S4:CH3

It was the 4th hour of the morning. Cold winds of the Karthusian South were still within the reaches of the fields and mountains, violently coursing through the snow, picking up the snowflakes to finally stick to the skin of several soldiers dressed in Vonturian Darksteel Armor. The man leading the group had several frostbites on his fingertips, and it felt good. Finally, there was a sensation, unlike the fatigue from walking hundreds of miles from the north. He was abandoned. No. He was honored. Not left out. He was here for a purpose. Along with his comrades, they had a reason to be here. Vengeance.

The leader looked behind him, to see hundreds of knights behind him, trekking through the snow, all of them shivering. Envy almost crept up to his brain, but it was snuffed out once his eyes turned to one of his men, carrying another knight, desperately trying to keep moving.

“He’s dead,” the leader spoke, and the soldier simply looked at the corpse he was carrying. The boy let go slowly, without a word, without a tear. Only a huff of breath that became amplified by his sallet helmet.

The rest of the soldiers scavenged whatever armor or supplies the soldier had left. They stripped him of all his belongings, and proceeded to move on. They were not stopping until they reached Vendeaux.

Duchess Artoria Magrin watched from the Vendeux Castle. It was on its last touches for its rehabilitation, but she could see how broken the family was. Even after the battle of North Castle, the elders of the Magrin Family still bickered about what to do. Artoria was on a balcony, which faced a hall, filled with cracked marble pillars, and marble floors of white and blue. On top of the hall were several wooden beams that turned the upper portion into a web of darkness, mostly because the chandeliers were not attached yet. King Rolim arrived at the hall, berating the Queen of Karthus - Saverine Magrin. He was followed by none other than the new Archduchess of Magrinium, Eowyn Deschenel.

“A simple task, and a simple war, yet you still failed to bring peace!” Rolim yelled, while the maids tried to do their best to pretend as if they were not trying to escape this argument. “And out of all the people who could have talked to that queer emperor, you chose Eleanor!?”

“She’s soft spoken.” Saverine replied.

“She made us look weak.” Rolim countered. As he looked around, he saw that Princess Aurelia had arrived with her bodyguard, Commander Hayate, who was wearing a closed knight helm, while his body had more Kononagarian accents. The King smiled, then said, “If only we had Princess Aurelia-”

“Aurelia’s not ready. You know that.” Saverine retorted.

Rolim slapped the crown off the Karthusian Queen, causing her to fall down. The sound of the metal, the gems, and the mana nullifiers in the crown echoed through the hall. The maids were stunned, but because they were near the door, they definitely did not hear anything, nor will speak of any of this. They wanted to help, but no one was going to defy the king of Ravena.

“Perhaps you should lead by example and not raise such weak children-”

“Enough!” Princess Aurelia ran to Rolim, standing between him and her mother. “It has already happened, Great Uncle. We must convince the Allaires now that we have to arm the south.”

“You and your bureaucracies. In my land, acts like this are swift. No need for petty talks.” Rolim replied.

“And if a tyrant rules Ravena, the destruction is swift, and as petty as our….” Aurelia responded, and immediately realized what she was saying. “Talks…”

“You would dare-” King Rolim raised his hand, only to be met by a 6 foot knight standing in front of the princess, holding his odachi. It was Hayate.

Rolim looked at the man, then his eyes turned to his left to meet Eowyn’s. Eowyn lifted her hand and showed that her veins were glowing, but nothing was happening. The king of Ravena turned to the knight, and saw the yellow mana nullifier on his chest. Eowyn turned her head to the ceiling, and a voice echoed from the hall.

“If you wish for me to kill the man clad in full armor, kindly prepare your noses for a cloud of smoke,” the man in the ceiling said. And as Rolim looked up, he saw who it was. None other than the man himself. Kindred Osiris.

Hayate gripped his odachi, and looked around him. He heard about the stories of this man, but meeting him in person was different. Aurelia’s heart pumped, but Saverine remained calm.

“On your signal, your majesty.” Archduchess Eowyn said, looking at the knight. Then to Aurelia, whose face of fear and anxiety slowly turned into a glare.

King Rolim looked at the young nobles. He savored the worry that they had, and loved the dynamic. Perhaps he could be here for longer, but this had become boring for him.

“Stand down, Osiris. Karthusians are smart. They know when to learn a lesson, such as respecting your elders.” Rolim said, before Kindred jumped down onto the marble floor, landing on his feet and left hand. Just behind Saverine.

