Seeds of Defiance
"I am wearing clothes," Julia declared shamelessly, resting her rapier hand against her cocked hip and flipping her hair with her free hand.
Fion whistled appreciatively. "You know what they say, if you've got it, flaunt it."
"Fion!" Irene squeaked indignantly.
"Less is more," Emmet remarked drily, rolling his eyes.
"Emmet!"
Now that the surprise was wearing off, Irene was probably overreacting, as while Julia's dress was sleeveless, cut quite low, and a bit short on the hem, it wasn't outright scandalous for a more informal occasion, though it clashed a bit with the knee high boots.
"Those are our names, yes," Emmet returned blandly.
"Come now, Irene, don't be such a prude," Julia cajoled with a laugh. "Lady Albarea put a lot of thought into getting me this dress. For her at least."
"I…what?" Irene stuttered. 'That can't be appropriate for a formal introduction, can it?!' "Why are you wearing it now?! That can't be fit for running through sewers, your dress will be ruined!"
Julia shrugged. "The waterways are actually fairly clean, and if it gets too bad it'll be easy to get rid of."
"Julia!"
"What? It's nothing you haven't seen before."
"Juliaaa!"
"Is this what they call a rebellious streak?" Fion wondered.
"Yes." Emmet nodded.
"See, these two get it!" Julia chuckled, before her face hardened. "More seriously, I just didn't have time to change. I assume you are all here for Regnitz too?"
"Yes…wait, Julia!" Irene exclaimed indignantly. "Did you sneak out of a matchmaking meeting?!"
Her friend winced and waved her free hand in a so-so gesture. "Yes and no."
Two hours ago
Julia stifled the urge to sigh as Annika put the finishing touches to her hair. With the sudden schedule change they had decided not to try anything too complicated, settling for a neat updo. Men didn't usually pay that much attention to hair unless it looked particularly unusual anyways.
"You should not worry, my lady," Annika offered in a reassuring tone, "you look elegant and beautiful, as always."
"Like when I was thrown into Lake Ebel?" Julia retorted drily, giving her maid a wry smile in the mirror she was sitting in front. "I certainly do not remember being either of those when that happened.
"Need I remind you that you made quite a few lasting friendships shortly after that, my lady?" Annika pointed out, "so you must have been presentable enough." With a few deft movements, she finished fixing her charge's hair in place. "There we go, all done here."
"Thank you, Annika. Apologies for making you rush."
"That's hardly your fault, Julia," the matronly woman sighed, patting the young woman on the shoulder. "This was all a little sudden."
"Speaking of that, do you know anything about this Rogar Ortenburg?" Julia asked. "Father seemed rather uninterested in telling me anything about him."
"Well," Annika began after a brief 'tsk' of disappointment, "he is the son of Count Ortenburg, who, as you know, rules over the southeastern part of Kreuzen province. From what I have heard, he is a respectable young man, and quite humble, for his station at least."
"That doesn't sound too bad, assuming the rumors are true," Julia mused. "Potentially better than most candidates, actually."
"If it is any consolation, Lord Rogar seemed rather taken aback by this situation as well," Annika continued. "I heard from Saffron that she saw him staying after mass at the Cathedral to pray, looking very pensive."
"Well he reveres Aidios then, it seems," Julia remarked, standing up to get a better look at herself in the mirror.
The dress her stepmother had insisted she wear looked…good, in some respects, accentuating her form and highlighting some of her more charming features (Julia would allow herself a touch of vanity in this circumstance), but it seemed more appropriate for a late night party than meeting a theoretical husband.
"I have heard that he is quite pious," Annika added, giving her charge her own once over. "Which…well…it makes me curious just what Lady Albarea was thinking when she offered her…assistance in this matter."
"Are you suggesting I should have worn a habit, or something of the sort?" Julia joked, prompting her maid to flick her chidingly in the ear.
"Do not not make light of such things," Annika huffed, shaking her head in exasperation. "Still, I think this dress might be a bit…daring for an Ortenburg. I heard they are a bit more conservative than most. I fear it may give the wrong impression."
"Well, Lady Albarea might not be aware of that," Julia suggested sarcastically. "Maybe she just thought it looked good, she can never see enough of me, after all."
Annika pursed her lips, but said nothing. Despite not voicing it aloud, her face showed that she also held a dim view of Lady Albarea's machinations.
"Regardless, you look beautiful, Lady Julia," Annika assured her. It helped more than Julia would like to admit.
There was a knock on the door, probably someone here to inform them that Ortenburg had arrived.
Julia took a deep breath to steady herself. She was cautiously optimistic that this farce would go about as pleasantly as it could, but it was never good to get her hopes up.
A rather stiff, but polite greeting later, during which her guest sent suspicious glances at the numerous soldiers supervising the meeting, Julia found herself alone with Rogar Ortenburg, sitting across a table from him and sipping daintily on the tea Annika prepared.
Of course they weren't truly alone, with the soldiers outside and Annika in the adjacent room listening in for any funny business, but apparently they were private enough her fake suitor felt comfortable going into detail about the problems his family's territory was facing.
Much of their woes had to do with there being no railroad line going through that part of the province and the increase in taxes greatly reducing the amount of merchants willing to move goods into the rural county, which Rogar feared would create a vicious cycle as the lessened economic activity would shrink their budget, thus making it harder to maintain the roads they depended on for external access.
His family's territory had always been remote, lacking access to the Sommerstern river that connected the slightly less remote Legram and Rothbart to the rest of Kreuzen. This river had also been the major reason that the rail line terminated at Lake Ebel, as it was determined that extending the line further was not worth the cost due to the already existing means of travel. The lesser population density and economic power in that area of the province also played a role.
The Ortenburgs had objected to being left out, citing their long and faithful service to the Albarea family, and the Viscount of Legram and Count of Rothbart at the time had supported their neighbor, but were also ignored.
Julia nodded, finding herself listening quite intently, as Rogar appeared to be taking the troubles of his family's territory a bit personally, and must have spoken with a variety of his family's subjects to be able to describe them in this detail.
