Arene-Roygen, Germania
4th May 1925
44 Hours till Ultimatum
"Apologies about the long walk, but welcome to my tent! Or well, the tent I commandeered. It even comes with a radio!" Marcel guided Tanya around, like an excited tour guide.
Gripping her journal tightly, Tanya spoke with a half smile, "I suppose that's as good as it's going to get out here."
"Don't I know it, the Germanians are surprisingly stingy," he sighed, putting both his Type-51 and DT-68 on the dresser and walking towards his desk, "So what did you want to talk about?"
With Marcel as far from his Orbs as possible, Tanya decided that it was probably the best time to tell him the truth. After all, she was going to make him very mad.
"I made a mistake."
"Oh? Surely it's not that bad. We can solve this issue if we work together."
"Arene is going to burn because of me."
"Calm down, take a seat. You're only being told to follow orders, it's not your fault."
"No! It is! The Devil's plan is my fault! I suggested it!"
"You what?"
Tanya held back her tears as she opened the journal, showing Marcel the catalyst of all her actions.
"It was the only way…"
Marcel took the book and sat down.
"Legadonia… Dacia? The Republic…
Arene…" as he flipped through the pages, Marcel's brows began to furrow.
"You suggested it? You would burn civilians? How could you?" He began to approach her with first clenched, before abruptly stopping himself, "Leave! Get out of my sight!"
"No! I don't want to do this anymore! You have to help me!" she shouted as tears streamed down her face.
"I said leave!" he repeated, shattering the desk.
She ran as fast as her body could take her. As far from Marcel as possible.
"You let the sinner run. It's going to be a pain in the ass to hunt her down."
Marcel could feel his body strain as his other personality fought for control. He was losing his grip again.
"I can still prevent it from happening. All we need is to hunt down the Mages and reclaim the depot."
"That heroic streak of yours will be the death of us both. You can't seriously be thinking of doing all that alone."
"Alone? I didn't forge a Battalion to do things myself. If both sides want to play dirty, we'll show them just how low we're willing to stoop."
4th May 1925
42 Hours till Ultimatum
Tanya crept around Marcel's now empty command tent despite knowing that the Wraith company had long since departed.
The Ostero-Ungarian Mages had cut all communication with Arene command and had quite simply gone rogue. A fact that didn't sit well with command, their hands were full enough without worrying about a dozen Aces that listened to no-one.
Tanya stepped into the vacant tent and found her journal neatly placed on the shelf far from the shattered table it was originally laid upon.
She wanted to think that it was Marcel's way of helping her despite his anger. She still had time to make things right, she had yet to cross the line.
Picking up the troubling book, Tanya went back to her tent, finding that she had someone waiting for her.
With a pensive look on her face, Frida said, "Major? I have something to ask you. I want to go home."
4th May 1925
40 Hours till Ultimatum
Tanya looked at her Mages who were expectantly waiting for her orders. But before she could do that, she needed them to know everything.
"Everyone, Frida here has something to say," Tanya motioned for Frida to speak up.
"I know I am just a recent addition to your battalion, but I want to tell you about myself," the Arenian began, "My name is Frida Stein and I was born in Arene. I once had a childhood friend that I spent most of my days with. His name is Marcel."
With teary eyes, Frida stepped back and allowed Tanya to continue, "I have something to confess, I have to tell you why the Wraith company has gone rogue. In Thirty-Eight hours things will get really dirty. Once we reach the Ultimatum, Arene will be struck by artillery from our side. They will forcefully clear any remaining resistance with firebombing."
A murmur. They all understood the severity of the situation.
"And now you know. Yet, I wish to remind you that however sympathetic the reason, as things stand, Germanian Command has given the order to apprehend any of them you encounter."
"They're doing what? You can't be serious," commented Vooren, unable to comprehend the events that would lead to this situation, "There's no way we'd be able to catch them."
"So what are our orders, Major?" asked Matheus.
"Our orders are to assist in the evacuation of the city and announce this Ultimatum. Then let our friends in Artillery get all the glory."
"Major, what if we don't want to share the glory? What do we do then?" asked Wilbald.
"Well if you want glory so much, then go recapture the train station!" answered Tanya, fully understanding what her soldiers were getting at.
"And what about the Phantoms? What do we do about them?" questioned Rhiner.
Pointing to her eyes, Tanya gave her final instructions, "Your orders are to capture them
only if you
see them. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Ma'am!"
Southern Continent, Francois Territory
1926 <Defunct Timeline>
"Merde!" The Francois medic took cover behind the medical supply cabinet as bullets tore through the fabric of his tent.
