14-7 Countermeasures

*Sarkaz swearing*! How are we supposed to fight these guys when our equipment doesn't even come close to theirs?

Evacuate! Now!

Lifebone's signal is strong. We have a good fix on its location.

Forward! Scout casters advance!

Argh—

Look out! Enemies!

In formation! Watch for ambush!

Infantry, form a line! Casters, provide cover!

Royal Court elites, under Manfred's direct command... a lot of them.

No heavy firepower, though. I can at least slow them down.

Hoederer was right...

Ulšulah knows our defenses are weak, and she'll tell Manfred. We can use this to our advantage.

The Military Commission won't allow Lifebone to fall into enemy hands. Manfred would destroy it if he had no other choice.

Draw them in. Avoid direct confrontation.

Manfred will be cautious about the use of heavy weapons as long as he thinks there's a chance to retake the skeleton intact. That gives us a chance to buy time.

With enough time, there's a sliver of hope.

This had better work, Hoederer.

What's this bothersome shadow?

Nachzehrer Arts—

Mercenaries are just mercenaries. Maybe you could hold your own in a one-to-one fight, or small-scale confrontations.

But where did you find the nerve to fight a real war?

I've always been curious. What made mercenaries like you choose to become enemies of the Military Commission?

We have intel of a merc who could manipulate shadows. Are you Ines?

An outsider, dressing herself up as Sarkaz, participating in the wars of the Sarkaz... what are you? A Sarkaz fangirl?

I become less interested when the Sarkaz talk too much—

...

Nice party trick, not enough to take down a real soldier, though. Amateur.

Consider yourself lucky that I don't approve of the Sanguinarch's methods.

A new era for the Sarkaz is dawning. Mercenaries like you who strayed from the path should get a second chance.

Are you the leader of this rabble? I am Lieutenant General Nadine, General Manfred's deputy, and I offer you the chance to surrender. I suggest you take it.

...Hah.

You don't look scared.

Scared of what? A wet-behind-the-ear rookie who's on a real battlefield for the first time?

What did you say?

I know your type. You got into the Military Commission's academy because of your Royal Court bloodline, studied a few theories, and got promoted to staff officer as soon as you graduated.

Sorry to say but real war is a bit harder than those exams you passed.

You'll pay the price for your futile taunting.

It's not futile if it distracts you.

Who's the amateur now, Lieutenant General?

Damn, this thing packs a punch. That heap of deadwood wasn't lying.

How did you know I was coming?

I could smell the explosives from a mile away.

Oh yeah? Guess we're starting to build chemistry.

I'd rather not have my brain cells mixed with your bomb-blasted ones, thank you very much.

Enough small talk. How many did the Military Commission send? I'll blow them all the way back to Kazdel.

Where did you go? And what's with the outfit change?

My old garb was a little frayed, so I had to improvise.

You'd never believe what I ran into out there.

*cough*... You're tough for a heap of deadwood.

If I can't blow you up, at least I'll blast all this stuff.

These weapons and armor are relics of great Sarkaz heroes.

Your weapons will not harm them.

So you're saying these things are blast proof?

Alright, don't mind if I do!

Better for them to get some sunshine with me than rot in here.

Young mercenary, you should respect the Sarkaz heroes—

What's going on? Where's Manfred? I could use a target to try out my new gear.

Don't be hasty. You'll ruin our plan if you make too much of a scene.

Why? Does Hoederer have some trick up his sleeve again?

You have squandered your only chance to live.

You refused to join the Military Commission. Now, you will fuel the war.

I hear the sound of fighting.

Things are going smoothly, sir. We haven't run into much resistance.

The mercenaries are no match for us, but it would be difficult to stop them from destroying Lifebone out of desperation.

No, they won't do it.

This book has no ending.

It's just a manuscript from an unknown writer. Hardly worthy of your attention, general.

I remember you, veteran.

You like reading? Not just any book, but the kind that promotes this sort of... pessimism towards war.

I...

No need to justify your reading interests.

Be honest with me, mercenary. What ending would you write, if you were the author?

...The hero returns home.

Not a death in battle?

...

A warrior should think of more than his home, in battle.

Whose homes should he think of, then?

Your empathy is admirable.

Pardon my impudence.

Sentimentality is a necessary trait in an author.

But indecision is the worst trait in a soldier.

...I understand.

Your compassion is the reason I've kept you alive for so long.

But you should have gone back to Kazdel, become a teacher or a farmer, giving up your ludicrous mercenary career.

Lifebone was meant to be a way home for all warriors.

Remain vigilant. A beast is most dangerous when cornered.

Keep up the pressure. Give them no quarter.

Sir! Look out!

—!

You won't—

...

—!

General!

Ah...

You've... lived up to your words...

As I said I would.

