Exams are done for me so I'm back again with another update. This chapter turned out longer than I expected it to be. Had a load of inspiration when writing this that I kept adding stuff. Anyway, welcome to Arc 2 of the Third Recon Team: Escalation. One thing I realize after reading the first arc was how slow it was. So one of my aims for this arc is to speed the events up. I've got a lot of ideas I want to cover regarding the characters. This arc is where I diverge a lot from the original anime, some may be minor changes and some major, all done in consideration of producing a good story. Won't keep you any longer, do enjoy!

One edit I made to chapter 4: Instead of a 4 months' time gap period between the Special Region Task Force arriving in Falmart and the Battle of Alnus, it is now only a 2 months' gap.

And oh ya, shout out to The Tundra Fox for making this story's cover. Looks wicked!


Escalation: Contact

"That's the village there, right?" Kurata indicated ahead.

Itami nodded. "Exactly where air recon had mapped it."

The three armoured trucks of the Third Recon Team trundled down the ancient highway, rocking roughly over the jarring paved stones which were meant more for horses and foot travel than modern vehicles. The stretch of land they'd reached was wide and expansive on both side of the highway, an endless roll of frosty grass that went as far as the eye could see. Small flocks of sheep—with wool thick enough to protect them from the cold—roamed and grazed here and there. Bleary-eyed boys, sitting on crops of large boulders, watched after them, and Itami saw them jump in fear as they saw the Third Recon on the road.

"Not too fast now, Kurata," he said to Kurata as the driver took the leading LAV off the highway road and onto the dirt track which led to a meager-sized settlement on the bank of a long river flowing with rapid current. "We don't want to startle them."

The village was walled by a short wooden palisade on three sides, while the northern flank was guarded by the river. Itami saw some villagers outside of the wall now hurrying inside through a narrow gate at the sight of his team's approach, taking their baskets of food and carts of goods within. That was no surprise; he could hardly expect a warm welcome.

"Coda Village," Daisuke said, reading out the large boarded sign above the village's gate and scribbling the name onto a small notebook he carried.

The gate was pulled shut just as the Third Recon reached the immediate outskirts.

"Alright, Daisuke and Kuwahara, come with me. The rest of you stay here and wait for further instructions," Itami said.

The team acknowledged his orders and he exited the vehicle, waiting for Daisuke and Kuwahara to dismount as well before heading towards the village's gate. He adjusted the straps of his helmet, feeling a sense of nervousness creep up on him. It was just a simple mission, he told himself, make first contact with the locals and find out whatever he could about the land. There was nothing difficult about it. Yet, on the other hand, he knew he had never been good at first impressions and he could only hope not to mess this up. The thought that this was his very first field assignment as an officer only added to the pressure.

Kuwahara seemed to notice his jitters for he gave him a quick encouraging slap in the back. "They're just villagers, sir. Stay calm."

He nodded, and relaxed the grip on his rifle, which he didn't realized he had been clenching. He looked along the palisade scarcely tall enough to prevent a man from scaling over, and he imagined men with bows suddenly appearing on the top and shooting at them before they could explain their intentions.

"Daisuke, tell them we are here to talk. We do not mean harm."

The leading private assented, slung his rifle, and began the translation, raising his voice over the wall, lifting both his hands in the air to demonstrate his intent.

There was no answer, and Itami gestured for Daisuke to repeat.

"I expect this will take a couple of tries," Kuwahara said. "Hard to trust strangers, especially ones that look as strange as us to them."

Itami agreed, but as each call from Daisuke was met with no response, he felt his nerves tugging again, thinking that perhaps the team may have to head to the next village and if they didn't respond as well, then the one after. The day may go by with the Third Recon accomplishing nothing to report.

A raspy voice broke him out of his thoughts, and Itami heard it coming from directly behind the wall.

"We are a small village, we do not have much that you can take," the voice said.

"We are not here to rob you," Itami said, Daisuke translating. "We are members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force, and we would like to speak to the head of this village." Itami doubted the villagers knew who the JSDF was, but he wanted to make it clear who they were talking to.

"Is that all you truly wish? To talk?"

"Yes. We've come in peace," Itami said. "We will not harm anyone in the village. I promise you that."

There was a pause. Then the sound of a lock bar being lifted came first before the gate opened slightly, and one elderly man stepped out alone. He was short, and had grey hair under a brown brimmed hat, matched by an equally grey moustache that stretched across his upper lips. He bowed before Itami and spoke, "My name is Eldar El Terna. I am the chief of Coda Village." It was the same voice who had spoken to them earlier.