It was not a strictly inappropriate topic for a meeting such as this, but it was a fairly unorthodox attempt at wooing, though Julia was quite certain that the man was simply nervous, and had defaulted to covering the talking points he had likely prepared to speak with the duke or Rufus about. Despite her family name, Julia did not have the influence to do anything meaningful about these issues, and it was not like she would ever be in charge of the province herself.
"I understand that a rail line would not make the problems we are having go away, but if the current trends continue, then the amount of taxes we collect will decrease and–" Rogar paused, his face slowly turning red as he realized he had been rambling for some time. "I apologize, Lady Julia. I…have wandered off in thought."
Ironically enough, Julia actually felt this was a bit charming, as for once, her suitor wasn't talking about himself or how influential and important his family was.
"There is no need to apologize," she returned, setting down her tea cup and giving him a polite, though genuine smile. "I am impressed that you care so deeply for your home, though I must confess that there is not much that telling me these things can accomplish."
"Ahem…that is very gracious of you," Rogar nodded, looking down at his tea. "But I must apologize for boring you."
So far, he had managed to keep his eyes on her face, or out the window of the tea room, which was quite impressive given how off balance the cut of her dress had made him at first.
"You have not bored me, Lord Rogar," Julia objected. "It was interesting to hear more personal accounts of a topic I only had surface knowledge of previously, though I do admit a part of me started to wonder if you were planning on overthrowing my father and installing me in his place in return for extending the railway."
"I…what?!" Rogar sputtered. "Lady Julia, I would never do that! That is against the principles of nobility!"
"It was a jest," Julia chuckled, "though tell me truthfully, was that speech planned for my father's ears rather than mine?"
Rogar paused, his face calm, but clearly considering his options. "That was indeed part of my purpose in visiting Bareahard," he admitted, "and I had thought I would be meeting with him today, but the gracious duke offered to arrange a meeting between us, which is a great honor I do not feel worthy of, but refusing would have been a grave offense to you and your family."
Julia nodded gracefully, but internally, she frowned. Perhaps it was their relative isolation from the rest of the Empire, but Rogar did not seem to have realized the duke's manipulations for what they were. He probably had promised Rogar a meeting at this time, but used her to get out of it.
Typical.
"That is very flattering of you to say," she replied demurely, "so I will forgive you for the recycling of conversation topics, as it appears my father did not give you adequate time to prepare, if you will forgive my own rushed appearance."
Rogar blinked. "Err…if this is what you look like when rushed, you must rival the Empress herself when prepared." He startled, shaking his head. "Please forgive me, that was too forward of me."
"I appreciate the flattery, but I am nowhere near that impressive," Julia laughed, feeling a bit gratified by what seemed to be a genuine, if a bit over the top compliment.
"Well…that aside, thank you for listening to the problems of our county," Rogar continued sheepishly. "I understand it was likely uninteresting and of little use to you–"
"Now, now," Julia interrupted with a coy smile, "while I lack the power to offer any of the assistance you likely were interested in, that does not mean it was uninteresting to learn more about. And in regards to how much use this information would be…well, that quite depends on the results of this meeting, no?"
Rogar blinked, looking even more flustered. "I…suppose that is true…but I still feel I should apologize for my lack of grace. This was all rather sudden."
"I forgave you the first time, Rogar," Julia huffed, "and while I doubt my father plans on finalizing any arrangements for me anytime soon, there is no reason we cannot be friendly. How about you take a moment and get your thoughts in order?"
Rogar nodded gratefully, taking a deep breath and a sip of tea to sort to steady himself, relieved that he hadn't completely made a mess of the encounter.
Perhaps ironically, he was actually doing fairly well in Julia's eyes. It was evident that he took his duties seriously, and he indeed seemed more humble than his family's title would suggest. Perhaps that was simply understanding how little influence he had outside his family's territory, but that already made him more self aware than many others.
He wouldn't be her first choice for a husband, not that she had made a list or anything, but he seemed like someone who'd she be able to get along with.
Still, it was a bit strange for her father and stepmother to be treating him so flippantly. While the Ortenburgs were less renowned and influential than the other high ranking noble families in Kreuzen's southeast corner, they had been very dependable subjects for generations, so it was a bit odd that the duke would not even bother to entertain their heir.
True, her father quite disliked the pushback against his higher taxes, and sadly, Rogar's request for an exemption was politically quite easy to deny, since he didn't have much to offer that the duke cared about–perhaps he was just using her to distract the young noble so he could avoid directly denying him…
No, now that she had time herself to think, Julia was fairly sure that the rapid shift in schedule had to do with something else. But what could have prompted such a sudden change? What had to be done now and could not wait until evening…
Surely Father would not…no, that would be foolish, even for him.
Eventually, Rogar recovered his composure and the two of them were able to more properly get to know each other, and he continued to prove himself pleasant enough company. He was attentive and polite, and despite being noticeably taken aback by her current attire, he managed not to stare.
He also seemed to have caught on that this was unlikely to be anything meaningful, which actually made him relax a bit. Julia wasn't confident that he took no offense, but he seemed to be understanding enough not to hold something she wasn't responsible for against her.
With the two of them both being aware that the other was getting yanked around by the duke too, they went to chat about frivolous things, like the view of the eastern mountains from Ortenburg or the antics of St. Astraia students, something Rogar listened to with disbelief and morbid fascination.
Their conversation went on this way for a while, the two of them in the awkward situation where both knew the meeting was largely pointless, but neither was actually bothered by the other enough to end it prematurely, and they honestly actually got along rather well.
All in all, it wasn't the worst thing, but they were still expected to interact all the way up through dinner.
Julia paused as something caught her eye when she glanced out the window, which had a commanding view towards the entrance to the manor, and the guardhouse in the distance.
"Is something the matter, Lady Julia?" Rogar asked.
"I am uncertain," Julia replied. "The Provincial Army just does not usually move its armored cars around here."
"Has something happened then?" Rogar wondered, standing and going to the window. "Wait, are they dragging a girl through the streets?!" He gasped. "What on earth?!"
Julia started, springing up and joining her suitor at the window, her eyes widening as they zeroed in on the sight.
