura!"

"Your first, this is my second," Gorgth says.

He looks around and sees the excitement in everyone. Even he is happy, finally feeling like his old self again.

Since this war started he no longer felt like an Adventurer because of the changing world. He understands the older ways Gorgth talks about will not stay like that, he just doesn't like it. But this quest is proving to him that there might be a place for his kind with these Other Worlders.

"Vauo," he says. "Go get Myuute and tell her that they are clear. We can begin clearing the ruins, and the area is all theirs."

"Watch out!" Lillie yells.

He feels Lillie tackle him to the ground. He sees the Barlgura almost grab him.

Gorgth gets on top of it and rams his long sword into its neck, cutting it off.

He looks at Lillie and sees her beautiful eyes.

"Are you ok?" Lillie asks.

"Yes, I am," he replies.

Both get up.

 

 

***

--- Fort Minick ---

Date: April11th, 2026

 

Bailey leans back in his chair as Delilah makes a stew.

Most of the time Delilah stays with Tyuule in Alnus, picking and choosing what missions she goes on.

When not on missions, Delilah works at Apex Liberty. While she and Tyuule no longer need to work there, he assumes they like the attention and the consistent work. When both of them arrived at Alnus, they both started there.

While he doesn't like the ass grabbing, he is glad both of them are still interacting with people. It is the only way for their people to recover and move on.

"I think you should talk with him," Delilah says.

He puts down his mission reports. "The last thing he needs is me harping around him. Giving him special treatment and making him feel worse."

Delilah looks at him with a spatula in her hand. "How is talking making this worse?"

"We’re guys," he replies. "Talking things out isn't our way. We just punch each other."

"That is retarded," Delilah states.

"For a girl," he replies. "To a guy that is like six months of therapy."

Delilah gives him this dumbfounded look. "You're dumb. No wonder we are a female-only society. He is your friend and with his title, I bet he doesn't get many opportunities to talk to people about his feelings."

"The last thing he needs is someone reminding him about his stress," he replies. "And it is called a rank, not title."

"I don't care what it's called!" Delilah yells. "Why can't guys just talk things out. He is your friend and needs you."

Everything that Sharpe has done and been through or Uros has taken its toll on him. 

Sometimes he wonders how Sharpe is able to put up so much at once. "Sharpe is a prideful man. The last thing he would want is his subordinates getting into his drama."

"Pride," Delilah mumbles as she rolls her eyes. She then gets right up at him. "Is that what I am? The babies? If this happened to us if someone tried to kill me and kidnap your daughters would you act like this? Just drama?"

He glances up at her, realizing his mistake far too late. "Ahh… of course not dear."

Delilah then points her spatula to the door. "Then go talk to him, now!"

 

--- Fort Minick, Classroom ---

 

"I want all of you to continue to watch the Hannibal series from HistoryMarches(2)," Sharpe says. "I want you all to pay special attention to the Battle of Cannae."

The Battle of Cannae was when Hannibal's smaller and lighter army of fifty-thousand soldiers surrounded and slaughtered the Roman eight-six thousand army. What happened was that Hannibal hid his elite soldiers in the rear and allowed his centerline to be pushed back, allowing the Romans to think they were about to break through.

The bulk of the Roman army was lured deep into Hannibal lines. Once deep inside, the elite forces attacked and the army found itself surrounded from all sides. This prevented the Roman number advanged from being used because they were trapped deep within their own ranks, allowing Hannibal army to cut them down, just like an onion. Starting with the outer layer and cutting your way through.

He looks around the classroom. The leadership of the Rose Knights, Alnus Militia, and the Legrath Knights are there. Today's topic is a quick history lesson on leadership. He picked Hannibal because he birthed from any modern concepts on warfare and he was a genius, defeating a larger and more powerful enemy on their home territory.

He wants them to understand that pure strength isn't enough, being creative and understanding the environment around them are keys to defeating your enemy. Every location, every enemy, every situation provides an opportunity and the moment you realize the number one limitation is yourself, then you become truly dangerous.

