A/N Our time in the Kingdom of Straelka is now over, it's time to return to the Empire...and I can only begin to wonder how much it has changed in the seven months they've been gone. If it's Jacqueline and the Prime Minister we're talking about...it can't be good. Also, I've put all of the information on Straelka and the war machines they have produced onto the wiki for your viewing pleasure. I will say this, a lot of aspects that went into its creation like the capital and the city of Berline, along with the airship and the tanks, were taken from Avatar: the Last Airbender. God I loved that show. Okay, enough ranting, back to the story. Leave a fav and review.
Chapter 24 - Return
- Capital District Building No. 23, Reconditioning Department -
- 10:00 a.m -
"So...Anton is dead, huh?" said Jacqueline to herself as she set down the letter from Kahfka, her eyes glancing up at the ceiling of her personal torture chamber.
Kahfka had already stated she would be back in under a week, so she was glad that she would be coming soon, but that was the only good news her letter contained. After observing the fight between Anton, the Princess of Straelka and one of the Jaegers, she had also learned that wanting to take revenge for the deaths of her parents as well as the plot against her and the other leading political figures of her nation, she had declared war on the Empire and was currently on her way with the Jaegers and the entirety of the Kingdom of Straelka's military at her side.
Judging by how Kahfka had put it, their manpower was easily twice that, if not more then the Empire's. However, instead of worrying about it, Jacqueline merely laughed and tossed aside the letter as she leaned back in her chair and stretched her back.
"Even if they possess the largest army on the planet...they still won't be able to stop me. And since I'll have a week before they arrive...this'll give me time to prepare." she thought with a smile on her face.
She got up from her chair and walked over to one of the walls of the small room, running her hand along its smooth face until she found a small button invisible to the naked eye unless you were up close and pressed it. A portion of the wall slid aside to reveal a built-in shower and she quickly undressed, intending to clean herself of the blood that had gotten on her after a day's work of torturing before she left to present her findings to the Emperor and the Prime Minister.
When the hot water began to spray out of the shower head and run through her hair and down her body, she began to formulate plans and backup plans that she would use against the Jaegers. "I'll let the other Generals deal with the enemy army, and to ensure our control over the Western Nations and make sure those revolutionaries don't get any ideas, I'll have the Hellraisers reposition themselves there from the Shisuikan." she thought as she poured some shampoo into her hand and started to scrub her hair, suds quickly starting to form from the back and forth motion of her fingers.
While she was lost deep in her thoughts, the Inquisitor had pulled himself up a stool next to the entrance to her personal torture chamber and retrieved a book from his coat pocket. He removed the monocle covering his right eye and barely opened his eyes while bringing up a pair of bifocals in order to begin reading the book.
"The Legend of Razgriz...seems like a good read." he thought to himself as he turned to page one and leaned back, his eyes slowly scanning the first sentence.
After only two minutes of reading he was so absorbed in the story that he didn't even hear someone approach him and tap him on the shoulder, the Inquisitor jumping and whipping his head up to see who had snuck up on him.
His surprise quickly faded though when he recognized who it was and crossed a lanky leg over while setting down his book, a grin on his face.
"We weren't expecting you back so soon. How'd you do it?"
"Well, once I figured out I could just create ice around my wrists and ankles and fly with them, I was able to get across the ocean much quicker." said Kahfka with a chuckle as she walked up to the door next to him and placed a hand on its face.
"Try not to surprise her too much." said the Inquisitor as he returned to his book, Kahfka rolling her eyes before she pushed the door inward and crept inside.
When she heard the sound of water running she guessed that Jacqueline was showering...and instead of making herself known, her lips curled upward into a mischievous smile. She made sure to close the door behind her and tip-toed over to the open shower door, being sure to stay out of sight as she slowly undressed.
After that was out of the way Kahfka peered around the door into the shower and blushed at the sight of Jacqueline in the shower.
"Plus, there's still the matter of that Magress character…" she thought with a frown on her face, the mysterious armored character's identity continuing to elude her.
Suddenly she felt a second pair of arms gently wrap around her waist and hug her tightly, her first action being to look back over her shoulder to see who in their right mind would intrude. She was in for an even greater surprise when she saw Kahfka looking right back at her with a smile on her face.