"There is no way Regnitz did anything to warrant such a response," she sputtered.
"Regnitz? As in the Imperial Governor?" Rogar asked.
"Yes, that was his daughter," Julia answered. "As hostile to nobles as the average reformist, but too law-abiding to do anything that would justify this."
"It seems an unnecessary amount of force," Rogar observed uncertainly. "Are you certain she did nothing to warrant that?"
"Positively so," Julia declared. "We are in the same class, and were in the city on a field study. She did nothing yesterday that could warrant this…"
"You were on a field study?!" Rogar exclaimed. "Then I must apologize for distracting from your schooling!"
"Blame the duke for that one," Julia dismissed distractedly, a number of things coming together unpleasantly in her head.
"Blame the duke…" Rogar murmured. "Surely he would not be so brazen…"
Oh!
"Damn! He really had no intention of this going anywhere!" Julia hissed under her breath. "He must have arranged this so I could not intervene!"
"Are you certain?" Rogar asked seriously. "Would he do such a shameful thing?"
"He would," Julia affirmed, more candidly than she probably should have, but she was too busy restraining her anger to care.
"Is that why there are an unusual number of guards around your rooms?" her fake suitor asked. "I had thought your father was slightly paranoid about your safety, but now…"
"They are here to keep me here," Julia sighed. "Not that I would run out on you under normal circumstances, you have been more than pleasant so far."
"…If you can stop this injustice, you should go," Rogar declared after a moment. "I will not be an accessory to this outrage."
Julia blinked, staring at the man next to her in surprise. "Really?"
Rogar frowned. "What do you mean? Can you not do something about it?"
"I…might be able to," Julia replied slowly. "I'm just a bit surprised that you are fine with me ditching you. I'll have to slip the guards too."
"We both know this meeting was a sham, as lovely as it was," Rogar sighed. "As for the guards, I will distract them."
Julia quirked an eyebrow at him. "And how do you plan on doing that?"
"Spill my tea on myself and request they show me to the washroom," he replied. "Maybe ask pointless questions about soap. Unfortunately I don't believe I can keep them occupied for long."
"It will have to do," Julia decided. "No time to get to my room to change."
"But–!" Rogar glanced down at her dress before sheepishly averting his eyes. "Is that…appropriate for the situation?"
"Well, Lady Albarea thought it was," Julia shrugged. "Perhaps to make doubly sure I could not interfere with the stunt the duke is pulling."
Rogar's face darkened, and Julia could see genuine anger in his eyes. "Just how much time did you have to prepare?"
"I had about two hours' notice."
"I see…" Rogar muttered. "I will ensure you have the time you need."
He walked back to the table and took his seat again, raising his cup of tea up as if to drink, before twitching his hand and splashing it all over the front of his shirt.
"Oh dear! Let me help you with that!" Julia cried, rushing over and pressing a towelette against Rogar's shirt.
"There is no need to trouble yourself, Lady Julia," Rogar protested, flustered by her sudden proximity. "Please excuse me, I will need to use the washroom."
"Very well then," Julia replied, before leaning closer until her lips were by his ear. "You are the best fake suitor I've ever had," she whispered, smirking slightly as he turned beat red.
Rogar stood up and hurried out of the room, and Julia could hear him talking with the soldiers, who seemed to be close to laughing at him.
Truly, she owed him one. But there was no time.
She slipped out of her heels and strode quietly but purposefully over to the window, sliding it open and stepping out the ledge, closing the window behind her before letting herself down to the ground.
Sneaking around the manor, she collected her weapon and ARCUS unit, which she discreetly had Annika move into a secure spot for "cleaning", before sliding into the boots she'd stashed there previously.
Ah, how nostalgic.
"How adventurous of you," Emmet snorted. "Let's get going then." He turned to walk in the other direction.
"Wait!" Irene cried, still a bit flustered by the situation. "Um…would you like my jacket?"
"No need for that, Irene," Julia chuckled, "I'm fine–"
"Would it actually fit right?" Fion wondered, glancing between the two girls.
'H-hey!'
"Are we going to get Regnitz or not?" Emmet grumbled.
Irene huffed in irritation. "Julia, Emmet, do you know what this means?" Her two classmates gave her a look. "Now is your turn to link together."
"Fine," Emmet sighed. "What are we waiting for?"
Julia rolled her eyes, but made no protest.
"Wait…" Fion started. "Do you even have your ARCUS? I don't see any pockets–"
With an annoyed huff, Julia reached down the front of her dress and pulled her ARCUS out– 'Whaaa?!'
"Oh, guess it would fit there," Fion remarked.
'Fion!'
"Are you ready for the mechanical heart to heart?" Emmet drawled, unfazed.
'Stop acting like this is normal!'
Julia narrowed her eyes at him, pouting slightly. "You're no fun, Emmet."
"Are we going to get linked or not?"
The two of them formed a link, and it held surprisingly strong.
The monsters hadn't slowed them down too much before, but with Julia added to the group, they posed an almost negligible risk.
Emmet and Julia synced better than expected, clearing out groups of monsters with blasts of arts, cycling through the elements to exploit weaknesses and avoid resistance, while Irene and Fion's speed and linked coordination allowed them to throw the foes they encountered off balance long enough for their classmates to cast their arts.
Julia's familiarity with the waterways also showed, leading them quickly through to the necessary gate controls, hastening their pace by a significant margin.
"These might be a pain getting back through," Emmet observed as they waited for another gate to open. "Will they close automatically after a certain amount of time?"
"These gates are old, predating orbal technology," Julia replied, giving her link partner a bemused look. "So they should stay open until the maintenance people find the courage to come back down here, or the monsters get properly cleared out. What made you think they would be able to close on their own?"
"Just being careful," Emmet lied shamelessly, checking over the map. "Looks like we are almost there."
"Yes, there should be a door just around this corner…" Julia trailed off as they reached the end of the hallway. "Damn, it looks like they changed the door."
The door barring their way looked to be solid steel, and there didn't look to have any keyhole on this side.
'There's no way I can cut through that.'
"Can you do the door talking thing to this one, Emmet?" Fion asked.