"Who knew working with such a badass brings so much homework," Beefeater jokily says.

"Practice creates perfection," she replies.

"And yet you said there is no such thing as perfection so also be on the lookout," Bozes states.

“I am surprised that thousands of years ago, the people of Earth were just like the Empire and the whole Falmart in terms of civilization. However, the big difference was that they moved on and continuously advanced until this day to achieve many incredible things and mature in their thinking, unlike us,” Shandy sadly states. 

The feeling of disappointment blossoms among the Rose Knights about the stagnant state of Uros.   

"Glad you are paying attention," he replies. "That is why you all have a book report. You are all going to read The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Everyone is dismissed. Princess, stay here for a moment."

As everyone leaves Pina walks up. "What is it, sir?"

He looks at her annoyed. "I heard about the fight in the mess hall. You let a subordinate attack you."

"I didn't know you knew about it," Pina replies.

"There were like twenty people there," he replies. "I am pressing charges against Faira."

"Please don't Sharpe," Pina replies. "It is my fault."

"Everyone says Faira started it," he corrects. "I was on the phone for an hour this morning getting my ass chewed out by Major General Vilas Mengsk. This has happened twice now."

Mengsk is the 8th Infantry (Alnus) Division, the leader of Fort Minick. The 8th Division was reactivated to become a permanent division on Falmart once the war ended. It is being used to build cooperation with local warriors. Mengsk seems to be relenting in taking this command and he ended up on the receiving end of that. This marks two attacks on Pina in as many weeks.

"I know she attacked me first, but it is my fault," Pina replies. She then explains what happened and how she now feels guilty and has vowed to fix it. "Besides, you are doing the same thing with Sofia sir."

He knew she was going to bring Sofia up. He took some flak from the brass for his decision not to place criminal charges on her.

He looks at her and decides to trust her. "Alright, Princess. If she attacks you again then I have no choice but to lock her up, or anyone else for that matter."

"I understand," Pina says. "Another day in paradise?"

He looks at her confused. "Andrew or school?"

"Hamilton actually," Pina replies. "But she got that phrase from Andrew. Anything else sir?"

"There is," he replies. He reaches into his bag and pulls out an envelope. "This came from General Stanford himself. Mark is personal so I have no idea what is in it. "

"Ok," Pina says as she takes it.

"You are dismissed," he says.

Once Pina leaves, he leans back in his chair. "And I thought teaching for a bit would be relaxing."

Sharpe quickly packs up and heads out, as he hates to sit behind a desk any longer than necessary. Outside, he sees Bailey from Vanguard-5, Ryder from the Australian 1st Commando Regiment, and Itami from Japan 3rd Recon. "What are you doing here?"

 

--- Alnus Community, Dancing Princess Strip Club---

 

 Six mugs clash together in celebration at the newly built strip club in Alnus, the Dancing Princess owned by a businessman from Vegas. Then everyone takes a drink.

Karther sees everyone from his party happy and enjoying themselves.

"I have to say it feels good to be an Adventurer again, and it is good that the US is now allowing brothels and prostitution to operate. It seems that they listen to the input of people after all" Vauo states.

"I know right," Lillie says as she leans in. "A real quest fighting against a real monster. I felt so alive."

"Don't get carried away everyone," Gorgth says as she sets down the largest mug of the group. "It was just one quest. It is not like we will be facing another such threat anytime soon."

"Knock it off Gorgth," he says after taking another drink. "Since we came here, we have been doing only the dirt-poor tasks these people have. Tasks only the Rank Ten Porcelain should do. But we had a chance to prove ourselves to the Other Worlders and we did. With this maybe we can finally build a Post here."

"Let's not get carried away," Liz says. "Gorgth is right. He is a veteran of war and knows a single win is never enough. However, that does not mean we shouldn't celebrate."

"Here, here," he says.