"Stop shooting! There are no combatants here!" he shouted from behind his cover at the encroaching Germanians, "I surrender! That's enough right? I'm an unarmed medic! Not a soldier!"
The firing stopped, one by one the soldiers carefully entered, scanning the room for threats. Finally they lowered their weapons when they saw that there was really only a single cowering medic.
"So you're the frog hiding here!" laughed the Germanian infantry commander.
"Yes, I'm the frog. According to the convention of war, as I am both unarmed and a non-combatant I am protected by the
law. So I surrender, having good faith that you will treat me
lawfully," answered the medic, limping out of his cover.
The officer began laughing, "You're the only survivor in the whole camp. Just one shot and there'll be no one to tell the tale! You'll die in the desert like the rest of them! You damned Francois dragged out the war, you don't deserve mercy!"
"A Germanian with a sense of humour, impressive," smiled the medic, limping forwards with both his hands up, "I'll listen to the rest of your jokes when we get back to your camp."
The Germanian Commander raised his rifle, "You aren't going anywhere! I wasn't joking! You die here!"
"I wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for Arene," the medic snarled, his attitude making a hundred-eighty degree turn, "I would probably still have been on your side!"
"What are you-" the commander asked before he was cut off by being split into several pieces by five sharp edges.
"He's a fucking mage!" shouted a soldier.
The medic had closed the gap between them in a split second, moving faster than what his limp would have suggested. Just as quickly he jumped from victim to victim repeating his gory execution. And then it was over. Every weapon was cut into shards of worthless metal. Every hostile soldier shredded into unrecognisable chunks of flesh. Like a storm of a thousand blades had passed through.
"You may now applaud!" announced the Medic, taking a bow, "Silence? Tough crowd. After all that time I took to learn the Devil of Rhine's favourite performance too."
Removing the bloodstains in his uniform with a spell, the medic opened his map and sighed, "Well, no time to feel down! Once more with feeling! It was a shame the devil wasn't here to see my version of her performance, where do I go next? Which camp was the Devil going to attack next? I heard they were raiding bases near the borders of neutral countries."
From outside, a soldier came in to check out the commotion, "Hey what's taking you guys so long? Get it over with… what the fuck."
Erik Lehmann looked at the medic and the carnage he wrought… and ran for reinforcements.
The medic gave a disapproving tsk before cloaking himself with magic. By the time Warren Officer Lehmann came back with reinforcements, all signs of the killer were gone.
He had disappeared like a Wraith.
Arene-Roygen, Germania
4th May 1925
37 Hours till Ultimatum
"A mana signature! There's an enemy mage here!" shouted the Francois mage, noticing the reaction of the sensor.
Giving chase with his partner, he came across an injured Mage.
"He's still here! Be careful!" shouted the injured Mage.
"Hello! What do we have here? More cowards? Not going to hide behind civilians this time?" goaded a voice in Francois.
Recognising the voice, the Mages engaged their foe, "It's the traitor on the radio! Get him!"
They readied their weapons, just to see the end. A swift swipe of his Mage blade. A single clean cut. The trap had sprung and had taken the lives of two rats. In an act of 'mercy' the Mage ended the misery of the injured as well, bringing the count up to three.
Through his orb, Katya contacted him, "Wraith 01! We've cleared out most of the animals in the area. The rest are too paranoid to come out, at least for now."
"They wanted to hide behind human shields, but now that we're using the same hit and run tactics as the militia, they don't dare to come out of their holes. Wraith 03, what's the status of the depot?"
"It's full of rebels, a few Mages. There's a Mage-Knight strutting around like he owns the place. But I don't think he's the commander."
Looking at the bloodied and cut uniforms upon the corpses, Marcel replied, "Fine then. Begin Phase two."
'You choose to walk this path? Sneaking around like a rat? All to avoid confronting the source of the problem. Disappointing.'
Germania Military Headquarters, Berun
5th May 1925
36 Hours till Ultimatum
Erich looked in shock at the latest reports of Arene. The Ostero-Ungarian Mage company that was 'coincidentally' there had 'mysteriously' gone rogue.
This didn't make sense to him, if the Devil knew that Arene would become a Hotspot, then it was likely the Wraith did too. Yet they seemed to have completely different views on Arene. What was going on?
Erich von Lehrgen had tried to warn the general staff not to send him to Arene. Only to be told that he was already there, collecting a shipment of the latest orbs.
Now they had to worry about a dozen elite Mages with new equipment acting on their own in addition to the already stressful knowledge of the impending firebombing.