Emmet frowned. "I don't think so. This one isn't looking friendly."
"…What?" Julia wondered flatly, her gaze flicking inquisitively to Irene, who simply smiled awkwardly.
"I could try burning through it," Emmet suggested.
"That'd take too long," Fion pointed out. "Step back, I'll breach it."
"I am not trusting one of Elisha's bombs in an enclosed space that I am also in," Emmet drawled skeptically.
"Not one of his," Fion shot back. "Shaped charge, we'll be fine."
'How does he have something like that…?'
"We don't have much time," Julia pointed out. "If it works, do it."
Fion saluted causally, pulling a few small devices out from his pack and setting them up around the doorframe. The rest of the group backed away as he activated them. He rapped his knuckles on the door and hopped back quickly.
There was a loud bang and a burst of fire–
Glass shattered and Mama screamed.
Heat and force washed over her and a masked figure kicked down the door.
"Knock, knock!"
But she wasn't small anymore, and she had her sword–
"Irene!"
Fion backed away from her, hands raised placating.
"What corps?!"
"Huh?"
"Irene, what's gotten into you?!"
"Which corps were you a part of?!"
The silver haired jaeger flinched, and their combat link wavered and shattered.
"…Zephyr."
"The dead bird…" Irene growled. It wasn't them. "I see."
"Irene, put the sword down!" Julia cried, her voice filled with shock and concern.
Belatedly, Irene realized she had her katana pointed at Fion's throat.
"It wasn't you," she sighed, lowering her weapon. "Or your corps."
Fion nodded, clearly unsure what to say, a glimmer of hurt in his eyes that twisted Irene's heart into a dark, angry pulse.
'How dare he?!'
"You can kill each other later," Emmet snapped, rushing forwards up the stairs ahead. "They'd have to be either stupid, deaf or both to not have heard that."
"R-right. Regnitz," Julia reminded them, but her worried eyes did not leave Irene.
Fion practically bolted up the stairs after Emmet, and Irene followed, clenching her teeth as she fought down the dark red creeping into her vision.
'Not. Now!'
They emerged into a hallway lined with cells, though they seemed to be empty save for one, from which came the sound of sobbing.
"Gehenna's Bells," Emmet muttered, checking over the lock to Masha's cell. "I think she's in shock."
Irene wasn't a doctor, but with how the green haired girl was curled in on herself in the corner of her cell, eyes staring sightlessly ahead as she rocked herself, that was probably right.
"What in Aidios' name?" Julia gasped, horror spreading on her face. "What did they do to her?!"
"Don't see any injuries," Fion observed quietly, shifting anxiously from one foot to the other.
Thump!
Irene slammed her eyes shut, clenching her jaw.
"Resera!"
Her blood was boiling.
The lock clicked and Emmet swung the door open.
Her heart pounded like a drum in her ears.
"What was that?!" Masha sputtered, her voice tinging into hysteria.
Like a beat. Calling her to dance.
"Get away from me!" Masha shrieked, somehow shrinking back further into her corner.
'No! No! Not again!'
"I don't think she's getting out of here on her own power," Emmet noted, looking at a loss.
"Ah, hell," Julia cursed, stepping into the cell and crouching down in front of their panicked classmate. "Regnitz! Can you hear me?"
"No! Leave me alone!"
"Masha!" Julia called. "Come on, we'll get you out of here."
"Lies! You always lie!" Masha snapped.
"I'm not lying," Julia murmured softly, reaching out slowly, like she was trying to calm a skittish horse. "Let's go, we don't have much time." She gently rested her hand on Masha's shoulder, trying to ground her.
"Why didn't you come back?" Masha whispered, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose, and Irene's eyes snapped open.
"Someone's coming!"
"We need to go, Masha!" Julia urged.
"Stop right there–!"
"Lady Julia?!"
Two soldiers rounded the corner, weapons at the ready, but the sight that greeted them made them pause for a second–
"Dormite! Obliviscimini!"
Irene's skin crawled as Emmet pulled down his glasses and snarled at the guards, his voice carrying a strange, unwavering timbre.
The two soldiers collapsed like puppets with cut strings.
At the same time, Masha let out a breath and slumped over.
"What the hell?!" Julia gasped, her head snapping back to Emmet.
"They're asleep, but not for long," he grunted, adjusting his glasses and stepping into the cell, crouching down to sling Masha over his shoulder. "We don't have time."
"That was fucking weird," Fion whispered, eyes wide in uncertainty.
"Language!" Irene growled, her voice sounding…wrong.
"What in Aidios' name is going on?!" Julia shrieked, before she took a deep breath, shaking her head furiously. "Y-you're right, let's go."
They did, rushing away from the sound of commotion from further into the guardhouse, but in a sudden moment, much of their coordination vanished as their links frayed.
It was fortunate that the monsters had learned to fear them, fleeing from their approach as their feet pounded through the waterways.
Whatever Emmet did had bought them some time, but even the rather disappointing Provincial Army noticed their intrusion, and Irene sensed enemies in hot pursuit.
Everyone in their group was quick on their feet, and Emmet seemed to be barely slowed by carrying Masha, but their pursuers were faster still.
"They're closing!" Irene barked.
"Why the fuck do they have Kazakh Dovens?!" Fion cursed, glancing back over his shoulder.
'Jaeger hounds…The Provincial Army is using jaeger hounds!'
Irene spun around, skidding to a stop. "They must die!"
Two armored hounds bounded into view, and Irene felt a slight sliver of fear as she realized how large they were–
Thump!
The massive hounds rushed towards her.
"Irene! What are you doing?!"
Thump!
She was smaller, yes.
Thump!
But she had her own teeth, and they were just as sharp!
Thump!
The hounds howled as they closed, and Irene screamed right back, launching herself forward.
Thump! Thump!
One of them leapt up, bounding across a water channel to cut off the rest of the group, the other pounced right at her–
Irene ducked, crouching below it snapping jaws and rending claws, her swords flashing out and cutting through the beast's hind legs like a hot knife through butter.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The hound's roar turned suddenly in a screaming yelp of pain–
"Forzare!"
