Tucker could feel the tension pressing against his shoulders. Their steps echoed against the dimly lit halls, and in moments, the three of them were in the enclosed meeting room used for debriefing their missions. Alex closed the door behind them, his weathered face casting long shadows from the candlelight.

"So… how the hell are we going to pull this off?" Ray asked, walking to the far side of the wooden table. "Just the three of us to crack open the city's defenses isn't exactly something easy to do."

"It's not," Alex admitted. "But that doesn't mean we don't have a shot. We need ideas, a way to break through. The floor's open."

Tucker laid out the contents of the envelope. His eyes scanned the map of Alexandria. With one side facing the ocean and a river cutting through the heart of the city, taking it by the sea would be difficult. The Empire had hundreds of ships stationed along the shore, preventing a coastal blockade.

The mission was simple: crack open the Avalon Empire's defenses.

But it was often the simplest tasks that required the greatest effort. Something Tucker was far too accustomed to from his time in the bastion. The sight of blood and iron was still fresh in his mind, the screams and roaring iron maws ripping through the air. Every single loss and victory was etched into his memory like a trauma that refused to fade.

The mistakes he made and the losses he carried laid the foundation of who he was. And despite the head administrator not uttering the words, Tucker knew the truth. The entire world was watching their war slowly unfold, step by step. The tension from the other nations was heavy, like a thick wool blanket thrown on top of the embers of a dying flame.

If they lost this siege of Alexandria, the other nations would abandon the Everheart Kingdom, refusing to take part in a losing war. But if they won, then that same blanket meant to extinguish their flame would instead be set ablaze, turning into a beacon of renewed hope and defiance.

"We need to succeed," Tucker uttered. "If we fail here, then everything we've been through… all the people we've lost… it'll all be meaningless."

"You don't have to tell me that, but… fuck!" Ray slammed his hand down on the table. "They have hundreds of soldiers and knights manning the walls. We can't just storm the damn thing! Maybe if we had those stone golems like the Empire, then it would be possible."

"But we don't," Alex pointed out. "So, that means our options are limited. If we get climbing gear, we could approach the walls in the dead of night and scale them."

"From there, would we target the gatehouse?" Tucker asked.

"Not unless you plan to fight dozens of knights and hundreds of foot soldiers," Alex replied.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Ray said with a grin. "What do you say?"

"The risk would be far too great. We'd have to hold out for minutes, long enough for our forces to storm the opening." Tucker gazed at the map. "This isn't like the bastion; we don't need tenacity here… we need efficiency."

"It's not like we have much of an option," Ray protested. "How else would we break into the city?" He tapped the heart of Alexandria on the map where the inner fortress rested. "Even if we breach the city and open the gates for our allies, we still need help to take down the castle."

Yet, seeing this, Tucker couldn't help but smirk. "We're not going to the castle."

Ray's eyes widened. "We're not?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Tucker reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver coin. Its surface glistened beneath the candlelight, and with a soft clink, he set it down on the map. Right on the branch of the Emerald Tower. "This… is our target."

"Commander, this is why I like you." Ray slowly revealed a grin. "You're the only insane bastard crazy enough to bite the head of a snake and rip it off."

"Salamander helped with the idea," Tucker said. "But that spirit is what we'll need. So let's put our heads together and hammer something out."

Alex stared at the coastline of Alexandria. "We don't have much information on their fleet side, but I'm sure that the Kingdom has prepared a sizeable force to match the Empire's."

"Are you thinking we'll infiltrate the city through the shore?" Tucker asked.

"It's just one possibility, one that seems easier than scaling the castle walls, at least for now," Alex replied.

"The walls sound more and more like a pain in the ass as we talk about it. If we sneaked in at night and took over the gatehouse, we would still need to destroy the barrier artifacts so our forces could advance." Ray crossed his arms. "Shit, or maybe the Sword Saint could launch the assault instead and do it for us."

Alex bitterly chuckled. "That would be unlikely. The Sword Saint's match is the Empire's Champion—Richard Cladius Avalon, the Emperor's own brother. We can't afford for him to be anywhere else, much less deplete his strength."

"Then if we try to approach the city by sea, the effects of the barrier artifacts would be weakened by the constant waves of the ocean," Tucker said. "It would have its own set of challenges but also more opportunities."

"Bullshit, it's not like we can just walk—uh… sail, I mean—into the port," Ray joked, but as the words left his mouth, Tucker and Alex both stared at each other while raising a brow. "Right, guys?"

Alex stroked his short grey beard while scanning the other pages on the wooden table. He marked down the names of the commanders leading the army and navy. "I could send a request to the admiral leading the fleet through the Order. We wouldn't need them to engage the Empire, just get us a few hundred meters closer. Reduce the amount of distance we would need to cover."

"Would it work though?" Tucker asked. "They would spot us before we even got close enough."

"Not if it's the dead of night," Alex countered. "The darkness would greatly reduce the visibility of the soldiers on the wall and their accuracy would be less effective."

"There would still be the steel gates and spikes."

"Nothing the lad and I can't handle."

"What about air?"

Alex's lips curved into an amused smirk. "You're a wind contractor, aren't you? I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Tucker forced a smile. "Ha.... There's no winning against you, is there, you blasted old man."

"Uh… guys? Mind filling me in on what's going on?" Ray asked.

The old man grinned before moving towards the door. He patted Tucker on the back. "I'll leave this to you. When do we plan to leave?"

"As soon as possible," Tucker replied. "The head administrator only gave us a few hours before we depart, so we'll need to sort out our equipment as well."

"I'll handle it. See if you can find any other blind spots in the idea for now."

"Sounds good to me." Tucker watched as Alex shut the door behind him. Silence filled the room as Tucker took a deep breath. He stared at Ray, who scratched the back of his head.

"We're leaving in a few hours?" Ray tilted his head. "Guess you should let the kid know, huh?"

Tucker shook his head. "No. I've been putting a lot of thought into what you said… about how we could die at any moment, and it's probably for the best that I put some distance between us."

Ray slightly frowned. "You sure that's a good idea?"

"Honestly, I don't have the slightest clue. I've never been the type to make the best decisions when it comes to these things, you know?"

Ray dryly nodded with a grin. "Tell me about it. I usually act first and then regret later."

Tucker revealed a faint smile. "We're pretty similar in that regard." His voice slowly grew quieter. "You know… Adira knew I was the one who killed her friend. She saw the memory orb, the records of our battle, and despite all that, she didn't hold it against me."

Ray released a tired sigh. "It feels like we're reaching the end of the world where children have to accept the loss of their loved ones just like that." He snapped his fingers. "What a shitty time to be alive."

"I wish it weren't like that," Tucker said. "No parent should have to bury their children. And no child should have to watch those they love die because of this damn war. It's not the type of world I want… but the world we live in."

"That's all the more reason for us to win."

"And for us to do that, we'll need to do some crazy things," Tucker said, meeting Ray's gaze.

Ray raised a brow. "So, you're finally gonna tell me what you and Salamander cooked up?"

Tucker nodded. "But before that… let me ask you something—can you swim?"

Ray blankly looked at Tucker. "…What?"

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