For Kulawanti, things got worse before they got better.

The unexpected Pact offensive in Northern Doebi crippled defenses stationed along the border. Imperial soldiers were slaughtered, walls torn down, and barracks burned. The Empire could not immediately meet this force head-on, as the majority of its troops were fighting on Sulawesi, and so the Pact advanced deeper into Kulawanti territory, retaking the furthest reaches of the original Pact and pushing towards Balikpapan. Meanwhile, on Sulawesi, the surge of new troops both breathed life into the Imperial forces on the island, and brought confusion into the ranks, as questions of command and best tactics began to sew discontent in the ranks. News of the slaughter back on Doebi only strengthened calls to retreat and abandon South Sulawesi, and Imperial commanders were beginning to fear a rebellion of their troops.

Fortunately, that was when the Empire got its first lucky break. The Triple Alliance had, until this point, remained impartial in the Pact-Kulawanti conflicts, preferring to expand it's own influence and trade with both sides. But they had a fierce hatred of Sulawesi, with a history of conflicts both major and minor going back centuries. So when they saw two-thirds of the island united under one banner, they decided to help knock them down a peg. It began with piracy against ships looking to resupply North Sulawesi troops, and from there moved into full raids on coastal cities, strongholds, and supply ports. This had an immediate ripple effect on the morale of the North Sulawesi army, and the combined forces of South Sulawesi and Kulawanti began to make some significant process deeper into the island.

The Empire got its second lucky break thanks to the quick reaction of Darawan and its many ships. Quickly coming to the aid of their longtime partner, the Darawan navy quickly went to assert control of the northern seas between Sandakan and Davao, taking advantage of the focus the Pact navy had placed on trying to take Palu. Making a tough call, the Pact decided to abandon its attack on the important Sulawesi city, and turned to try and push back the Red Sails laying waste to their northern routes.

This retreat proved key for the Imperial forces, as they were able to withdraw many from the battle on Sulawesi and reinforce the line holding back the Pact advance outside of Balikpapan. There, one of the largest battles the known world had ever seen took place, as thousands upon thousands of Imperial and Pact troops fought for the very soul of Doebi. Finally, thanks to an influx of troops from Darawan and the drop in supplies from Davao, the Pact forces began to fall back, and the Imperial forces pushed them all the way back to Sandakan. There, after another three weeks of siege from the land and sea, the Sandakan forces surrendered. The King of Sandakan was executed, and a Bangsawan loyal to the Kulawanti Emperor was appointed. Doebi, for the first time in over five hundred years, was united under one banner again.

But the Empire was not safe, because the enemy that had long plagued them still lived. And this time, the Empire would not be backing down. Now was the time to destroy Davao, once and for all.

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Kanok grunted as he pulled himself further up the rope.

He almost regretted taking the job, but when the Coordinator asks for you specifically for a mission, you don't say no. So Kanok had spent over a week switching from ship to ship, arriving on a small fishing vessel in the north of Davao looking like just another fisherman. The next week he spent quietly making his way to the south of the island, arriving just outside the large walled city that served as the capital of the Kingdom that shared its name, and more recently as the capital for the entire Pact of Lupah Sug. The next few days were spent begging for coin on the streets of the city. He got very little in terms of coinage, but what he was after was far more valuable than coin - information. The schedules of guards, the routines of palace staff, everything and anything relating to the workings of the Davaoan Palace. Finally, he was ready, and on a night that would eventually go down in history, Kanok began to scale the walls between the palace and the rest of the city.

The grappling hook that allowed him to accomplish this feat was a rather new innovation coming out of the Darawan navy. It was a three-pronged bronze hook attached to a long rope, and was primarily used during ship-to-ship combat, allowing one ship to pull the other closer, and in doing so allowed them to board it and take it. It worked well in this capacity, but in the hands of a skilled Bun-yi agent like Kanok, he could use it to scale walls, throwing the hook on top of the wall until it grabbed hold of an indent in the stonework, and using their strength to pull themselves to the top. It was exhausting, but it allowed for them to get into places undetected far more easily.

Finally at the top of the wall, Kanok waited until the guard in the area had finished his rounds, and silently jumped down onto the other side of the wall. He moved from cover to cover, getting closer to the palace itself. Finally, he found what he was looking for - a palace guard that looked roughly to be his height. Quickly, he snuck up behind the man, and before he even knew what was happening, Kanok grabbed his head and broke his neck in one silent movement. Dragging the body to a nearby bush, he quickly undressed the man, and exchanged his clothes with the guard. After he finished changing, he moved himself and the body of the guard, now dressed as a stereotypical Bun-yi agent, over to the window of the King's bedchamber, and waited.