Normally when Adventurers enter a town people celebrate them. They are considered heroes, the protectors of the people from the evils this world has to offer. When the Guild asked him to go to Alnus he was eager to go(8). He knew it was going to be a tough assignment however he was not expecting this much hostility.

With the Other Worlders’ great might, they annihilated most of the bandit gangs and outlaws in the region. He heard stories about how NATO dealt with the large goblin population in the region, all exterminated. It sounded like the Americans took no chances with their kind after what happened to Philadelphia.

As he drinks the headmistress walks up. She is a winged humanoid woman with blond hair, pointy long ears, and exuding confidence. "Hello, Mizari. Long time no see."

"Karther, it has been a while," Mizari says. "It has been what, two, three years now? And I see your party has grown."

"Yup," he says. "I am surprised to see you here? Finally done sucking the Nobles from Sadera?"

Mizari laughs. "They are too busy shaking in their boots right now."

"It's why I hated being there," he says as he takes a drink. "Everyone in Sadera is so stuck up. The kid?"

"That is why I came here," Mizari says. "I thought I could continue my career here so my daughter didn't have to and besides, here they pay far better and me and other girls have what is called medical insurance and retirement benefits, which means we can get a discount when we need medical needs and we can have a retirement fund when we become grey and old."

"That is sweet," Lillie says.

"Is it that bad in Sadera?" Gorgth asks.

Mizari nods. "Not that I care but yeah. The Guard is on every block. I didn't see a future there. Plus, I don't want my daughter to be there."

"I am surprised these people changed their rules on prostitution," Harthdru states. "With how idealistic they are."

"You just have to know how to talk to them," Mizari replies with a chuckle. "I was able to convince the local barker Karlin to speak on our prostitute's behalf. While many of us like this place and the better treatment, their strange insecurities almost made me move back to Sadera. A girl still has to eat."

He laughs hearing that. "As long as they came to their senses this place is tolerable."

Mizari laughs. "I see you haven't changed. Because of your great victory, today drinks are on the house. You are welcome to the private suites as well."

Everyone in the group cheers at the offer.

He looks at Mizari, understanding her tricks. He then sees a blue cat girl with a black round patch around her right eye. She is in skimpy clothing.

"I see your tastes haven't changed," Mizari says. "Always like to feel like the superior one."

"You said free of charge," he says with a chuckle.

He gets up from his chair. "Better enjoy yourselves, everyone. While today was a good day, tomorrow will only bring more challenges. However, we might pull this assignment off but today, use the glory that you have earned and enjoy yourselves."

 

---

 

Lillie leans back as she watches Karther walk into one of the private booths. She watches Vauo and Harthdru go off to do their things.

This has always been Karther’s way after a major quest. It is how they first met and how she ended up at his Party.

"Unfair," she mumbles.

"Don't let your youth get in the way," Gorgth says. "Karther has been doing this for a long time now. It is his way."

She has always liked Karther. He is good at what he does, one of the best Adventurers she has ever seen. A great fighter and most importantly, brave.

"Yeah but I was hoping on our first real quest here that we would do something different to celebrate for once," she said.

 

---

 

Sharpe is being pushed into the Dancing Princess Strip Club.

"Why the hell are we here?" he asks.

"You need to blow off some steam," Bailey says.

He looks at Bailey with a stern look. "Your kidding?"

"Ok," Bailey says. "Bad choice of words."

"But Bailey has a point," Ryder says. "You've been under a lot of stress recently and you need to get away from everything. What better place than this?"

"Besides, I have been wanting to check this place out since they opened this district for business," Bailey says.

He is talking about the new Red-Light District in Alnus. Currently, there are only three strip clubs and brothels. The only reason it was set up was because of local pressure, using the Libertarian argument.

He has seen places like this all-over South-East Asia, especially Thailand where prostitution is often seen as one the most important contributors to the national economy. He always stayed away from them, seeing them as immoral. 