"I am Itami Yoji," Itami responded in the local language, glad that he didn't stutter his name, and introduced his two subordinates. "We have no intentions of bringing harm to your village, sir. Only to exchange some information."

Eldar looked carefully at the second lieutenant, then at Kuwahara and Daisuke, then at the three armoured vehicles behind them before finally returning his attention to Itami. "I see," he said, seeming to trust their intention. "You are men of the other world, are you not?"

"We are."

"Well then, will you come to my home, Sir Itami? We can talk there." He hesitated, then added, "Your men may enter the village as well."

Itami nodded. "Thank you, Eldar-san." He signaled for the rest of the team to dismount and watched them assemble, hoping that the villagers were not too intimidated by them. Then he gave the orders; the drivers would stay with the vehicles while the rest would enter and interact with the locals.

Inside the village, Itami found the settlement to be smaller than what he had expected. Houses and huts were sparsely spread, wide spaces between them, and there were many small sheds about, presumably storages of firewood to survive the coldness of winter. As he moved further in, he saw groups of villagers huddled together, holding onto axes while some carried bows, watching the Third Recon as they entered through the gate. These villagers had been expecting a fight and were prepared. Come to think of it, Itami thought, this village had been of the few spared by the hordes of bandits living off the land now. Perhaps, the bandits had decided that it wasn't worth it to assault Coda village's walls when there were easier targets to prey upon elsewhere.

Itami felt eyes following them as they walked through the streets. At every corner and turn, he found men and women staring at him, their gaze causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead. Wherever he made eye-contact with someone, they instantly shied away and then hid from view. Briefly, he wondered if this was what being a pariah felt like. He felt like explaining to the villagers that despite being from another world, he was human just like them and they need not look at him as if he were of another species—like the orcs or goblins in this world. But he knew that any explanation would be fruitless. It would take some time to gain their trust, he reckoned.

A large two storey-house loomed ahead of him, the largest house from all the others he had seen so far and one of the few built from bricks instead of wood or mud. It was topped with a tiled roof, and a squared chimney puffing out black smoke. Itami didn't need to take a wild guess to know that this was the chief's house.

An old woman sat on a wooden stool beside the door, warily watching the newcomers. She stood up when the chief strode forward and exchanged some quiet words with her. Though Itami couldn't hear what they were saying—or even understand, for the matter—he could see the angry and frightful expression on the woman's face.

Eventually, Eldar turned to him. "This is my wife," he said, gesturing to the woman, as though as it wasn't obvious enough. She curtsied on the introduction, though it was easy to tell that she wanted none of the Third Recon to be entering her house.

However, the chief overruled her and Itami politely smiled as he followed Eldar inside the house. The reception room was rather spacious, a room which Itami assumed the chief would often use to receive his guests in. Eldar invited them to take their seats close to the glowing hearth and take comfort in its warmth, a welcomed gesture especially considering the cold weather outside. Itami sat on the available leather chair, while Daisuke and Kuwahara pulled up stools. Eldar's wife came in moments later, bringing in a tray of salted tea and offering it to her husband and the three JSDF soldiers, to which they accepted with their thanks.

"So, Sir Itami, what is it that you came here for?" Eldar asked, getting straight to the point. Itami could tell that he wanted to get this over as soon as possible. He couldn't blame him.

As he opened his mouth to speak, the chief suddenly stopped him. "Wait, I apologize, but before you say anything, I would like to say this: Coda Village has always been small in size and its people have always lived a peaceful lifestyle. In the current war, we have not aided the Empire or any of its allies. None of our young men had been called to arms to fight in the Emperor's armies."

Itami smiled, suddenly aware that the man was even more nervous than he was; the chief was afraid of what the JSDF would do to his beloved village, especially since they were the enemy. "That's good to know. But you have nothing to worry about, Eldar. Our mission here is to make it clear to the locals that we are not here to harm them," he said, hoping Daisuke knew the words to communicate the message properly.

The nervous expression on the chief's face did not change as he listened to Daisuke speak, and he gave his response almost immediately.

Itami waited patiently for the leading private to translate.

"But are we not enemies, Sir Itami?"

"No, we are not. I am to reassure you that the JSDF and its allies are here because the Empire first attacked us. Our war is with the armies of the Empire, not with its people."

"What do you mean exactly, sir?"

"My meaning is that anyone who does not bear arms against any member of the JSDF and USFJ will not be considered an enemy of ours. On the contrary, civilians such as yourselves are considered one of our top priorities and your safety is in our concerns."

