Now for the first Episode. And according to the polls, Alice is the favored protagonist, which is very convenient considering my plans for this fic.
For a quick recap, this is the bio for the chosen character.
Alice Alcubierre
Age: ~16
Birthday: N/A
Nationality: United States of Liberion
Height: 65 inches
Hair color: Blonde, shoulder length
Cup Size: C
Eye color: Silver
Skin/fur/etc colour: White
Preferred style of clothing: Red sleeveless shirt and green shorts.
Frequently worn jewelry/accessories: Wears an earring on her left ear.
Personality: Adventurous, liberal, hot-blooded, mischievous
Likes: Exploration
Dislikes: Timeouts
Favorite color: Red
STORY
Alice Alcubierre is the only daughter in her family with only a mother. When she discovered psychic abilities, she used her free time to develop her powers to a significant degree. Although she caused a lot of trouble, it's also thanks to her powers that she made a living at an early age to take care of her parents. After they died, she went to the United States as she promised them, under the belief that she'll have an easier living.
When World War II came with the Germanian and Neuroi invasions, that didn't stop Alice from using her money to travel to Europe. In fact, she saw this as an opportunity to use her powers for good, listening to the propaganda denouncing Germania as warmongering collaborators of the Neuroi. She wishes to make it a surprise and thus heads over to Westria to do it.
If Alice is chosen as the main character, Tipler encourages to take a more active approach to the way to further develop her abilities. Therefore, she goes to Eylstadt, where the Germanians are readying for an invasion. By getting there, they plan to sneak into the city of Albringen, unaware that the princess of Eylstadt is on the way.
Alice's psychic abilities specialize in fire, wind, and light.
In any case, here's the episode.
"Princess, wake up."
A man bumped a young woman next to her. He was sitting with another man across from him on a luxurious passenger train. They were right by a corner to ensure no one could see their faces, especially the woman onboard.
Ortfiné Fredericka von Eylstadt, formally known as Finé by those who knew her best, widened her eyes from her bodyguard's nudge. During the long ride, she was in the middle of daydream about her childhood, when she was racing with her dog to a nearby residence. That was the moment she saw her...someone she would never forget in her life.
But there was no more time for daydreaming. As heiress to the Duchy of Eylstadt, she had an unwavering duty and mission. She could not risk putting herself in jeopardy, even when she was in a neutral territory.
As she paid attention to Tobias's signals, she caught a glimpse of the last thing she wanted to see on her trip to Westria.
"Germanian soldiers?" Fine eyed on two men with dark green-colored military uniforms and silver plating. "A random inspection here?"
The two men were holding a photo that had Finé's face without a doubt. The two men were checking the passengers on the train seat by seat.
"You can't do this! This is a neutral country!"
"We're here to investigate a suspicious person who's supposed to be on this train. Please be cooperative."
The soldiers gave a false sense of security as they were doing their best to check everyone's faces, even willing to use force if needed. As the citizens argued with the soldiers, Finé's men signaled that it was time for them to move. Trouble would inevitably come if they remained there.
"Damn those Germanian soldiers. What the hell is the government doing?"
One passenger cursed over the soldiers' presence. As a neutral country, shouldn't even the countries at war respect the rights of those who want nothing to do with it?
The passenger's rant got the soldiers' attention. Before they continued with their search, they spotted three people trying to leave the train.
"You there! Halt!"
The soldiers then went off to pursue their suspects.
In a nearby town, a young girl with blond hair just exited out of a small building. She walked backward out of the front door, waving at staff inside.
"Thanks for the food, goodbye!" Alice Alcubierre waved as she quickly left the building.
"Hold on! Are you sure you want to-"
"Don't worry about! I'm okay, sir! Thank you!"
Alice already caused a bit of ruckus when she butted out of the building with little manners. Her rude behavior got the attention of nearby citizens as she ran from the building. She already got significant attention with her attire, which was not normal. Only those who knew her understood behavior considering where she came.
Within a green fanny pack she wore around her waist, Tipler went was spinning over the oscillating movements of Alice's running. As he attempted to open the top cover off, the joyful Alice held her hand over it, keeping him inside the pack.
"A-A-Al-li-ce-sa-ma-a-a-a-a!"
The little Murlock bounced and impacted repeatedly inside her fanny pack as she ran through the streets of the Westrian town. After running through some blocks, it wasn't long before she reached the outskirts, where all she could see were trees, rivers, mountains, and the sunset up ahead. By the time Alice stopped moving and Tipler was able to get out, the little creature was already left dizzy and speaking gibberish.