Saverine held his hand for a bit…  before letting go.

“Well, I wish to find more Allaires to have fun with.” Kindred said, before standing up. “Listen to the King, people.”

Rolim left, but Eowyn stayed for a bit, looking at Aurelia, who was rushing to her mother. Saverine stood up, trying her best to put on a smile, but her pale face, and shaking hands were something she could never hide.

“Get out.” Aurelia spoke softly, making Eowyn grit her teeth, wanting to speak, but not being able to. Commander Hayate simply held his odachi, while Kindred looked at the both of them. The assassin put his hands in his coat’s pocket, and sighed.

“Come now, your majesty. The king is waiting,” he said, before seeing Eowyn’s nodding head from the back.

Artoria saw the entire ordeal, and wanted to fight Rolim right then and there. However, she did not want to complicate the situation even further. She was an outcast in this family, just because of this forbidden love. By the time she turned around to meet her husband, Cristoph, she saw a small fire from the Karthusian mountains.

They were here…

Saverine and Aurelia saw the Duchess walk past them, moving towards the door. By the time the it closed, and the servants were gone, Aurelia walked to the fallen crown, and picked it up. She looked at the gems, then looked to her mother, being consoled by Hayate. Aurelia looked back at the crown, and rubbed her thumb on the yellow mana nullifier on the top of it.

“He wants to have someone bold enough to be in power.” Aurelia said, while she gripped her left fist. “Very well then.”

Aurelia and Hayate arrived at a corridor. They closed the door behind them as they continued to walk together, passing by paintings of Karthusian heroes and nobles. The long red carpet, and fabric walls dampened their steps, but for Hayate, it wasn’t enough, as the sounds of his clanging armor still rang softly. To Aurelia though, she felt safe when she heard this. She was with him.

“This sounds like a bad idea, Lia,” Hayate said, as he continued walking. The princess stopped, before looking to her left, and right. She reached her hand to Hayate’s helmet, pulling it out. His neon purple eyes became exposed, looking worried for her. His dark hair was tied to the back of his head, showing his face, and a straight scar line across his eyes was felt by Aurelia for a second. They looked at each other for a little bit, before the princess pulled the knight to her face and kissed him on the lips. After the small exchange, she exhaled, and looked at him again.

“Trust me,” she said.

The Vonturian Knights arrived at a place full of rubble. There was a trapdoor underneath all of it that the unit took out, then knocked.

“Sorry I’m late,” Artoria arrived, prompting the Dragonspears to raise their weapons to her.

“Stand down,” the leader commanded. “She’s with us.”

The leader of the group took out his helmet.

“Welcome back to Karthus, Commander Lecarius,” Artoria said.

“Get out!” shouted several voices, echoing through the void. Everything was dark, and Wave Walts tried his best to follow the order. Spikes of bones pierced through the dark and murky liquid floor. The young mage could see the white structures quickly creeping towards him.

“GET OUT!”

“HE’S NOT YET AWAKE!”

“GET OUT ENOKI!~”

Wave opened his eyes to see Enoki holding his arm, as he felt his entire body move, but it was only the bones healing themselves more. He turned his head to see Falqareis and Adriel trying to pull out Enoki, and which was finally severed once Wave woke up. He looked at Enoki’s glowing veins.

On her arms…

Shoulder…

Neck-

Adriel grabbed Enoki and held her close to him. “What are you doing!?” he almost shouted, as he saw Enoki’s glowing veins reach her cheek. “You’re not fully healed yet!”

Wave tried to sit up, but felt every pain in his bone grinding inside him. It wasn’t as painful as before, but it was still damn annoying.

“Hey hey hey, easy….” Adriel said, but it was cut off when the sound of walking boots arrived from the corridor. When the person passed by, it was revealed to be none other than one of their fellow students, Nicholas Valentine, trying to drink their morning coffee from a wooden mug.

“Need some help?” they said to the mages.

Adriel dashed to the door, faking a smile, trying to make a chuckle in order to make it seem like they were just playing, as all university students tended to do…

“Oh no no. We’re just… playing! Yeah!” Adriel said, trying to get Nicholas to just move on. But, the student was not having it. Past Adriel, they saw Enoki lying on the ground, with her nose bleeding, and Wave just having multiple spots where his skin was… pale. This… was something else.