"That's a most welcoming news, Sir Itami. So I assume that Coda Village would have to pay tribute to your kingdom?"

The suggestion hit Itami like a fastball pitch, and he took a moment to gather himself, shaking his head. "No, no, I'm not going to ask for a tribute. I ask for nothing, except your peaceful cooperation with us."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. Just know that we won't harm you or any unarmed villagers, only those that raise weapons against us, you have my word for that. I hope that is clear?"

Eldar nodded, a slow sense of relief forming on his face as he began to understand what Itami's words meant. "It is clear. I thank you for informing me thus." The chief stood up and bowed. "I extend the gratitude of my village on their behalf."

Itami smiled nervously, rubbing the back of his head, unsure of how to respond. "There's no need to thank me really. I'm only doing my job."

"I thank you nevertheless, Sir Itami. Is there anything else you require?"

"Yes, I said before that we are also here for exchange of information. We would like to know the land more. Do you have any maps that we can have a look?"

Eldar pondered for a second. "I see. That's not a problem. We have an old mage here in Coda. He has maps and scrolls regarding the study of the land. If you wish, I could introduce you to him, Sir Itami?"

A mage, huh, Itami thought. This would be also a good opportunity to learn more about the magic of this world. He glanced at Kuwahara for his opinion, and the sergeant major seemed curious as well. "That would be appropriate, Eldar, please do introduce us."

"Very well, follow me." The chief got up.

§§§§§§§§

Mari watched as a group of children played on a dirt field nearby, their laughs and glees reaching her through the air. Up and down the dirt ground, they chased after one another, screaming their excitement when they managed to catch their friends. Their clothes were dirtied with mud, and their faces smudged with grit and dust, but yet they still continued in their games with a joy only found at their ages. Their mothers, sitting on the edge of the field and knitting winter clothing, looked after them with disapproving eyes, but made no effort to stop the fun the children were clearly enjoying. The scene made Mari smile; it was a rare thing to see when all she had witnessed since arriving in this world was death and hurt.

The mothers caught her watching their kids, and they instantly stopped the play and took the children back inside their homes, much to the displeasure of the kids. Mari saw their frightened looks at her. Her skin turned cold, and she looked away to avoid their gaze.

"They're scared of us."

Shino looked at her questioningly, caught unaware by the sudden statement. "Sorry?"

"The villagers. They're scared of us."

"Oh. That's not a surprise." Shino slung her rifle and took out her canteen. "We're supposed to be the enemy—they've probably heard about what happened at Alnus by now. And with all the bandits running around lately, you can't blame them for being on the edge a little. It also doesn't help that you keep staring at their kids like you're about to kidnap them."

Mari laughed at the last bit. "Can't help it. After seeing nothing but refugees and broken families these past few days, it's just nice to see children smiling and having fun here, you know, just being children."

Shino nodded. "I get what you mean. Definitely a welcome change of sight from the kids we see back in the infirmary in base."

"I know right, it's hard to think that those kids used to be living peacefully before they lost their homes. It's a real shame that the people living in places like this village are being caught in this war. It's always the innocent that pays, isn't it?"

"That's the way of life, Mari. It's not fucking fair in the slightest," Shino said solemnly, her eyes suddenly distant. She said nothing else.

Mari recognized that expression on her friend's face and she grew worried. "Sorry, I reminded you about your brother, right?"

"It's fine, Mari. Just what you said about how it's the innocent that always pays got me thinking of how he died again."

"Sorry." She felt at loss for words. It was not healthy for Shino to continue to wallow in her grief, but from where she stood Mari could not find a way to make her move on."

As the silence settled in between the two JSDF soldier, they turned their attention to watching the village surroundings again. It was then a small girl ran past Mari. If it had been just any girl, Mari might not have given a second glance. But this girl had blue hair for some strange reason, and her clothes stood out from all the other children she had seen; while most of the kids had just wore short-sleeved tunics and went bare-legged, this girl had a blue tabard belted over a green robe. It also happened that the girl tripped, dropping the crate of fruits and herbs she had been carrying.

"Crap," Shino cussed involuntarily.

Mari stooped down to help the strange girl, picking up the fallen items. The girl looked up at her, and she smiled at the pair of clear blue eyes.

"Thank you," the girl said quietly as Mari handed over the last of the fallen good.

"You're welcome," Mari replied, her tongue fumbling over the foreign language. "What are these for, little girl?"

