A/N Yes, just how powerful is the Inquisitor...that is a question that will be answered in time. Right now, what we have to worry about is just what will the Jaegers do upon making landfall. And what of Magress, the mysterious armored character who has become a thorn in the side of the Empire? I wonder who he is, and what his volitions are? Also, on another note, the Mechanical-type Teigu Nature's Wrath: Dreivas, introduced last chapter, has been put up on the wiki. Go and check him out when you get a chance. Leave a fav and review.
Chapter 25 - Westward Bound
"There it is...the Eastern Coast of the Empire."
Tatsumi and Esdeath's expressions soured when the clouds parted and they both had a clear line of sight on the approaching coastline they had fled from seven months prior. They weren't disgruntled about this fact, however...it was because the Empire had known they were coming and had taken the precautionary steps to prepare for their arrival. The beach had been terraformed to allow for the construction of anti-troop defenses such as barbed wire and trenches had been dug into the dirt resting where the treeline of the forest bordering the beach had once been.
They had even called in the entire Imperial Navy to act as a buffer and first line of defense against the approaching enemy, and they had taken the extra measure to add on extra armor plating to the wooden ships to protect themselves.
They however weren't going to deal with just ground troops. The Empire had no idea just how powerful the Kingdom of Straelka's military was, and they would be contesting with the full might of the Royal Air Suppression Forces and the armored tanks that would be storming the beaches alongside their human companions.
"Captain, give the order to the rest of the airships to raise their altitudes and climb above the cloud layer. When you're done with that, establish a line of communications with the ground forces to tell us when we are directly over the enemy forces." spoke Camilla with authority, the Airship Captain nodding as he reached for a microphone.
He spoke quickly and clearly into the device and a few moments later the entire bridge lurched upwards when the airship began to ascend into the dark grey clouds blanketing the entire coast. When their massive hulls were completely hidden they slowed to a crawl and continued moving forward, the captain maintaining a line to one of the transport ships down below in order to know how close they were to their targets.
"Fifty meters to target." spoke a voice through the microphone, the captain giving the order to the other crew members within the bridge to open the bomb bay doors.
"What are you going to do?" asked Wave, Camilla glancing back at him over her shoulder and winking.
"Just wait and see."
Wave looked down at Chelsea and when she shrugged he sighed and settled on doing exactly what the Princess had said. Another few passed and the voice informed the captain that the airships were twenty meters to their target, which some were already beginning to assume would be the Imperial Navy.
"Airship fleet, you are directly over the target zone. You may attack when ready. Once the initial bombardment has been completed, we will begin our assault on the beach."
"Roger. Commencing thunder now. Drop ten bombs each, then close bay doors!" ordered the Airship Captain to their allies, the other R.A.S.F airships opening their bomb bay doors.
Down on the beaches, the Imperial soldiers holed up in their trenches with either their rifles or their spears and swords were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the enemy force they had been sent here to fight against. They could clearly see the massive fleet approaching the coast, and the sheer amount of ships coming their way was making them shake in their boots.
They had no idea that hell was going to rain down on them from above. Slowly they began to hear a slight whistling noise, and as the seconds ticked by the sound got louder and louder. Some looked at one another in utter confusion, but it became pretty clear what the source was when a massive explosion of fire and smoke encompass a portion of the beach, eradicating their defenses and incinerating any soldiers caught in the blast.
Soon the entire beach was set ablaze by the firebombs dropped from the hidden airships hovering above, the Imperial soldiers incapable of doing anything to combat or protect themselves from them. It was a total slaughter, and once the heavily armored transport ships of the Royal Navy got close they attacked the Imperial Navy by ramming into their ships with their pointed bows.
Their weak wooden frames even with the extra protection couldn't withstand the sheer power of their iron warships and easily broke away, allowing the Royal Navy to pierce through their lines and reach the beach to begin unloading their troops when the aerial bombardment stopped.
When the explosions stopped Camilla ordered the Airship Captain to bring the craft back down from the clouds with the rest of the airships. Now with a clear view over the entire beach, Tatsumi, Esdeath and the rest of the Jaegers had a front row seat to the carnage their firebombs had caused.
"Holy shit…" murmured Tatsumi in total shock as he looked down at the blackened and charred sand of the beach below, the defenses the Empire had built turned to dust.
"Such destructive power. I never would've imagined another nation would be able to construct weapons like this." murmured Esdeath, who was awed by the display of military strength.
