Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

A/N: Updated Map for references 

A full week after crossing the Great River, the armies of the Halkare Empire steadily continued southward and further into the territory of the Hinterland Confederation who were now calling these northern invaders a "Monster Horde" due to descriptions from the survivors of the initial battle who had escaped with their lives and retreated back to the nearest friendly outpost or village or town. They described these northern invaders as 'Armored Monsters' since none of them had ever encountered a force that could possess such robust weapons and armor and even control wyverns, the descriptions of the survivors were taken into account but were taken with a large grain of salt by their higher-ups as such a description of a force was unimaginable and for the most part was passed off as monster horde since that was the only reasonable explanation as to their never before seen armor and the wyverns, with the information of dragonkin in their ranks being dismissed as "seeing shadows". This information was further perpetuated by H.I.S.S. agents who had slipped by and blended in with the Confederacy's High Command, acting as secretaries who would slightly alter reports and pump the numbers of local monsters before giving them to the leaders of the Hinterlands Army.

With the Hinterlands Army now on high alert but expecting nothing more but monsters that had poured out from dungeons in the northern part of the continent, they began to reorganize and muster any forces left in the northern sector, albeit at a slower pace since their entire northern army had been shattered and to replace such a massive loss was hard to do for the Hinterlands Confederacy. This slow response to their invasion was a boon for the dual monarchs and they knew it. 

"So what is the plan now Ophie?" Amelia asked as they marched with the 5th Army further into Hinterland territory on the eastern side of the march

"Well, first thing is first, we have to secure this flank of the march. Those H.I.S.S reports we received, you read them right?" Ophelia asked back 

"Yes, the one about the coastal towns right? It is surprising that our foes have no navy of any kind in all honesty" The blonde empress. remarked 

"I wouldn't be that surprised, nations of all shapes and sizes who have access to the sea but have neighboring states usually neglect having a navy and focus on making an army as their first deterrent. But if we gave our foes right now a few more years, perhaps a decade, then they would have made ships similar to the ones fielded by the Kingdom of Amma when our navy fought them" 

"Hmmm, I see...besides the fact we need to link up with the fleet on this side of the march, I believe we have another reason for marching with the army this time around right?" Amelia asked as she looked at her who was looking back at her 

"Indeed we do. If you can recall from the report recently said to us, it talked about certain villagers along the coast that did not make sense to me" Ophelia answered with a nod 

"Hmm? What do you mean?" 

"The descriptions of these villages seem a little off no? Small villages on the coast but having a larger than expected population inhabiting them? With an extra detail of security" 

"Oh, Oh. I see...so are you saying they could be-"

"Camps? Yes. Prisoner and Labour camps if I am correct. Where a lot of their conquered captives are being held, although I believe we could have found this out sooner, but considering that H.I.S.S. is currently spread thin due to the many groups on the continent to keep track of, it is not surprising that we were only informed this late" 

"We should really expand their department now if that is the case" Amelia commented with a small nod in agreement 

"Indeed. I will have a talk with Percy once this is done, they will need a new headquarters as well. Hays, running a nation is really tiring sometimes" Ophelia remarked as she yawned 

"But we wouldn't have it any other way" Amelia stated as she pulled her beloved in closer

"Hehehe, indeed we wouldn't" The raven-haired empress stated as she kissed her on the cheek 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The dual monarchs and a party of Black Guard escorts had arrived ahead of the column, reaching the outskirts of one of these supposed villages that had yet to be evacuated for unknown purposes. They were on a dirt road that had been once laden with snow that was now shovelled to the side that led to one of the camps but had hidden in the foliage beside the road as to not alert any of the patrolling guards, not that it was a problem since any guard that did stumble upon them was swiftly and quietly executed. The dual monarchs were ahead of their bodyguards, Erhet included. They were the closest to the edge of the forest and were next to a cliff that led straight down to the sharp rocks and rough waters below. 