"Jeez Tipler, could you be a little more patient? I told you that we'd move quickly as soon as I finished!"
"As I said Alice-sama, I have little patience," Tipler regain his balance annoyingly. "Besides, you were taking so much time eating your food."
"The place was expensive from the start! If they wanted money that badly, I had to make sure that they earned it!"
"And you did so by using your powers to rob the store of their food supply. Someone would figure it out sooner or later that you'd be behind it."
"And how would they figure out that? As long as they don't know I have you know what, it's not like they can build up a case about it. Besides, using my power isn't tiring, you know?"
"I prefer if you put those powers to more use, Alice-sama," Tipler addressed his grievances. "There's no telling and where'll arrive."
"You mean the Vilag?"
That was the name of the threat Tipler warned. Alice couldn't understand it, having little context over what he was explaining. Yet again, she couldn't understand a lot of things, including how she could've gotten her powers in the first place.
"As I said, Alice-sama, the Vilag does not take transgressions lightly. Once they arrive, not only will they come after me, but you as well. And they will never stop hunting you down."
"Not if I can outrun them first!" Alice looked back to see officers patrolling the streets. It was unknown whether or not they were looking for her. "Besides, that what this exercise is for, isn't it?"
"Alice-sama, you shouldn't be so-"
"Hang on!"
At the moment, gusts of wind started swirling around her hands, blinding the little Murlock. The small twisters around her arms later became strong enough that they lifted her off the ground. When she was a significant distance in mid-air, glowing spheres of light emitted at her palms, bursting into powerful flames.
After a few seconds, Alice took off with an instant launch, heading toward the forests of the Westria. As she dodged the first tree at an acute angle, Alice started making twists and turns throughout the forest. As they cruised deeper into the forest, they flew that a path parallel to the nearby railroad tracks.
In a barely lit car, a ventilation opening was kicked inside. Moments later, Finé entered through the hole and into the train's cargo area.
The princess and her guards attempted to outrun their pursuers by heading to the top of the train. The Germanian soldiers followed and a shootout ensued between the two groups. Finé nearly fell off when the train made a turn, throwing her to the side. Thanks to Hermann, she was saved from falling to her death. As Tobias covered them, Finé found the ventilation opening she kicked open. Although there wasn't much light, it has many crates for them to hide in, allowing them to hide for the time being.
As her guards followed close behind, Finé wandered to the back of the car. She couldn't explain why, but she felt some aura emitting in the area, something that recalled memories like that dream she had. This unknown element lured her past the crates and towards a strange container.
The special cargo was isolated from the rest of the crates. The length and size were enough to carry something human her size. Many tubes and containers connected to the tank that built up fog on the little window. Finé wiped the fog, she could only see darkness, which added more to the mystery.
"Princess Fine, what are you doing?"
Hermann approached the princess with Tobias falling not far behind.
"I don't know," Finé answered. "But this coffin piqued my interest for some reason."
Almost too familiar, she thought as she pulled the latches holding the tank together. But what? What was in this thing that attracted her so much?
"That is quite enough, Princess."
Finé and her guards jumped over the dark male voice. Emerging from the shadows, Major Arnold Berkmann approached the princess and her guards with a smug look and pistol in his right hand.
"That there is the personal property of His Majesty."
Hermann used a suitcase to defend Finé as she hid behind the container. Tobias took cover by a few crates stored on the wall of the car.
"Tell me, what's inside? Who exactly is in this coffin?"
"That is classified information, I'm afraid."
Berkmann aimed at Finé's head despite Hermann guarding him. In response, Tobias emerged from the crates fired at Berkmann, only to barely dodge the attack. His attempts to shoot the princess, however, were blocked by Tobias instead.
"Tobias!"
Finé shouted as one of her guards was severely wounded in the chest. The two Germanian soldiers who pursued him came up from behind Berkmann to assist.
"Princess…"
"Don't give up just yet."
Before the men could take the two into custody, the train was shrouded in darkness. Black ash entered through the vents and blinded the Germanian soldiers. Berkmann took cover and covered his mouth to prevent himself from being exposed to enemy fire. Finé found this the perfect opportunity to escape.
"At the end of this tunnel, we'll be crossing the bridge. Hermann, you take care of Tobias for me."
Finé went ahead first by running through the black smoke and toward the large door. The latch was difficult to open and she had to use her full strength to make it budge. In the meantime, Hermann dragged Tobias's body and exchanged fire with the Germanians. The black smoke prevented either side from seeing one another, which meant both sides were firing blind. Hermann and Tobias were unharmed in the Germanians' exchange of fire as the former carried his wounded comrade.
