"Forward momentum was the key principle many mercenaries based off Vermilion were fans of, as their whole war strategies were born from Knights, coupled with rampant usage of mixed martial and magical elements gave rise to several unique mercenary companies, in this volume we will talk about..."
On the Mercenaries of Vermilion, 5th edition revised by the Mercenary Guild.
The sound of steel against steel clashed with the picturesque view of the Fields. Hope and Vivienne and Arthur had been defending a chokepoint created by the leftovers of the mercenaries Azarel had hired when they heard the horns sound from the castle, together with flares being fired to the sky.
Little time to commemorate the victory, as another horde of mercs poured and they began fighting again, Hope was freely swapping through Blessings like Lucrezia had taught and the effect on enemy morale was clear as day.
From summoner to necromancer to barbarian, she became an "engine of destruction" as one of the dwarven forge masters from the north called it, Richard was giving orders by the minute, and with the overhead view afforded by the airships they had already enclosed the remains of the enemy army around the ruins of the fort the bombs had leveled to the ground.
It was a scary and awe-inspiring sight, and Hope's War blessings she was using reflected the changes this conflict brought to the world.
A clap of thunder to Arthur's left revealed Kaine and his Kitsune friend, decked out to the nines with Lucrezia's latest mage armor, fully Magi-Tech and looking like aliens from planets beyond their galaxy. To Hope's right, a huge roar came and Orthus appeared, the Orc prince was smiling like a child when he slapped Hope in the back.
"Hope! Friends! I was afraid I would miss the initial attack but I made it! what a glorious day this is! the Old One watches us!" he pointed to the Ancient orc who had lived to see the first king of Vermilion come to this land and eventually drive off the sea elves. "He tells me that today we shall bring great change to the ways of warfare, and by the gods, I can feel it already, but enough talk! the enemy is here!"
And they sure were, Hope switched to the Greater Blessing of Magic and clapped her hands together, after gathering enough mana for the particular spell she had to see Kaine cast she pulled her hands apart, and a spear of green lightning appeared, it hummed with power as she took aim and cast several homing and tracking spells, taught by Lucrezia's maid.
"Ye Gods that's powerful!" Orthus screamed as he leaped towards the first row of enemies, Hope aimed higher at the remaining knights who were preparing to charge and let the spell loose.
The spear sang as it homed into the Knights, exploding into a vortex of Air and Water aspected mana. the enemy was instantly vaporized and torn to shreds. A grim death only made it acceptable cause Hope wasn't killing them.
At least that was what the voice in her head told her.
"Brutal," Arthur said as he shook his head "Let's move out, the Iron Pillars will go off in 10 minutes and we gotta clear the area for the train" he sounded his horn and the party moved, mowing down whatever enemy they came across.
Across the fields, the marshaled noble army clashed with the remains of Azarel's forces, gunfire and sword, Ki martial arts and spells flying as Richard's forces completed stage one of the fight. From his position he received intel that the Queen was already on her way, seeing a picture taken by the airship nearest to her position, he felt his legs tremble when seeing the stands of not just the Royals but many nobles who wanted to knock Lucrezia a few pegs.
"Kaine, Kaine please respond" Richard spoke into the radio.
"Speak," Kaine said after a few minutes.
"Your parents are riding with twice the number of spell blades, they also have weird tombstone-shaped arcane objects" Richard spoke, "I don't-"
"Impossible, they weren't ready for field tests for at least a year!" Kaine blurred out "Sorry Field Commander, those are Mana-Ki Converters, the name may not alarm you but it essentially meshes the line of power allowing mages to use Ki and vice versa"
Richard sucked in air, from his side the annoying Grannarius elf smiled at him "Crimson 1, You are to form up with Kaine and assist in taking down the Arch-Mages, Alpha Strike them"
Seconds passed by before Andromeda replied "Roger"
Turning to the Northerners Lucrezia had left in his commander center Richard asked "Are the bombs in the cliff path set?" Serkj nodded and spoke after he spat on the ground.
"And on the path we made through the mountains, the Magi-Tech Vanguard will be the tip of the spear once the Queen comes knocking" Serkj continued "I am afraid for those lads, or that was what I would say had I not seen the monsters they have built to this fight...Those Royal Knights will have a decent fight I reckon"
Richard sighed, then tapped into the map showing the troops being deployed into the castle.
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Outside, in the heart of the capital where many of the embassies were located, total pandemonium was happening as magical messages from across the known world flared up. Multiple clerks and office workers were running, flying, and some even teleporting around trying to unfuck the international incident that was happening right now, fights broke out even as some aspects from the Grannarius embassy thought the vermilions were playing a nasty prank on them.
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All were put to rest once the big Magi-Tech panels Lucrezia's people had set up around the many parks and plazas went up, together with a recorded Illiuson of Queen Malphas and King Jason explaining the whole ordeal.
"A test for the new generation of Vermilion's finest coupled with the military exercise with our allied nations" the visage of King Jason spoke at length of the whole thing and it didn't take long before people were huddled together to watch the show, their fears dispelled and many now cheering for their sons and daughters.
The Imperium ambassador on the hand was none too pleased when he saw that massive monstrosity of steel and crystal unload not one, not two but five legions worth of Imperial troops, Under the banner of the first legion known for their devotion to the Silent Soldier and the oldest region of the country, Ambassador Amadeus Le'fret felt the sweat run cold in his back.