Things like this are why his stomach pains never go away.
Stein Filmography Studio, Arene
5th May 1925
35 hours till Ultimatum
Director Stein looked at the door in worry, Frida had called and informed him that she would have him evacuated as soon as possible.
As the clock ticked and tocked, the director was feeling increasingly helpless. Finally there was a knock on his door, with a voice calling out, "Is this Lieutenant Stein's house?"
Without looking, he opened the door, only to come face to face with several unfamiliar faces in Ostero-Ungarian uniforms.
"Hello Mr Stein, I hope you don't mind us barging in like this, but we need some of your equipment," said the one who looked like their commander.
"Marcel?" he asked, finding the man incredibly familiar.
Putting something into the director's hand, Marcel replied, "Indeed. Sorry that our reunion ended up like this, but such is the reality. Nikolai, please escort him to safety."
As Nikolai ushered the confused man away, Marcel began to look around, finally finding the sewing machine.
"Let's get to work, we have a film to make!"
Arene-Roygen, Germania
5th May 1925
33 Hours till Ultimatum
"Protect the evacuees! Make sure they get to safety!" ordered Frida, taking charge of the evacuating civilians out of the city while the company commanders followed their Major to take out enemy Mages, slowly pushing their way towards the depot.
Frida was thankful that Tanya had acceded to her demands to stay away from the fighting. She couldn't bear the thought of having to shoot at her own neighbours.
"Frida? Is that you?" came a voice from one of the evacuees.
"Dad? Didn't I ask you to wait?" she asked as she hugged the man.
Holding up the silver winged medal he got as 'payment', her father replied, "That's not important! Amelie's boy came to the studio!"
"What. What the hell is he thinking? First he goes rogue. Now he's stealing from us! Unbelievable."
"You already met him? What's he been doing all this time?"
"He's an Ostero-Ungarian Ace of Aces. A Major with his own Mage Battalion."
"An Ace of Aces? What the hell happened?"
Space Beyond Mortal Comprehension
Time Beyond Mortal Understanding
Kysll looked at horror as the battle unfolded. Absolute chaos. The very opposite of order. Didn't Kaios say that cities were supposed to be off limits in wars? Weren't soldiers supposed to keep civilians out of danger?
Why have laws if they were going to break them? Why even bother to write them down if no one was going to follow them? Humans made him so mad!
And his champion was doing incomprehensible things! Just how did he plan to end the chaos by changing costumes?
Damn the previous administration!
Arene-Rogen, Germania
5th May 1925
31 Hours till Ultimatum
The Mage fiddled with the radio, "No good, our communications have been jammed. I can't contact HQ."
Lieutenant Colonel Vianto shook his head, "First the threats, then they hide in the buildings. Now they've even cut off our communications. The Germanians have gone too far! Just how much do they know about our operations?"
"Sir. There are reports of our Mages attacking civilians! Many of the citizens are now against us as well!"
"What? That's impossible! I've given strict orders not to attack non-Mages!"
"There seems to be a recording of that happening. Some dissidents have been playing it in the square."
5th May 1925
29 Hours till Ultimatum
It had been a few hours since the man came to the square and revealed his reel of film, in that time he had amassed quite the following.
"Those Republican bastards claim to be our liberators! But so far all they've done is bring chaos to our city!" shouted the soapboxing man, "They hide behind those willing to fight for our freedom and pit citizen against citizen!"
He had caught the attention of the most aggressive of the dissidents. This was his call to arms!
The man continued to rant,"They even shoot at anyone trying to escape instead of fight! They're using us as human shields!"
The dissident pointed towards the projection being played, showing the ugly truth. A scene of a street in ruins, viewed from a distance.
'Shoot the damned traitors! How dare they side with the Germanians! Arene is Francois territory! Don't let them escape!' shouted the commander in Francois.
His men opened fire on the unarmed civilians, shooting down fleeing innocents.
Turning back to face the riled crowd, the man continued, "We are Arenians! We aren't shields for cowards! I say we stand up against our oppressors! Both the Francois and Germanians!"
More and more citizens rallied under his banner. They didn't need allies that shot at citizens! Arene was theirs alone!
"Down with the Francois! Down with the Germanians!" he chanted.
"Down with the Francois! Down with the Germanians!" they repeated.
"If any of you wish to leave, then go! Arene doesn't need people who won't fight for its freedom! We true Arenians will reclaim our city from our occupiers!"