Irene spun around again, sliding low to the floor to maintain her balance like she was skating on ice, a sharp smile pulling at her face as the wounded beast tumbled into a helpless heap, bereft of its hind legs and belly up.
Idly, she spotted the other dog splashing into the water, limbs flailing as if hurled by an unseen force.
Irene pounced, slamming her weapons into the weak armor segment at the downed dog's neck, twisting her body in a violent helix and gutting it open end to end, her vision going red with satisfaction–
"Fulminas!"
A thunderous crack and a flash of light slammed through the waterway along with the cry of a thousand screaming birds.
When her vision cleared, Irene saw the other dog thrashing violently in the water, sudden steam obscuring its scorched body as it sank below the surface.
Emmet stood on the edge of the walkway, panting heavily, signs of fatigue showing on his face for the first time Irene could remember.
Julia stood over Masha's slumped form where Emmet must have dumped her, eyes wide and trembling in shock for some reason.
Fion stared at Irene, his body tense as if he was ready to bolt, but he did not, as if held in place by her gaze.
"More of them?!" Julia yelled, and Irene whirled around to see a pack of smaller hounds bounding after them.
"Don't just stand there!" Emmet snapped, shaking off his clear fatigue and moving towards the new enemies. "No outrunning hounds."
Despite her clear fear, Julia collected herself, readying her ARCUS.
Emmet took a stance next to Irene. "Think we can kill them all?" He asked drily.
"Yes," Irene growled, licking her lips.
"Heh." Emmet chuckled, and their ARCUS units glowed slightly as they formed a link.
Irene's narrowed vision widened slightly and she saw the paths the hounds were taking like phantom images running ahead.
A burst of gunfire flashed in from the side as Fion peppered the incoming beasts, forcing some of them to redirect their movements, but not putting any of them down.
The pack closed in on them, and Irene snarled.
Inexplicably, the dogs hesitated, and that was their doom.
The next instant, she was in their midst, her blades cutting through armor and flesh in a bloody whirl of steel.
Emmet impaled a leaping dog on his staff as if it was a spear, his fatigue somehow diminishing as the beast twitched and died.
Still, they were now surrounded–
Ice formed all around in a burst of light and arts, fractal crystals chilling and cutting into the dogs as a chaotic kaleidoscope of reflections sent them into confusion, some jumping headfirst into jagged ice while others even leapt at each other.
Irene herself had some trouble keeping track of what was real, but she smelled blood, so her attacks struck true.
Bright light bloomed–probably a flashbang–reflected and scattered by the ice in a riot of color–blinding her and filling her ears with ringing sounds.
That would not stop her.
Following her nose, she attacked again, grinning as her sword sunk into screaming flesh.
Irene blinked rapidly as her vision cleared and some of her hearing returned. Her gaze snapped left and right rapidly, and to her disappointment, Emmet had just skewered the last dog, all signs of fatigue inexplicably gone.
Wait…
'Why am I disappointed they are all dead?'
"I…I don't think I can keep going much longer," Julia gasped, her legs collapsing under her in exhaustion.
"She's still out," Fion observed, checking over Masha, who somehow remained asleep despite the cacophony of battle.
Which did not seem to be over quite yet.
Irene cocked her head as she heard the pounding of boots. "We took too long," she sighed.
A group of Provincial Army soldiers rushed around a corner, stopping suddenly at the sight in front of them.
"More dogs?" Irene huffed, glaring at the cowards in front of them.
"Lady Julia?!" a familiar voice cried, and Irene belatedly recognized Lieutenant Edelbeck among the group. She looked different with her officer hat, but the greatsword should have been a clear indicator.
"W-what the hell happened to the hounds?" One of the soldiers stammered, his rifle trembling in his hands and pointed at the students.
"Keep it together, you useless ingrate!" Edelbeck snarled, smacking the rifle barrel down with the flat of her sword. "Are you insane?"
"Look what they did to the dogs!"
"About that," Julia coughed, her voice a bit hoarse as she rose to her feet, doing her best to appear dignified despite her clear exhaustion. "I would like to know just what exactly your plan was."
"Have the hounds cornered the intruders, Lieutenant?" A smug voice sounded from further down the hallway.
Edelbeck glared back the way she came. "Come and take a look, sir," she spat.
"Hah! I told you they would make short work of–What in the world?!" A provincial army officer turned the corner, before freezing in shock.
'He was the one who oversaw Masha's arrest.' Irene's eyes narrowed, and her lip curled in distaste, baring her teeth.
A nudge from Emmet across their link held her back from acting, but her grip tightened on her weapons.
"It appears your jaeger-loaned attack dogs were all bark and no bite, sir," Lieutenant Edelbeck sneered.
"What is the meaning of this–Lady Julia?! What are you doing here?!" the officer sputtered, eyes flicking frantically back and forth before focusing on the young Albarea.
"Well, it turns out it was quite a good thing our Lady has such dangerous friends," Lieutenant Edelbeck remarked sweetly, "otherwise you siccing dogs on a daughter of House Albarea could well have been disastrous, sir."
"Silence!" the officer barked. "Know your place, lieutenant!"
"The dog knows who holds his leash," Irene chuckled darkly, idly flicking blood off her sword.
A wave of surprised interest flowed through her link from Emmet. 'Wait, where did that come from?'
"Shut up!" the pack leader snapped. "What did you think you were doing?!"
"A school assignment," Emmet shot back with a straight face.
"What?!"
"No man left behind," Fion added. "When convenient," he added under his breath.
"Quite so," Julia agreed. "We were tasked with dealing with a variety of monsters on our field study, and lo and behold–" she raised her hands, gesturing to the remains of the jaeger hounds– "there turned out to be an infestation in the waterways we were obligated to clear out."
"Not cleared out yet," Irene denied, glaring at the officer and licking her chapped lips.
"T-that–That's ridiculous!" the officer sputtered, trying to cover for his fear. "Men! Arrest the intruders!"
"Are you insane, sir?" one of the soldiers blurted out. "We can't arrest–"
"Silence!" the two-legged dog yowled. "Not even Lady Julia has the right to intrude in a military installation, let alone free a suspect in our custody in direct opposition to the will of His Grace the Duke!"