"For the first to be deployed at the head of the host means one thing and one thing only" Amadeus spoke to his aides who had all stopped to watch the large panel that went up near their workplace.
"Gods abound" someone finished from behind, the face of High Inquisitor Leadfoot appeared in the sea of Imperials, the dwarven man was ancient from what I was told, older than most of the people who worked under him in the Steinheim Embassy.
"Amadeus, I am afraid I and my people will have to shack up with you today, our force fields aren't fans of this Magi-Tech nonsense" Leadfoot spoke as a group of 5 or so dwarven individuals appeared and nodded.
"It would be an honor High Inquisitor" Amadeus smiled, it was a rare thing for the ancient dwarf to even get out of his forge much less speak to other ambassadors "If you require food or drinks we would be more than happy to serve" As ancient dwarven culture dictated those who host someone of high esteem must be to the point and avoid beating around the bush as much as possible.
"No need lad, we brought our own provisions and seats, but your generosity is noted" the dwarf snapped his fingers as very fancy chairs and tables appeared, as the rest of the Imperium embassy settled down to watch they saw the bird-like airships break from above the clouds and many gasped.
"That's not Principality design, hells that's no one design!" a younger worker spoke out loud and many nodded, current intelligence did say Lucrezia and her new God had forged weird machines of war, Amadeus sighed in defeat, why couldn't the Empress tell him of this? to give Lucrezia nearly 500 men and not tell him was...
"Frustrating lad? Yeah, I can see why" Leadfoot spoke from his chair "Look at it, those crystalline monsters that bend the rules of science and magic like nothing, I told those old farts back home we shouldn't have spurned the young god I did, but they didn't give me the time of their day and now look at it" he spat on the ground and spoke with a bitter tone.
"Old fools, look at ye folly and despair"
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William screamed from the castle ramparts, below him his troops roared as well and he leaped, burning mana to empower his flight, pockets of opposition remained and he would personally see to them now.
Landing on top of an enemy merc, he chopped his head mid-flight and used the body of his partner to cushion the impact, he heard her ribcage break as his Magi-Tech arm grabbed her by the neck and chucked into a charging Knight armed with a spear, the Knight deflected the body with a Ki blast only to get sliced across the belly by Lucrezia's shade who materialized with a short delay.
The gates of the castle were now open, and the colossal war host William had amassed marched, he saw the Paladins of Saal'Xhir leading the army and smiled, the part of him that longed for bloodshed sung in sheer orgasmic joy as he indulged himself in the carnage.
More Knights charged him and with a roar, he threw himself at them, the men were disciplined and fought valiantly, shielding their weakest link and trying to keep William at a distance, Ki flared as their drilled combat practices, shields made of Red and Gold, arrows to stall the monster who was going to give them the first taste of death.
"Rip and Tear" William whispered to himself as slammed his arm into the ground and made spikes go up the boots of the Knights, they cried out and tried to jump but the second was just enough for William to leap and Impale the leader with a deep blue ice spear, he laughed as the blood of the Knight gushed forward and leaped again, slamming the dragonbone ax deep into the shoulder of the weak link, their formation broke William began to wrestle the Knight closest to him, an Elven woman who panicked and slammed her shield right into William's metal arm.
Lucrezia was already there, slashing the arm of the woman and then doing a series of slashes to keep the rest away as William recuperated from the stun, with a wide grin on his face he leaped again and punched the elven Knight in the belly, she heaved as William grabbed her head and kneeled before snapping the neck.
The world went red, he felt the slip coming but didn't expect it to be that strong, that powerful, William didn't even bother grabbing his weapon back, instead resorting to Magic and pure Melee to demolish the remaining Knights, caving a man's skull with his metal arm, using the body as a makeshift club to kill the one standing next to him in an act of pure savagery.
"Snap out of it before you hurt your allies" Lucrezia's voice was like the Ice of the coldest winter slamming right into his brain, he felt the red in the eyes back out as the woman tried her best to pull William back. He turned to her side and saw she had already killed most of the Knights, their Ki, and Armor not made to withstand wraith-based damage.
William saw the last member of the group make a run for it and grabbed one of his pistols from his back, aiming and firing took less than a second, and then the runner went down before having his body taken to whatever place the Field placed the fallen.
A horn blared in the skies above, and a very old and tired voice spoke from the clouds above " The Reclaimers have defeated their opposition, transferring Stewardship privileges to..." Sounds of manawaves and the smell of freshly burned crystals enveloped the entire place " War Chieftain Lucrezia Sommer Wulfgrem, Field Commander Richard Silverbrand"
"A silly title, you should've been Field Commander," Lucrezia said as she stood next to William "But then again with the Queen making her way to here, It was wise making Richard the Field Commander, I have a... Feeling he will prove more than the match for the title"
"You out of all people took a liking to him huh, thought Arthur was more of your speed Lu" William said with a smile.
"Do not mock me Terran, I am just saying he was the right choice, even if part of me wanted the glory..." Lucrezia trailed off then sighed "Chin up, we have to set up the defenses for when the Royal Knights come"
William sighed and walked towards the castle, the sound of the train and other war machinery he and his had built blaring all around him, god knew how much time he had before the real battle started.
It turns out, he had just enough.