"Come on guys, let's get you down to the ground." said Camilla with a smile as she turned away from the windows and walked out of the bridge, Solomon and the Jaegers following her.
She took them through the interior of the airship and down a few flights of stairs until they arrived down in the last place they would expect a way down to be. The doors slid open and Camilla strided into the bomb bay, a smile on her face while the Jaegers developed worrisome looks at the sight of the bombs hanging above them on mechanized racks. She noticed their apprehension and she laughed after walking over to a lever jutting out of the ground.
"Don't worry, the bombs don't activate until they're dropped, so we're perfectly fine in here."
"But why are we in here?" asked Chelsea.
"Each airship also comes equipped with a rapid-descent rappel system in case the crew needs to get out quickly. Here we'll use it to get you guys to the ground." stated Solomon before he walked over to where Camilla stood and wrapped an arm around her.
"Wait, you're not coming with us? Why?"
"No, I'm going to stay with Camilla if that's okay with you all. Since Wilhelm isn't here I'm the most viable replacement for him. However I did take the liberty of making these for you." he replied before tossing a large satchel over to them.
Tatsumi caught it and opened the flap to see its contents, Esdeath, Wave, Run and Chelsea looking over his shoulder to get a glimpse as well. There were at least ten corked bottles of a dark red liquid inside, and once Esdeath pulled one out and looked at it more closely did they realize what it was.
The red liquid was in fact Solomon's phoenix blood, the very same blood he used to fix Wave's broken back and completely regenerate Najenda's lost arm and eye.
When Tatsumi looked back at Solomon with a look of surprise on his face, Solomon chuckled, "Take them and keep them safe. It may be a little morbid, but I had a bad feeling you'll be needing them."
"Thank you."
Tatsumi slung the satchel over his shoulder and he gave a nod to Camilla for her to open the bomb bay doors, the Princess grabbing the release lever and pulling it. A rush of air swept inside when the large metal doors separated and they approached the edge, seeing that the airship was close enough to the ground that it wouldn't be a long trip down. A secondary machine lowered itself down from the ceiling after a bomb rack moved aside and with five loud shots of compressed steam, a steel cable for each of them was launched down at the beach.
Once Solomon confirmed that the cables at imbedded their sharpened tips into the sandy ground he gave a thumbs up to Camilla, who went to a control panel built into the floor next to the lever and pressed a series of buttons. Esdeath looked up and saw five winches roll down the cables and come to a halt at their height, each possessing two handles for a person to hold on to.
"Please keep your hands and feet in at all times! I hope you enjoy the ride!" said Solomon with a grin as they grabbed onto the handles and held on tightly.
Wave jumped off the edge first and the locking mechanism on the winch gave away, allowing for the wheels to slide down the cable and carry him down to the ground. The rest of the Jaegers followed him down and the air rushed past their faces as they rapidly descended towards the beach. When they neared the ground they braced themselves and hit the sand with both feet, the impact jarring them slightly, but otherwise they were completely fine.
"Well, that was certainly interesting." said Run as he dusted himself off, Chelsea pushing aside some loose strands of her hair back behind her ear.
"So, where to now?" she asked before a line of Straelkan soldiers joined by several caterpillar tanks moved past them.
"We need to find Najenda and the others, first and foremost. Then, after we meet up with them, I suggest we head to the Western Nations first to try and see if we can free them from their plight. If we're going to take on the capital with Jacqueline as the Great General, we're gonna need all the help we can get." said Tatsumi, Esdeath nodding in agreement as she adjusted her rapier sheath and belt.
"Most definitely. Najenda and Night Raid will know everything that's happened in the seven months we were gone, so it's imperative we find them first."
Before they could act and begin their search however, a familiar presence made itself known and they all turned to the tree line when a flash of blonde emerged from the leaves.
"Thankfully, you guys won't have to." said the owner of the blonde hair as she stepped out from behind a tree.
"Leone!" exclaimed Chelsea happily while the lioness of Night Raid walked down to the beach to meet them, Tatsumi grinning at the sight of his friend.
He shared a quick hug with her, Esdeath doing the same, before he asked, "Where's everyone else?"
"I'll take you to them." replied Leone with a grin before turning towards the forest, the Jaegers following behind her.
"We would've all come, but it was too dangerous."
"What do you mean by that?" asked Wave.
Leone dropped her grin and her entire demeanor changed, the Jaeger's question bringing up another side of her that she was hoping to keep under wraps until they had arrived at their destination. She glanced back over her shoulder at them and sighed, her reaction already telling them that all had not been well.