5th May 1925
24 Hours till Ultimatum
Tanya didn't know how to feel, the riots had gotten much more chaotic since the reveal of that 'evidence' but it had sown discord amongst the rebels as well.
From the information that she had gleaned from Frida's father, she could tell that this was part of Marcel's plan. But how far did it go?
With a sigh, she made her announcement, "To the citizens of Arene, lay down your arms! By the conventions of War, illegal combatants are not afforded the rights of soldiers!"
A warning that further violence would not improve the situation. A warning that Militias had no rights.
A few rounds of artillery to scare the Rebels from doing anything dangerous. A necessary evil, or if she failed, a fraction of the true result.
It didn't work of course, there were always those that were willing to put their lives down for a cause. But hopefully, it would have weakened the resolve of some of the rebels. Its magnitude would remain to be seen. Would it be enough to stop the fighting?
Bringing down the receiver, Tanya turned to her men, "203rd, this is our final chance. We have to take back the depot within twenty-four hours."
Southern Continent, Francois Territory
1926 <Defunct Timeline>
"Hold still. I can't stop your bleeding if you keep squirming like that," chided the medic, cauterising the cut with a magically heated blade.
The patient screamed, voice muffled by the towel he bit into.
"Almost done. You'd be good to fight soon."
With his final injury seen to, the soldier thanked the medic, "You're a great Mage, wouldn't you rather be fighting?"
"I may be a Mage, but I'm only good at healing spells. Besides, I can't do very much with my injury. So I do my best to keep the rest of you alive. Then you can do the fighting in place of me and avenge Arene," answered the medic, brushing away the compliment.
"I was there in Arene. I flew under Lieutenant Colonel Vianto. We did our best to liberate the city. No one expected the Germanians to do something so horrendous."
"Lieutenant Colonel Vianto. Was he the leader of the operation to liberate us?" he questioned, continuing his healing spell, "The one that came up with the plan?"
"Yes, he truly believed he could help you and so did the rest of us."
"I see. Thank you for telling me this. Your heart was in the right place. It's so unfortunate that you succumbed to your wounds even though I did my best," lamented the Medic, changing his spell ever so slightly, "It's such a shame I couldn't save you."
"What are you-" the Mage began to cough. It was getting hard to breathe as his lungs filled with his own blood.
"Don't worry about it. You can't save them all. You did your best," consoled the field doctor, looking at the body covered in cloth.
The medic sighed, "It's horrible that they're dying so far away from home. I wish I could do something more for them."
"It's just the tragedy of War. They're fighting for the freedom of the Republic and sometimes they just don't get to see the fruits of their labour."
"I'll keep doing my best."
The medic began to reply, only to be interrupted by a commotion outside the tent. One of the Francois' best Mages had returned.
Looking outside, he saw what could only be described as the object of his hatred. Under all the layers of dirt and sand was the wretch that had started this whole mess.
The medic grit his teeth,
"Vianto."
Arene-Roygen, Germania
5th May 1925
23 Hours till Ultimatum
"Tell me where the rest of you rats are hiding," Marcel looked at the Francois Mage tied to the chair.
"Fuck you, Traitor," the Mage spat through his broken teeth, "You can torture me all you want, I won't tell you a thing."
"Torture you? No, no, no. Can't you see I'm using a healing spell?" Marcel sneered and put his hands on the tied Mage's shoulder.
The Francois Mage started screaming in agony as the foreign magic flowed into him before abruptly stopping.
"See, healing magic. It's not my fault your body isn't taking it kindly. Now, let me ask you again, where is Vianto hiding?"
"Go to hell."
"Hell doesn't exist."
5th May 1925
20 hours till Ultimatum
The situation had long since fallen out of his control. Plain and simple. Lieutenant Colonel Vianto no longer had any power over what was going on.
The Francois Mages had lost most of the support from the citizens after the rumours that they had killed civilians became widespread. The rebels were shooting at them as much as they were shooting at the Germanians.
Having originally enlisted the help of the citizens to take the train station, they were losing control of the depot now that cooperation had broken down. The rebels had tried to take control of the station and only through Captain Chevalier's command were they barely grasping onto it.
They had no clean way to win this battle anymore. They had to claw their way out. Something that was easier said than done. Especially while being slowly picked off and pushed back.
It was time to make an explosive exit.
5th May 1925
18 Hours till Ultimatum
"Take down those Mages, we need to break out of the encirclement! We can't let them surround us!" ordered the Lieutenant Colonel.
"They're using decoys with high mana, it's interfering with our mana lenses!"
Decoys
and cloaking. Just how powerful were the enemy Mages?