It was clear that the girl didn't understand what Mari had just said for she stared at her blankly. The medic repeated herself, gesturing at the crate of herbs.

"Oh. They're for the sick. My master says that eating these would ease their symptoms."

"Your master?"

The girl nodded. "I'm the apprentice to the sage Cato El Altesan. Our healer is out of town so my master is helping to take care of the sick and wounded for him."

"Your master is a good man then." An idea suddenly came to Mari. "Can I come with you? I can help; I'm a medic." Mari didn't know how to say the word 'medic' in the local language so she said it in Japanese.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Medic?"

"Someone who helps the sick," Mari roughly explained.

"You mean apothecary?"

Mari nodded, though she wasn't sure what the girl said. It wasn't helping that the girl still carried a blank expression on her face. "I'm Mari. What's your name?"

"I'm Lelei La Lalena."

Mari tried to commit the long name that sounded more like a tongue-twister to memory. "This is my friend, Shino."

Shino gave a small smile at the mention of her name.

Lelei bowed to the both of them. "It's an honour to meet you two."

"If you don't mind, Lelei, I can help you with the sick."

"I would appreciate it," Lelei said. "Follow me please. I'll take you to the sick house."

"What did you say, Mari? I didn't understand anything just now," Shino asked.

"I'm helping them. Care to join?"

Shino shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

§§§§§§§§

The mage's quarters was anything but what Itami had expected. He imagined the sorcerer to be staying in a castle or at least a large manor, but the reality was a small cabin that was crammed with furniture and shelves of books within, barely enough space inside for a handful of people. Scrolls and parchments stacked upon one another at every corner of the room, organized in a way which confounded Itami. The place looked more like an impromptu library rather than a living space for a person.

As Itami moved further in the room, he saw the mage himself sitting behind a wide desk, scanning over a runic scroll. He wore a sky-blue robe, and had a head of rich grey hair kept long and unkempt. A magnificent beard grew on his chin, almost a foot long in length, and the sage's fingers stroke it with calm deliberation. Deep-lined wrinkles creased on his forehead as he looked up at the visitors. Carefully, he pushed aside his work to a corner of the desk before standing up.

"Eldar, you've brought guests," he said, looking questioningly at the village chief.

"Yes, this is Sir Itami and his two aides. They are men of the other world," Eldar introduced them. "They require your help on a simple matter."

The sage's eyes turned to Itami and he smiled. "Cato El Altesan, at your service." He bowed. "So, Sir Itami, what is it that you require of me?" His voice was rich, and he spoke each word with thoughtful slowness.

"We would like to have a look at your maps, and also to ask you some questions," Daisuke translated.

"My knowledge is at your disposable." Cato gave another bow.

The wizard went to one end of the small room and began browsing through his catalogue of scrolls. He was a short man, made even shorter by his hunch, and Itami wondered how would he reach the scrolls on the top shelves—there was no ladder in sight. Then his unspoken question was answered when Cato snapped his finger and a handful of scrolls from the uppermost shelf flew into his hands.

Itami nearly dropped his jaw in surprise. Everything he had been taught about the laws of physics had just been thrown out of the window before his very eyes. He glanced at Kuwahara and Daisuke and saw that they too were equally astonished.

Cato gave the scrolls in his hands a brief inspection before picking one with a yellow seal. "This, Sir Itami," he said as with another snap of the finger he made the other scrolls return to their place, "is what you're most likely looking for. The most complete cartography of Falmart." He broke the seal with a seal-breaker and then unrolled the map across the surface of his desk, placing paperweights on the edges.

Hiding his amazement, Itami took a good look at the map. The outline of a vast continent stretched from end to the other. Ranges of mountains and forests were sketched in, and certain regions of land were coloured in different shades, perhaps indicating the biomes. There were small square blocks with words written above them in tight handwriting, and Itami assumed that these represented the cities of the Empire.

"Where are we?"

"We—" the mage pointed somewhere in the middle of the continent "—are here."

Itami nodded, and he recognized the strange wording that indicated Alnus. His eyes scanned the rest of the map. "I'm guessing that these markings are the borders of the Empire." He pointed to the dark lines fencing the land.

"Yes, they are. As you can see, the Empire rules over most of the continent. If you want I have another map that shows the territories of the vassal kingdoms. And also another map specifically of this region we're in."

"You have a lot of maps," Itami absently noted.

"Yes, I do like to collect these things. The productions of these maps are quite rare, and they're difficult to obtain. Some are from my own travels, others are given to me from the Cartographer Guild in Sadera."

