Winner takes some

Farouk, the leader of Dire, stood in front of Jirbad, staring deep into his being. Ever since Farouk had been busted out of prison by Bale, everyone had wondered what the old dog was up to. For a while, he didn't do much besides foil some of Jai's plans and attack his men sporadically. With his master gone, it seemed the old dog had lost its will to bite, even though its fangs remained deadly.

Now, however, it seemed Farouk had found an opportunity to redeem himself. He had received word that Kin was in Bintan, and he had come to investigate. On his way to the city, he noticed that a battle was raging all over. At first, his men wanted to help Rashid and his forces defend Bintan, but Farouk reminded them there was no proof Rashid was truly an ally, despite his actions. Even if Rashid was an ally, their small numbers wouldn't be enough to defend Bintan, especially if they engaged in the chaos. What they needed was to find the prince, so Farouk sent his men to investigate without getting involved.

Farouk himself had sensed a mighty presence in Bintan, but when he felt two powerful individuals fighting outside the war zone, he decided to check it out. That was when he encountered Jirbad and Fatima.

He saw Jirbad about to kill Fatima and stepped in to stop him. Not because he was trying to save the girl, but because if Viran's dog and Burak's daughter were fighting outside Bintan, where the prince was rumored to be, it wasn't a coincidence. At least one of them knew something. He used the opportunity to attack Jirbad, tearing off one of his wings so the massive bird couldn't fly away.

He didn't want to have to chase him around.

As soon as Farouk tore off Jirbad's wing, all the life drained from the creature's eyes, and Jirbad knew he was in deep trouble.

I need to escape, he thought. Maybe if I...

"It's useless," Farouk said, sensing Jirbad's desperation. "You're not going anywhere."

Farouk's eyes glinted as he asked, "Now, I have a question for both of you. What are you doing in Bintan?"

Fatima, who had been staring at Farouk in awe, finally broke from her reverie. Trying to impress her idol could wait a while longer—or maybe it couldn't.

She immediately answered Farouk's question. "I was ordered here by my father to find the prince and bring him to Hadia," Fatima stated proudly.

"Oh... so you know the prince is alive. Did you see him?" Farouk asked.

"No, but I saw someone trying to chase a figure. I didn't confirm if it was the prince or not," Fatima replied.

"But you did," Farouk said, turning to Jirbad.

"What if I did?" Jirbad grunted, still in pain from losing his wing.

"Tell me, did you see the young prince?" Farouk asked again.

"No," Jirbad replied. "It was just a young boy with golden hair escorting Rashid's daughter. The prince wasn't here."

"Well, if he wasn't, then why were you trying so hard to chase them?" Fatima asked. "And I have a credible source that claims the prince is indeed with Lady Jamila."

Jirbad bit his lip and stayed silent.

Farouk noticed and smirked. "Golden hair, huh? It seems something interesting happened to the young prince."

He finally turned to Jirbad. "I have a message for Viran. Will you take it?"

Before Jirbad could reply, Farouk appeared in front of him, whispering something in his ear. Then, with a swift motion, he tore off Jirbad's other wing, leaving him completely grounded.

Farouk turned to Fatima with a smile. "I have a message for your father too. Tell him to call off all the assassins he's sent after the prince. If anyone from Hadia comes after the prince again, I'll march into Hadia myself and tear his head from his body."

Fatima blinked in shock. "But... my father never sent any assassins."

"Oh, child," Farouk chuckled. "You shouldn't believe everything that comes out of Burak's mouth. He's the kind of man who lies to the demon of lies himself."

He turned his gaze toward the walls of Bintan. "Since the prince is with Rashid's daughter, they should know where they're headed."

Farouk started walking toward the city but stopped briefly to add, "You two must be terrible messengers. The messages won't deliver themselves. Go!" He commanded.

Through the pain, Jirbad and Fatima began running away from Farouk.

A Few Minutes Earlier

Before General Khalifa arrived on the battlefield to end Ramon's life, she was in the middle of a discussion with Karkal, striking a deal.

"This city is gone," Karkal said. "Even if we win, it won't survive the next attack. I'm a man of numbers, possibilities, and life—even above strength and money. Make me an offer, and I'll leave the way I came."

"And what happens to the reputation of Mars?" General Khalifa replied. "Will anyone trust you again when they find out you betrayed your employer and fled the battle to save yourself?"

"Who said anything about betrayal?" Karkal smirked. "I'll just give you a bit of an added advantage in taking Bintan. In return, you give me something of value from Bintan."

General Khalifa frowned. "What thing of value?"

"One hundred white crystals," Karkal said.

"That's never going to happen," General Khalifa retorted. "Even in the mines of Bintan, the highest number of white crystals mined in a year is three. Giving you even fifty white crystals for a city we will eventually take is not a good deal."

"Oh, then what are you willing to give, General?"

"I'll give you ten white crystals," she offered.

"Oh, please, General, you can do better. How about this: ten white crystals and a license to mine in a smaller site in Bintan," Karkal proposed.

General Khalifa thought for a moment before responding. "Ten crystals if we choose the site of the mine for you. Five if you want to choose for yourself. And you can only mine in outlying settlements, not any of the major mines in Bintan."

"Deal," Karkal said, withdrawing his weapon. "You have ten minutes. Enjoy it while it lasts."

After finalizing the deal, General Khalifa made her way to the Jasim Mansion.