"Oh, so now you care about rights," Emmet snorted.
"Who do you think you are?!" the man-dog yelped. "No matter, arrest them all! Lady Julia included!" The soldiers hesitated, but still moved to surround the students.
"Wha…what's going on?" Masha grumbled, waking up at a very inconvenient time.
"Sorry Regnitz," Julia sighed, "looks like we couldn't get you out after all."
Emmet glared at the soldier leveling a rifle at him, the young man in uniform trembling visibly at the intensity.
"What? Where?!" Masha cried, her head swiveling around in panic. "No, no, no!"
Irene leveled a disappointed look at Lieutenant Edelbeck, who, despite clearly having reservations about the situations, did not offer any further resistance. "Sir Lawrence would be disappointed," she spat, and the older woman flinched.
"Shut up, girl!" the captain(?) snapped. "How dare you claim to speak for your betters?!"
"How dare you?" Emmet drawled, giving the man a mocking smile.
"Wha-?!" the officer gawped, shocked by the blatant and shameless disrespect.
"A good question," a cool voice called out from down the path.
"No way," Julia murmured, head snapping towards the newcomer.
"Lord Rufus?!" the belligerent officer cried.
"What?!" Masha squeaked.
"Lord Rufus!" Lieutenant Edelbeck greeted, giving the Albarea heir a neat bow. "It is good to see you, sir."
Irene turned, spotting Julia's brother approaching the scene with steady steps, though his eyes were hard over his genial smile.
Beside and behind him was another blond man, though his hair was cut a lot shorter, and by his casual and more practical choice of clothes, he was probably not a noble and definitely not a servant.
Next to the other man was–
'Instructor Valestein?!'
"Weren't you in the capital, brother?" Julia asked, sagging in relief.
"I am pleased to see you as well, Lady Edelbeck," Rufus greeted, before coming to a stop a short distance away. "As for your question, sweet sister, I was indeed in the capital, but when I received a call at noon today, I returned by airship as fast as I could…along with your instructor." He gestured behind him.
"Oh geez," Instructor Valestein muttered, eyes flicking over the causeway littered with hound carcasses…and copious amounts of blood and gore. "That's a lotta dead dogs. Good work guys!"
"What the heck are you teaching these kids, Sara?" the other blond man wondered, giving the scene a concerned look.
"Wait! Zero Artisan Toval Randonneur?!" Julia gasped, suddenly filled with energy again.
'Oh right, Julia found him quite impressive.'
"That's me, alright," the blond bracer chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Can't say I expected for you to recognize me though."
"I am a big fan of your work," Julia chirped, before she blinked, and her face became more serious. "Though may I ask why an A rank bracer is here, of all places?"
"Oi! How come you get all the respect?!" Instructor Valestein grumbled.
"Well…" Mister Randonneur began, "I happened to be in the city to deal with some of the monster problems in the waterways–thanks for helping with that by the way–and someone's butler called me over and told me about what happened–"
"And Mister Randonneur conveniently happened to meet me near the airport," Lord Rufus interrupted. "Apparently, Lord Ortenburg observed how you handled the arrest of Miss Regnitz. Did you truly drag her through the streets, Captain?" He gave the officer a hard, disappointed stare.
"Well…I did what His Grace the Duke ordered me to do!" the captain sputtered.
"And that required an armored car and a whole squad of soldiers?" Rufus inquired blandly.
"Err…she was resisting arrest!"
"If I may, Lord Rufus?" Lieutenant Edelbeck chimed in, continuing when the blond man gave her a nod. "Miss Regnitz was nearly catatonic when they brought her in–"
"You dragged a barely conscious girl through half the city?" Rufus demanded. "Have you no shame?"
"What?! That's not–!"
"Enough. I have been briefed on the situation," the older Albarea dismissed. "I will handle the matter, and make the necessary apologies. My father has already been informed." He waved his hand to indicate the gathered soldiers. "As for you, return to your posts."
"But, Lord Rufus–"
"Or do you wish to heap more disgrace upon my House, Captain?"
"Of c-course not."
"Then go."
"By your leave, Lord Rufus," Lieutenant Edelbeck replied politely, covering for her flustered superior.
"Second Company! Withdraw!" the captain barked, fleeing with his tail tucked between his legs. His men followed, looking relieved they did not have to deal with the complex situation.
"Coward," Irene sniffed as the soldiers left.
"Well, well," Instructor Valestein snorted. "Looks like you have some teeth after all, Irene."
"Of course I have teeth, Instructor Valestein," Irene replied, tilting her head questioningly. "How would I eat otherwise? Or did you assume I subsisted entirely off alcohol as you do?" 'Wait, where did that come from?'
"Oi!" their instructor objected, but the two blond men with her chuckled at the thought.
"She's got a point there, Instructor Valestein," Mister Randonneur teased. "You should work on setting a better example for the youth."
"Sheesh, why do you all have to call me that?! It makes me feel old!"
"But you are?" Fion pointed out. Everyone turned to look at him. "What? You're like twice my age."
"You see what I have to deal with?!" Instructor Valestein cried, throwing up her hands.
"Your timing is fortuitous," Emmet observed, adjusting his glasses. "I must wonder, did you plan all this beforehand?"
"Nah," their Instructor denied. "After what happened last month, I did think there might be some trouble, so I asked Toval here to keep an eye out for you guys, and he called me when he saw what happened, after which I phoned the director here."
Lord Rufus shook his head sadly. "I had suspected my father had plans, but this was far more foolish than my worst expectations." Stepping forward, he crouched next to where Masha was seated on the floor. "I must extend the first apology to you for what my family has tried. Are you hurt?"
"I…" Masha paused, checking over herself. "I f-feel a bit bruised, but I'm otherwise fine."
"That is good to hear," Lord Rufus hummed softly. "My soldiers were not too rough, were they?"
"Aside from dragging me?" Masha snorted. "No, they mostly just left me there, from what I remember, it's a l-little hazy."