Itami nodded. "I would like to see all these maps."

"Very well."

As Cato went to search, Kuwahara leaned close to Itami's ear and whispered, "Sir, I think we should ask if we could take these maps back to base. Headquarters would be interested in seeing these as well."

Itami nodded, knowing the sergeant major was right. He wondered whether he could just take a picture of these maps, but he struggled to find a way to explain to the locals what he will be doing.

"Cato, I was wondering if we could borrow these maps?"

The mage looked over his shoulder at Itami. "I'm afraid I cannot lend you these, Sir Itami, I cannot risk them being damaged. But I can have my apprentice make copies for you within a day. You can collect it by tomorrow."

"That will be much appreciated. Thank you very much." Itami bowed.

"Are there anything else you require, Sir Itami?"

"Yes, I would very well like to ask you some questions about the magic of this world. Do you think you could explain it to us?"

Cato smiled at that. "Of course, Sir Itami, it would be my pleasure."

§§§§§§§§

Lelei took them to near the back of the village, where an old building stood on the bank of the river. The wooden beams were near the point of rotting and were in desperate need of replacing. Large brushes covered the entrance, and if Lelei hadn't been here to guide them, Mari was sure she could have never found the building's door.

Inside, the smell of sickness and infection was pungent, repulsive enough to make one sick as well. Mari could hear men and women groaning, coughing, and sneezing. Dozens of beds were arranged all along the length of the room, and on them lay pale villagers, some holding onto buckets of vomit. One man had sunken eyes, and his voice was hoarse as he tried to call for assistance. His calls were ignored as the nurses were busy with other patients. Slops of spit, sweat and blood pooled on the floor, causing nurses to slip every now and then.

Mari was appalled by the condition of the place. "This is no place for the sick."

She saw one nurse bleeding an old man, who seemed too weakened to even sit up. The practice of bloodletting was an ancient medical doctrine done to cure diseases, a practice which Mari knew was completely ineffective. She strode across the room and snatched the knife from the nurse before she could bleed the patient a second time. The nurse, a middle-aged grey-haired woman, stared at her, shocked.

"No. This does not work." Mari took out a roll of bandage to cover the man's open cut.

The nurse cried out something too quick for Mari to catch and hurried away. The whole room was staring at her now.

Shino came up next to her. "She just called you crazy."

Mari shrugged. "She was bleeding this man. He looks more like he needs blood rather lose them."

She ignored the stares others were giving her, and focused her attention on the old man, who seemed to not know what was going on.

"Mari, what are you doing?" Lelei asked.

"Lelei, do you know what symptoms this man had?"

If the sage's apprentice was taken back by the sudden question, she did not show it. "He complained of dizziness earlier today, and he can't feel his left side. Also, he fumbles a lot when he speaks."

Mari nodded, instantly knowing the cause. "He has a minor stroke." She reached for her first aid kit, searching for a capsule of aspirin.

"Stroke?"

The medic didn't pause to explain the Japanese word to the girl. She found the capsule and asked for water. Shino handed over an unopened bottle. Thanking her friend silently, Mari popped the capsule into the man's mouth before making him drink and swallow. She let out a sigh, knowing this was all she could do for now.

She turned to the mage's apprentice. "Lelei, please tell the nurses to not bleed the man any more. He just needs some rest and he'll recover fully in a few days."

Lelei nodded. "What did you give him, Mari?"

"A medicine which will help him thin his blood. He most likely has high-blood pressure," she said, then watched as the man slowly tried to fall asleep. "Shino, I think we might need to bring him back to base. Just to get things check out." She took another look round the room, seeing the conditions of each patient. "We might need to bring a few of them actually."

"You'll have to ask Itami, not me," Shino said.

Mari nodded. "I'll speak to him."

§§§§§§§§

"Now, Sir Itami, the first thing to know about magic is that knowledge and magic go hand in hand. There is magic in everything in this world. To use it, one must first understand. The more a mage knows the more powerful he or she becomes. Allow me to demonstrate." Cato picked up a burning candle on his desk. "This candle burns because there's a reaction between the air and the wick in the presence of heat. Now say I were to direct more air towards the candle." The flames instantly expanded to an enormous size, nearly burning the mage's beard. Itami involuntarily leaned back on his seat.

"And if I cut off the air—" the candle went out. Cato smiled. "Well, you see what happens."

Itami watched the smoke lingering in the space where the fire had been. From what he had just seen, he understood that the sage had manipulated physics to force a chemical reaction. He was surprised that Cato knew about how oxygen was needed for combustion to occur; he thought that the people of this world had yet to discover the presence of atoms yet.