“The girl’s mana veins are on her cheek. Wave seems like he has several fractures throughout his entire body. I don’t see any splints on them so it must be a load of fissures, linear, or greenstick fractures,” Nicholas said, before looking at Falqareis, who was sleeping on a chair. “Or you are all simply idiots.”

“Please, Nicholas. Don’t tell Principal Giggs about this,” Adriel said.

“Just don’t do anything stupid,” the student said.

Stomps on the floor were heard. It was Marzia, coming back with a bottle of healing fluid. He slightly shoved past Nicholas and almost made them spill the coffee. The student slightly glared at the girl, but knew they couldn’t waste such energy on someone who would be such a waste of space anyways.

“The next time someone from our team becomes injured, I’m burning the line of people in the healing potion store,” Marzia said.

“Burning the citizens of Vendeaux is the last thing you would want to do, Marzia Maximiun,” Falqareis said, waking up.

Wave got the potion and drank it. He slowly felt a surge of relief from his body. While this wasn’t enough, it was clear that he felt extremely better than before. Marzia turned around, only to see Nicholas looking at them, while Adriel kept trying to stall them. The girl walked to the door, and pulled Adriel, gesturing him to take care of Wave. She faced the student eye to eye.

“Get out,” she said with a stern face, which the student immediately complied to, terrified of what Marzia could do. She turned around again to look at all the mages. “We fought over the aspect of chaos. Don’t tell me you’re struggling to fight a stupid queer?”

Nicholas stopped, hearing what the girl said. Tightening their grip on the coffee mug, they continued to walk.

“Now that’s a bit harsh now, is it?” Adriel asked.

“It is,” Marzia said, looking at Wave drink the healing potion. “Deal with it.”

Adriel tightened his hand into a fist, but was stopped by Falqareis, who only shook his head. Minutes passed, and Wave was finally healed. Suddenly, footsteps from the hallway echoed, making the entire group tidy themselves. It was the new Principal of the University, Professor Giggs Chitinni.

“I heard about a commotion here. Did you all cut classes!?” the principal asked, almost shouting across the room and hallway.

“Mr. Giggs,” Adriel said, walking to him with his tall stature and waving hands. “We can explain.”

“Ta-ta-ta!” Giggs waved his hand back at Adriel’s face. “I do not wish to hear it. You will all come with me to the Allaris Council!”

Two orcs arrived, followed by Sune, who was observing the injured Wave Walts. Along with this was a tiefling of purple skin-color, writing everything that Giggs was saying. “Perhaps after this defense, you will learn the value of learning.”

“Defense for what?” Wave said after he finished drinking his healing potion.

Giggs looked at Marzia, and took off his monocle. “Your father’s invading us already. Now, chop-chop, we have the Great Army of Jeebertch on our side.”

It was afternoon. Specialist Daimon of the CSS has changed his uniform into a civilian one. He buried the olive shirt and dark green modified brigandine under the dirt, and finally fixed himself up.

“Are you sure you’re willing to go this far?” he asked towards a person in RBR uniform, leaning against a tree. 

“Willing to go to great lengths even,” the red soldier said.

“Why, Alris? Why should you risk yourself?” he replied, turning around to face him.

“You Republicans are so used to selfishness that you do not know what we’re supposed to fight for anymore.”

“And you Liberals are so used to selflessness that you do not care about self preservation anymore.”

“I took a vow to fight for the people, Daimon,” Alris responded, and finally stood up to walk closer to him. “That means you, if you’re willing to go this far.”

Daimon’s eyes widened slightly, before looking down. “Let’s… just go,” he hesitantly said.

Alris nodded, before walking with Daimon to the camp. As they passed by many trees, the silence became less and less apparent, as they were now approaching the camp of Freedom. Lots of yelling, laughing, and clanging of metals either from the forge, or the comrades sparring. The smell of roasted beef lured them in, like a trail towards their proper destination, and because of this, it was easier to get back to the camp. Several children were heard being taught how to read and speak Selyrian, and as the two friends arrived at the gate, the chorus of children’s voices were heard.

“Democracy lives on with the people,” the children said.

Daimon looked at them, and then towards Alris. “Radicalizing the youth, are we?”

“Political Awareness, Daimon,” Alris replied.

As the two entered the camp, and into the main campfire, they finally saw what Daimon was looking for. A woman with white bushy hair, and some sort of glasses on top of her hair. She was carrying cabbages towards a garden, but when she saw Daimon, she accidentally dropped the box of cabbages.

