"Let me go!"
In the quiet of the night, Gideon's attention was suddenly drawn to the side. Not toward the city of Mischo or the enemy camp, but to a dirt road cutting through the forest.
'What's going on?'Gideon wondered.
He shifted his body slightly, still lying flat on his stomach. Lifting his binoculars, he clearly saw two Moko soldiers harassing a girl.
She was human. She had come with her grandfather, bringing logs to sell in the city. Winter was coming soon, and they needed firewood more than food to stay warm.
The two soldiers kept pushing the 23-year-old girl to go deeper into the woods. Her grandfather tried to stop them, but his strength was no match for theirs. He was completely powerless.
"Let me go! What do you want?!" she cried out, still struggling.
Gideon couldn't let anything bad happen to her. He opened a long black case containing a rifle built for reconnaissance and silent assault.
Inside, the Barrett MK22 sniper rifle in .338 Norma Magnum was set up perfectly. He attached the NightForce ATACR scope and adjusted the cheek rest to match the height of his helmet.
He deployed the bipod, securing a stable firing position. Then, he loaded the magazine with .338 Norma Magnum rounds—powerful enough to pierce through nearly any kind of iron. This rifle was ideal for piercing light, unarmored vehicles.
As for body armor? Those bullets shouldn't even slow down, Gideon thought logically.
A gentle wind blew in from the south at around 5 mph. That was enough to shift the bullet by 15 to 20 centimeters over a distance of 700 meters.
If Gideon aimed straight at the two soldiers without adjusting, the shot would miss.
"Wind steady. 5 mph to the right. Hold 0.3 mil left."
He turned the windage turret on his scope and adjusted it three clicks to the left. After finalizing everything, Gideon attached the suppressor and took a deep breath.
Through the scope, he saw the two soldiers dragging the girl into the woods. Gideon had to act fast—before they could rape her and leave her traumatized for life.
BANG!
The bullet struck the left side of one soldier's chest, knocking him back and killing him instantly. The other soldier spun around in a panic, scanning the area.
"Who's there?!" he shouted, startled.
The girl stood frozen in shock. One of the soldiers trying to assault her had just dropped dead—without a flash of magic or anything supernatural.
Her mind stayed surprisingly clear. She straightened her clothes and ran away.
Gideon watched her break free and return to the cart. She climbed to the cart, and the two of them rode off down the road.
BANG!
Gideon's second shot sliced through the wind and curved slightly before hitting the remaining soldier right in the head. The powerful impact launched his body backward into a tree.
Both enemies were dead before they could defend—or report anything. Gideon looked around. No other patrols were nearby.
"Two targets neutralized. Returning to base."
The mission ended with Gideon's shots piercing through armor and helmets. When the sun rose, someone would find their dead bodies.
Gideon couldn't afford to linger. He had to return to the shelter and share the intel with the others.
He disassembled the rifle and packed it back into the long black case. Pulling out his phone, he deactivated the UAV drone's reconnaissance. The drone returned to base, its propellers slowly winding down.
With everything packed up, Gideon moved silently across the wet grass, careful not to let the enemy hear his footsteps.
Ever since cavalry patrols had increased, Gideon couldn't risk walking openly through the forest trails. He chose to go deeper into the woods instead, hoping not to run into any wild beasts.
It didn't take long to reach the outskirts of the wolfkin village. Thankfully, no attacks had happened while he was away.
And if there had been, the village defenses were now well prepared to handle cavalry or infantry assaults.
Gideon stepped out of the woods in full military gear. He entered the village and was greeted by several wolfkin men.
An elder stood at the village center, watching Luke and other wolffolk working together, laying down iron wires. Their goal was simple: to make sure the electric lights shone brightly across the village.
"Old man."
The old man turned and smiled, welcoming Gideon back with his rifle slung over his shoulder. He already knew what Gideon had been up to—Luke had explained everything to him.
"How did the recon go?" the old man asked.
"Good. I gathered some intel, including the location of a Moko encampment."
"Really?" the elder said, surprised. Gideon cleared his throat.
"It's about seven kilometers from the village. There are thousands of soldiers stationed there. I don't know why they need that many."
"It's probably connected to their territory reform plan," the elder replied.
"Territory reform?"
The elder nodded. Their struggle against the humans wasn't new. It had been going on for months, even years. Countless wolfkin had been forced to relocate as the Moko forces continued invading their villages.
Their goal was always the same: seize land and make it part of their kingdom.
"Our enemies are many—but the real threat is immoral humans."
"But thanks to you all being here, we've been safe from their raids."
'If what he's saying is true, then they're only interested in annexing land—not exploiting any of the local resources,'Gideon thought.
'If their monarchy is purely territorial, then expanding their borders is all about boosting prestige over rival kingdoms,'he added.
"I can't confirm that for sure," Gideon said, surprising the elder.
"Why not?"
"We're low on rifles and ammo. Not as stocked as you might think," Gideon explained.
"We also haven't reached the point where we can make our own bullets. So, we have to conserve what we've got."
"If you want to survive, there's only one thing you need to do—unite."
"Unite?" the elder asked.
Gideon nodded. He stepped forward, scanning the open land ahead that could hold many different races.
The wolfkin were strong, yes—but if they fought the Moko Empire alone, they wouldn't last.
"How many non-human settlements are there along the coastline?" Gideon asked.
"There are seven other races, including us."
"What I mean by uniting is gathering all of them in one place—banding together to fight off the human invaders."
"The humans only dare to attack because you're divided—and often at odds with each other," Gideon said.
The elder beside him looked stunned. He hadn't expected such meaningful words from Gideon.
Looking back on history, it was true: many mythic races had lost their wars not because they were weak, but because they fought separately—for their own kind—instead of joining as one.
Gideon's idea wasn't a bad one. Still, the elder wasn't sure the other races would agree to cooperate with Gideon teams—especially since the village in question was a wolfkin village.
"I'll have to discuss your idea with the village elders. Please be patient, sir," the elder said.
"There's no rush. I believe the time will come when all the mythical races stand united to drive out the humans."
"And build their own kingdom—a safe haven for all non-humans."
"We understand your thought, sir."