"So, is that our prize?" Amelia asked as she crouched next to her beloved 

"Yes it is. Now let's see what is hiding here" Ophelia answered as they moved out of their cover and began walking towards the village in the distance,

They were cloaked in an invisibility barrier made by Ophelia that covered them as they moved forward, both of them keeping their eyes and senses open as they moved forward. To their left, there was a cliff edge that led straight down to a bed of sharp rocks and rough waves, the sounds of said waves and the smell of the sea filling the air with their noise and sent. 

They arrived at the front gate of the village and slipped past the elven guards who were there, moving through the wooden gate that was in place. Stepping into the village they saw that it was shaped in a half circle with a row of buildings in the outer portion of the circle and above the lower parts which were rocky pits while at the center of the village, there was a boardwalk that stretched out a bit into the sea with a large galleon anchored offshore, their eyes went wide as they looked at the rocky pits and saw the numerous iron cages filled with bloodied and battered tribals all wearing grey robes despite the cold weather and with black collars with a red gem in the center clamped onto their necks, all of them shivering as the cold sea breeze washed over them. The dual monarchs stepped off to the side as they saw a boat arrive on the boardwalk, the flag of the boat was one they did not recognize, the usual flag of the Hinterlands Confederation was green with a trio of trees surrounding a pair of crossed swords above a parchment that read "One Continent, One Vision", but this new flag was different. This flag they saw flying from the small rowboat that had just arrived was blue with a white square in the middle with the corners rounded out, the inside of the white square had a golden crown over a blue shield with a pair of knights on horseback at either side of the shield and the parchment at the bottom read "All For The Duke!" which quickly gave the two the answers to who the hell they were, the second biggest headache that was on the continent, the Dukedom of Abernath.  

 

 

A/N: For Reference 

The dual monarchs watched as a party of humans stepped off the boat, all of them dressed in noble attire that had winter coats, such as sharp and clean suits with a cape at the back or a cloak in the front, some of the party were ladies dressed in brightly colored walking dresses with fur scarfs wrapped around their necks. The party of humans also shared something similar between them, all of them were wearing a white colored mask that covered their face, adding to the air of mystery surrounding them. The two of them then stood in cloaked silence as they listened in on the conversation once the party of humans stopped before a cage filled with harpy, lamia, and beastkin. 

"Is this really all for the shipment today?" One of the masked men asked as he turned to an elven handler 

"Yes, we have been forced to relocate camps here and there due to a sudden monster invasion from the north" The elven man replied 

"Dear heavens a monster invasion?! My oh my you poor lot truly have some rotten luck in your day to day lives" The masked man replied, a hint of amusement in his voice that was picked up by everyone around him 

"The High Chief has told me to tell you that he assures you will still get your shipment of "undesirables" even with the current situation" The elven handler stated 

"Oh goody! The Duke will be pleased to hear about this. You know, you savages are all so fierce that our own hunting parties are struggling to catch any of you nowadays!" The masked man said with a happy tone 

"That's....unfortunate for your hunters...the pay is still the same as before" The handler replied, a subtle content and anger in his voice as he shifted the conversation toward their payment 

"Of course! 5000 Gold and shipments of weapons, armor, and food as we agreed upon. They are all in our ship just anchored offshore, just let us signal them" The masked man stated as he then turned to a masked woman in his party who was busy looking around the cages and inspecting the "cargo" 

The lady nodded as she fired off a fireball into the air with her fist, before seeing the same signal coming from the galleon as the sails of the ship began to unfold and it began to turn towards the village. 

"Amelia" 

"Already communicating with them" 

The dual monarchs who had been quietly listening in had scowls on their faces as they both drew their weapons and prepared to turn this place red. Although Ophelia had the strength to do it on her own and in a single snap, she wanted to stretch her limbs a bit and personally watch as these despicable wastes of life died at her hands, something that Amelia also shared in sentiment. She had also called in a nearby Leviathan to take care of the ship, but after establishing contact with it, she brought out both of her personal daggers. 