As the train exited the tunnel, from light shone on the vents and blinded the Germanian soldiers. Finé finally opened the door as large gusts of wind blew out of the car. She stared down to see a small river below. She signaled her bodyguard as they made the jump off the train.
As she fell down the river, she turned back to the car where that container was being kept. It was clear that someone, rather than something, was calling to her. Someone desired her company...and her rescue.
"Whoever you are...I'll come back for you...I swear…"
The two Germanian soldiers were too late to arrest the Elystadt visitors as they fell into the river. Both gripped their guns tightly over failing to apprehend their suspects. Berkmann, on the other hand, was very amused by the outcome.
"She's every bit the tomboy they say she is."
With his attention elsewhere, the two Germanian soldiers were to the nearby container. The two has the face of a young girl with unusual red hair."
"Major, who is this girl? And why would she be on the train?"
Berkmann sighed as he pointed his gun at the curious soldiers.
"My, my. Weren't you all listening? This is classified information, belonging to the Emperor himself."
"But sir, we were just following the Princess. We never thought we'd-"
Berkmann fired at on the two soldiers, both of them were shot in the head. As the two men laid dead on the floor, he walked to the open doorway that covered the light on their faces.
"I appreciate your dedication to your job, but you failed to remember that this is a neutral nation. Your actions made our name worse than it is already."
By then, Rickert Bisterfelt walked into the room. Berkmann didn't bother to turn his head, knowing well who was approaching. He instead went to the open door where the princess and her guards jumped out.
"Sir?"
"It looks like the princess of Elystadt is here after all."
"But why would the heir to the Archduke be leaving her homeland now? Is she trying to seek asylum?"
"No, knowing the Archduke, his family would not flee from his country. They'd rather fight to the death and be shot than do that."
"Then…"
"Tell me, Rickert," Berkmann faced his assistant. "Why would the crown princess of a nation, of which fears enemy invasion, make a personal trip to a neutral land?"
That's when it dawned on Rickert.
"Negotiations with the Allies?"
"Yes. Considering their close proximity and home to the Witches nowadays, it's most likely with Britannia."
"Do you think that they'll send Witches over to help?"
"Perhaps. We've been getting abnormal terrorist activity in the homeland as well. Attacks from the Karsland resistance force has risen dramatically."
Rickert pondered over the outcome of the said negotiations. It's true that Britannia was the primary headquarters of the 501st, one of the best military wings of Witches. Relationships with Germania were not good with either Britannia nor such magical girls, which are aware of their current treatment, even without knowing the test subject beside them.
"Now that I think about, Eylstadt is the home of the legendary Weisse Hexe clan, isn't it? Perhaps this is fate?"
"I can't say," Berkmann turned back to the open doorway. "However, if you're willing to put up a fight, you'd better hurry, Princess. Because your home country...may not last for long."
It was already well past evening time in Westria. The night filled the sky and sparkled it with thousands of stars. One the ground, the nearby cities were lit up with the spectacle of electric lights within the houses. The nearby rivers ran quite and the forest's trees blew in the direction of gentle breezes.
Except those breezes weren't gentle for long. Emerging from the forests was Alice, who was still feeling energetic with her powers.
After landing on a big branch, Alice jumped into the air, around a hundred feet above the ground. As she made her descent, she closed her eyes before spinning rapidly, creating strong gusts of wind as she descended. The leaves and sticks on the ground blew into the resulting tornado and drifted out of Alice's path as she glided back very close to the ground. She then dodged a few more trees before encountering the nearby river where she blasted fire forward to slow down.
When she slowed down enough, she touched the ground with her two feet to slow herself down. Her last step was very close to the edge, where she almost fell into the nearby river. It was only then that she took a deep breath from her exercise.
Tipler popped out of her green fanny pack not long after, panting over the adrenaline experience.
"You tired already, little rabbit?"
"I told you, it's Tipler! And don't call me by that name, I'm not a rabbit! I'm a Murlock!" Alice's giggles prompted the frustrated Murlock to sigh. "I knew that there were two choices I could've picked, but why did I ever pick you?"
"Hey, it's not your fault, isn't it? You said that you had two different choices to make and had no idea of the consequences."
"It would've still been better if you had some speck of obedience within you.
"Can't blame me either. I never anticipated you coming along. I was born in a liberal state after all!"
