It had been so long since she had last seen civilization. Countless days, weeks and months... Perhaps even years have already passed by before she could finally return to the homeland she had been whisked away from by the last enemy she fought and nearly slew.
After slaughtering all the barbaric greenskins in the place she had been translocated to, Aldyth had fortunately been discovered by a faraway settlement located within the far outskirts of the Empire's vast domain. Of course, with her being the princess of the empire, as well as one of their nation's most significant individuals, she had quickly been brought back to the mainlands by a fleet of wooden ships that sailed for months to bring back their lost princess- and of course, the journey of coming back would take a few more months for it to finally come to pass, before Aldyth could finally witness the luxuries that one could enjoy by being within the comforts of civilization.
... Finally, after what seemed to be months of being trapped within the confines of the wooden galleon that had been handling her venture, Aldyth would finally manage to step on real ground once more and enjoy the comforts that the land-dwellers would often enjoy.
However...
"Your highness, you may enter the room. The Imperial General Marthann wishes to see you at once."
As soon as she would finally manage to come back home however, she would quickly be given a bothersomely endless amount of tasks to do once again: from the moment she first set foot on the harbour as she exited the galleon that facilitated her transportation, several messengers quickly greeted her appearance and told her of an important meeting that was to transpire as soon as possible: however, due to the message that had been delivered possessing the imperial crest, Aldyth quickly realized the importance of this meeting and wasted no time to pay a visit as quickly as she could.
"... Ah, your highness, Lady Aldyth, I humbly greet your presence. Please take a seat, I have something important to discuss with you, and we must not waste any time with this matter."
As Aldyth silently entered the general's office by pushing the 2 wooden doors of his room open, Marthann didn't even bother rising up from his chair to greet her properly with even just a slight bow: there were towering loads of what seemed to be paperwork on his desk, as his tight grip on the inked quill on his right hand swiftly made it clear that he was currently too busy to even bother with such honourifics.
... Well, etiquette wasn't something that mattered to Aldyth too much in the first place: unlike her other siblings, she hated the customs of people having to bow down and show all of these bothersome theatrics to her, as she saw these acts to be completely unnecessary.
"..."
Aldyth would nod twice in response to the general's words, as she then quickly took a seat near his desk and waited for him to discuss the important matter at hand: unfortunately, due to her being a silent mute who wasn't able to speak, it was often difficult for her to convey more complex forms of speech, and so she often utilized simple expressions in order to communicate with others sufficiently.
"... Thank you, your highness..." Marthann would then stop what he was doing as he placed his quill in its ink jar and began facing her directly. "... Anyway... Before anything else... I must first apologize for interrupting your return so rudely... I know you must feel tired after your journey and all... However..."
"... You see... There is a threat to the empire that has arrived near this very place... and we need your help to deal with it."
Interesting, she thought... Could it perhaps be that witch she failed to kill ages ago? While she remembered successfully managing to plunge her spear deep into that false human's body, she could tell that she could survive from such an injury that she had inflicted- after all, years of warfare and combat had taught Aldyth many things, and determining whether or not her foes could survive her blows after striking them in battle was definitely one of the many things she had learned.
She would then seize a nearby, empty piece of paper with no contents, as she grabbed the motionless feathered quill whose tip remained submerged within its small jar's inky liquids. After that, the princess began writing what she was about to say on the paper's large space in order to pose her query.
"... Is the sea devil I failed to kill the one who is currently being this threat as of late?"
The general would take a moment to respond before he eventually gave a light sigh. "... Unfortunately, she is not the threat I was referring to. There's a new danger that has just recently surfaced before our eyes... And it has even sent us direct messages..."
From one of his desk's drawers, Marthann then pulled out what seemed to be a white, small sheet of paper that was clearly smaller, yet finer and far more detailed than the ones on his desk, as he would reach his hand to give this special-looking note to Aldyth, who in turn also stretched her hand out to receive the paper she was being handed.
"... Several weeks ago, a massive, bird-like creature enveloped in metal flew throughout the skies of this kingdom, dropping perhaps thousands of these papers into nearly every corner of Polonia's lands before it finally left after only soaring about for a few hours." the general narrated as she gave her the note. "Our sky knights quickly took off with their steeds in order to take down this creature that was causing such great disorder... Although..."
Aldyth then eyed him as she raised her eyebrows, as if she were telling him to continue on and stop pausing.
"... Although.." Marthann hesitated a bit before he continued. "... They were all killed... All of the 100 sky knights that took off to quell this threat were annihilated by what seemed to be smaller creatures that accompanied the strange avian during its flight... They unleashed these speedy arrows of light that quickly took down all of our riders... And so we decided to stop sending more of them into the air in order to prevent further casualties..."