“Laxi…” Daimon tried to speak, but he knew that it was going to be difficult. He had left her for 6… no- 8 years. There was no way she would even remem-

Laxi ran and grabbed Daimon into a hug, crying into his arms. Daimon was stunned, but soon felt his hand reach her back. “My little sister…” he said, as Alris only crossed his arms and gave a slight smile, then walked away.

“Don’t cry, my Laxi. Your big brother’s here now,” Daimon said.

“Is it really you???” Laxi sobbed, grabbing Daimon with her small hands, but Daimon did not need to hesitate. She wasn’t dreaming, so she can take her time now to figure out if this was reality or not. This was immediately cut off however by Xu Shuan coming out of the tent, followed by a vampire woman with pale white skin and blue hair, with a large dark wide-brimmed leather hat that shaded her body from the sun. Xu Shuan left, leaving the woman to look at Daimon. However, by the time she could turn to look at Laxi, a fast paced sprint came crashing down on her body, embracing her gently in what seemed to be a flash of a moment.

“I missed you… mother,” Daimon said.

“You’re just in time, my love,” Raen said, as she let go of her embrace, followed by her adoptive son. “I’m ready to leave for North Castle.”

“North Castle?” asked Daimon, looking at his mother in a puzzled manner. “But it’s too dangerous after what happened with the war.”

“I know, and I’ll return to reclaim my throne.”

It was now past afternoon. Captain John of the Golden Eagle Guard, known by his alias as ‘Triggerman’, slapped another knight’s shoulder in the middle of the day.

“Ow!” the young knight yelped. “Why do you have to be so mean in the middle of the day!?”

“Quit whining and maintain your posture.” Triggerman said, before seeing a familiar face arriving at the council door. It was their commander, Tarrick, but he was wearing something different. He had his armor, but with it came his brown bear pelt as his hood and cape. Something was up. The commander looked at Triggerman and raised a royal seal - not from Karthus, but from Ulfenheim.

“Lord Tárik Vojislav,” the man in the bear pelt said, proudly showing his seal. “I come to be a representative of The Ulfenheim Kingdom.”

Triggerman nodded his head, then looked at Azure, who then frantically opened the door. The next in line was a purple skinned elf man in a brown uniform. His familiar face was sharply accentuated by his round glasses made of gold, and silky white hair. His walk was firm, and his chin was high up in the air.

“Move aside, peasants!” the man said with a smile. Triggerman growled slightly in annoyance, but saw the students behind him wearing the SUV uniform, all looking down, or to other places, not wanting the attention that the man was getting. It was obvious as to who this was. Principal Giggs Chitinni of the Sovereign University of Vendeaux… who was also carrying a monkey with him.

“What’s with the monkey?” Triggerman questioned, only to be shushed by Giggs himself.

“He has a name, you brute!” the elf said, before letting the monkey jump to his left hand, swinging on his forearm as if it was a vine. “His name is Billy Bob the 5th, the fifteenth of his name.”

Triggerman wanted to kill this man right here and now. However, rules are rules. The SUV had reservations, and he had to abide by this rule.

The Generation of Miracles followed closely as they finally entered the council. The sounds of talking echoed through the halls, with taps coming from the boots of the nobles. The laughter was… different. More posh than what they were used to, and everyone wore extremely fancy clothes, compared to the common citizens of Vendeaux - especially the Ravenian Nobles, all invited by the Magrins, who wore dashing bright colors of yellow, red, and pink. The Deschenels however, wore dark and gray fur coats and gowns, looking everywhere in the corner. One of them saw Enoki’s eye, who immediately looked down out of fear. Wave Walts however, felt suspicious about all of this.

The SUV was escorted to a dining room specifically reserved for them. It was filled with cakes, lobsters, oysters, roasted chicken, and egg rolls. There was also sushi from Kitsumachi, as well as a couple of bottles, that were then taken out by Giggs as he brought his own. All of the students and staff sat down on their chairs, waiting for what Giggs had to say.

“Katherine and Arina,” Giggs called, seeing them turn their heads to him. A smirk grew in his face, as he walked towards them, patting their backs. “The SUV has had several wins in debates in the Allaris Council. I expect that you will not disappoint.”

Katherine and Arina gulped, but remained steadfast with their university’s goal. They nodded. Giggs grinned, as he finally went back to the bottles of alcohol he brought. He opened them and poured them on the silver cups that arrived, carried by the maids of the council.