"It hasn't been so great while you guys were gone. Actually, the state of the Empire has gotten worse. Jacqueline's grip on the military and the nation as a whole is forcing us to stay in the shadows all the time, since she has eyes and ears everywhere. That's why there were Imperial soldiers dug in here."
"She knew that were were coming. That means there was someone else beside that scientist who was there in Straelka." said Run after putting the pieces together, Leone nodding.
"Exactly. And I already suspect that there was someone here who watched the entire attack and confirmed your arrival. They would already have left by now too, so we don't have much time. Come on."
- Imperial Training Grounds, Imperial Capital -
- The Next Day, 12:34 p.m -
Jacqueline and Kahfka had been at the Imperial Training ground for the past week and a half, personally guiding the training of her army, formerly Esdeath's army, to become an even more formidable fighting force then before. There were those who proved to be unable to exceed her expectations and died during the grueling training practices she put into them, but they were few in number.
As a whole, she was pleased with the results of their efforts and, as a reward, she was on her way to present her assembled soldiers something *special.
"So what are you going to give them?" asked Kahfka as they rounded a corner inside the training grounds' storage facility and auxiliary barracks on their way to the training field.
Jacqueline smirked a little as she flipped back a lock of hair. "You'll have to wait and see."
"No fair, I want to know now." replied Kahfka with a huff, her pouty expression causing Jacqueline to giggle.
She stopped and turned around to place a finger up against Kahfka's lips, the former assassin's eyes widening in surprise.
"Give me attitude like that again and you won't receive your reward for helping me tonight." she said with a mischievous grin and a wink.
Kahfka nodded her head and she removed her finger, the pair resuming their stroll to the training field where the Inquisitor had gathered her army and had ordered them to wait for her arrival. They emerged out from the building and were met by the Inquisitor himself, who led them to the training field.
Her army remained dead silent as she made her way to the front of their lines and came to an abrupt halt, turning briskly towards them and observing them intently. Kahfka and the Inquisitor stood on either side of her with their hands behind their back and waited for her to start talking along with the rest of the soldiers standing before her.
"Well, it's been a long and difficult week and half, but I think you are all finally ready. You've met and exceeded my expectations, which only solidifies your reputation as Esdeath's former army. As a token of my appreciation, you will all receive new uniforms and weapons courtesy of myself and the Prime Minister." she announced with a smile, her soldiers developing shocked expressions as they whispered among themselves excitedly.
"All I ask from you is this...when you see your former General on the field of battle, do not show fear or apprehension. Do not show empathy. She is a traitor to the Empire and will be treated as such, so I expect all of you to fight her without hesitation. Understood?"
"Yes Ma'am!" they replied in unison, the Great General's evil smile widening at their response.
The Inquisitor raised a hand and snapped his fingers, a few moments passing before several Imperial Guards leading horse-drawn carriages appeared, each with large crates filled to the brim with her army's new equipment. The new uniforms they were getting had been constructed out of a lightweight yet highly durable thread that was strong enough to stop bullets in their testing, and instead of the light grey color the typical Imperial Army soldier's uniform had, these were colored pitch black. The helmets were also made of a stronger material then their previous ones and also possessed a more devilish appearance, with horns emerging out from the top and small fangs protruding from front edge.
With her job done, Jacqueline instructed the Inquisitor to remain and direct the distribution of the new gear to her soldiers while she and Kahfka would return to the Reconditioning Department to finish up final preparations before they would leave to meet the Straelkan army head-on. However, that wasn't the *only reason they were leaving, even the Inquisitor knew that. But he didn't say anything and instead bid them farewell before returning his attention to the task at hand, Jacqueline and Kahfka taking their leave afterwards.
It took them under ten minutes to return to the Reconditioning Department and they descended back into the domain of torture, Jacqueline's influence on Kahkfa transforming her to the point the screams of agony of the people unfortunate enough to end up inside sounded like music to her ears.
"I'm going to take a shower, if that's okay with you. I don't want to wait until I get back to my apartment." said Kahfka as soon as she walked through the door into Jacqueline's personal chamber, the Great General nodding before she directed her to where the shower was located in the wall.
Jacqueline opened another portion of the wall that opened up into a bedroom where she would sleep and waited for a few seconds, the sound of the shower turning on telling her that Kahfka had just stepped inside. That was when a devilish grin spread across her face and she quickly scurried around, getting the room ready for when Kahfka would eventually walk in. Five minutes passed by and the shower turned off, Kahfka walking out from the tiled enclosure whilst drying her hair with a towel.
