Sovereign

"Another Coup d'etat in the Kingdom of Lieplatz! The Orlish Army is now on high alert along the Lieplatz-Orland Border. Queen Wesley Von Reintz has abdicated the throne of Lieplatz to the so-called Lieplatz Provisional Council. These alarming developments across the world have been noted by analysts, with many experts fearing a coup or a revolution in Orland itself. Minister of Defense Geoffrey Heindhöff however has remarked that such fear-mongering is counterproductive with the upcoming Orlish elections and assured the public that the Armed Forces is 'staunchly loyal' to the Crown. We however here at the Arcane Updates are skeptical of his remarks. We note and warn all of the young women of the Kingdom to stay vigilant - we cannot let any such catastrophe befall our Kingdom. Remember - keep your wands by your side."

- The Arcane Updates

"Tensions once again begin to escalate in the Northern Sea. Yesterday, a Lorathian destroyer was once again almost rammed by a Larissan destroyer. Minister Adelaide of the Kingdom of Orland has since warned that the oil embargo against the Empire could resume if, 'They step out of the line.'"

- Geopol Press

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Eirhow, Kingdom of Orland

May 28, 2024

Eirhow truly was ugly, Marie thought. It was skyscrapers after skyscrapers everywhere, with neon lights that littered the streets. Had these men not learned how not to build anything other than dull steel and glass buildings?

Oh, and the streets were filled by seemingly hostile men as well. Many of them wore red armbands with a white circle and a black cross (the famed King's Cross when Orland was ruled by men before the Arcane Wars). They were all lined up in the square, as they listened to the very "definitely not traitorous" speeches that Sullivan Rimpler gave atop the Eirhow City Hall.

The Orlish Flag was also replaced in the streets. Draped atop the buildings and the Eirhow City Hall were the flags of the NRF, again, a red field with a white circle that contained the King's cross. Almost as if it was placed to intimidate.

Of course, venerable Marie would not be intimidated by such nonsense.

The shouts were especially loud from the crowds, alongside the heavy thuds of the boots of the Civil Defense Militia, clad in uniform that almost resembled the Army.

They carried flags of the NRF as they marched under the sounds of militaristic music that blared out from the speakers.

All as the crowd shouted in support of the raving lunatic.

"Hail Triumph!"

"Hail Triumph!"

"Hail Triumph!"

"Ugh, this is irritating. Does everything about you men have to be loud?"

Behind her, was Henry Powlitz, her nice little informant. The guy was an absolute landmine of information from the NRF, as he was deep inside of the movement.

Originally a man with much sympathy for their cause, as he was also a poor loser with a gripe to Her Majesty, he had turned coats after a little disagreement.

Deciding that the idea of purging magic sounded insane at best, and exterminating women at worst, he decided he wasn't going to be a part of such a movement.

"Eirhow has always been loud since the start of the General Strike. The bastards have a tight grip in the city."

"I know. Almost all women evacuated the Free State too. This is utter insanity."

Her remarks were not off. Indeed, in the middle of the rally, a massive inferno raged. Men below cheered as piles upon piles of books and textbooks regarding magic were set ablaze.

Many more books were also being carted off, and men tossed them upon the growing fire. It irked Marie. So much knowledge and worth about women's greatest ability was in those precious papers, and the rascals were just burning it.

"It's a great idea, I'd say. This Kingdom is about to implode, and I believe Eirhow would be the center of it all. Women would be better off away from the Free State before that."

"Does the ORP have no chance of keeping the Free State?"

"None at all. This place is now a complete stronghold of the NRF. No one is neutral here. You are either with men and the NRF, or you're with women and the traitors of the ORP."

She sighed. What a bummer. Her Majesty expected at least some semblance of support from the Free State of Wuringen.

The Free State after all was as much an industrial center as the Free Confederation of Westlauren, which fortunately fell under the control of the ORP (aside from the liberal nobility that administered its counties).

But more important, was the strategic importance of Wuringen. Its major cities were the center of the Military-Industrial Complex. Should a civil war erupt, Amelie would find herself in a bit of a pickle should she foolishly decide to fight a war of attrition.

Which was why Marie was greatly disappointed…or more accurately, slightly terrified, as really, it was a tad bit terrifying.

"Anyways, Marie. I think I have a lead for the Palace attacks."

She turned back at him, as she promptly closed the curtains of his window.

The man's apartment was a bit too run down. Naturally, he was no pretty noble lady, but just another lad trying to survive the abysmal economic situation of Orland.

Now Marie, while she would normally be a bit of a picky and refined young woman, who preferred at least a decent dwelling condition, she would not dare jab at the poor guy. That would be quite rude and uncivilized.

And she much preferred being civilized.

"Well then, do please present it."

And she turned to his absolutely atrocious board of investigations. The young man, while not the best perhaps at having a lot of money to even afford proper heating (dear, she really wanted to chastise him for lacking said necessity), did have a brain.

And a massive one at that, as even Marie could not comprehend whatever insanity was plastered on his board.

Webs upon webs of pictures, reports, internet forum screenshots, and whatever insanity filled his board.

"As you can see here…" He pointed at a picture of an excerpt in some shady forum. "Mr.Banger225 here noted that 'pinkies got swisher' and sent an encryp-"

A sudden thud outside interrupted him from the insane presentation of intel gathered with just as insane methods. Marie immediately looked at the door, and her eyes glowed.

Naturally, the nerd guy was immediately worried about the implications.

"What was that?"

She had pulled out her wand, and her faint halo had begun appearing. When she looked back at him, he felt chills shooting up his spine.

The only way that he could describe her, was an angelic demoness. Her blood-red eyes glowed menacingly as she smiled at him.