“As expected of these idiot jingos, they will be arguing for a war with the Empire of Porthos.” Giggs said, as he continued to pour the liquid on the cups. “It is apparent that the only language these frothing, rabid savages understand is Fear. While we cannot lay a hand on them, we can give them a little scare. For this reason I'd like to ask you to politely have a little talk with them before the debate. Remind them of the horrors of violence and show off your magic a bit. Do this and I will compensate you with a little bit of money and 5 credits. DO NOT HARM THEM!”

“And who would do it?” Wave asked.

Giggs chuckled, as he drank one glass of wine. “The person who made Ekaj run of course.”

Wave stood up, before feeling his bones grind slightly, making him slow down. “How did you-”

“Ta-ta-ta-tat,” Giggs expressed, as he gave a look at the other members of the mage group. “I have my sources.”

Two orcs then arrived at the room, as Giggs then raised his cup to them. The orcs nodded in response, and it all clicked to the man in blue hair now. The Great Army of Jeebertch told on Giggs.

“Besides,” Giggs said as he put his cup down on the table, creating a knocking sound. “Someone had to fund those weapons and ships.”

Commander Bucket sprinted through the forest without breaking a single sweat. He was determined, he was ready, he was excited to bring glory. As he arrived at the edge of it and into a clearing, where he could see the camp, he sprinted even faster. The guards of the front gate felt their hair grow, as the 6’7 man ran at them at full speed. Luckily however, they were not his target.

“Now, whenever we are going for a focused assault, we first have to destroy the front gate.” Commander Steven Skullacia said, as he had a bottle of what he often tells his fellow commanders ‘just cranberry juice’ on his left hand, while the privates and sergeants listened to him. He was in a training area, with a thin square plank of wood, held together by two wooden poles on each end, symbolizing a gate. “Remember, you are mages, you have to use your magic to destroy it-”

“RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!” Bucket shouted as he sprinted through the gate, breaking it all into splinters. The mages jumped back. Some even screamed. However, Steven was only annoyed as he saw his ‘cranberry juice’ fall to the ground, breaking the glass bottle.

“Or the armor division could do that too…” Steven said, his eyes now tired from all the stupidity that had happened. Bucket was late, and the first thing he did was to destroy a wooden plank.

“Sometimes, books are meant to be experimented on,” a voice said. As Steven turned to his right, he saw Luxe patting the back of one of the mage students. “Sometimes the element of misdirection and surprise is your advantage to fight rebels and insurgents even if the attack is late.”

“Hmm…” Steven hummed as he rubbed his chin. “There’s a reason for this. You chose this spot for the camp for a reason, who are the people we’re supposed to surprise?”

Luxe looked at Steven, then up the mountains. There he saw nothing… for now.

“The People’s Liberation Front,” Luxe said.

The three people placed their hand on the crown and lifted it off of Aurelia's hand. The princess then knelt down, making Rolim walk forward, but then felt himself stop, as if someone was controlling his body. Wait... a Malumancer in the midst??? He swore he was wearing a Mana Nullifier. He did his best to look down, and saw that his yellow nullifier necklace was gone.

Eowyn tried her best to control the king's body. She could kill him right now... but no. No. Not today. She looked at her glowing veins as it reached up to her wrist, crawling slowly as she was stopping the king from moving. All while it took a while to coronate the new King. As she was finally crowned queen, Eowyn felt relieved that she could finally stop Rolim, and-

"Wait!" Aurelia said, as the claps of cheer went to a halt. "I wish to crown my king."

Eowyn's eyes widened. She could only stop the king for so long. She saw her veins reach her elbow, as it was crawling up even more the longer she held on to Rolim. 

"But your majesty, who would be the one you would crown as King?" Lady Zahra said, looking at her.

Aurelia looked at Hayate, making everyone look to the commander as well. 

"Him," Aurelia said, the people clapping more as they smiled. Another ceremony occurred, and he knelt down.

Eowyn's veins were now on her bicep.

"The Noble, the scholar, and the people. The three pillars that represent the three roses of our nation," Zahra said, before handing him a book. "May you become the guardian of our ruler, and may you become the guardian of our nation."

Hayate took off his helmet, revealing his glowing purple eyes. Rolim saw it all. The Commander of the Karthusian Golden Eagle Guard... was a shifter.