"Kahfka?! How did you get here so quickly?" asked Jacqueline, Kahfka giggling as she started to slide her hand down her stomach towards that spot between her thighs.
"Do you really need to know the details? What matters is that I'm here, *right?" she replied, Jacqueline biting her lip and letting out a tiny gasp when she felt Kahfka's fingers begin to rub against her tender spot.
"H-Hey, no fair...you caught me off guard…"
"Shush…" whispered Kahfka into her ear as she used her other hand to start fondling one of Jacqueline's breasts. "It's been seven months...and you seem stressed."
Jacqueline could feel her body start to get hotter, and it wasn't because of the water still showering her and Kahfka. She couldn't keep her legs closed any longer and spread her feet out a little, Kahfka taking full advantage of the situation and pushing her index and middle fingers past her entrance and into her sex.
"Mmm...don't stop that…" she murmured, Kahfka starting to pinch her breast's nipple lightly in tandem with her fingers massaging her insides.
A few minutes later after the pair spent getting dirty and clean at the same time, they emerged from within the chamber and stared at the Inquisitor sitting close by, who was absorbed in his book once again.
"I'll be off, my Inquisitor. Are you coming?" asked Jacqueline as she slipped on her trench coat.
"Sorry Mistress, but this book has captivated my attention, and I'm asking for your permission to remain here and finish it." he replied without looking up from the pages, Jacqueline chucking.
"Of course you can, you deserve some rest. Come on Kahfka, let's go to the Imperial Palace."
They made it to the large defensive wall encompassing the palace in good time and were immediately let past by the Imperial Guards, the two females taking their time in getting to the throne room they had become familiar with. Jacqueline walked in first and approached the throne, kneeling before the Emperor and the Prime Minister as per custom while Kahfka remained off on the side, crossing her arms over and watching silently.
"Greetings, Miss Jacqueline. What do you have to report today?" asked Honest with a smile, Jacqueline bringing her gaze up and opening her eyes.
"Unfortunately, Prime Minister, your Highness, I come bearing distasteful news." she said with a regretful tone in her voice, the Prime Minister's smile wavering.
"Go ahead, Great General." spoke the child Emperor.
"The plan to assassinate Jaegers and the leading political figures of the Eastern Nation has failed, and as a result, the Princess has declared war on the Empire. She's currently crossing the ocean that separate our two nations with a large military force around 10.8 million strong." informed Jacqueline, both the Emperor and Honest paling at the thought of that many troops.
When the Prime Minister glanced down at the young Emperor and saw the frightened expression on his face, he quickly regained his cheerful composition and rested a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Don't worry your Highness, everything will be fine."
"Indeed, Prime Minister." said Jacqueline with a small grin. "I already have a plan set in motion. I'll be mobilizing my armies to meet them head-on and I'll send Lieutenant Colonel Costner's division to keep order in the Western Nations."
"Oh, splendid. With your armies and your subordinates, the Eastern Mation won't be able to stand a chance." the Emperor said happily, Jacqueline chuckling at his enthusiasm.
"Actually, about my subordinates. Kahfka, my dear, would you come here for a second?"
Jacqueline motioned to her to walk over and Kahfka pushed herself off the wall, striding over to her side and bowing once to the Prime Minister and the Emperor each to show her respect for their positions.
"You remember Kahfka, correct? She assisted me in tracking down that Danger Beast Hunter and soon after the Jaegers when the fool led us right to them. In the fight, I managed to sever one of Esdeath's arms...and that's when I had a thought." said Jacqueline with an evil smile as she took a few steps back to give Kahfka the floor. "I took that thought alongside that arm of hers and brought it back with us, and what resulted of it was something truly wonderful. Kahfka, if you will."
Honest raised an eyebrow in anticipation as Kahfka closed her eyes and stood perfectly still, her nostrils flaring as she let out a deep breath. Suddenly she flicked her hands up and instantly several large shards of pinkish-red ice manifested in the air around her, both Honest and the Emperor gasping in surprise.
"She's become a user of Demon's Extract? How?" asked Honest, Kahfka grinning as she pointed to the tattoo at the base of her neck.
"Jacqueline and a colleague of hers drained the blood out of Esdeath's arm and gave it to me to drink." she explained, the Emperor's eyes wide with awe at the coveted ability while Honest smiled maliciously.