He stops and points at Ryder. "You don't want your wife to know what happened in Thailand." He points to Itami. "I haven't forgiven you for tricking me into going to a Maid Café and for what happened. Still cannot believe that is a real thing." He then points to Bailey. "I am not backing you up when Delilah finds out. She scares me.”

Itami smiles. “We were celebrating that you didn’t kill yourself when you took out those terrorists(3).”

"Would you rather go to the bar where everyone knows you and will bug you about everything?" Bailey says. "Look, Delilah wanted me to take you out. A couple of beers, trying out a new place, away from the war and all the drama."

Ryder crosses his arms. "And Itami and I had a bet if you would come here or not. Don't be a pussy."

He looks at them all. "I hate all of you."

They all go inside and take a seat.

Once he takes a seat he looks around. To his surprise, the place is quite clean. To have this place approved they probably had to agree to many regulations.

As an orange cat girl hands them beers, Itami looks around. "This place is every Otaku’s dream."

He looks around and mainly sees non-humans here. A Bunny and a Human woman are currently pole-dancing in the background. He ignores everything and looks at his friends. "How is Delilah?"

Bailey takes a drink. "Ultrasound scan shows that she is going to have twins. Both girls of course."

"Better start beefing up the savings account," Ryder says. "Women are expensive. Daughters, even more. Jackson knows this beter than anyone, he has seven girls to finance support."

He was about to respond but thinks about Rory, Lelei, Tuka, Selina, Yao, Sarah, and Noriko with her son Tenchi. Spending most of his time in the military, he never developed many deep roots, not even buying a car because he was away so much on missions.

"Yeah," he mumbles. "It is costly but worth it… when someone is not trying to kill them all the time."

"None of that talk," Ryder says.

"I meant to ask you, Jackson," Itami says. "Are you and Sarah going all the way?"

He thinks about it. He likes Sarah a lot. But marriage hasn't been on his mind, only the war and daily drama with the Girls. Now that he thinks about it, Rory represents about fifty percent of it. "Don't know. This isn't the time."

"Wars come and go but love is forever,"

Hearing that he looks and sees this wing-woman walks up. "Excuse me?"

"I am Mizari, the head courtesan of this place or bottom bitch of this club," Mizari says. "I was surprised to see military officers here, so I came to greet you."

"This is just a little social visit," Bailey answers. "Just relaxing, catching up. Get away from things."

"I see," Mizari says with a chuckle. "And you happen to be here. But I guess you want a distraction. I guess this is a good place for it. And I am sorry, but I overheard the conversation."

"It is ok," he says. "It's not like it is a state secret at this point. No thanks to the Girls… damn phones."

"I will assume that makes sense to you," Mizari says. "But in this short life, you shouldn't wait for the right time."

He thinks the recent events could have lost Sarah and Selina. Before his response, he noticed Mizari about to speak again.

"I did have another reason for coming to your table," Mizari says. "I have heard of you mating with the local schoolteacher."

He glances around the table and sees his friends chuckling. "You could say that. Why do you ask?"

Mizari is hesitant to ask. "I was wondering if my daughter could attend it. I am happy with what I do for a living but I don't want my daughter to follow in my footsteps."

"I can ask but I don't see an issue with it," he replies. "Sarah would love another student. It has become a passion project for her."

Mizari smiles and laughs. "I am happy to hear. I thought it was because of my station..."

"Nonsense," Ryder says. "Don't worry about that stuff.

"Thank you very much," Mizari says and starts walking off. "If you four get lonely, you are welcome to any of the private suites."

He looks at everyone. "No funny ideas."

 

---

 

Karther is kneeling on the bed. Below him is the blue catgirl.

"You have to wear it," Malua says. "It is mandatory."

He holds up a condom, not believing Other Worlders use such backward and insane devices. Especially putting it on his pens.

"It is to prevent unwanted children," Malua says in a cute tone.

"First, you are forcing me to pay by hours more plus taxes, " he states angrily. "Now this? How did these people ruin sex?" He then tosses the condom away. 