Rolim moved slightly, gaining back control of his body. He tried to run, with all his rage and strength he pulled away from Eowyn. Eowyn could barely try to hold him off, and she realized that she could not see her veins anymore. It could be on her shoulder by now... or even her neck... or even-

"May you live long and prosperous, King Hayate Magrin!" Lady Zahra Allaire said, placing the crown on Hayate's head. Eowyn finally let go, before feeling her body twitch. She felt weak, and finally fell down, but a man caught him before she fell on her back. It was Kindred. He shook her, and saw that she was bleeding, and her veins were just a little bit on her neck. Rolim turned around, and Kindred immediately grabbed Eowyn to put his face near her neck, acting like he was kissing her.

"Your majesty," Kindred said, giving the Ravenian King's necklace without looking back. "I saw this in on the floor. Perhaps the links of it were broken."

Rolim looked disgusted. "Do that filth elsewhere, Osiris. I'm not surprised you had eyes on Eowyn."

As the king turned around, Kindred immediately pulled his head back, and was then slapped by Eowyn, but she felt too weak to even try it as hard as she could, leaving him to feel a pat on his cheek. Kindred saw Eowyn shaking, and her nose started to bleed. Kindred carried her and carefully travelled through the inner rooms of the council, trying to make it seem like he and Eowyn wanted to have more privacy.

Kindred finally put Eowyn on a couch, letting her rest.

"Kindred," a voice said, as he turned around only to see Overseer Ailouros of the BVR. "Make sure you know what you are doing."

Sir Azure Darkshade felt himself slowly losing energy as he felt that he was about to sleep. In the dark, he saw a group of people arriving. He groaned in annoyance as he was about to inspect them once more... or maybe not. Captain John was not here at the moment anyways, perhaps taking a bathroom break somewhere.

"Canid Opfor, 2 o'clock," one of the people from afar said.

"Deploy gas. Non-lethal." another one of them said.

"Sir, yes sir."

Captain John Triggerman came back to the scene only to find Azure vomiting, while Duchess Artoria was patting his back. "You imbecile!" he shouted, pulling the young man up. He then saw his face becoming pale, and then felt something different inside him. Like some sort of sorry feeling that prevented him from scolding the boy.

"Take a break, but clean this mess up, or there will be consequences," Triggerman said, not knowing that the group of people had already passed by. Only Archduchess Artoria was present, as she finally continued to walk, not minding what had happened.

Wave Walts, Falqareis Sekha, and Enoki Katharos walked together to the hall, looking for their debate opponents. Soon enough, the farmers were there. Something, however, was off about them. Falqareis looked on, and saw how big they were. Whoever these farmers were, they were different.

"The Green Party has arrived!" a man in the distance said. The nobles then walked to the sides, as well as some other middle class peasants. They watched on as the Green Party walked to the middle. Their hats were large, and their bodies were covered in olive green tunics and cloaks. They carried new and stainless pitchforks, which had very sharp edges. 

Enoki could not control the farmers' bodies as they were surrounded by GEG soldiers. Wave called the farmers, then opened a flask of water, showing them that he was a mage. Enoki followed, showing them how she could grow a plant from afar, then came Falqareis, who floated slowly above the crowd, looking at them menacingly.

They did not care, and only looked at the queen. The leader of the party spoke with a loud and deep voice, throwing off the three mages.

"Let's not drag this on now. We are not cowards."

Even inside the SUV room, where Giggs was already drinking with Dr. Katherine, much to the chagrin of Amihan. Arina attempted to interject but was just cut out by Katherine. To them, it was night time. The perfect time to have more wine. Billy bob tried putting his finger on Giggs' wine, and tasted it. The monkey seemed to like the taste but was swatted off by the principal.

"May the opposition representative move to the center," Lady Zahra said, her voice being heard from across the hall, making Giggs smirk in response, putting the wine down, allowing Billy Bob to drink it.

"Amihan?" the principal said, taking out his cigar. His purple-skinned assistant promptly followed, using her pyromancy to light his tobacco up. "Watch and learn.... and make sure to record this."

Amihan only nodded.

Eowyn rested peacefully as she recovered from her actions from earlier. Ailouros arrived, looking at Kindred as a paradove arrived, landing on her shoulder. Ailouros clicked her tongue, prompting the bird to speak.

"New mission has arrived from the Assassin Council. We received information that the People's Liberation front are in the mountains of Allaris. Your mission is to kill their local leader to prevent more bloodshed," the paradove said, before Ailouros clicked her tongue again.