"Well, it appears that the OIA wants their first confrontation."

Her wand also glowed red.

With haste, he scurried for his shitty rifle. It was a mere single-shot rifle that he had never even fired (how could he even use it in a techno-corporate city?). He had inherited it from his father before his Baroness of a mother kicked him off their house.

Naturally, he held onto his rifle in his chaotic life, and fortunately never found a use for it. Until now.

Marie looked down at him. How dare she, he could defend her with-

"You know, I think I can get you out of here more easily if you stay out of my way."

"Hey! I'll have you know, I know how to use this!"

He didn't.

…

<>

<>

Clad in full-black tactical gear, 8 special operatives of the OIA advanced toward the room, hugging the walls closely. Two of them approached in the opposite direction, and immediately two operatives stepped forward to plant the explosives.

<<0-2, Jammers ready. Initiate breach, over.>>

<>

With a nod of affirmation from their squad leader, one of them pressed a button. The door was quickly shattered into pieces.

Quickly, two operatives tossed a well-timed flashbang, which detonated inside. Expecting that their targets were stunned, the two stormed the room - only for their heads' sudden departure from their bodies.

The sudden macabre sight placed the rest into stunned inaction, and they failed to capitalize on the shock of the enemy.

<>

<>

Naturally, faced with such disastrous suddenness, their leader spurted a barrage of colorful curses.

<>

<>

But before they could bolt out, a sudden slash of red light pierced through the wall, which threw them into a state of befuddled disorganization.

Immediately, Marie almost flew out of the room, her wand glowing madly red as she aimed it at the 6 operatives. They could not be more unprepared for what came next.

A barrage of glowing pink projectiles peppered them in mere seconds, which forced them into a frenzied dash into the stairs. Ice spikes and shards of the same pink projectiles pinned and eliminated three in a gory manner, as the last three dashed down the stairs.

Rallying to respond with resistance, their squad leader positioned himself along another operative in the corner of the stairs and unloaded their suppressed gunfire in her general direction.

<>

A vortex of violet and pink lights appeared and descended rapidly, and the two ran like pigs during hunting season. Their steps were so rapid that a sudden trip wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

With an even faster dash through the hallways of the floor below, they turned a corner, greeted by 5 more operatives.

<>

With a quick toss from them, 2 grenades spun into the air, their light blue glow merely one of their new strangeness. The grenades detonated in a brilliant blue of electrical fashion, which did wonders for Marie.

Immediately, a quarter of her active mana was gone, and she was left standing in the hallways.

Her smile grew.

"Oh my, that hurt a bit. That definitely hurts."

The operatives, convinced that she was out of mana (and thus defenseless) rushed to aim their rifles at her, their green lasers aimed squarely at her face.

<>

Immediately, bursts after bursts of lead sprayed Marie, the sheer volume of gunfire completely obscuring her. When they were done, however, she was still standing, her transparent shield buckling and flickering.

<>

Her eyes glowed fully now, and her halo shined with extreme intensity.

"Well then, gentlemen, I believe it's my turn now."

The gunfire from the walls of the building echoed alongside the blood-curdling screams. Marie unleashed everything upon the OIA agents with wild abandon and without signs of end.

Four OIA agents retreated and found themselves skewered by ice spikes.

A duo of separated operatives found themselves sliced in half by a sharp gust of wind, their blood painting the walls.

Another two desperately fired their rifles at the darkness as their NVGs (Night Vision Goggles) failed, their heads dropping as blood dripped on their NVGs.

<>

<<0-1 is out!>>

<<0-5 is not responding!>>

<<0-6 is not responding!>>

<>

<>

Her bloodthirst was unending. Her count of kills racked up in the multiple dozens, yet she would not stop. She would not stop until she hunted all of those who stepped upon this building.

They dared to touch and frighten her dear friend? To infiltrate the Palace with nerve agents? To dare such an act. She didn't care if many of these men were merely following orders.

Today, Her Majesty's eye would show retribution.

A desperate defense of five men formed near the elevator. Slowly, the elevator rose to their floor, as the fear of death consumed the five.

<>

Their fearful pleas in the radio fell upon deaf ears, as Marie dispatched their platoon leader. His death was a macabre one, as the sound of his radio was observed by Marie - her white dress already covered in red blood.

The voice was clearly from the OIA high command, its voice unrecognizable and encrypted.

<>

She picked it up, and with her icy words, she whispered upon it.

"Hello, my dear. I know you are hunting me. Trying to one-up me and Her Majesty. Let me warn you at once…I'll find you first."

The radio fell silent, as she turned her attention to the last squad that survived. The glow in her eyes flickered ever so slightly, as her active mana rapidly burned off.

The five men soon found her turning the corner in the hallways, their elevator still 4 floors away. Their desperate gunfire was punctuated by the blood sprayed at the walls.

…

"Marie, what the hell is this?"

Henry gingerly stepped on the floors in extreme fear. It was as if a demon had just purged men in the very hallways that he once walked upon each day.

Bodies upon bodies of brutally mangled OIA operatives filled the floors and rooms - all conveniently empty, as it seemed as if the OIA forcefully evacuated all of the inhabitants before they stormed his apartment on the top floor.

Oh, he despaired at all of it. Now he was definitely homeless. How quaint.

"Years of magical research, Henry."

She seemed to be shivering ever so slightly, the glow of her halo and eyes already gone. Henry knew that she expended most if not everything that she had, which was why he was deathly worried that they might not escape.

"You're not going to abandon me here, right? Right?"

A faint smile graced her face.

"Of course not. I didn't just study magic to kill, Henry…"

Before he knew it, he was falling into a violet vortex with her, screaming for dear life.