If you had made up your mind... I would have died at your hand... a long time ago.

I still have regrets about not killing you the night you left Kazdel.

...Farewell.

...

What a shame. I thought you would at least shed a tear.

Wha—

You would have recognized us under any other circumstances.

Quick and direct, weren't you?

Did you care too much about him, or too little?

—!

Everything went exactly as Manfred expected.

You still don't know Manfred well enough, for all the years that you've been rivals.

But he knows you all too well.

We've engaged the Royal Court on both the north and south sides, and we're pulling back our lines as planned.

Everything has gone according to plan, so far.

Good...

Any sign of Manfred?

Not yet...

He wouldn't be content to just sit in the back and bark orders at a time like this.

...I hope things go smoothly for Ascalon.

No, she won't be coming back.

What did you say?

Wha—

I knew you would be here.

Manfred...

Delay tactics... did you really think protecting this skeleton would help you turn the tables?

Why?

I gave you a chance. I gave you far too many chances. You knew the smart thing to do!

Once again, you're having Sarkaz slaughter Sarkaz.

Haven't you had enough of 'wars' like this?

You disappoint me...

Their death is not on me, but your naivete!

You should have left a long time ago. Isn't this what you had always longed for?

Now, your mercenaries will die here, as will my soldiers, for something so meaningless... have you not learned the lessons of the civil war?

That's why the Sarkaz shouldn't repeat the mistakes of the past! Haven't we all seen what the civil war became?

We lost an entire generation to the civil war, and you're trying to kill more?

Nothing will come of this war. This war against all of Terra!

Something will come of it. Something must.

You have seen it already. You just refuse to acknowledge it.

To hate and be hated... if that's the Military Commission's goal, then mission accomplished.

Don't you understand? That's the reason I needed you to get out of this!

Yes, the civil war cost Kazdel an entire generation, and made you and I out of the survivors... Murderers who can only live by the sword.

Why have you stayed, if you wanted to change all of this?

There was so much more you could have done and should have done.

So what if I returned to Kazdel? What happens next?

How do I describe to the children the fields where their fathers, their mothers, their brothers, and their sisters are buried? How do I make them believe in another future?

Hatred is a means to unity, but you cannot let that unity become the spark for a new hatred.

I can't leave. Not while the war continues.

So you have chosen to live and die with the war.

In that case, I will give you the answer.

Ngh—

Hoederer, you coward.

You lack even the courage to keep living.

This is what makes you so contemptible.

...This is what disappoints me so deeply.

You hear those announcements? The ducal alliance's forward base is just ahead.

Smooth sailing so far.

We owe Rhodes Island our thanks for plotting our route. And it's not just us who are indebted to them.

Should we drive our tanks straight in? Small encounters are one thing, but this is one of the main camps of the ducal alliance. Will the Exemplars' ID code really work?

Of course. Please leave trifles like these to me and proceed ahead.

Your entrances are always so sudden, Mister Asher. Looks like you've been keeping an eye on our little procession in the middle of everything else you had to do.

There's a group of soldiers up ahead, Vina! Plus a few trucks of ammo, gear, and food!

Should we just accept it? Could be a trap this berk's laid for us.

Yes... we'll take it.

Ideals alone don't win battles.

Thank you, Mr. Bellingham. Sincerely, this time. You've helped us more than once.

Please, don't call me that. I'm perfectly content being the Strange Man in the Hat. It's for the better if you suspect ulterior motives behind my every move.

These gifts aren't just for Gibsonham. It's also for everything that Rhodes Island has done. We have sent people to direct civilians to the safe zones.

Gifts? Didn't think you engaged in such courtesies.

Better than not doing anything, isn't it? You know how Victoria works. The towns around Londinium were not part of the Duke of Caster's jurisdiction.

Considering the circumstances, however, Her Grace was forced to take certain actions that might perhaps be controversial in the future, in order to provide safe shelters for as many as possible—

Enough, I'm not interested in how Duke Caster intends to win people over.

Tell me where the Stone of the Sword is, and what's happening at the front lines.

No need to rush, Your Royal Highness. The history of the Stone of the Sword is long and complex...

Ideally, I would require several dozen photographs, an abundance of literature, and have you cleared for the highest access before I could properly recount these stories.

In any case, I will take you to the front personally. If I were you, I would tell the troops to get some rest at the camp, while they still can.

You will learn more about the situation at the camp. Seeing is worth a thousand words, is it not?

Here, I'll help!

Heave, ho!

That's the last crate.

Thank you. We were running short on ammo.

The logistics team says they'll whip up a bonnie meal from the supplies ye brought before we head out. Care tae join us for a bite?

Thanks for the offer, but we've got Sarkaz scums to kill.

We just received orders from Command to join up with the assault on Silverrock Bluffs once we've transferred the supplies.