In ancient brothels, there was no such thing called hourly pay, so clients often pay one time to get pleasure for indefinite hours. When NATO legalized prostitution and implemented the hourly pay along with employment benefits, native prostitutes are very happy that they can make more money, and this even attracts many prostitutes to leave Imperial territories. CIA teams in Sadera are also involved in smuggling a lot of prostitutes from Akusho to Alnus to increase manpower in the brothels and in exchange the prostitutes will supply any intel they can get from those Imperial soldiers or nobles who come to fuck with them as much as they can.  

"I am the one that has to deal with the consequences mister," Malua says. "Now put it back on."

He has paid for brothel services for a long time. People have asked him if he cared if he has bastards running around Falmart. He never cared if he has bastards from whores, they are not his children. This is normal in brothel houses, so he sees no reason to see it as a big deal. Only Alnus seems to care about this manner.

He looks at the catgirl pissed. He is getting sick and tired of rules and this high moral lecture he sees everywhere in Alnus. "No. You are a whore, any consequences are your problem, not the client’s."

He then holds her down, kissing and grabbing her.

Malua struggles. "Hey. Not so rough and put it on!"

He is not used to a whore telling him what to, which is annoying him. He leans his weight on her. "Do what I paid you to do! You are a cat, this is your role and station. Take it."

Cats, being naturally weak, have long been considered servant races for the stronger races on Falmart.

Malua then scratches him and kicks him in the balls. Then pushes him off. She then gets off the bed. "You bastard. You cannot treat us like this" She grabs her robe and rushes out.

He gets out of the bed and puts his pants on. He then walks out, pissed at all of these new rules, and pissed at that whore for not doing what she was told.

He sees Malua talking to Mizari, crying.

"What kind of business are you running?" he states. "This is the worst server I’ve ever gotten from a brothel."

Mizari looks at him angrily. "This isn't Akusho or Knappnai. You cannot just abuse my girls here, there are rules here."

He walks up and grabs Malua's arm. "I paid three times more than anywhere else. I expect the basics. None of this crap."

He then feels someone grab his shoulder. He looks and sees an American soldier standing there.

"Let go of her," he orders.

"Sharpe let him go," Mizari says. "I don't want trouble."

"Where I am from you don't grab a lady like that," Sharpe says. He then looks at him. "What is your problem? Just leave and do your thing."

He heard of that name all over Alnus. Many of the townsfolk have a huge amount of respect for him. The respect he should be given. "My problem is you."

"I don't give a fuck," Sharpe replies, looking directly at him. "You are hurting the lady."

He looks at Malua crying, seeing that he is squeezing her arm. He looks back at Sharpe. "She is a whore. Stop changing everything. This isn't your world."

Sharpe didn't respond, just looking directly at him.

He sees the same veteran status in Sharpe's eyes, the look he sees from experienced Adventurers. These people think they can change their way of life. Everything was ok, proper, normal before he and his people arrived.

He lets go of Malua and throws a punch at Sharpe.

Sharpe grabs his fist and swings him onto a table, breaking it. "Do not continue, please. You will not like how this end, and I’ll just end up needing to do more paperwork."

He lays on the broken table. "You think you can command me? I am Karther, Rank S. I am one of the best Adventurers of these lands. I was known before anyone knew who you were."

"As I said, I don't give a… what?"

He watches Gorgth ram into Sharpe before he finishes speaking. He laughs and gets up.

"Good job," he says.

"We work as a team, we die as a team," Gorgth says.

He laughs. "Let's finish this." He then gets rammed by someone and hits another table.

He rolls on the ground and gets on top of this soldier. He sees the flag on his shoulder, being Australian.

He punches the Australian, but his left fist gets caught and flips to the ground. The Australian starts punching him but only gets a few punches before Vauo jump kicks him off.

"Thank you Vauo," he says as he gets up.

"He is mine," Vauo stays and charges at the Australian.

