Title: From a Mob to a Warlord
WARNING! Gore and Graphic Description Ahead. Please be advised.
He ran away from home to free himself of a disgusting future of getting wed to a woman more five times his age. To then get thrown to the grinder of the frontlines of war and possibly die, where his 'wife' will get his military pension to squander, and marry another unwitting boy, and for the vicious cycle to continue.
He said fuck off to that future, and with the blessings from his family, he sought to take advantage of the knowledge of getting this shitty otome game world's cheat items to live a comfortable life. He succeeded and gained Luxion and the lost technology kept in that abandoned sky island. He had to reign in the genocidal AI though, cuz it was more than ready to commit war crimes on the New Humans.
With him confident of slapping Zola's face with his accumulated wealth, he can now sigh in relief that he won't get such a dim future. All things went wrong when he saw smoke rising from the Bartford sky island barony.
From there he saw something that filled him with anxiety: sky pirates had taken over the island, with a few captured prisoners being abused. He had Luxion deploy stealth drones to search for his family. What he found filled him with despair. In a macabre display of an altar, he found his family morbidly exhibited.
His youngest brother, Collin, the one who idolized and believed in him the most had his limbs contorted in ways that it shouldn't bend, his entrails left out for scavengers to pick at.
His youngest sister, Finley, the brat that she was, but still clung to him cutely to get what she wants. Her limbs were chopped off, nowhere to be seen, with her face nearly indistinguishable if he didn't recognize her prized hair.
His eldest brother, Nicks, who was always exasperated with his antics, but always made sure to cover up for him. He was now nothing but a melted carcass, his skin suffering horrible burns with his bones showing in some places.
His mother, Luce, who always accepted and tried to understand him even though he was definitely a weird child. She was the one the most recognizable, by virtue of a slit throat, with one pirate violating her unresponsive corpse.
His father, Balcus, the head of the family that always shielded them from Zola's machinations. Tears of blood ran down her cheeks, as he was propped up a stake going through from his groin and exiting out his chest.
His new family, in this new world… who accepted him for all his faults. Even in death, this pirates scum did not give his family peace.
"Luxion." He called, his voice sounding very unfamiliar to him. But he can't bring himself to care.
"Yes, master." An orb shimmered to existence beside him, its 'eye' glowing dispassionately as it observed the image being shown by the drone.
"Scan the island. Search for any survivors and mark them as neutrals." He commanded as he walked the path to reach the 'altar'.
"Scanning… Complete. Thirty four civilians marked as survivors." Luxion reported, probably already deploying all its available drones.
That halted his steps. There were quite a lot still alive. "Very well." Leon acknowledged, before continuing his march, then gave out his next command. "Protect the survivors, round up all the pirate ringleaders and then…"
"Let no other life exist in this island."
Luxion fell silent before its eye glowed brighter, more ominous. "With pleasure, commandant."
"Commandant, we currently have nine pirate leaders and lieutenants in custody. We have also rounded up all survivors. My drones are currently guarding them. Awaiting your next orders." Leon paused from the last grave he had dug up for his family. Located near the edge of the island, the sun would always shine for all the time it would be present in the sky to illuminate their graves.
"Interrogate the leaders, I want a report of what their purpose is, who are their backers, what pirate faction there are, how and where they get their supplies and why they attacked our territory. I want that report as soon as possible, Luxion." He said before keeping the shovel he used and cleaned himself up for a bit. "I'll be visiting the survivors and see what they know."
"Acknowledged, commandant. A drone will be sent shortly with the intelligence you want."
"...know this! Right now, you and I are victims of this cruel fate. Weep! But do not despair. Shout! But channel your fury. There is but one thing to do. Fight! Since no one will get back the things that are yours. Fight! Since no one else will. I shall give to you the weapons to smite our enemy! I shall be the banner against injustice! And together we shall claim what is ours."
"Vengeance!"
"Leon!" "Leon!" "Leon!" "Leon!" "Leon!"
"A most inspired speech, commandant." Leon sighed as he went down the makeshift platform. He saw Luxion waiting for him in a secluded area, waiting to deliver the report he asked for earlier. "I have the intelligence you requested ready for review. It is… most interesting, commandant."
"Show me." Luxion projected a hologram, showing the interrogation details he had got. The more Leon read, the more he could not hold himself back. "Is this verified?" He asked sharply. Luxion bobbed to signify a nod.