Those monsters... Nachzehrers, they're called? I can't wait to put them down!

Look at this. The newest crossbows, AP ammo, precision Arts Units. This stuff would be rare even in elite units in ordinary times.

What about Originium protection? Fighting Sarkaz isn't just about firepower.

No worries. We've been issued a full set of PPE, plus medication. Look.

What the...

Break's over, Private Brown. Get ready to move.

Have you oiled your crossbow?

I'll oil it with the blood of Sarkaz. Hope their blood doesn't stink too much.

Good man. Now back to your squad.

Are you the commander of this unit? My name's Shearer. I served as the medical officer on the Duke of Windermere's flagship.

Your soldiers claim they've been issued sufficient Originium PPE, but—

What are you trying to say, lieutenant? As far as I know, the Duke of Windermere's troops have withdrawn from the war. It's not your place to question me.

Go back to whatever you're supposed to be doing.

You know full well, don't you?

This type of equipment offers protection against mild industrial pollution at best. And yet you're issuing them to soldiers...

Soldiers who are about to walk into highly active Originium plume, to face a Catastrophe and Infected Sarkaz head-on!

They'll all get infected, and die on the front lines from acute symptoms!

On what authority are you speaking to me? As a lieutenant of the so-called Exemplars?

I'm questioning you as a citizen of Victoria with a medical education, Major.

Victorian citizen, eh...?

Then you should know that not even Victoria could produce specialized Originium PPE for a hundred thousand soldiers on such short notice.

But you should at least tell them the truth!

By observing proper operating procedures in highly active Originium environments, their infection rates could be reduced by as much as—

Spare me the lecture. We came to fight. We came to die.

But we will take the Sarkaz with us, until victory belongs to Victoria!

Infected? Oripathy? There will be no confirmed cases of Oripathy in the Victorian Army before the end of the war.

This is absurd! You're—

Me, my commanding officer, and his commanding officer will all be wearing the same protective equipment. We will charge with our men; nay, we'll be leading the charge.

Now, let go of me.

If you want to make a difference, Exemplar, go to the front lines.

...Lieutenant Shearer.

You heard him...

Thanks to advance warning from our Rhodes Island friends, the Exemplars have sufficient protective gear. We even have some to spare—

Don't even think about it.

What little we can provide is just a drop in the ocean for the tens of thousands in need.

All we can do is take care of ourselves. We have our own duty.

To bring an end to all this, as quickly as we can...

It... can't be?!

Captain?

It's him.

—

Yer shield... why are ye loadin' your weapon, Captain? Whit're ye daein'?

Wait for me!

What did ye see?

Someone I thought to be long dead.

Lieutenant.

What happened to my men?

They are here. Rest assured, they're only unconscious.

I don't mean Cello's group.

You know who I mean.

—

Don't push me, or it won't be my shield against your chin.

*cough*, *cough* *cough*... If you draw your sword, you'll be assaulting an ally.

Heh. Ally?

At what point, since the moment we entered County Hillock, have you ever treated us as an ally?!

Answer me!!!

—Lost him.

Hill... adjutant to Colonel Hamilton.

I thought he had died in the fires of Dublinn with the Colonel.

Not just him. I saw many familiar faces on the Wellington tanks. They could change their clothes, but I'll never forget their faces.

County Hillock...

I remember my men, Bagpipe, and how each of them died.

Cello and Oboe died at the hands of Dublinn. Triangle, Snare, Bass, and Mandolin died to 'friendly fire'.

Moments before dying, Triangle asked me, 'who is our enemy?'

There isn't a night when I don't think about that question.

Just who is our enemy, Bagpipe?

It's... Dublinn.

Dublinn... Certainly, we could hate the Tarans.

You once told me that you encountered the former 'Leader' of Dublinn, and let her go.

Aye.

I met our enemy too. The Dublinn commander who killed Cello. I buried her by the walls of Londinium with my own hands.

I couldn't stop myself from hating her, but I know she's far from the only one responsible for this tragedy.

Why did our comrades, the most loyal soldiers of Victoria, die at County Hillock, while Hill and more traitors live?

Captain, we...

I know what I'm doing.

If we fire at the duke's tents now, we risk bringing down the alliance... even the dream of the Exemplars.

That's the saddest thing, isn't it?

We can't even take revenge.

Because they've put on their bloody Victorian uniforms, and once again become our 'allies'.

Captain... permission to speak freely?

Granted.

...I don' trust 'em.

Would the men who killed our friends, the ones who fired on innocent civilians, really stand with us when we charge against the Sarkaz?

Even we cannae set aside our hatred and trust our lives tae our former enemies wi'oot reservation...

Could they?

There you are.

Vina and I inspected this forward base.

The troops are disciplined, and morale is high. The dukes are taking this seriously.