"Now the Eastern Nation's military will stand no chance against Jacqueline and her subordinate thanks to her gaining Demon's Extract. Those two make a deadly pair, and with the Inquisitor, it's a triple threat. It's complete overkill...and I love it!"
"And what of the Inquisitor? Will he also be joining you in the fight against the Eastern Nation army?" asked the Emperor, Jacqueline returning to her previous spot and shaking her head.
"No. The Inquisitor will be doing something far more important then waste his time with pathetic foot soldiers." she replied after crossing her arms. "He will continue where that worthless Danger Beast Hunter couldn't. He will be the one to kill the Jaegers, and I can assure you, Prime Minister...he will not fail."
"What makes you so sure that he'll be able to take on the Jaegers alone?" asked Honest, his doubt only making Jacqueline smile.
"The Inquisitor is a very special person, Prime Minister. I've known him for a very, very long time, and I've seen him fight. That little altercation with that General where he shot his knee caps out was just a tiny taste of how extraordinarily powerful he is."
"He's that strong?" questioned the Emperor.
"As he is right now, if I were to engage the Inquisitor in one on one combat with nothing to hold us back...he would kill me." stated Jacqueline with a straight face.
All three of them, Honest, the Emperor and Kahfka, were left totally floored. The Great General, who was already incredibly powerful since she could take on both Esdeath and Tatsumi single-handedly, wouldn't be able to survive a fight with her own subordinate? Just how strong was the Inquisitor?
Several minutes later, after they finished talking with the Prime Minister and Emperor, Jacqueline took a detour from her route back to the Reconditioning Department with Kahfka and instead travelled to another building opened by the capital. Only it wasn't obscure or ambiguous like the Reconditioning Department's home or the former home of the assassination squads.
The building they arrived to was Capital District Building No. 1, the very first built after the founding of the Empire, and aside from the Imperial Palace it was the most heavily guarded building in the entire city. Day in and day out, the massive fortress-like building was kept secure by members of both the Imperial Police and the Faceless.
The reason why? Deep within the building in an underground bunker, which is even more heavily guarded then the surface, lies the vault that contains the Empire's stash of unused Teigu.
"So, why are we here again?" asked Kahfka after they were allowed past the reinforced doors of the building and into the lobby area, which consisted of a red carpet leading them straight to another pair of doors guarded by two Faceless.
"I remember reading something in a book I found in the Imperial Archives about a certain Teigu that could control nature." said Jacqueline over her shoulder as they pushed vast the second pair of doors. "What interested me more though was that written next to its information was an excerpt stating that the Teigu itself was designed to act sentiently, like a Biological-type, only nowhere on it did I find something about it being one."
"So...is it some new type of Teigu?" asked Kahfka, Jacqueline turning around and grinning before they began to descend a large flight of spiral stairs down into the earth.
"That is what we're gonna find out, my dear Kahfka."
With that Jacqueline grabbed a torch hanging on the wall and started the long trek down the steps to the actual vault they had come to see. The deeper they went the colder it got, so much so that they actually started to see slight traces of their breath every time they exhaled. Thankfully, aside from the torch Jacqueline carried, there was another source of light every so often that enabled them to see where each step was.
"How deep does this thing go?"
"Deep enough. The First Emperor himself designed this place to ensure that no one will be able to steal one of the Teigu in the Empire's possession." said Jacqueline before her left foot hit carpet and she came to a halt, Kahfka stopping behind her.
Resting before them was a heavy iron and steel reinforced door that was bolted shut with large cylinders at least 2 feet in diameter. They had arrived...this was the Imperial Vault, the home of every unused Teigu the Empire has in its possession. This was where Demon's Extract had been kept before being taken by Esdeath as her Teigu.
"Welcome, Kahfka, to the Imperial Teigu Vault." said Jacqueline while placing a hand on her hip, the pair taking in the sight of the massive door that was just as old as the Empire itself.
She handed the torch to her and approached the door, grabbing onto a large wheel built into its surface that connected to a series of gears and cogs that when turned would retract the iron bars keeping it sealed. It took some effort and a few grunts, but after a strenuous first turn the wheel finally lost its tension and began to rotate easily. The clanking of the cogs inside its frame told them that the ancient cylinders they were connected to were getting pulled back into the door, and soon enough a deafening series of clicks echoed out from the door itself signalling its unlocking.