"What else can you do with magic?" he asked.

"Many things. The potential is limitless as long as you have the knowledge. Here's another example, rainfall happens when the water in the air rises high enough in the sky that it liquefies and falls back down to the ground. A powerful enough mage could accelerate the rate at which this happens, and thus cause it to rain in perhaps an instant.

"Of course, the limitation is that if there a drought in the land, it's not possible for a mage to conjure this. Similarly, if a mage uses all the water in the air, he could cause a drought on the land." Cato sat back down on his stool. "You must understand, Sir Itami, we are not miracle workers as most people seem to believe we are. There are consequences for every action."

Itami nodded, understanding. It seems that there's a sort of science behind magic after all. This would be interesting information for his superiors. "What can you tell me about the mages which the Empire uses in their armies?"

"Those are battle-wizards. Just as I am a scholar who studies the land, they are mages who specialize in the use of magic as a weapon. They manipulate magic through reciting incantations and releases it in an offensive form. I've also heard though that the more powerful wizards do not need to recite any incantation at all, which makes them more deadly in a fight because they can cast spells in rapid succession. It would be best to stay away from those."

"I see," Itami said.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you anymore about the battle-wizards, Sir Itami. They're quite secretive about their trade."

"That's alright." Itami paused as he pondered his next question before deciding to ask. "Cato, do you know anything about the Gate on Alnus Hill?"

The sage stroke his beard, taking his time to respond. "That, I admit, I have almost no knowledge of. It's as much a mystery to me to you, Sir Itami. I came to Coda Village to study the Gate, but made no progress so far because your people have restricted access to the hill. What I can tell you though, this is not the first time this has happened."

"This happened before?" Itami stared at Cato, who merely nodded.

"The Gate which brought you to this world has been recorded throughout our history for millenniums. No one knows what causes its occurrence, but every time it opens it acts as a portal to another world. There's very little actual information on how this works because of how rare the Gate appears. A curious theory is that the Gate was created by the gods themselves. For what purpose, I don't know. The gods and apostles are rather mummed about this.

"You should also know that some scholars have traced the origins of most races in Falmart to the Gate. It's a wild theory, but it is possible that originally most of the species here were from different worlds themselves, only to be brought here by the Gate. The first human sighting in Falmart was said to happen supposedly around the same time period as the last Gate appearance, which was two millenniums ago, far before the Empire was founded."

Itami did not know what to say about the information he was hearing. If this was true, it was very possible that the Gate had appeared on Earth many centuries ago, which would explain the many similarities the Imperials shared with some of Earth's ancient cultures. Then a strange thought occurred to him.

"Cato, from what you've said, does this mean that the Gate will close and disappear after some time?"

Kuwahara and Daisuke stared at him, and he could tell they knew what he was implying with his question.

The sage gave a slow nod. "Yes, it would eventually close, but I do not know when that will happen. I can see you are wondering whether you and your people will be trapped once the Gate does close. You will be, unless you manage to return back to your world before that happens."

Itami nodded. He knew that when the Task Force came to the Special Region, they did so with the expectation that the Gate might disappear someday. "Is there any way of knowing when?"

"I'm afraid I'm not aware of a way. Only the gods or whoever that opened the Gate will know."

Itami pondered for a moment, the talk of being trap away from home making him nervous. Surely there must be some sign or signal when the Gate is about close. Ever since its appearance at Ginza, the scientists studying it have made no further discovery besides the obvious fact that it's a big building which transports people to another world. Perhaps the key lies in interpreting those strange symbols inscribed inside the Gate. From what he heard, no one had yet been able to understand them; the Imperials captured at Ginza were clueless about those symbols as well. He looked at Cato, and a strange idea came to him.

"Cato, you've said that you came all the way here to study the Gate, correct?"

"That is correct."

"What would you say if I can get you access to the Gate? Will you help us study it and tell us its expiring date? We could use your knowledge of the magic in this world."

The mage looked surprised. "I would say yes, Sir Itami. That will be most appreciated if you can do so."

Itami nodded with a smile. Kuwahara tapped him on the shoulder.

"Sir, shouldn't we have contacted HQ first before making this offer?" the sergeant major asked.

"It'll be alright, Kuwahara," Itami said, then faced Cato again. "I'll have to speak with my superior first. If they agree, there will be a place for you to stay at our camp. From there you can visit the Gate as much as you want."

"Thank you, Sir Itami." The sage bowed low.