"That is a relief," Lord Rufus sighed, offering a hand up, which Masha took. "Your father told me in no uncertain terms he would be quite cross if I let anything happen to you on my watch."
"H-he did?" Masha stammered, her face turning red as she scrambled to her feet.
Irene glanced at Julia, who looked back, a…complicated expression on her face.
"There are a number of other things we should discuss…" Lord Rufus started, before glancing around, seemingly just quite registering the macabre mess in front of him. "My word, the Provincial Army's hounds were clearly no match for you." He nodded at Instructor Valestein. "You have my thanks for teaching them enough to keep my sweet sister safe."
"Pretty sure I didn't teach them this," their instructor muttered. "But I'll take the compliment."
"Perhaps we should move to a more suitable place for discussion," the older Albarea suggested, a slight smile curling at the edges of his mouth as he turned to his sister. "I am most curious how you managed to make such a positive impression on Lord Rogar that he was willing to not only turn a blind eye to your disappearance, but also to offer Mister Randonneur a tidy sum for his assistance."
"Well, I'm not going to take that money, since I didn't really do anything," Mister Randonneur muttered.
"Yeah, Toval," Instructor Valestein snipped. "I told you to keep track of my students, and you lost track of them!"
"You got a pretty sneaky bunch of kids here," the Zero Artisan chuckled, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. "I saw them go into the Sorciere Restaurant and never saw them leave."
"No comment," Emmet commented.
Lord Rufus and Instructor Valestein escorted the group back to the Hotel Esmeralda, while Mister Randonneur stayed behind to clear out more of the monsters, to Julia's disappointment, as she wanted to speak with her martial idol, of sorts.
While the day was not over, it was well into the evening, so it was decided that they would stay the night and return to Trista in the morning.
After the events they had just dealt with, none of the group felt an urge to leave their hotel, so they ate the (very nice) meal the hotel staff cooked for them, though Julia ended up having dinner with Lord Ortenburg as an apology for running out on him earlier.
To Irene's surprise, Julia didn't seem too opposed to the idea. 'Perhaps Lord Ortenburg has a chance, then?'
Even more intriguing, the younger Albarea did not return to the hotel for a good while after the rest of the group finished dinner, which was fairly unusual, given Julia's usual comments about her suitors.
Either way, this left Irene and Masha alone together in their room to work on their report.
Something seemed to be bothering the green haired girl, but after the ordeal she had suffered today, Irene wasn't sure how to help. Masha had also been rather hesitant to interact with her previously–
The green haired girl let out an explosive sigh, slamming her pen onto the table, turning her chair around rapidly, drawing Irene's attention.
Masha stared at her for a moment, working her jaw, before: "I'm sorry!"
Irene blinked.
"I'm sorry, ok?!"
"What for?" Irene wondered. While Masha had been rather rude, she didn't usually say much of anything to Irene.
The green haired girl groaned, pulling at her short hair briefly. "I'm sorry for thinking you were the same as nobles when you were actually adopted."
"Did you…just find that out?" 'On second thought, I suppose it wouldn't be common knowledge for commoners from Reformist heavy places.'
"No…! Well yes…kind of."
Irene blinked again. "Err…Miss Regnitz, I have no idea what you mean."
Masha flinched as if struck. "Please…never call me that again. Masha's fine."
"I…still do not understand," Irene said slowly, "but if that bothers you, I will use your given name from now on."
"Thanks," Masha sighed. "For trying to bail me out. And for trying to make sure I didn't get in trouble."
"I did not succeed," Irene pointed out, but Masha waved her off.
"I haven't been very charitable to you–or Albarea–but I'm not going to blame you for the machinations of that blond idiot."
That was quite rude, but at the moment, Irene didn't see a reason to comment.
"I appreciate that," Irene offered. "But I get the sense you haven't quite gotten to the point that you are trying to make."
The green haired girl sighed, lifting her glasses up slightly and rubbing her eyes. "Yeah, sorry. Today has…not been the best."
Irene nodded. That was an understatement.
"I had…assumed you were like the nobles," Masha bit out finally. "I'm sorry for lumping you with the rest of them."
"I accept your apology," Irene acknowledged, "though shouldn't you offer the same apology to Lady Julia? She would have tried rescuing you by herself, if we had not independently decided on the same course of action. She did this in a dress too."
'Really, Julia was so unreasonable at times!'
"I…" Masha's face twisted into a pained grimace. "I probably should. But…"
"Masha."
The green haired girl looked back up at Irene.
"Did you eavesdrop on our conversation last night?"
"W-what?! No! Of course I didn't–ah hell…" Masha sighed. "Yeah, but that was because you guys weren't being all that quiet–"
"And does the reason you feel more charitable to us now happen to be our birth?" Irene asked evenly.
"...Yeah," Masha admitted. "That was a part of it. Getting me out of prison was another part."
"...You know, Julia was not wrong about your words sounding like the insults thrown at us by other nobles. They also cared very much about one's birth."
Masha looked down, unable to meet her gaze. "Yeah…I…I've got a lot to think about."
It might have been a bit uncharitable after what she went through today, but Irene felt that this point needed to be made. Fortunately, it seemed the experience had shaken the green haired girl enough to prompt some self reflection.
A short while later, Julia returned, looking tired, but quite pleased. "Best fake suitor ever!" the blonde chirped as she closed the door behind her.
"It went well, then?" Irene asked curiously.
"Irene, no, it's not like that," Julia flatly denied, giving her an unimpressed look.
"So Lord Ortenburg was upset?"
"Oh, he is furious," Julia cackled. "Managed to keep his cool, but His Grace the Duke and Her Grace the Duchess have pissed him off royally."
"And…that's a good thing?" Masha wondered, looking unnerved by her classmate's mood.
"Well, objectively I should say that it is quite a bad thing," Julia admitted. "But I can't help but laugh. My father arranged this meeting to make sure he could throw you in prison, but he accidentally picked the one nobleman here with a spine and a brain."
"Oh! So he was not offended by you going to intervene?" Irene theorized, clapping her hands together in interest.
"He was the one who told me to go," Julia snorted. "He even spilled tea on himself to distract the guards for a bit."
"That…what?!" Masha sputtered.