"Cover the left flank! They need our help!" shouted a Mage, calling to assist allies that were cut down a moment later.
"Retreat! We'll regroup with the Captain's men at the station!" ordered the Lieutenant Colonel.
This was their last stand, just barely more than a company's worth of Mages left.
"They're retreating again! Just a few more blocks!" shouted Vooren excitedly.
"Don't get hasty. You don't want to lose an eye, do you?" warned Matheus, glancing at Visha.
Tanya wasn't feeling hopeless anymore, they were almost at their goal. The depot was within sight. They had a chance. Not even Being X could stop them now.
"What a mess! I can't even tell what the rebels are doing anymore!" William commented on the chaos unfolding in the streets.
"It seems like the Arenians don't either," Visha replied.
"But what happened to the station, then?"
"It's currently in a mess. A three way battle," answered Tanya while looking through her binoculars, "The perfect time for us to storm in and take it back! Regroup for one last push!"
5th May 1925
17 Hours till Ultimatum
"Are you sure you want Niko to continue? It's only going to get more dangerous for him," Katya questioned, starting to worry about her twin.
"He can take care of himself, he knows the plan. He'll pull back if it gets too dangerous. Besides, it'll all be over soon. Just a little more work and there'll be no firestorm," answered Marcel, not even looking up from the map.
The Mage manning the binoculars suddenly stood up, "Francois Mages spotted! They're regrouping!"
Marcel looked up and towards Katya,
"Hear that? That's the sound of their final stand! We'll finally punish them for their sins."
5th May 1925
15 Hours till Ultimatum
"Vianto."
Marcel looked at the Francois Mage giving out orders. The most fanciful looking bastard on this damned hellscape. How does one stand to be so
flashy on the battlefield? If only he could still see from both eyes. He'd borrow a hunting rifle and give the Lieutenant Colonel a haircut. It was a shame that the Wraith company was light on sharpshooters to borrow from.
"Is everyone back in their proper gear? No one's still dressed as the enemy, right?"
"All good over here, Major! Wraith company is ready to move."
"We may have put the Francois into disarray, but they are still in a superior defensive position. Our supplies are beginning to run low, but they have tonnes upon tonnes of equipment within reach. So don't get careless now."
"Yes Sir!"
Tanya looked at her Battalion, "This is their final stand. The Francois have nowhere else to run. If they lose control over the station, they have no foothold left. As such, they will fight their hardest here. I want everyone to be extra careful."
"First Company, Roger!" announced Visha.
"Second Company, Roger!"
"Third Company, Roger!"
"Fourth Company, Roger!" followed her fellow Company heads.
"Go out there and make them pay for stepping foot on Germanian land!"
The leader of the Militias looked at the men he had brought to reinforce their brethren at the station.
"Push them out of the depot! Send those damned soldiers packing! Today we take back what is ours!" he goaded.
"For Arene!"
"Down with the Francois, down with the Germanians!"
Severin Vianto laid out the plans to his men, "The explosives are being placed. We'll destroy the station along with as much supplies as possible. Even if we are defeated, we'd deal a blow to them, maybe even clog up their supply lines."
It was time to make the most of their losses. If they couldn't hold on to the goal, they'd just keep it out of their enemies' hands.
The gunshots were getting closer.
Picking up his gun, he ordered his men, "We need to buy some time! With me!"
Southern Continent, Francois Territory
1926 <Defunct Timeline>
"I'm not sure how they managed to get a Mage like you to spy for them, but your rampage ends here, Imperial dog," shouted the Francois soldier, pushing the bound medic to the ground.
"I hate them as much as I hate you republicans. That's why I patch up you bastards, so that you can die for your damned country instead of going home crippled. Isn't that what you patriots want?"
His words were answered with a swift kick to the face by the soldier.
"You're talking a lot for a dead man and you have a lot of pride for someone who betrayed their homeland," spoke the Lieutenant Colonel.
The medic spat out a bloodied tooth, "Do you mean the Republic or the Empire? Because you're wrong on both counts. I'm here to avenge the people of Arene. Here to make the person that helped burn it down pay."
"The Devil of Rhine did that! Your crusade is misguided!"
"Fuck off with your excuses. You know you doomed the people of Arene with your stupid plan. How does it feel knowing that you helped the Devil damn them to a fiery death? Can you still sleep at night? Or perhaps you sleep just fine since you were already using them as shields?"
"Enough! This foolishness ends now!" shouted Severin Vianto, taking out his sidearm and putting it to the back of the man's head, "Any last words, you psycho?"