Jacqueline grabbed the handle welded to the left side of the door and pulled, the heavy iron creaking as she took one step back at a time to open it. A rush of air came out from behind the vault door when the crack was wide enough and they coughed, Jacqueline pausing to cover her mouth and wait for the dust to settle before she continued.
Once the door was finally opened wide enough for them to pass through, she motioned for the torch and Kahfka handed it back to her as they stepped into the Imperial Vault and looked around. There wasn't really much to see considering the entire inside was pitch black.
"Let there be light…" murmured Jacqueline as she felt around in the dark and found a large boiler, its metal grate open.
She tossed the torch inside and quickly shut the door, the flaming stick lighting the charcoal inside on fire and creating a soft orange glow. A loud metallic groan was heard from the device and a few seconds later the room lit up when lamps hanging from the ceiling turned on, allowing them to see everything around them.
"Whoa…" said Kahfka in awe as she looked around the circular room at all of the weapons, both familiar and unique in design, arranged on either racks, tables or hanging on the walls themselves.
She noticed a lit up gated-off portion of the wall and walked over, Jacqueline following behind her and grinning when she recognized it.
"Ah, this is where Demon's Extract was kept before Esdeath took it on as hers." she stated before she motioned to the rest of the room with a hand. "Every Teigu the Empire either currently has or formerly possessed has a spot in the vault. So all we have to do is look around, and we should discover the location of our nature-using Teigu."
"Wait, if every Teigu has a spot in here...where was yours kept?" asked Kahfka, the Great General looking back at her and chuckling softly.
"Follow me."
She led her through the maze of tables and weapons until she arrived at the wall facing opposite the place where Demon's Extract used to lie, her smile disappearing when she pointed at a much more reinforced cage built into the rock and stone, with thicker bars and even some locks and chains sitting in a jumbled mess on the floor next to it.
Kahfka instantly got a chill up her spine when she realized the purpose of these items. The cage used to contain Devil's Heart wasn't like the one for Demon's Extract, where it was solely used as a storage area, this one was built to keep something from getting out.
"But why would they put so much effort into keeping a simple heart behind bars and locked chains?" she thought to herself before Jacqueline crossed her arms and sighed.
"Kahfka, I want to ask you a question."
"What is it?" she asked, the Great General cracking open an eye and looking right at her.
"Do you know the reason why Demon's Extract was locked away down here?"
Kahfka thought for a moment but she shook her head, Jacqueline turning and resting her back against the wall as she opened both of her eyes again and glared down at the floor.
"It was sealed off because it posed a great danger to anyone who would try to utilize it. You experienced it for yourself, the voices in your head and such. The people who tried to drink the lifeblood Demon's Extract is made out of ended up going insane, so as a result it was locked away until Esdeath came and took it. You were able to master the Teigu because you had a stronger will then it."
"But what does this have to do with your Teigu?" questioned Kahfka to try and figure out the correlation between the two Teigu. "Was Devil's Heart a threat to people as well?"
Jacqueline nodded and she placed a hand gingerly on the skin directly above where the synthetic heart rested inside of her, beating alongside her own heart.
"Yes, it was. Even more so than Demon's Extract because of what it would do to someone if they weren't compatible with the Teigu." she said, her gaze moving up from her feet and back to Kahfka. "Unlike Demon's Extract, where it makes the people who aren't compatible with it go insane...Devil's Heart kills them by absorbing every last drop of blood inside of them."
Kahfka gagged a little and she turned away, the images of such a gruesome death appearing in her mind causing her stomach to do somersaults. After a few moments of dedicating herself to keeping her lunch down and recovering somewhat from the initial shock, she returned to her full height and looked at the cage where the Teigu used to reside.
"That sounds horrible…"
"It's not as bad as you think. Being killed by the Teigu happens fairly quickly...so I've been told. The worst part was what came after it was inside of me…" said Jacqueline with a shiver, Kahfka becoming astonished again at the unorthodox reaction from the normally fearless Great General.
"It shouldn't have been too bad, right? I mean, you just had it surgically implanted into you, right?" asked Kahfka, her curiosity getting the best of her again and driving on the conversation.