"So you say…"
Tipler went the nearby river with Alice as they splashed themselves with clear water. It was true that the start of his journey was a mere flip of a coin. He was given two different locations when her master set him off but was given no details. The only note her master gave him was that each path had someone with the unchecked power of Psionics.
Psionics...that was the power of the Vilag. It gave them extraordinary power that they can hold for a nearly indefinite amount of time. That power that was so great that went to great lengths to suppress that power in the name of peace. Even then, they wielded so much power that they ruled over and oppressed his kind. It was the ability that made the Murlocks look to them as gods and themselves as their food.
When he took this trip, he was expected to find one of these beings who manifested the power of Psionics. And unlike the Vilag, they could develop them liberally and had no limitations to their power.
That is...if they were able to develop them appropriately, as Alice could attest.
"Alice-sama," Tipler spoke to her psionic girl. "Tell me, are you willing to put your own life on the line?"
Alice spat out a gush of water and choked before answering.
"W-What? What are you talking about!?"
"In this mission, you'll be facing great dangers ahead of you. Chances are you'll have to risk your own life if you want to save the world. If that ever happens, would be willing to accept your fate, even knowing your death is inevitable?"
"What you mean by that, Tipler? When did I ever thought about dying?"
"But if you were-"
"Listen, little rabbit," Alice eyed with an annoyed face. "I have no intention of going down quietly, nor do I insist on dying anyway. I got a lot to live for, so if there's someone trying to kill me, I bash its face right in! I shall live, and live as a free woman, and there's nothing that'll ever change that!"
Tipler sighed once again as he hopped away from the river. Perhaps Alice was still a wild card after all.
"Besides," Alice continued. "I have my Psionics. What could possibly ever go wrong?"
Just when she said that a bright light shone in front of their faces. Alice covered to her eyes to protect them from the glare, but Tipler had no intention of doing that. After starting at it the first time, he was already too paralyzed to anything about it.
"It's…It's…."
"What is it, Tipler?"
"It's...them!"
"What are you talking about? You're saying this is the portal you've come through-"
In the middle of Alice's talk, a giant wolf-like monster jumped out of the portal and straight towards Alice. The Psionic girl dashed out the way with her abilities before landing hard onto the ground. She could already feel the pain coming from her legs due to the rough landing. For the first time, Alice heavily breathed over what looked like a sudden death. It was due to her instincts that she managed to jump away safely.
As the wolf monster made a soft landing, it turned slowly around toward her prey. Apparently, it was not concerned with Alice by any means. Instead, it was focused on Tipler, who was left paralyzed by the monsters, especially their growling.
"Tipler?" Alice called the Murlock as the wolf creature jumped towards him. "Tipler!"
Using her powers, Alice rockets towards the animal before it could reach the helpless bunny creature.
"Have some of this!"
Taking her right hand, she accumulated a conflagration of fire in her fist. Before Tipler could be eaten, she gave the monster a punch in the face, triggering a massive explosion to the being's head. Although it did not blast its head to gore like she expected, it still smashed its jaw and threw it towards a nearby tree before it died with a whimper.
As Alice sighed, she turned to Tipler as he recovered from the paralysis. Alice teased him with a handwave to his face.
"Hey, are you okay?"
"Y-Yes, thank you, Alice-sama."
"My pleasure," Alice then went over to the dead beast. "So...these are the creatures you were talking about, huh?"
"Not exactly. These Hunterbeasts are the Vilag's ground attack dogs. Because they cannot simply kill other people with Psionics, they have others do the hunting and killing for them."
"You sure must be scared of them."
"That because they're a combination of many different animals. The roars of those creatures are so powerful any Murlock beneath freezes upon their arrival. Even when far away, the moment they spot us, there is nothing we can do to move in their presence."
"Well, they sure don't scare me," Alice spoke a half-truth over the encounter. "Attack dogs or not, I'm not letting these things get the best of me!"
"I'm afraid it won't be that easy," Tipler stared back at the gate.
Six more Hunterbeasts then emerged from the same portal. One by one, they went into a formation as they spotted their two targets. The portal closed behind them just after the last one got into position. Alice smirked as she eyed on the pursuing beasts before her.
"Well," Alice took Tipler and stored her in her fanny pack before manifesting wind and flames. "Let's see how hard they hit then!"
The first Hunterbeast leaped forward against the Psionic girl, who responded with an explosion of smoke. The Hunterbeast stopped for a moment to sense where Alice went, taking him upward to the sky. From there, Alice was already preparing her next move at a position they could reach, at least from her perspective.