They seem to have reached a united front, allowing their troops to be organized according to function rather than faction.

At least, that's what it looks like on the surface.

We saw Caster's elites standing guard near all the Wellington tents.

And at least two or three groups of Caster's men stationed further away.

A faked unity is unity nonetheless.

At least, in a time of crisis, the dukes know who their true enemy is.

One more piece of bad news. I checked out the field hospital. It's sparkling clean. There isn't a single wounded inside.

They’re abandoning the wounded? That's impossible. Morale would collapse.

Or maybe there are no wounded.

Also impossible. We saw how fierce the fighting is on our way here. Things could only be worse at Silverrock Bluffs—

Wait, you don't mean...?

None of the wounded made it back.

...

We need to put an end to this tragedy as soon as we can.

The Exemplars' strength might be insignificant compared to the all-consuming war, but creating miracles, that's what we do.

An inspiring pep talk. Repairs on your tanks are complete.

There you are at last.

Wait, why's the ground red? It is your blood? Or...?

That's not important.

My orders are to ensure that the Sighs of Kings finds its pedestal. Should I fail, another will put on this hat and continue the work.

I bring a message from the Duke of Caster, Your Royal Highness. 'Caster forever honors her commitments.'

Enough pleasantries. Where is this pedestal, this Stone of the Sword?

You've seen the camp. You have an idea of what the front is like.

This is hardly the best time to tell you the truth, but we have no choice.

The pedestal is on the Gloriana, flagship of the Duke of Caster.

What...?

...You planned this all along.

You guided our path, gave us a place to rest, so you could lead us onto your home field.

What's next? Will Caster's troops turn their weapons on us if we say no?

Please, no need to get excited. Facts are facts, no matter how you choose to interpret them.

My orders were always to bring the Realmblade to the Stone of the Sword, with or without Exemplars.

Please, consider it an act of good faith that I am telling you the truth now, rather than simply taking the sword from you during your darkest hour.

...Continue.

Like I said, the history around the sword and the pedestal is a complex one. One that ought to be known only by a selected few royals and nobles.

In the distant past, even before the Shah of Past and Future, an explorer discovered an artifact deep in the sands in the south of Sargon.

It was by no means a sword, but it was able to repress the spread of Originium crystals within a certain area

The treasure allowed the explorer to survive a Catastrophe that should have engulfed the entire team.

The legend of the Catastrophe cleaver...

The survivors forged a sword out of the artifact and presented it to the Shahanshah at the time, as a symbol of valor.

In the Year 737, the Aslan Padishah Lugalszamszi brought the Sighs of Kings to Victoria.

Decades later, his grandson became Victoria's first Lord of Lions.

The sword has severed the head of a red dragon, witnessed the reconciliation between Aslan and Draco, and became the symbol of Victoria's royal authority.

It has been damaged and reforged several times, and many have tried to uncover the secret behind its ability to fend off Catastrophe.

Scholars have yet to understand the principles behind the sword's power, but they did discover how to make the most of it.

The pedestal, dubbed Stone of the Sword, at the Mausoleum of Kings is the result of research by House Caster.

The Duke of Caster at the time kept a backup.

After the original pedestal in the Mausoleum of Kings was destroyed in that battle, the only working replica is kept on the Gloriana.

For a century, Caster has coveted the Realmblade. The chance has finally arrived.

Countless soldiers and civilians will die in the war. But Caster gets to reap the fruit of victory and become the hero who saves Victoria?

Judge it as you will, but this is what little chance, if not the only chance at victory Victoria has in the present crisis.

Our trump card in this dangerous game.

Sugarcoat it all you want, but you can't convince us that the despicable scheming never happened.

The choice is yours, Your Royal Highness.

Enough.

I refuse to engage in arguments over power, while we denounce the dukes for being calculative.

There is no Princess Alexandrina, only Siege, leader of the Exemplars.

There is no symbol of royal authority. The Sighs of Kings is just a weapon, one that can win the war for Victoria.

We go to war.

Thank you, on behalf of Victoria.

I'll lead the way. However...

You should prepare yourselves.

We're almost in the hot zone.

How far until Duke Caster's flagship?

A moment please. I'm searching for the signal.

Keep heading north, and we'll soon—

Witchcraft guns!

The lead tank has been destroyed! We've taken damage too.

We can't move. Is it the engine or the wheel?

Possibly both.

Fix it ASAP.

We can't stay here. We need to deliver the Realmblade to the Stone of the Sword.

Wait... what's that mountain? I don't recall any mountain like that outside Londinium.

That's no mountain...

It's Originium.

Go, my bravest warriors.

Gnaw upon the greatest bone. Tear iron and steel apart as you would skin and flesh. Rip, tear, consume.

We shall teach the Victorians: the master of war—

Shall master war.