"You've already taken everything I care about away. So I only have one last wish, may you sleep dreaming of the people of Arene for the rest of your wretched life!" laughed the medic before it was cut short by a gunshot.
Darkness and silence.
"Demented bastard. It was the Devil's fault," Severin Vianto weakly said, while looking at the dead man's one remaining eye.
Arene-Rogen, Germania
6th May 1925
12 Hours till Ultimatum
Severin Vianto dodged and weaved as the Ostero-Ungarian Mage chased behind him. Seeing that his pursuer ignored any enemy that did get in his way, Severin knew that this Mage was after him specifically and wasn't going to give up any time soon.
"Alors on se retrouve enfin! Était-ce amusant de se cacher derrière des civils?" he shouted at the Severin.
"Maudit traître! J'aurai ta tête!" Severin gave his reply.
The Mage dove close, letting off a shot from his trench gun.
Fortunately, Severin was no pushover, diving out of the way, his shield absorbing what few pellets managed to land. Turning around, he shot back.
His own shield receiving enemy fire, the pursuer took evasive movements. He scanned the situation, looking for his next opportunity to attack.
Tanya surveyed the battle. Something was wrong, the Francois weren't fighting as hard as she thought they would be.
Were they planning to escape? If so, why were they still here?
Then it dawned on her. They were merely delaying. They had to do something before they escaped.
"203rd! The Republicans seem to be trying to delay us. Find out what they're hiding!"
"What the hell are we supposed to do? There's Mages everywhere! I didn't know there were Mages in the Germanian infantry too!" cursed one of the rebels.
"Dammit! How badly are we doing?" shouted the leader of the Militia.
"We've taken many injuries. Some deaths too!" answered another, before ducking behind the rubble.
"Dammit! It's all falling apart!" shouted the leader in frustration, "Bring the injured out of here. The rest of you who can still fight, stand with me! We'll cover their exit."
"Major! The whole track is rigged with explosives! They're planning to bring the whole place down!" Vooren radioed his findings.
"Dammit! Companies two to four, focus on finding and disarming the bombs!" ordered Tanya, "First Company, continue suppressing enemy combatants!"
Dodging fire and returning a volley of her own, Tanya noticed a flash of red on the ground. Katya was bashing a Mage's head in with her fuel canister.
"It's such a pain when you
can't just solve things by burning them," the redhead spoke to herself.
"Katya! This is important! The Francois are planning to blow this place sky high! Marcel's plans will be pointless if we lose the station!" warned Tanya.
"Damn it! Wraith 02 to all Wraiths! The Francois have planted bombs all around. Priority orders! Find the detonators!"
Marcel swung his trench gun as hard as he could into the Lieutenant Colonel's shield, finally having the satisfying shatter he was waiting for.
Followed by an even more satisfying crunch as the stock broke bones.
"So, Vianto. We are finally face to face. How were your dreams?"
Severin Vianto winced in pain, dazed and confused. What did the bastard mean? Was all of this for some sort of unhinged plot for revenge?
As his mind became clearer he was assailed by memories of a failure. Francois high command… destroyed?
Picking himself up from the ground, he tried to fight back, only to be kicked into the ruins of the Depot's Administrative building.
That's right. The Germanians were planning to destroy high command! He needed to escape! He needed to warn General De Lugo!
As he rose again, he felt a sharp pain going through his stomach. Looking down, he saw a length of steel, with a red cloth attached to the end. The bastard had pinned him to the ground with a flagpole. The pain was unbearable and escape was impossible.
Grasping futilely at the sky, the Lieutenant Colonel heard his last words,
"Well, this was pointless. I don't actually feel better at all."
Darkness and silence.
Space Beyond Mortal Comprehension
Time Beyond Mortal Understanding
The Medic looked at the marble pillars piercing the sky.
He was dead then. Such a shame.
"It's such a shame you decided to be faithless this lifetime."
Turning to face the voice, he saw a robed old man. Then he remembered. He had met this entity before. The so-called 'God'.
"You piece of shit. You couldn't even reincarnate me into a better life? This one was more painful than the last! No wonder you suck at your job! You give the undeserving powers and you punish the faithful!"
"I do not make mistakes," answered the unrepentant Deity, "I just gave her too strong a blessing."
"Don't make mistakes? You literally just admitted that you made one. You let her burn down an entire city. Did it feel good, having to sort through all those souls? Did it feel good when you saw the hundreds and thousands you let die?"