They took down so many of them? With an unknown form of magick at that? This was certainly unprecedented: the sky knights of the empire were elite, highly-trained knights who rode gryphons, which were birdlike beasts that were even more massive than entire carriages, into the heat of battle in order to wreak havoc upon the land and deal with any potential aerial threats that would surface during a conflict. Not only that, but the hides of these flying steeds possessed a thickness that made them incredibly resistant to the likes of magick, making the act of taking down even a single one of them almost impossible, even with the assistance of mages during the fires of brutal combat.
The fact that they had been taken down by something that their steeds were supposed to be resistant too, and the fact that they were all killed in such great numbers quickly proved the greatness of the threat that had suddenly taken form during her disappearance, and Aldyth could only feel a certainty that her duties were already about to become even more difficult because of this.
"... That is not the only disturbing part of this story however..." after a short period of silence, the general would then begin speaking once again. "Please read this note that those metal creatures left behind in the thousands... I can assure you that its contents are... Very intriguing, to say the least..."
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Aldyth would simply nod again, as her eyes then shifted downwards to read the words of the note that she held with both of her hands...
As expected however, she would immediately find herself in a deep bewilderment as she quickly scanned through the words that this piece of paper continued...
...
People of Polonia, hear my words...
Your people have bent the knee to your Neugomian conquerors for hundreds of years already...
They have taken your home and still treat you as if you are all merely the guests of your own house: they have stolen much of your riches, and they will continue to do so until you have been bled to death by their wickedness...
It is time for all of you to rise. Fight, and take back your homeland no matter the cost. Rise and drive away your foreign tyrants from the lands you once owned, and reclaim this nation as your own once again...
Fear not, however, for in a few weeks of time, after this message that has been delivered onto your doorsteps...
We shall come and set you all free...
- N
...
It didn't take long for Aldyth to realize the purpose of this mass-produced note that was delivered in such incredible numbers: it was a direct act of inciting a rebellion within the kingdom's lands. Aldyth couldn't help but wonder about this strange ordeal however- while she was slightly aware of the mistreatments that the empire had inflicted upon the people of this nation, she could not understand what this had anything to do with those creatures that had taken to the skies and slaughtered a great portion of the Empire's aerial forces: if they were that powerful, then why were they bothering themselves with such a less-than-important venture?
"... And that is why we require your assistance, your highness." the general spoke. "... In a few days, I believe that the ones who sent this note will begin their attack. While we are uncertain of what manner of assault they will unleash... It is of utmost importance that we rally every available forces and prepare them as quickly as possible for this incoming threat."
Aldyth agreed with that notion without an ounce of refusal in her mind: after all, it was already apparent to her just how incredibly dangerous this threat that had just appeared before them truly was. If the ones who sent these notes were able to succeed with their goal of liberating the people of this kingdom, the Empire would quickly lose access to one of their greatest sources of riches and resources, crippling its power significantly in the process, which would also most likely allow the other vassals to incite their own rebellions as well.
She could see just how chaotic this entire situation would become should she choose not to help- as a result, she quickly gave a nod as a sign of affirmation of the general's plan, as Aldyth would then write a few new words on the paper she previously wrote on in order to convey what she wanted to say once more.
"Alright, I shall assist you with this matter. However, I will need my spear. I believe that it was left behind during my last battle with that vile witch... Am I correct...?"
"Correct, your highness. We currently have possession of your spear.. It was indeed left behind during your duel with that wretched sea witch..." Marthann replied without a moment's worth of hesitation. "You must not worry about such trivial things however. I shall call upon my men to deliver your weapon to you as soon as possible."
________________________________________
8 months...
8 months have passed since that day when she lost her life so abruptly, and by now, most of the things that had transpired after that terrible event have mostly led to incredibly pleasing outcomes.
The heart of that crimson dragon they slew ultimately proved to be compatible with Anastasia's lifeless body, and everything else went within their expectations quite perfectly: all that was left was for the final steps of the recovery process, where her body was still being harmoniously treated with rigorous care, in order to ensure that she wouldn't have any complications the moment she was finally allowed to regain the breath of life which she previously lost.
And according to what he had planned all those months ago, the preparations for his grand plan of reshaping this world were finally going underway...
Today, Novus was not in the room that facilitated Anastasia's resurrection protocols: he was currently in a vast space that appeared to be a normal living room, and to his front was a large window of thick glass, a barrier that separated them from the massive, hangar-like chamber where numerous, walking machines of steel arranged themselves in properly formed lines.
Novus was sitting on a couch as he took a sip of the tea that had been served to him with a small cup, as Speranza stood nearby his sitting figure, holding the silver tray that provided Novus with the luxury of the delectable drink he was sampling. Simultaneously however, it appeared as if they were conversing something... Which they were indeed doing as of late.
"How did it go, Speranza?" Novus asked. "Nothing too bad happened, right?"
The maid would give a light, courteous bow. "It went well, my creator. I've done what you asked without any difficulties."