"This is Ailouros Perilous. I received the message and am heading there now," she said.

"I'll stay," Kindred said, sitting beside Eowyn. "I must protect her majesty."

"From who?" Ailouros asked.

"None of your business," he replied.

Ailouros left the camp of the RBR. Kai and Luxe looked at her as the other BVR assassins followed the overseer.

"I know where he would be," Luxe said, looking at Kai. "If they haven't changed much, my experience with them would be of good use."

"Then we have to move fast," Kai replied, before walking to the tent. "Get the others. We will have to talk to him if we wish to prevent any bloodshed here."

"Aye," Luxe replied.

The Red Blood Regiment immediately got ready and rode their horses out the camp. The base of the mountain was an easy trek, but once their reached a part where the path was becoming steeper, they had to dismount in order to climb. Luxe walked to the front, getting his sword ready. He then whistled in a very distinct melody. A silence, then the sound of birds scattering came from the trees. Soon, three arrows flew down to hit Luxe's surroundings. The Armor division of the RBR immediately got their shields up to protect their comrades, but the new commander only put his hand up, telling them to stand down.

"Negotiations!" Luxe shouted, before looking at the arrows. Three of them were fired. This meant that they were close. All of them were lined up in a certain direction, and the last arrow was red colored. He then looked at Kai. "We're just three klicks up the mountain."

"Clicks?" Kai asked, surprised by the term coming from Luxe.

"Kilometers. Sorry, force of habit," Luxe said, looking at the arrows once more. "Nathaniel should've taught you more Vonturian slangs."

"Liberal Democrats like us like to avoid mingling our words with the likes of warmongering Republicans," Kai said, crossing his arms, hinting a smirk. "Let's just get this done."

Luxe chuckled, before leading the way to the forest, along with the rest of the dozens of soldiers that followed them.

Wave, Enoki, and Falqareis returned from their attempt to intimidate, only to find a monkey in the middle of the table almost unable to move. It was Billy Bob, who was barely even functioning due to him drinking the entire cup of wine that Giggs was supposed to drink. The three mages felt a sense that this was not supposed to be the plan, but Katherine simply encouraged all of them to drink as well. Wave and Falqareis passed such offer, but Enoki was soon tempted by the lady. Arina was also pushed to drink, making the entirety of the SUV Staff drink a lot of alcohol, except for the GAJ, and the two mages.

Billy Bob the 5th started to walk again, and soon took a bite out of the cake. He realized how tasty it was. What started was a bite, became a craving. However, his stomach rumbled... badly...

"Your majesty!" Giggs Chitinni held his head high after the win with the debate, waving his hand at all the nobles who were congratulating him, even winking at some of the maids who were looking at him. He was the champion, and no one was going to take that spotlight away from him.

The doors of the SUV Dining room had opened, revealing...

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Enoki shouted as Billy Bob the 5th jumped from platform to platform, regurgitating and pooping uncontrollably, before throwing it to people. They dodged, and most of it had stuck to the walls, almost as if it covered the entire room. Katherine was too busy biting the neck of Arina, drinking her blood, while the Generation of Miracles dragged Enoki while dodging Billy Bob's fecal projectiles. Enoki became so drunk as well that when she saw Katherine drinking Arina's blood, she thought that she was next, prompting her to stand up and run away from the room. The queen looked and her eyes turned from curiosity to disgust. They had soiled her council, and had destroyed so many relics of history with just one moment of their time.

"Get out," the queen said, making the GEG carry the SUV out, including Lady Dawn Sitia, who was talking with the Allaires. After knowing what happened, the Allaires and the other nobles looked at the Sitia family in a new light. Some, after this, started to call them 'The House of Bowels'. Sune was also about to be dragged out, but simply stated that she was going to do it herself. One of the people inside the council, Lady Kao Inounbu, tried to stop her, but because of the chaos, it was useless.

The camp of the PLF was filled with arrows and blood. Burning bodies scattered all around, both from the RBR, and the PLF. But it was mostly from the PLF, as the RBR was more equipped. Nevertheless, the PLF still had more numbers, but due to Kai and Xu Shuan's dual efforts, they managed to drive the communists out. Kai looked at his hand, and his glowing veins protruded to his forearm. The red general immediately ran to the cliff, jumping, before releasing a gust of fire from his hand to absorb the shock of his landing. There he saw that General Crison's body was gone. But Chade was there, who was bigger than his normal look.