"I think we should leave now. Thank you for your help, Cato. I'll inform you of my superiors' answer." He stood up. "Kuwahara, get the others ready to move out. Also, tell Hayato to ready the comms to HQ."

§§§§§§§§

Mari found Itami with Leading Private Hayato Sasagawa, the Third Recon's radio operator. The leading private seemed to be fiddling with the radio frequency inside the LAV, while the second lieutenant waited patiently. She hurried towards them, ignoring Kurata's wave of greeting as she walked pass the driver.

"Sir, I need to speak to you," she called out, drawing Itami's attention.

Itami glanced at Hayato, seeing that he still needed a few more minutes to properly set up the high-frequency needed to contact the recon company's headquarters. "Sure, Mari. What do you need?"

She paused to gather her thoughts before speaking. "Sir, me and Sergeant Kuribayashi were helping out at the village's sick house, and I found that several of villagers would need some more medical care. If it's possible, could we bring them back to the base's infirmary."

"Mari, we can't be taking every civilian we find back to base. Our resources are already hard pressed because of our budget cuts. The refugee camp is already overflowing, and it's only been a week since it opened."

"I know, sir, but most of these villagers need to see a doctor. The conditions they are in now is making recovery almost impossible. The sick house itself is a dump, and the nurses they have are clueless. I know I can do something for them, but I don't have the medicine and equipment here. Please, sir." She looked into Itami's eyes, hoping that he would not refuse her.

"Do any of them need emergency care?" he asked.

"No, but they do definitely need to see a doctor," she said.

Itami shook his head. "Sorry, Mari. My hands are tied. We still need to continue with our mission. There's still many villages we have to visit. I can't delay it anymore to take a few villagers back to base if they aren't in critical condition."

"But sir—"

"Sir, Captain Saza is on the line," Hayato interrupted, finally managing to reach HQ.

Itami gave Mari an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Mari. I'll speak to you in a minute." He went over to the radio, taking the transmitter from Hayato.

Mari's heart fell as she realized that the lieutenant was right. The Special Region Task Force were here to make war on the Empire; they could not afford to direct too much resource to taking care every refugee and civilian they encounter. But the thought of the conditions in which the patients in that sick house were staying in made her fist clinch. Those outdated medical practices were not going to help anyone, and were more likely to cause death than save life. She knew it wasn't the nurses' fault because they did not have access to modern medical technology and medicine, but still she wished someone would show them a better way to treat their patients.

"Captain, we found a mage here who confirms that the Gate will close eventually," Mari heard Itami talking into the radio transmitter. "No, sir, he doesn't know the exact time it will close, but I believe that if we allow him access to the Gate he might be able to find out. He's a scholar who has spent a lot of time studying the land and the continent we're on. His knowledge will be useful to us." A pause. "I understand, sir, you'll speak to General Hazama about it. No, sir, that's all I have to report—"

Itami trailed off mid-sentence and Mari noticed that the second lieutenant was now staring at her. She turned her attention curiously to her feet.

"Actually, sir, I have another request to make," Itami continued. "We found some villagers in need of medical attention. Permission to take them back to see a doctor." Mari's heart clenched as she realized what Itami was doing. "I see, sir. I understand, sir. Third Recon, out."

Itami handed the transmitter back to Hayato, and looked to Mari.

"Sir?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Captain Saza's orders are for us to continue the mission with no more delays." He smiled suddenly. "But we are free to pick up the villagers and bring them to base once we have completed the task."

Mari let out a sigh of relief, feeling her shoulders slump from the tension. "Thank you, sir, thank you. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Mari. You can tell those villagers we will come back for them in a few hours."

"Yes, sir. I will."

Itami nodded, then sighed. "Now I need to ask Eldar for his permission to take his people away. That's going to be troublesome."

"Thank you, sir."

He waved her off, heading off in the direction of the village again to speak with the village chief.

"So, what did the lieutenant say?" Shino asked when Mari found her.

Mari smiled. "He said yes. But the mission continues for now. We'll pick them up on the way back. He's a good man, Itami."

"I bet you say that to every man who agrees to your request."

"No, I mean it. He's a good man."

§§§§§§§§

Cato El Altesan sat on his patio chair, looking out into the evening. The lights of the village illuminated before him, and he could not help but smile at the place which he had grown accustomed to living in during the last few months. Sure, it was no luxurious living like back in his home in Rondel, but Coda Village had a simplicity which the large cities did not possess. A simplicity which was oddly comforting. Perhaps this was why people his age tend to retire to the countryside.