She saw the other opening and strolled over, peering inside and freezing in shock at what she saw.
"Hello, Kahfka, come in." spoke Jacqueline from her position on the bed, Kahfka blinking a few times to make sure what she was seeing was real.
Jacqueline was sitting on the bed with her legs folded up beneath her and her arms resting in her lap, but the shocking part was that she was completely naked save for a couple of large ribbons wrapped around her covering the important areas. And even though she had already seen her lover stark naked, the way she was dressed right now was causing her body to feel hot and bothered.
"Well, aren't you going to come receive your reward…?" asked Jacqueline lustfully as she beckoned her over with her finger.
Kahfka's cheeks turned bright red before she slowly walked over to the bed and climbed onto the sheets, Jacqueline lowering herself onto her back to give her unrestricted access. Kahfka reached for the knot holding the ribbons together tightly over her breasts and pulled lightly, the fabric loosening and coming apart until finally it came undone and freed them from their confinement. From there the rest of the ribbons came off without any problems and Kahfka tossed them to the side, their purpose now fulfilled.
Jacqueline gasped when she started to flick her tongue softly over her left nipple and play with the other, a smile appearing soon afterwards.
"Do you like your reward?" she asked, Kahfka pausing for a moment to look up and smile.
"It's been a week and a half since we last had time like this to ourselves...so of course I do." she replied before she kissed Jacqueline, their tongues swirling around each other and mixing their saliva together.
The Great General decided that she wasn't going to allow her lover to have all the fun any longer, so while Kahfka was still preoccupied with their kids she slipped her hand underneath her and feel her way to her legs, her index finger and ring finger doing the job of spreading apart the lips of her sex so that she could slide her middle finger in without any resistance.
Kahfka moaned and split her lips from Jacqueline's, the feeling of her finger massaging her inner walls causing her mind to go blank.
"No...I have an idea…" she said through heavy breaths before picking herself up and maneuvering turning herself around.
The bed depressed around Jacqueline's neck when Kahfka placed her knees just above her shoulders and she was left gazing in awe up at Kahfka's wet sex, which was hovering just a few inches above her face.
"Please…" she pleaded as she lowered her hips down and gasped when she felt Jacqueline's breath against her folds.
"You naughty girl…" murmured Jacqueline with a smile before she leaned up and lightly ran her tongue along her entrance.
Kahfka bit her her lip and suppressed a moan as chills went up and down her spine, the unorthodox feeling of pleasure opening up a whole new world to her. Jacqueline licked her again and she clenched her fists, a tiny squeal escaping past her lips. Her eyes looked down and she saw Jacqueline spread her own legs apart beneath her as if she was inviting her to do the same thing.
"Do it to me too..." said Jacqueline to answer her unasked question before she stuck her tongue out and wriggled it past her folds, drenching her insides with her saliva.
"Fuck…that feels...so good…" moaned Kahfka before she too leaned forward and pressed her lips against Jacqueline's sopping wet private area to kiss it.
She gasped and let out a moan, Kahfka continuing on with her tongue past her entrance and feeling all throughout her insides. Her exploration was sending waves of pleasure coursing through Jacqueline's veins, which in turn spurred her on to do the same to Kahfka and make it even more intense for her. Their passion and love for one another was what drove them, the bond they shared unbreakable.
This is what would allow them to be a nigh unstoppable fighting force on the battlefield.
- Southern Lands of the Empire -
- Six Hours Later -
"It's over here, follow me!" exclaimed Leone as she directed her horse around a large rocky outcropping, the Jaegers following close behind her since to their right they had a steep cliff face and on their left was a sheer drop that easily surpassed a thousand feet.
"I think I'm going to be sick…" muttered Wave after he looked over the edge and held back some bile, Chelsea grinning at his reaction.
"Stop being such a wuss." she said, her response causing the former sailor to glare back at her and slip her the finger when no one was looking.
"So why such a remote location Leone?" asked Tatsumi as he observed the surrounding landscape for a few moments before figuring out the answer for himself. "Oh wait, duh, being assassins and enemies of the Empire kinda calls for it."
"Yeah...anyways how was it in the Eastern Nation? Anything interesting happen?" asked Leone after they had all traversed the perilous bend.