You see, before entering the compound, Kanok had visited four different storehouses around the city. Taking out the guards, he snuck in, and set up a simple timer - a bucket of flammable oil with a small hole would drip this oil into a bowl set up below it. Eventually, the bowls would overflow, and when they did, the oil would hit a candle burning close by, causing the entire contraption to burst into flames, taking down the storehouses - and eventually the flammable homes nearby - with them. He had set it up perfectly so that all four would begin at once. And so, after only an hour of waiting, Kanok saw the glow of fire in the sky, and the screams of many running from the flames.

At this cue, he ran his sword through the body of the guard and threw him through the window of the King's bedchamber. Shattering the mosaic glass and immediately waking the king, Kanok jumped through soon after, dressed in the uniform of the palace guard. Before the King could even open his mouth, Kanok began.

"My King, it is the Bun-yi! The city is under attack, and they have infiltrated the palace! This one tried to kill me for my uniform! More are coming, and we need to get you out of the city, now!"

The King tried to argue, but almost on cue two guards burst into the room, looking around angrily. They were clearly also startled by the sound of shattering glass and the burning city, but Kanok did not give them time to express this, instead expertly throwing a knife into the throat of one guard, and charging forward at the other, grabbing the sword of the first guard and running it through the second. The King watched in amazement, and quickly rose, putting on a robe and rushing out the door with Kanok.

They ran around the corner to find three more guards rushing towards them. Kanok again gave them no time to respond, rushing forward to meet them. Just as their swords were about to hit him, however, he pulled out two dagger and slid underneath them, slicing the legs of the soldiers on each side of him as he slid between them. He threw one of his daggers into the chest of the third, then turned around and made easy work of the two other wounded guards.

At this point, the King was too confused and afraid to do anything but continue to follow Kanok, and they made their way through the palace, avoiding guards when they could. Eventually, the King motioned for Kanok to follow him, and led them through a secret passage way hidden behind a shelf in the main dining hall. They made their way quickly through the tunnel, and emerged in a small cave outside the city walls. The King stopped to catch his breath, but Kanok spurred him on.

"Come on, we are almost there - we have set up a small ship nearby to get you out of here and organize the resistance. Follow me!"

Making their way over another hill, they arrived down by the waterfront, and found a small canoe already prepared. They jumped in, and after an hour of rowing, they arrived at the ship waiting for them off the coast. The king climbed on, but instead of more of his own guards waiting for him, he found a mass of Kulawanti sailors, their spears pointed at him. He quickly turned around to get Kanok, but found him smiling, and pointing his own knife at the King.

"Come now, my lord, your meeting awaits."

The King slowly made his way through the crowd of enemy sailors, and eventually found himself at a small table. He sat down, and the crowd of men parted to reveal none other than the Kulawanti Emperor. He smiled as he looked at the King of Davao.

"Now then, I believe you and I have much to discuss."

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The King of Davao was given two choices, and decided to go with the one that didn't end in his head being paraded on a pike through his own city. Instead, he was allowed to live, with his family joining him in exile in Dvaravati. He surrendered over his Kingdom, and though there would be uprisings here and there for the next twenty years or so, they were never organized enough to make much noice. Finally, after nearly five centuries of conflict, the Pact of Lupah Sug was no more.

The Kingdom itself was split between two Bangsawan, to ensure that Davao never again became powerful enough to challenge the Empire. The east remained ruled out of Davao, while the west was ruled out of Mindanao. Victory in Sulawesi came soon after, with South Sulawesi taking control over the former Kingdom of Southeast Sulawesi, and remaining a de facto Kulawanti client state. North Sulawesi had their King, and all related to him, forced into slavery by the Toetim Triple Alliance, and the new North Sulawesi became a de facto client state of the Alliance. The situation was a bit tense between the two new states, but both had seen enough war for that to build into conflict anytime soon.

Back on Doebi, the Emperor was approached by a representative of the Oracle of Sarawak. They had remained impartial throughout the war (knowing what would happen helped with that, of course), and have decided to formerly come back under the protection of the Empire. They would still be paying no tribute, and decide their own laws and rules, but wished to show solidarity with the rest of Doebi under the wise and just rulership out of Kuching. The Emperor gladly accepted.

And with that, the great conflict between the Empire and the Pact came to an end. Trade once again blossomed across the region, with the Golden Voyage now more lucrative than ever. Trade again flowed unimpeded from east to west, north to south, and people across the Empire settled back into a routine of peace. For the first time in a long time, everything was good.

They had finally won.

Map of the Kulawanti Empire at the conclusion of the Second Pact-Kulawanti War