The sound of his cabin door opening broke him out of his thoughts. He turned and saw his apprentice standing at the doorway.

"Master, I've finished copying the maps you'd me to."

"Oh, thank you, Lelei."

"Is there anything else you need me to do, Master?"

Cato shook his head. "No, you've done well, Lelei. Come sit here, I've something to tell you."

Lelei did as she was told, pulling up a stool next to him. He pulled the brim of his hat down as he felt the wind stir, stroking his beard with the other hand.

"Master, what is it?"

"The people of the other world has invited me to come and study the Gate."

Lelei showed no reaction to the news, but he was familiar with how little expressions the girl had.

"This is what we came here for, Lelei. A chance to find out what exactly this thing is and how it connects to other worlds. We'll need to pack soon, all my books and scrolls."

"Yes, master."

"So how were those sick? Did you give them the herbs I prescribed?"

"I did, master. But something happened today. I met a medic."

"A medic?" The foreign word held no meaning to him.

"Someone who helps the sick. She was one of the people of the other world."

Cato looked at his apprentice and, to his surprise, found that she was actually smiling. "Interesting. What happened?"

"She was amazing. The way she could tell what illnesses the villagers had just by looking in their eyes and touching their wrists. And how she knew exactly what to do. She told me that bloodletting is wrong; it does more harm than good."

Cato laughed at that. "Bah! Bloodletting is wrong? She must be a fraud!" The sage shook his head. These people of the other world were strange indeed. How could bloodletting be wrong? Everyone knew that bleeding was essential to release the foul humour in the body and speed the patient's recovery.

Lelei shook her head. "No, I don't think so, master. Half the patients said that they feel better after eating the medicine she gave them."

Cato waved it off, not believing. "I heard that they took a couple of patient back to their camp."

"They did. Mari, the medic, said they would be healed there."

"They're a strange people. They talk and act as if they already rule the place. Coming here and taking whoever they want. The chief tells me that we should consider ourselves under their protection if we're ever in trouble. It's funny, but they do have good intentions."

Lelei did not say anything to that, looking out and resting her eyes on the dark horizon. Cato watched his prodigy with silent pride. She would be a great mage one day, he thought. Perhaps she would someday find herself being the head of the Magic Academy in Rondel. The potential in her was limitless, and he could not thank the gods enough for the luck he had in finding her as an apprentice.

He turned his attention to the horizon as well.

It was then he saw the flicker of flames in the distance. He rubbed his eyes. There it was again. It was miles away, but there was no doubt about it. Something was burning. It must have been something large for the fire to be visible here.

"Lelei, do you see that fire there?"

The apprentice nodded.

A sudden premonition dawn on Cato, and he got up from his chair. "Lelei, come with me, quick."

He went inside his cabin, summoning a quill and parchment to hand. He hastily scribbled something down, then rolled it up before sealing it with candle wax. "Lelei, I need you to deliver this letter to Alnus. Take the horse in the stable. Don't stop and you should reach there by morning." He handed over the letter, and put on his cloak. "I'm going to speak with the chief now."

"What's happening, master?"

"Just a precaution, but something tells that fire isn't natural."

§§§§§§§§

The wind howled around her, making her silver hair dance. It was night and her deep blue skin was camouflaged in the dark. She sat on top of a tall ridge, legs dangling off the cliff, watching the land before her in sadistic interest. Across her line of vision, she saw fire. Fire which burned the grass and lit the trees. In the silence of the night she heard the cries, the screams, the sound of horror and despair. Humans. Running for their lives despite the futility. Their homes, villages, destroyed. Their families, dead. They were all left to her mercy, but she had none.

Giselle's lips twisted into a sick grin as a great shadow suddenly fell on her, covering her completely in darkness. She flexed her wings, and ran a thumb over the blade of her scythe, drawing fresh red blood.

"Burn," she whispered.

The Fire Dragon soaring above her roared.


This was the longest chapter I've written, all the other chapter so far were only 5k words long. This one nearly reached 8k. I finally got a chance to develop more of Mari's character here, something I've been meaning to do for a while now but never got the chance in Arc 1.

One thing I had trouble was trying to write the dialogues for Cato explaining magic. I was just pulling crap out of my arsehole and hoped that it sounded interesting and made somewhat sense.

The next update will probably be next week, but I've actually got a lot of free time now since my exams are over so I might update early. We'll see.

A big thank you to all who have favorited, followed, review. Hope you people stick around, this story is only getting started.