image [https://i.imgur.com/bfOThc1.png]

Shortly after the meeting, Zalthia finished her preparations and as she rounded the corner, Carmen and her group bumped into her.

“Ah, Zalthia!! You got a second??” Carmen asked with a worried expression.

“What, Carmen? I’m in a bit of a rush at the moment.” Zalthia replied, not wanting to waste any more time.

“Let us come with you! We want to help!” Zalthia was surprised by this request, but before she could reply, Azhane approached them from behind.

“Absolutely not..” She said with an authority filled voice. Carmen and the gang quickly turned around and saw her Majesty donning her iconic black and purple combat attire. Her split cape swayed as she came to a stop and the all black accented perfectly against her smoldering red eyes.

“I just got you all back from a dire situation. I am not about to throw you back into another. This is not a battle you need to concern yourselves with.” Carmen stepped forward and pleaded her case.

“But sis, we’re part of the reason why this happened in the first place. We can’t just sit around and do nothing!” Carmen’s words, while filled with great determination, went in one ear and out the other.

“No. You all stay here and stay out of it.” Azhane replied, glaring deeply into Carmen’s eyes. Rivell tugged on her arm and urged her to leave it be.

“Come on Carmen. Let’s just stay here. We can-.” Before he finished his sentence, Carmen snatched her arm from him as she glared back at Azhane. Her resolve was unshakeable in that moment and for the first time ever, she fully challenged her eldest sister’s demands.

“I won’t take no for an answer… I refuse to be a bystander while someone else cleans up our mess. Back at the Boundless city, you asked me when I was going to grow up. How can I grow up if you keep me holed up whenever there is danger? I want to make things right and the only way I can do that is if I get the chance to help out! Let me help you all protect our nation. Our home!” Carmen replied, giving a potent glare that was almost identical to Azhane’s.

As they stared at each other, incredible levels of tension filled the hallway.

“Will you two knock it off already.. Geez, so annoying.” Zalthia said, getting in between her two sisters as she rolled her eyes. She glanced at Azhane and sighed before giving her thoughts on the matter.

“As much as I hate to say it, we should let her do what she wants. We can’t coddle her forever..” Azhane looked at Carmen, who was still glaring at her, then back to Zalthia before sighing.

“Fine.. Whatever..” And with that simple, soft, yet cold response, Azhane swiftly walked away. The group looked on as the Queen headed down the hall in silence, only hearing the click of her heels getting further away. Zalthia turned and stared at everyone, showing a very serious expression.

“Alright, listen and listen well. You all will be with me during this operation. Do not leave my sight, do not try to be a hero, and don’t deviate from my instructions. If I so much as see any of you acting out of line, I will send you back here in a heartbeat. Do I make myself clear?”

The seriousness in her voice stabbed like a sharp knife and the group quickly agreed to her terms. Zalthia then averted her gaze towards Caleb.

“Caleb Ravenfell, I can prep a portal back to Melspire for you before we leave. Do you have all of your things?” She asked with slight curiosity. He shook his head no before he responded.

“No, I’m going with you all. My father would be furious if I turned away from such a challenge. I have to see this through to the end and help out in any way I can.” He bowed his head to Zalthia, assuring her he was more than ready to assist.

“Hmph, I guess that explains why King Ravenfell didn’t sound concerned in the slightest when we informed him of your involvement in this situation. Alright then, I appreciate your assistance during these trying times.” Zalthia said, giving him a slight smile and a nod.

“Okay, let’s head out. I will brief you all on what our role is on the way.” Everyone gave her a determined nod and they quickly followed after her, heading to the grand foyer of Castle de Belouis.

Once they arrived, everyone that was part of this operation was present. Azhane, all members of Six, the military officials, and Priscilla. Zalthia, Carmen, Rivell, Sarah, and Caleb joined the group, eager to get things going. Carmen glanced over to Azhane and she did the same to Carmen. Their eyes briefly met as Carmen gave her sister an awkward smile, hoping that there wasn’t any more tension between them.

Azhane responded with no reaction at all and instead ignored the smile, shifting her gaze back to the entire group.

“Is everyone ready? Once I teleport us there, I won’t be able to bring us back.” Azhane asked while aiming her hand outwards.

The group nodded in unison and in an absolute instant, they all found themselves just outside the main base of operations on the front lines. The scene was grim as hundreds of injured soldiers were being tended to and carted away.

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Morale was at an all time low and the feeling of hopelessness was incredibly heavy all around. Azhane and the other military officials walked inside the main tent with great haste. Second General Siegard saw the Queen and immediately bowed his head to her.

“Ah, Your Majesty!! Thank goodness! You honor us with your presence!!” He said, feeling incredibly grateful that his prayers may have been answered. All of the other guards also bowed and showed admiration towards this figure of great royalty.

“At ease gentleman. I apologize for my late arrival and lack of communication. We had quite a few hiccups to deal with on our end first.” Azhane replied with a sympathetic tone, knowing that their delay caused an unnecessary amount of additional carnage.