"Hah!" He barked a short scoff. "Zola, you truly dare?" His anger simmered, boiling his blood hotly to the point he thought he'd lash out.
"Your orders, commandant?" Luxion asked patiently, observing him with a certain impassiveness. But there was no hiding his glee in committing the next massacre.
He calmed his breathing and let his rage cool from boiling to a smolder. It would not do to go crazy here, when he had a target in mind now.
"We are not yet ready, Luxion." He stated a matter-of-factly. They truly were not. His current resources were the few hundred drones and the one starship Luxion has that are operational, a few skyship plundered from the pirate scum, and the the survivors of this attack. Even if he wanted nothing more than to do so, he does not have the power to wage a kingdom spanning war. Yet.
"Luxion, prepare more drones, and gather intelligence on all the nobles and persons of interest. I want simulators and the survivors trained for Armor and infantry combat. Have them fully equipped and not found wanting." He declared as he plotted the near future. "They shall be the core force of what our group will be."
"And what shall the group be?" Luxion asked as it bobbed in acknowledgement.
"Luxion, I have learned something this day. That this world is not just a game of data and pixels. That this world is not only unfair, but it is also cruel. The weak shall be trampled by the strong. And so, I declare, on this day…"
"We shall be the sword against evil. The might that would cow the corrupt. The voice of the poor, the downtrodden. The force that brings balance in this shitty world. We are Equilibrium."
Mylene read the report that was brought to her attention. A group of ragtag mercenaries that focus on hunting sky pirated with prejudice. They were a sizeable force, but not a major threat. They were not even a minor one.
The report was only brought to her attention because the mercenary group was stirring up the area near the Principality of Fanoss, which was home to the sky pirate fleets that roam the kingdom. She checked the report and the mercenary group, but it seems that everything is aboveboard about them, and they are not some hidden military force of some noble to stir up some chaos.
Mylene set aside the report for further review later. That report was later covered by the multiple reports that she went through that week and was promptly forgotten due to her hectic schedule and paperworks.
A few feet above her a translucent figure observed with a meticulous and impassive gaze.
Marie was living the life. He had the five capture targets eating out of the palm of her hand. It was way too easy, as her experience as a cabaret working had her manipulate to her heart's content these inexperienced rich heirs.
"-ms that Fanoss had gotten into trouble lately." Jilk stated as he read up on a letter marked with his family's seal.
"Hm? What happened?" Marie asked in interest, sitting beside Jilk demurely to pay attention. Fanoss? That's the guys who are supposed to summon the final boss for the first and third game of the series.
The green haired heir's face lit up as he cleared his throat before explaining. "Well, it seems the Principality recently invited the upstart mercenary group that was famed for hunting sky pirates under their wing." Jilk continued in a lecturing tone. "But it seems that the mercenaries were better than they were thought to be as they captured the Principality's capital and hold the two princesses hostage. The Black Knight is currently mustering a military force to siege the capital."
"Talk about the dog biting the owner's hand. That's the correct expression right?" Greg said, trying to appear cultured. Brad then insulted him for trying to be what he is not and they bickered heartily.
But Marie's attention was not on them. No, this news raised her alarms. Events this big should have been mentioned in the game, especially about the place where the final boss will come from. Is this the butterfly effect at work due to her own actions? She bit her nail, thinking up solutions and how this will affect her future.
"-rie, are you okay?" Julius asked, concern visible on his face, holding her shoulders.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just worried because of all the fighting." Marie did not forget to appeal her peaceful nature to them.
"Don't worry! I'll be here to protect you!"
"And I!"
"Hmph, there's nothing to fear. My sword is sworn for you."
Marie smiled cutely as they tried to one up each other, while being anxious about this new story that unfolds beyond the script.
Roland Rapha Holfort was not having a good day. Right now, he had to conduct an emergency audience to receive the topic of their neighbor's latest fiasco, and possibly the worst crisis the kingdom has ever faced.
"Hail to the splendid sun of Holfort, your Majesty the King. I am Leon fou Bartfort, Marshal of the military task force Equilibrium and an envoy of the Principality of Fanoss." The young man bowed gracefully, low enough to denote respect but not subservience.
"Well met. This king greets you." He declared, all the while observing the Leon. He was young. About the same age as his son Julius, but where his son still has traces of innocence, the man before him was all angular like a sharpened blade. This was no mere boy before him. But a man who had raised up a mercenary group to capture and subsequently take control of their bitter rivals, the Fanossians, under his iron fist.