Jacqueline looked at her again and developed a disgruntled look as she pointed at the tattoo on Kahfka's left thigh, saying, "Let's just say what you had to go through to conquer Demon's Extract pales in comparison to what Devil's Heart did to me."
- Imperial Vault -
- Two Years Prior -
"Pick any one that interests you." said Honest with a smile as he stepped aside to allow Jacqueline into the Teigu vault, the young General, only being nineteen years old, glancing around the room and raising an eyebrow as she approached a strange-looking set of knifes resting on a velvet pillow.
The Prime Minister watched in silence as she picked up one of the golden knives and tested its weight in her grasp, but after a few seconds she slowly shook her head and put it back where it belonged alongside its sister. She moved on to another table of Teigu and Honest rolled his eyes when she again denied another weapon, her pickiness reminding him of another certain General he had taken to the vault before.
"She's exactly like her old superior…" he thought with a light chuckle.
Jacqueline brought her gaze up and instantly felt something come from a cage built into the wall a couple of feet next to her, her head turning towards it and finding a strange looking device contained inside behind the large bars and locked chains.
"What's this one?" she asked, Honest glancing over at the cage and quickly walking over to stand in her way.
"That one is off-limits, unfortunately." he said, but his words fell on deaf ears as she moved past him and placed a hand on the chains, the object inside revealed to be a synthetic heart.
When he saw that she was intent on not moving away, Honest sighed and turned to face her again with his arms behind his back, "If you must know, that Teigu is named Demonic Savagery: Devil's Heart. It was forged from the heart of a Super-class Danger Beast that craved...human blood…"
He shuddered somewhat after saying that and waited for Jacqueline's response, but he was instead given silence. She was focused entirely on the heart resting on a small pedestal inside of the cage and the vibe it was giving off. For some reason, it felt as if the heart itself was talking to her, whispering into her ear the desire to take it on as her own.
"However, like I stated previously, it's off-limits because of its highly dangerous nature. You should consider finding another Teigu if you value your life."
"What does it do…?" asked Jacqueline without taking her eyes off the heart, Honest sighing again as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"Apparently, if one is compatible with the Teigu, it will grant them the Danger Beast's ability to manipulate the growth of their bone structure." he replied, Jacqueline's lips quivering upward into a smile as she leaned in closer towards the Teigu.
"This heart...I can hear it whispering to me..." she murmured under her breath, her head slowly turning until she was looking back at the Prime Minister. "It wants me to use it...it's been so long since it was last used."
"I see…" said Honest before he walked over to a glass cabinet and reached inside for a key hanging on a hook inside.
He went back over to where she and the cage were and inserted the metal key into the first of many locks keeping the cage chained shut, a click resonating out from within after he turned the key to the right. Jacqueline watched eagerly as he unlocked the remaining five and took off the chains, tossing them to the side before he took a couple of steps back to give her room.
She grasped onto each barred door of the cage and opened it, her hand going in afterwards to retrieve Devil's Heart and hold it. It felt oddly warm to the touch, and the faint whispering noise she was hearing seemed to get louder now that she was actually holding the Teigu.
Honest led her out from the vault and back to the surface, where she was taken to the capital's hospital to have Devil's Heart surgically implanted into her. Once she was admitted into a room alongside a couple of doctors, stripped naked and given a patient's nightgown she was told to lay down on the operating table and wait.
"Good luck, General." said Honest before he stepped outside the room to wait for the operation's completion, Jacqueline letting out a deep breath and closing her eyes.
A few minutes later three doctors and a nursed prepped for surgery stepped into the room, with the latter holding a metal box that undoubtedly contained Devil's Heart. The nurse set it down on a rolling table a close by to the table and went over to monitor the equipment while the three doctors stood by Jacqueline's right with their gloves held up.
"Are you ready to proceed?" asked one of them, Jacqueline nodding. "Very well, let us be-"
He was cut off when a loud thumping noise was heard from somewhere in the room. They all waited in utter silence and out of nowhere, the same sound repeated itself, only louder then the first time. Slowly the nurse looked at the metal box that contained the Teigu and watched it with wide eyes when the sound repeated itself for a third time.