“Please, think nothing of it, Your Majesty. We are just so grateful to see that you’ve arrived. What are your orders?” He continued to kneel as he awaited her response. Azhane proceeded to tell him their plans, not sparing a single detail. Once he was fully caught up to speed, he swiftly began his preparations to make sure this operation went without a hitch. Azhane turned her attention towards Priscilla, who was standing there with a scared expression. She crouched down to her level as she patted Priscilla on the head.

“It’ll be fine, okay? If all goes to plan, you’ll never have to set foot outside of this base. You are safe here, I promise.” Azhane gave her a warm smile and Priscilla nervously nodded, feeling a bit better about her role.

The Queen stood and averted her gaze towards First General Raegan, giving him a hearty nod and signaling that she was about to leave.

“Be safe, Your Majesty. We're counting on you.” He said, giving her a quick bow. Just as he looked back up, Azhane was nowhere to be seen.

Zalthia and her group began to mobilize as well and just as they exited the tent, Rivell saw all the injured soldiers strewn about the camp. He stopped following the group and stared at the men pleading for help as they moaned from the pain.

“Rivell? You alright? Come on, let’s go.” Sarah asked as she noticed he wasn’t behind them. She walked over and grabbed his hand, trying to pull him along. To her surprise, he didn’t budge.

“I think I’ll stay here and help these people…” He said softly, not taking his eyes off of the wounded for a second.

“Huh? But what about our operation? We need you to keep us healed and refreshed!” Sarah questioned, not understanding why he suddenly changed his mind.

“You guys will be fine without me, especially with Miss Zalthia there. But these people.. They’re dying and my Manifest can help ease their pain. My dream has always been to leave a mark within the medical world, but how can I do that if I ignore those that are clearly suffering?” Rivell replied, looking incredibly serious. Sarah stood there with a stunned, yet saddened expression, not knowing how to respond.

Rivell looked at her and gave a kind smile. “Go on, I’ll take care of those here. It’ll be fine.”

She sighed before smiling back. “Alright, you do that. We’ll be back in a flash!” Sarah sprinted away and caught back up to the group, letting them know that Rivell was staying behind to help the injured. With that matter taken care of, they set off towards the enemy's back line.

image [https://i.imgur.com/d60vRFl.png]

Somewhere on the front lines, Von Melrose (Age 33 – Calamity Class - 21,500rlvl) and Varric Clover (Age 36 – Calamity Class - 23,450rlvl) were making quick work of the Volairen forces. These foot soldiers were no more than ants to them, posing very little threat at all.

“I wonder how long she’ll hide herself from this battle. Fighting these runt soldiers is beyond boring. Feel like I’m wasting my time…” Varric said, kicking some rocks around like an annoyed child.

“I’m not too sure, Sir Varric. I didn’t take Azhane Belouis to be such a coward in the face of great opposition. At this rate we’ll have the capital city taken within a few days and with little resistance to boot. It feels all too easy.” Von replied, thinking this invasion had gone a little too well.

“The easier the better if you ask me. I’m essentially getting paid to waste my time, I can’t be too mad at that.” Varric cackled, finding this situation to be extremely hilarious.

“Sir Varric, this may be easy but still, we mustn’t get complacent. Underestimating your enemy is a mindset for a fool. You never know when the tides can turn.” Varric rolled his eyes as he shooed Von away, not wanting to listen to his honorable memoirs. However, in that same moment the two perked up and noticed something approaching.

“Well, look who finally decided to show up. Took you long enough!” Varric said with a devious smirk, turning around as he looked up at the sky. Azhane slowly floated down to the ground a short distance in front of them, shooting them with a cold glare.

“Sorry to keep you boys waiting, I had to deal with other, more pressing matters. I’m sure you understand.” She said, oozing an immense amount of confidence.

“Ha! Is that supposed to make us feel bad? Your priorities must be extremely twisted if you had more pressing matters than this.” Varric replied, finding her opening statement to be quite ridiculous.

“Priorities twisted? No, I just hate wasting my time with such weak individuals..” She gave him a cheeky smile as she glared with her fiery red eyes. Before Varric could reply to the rude remark, Von stepped up and added to the conversation.

“Azhane Belouis, I find it regrettable that I have to fight you in this manner. I’ve always had great respect for how you carry yourself and your country. However, today is different. I must do what is best for my nation and I will do whatever it takes to achieve our goals. This isn’t personal, Your Majesty.” He said while summoning forth his Manifest.

A platinum and gold spear appeared in the air and dropped down into his hands. The blade was surprisingly long and large, covering a fourth of the entire weapon. On the blade were golden runic symbols that glowed brightly. The shaft of the spear was so shiny that it looked almost mirror-like, reflecting the world around it. Seraphim Lance was the name of this Manifest. A fitting title for a weapon that looked like it came straight from the heavens above.

“Think nothing of it, Von Melrose. I know you’re just following orders. However… The moment you brought harm to those in my nation, it most certainly became personal for me. I will drive you all out of my home today. This I swear.” Azhane replied, now looking incredibly irritated by their presence and seeping out incredible amounts of bloodlust.The battlefield grew more tense as the seconds passed by, building up immensely as these Calamity class Vestas prepared to clash.