As he looked closely however, he saw the communist's foot sticking out of one of Chade's 'neck'...

Kai gritted his teeth. This was not the first time this kind of situation will happen. Not only that, the PLF has now become the enemy of the RBR.

"Manus Draconis," he said, without even acknowledging anything, or saying anything to Chade. He flew back up to the cliff, and as he arrived, his veins reached his elbow. He scoffed, before looking at his comrades. He walked to Theadosia, who had just finished putting her arm back after a PLF soldier sliced it in half.

"We're now at war with the People's Liberation Front - a group of former Red Blood Regiment soldiers who did agree with our methods. Communists who oppose the idea of individual liberty," Kai said, before nodding at Theadosia, who walked up to her. "Seems like you're learning more."

Theadosia looked at her hand. The bones and joints still needed more work, but at least it was functional now. She looked at Kai with a face of confusion. "I still need to learn more."

Kai nodded back, then looked at the comrades again. "Starting now, we will expect more attacks from the PLF. And because of this, we need more allies. I will be using my influence as a noble to look for more noble allies. I will now retire as general."

"But who will lead the RBR?" Theadosia said, looking frantically towards Kai and to the RBR.

Kai smiled, and started to walk forward, before being followed by Xu Shuan.

"You."

As the celebration for the new coronation, and the debate's conclusion commenced, everyone gathered around to drink their wines and dance in the middle of the hall. By this point, King Rolim had already exited the council to go to Ravena, assuming that his assistant Eowyn was going to delay herself because of her... 'escapades' with that wretched Commander of his. He hated that man. Extremely overbearing and condescending, thinking that he knows everything, yet at the same time forgetting his failures. He was disgusting to him, no more than a crook that's used as a pet by the Deschenels. Then again, he was effective. And sometimes, one needs to use disgusting people for disgusting work.

Rolim stepped on his airship as the pyromancers got their fire ready. The top of the airship was an inflated sack of cloth that had a gem inside. The pyromancers in the airship used their magic to heat up the gem, causing the cloth to expand, and then lifting them up. King Rolim took a deep breath, before walking to the edge of the ship, before he felt the presence of someone behind him, dropping a wooden box.

"What is your next move now, your majesty?" Kindred said, making the king turn around immediately. Once the commander saw that he was surprised to be here, he developed a smile in his face. "Oh. Archduchess Eowyn wanted to rest in the council bedrooms for a little bit. She was.... exhausted."

"Don't test me, Osiris."

"The PLF General's dead, and Kai has stopped becoming the general of the RBR, what more do you want?"

The king walked closely to Kindred, looking at him in the eye. "You could start with showing more respect to me, and ensure that affair between you and her will not spread," he said.

"Of course, your majesty," Kindred said, with a mocking bow as he walked back. "Just remember that I have killed your enemies for you all throughout this time."

The king was about to walk, but felt the wooden box on his foot. "Adrien Deschenel's already killed. Who could possibly be another person willing to be my enemy?"

Kindred turned around, walking back. "Someone who is a lost cause."

King Rolim knelt down, opening the wooden box. As he lifted the lid, his face immediately turned pale, and his lips turned purple. He could not believe it. It was Valerie Deschenel's head, lifeless, with some blood still escaping her neck.

"I do not wish to have eyes on me," Kindred said, walking forwards.

"Wait!!!" King Rolim said, looking down. Kindred took a deep breath, trying to calm himself without looking like he was shaking. "I have a mission..."

Kindred closed his eyes. A relief, but every sacrifice has its payments. He turned around and faced the king, kneeling down at him.

"The King of Karthus," Rolim said.

The GEG was now becoming smaller in numbers as less and less Magrins stayed to socialize with the rest of the nobles. The Karthusian Town Watch were the ones that replaced them, making Hayate more alert, especially as the front door was guarded by two KTW enforcers that simply cared about gambling rather than watching out for the council. In the midst of it, a cloaked man tried to get in, stating that his name was "Marius, from the south". The KTW, without hesitation, simply dismissed whatever what he was about to say and told him to get in. This 'Marius' then uncloaked himself, revealing a soldier wearing armor, that was too obvious for its design. It was a Porthosian.

"DA SOUTH SHALL RISE!" the man shouted in his heavy accent, putting everyone's attention to the man, who took out his spear and charged forward. Hayate felt time slow down, as he looked at the actions that the man was doing. He took out his odachi within a fraction of a second, and prepared his stance, in front of the queen.