The first phase of their plan had gone by without a hitch: the transport aircraft, which was accompanied by several, autonomous, combat & reconnaissance drones during its flight, had been able to scatter and deliver the pamphlets to most of the people who were meant to see the letters, all of whom were the people of the Holy Kingdom of Polonia. Not only that however, but the aircraft she was piloting managed to return from its voyage without a scratch on its body- its escort of unmanned drones performed their roles quite well, as they easily shot down any aerial resistance that they had suddenly encountered during their journey.
"... If I may ask though, my creator..." Speranza would suddenly pose a question that had been crafted by her curiosity. "... Is there any reason for spreading these papers throughout the kingdom's capital? Why don't we just proceed with the assault as soon as possible?"
"Well, you see... That way of planning is only for the short term, Spera." Novus answered firmly. "We have to let these people know that our aim is to liberate them. After winning and driving away these Neugomians out of their lands, how do you think they would react had we not initially sent those pamphlets?"
Speranza's crimson-irised eyes would widen slightly as the realization came to her: her creator, her master... This grand plan that he had made, it would appear that it was more complex than what she initially thought it would be. ".. I see now... Not only do you plan to liberate these people and cripple Neugomia by taking away one of their most precious vassals... But..."
"... You're also planning to take the kingdom for yourself, hm?" a mischievous smile formed on her face as she said this. "How ambitious~... Well, you did say that you were planning to 'conquer the world' anyway... although, I sometimes do still wonder if you were actually merely jesting when you said this..."
"... That should've been apparent to you in the first place, you idiot maid." Novus sighed as she finally understood his intentions. "... Well, for not telling you and Whitlea about the plans I made months ago... it's my fault in the first place, I'm sorry..."
"Now, now, don't apologize. There's another person you should be apologizing to more greatly after all."
It had been several months since that day when they slew that crimson dragon of flames- Anastasia's recovery was nearly complete, and only a few more procedures were being done on her body before she could finally be resuscitated back to existence: and because of this, Novus had finally decided to execute the plan he made with Thurien during that time...
There were a few problems that occurred though... He had only just recently told these 2 about the plans he already made: from the strategic bombings and deployments that they were about to do, to the very tactics and strategies they were going to utilize as soon as they began their first steps of conquering the world: while Speranza would still remain in a slight disbelief of all of this, it was Whitlea who had shown the more negative reaction between both of the combat maids.
"... Aha... Speaking of Whitlea..." the expression on his face suddenly became uneasy. "... Is she still mad about... You know..."
Speranza would quickly reply without a moment's hesitation. "Indeed, she still is, my creator." she said briefly. "You can't blame her though... After all..."
Speranza's expression would suddenly become a bit cold: despite having already accepted how things turned out, it seemed that she was still somewhat harboring the same thoughts that her sister was still having.
"You've been spending more time with that 'Thurien' woman for the past few months." there was a stern tone in her voice as she said this. "While we both understand that most of the time you spend with her is for milady's recovery... What we cannot understand is..."
"... Is?" a single word slipped uncontrollably from his tongue.
"... Is that you still spend more time with her even when it's not about milady's recovery..." her tone then shifted from a cold one... into a tone that seemed somewhat sad. "... After weeks upon weeks of not giving us much attention... you then suddenly come to us and spout about this 'conquering the world' thing..."
"It practically makes us feel as if you only see us as tools now... "
Novus gulped weakly as he listened quietly to her words... They were true after all. He could perfectly understand where they were coming from: he recently hadn't been spending more time with them in the first place, as he had been too busy with both monitoring his mother's recovery, as well as drawing and mapping out the plans he had been creating for the ambition he wanted to fulfill in the future.
He really wanted to find a way to properly apologize to these 2, but he didn't know how he should do it...
"... How come you're fine with me now though?" Novus asked. "... You even forgave me so quickly..."
"... Because I'm kinder than my sister~ And also... I believe that you'll never end up abandoning us or treating us like tools. I know you're not that kind of person anyway~" Speranza's mood suddenly lightened up, as a small smile formed on her face. "Athough... You're still going to have to find a way to beg her for forgiveness, alright?"
"Don't worry though. I'll be helping you in every way I can when the opportunity to do so finally arises, so please don't worry about this matter too much."
"... Thank you, Spera... Thank you, really..."
Speranza's smile seemingly grew a bit wider as she heard his words. "You're welcome, my creator. Now please explain to me the next steps of this 'magnificent plan' of yours." she told as she gave another courteous bow. "Whitlea still doesn't want to talk to you, so please inform me about what you're planning so I can tell her everything later."
Novus felt a bit of worry surging into his mind again as he was reminded of Whitlea's disappointment: despite how great everything was turning out, it seemed that there was still one great obstacle that he had to solve.
"... Alright then..." he replied with a bit of unease in his voice. "So the plan goes like this..."