He looks over and sees Gorgth see fighting another man. He wonders how many of his friends are here.

"Karther!" Lillie yells as she attacks Sharpe however Sharpe grabs her and swings her into Harthdru.

He looks over. "I thought you didn't hurt ladies."

"Not ladies," he says. "Pricks are fair play."

Sharpe charges forward and he starts his blocking attacks. He is surprised how fast Sharpe is. He has then kicked away and hits the wall. 

---

 

Sharpe takes a step back. He sees Ryder fighting Vauo and Harthdru. Bailey is dealing with Gorgth. The woman called Lillie is helping Karther fight. He heard them calling them by their names.

“Itami! A little help here,” he calls. 

“My hands are all busy! Jesus Christ! I wish Shino was here!” Itami states as he struggles to defend himself against the Lizardman, Liz.  

He grabs Lillie's arm. He pulls her in and knees her chest. She loses her breath, and he pushes her to the ground.

He dodges Karther’s assault. He is impressed by how skilled Karther is. If he had more of a technique, he would be more afraid.

He blocks a punch and then counters punches for the chest.

He feels a pain in his chest, around where his bruised ribs are. However, he grabs Karther and rams him into a table.

He sees Bailey struggling against Gorgth. He grabs a chair and hits Gorgth with it.

After being freed, Bailey punches Gorgth three times, knocking him over.

He grabs the chair leg and tosses it to Ryder.

Ryder takes the leg and uses it to block a high kick. He then hits Vauo in the arm with it.

He blocks an attack from Harthdru and then he rams him into the wall. He then punches him and tosses him onto the ground.

He sees Karther coming at the last second and dodges. There is a hole in the wall where Shapre was only a second ago.

He then punches Karther, hard.

Suddenly he feels Lillie jump on to his back, trying to lock him in place.

Karther punches him but then Ryder rams him into the wall.

Seeing his chance, he rams Lillie in the wall as hard as he could.

He sees Harthdru stand up and go after Ryder. He rushes up and strikes Harthdru, knocking him into the strip dance floor.

He looks to his left and sees Vauo get into a fighting stance but Bailey tackles the elf into an already broken table.

He looks at Gorgth as he holds up a table and comes for him. He grabs a plant from a table and tosses it at Gorgth, stopping him.

He rushes up and then uses Gorgth's weight against him, bringing him to the ground. He stands and looks at Gorgth. "I deal with Apostles for launch. You’re nothing."

He sees Ryder get pushed back from a joint attack from Karther and Harthdru.

He steps on Gorgth and jumps at Karther, knocking him over. Both roll on the ground.

Both get up and look at each other.

He attacks first, wanting to stay on the offensive. He punches Karther and then intently gives him a weak spot, which Karther takes.

He grabs Karther and throws him onto the strip stage. He walks over and punches him.

He looks over and sees Bailey kick Vauo into the wall. Ryder drops Harthdru onto the ground and then does an elbow drop.

Itami is having trouble with the lizardman due to his large size and superior upper-body strength than a human. It doesn’t take long for the lizardman to throw Itami across the room and he is knocked out from the hard impact of his face in the wall.  

Liz then chants a healing power from his personal magic amulet, which a small cluster of sparkle dust starts flying toward his downed comrades, causing them to heal from their injuries quickly. They then quickly get up with full health to continue the fight. 

“Oh come on! That's not fair!” Bailey states. 

“Now we're gonna teach you people not to mess with us adventurers. No matter how many rules you make, we are still more warrior-like than you three!” Karther boasts. 

With Ryder to his left and Bailey to his right, Sharpe smiled. “You forget Karther. In war, there are no rules. Get them.”

The six Adventurers charge forward with renewed determination. The soldiers stood strong, waiting. Once they approached, their special forces training kicked in. Sharpe grabbed Karther fist, swinging him into the elf. Bailey sucker pinched Gorgth and then dodged Lillie attack. She was grabbed from behind and swung hard into, knocking them over. Ryder, deflecting Harthdru attack and then kicking him into the lizardman. Once there is an opening, Ryder folding his hands together and knocked the lizard out.