It was coming from the box, and the sound, now that it was heard three times in a row, was unmistakeable to the four people in the room. It was that of a beating heart...and it only took them a second to realize that it was actually Devil's Heart itself that was beating. Jacqueline stared at the nurse as she slowly crept over to the box and opened it, the three doctors and her all gasping when they saw the heart move and give off the same noise once again.
Suddenly the Teigu let out an ear-piercing screech that caused them all to cover their ears and yell out in pain. Jacqueline however said nothing when the heart literally leaped out of the small box with the assistance of the small metallic wires protruding out from one of its ventricles and landed square in the center of her chest.
The doctors and nurse, who by now had recovered from the shrill the heart gave off, turned and were left paralyzed in utter horror not when Jacqueline screamed at the top of her lungs, but when they witnessed Devil's Heart begin to tear open her flesh right next to where her heart was and began to burrow down into her, spraying blood and skin everywhere like a frenzied animal devouring its prey. As soon as it began, however, it ended when the heart nestled itself in between a grouping of veins and began to rip them apart, connecting them to itself and her original heart to allow blood to begin pumping through it and determine if she would live or die.
After a few moments of listening to the steady beating of the second heart inside of the General, she gasped when the bloody skin surrounding Devil's Heart began to give off some steam and, to her shock, start to regenerate itself until finally the wound vanished entirely. That's when she heard the voice she had heard earlier speak directly to her in the back of her head.
"Their blood...I want their blood! Kill them! Kill, kill, kill!"
Without saying a word, Jacqueline stood up from the operating table and set herself down beside it, the three doctors and nurse watching as she cocked her head to the right and glared at them with wide eyes. Her lips curled upward into a psychotic smile and to their horror, the skin at her shoulders, forearms and the palms of her hands split open to allow several bone protrusions sharpened to a lethal point to slide out.
Then she started to speak.
"Don't worry...this won't hurt at all..." she murmured with a giggle as she started to walk towards the four medical staff members, their terrified expressions only making her smile widen.
Meanwhile outside in the hallway Honest was keeping himself occupied by twirling his thumbs around while he sat down in a chair close by before, all of a sudden, a blood-curdling scream came out from the room Jacqueline was in. The man standing beside him dressed in a suit vest and a top hat was also startled by the scream and he ran to the door first, the Prime Minister right behind him as he flung it open and stepped inside.
What they came to was an absolute horror show, with blood splattered all over the walls, the equipment and the operating table. And standing in the center of it all, with the dead and horribly mutilated corpses of the three doctors and nurses drowning in blood at her feet, was Jacqueline herself.
Her arms were hanging limp at her sides, the sharpened bone rods sticking out of her palms covered in the juices of the people she had murdered, and she was silently giggling to herself as a result of the influence Devil's Heart was having over her mind. The man in the top hat, uncaring of what should happen to him, approached the unstable General and placed both hands on her shoulders.
"Jacqueline, wake up." he said, the woman glancing up at him with wide eyes and freezing when she saw the man's eyes and the smile he wore. "Remember why you're doing this."
"No...I want...I want to kill…" she murmured, the man moving his hands from her shoulders to cup her cheeks and star her directly into the eyes.
"Don't let it control you. You're tougher then that. You still have something to do, remember?"
She blinked a few times and, slowly burt surely, the bones sticking out of her body retracted back behind her skin and vanished, her insane smile being the next thing to go.
"I-Inquisitor...I…" she stuttered before the man wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, Jacqueline burrowing her head into his shoulder and shuddering, the intoxicating bloodlust of Devil's Heart fading away now that she had been brought back to normal.
- Present Day -
"It...it really did that?" asked Kahfka nervously, the Great General nodding with a grim look on her face as she lowered her hand from her chest and walked away from the cage.
"Now with that out of the way, let's move on to finding the Teigu we came down here to search for." she said, her smile returning once again as she examined the weapons arranged around them for something that could relate to what she had read.
Kahfka continued her own search by looking at the weapons organized on the walls of the room, her eyes scanning every single one until she stopped before a wall section that didn't seem to fit in. She ran her hand along its surface and found that by pressing on it it moved ever-so-slightly, meaning that there was a possibility of it being capable of opening.
"Find anything?" asked Jacqueline over her shoulder.