Putting his hand out to silence the Medic, the Deity continued, "Enough! The only reason I haven't struck you down is because I understand your anger. Let us make a deal."
"What could you possibly offer me this time?" questioned the Mortal.
"Power. A blessing. In return, you will punish her in my stead! Force her to pray! To Beg!"
"Why would I want that? I don't want to spend yet another life fighting a war!" answered the man, judging the spiteful God.
"Even if I was going to rewind time? You could fix your own mistakes."
"Frida… I can see her again. I can protect her. Fine! I'll take your damned blessing!"
"The Blessing of the Knight. Your blade will sever and Your shield will protect. You only need to fear a blessing of equal or greater magnitude."
"Wait. Why would you allow me to be harmed by other blessings? If I am to fight the Devil, I need to be able to protect myself from the powers you gave her!"
"Enough! I have it all planned out! When I call upon you, you will answer! Dismissed!"
"You fucking piece of shit!"
Arene-Roygen, Germania
6th May 1925
12 Hours till Ultimatum
Marcel looked down at the corpse. That was one task down. Just a little bit more.
Taking a moment to catch his breath, Marcel looked at the carnage he had caused. He was going to be in for one hell of a court martial.
"Marcel! Behind you!"
The sudden shout caught his attention. He leaped forward, away from his unseen assailant.
A moment too late.
His shield shattered. A blade bit into the right of his waist.
They had managed to neutralise most of the Republican Mages and prevented them from detonating the worst of the explosives.
Now all they had to do was clean up. Search for any remnant Mages.
Heading towards the sound of battle, Tanya saw it all unfold. Marcel killed the enemy commander, only to be attacked by a Francois Mage-Knight just as he let his guard down.
Despite her effort, her warning had come too late. The unbearable feeling of divine energy clashing forced her to momentarily shut her eyes. That Mage was blessed.
Opening her eyes and reviewing the situation, Tanya began to calculate her odds only to shut it down and throw away all her practicality.
She charged. She wasn't strong, not in this lifetime. That sword cut through a shield that had taken countless rounds and never shattered. It would easily kill her the moment it made contact.
But she had to save Marcel. She hadn't even properly apologised yet.
Letting off a volley, she gave the Francois Captain a piece of her mind. All her rage and regrets. All her happiness and sorrows.
When she was close enough, she pulled out her utility blade and severed the Mage's sword hand. Before kicking him off his feet.
She herself lost balance, landing unceremoniously. Right before the blessed blade.
"Keep your hands off my blade!" the Captain let out his holy rage, charging her. Losing any semblance of sanity.
Tanya scrambled to grab the weapon before her. The moment she made contact with the grip, she felt a resonance within herself, within her orb. With a swift stroke, she killed the Mage with his own weapon.
Marcel gasped in pain, clutching his wound. He tried to help Tanya as best he could. To grab the Mage by his feet. To do something. But the pain made it hard to focus.
"She's doing fine. Worry about yourself. Your hero complex will be the death of me."
Feeling the pain subside, Marcel's vision began to darken.
"She's a powerful Mage in her own right. Maybe you should stop being so damn protective."
And then there was silence. And darkness.
Space Beyond Mortal Comprehension
Time Beyond Mortal Understanding
It was just a blip. As quick as it started the Battle of Wills ended.
Kysll looked at the mere seconds that it took. There were three signatures. His Avatar, a regular blessed and the
Faithless Anomaly. How strange.
Was it worth contacting her now that she managed to use her blessing?
Perhaps he should wait for a little while longer.
Western Front, Germania
6th May 1925
Erich von Lehrgen couldn't believe his eyes. The Devil's plan was not put into action and the reason why was how quickly the 203rd had solved the issue with Arene. Was this an unintended side effect for her race for efficiency?
Or was forcing him to approve of the plan merely a fragment of her true goals? Why would that Devil do such a thing? Was she trying to ruin his reputation and paint him as the villain instead? That horrible demon!
What if she told Amelie what happened? She would ruin his future chances! What was he going to do?
Turning to his work so as to ignore his worries, he looked at his next instructions. Only to curse even harder. He was expected to interrogate the Wraith company for their actions.
Imperial Palace, Berun, Germania
7th May 1925
"That was a close call, I'd say. Arene, I mean. I heard they were going to do some nasty things if things went wrong," Otto said to his family.
"Once again the princess' Battalion wracks up another victory," the youngest prince sighed.
"That's a great thing, Albert. Marianne is already well loved, she'll have even more support after this."