Seeing Karther and Gorgth standing, Sharpe nodded at Bailey. Both charged forward and knocked them out.

After a high-five, they all then walk back to each other, realizing the damage. That is when he realizes he is going to be in big trouble. They all look at each other and begin to laugh.

 

 

--- A Half Hour later ---

 

Sharpe is standing there with his four friends. He sees the Adventurer party being arrested by the AMP. The only reason they are not being arrested is that Mizari vouches for them, saying they were defending her staff.

However, he knows that is not going to save them from Sarah and Delilah.

He glances over and sees Delilah yelling at Bailey. Bailey tried to explain that this was just trying to relax him, get him away from the daily drama. Nothing ill-intended. Delilah didn't care for that answer and only made it worse.

He hears a snap and looks. He sees an angry Sarah standing there.

"Don't look over there at them," Sarah says. "You are in big trouble right here."

"It was just a drink and if we weren't here, this could have been worse," he replies, speaking slowly and choosing his words very wisely. 

"You’re right. Thirteen tables were destroyed, two damaged walls, dozens of dishes destroyed, hundreds of dollars of damage. Yes, nothing could have been worse," Sarah replies.

He was going to respond, but decided against it.

"That’s what I thought," Sarah says. "You had no reason to be here."

"I didn't even want to," he replies. "They made me."

"They?" Sarah repeats, stunned. She leans forward. "They are your subordinates! They can't make you do jackshit!"

He glances to the left and sees Rory standing there crossing her arms in with upset manners.

Rory then waves her figure. "Don't look at me, I am not saving you. We were in the car for an hour talking about how we are going to punish you." She then turns around, holding her hand in the air. "And for once we agree! This is going to be fun."

"Don't look at her," Sarah says. "You are supposed to be a good example for Selina and for your unit. How the hell are you going to explain this?"

He tries to think of an answer. He only came up with one. "There is no good answer isn't there?"

"No," Sarah says and then points to the HUMVEE. "Get in the car before you destroy any more public property."

 

---

 

Sarah watches Sharpe walk to the HUMVEE. Bailey right behind him.

"Mother right," she mumbles. "Boys will be boys. No wonder she keeps a spatula around all the time."

She then looks at Ryder. "And you. You are married. How would your wife think if she knew you were here?"

"Don't tell her please," Ryder mumbles, knowing he is in trouble.

She points to the HUMVEE and Ryder walks over, not needing her to say a word.

 She is not angry that they were in a fight. She is happy they defended a woman from a sexist prick, even getting her another student. The issue is that they came here.

"I know," Itami says with a yawn. "Get in the car." He then walks towards the HUMVEE. The second Sarah turns away, he slips away into an alleyway, probably going to check out the other brothels.

"I like how you can command them like that," Delilah says as she walks over.

She looks at Delilah and smiles. "As mom says, equality with benefits. It is a man’s will vs ours and last time I checked, no man has ever surpassed the will of a female and they know it. They know they are in trouble and any disagreement only makes it worse for them. Now let's go home and discipline them."

"I will say," Delilah says. "I am glad they will become stupid to protect us."

"I agree, but don't tell them that," Sarah replies.

“Oh yea Sarah, I will be the one that disciplines Sharpe first! I don’t think you are tough enough to do the job,” Rory enthusiastically said. 

 

Reference:

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(1)The Mongol Empire is considered the largest Empire by landmass in Human history

(2)HistoryMarche is a military history channel on Youtube that shows and explains key battles in history.

(3)Chapter 139

(4)Chapter 135

(5)Heel - Heel means stop. It is what you say to horses to stop them. People say it when you want them to stop at times in the US.

(6) Pink Belly - an act of slapping someone belly causing brushes 

(7) Indian Burn - Twisting someone arms to give them a burning sensation