"Yeah, I may have found a secret room over here." she replied, Jacqueline quickly jogging over to where she was to help in finding the secret switch or button that would open the wall section.
Finally, when she ran her hand over the right side of the wall she felt a slight bump in its smooth surface and grinned, pressing it with her thumb and stepping back when the wall shifted backwards and slid to the side.
"Good job, Kahfka." said Jacqueline with a smile as she walked inside, Kahfka blushing at the compliment before following her.
Within the separate room was something either of them had expected to see. Printed on the wall in order were the numbers two through six, with the number one printed in gold above them all, and surprisingly there were six individual holding racks built into the wall underneath each number.
All of them were empty except for one. Underneath the number three was a very tall figure, standing at least seven feet tall, with its head hanging low and its arms hanging limp at its side. Jacqueline guessed by its physique that the figure was undoubtedly male, and when they got closer she found that it was dressed in a long black, green and maroon trench coat with a fairly large collar, baggy purple pants, boots, clawed gloves and covering the entirety of its head was a horned helmet possessing a white mask.
Overall his appearance was similar to that of a demon, this personna only being exemplified due to the large spear-like weapon hanging on the wall behind it.
"Is this that nature Teigu?" asked Kahfka in almost a whisper as they approached the format being and looked up at its white face, a pair of black eyeholes staring back at them.
"I guess we'll be finding out shortly." replied Jacqueline as she crossed her arms and recalled the information needed to activate the humanoid Teigu.
"Nature's Wrath: Dreivas, activate." she stated clearly and with authority, Kahfka jumping when the tall figure suddenly jerked and a pair of orange eyes came into existence within the black eyeholes.
Before either could react the figure's right hand shot up and slammed into Jacqueline's throat, knocking the wind out of her, and lifted her up into the air. Kahfka cringed when she heard the Great General's neck snap and in a flash she was right on top of the figure, her feet striking the man directly in the jaw and sending him flying back into the wall. Jacqueline coughed up blood as a result of her throat getting crushed and she rested on her knees for a few seconds to allow her Teigu to heal the fatal injury while Kahfka unleashed her rage upon the attacker.
"Kalt Grausamkeit!" she bellowed as she enveloped her arm in ice and threw it forward, a massive spear shooting out from it as fast as a bullet and piercing right through the humanoid Teigu's chest.
The sheer force and penetrating power of the spear was so strong it burst out of his back and pinned him to the wall, Kahfka grinning menacingly as she broke her arm out of the ice spear and manifested a sword in her hand.
"It's okay Kahfka, I'm fine." spoke up Jaqueline after she recovered her speech capabilities, Kahfka's anger instantly vanishing.
She nodded and dispersed the ice sword in her hand before going to help her back to her feet so they could both confront the hostile Teigu that had so ruthlessly attacked Jacqueline.
"Dreivas, correct? Why did you attack me?" asked Jacqueline with a scowl as they approached the humanoid Teigu without fear of being attacked again since he was still pinned to the wall.
"You were a strong opponent, my sensors told me this. I wanted to see If they were correct in their assessment." replied Dreivas in a deep, gravelly voice.
"Sensors? Are you not a Biological-type Teigu?" asked Kahfka, since she just noticed that even though she had impaled him with her ice he was secreting blood at all.
"No, I'm not." replied Dreivas before, to their shock, he rammed his fist into the ice spear and shattered it completely, allowing him to drop onto his feet and take in a deep breath.
Kahfka and Jacqueline were both thrown for another loop when, instead of blood and guts, they saw that the Teigu contained no flesh or organs whatsoever. Instead, it was all wiring and machinery that Kahfka had pierced through with her ice, and to make it even more interesting it began to self-repair itself just like a Biological-type Teigu would.
When the hole had been filled and Dreivas stretched himself out to make sure everything was in proper working condition he casually walked over to where he was formerly resting and grabbed his weapon from the rack on the wall.
"I'm a specially created Teigu called a Mechanical-type due to the fact we are entirely machine, but at the same time we have the ability to self-repair ourselves if damaged similar to a Biological-type, if you haven't noticed already." stated Dreivas matter-of-factly, the Teigu's rudeness causing Kahfka to grind her teeth together.