He let his gaze wander towards Leon's… entourage. They were men and women fit for any elite force, wearing form fitting uniforms with metallic attachments. They do not bear weapons, as it was surrendered before the audience with the king but… he feels that it would not hinder them that much should combat happen at this very moment.
"Bartfort? Are you perhaps from the former barony of our kingdom?" Marquis Malcolm fou Frampton asked while twirling his mustache.
He did not know what happened. For a split second, his battle senses screamed certain death for him, only for the moment to pass. He could feel the cold sweat making his clothes clammy and uncomfortable. He checked the surroundings and found that he was not the only one affected. His nobles were also paling, with some hyperventilating. Mylene was not doing any better, her fists clenched so hard on her dress wrinkling it.
"That is correct, Lord Marquis." Bartfort smiled tightly, no mirth in his eyes. "I am the last of my line, for my family found deaths in our land after being razed by sky pirates." He said dispassionately, with simmering anger notable in his tone.
"It is also why I am here seeking audience with your Majesty." Leon turned his eyes back to Roland, before inclining his head. "I wish to seek your aid in rooting out the root cause for the destruction of my family. The organization named Forest of Ladies, of which my 'step-mother' Zola Fou Bartford," he spat the word, as if he found it distasteful to even speak of it, "is a part of. She had masterminded the attacks on our land, together with the Forest of Ladies, while employing sky pirates as their proxy to profit off of."
Leon's apathetic eyes gained a spark of something malicious as he revealed his intentions. "I wish to gain custody of this group, and bring to justice their machinations." He bowed low, lower than what was required of him, as an envoy of another country. "Please grant me this, your Majesty. Allow righteousness for those who suffered in their hands that day."
"Those are nobles and ladies of nobility that you are targeting, marshal." He stated, before leaning back on his seat, looking down on Leon.
"I know, you Majesty." Leon said, all the while keeping his head bowed.
"And? What if this king does not allow you?" Roland asked haughtily, feeling up to play with this young man. "What then, marshal?" He smirked.
Suddenly, dread crawled up his spine as a chill like never before invaded his very being. He watched with trepidation as Leon fou Bartford slowly stood up from his bow, with dead eyes looking straight to the king.
"There will be no more 'then', your Majesty."
Oh, crap.
"Mr. Leon! This is not right! Your anger consumes you too much! This is not the right way to live!" Olivia shouted during the lull after the skirmish. Leon faced them, wearing his mercenary's signature pseudo-Armor. It was an intimidating sight, facing the man that brought to heel the Kingdom of Holfort and Principality of Fanoss.
"I'm afraid it is already too late, Miss Olivia." Leon said quietly, while his face rippled with regret. "For this land to prosper, the corrupt must be excised like the parasite they are."
"Even if it ends with so much death!?" Her heart hurt for the young man that suffered so much, so young. Still, she feels she already know his answer. And so, with all her might, she gathered magical energy to face Leon once and for all.
"Even so. I will do what I must." Leon declared as his helmet's visor went down to cover his eyes. "For the people who believed our cause. For the people who sacrificed their lives for me to reach this place."
"I will stop you."
"Please do, Ms. Livia. Because I do not know if I can stop if you don't."
A/N: Hello, and welcome to the third installment of my brainworm for MobuSeka. I always felt that the Holfortan politics could have been expanded more, but the arc was rushed too much for me.
1. First off, sorry for the graphic description during the start, but I believe it to be needed to give Leon trauma to keep pushing for his cause.
2. Leon gained Luxion a year earlier than canon, thus he was able to amass a potent 'mercenary' group all the while flying under everyone's radar.
3. Fanoss tried to subvert Leon to their cause, but he finds out the other Fanossian noble's shenanigans.
3a. Not shown here is Hertrude and Hertrauda converting to Leon's cause, later falling for him. They would be instrumental to his fight against Holfort.
3b. Also not shown in is the showdown between Vandel and Leon. Vandel approves Leon's cause, and 'curses' him to continue to the bitter end.
4. As always, Roland stir shit up that he will not be able to clean up.
5. At the end, Olivia assumes the Saintess title, and with her to rally upon, is the last resistance to Leon before he employs his Scorched Earth.
6. Jenna? Well now, I wonder where she is...