"I see," Irene hummed, "so he is angry with the duke and duchess but not you."
"Yup!" Julia snickered. "He actually up and left without even bothering to greet them after we had dinner. Even better, he specifically stopped to say goodbye to Rufus first."
Irene's eyes widened. "He didn't…!"
"He did!" Julia grinned. "He called Rufus 'Your Grace' then left without any further explanation. The duke was too stunned to respond before he was long gone!"
"That…!"
"What does that mean?" Masha asked. "He snubbed the duke?"
"Yes," Irene confirmed. "But beyond that, he suggested that he views Rufus as a more legitimate ruler than the duke."
"Uh…" the green haired girl blinked, gears clearly turning in her head. "But isn't he supposed to obey the duke?"
"Come on, Regnitz, the Noble faction isn't a united monolith," Julia snorted. "The Reformists aren't either, you should be aware of that at least."
"I…suppose you're right," Masha conceded. "Most Reformists just want to get rid of the old noble privileges, a fair few want to get rid of the class system altogether, and there are a few outliers that even want a republic!"
"Like Calvard?" Irene wondered. 'How much would that change? If the people of Ymir voted for who would be mayor then Dad would win every time.'
"Really? Should have figured," Julia mused. "But anyways, the Noble Faction has differing opinions on a variety of things as well. Overall, the most central concern is about whether a centralized government can be trusted with power. For some nobles, like my father, it is mostly about losing their own power, but for the nobles from more rural areas, like Rogar, it is more of a matter of suspecting that they will be ignored even more by an even more distant center of government."
"In many more rural areas, the nobles and commoners have arrangements and agreements extending back generations," Irene added, "so while there is a divide in class, the commoners are unsure of being ruled by someone different than the family they are used to interacting with, and the nobles are not sure they can trust the central government compared to their liege lords."
"If you go out far enough into the countryside, I bet you'll find most people there, noble or commoner, just do not really like city folk," Julia shrugged.
"Right, we saw some of that even in Celdic, which is not far from Heimdallr," Irene agreed.
"I…" Masha paused, before shaking her head. "I still think things need to change. Today hasn't done anything to change my belief that the class system is a huge problem, especially the unfair disparity in power it entails."
"You're not wrong about how often power is abused," Julia concurred, her mood dipping down from her previous cheer. "I know quite a lot about that firsthand."
"And yet, I don't think that problem will go away with the nobility," Irene cautioned. "Just look at how much power the Reinford Group has in Roer and Nortia Province as a whole."
"The Reinfords are richer than most noble families," Julia added. "And you can't exactly say they got there just by their own merit, given the privileges they were given by the Reformist government and the Rogner family."
"There are also many people who have been displaced by them," Irene murmured, "whether by being outcompeted or losing their homes to rather forceful real estate purchases."
"You have a point there," Masha admitted sourly. "Rich commoners look down on poor commoners a lot too." She hummed thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, it's a little surprising Elisha doesn't act like some of the people my dad has to deal with."
"Does the Imperial Governor have to deal with many mad scientists?" Julia snorted.
"Elisha is not insane!" Irene objected. "Simply…eccentric."
"That's the same thing!" Masha shot back.
"Or merely a difference of degree," Julia remarked with amusement.
Irene sighed. "I will concede that he is slightly too enamored with dangerous equipment."
"I think that's all of the boys in our class," Masha grumbled irritably. "Well, maybe not the Arseid."
Julia snorted. "Ah yes, Lawrence, who is not allowed to go near ovens after he managed to somehow make two of them explode, one of them he did not even touch, should certainly not be trusted with explosives."
"What was the art Emmet used, anyways?" Irene wondered. "It wasn't Spark Arrow."
"I think it was an Ixion Volt?" Julia suggested. "It was really damn quick though, he barely used an incantation."
"Are we even allowed to have quartz for something that powerful?" Masha pointed out.
"No…" Irene murmured. "No we are not."
"The boys in our class are all kind of nuts, aren't they?" the green haired girl muttered.
"You got that right," Julia laughed. "Though it's pretty fun, all things considered."
"They aren't crazy!" Irene denied. "Lawrence is actually quite normal for a dedicated martial artist, just look at Friedel! Elisha is a bit odd, but he seems quite a bit like some more enthusiastic technicians and engineers. Emmet comes off as standoffish and rude, but he was ready to fight the Provincial Army in the street when you were arrested, Masha."
"He was?!" Masha sputtered.
"You know…" Julia hummed thoughtfully. "He might have been able to win…especially since they'd definitely underestimate him."
"And Fion is…well…" Irene trailed off, her face blanking. 'Fion was a former jaeger.'
"Irene?"
'He was in Zephyr, not a drop out–but he must have been so young!'
"Irene, talk to me!"
'It was not him. He's too young. It was also not Zephyr.'
"Irene!"
The girl in question jerked as someone grabbed her arm–
"Julia?"
"Ow!" Julia grunted, and Irene belatedly realized she had somehow put her friend into an armlock.
"I'm sorry!" she cried, quickly letting go and backing away sheepishly.
"Damn," Julia hissed, rubbing her arm. "It is far too easy to forget the Eight Leaves has an unarmed form."
"What…did Fion do?" Masha wondered, wide-eyed and backing away to a safe distance.
"Turns out Fion used to be a jaeger," Julia supplied–
"What?!" Masha cried.
"And, if I had to guess…" Julia paused, her voice softening. "You had a less than pleasant experience with jaegers before, haven't you?"
"Does anyone?" Irene snapped, before deflating. "I'm sorry. I…don't really want to talk about it."
Julia and Masha shared a glance, before nodding back at Irene.
"Okay, that's fine," Julia said gently. "But if you ever feel the need to talk about it, I'll be willing." She chuckled. "You've listened to my problems plenty of times, it's about time I returned the favor."
"Thank you, Julia," Irene smiled, before looking away sheepishly. "Sorry about your arm."
"I was wrong," Masha muttered. "This whole class is crazy!"
AN. Somewhat ironic that the commission request for Irene artwork, with her looking very nice, was finished right before the chapter where she goes a bit feral.