"You said we, does that mean there are more of you?" asked Jacqueline after ignoring his rude remark.
"Yes, but only one other. I can't quite remember its name, however. What I do know though is that it's exceptionally powerful, since it acted as the Emperor's personal guard. Speaking of the Emperor, how is that fool of a ruler?"
Jacqueline glanced over at Kahfka and grinned before she motioned to the vault outside with her hand, "Come, Dreivas, we have much to discuss."
- Fortress Shisuikan -
- Three Hours Later -
The mighty Shisuikan, the fabled impregnable fortress that protected the Imperial Capital from attack by foreign forces. Unfortunately for its reputation, when Budo was killed the fortress was easily overtaken by the Revolutionary Army and transformed into their forward command base to invade the capital. It was a major victory for the revolution as a whole, but its hopes and dreams of toppling the corrupt regime were shot when the new Great General and her newest subordinate laid waste to the forces stationed there, literally staining the fortress walls red.
Afterwards, a special division within the Imperial Military officially named the Surprise and Attack Division that was given the nickname "Hellraisers" for their tactics that blend overwhelming power with guerrilla warfare, attacking the enemy from all sides with hit and run tactics designed to wear an enemy down little by little until they totally collapse from the pressure.
Their leader was infamously known throughout the Empire for these tactics by many names, most notably being "Devil Hound" and "Hell's Warden", and for his military accomplishments that rival even those of Esdeath he was given the nickname "Supreme Soldier".
But for the last seven months, the Hellraisers have been sitting within the Shisuikan practically doing nothing. Thankfully for them and the Lieutenant Colonel in charge of the special division, however, they were finally given the chance to get back into the action once an officer received a letter from the Imperial Capital.
Only a glance at who the letter was from was enough to give the soldier a hint about the information inside.
"Lieutenant Colonel, you've gotten a message from the Great General." spoke the man when he walked into an office situated at the top of the highest tower of the fortress.
Standing before a set of floor-to-ceiling glass panels with his arms behind his back was the Lieutenant Colonel himself, his posture and the very air around him radiating absolute authority.
Those who have met and fought alongside him would know why he earned the nickname "Supreme Soldier". He demanded the utmost respect from the men beneath him, but he was also fair and just, reprimanding then when they needed it and congratulating them upon success. He was charismatic and inspired great courage among his men, desiring to lead them from the front lines instead of behind like a coward.
On the battlefield against his enemies, however...it was a completely different story.
When presented with a mission, the Lieutenant Colonel becomes utterly focused, doing everything in his power to ensure it is completed. It's almost as if he exterminates any emotions, characteristics or education that do not contribute to the swift execution of his duties.
To his enemies, he is a ruthless and vicious opponent in any confrontation. Another factor is due to his various combat achievements across a short yet impressive five year tenure within the Imperial Military, encountering many life-threatening situations and gaining all sorts of wounds and scars as a result, he's become practically immune to the feeling of pain.
The soldier approached the Lieutenant Colonel after saluting and handed over the sealed parchment to him. He grasped it in his hand and opened it up, the soldier waiting patiently a few steps behind him while he read the letter inside top to bottom.
After finishing the Lieutenant Colonel smirked and crumpled up the paper, a sigh escaping his lips. "Seems we'll be heading out to the Western Nations while the Great General takes her army to combat the Eastern Nation's army."
The Lieutenant Colonel strode over to the office desk the room had and picked up a gas mask, his other hand grabbing a flexible oxygen tube hanging from a filtration device he had on a belt he wore over a heavy long coat and connecting it to the mask. He slipped it on over his head and sealed it with a hiss, the next thing he would put on being armored gloves and a bowl-shaped metal helmet.
"Go ahead and send a message back to the Great General. That will be all, soldier." said the Lieutenant Colonel with a heavy breath after adjusting his gloves.
"Yes sir!" responded the soldier before he swiftly left the office.
The Lieutenant Colonel, after a few minutes of making sure the filtration device was working properly he walked over to the room exit and bent down slightly, his fingers wrapping tightly around the handle of a spear-type weapon leaning against the doorframe.
"I wonder how the flames of war will change this time around…" he thought with a chuckle before he left the office to inform his men of their departure.
It was going to be a long journey for them all, and he wanted to get there as quickly as possible.