Marianne sat across from her father and brothers, putting the last piece of meat in her mouth, "It's still not enough. There are still many against me being heiress. That's why I'll be going to Arene tomorrow to appeal to the citizens."
"Very well," her father replied, allowing her to do as she wished.
"Thank you for being so understanding, father," she replied before getting up to pack.
"Father, I don't understand why you've suddenly decided to make her the heiress instead of Otto," said Albert.
"Albert, She
is the eldest. I just realised that I was being unfair to her just because she was a girl. I had failed as both a father and a monarch."
"Besides, she's more capable than I am," Otto added, seemingly relieved.
"Fine, I may not like that idea but let's leave it at that. But surely you don't approve of her marriage with that Osterian bastard?" Albert chastised, "He's an honourless dog."
"One that is now our strongest ally in this war," Otto answered, "Having a personal union with the Ostero-Ungarians would benefit our Empire the most. While he is nephew to Tsaritsa Elenora, we cannot forget that he is also distantly related to Empress Isabella of Ispagna."
"Why should we care about Ispagna? They can't even keep their people united! With how much civil unrest they have, for all we know, she'll be dethroned soon."
"Enough! This meal is over, and my decision is final!" Kaiser Fredrick raised his voice.
Albert stormed out of the room, muttering under his breath, "Now I have to get rid of two obstacles."
Marianne closed the door behind her, letting out a deep breath… before breaking down into tears yet another time.
She had finally gotten what she wanted, she was heiress. But why did Otto have to be so supportive? If he had resented her for it, she wouldn't be feeling so guilty right now.
When she had nothing, she resented him, and her father. She had almost killed him, were it not for that Mage saving his life, she would be living in regret right now.
No, no, no. She had done some horrible things to Otto and her father to get here, she couldn't go soft now. She still needed Karl to accept her love.
Swallowing her guilt and wiping her eyes, Marianne stood up and took a deep breath. She needed to act like an Empress as soon as possible.
Arene-Roygen, Germania
7th May 1925
Tanya looked at the ongoing negotiations between her 'benefactor' and the Militia.
The rebels had surrendered quickly after the last of the Francois mages were exterminated. Their leader had convinced them to cut their losses and make peace before disappearing, rumoured to have fled the city. Even after being abandoned the rebels still refused to reveal his identity.
They had technically recaptured the city. But they had not regained the trust of the citizens. It had taken the promise of the now Crown Princess herself to assure them that there would be concessions made. It would seem that Arene was going to face a change in political climate soon enough.
As for Wraith Company. After being treated for their wounds, they were quickly and quietly sent back to the Western Front, barring two members. The General staff of both countries were doing their best to cover up any possible leaks of their actions.
Marcel on the other hand was sent straight to a hospital in Berun to recuperate. Obviously to keep an eye on him now that they knew he only played by the rules that suited him. It had taken some luck, but together they managed to change the future. She hadn't cleared up the misunderstanding, but now she could still do so. Once she had time, she'd pay him a visit.
"Major, can I have a word?" asked Frida, peeping into her tent.
"There's no need to be so formal."
Frida jumped in to retort, "There is! You saved Arene! You saved my home."
"No, it wouldn't even have been at risk if it wasn't for me. I was the one that suggested the firebombing in the first place. I was just correcting my mistake."
"Oh I think I'll need time to really understand that, but… but you still saved it in the end, right?" Frida frowned as she tried to wrap her head around that information, before trying to raise Tanya's spirits again.
"Maybe. But I still feel horrible."
"Mmm. Well, perhaps if I confess my own mistake, it'll make yours feel less bad?" Frida asked cautiously.
"What do you mean?"
"I uh… lost the sword you passed me for safekeeping."
"Oh? Oh, that's not a problem, really. Don't worry about it, it's just a sword. You're dismissed."
As Tanya watched Frida apologetically leave, she cursed her luck. She already knew where the sword was, after all, she had seen it just a moment ago.
It was lying on her field pack innocently as if it was a normal weapon. No matter where she left it, it would
magically make its way back to her. She had done the same to Visha and passed her the sword as well, leading to identical results. Even after leaving it sealed in a box full of supplies loaded on the train bound for the Western Front, she found it leaning on her field pack.
Now what was she supposed to do about this? Just what did Being X plan by forcing this cursed object on her? What malicious effects did this one have?
I'd say that's a big departure from canon and I feel many will dislike that fact, but I always felt that Arene could have been solved if someone was more willing to act illegally.
And now we have a fancy sword!
and a thread image!
It's fine if you wish to discuss older chapter in this thread, but you're always invited to do so in my
discord server instead.