Alice started by creating small fireballs before throwing them at the giant beasts. The monsters dodged her attacks, although she got lucky with one that impacted a creature's head. The Hunterbeasts responded by hardening their hairs before shooting them like needles into the sky. Alice defended herself with the guts of wind that deflected and circled the shots around her. She then returned fire with a hail of their own needles to fend off her attackers.
As one of the Hunterbeasts got blinded by Alice's attack, she charged in smashed the creature in the face. She didn't realize it the first time, that these beasts had skulls as hard as steel, making her wonder who could make these creatures so strong. It hurt her hand just to kill the thing, but it wasn't so much she had to stop fighting.
As another Hunterbeast attempted to pounce her from behind, she grabbed hold of its paws before manifesting more heat from her hands. As her hands became very hot, the creature was forced to let go before Alice blew it away with a strong gust of wind. She then repelled two more incoming Hunterbeasts by frying one creature's skull with a fireball between the eyes and then uppercutting the other from the underbelly.
As the remaining three Hunterbeasts growled, they fired more spikes toward Alice, causing her to evade the shower of steel prickles. Although they hit nothing vital, the shots that grazed her gave some significant cuts on her skin, causing her to cover her wounds. However, she wasn't going to go down that easily. As the last three Hunterbeasts went for another shower, Alice responded by raising her arms into the air, created that bright flash of light that blinded Tipler and the three creatures around her. With the Hunterbeasts left to cover their eyes with their paws, Alice used the opportunity to attack.
By using her wind powers, she ripped the next shower of needles straight off of the Hunterbeasts' hides before surrounding herself with them. The beasts themselves were pulled forward and were left rolling the backs in pain. Alice then finished it with a large dust devil, using the needles and sharp cuts of wind to repeatedly attack the down creatures in numerous directions. By the time the attack passed, the Hunterbeasts were already a few meters into the air, covered in severe cuts that left them dead a long time ago.
Alice calmed herself the moment she touched the ground. Moments later, Tipler popped out of the bag and found all the monsters dead. His eyes widened over how much power Alice accumulated just by her proclaimed self-learning.
"Huh, didn't think they'd be as tough as this," Alice said to herself before kneeling to the ground. "Of course, it's nothing I can handle."
"Are you okay, Alice-sama?"
"I'm fine...I've dealt with injuries like this before…"
Alice barely maintained consciousness as she held herself up with one hand. Tipler approached to assist her.
"Don't push yourself, Alice-sama. Remember that there'll be more where those came from. If you fall now, there'll be nothing to save the future."
"So, these things really are threatening everyone…"
"Didn't I tell you? You are the key to everyone's future. If you really want to live your life free, then you have to live and get stronger as you progress."
"Guess that's something we can agree with, eh?" Alice calmed down as her wounds started healing. She took a knee and eventually a step. "Okay, I'll play along with you. Besides, I don't intend to go down just like this."
Tipler nodded as Alice still recovered from her wounds. As part of some who came from the Vilag, her Psionic powers and human evolution should give some sort of self-healing abilities. However, the wounds she just received are too much for a quick recovery.
"We should find you a place to rest first. Sleeping here is not a good idea; there could be more Hunterbeasts coming."
"The capital of Westria should be near. Let's start heading there and see what we can find."
"As you say, Alice-sama."
The two then proceeded down the river, unaware that other guests nearby are heading towards the same destination.
Finé and Hermann were also by the river as they treated their wounded comrade dying from his wounds.
"Hang in there, Tobias!"
"Where are you...princess?"
"Don't worry, she right here," Hermann assured.
"I'm here. It's all thanks to you."
"Princess...save...our country."
"I will, even if it costs me my life!"
Just as when Finé made her pledge, it was already too late. Tobias's eyes went white and he eyelids closed down. Hermann shook over the futility of trying to save his life, while Finé held back her tears.
"I can't worry about it now. The meeting with the Britannian ambassador is tomorrow." The princess stood up as she headed to the nearby city. "I'll make it to Albringen, even it kills me. We need to spur the Allies into action!"
Finé then proceeded with Hermann following close behind. She could not afford to turn back now. Her whole country depended on her negotiations with the Allied forces. And for her, the world outright demanded their action.
So that's the first Episode featuring our new protagonist. It's short, I know, but that's how I intended to go with this fic. I want to practice my writing so I don't have to write so much just to not get far with the story.
That said, the next Episode is going to be cut into three parts due to how much of the story I'll have to cover along the way. This'll still remain label an Izetta x Strike Witches story as I go about the first ten or so Episodes.
Either way, hope you enjoyed the read.