"Well, it was quite pleasant actually. Turns out Solomon used to live there and he was, quote unquote "friends" with the Princess, and we got to stay in the Royal Palace there. Oh, and also someone tried to assassinate us too." stated Run casually, Leone's head wrenching back over her shoulder with a look of shock on her face.
"Wait, what?! Seriously?"
"It was the scientist there, name was Anton. He was sent there by Jacqueline to kill us in our sleep." said Esdeath with a growl. "If that bastard had laid even a finger on Lucena I swear…"
"Lucena? Who's that?" asked Leone, Tatsumi looking at the confusion on her face and chuckling.
"It's our daughter, Leone. I gave birth to a girl, and we named her Lucena." said Esdeath happily, Leone's eyes widening as a grin made its presence known.
"Let me tell you, Leone, she has got to be the most cutest thing ever." began Chelsea as she moved her horse up next to Leone's and started to rant about Lucena and how she got to care for her.
A few minutes passed by and Leone stopped her conversation with Chelsea about Lucena when they came to a large cave opening, the lioness bringing her horse to a halt and dismounting the animal. The Jaegers followed suit and they were led by the Night Raid member into the cave until they arrived at a large pair of doors built into the wall of the cavern.
"This is a secret base the Revolutionary Army built a while back before they abandoned and left it to us so they could take the rest of the Path of Peace to their main headquarters deep within the Southern Territories near the border." she explained before knocking on the door four times, a moment of silence passing by before they opened.
"Well it took you long enough." stated Lubbock with a smirk as he stepped into the doorway and leaned up against the door, Leone rolling her eyes at him. "Hey guys, welcome back."
"Hey Lubbock. Care to let us inside? We have a lot to discuss with Najenda." asked Tatsumi with a nod at his friend, the green-haired assassin stepping aside and holding the door open for them.
"Good luck, she hasn't really been in the best of moods."
"Why's that?" questioned Esdeath, Lubbock glancing at her as he closed the door and locked it tight.
"Well, for starters, her Teigu, Susanoo...he was killed recently. When we were inside the Imperial Capital, we ended up getting caught and even though Najenda used his Trump Card twice, Jacqueline was able to destroy his core. We barely got away with our lives."
- Capital Defensive Wall -
- Night Fall -
Jacqueline, Kahfka and the Inquisitor approached the main gates of the Imperial Capital with the seemingly endless columns of her newly equipped soldiers marching in unison behind them. The citizens they had passed by were left utterly speechless at the demonic looking men walking past them, and to be honest they were terrified for the people that would have to fight them. They had no idea though that the people they should be worried about were the three leading the massive army, since their skills combined would be equal in strength to an entire army.
When they arrived at the gate Jacqueline was greeted by an Imperial Soldier she recognized as the man she had sent to the Eastern Coast, and instead of a greeting she was immediately saluted and told of what had occurred there. At first she wasn't surprised at the fact that their forces were decimated by the unrivaled strength of the enemy's military, but when the man told her that the Jaegers were seen among them, her lips curled upward into a smile and she glanced over at the Inquisitor.
"My Inquisitor, your targets have arrived." she stated, the former assassin cracking open an eye and looking at her with a sly grin. "Be a dear and go take care of them for me, will you?"
"Of course, my Mistress. It would be my pleasure." he replied before he gripped the handle for Brahmastra's carrying case tightly and closed his eye again before he leaped up high into the air and up onto the top of the wall.
When he landed her popped his neck and rolled around each of his shoulders, the images of all the Jaegers and members of Night Raid flashing into his mind like a visual novel followed by their strengths and weaknesses.
"I will not fail you, Jacqueline. That is a promise." he thought to himself before he leaped off the wall and disappeared into the forest surrounding the capital.
Jacqueline and Kahfka were about to continue moving out of the city with their army before they both sensed a familiar presence and they looked to the sky, a dark maroon and green blur falling down from above and striking the cobblestone road a few feet away from them. The tall figure stood up to his full height and Jacqueline laid a hand on her hip as he walked over, the grin on her face widening.
"Ah, Dreivas, I was wondering when you would show."
"Shut it, I'm not here to help you two. You both are strong enough without me, so I'm going to help your Inquisitor friend. Farewell." stated the mechanical Teigu harshly before he chased after the Inquisitor, Kahfka glaring at his back as he went with an evil gaze.
"You know, I really despise that...thing." she said with a growl, Jacqueline laughing a little after the Teigu had vanished from view.
"Ah, it's fine. If he gets killed by the Jaegers, it won't be of concern to me. He would've served his purpose."