"Quick and easy. Kill the guards, but leave that party of humans and those cage handlers alive" Ophelia stated as she tapped on her dress and turned it into a suit of jet-black plate armor 

"I understand. Can you use a spell to immobilize them?" Amelia asked 

"Of course, just tell me when you are ready" 

"Ready" 

"Then let's do this" 

{!} 

With a snap of her finger, Ophelia used a spell called [Immobilize] which froze the party of humans and the cage handlers in place and cut off any of their magical abilities and even skills but still made sure they were able to move their eyes and feel things. Once that was done, the cloaking barrier was dropped and the two went to work, charging forward in opposite directions at elven and kitsune guards who were shocked by their presence. Amelia was the first to draw blood as she charged a trio of guards before her, moving faster than they could track her she weaved in-between the trio of guards and slashed the throats of the first two before she thrust her dagger into the head of final guard via an uppercut that punched through his chin and into his brain, she then pulled it out and threw said dagger into the forehead of another guard off to the side. Meanwhile, Ophelia charged the first guy she saw, both of her hands on the hilt of her bastard sword [Judgement Maker] as she fired off heavy slashes that tore the guard into two massive chunks of flesh before said guard could even react. She then let loose a horizontal swing to her right that decapitated a kitsune guard charging her before quickly turning and thrusting her sword forward, driving her sword through the chest of another soldier trying to charge her down. 

The two of them continued on their murder spree as they went about killing guards who were unfortunate enough to be in their way, the screams of the dying guard and the sounds of magic and metal being let loose filled the air and shook the ground where everyone stood. At one point during the massacre, Amelia used her carnomancy to turn several corpses behind her into giant lances of hardened flesh, muscle, skin and bone before chucking them at some unfortunate guards who tried to charge her but were left in shock and terror as they stood still, looking up at the lances that soon pierced their bodies. Then there was Ophelia as she finished cutting down seven more guards she turned to her right and saw seven more of them rushing her but they were all in a straight line, a smile gracing her face as she then charged up a spell into her right fist before making a punching motion that black lance with a purple aura that skewered all seven guards. She then raised the lance up and dissipated it, making the bodies fall and hit the floor. 

It did not take long however for reinforcements to come as the sounds of the fighting and the sight of dead bodies being sent into the air and dropping down immediately alerted a nearby outpost that sent out squads of hinterland soldiers to check up on the camp. These reinforcements never made it to said camp however thanks to Erhet and the small contingent of the Black Guard that was with her, they appeared out of the snowy forest and quickly rushed their opponents who were left shocked at the size of Erhet as they had never seen such a towering lamia before. This small shock allowed Erhet to get an opening swing in with her halberd, cleaving eight of them in two before she quickly followed up with a new spell [Firebreath] that incinerated the rest of the relief squadron, but more soon arrived and the rest of the Black Guard joined into the fray, slicing, slashing and killing all those who tried to fight them. 

After dispatching the reinforcements, Erhet and the contingent broke down the gate to the village the dual monarchs were in and rushed in to help them, but they all got past the gate before they stopped in their tracks, seeing nothing but bloodied snow and mangled corpses lying at the feet of the people they had come to help. Those people in question were standing in the center of a pair of rocky pits with people in cages and some unfortunate souls frozen in place.

"Good, you're all here. Erhet, take the Black Guard and move against the other two villages nearby. There are more people to free, save those in cages and kill all the guard and retainers with extreme prejudice, leave no survivors" Ophelia ordered as she looked at them 

"Understood Your Majesty" Erhet bowed as she received her orders 

"Come on you lot! Move out!" The large lamia ordered as she turned around and slithered away and the guard followed behind 

Once Erhet and the rest were now out of sight, the dual monarchs nodded to one another before moving in opposite directions. Amelia had walked to the end of the boardwalk and looked out to sea at that galleon was anchored offshore, now turning to try and get the hell out of here, she took a deep breath as she began closing her eyes and tapped into her telepathy 

{Are you there?} She calmly asked 

[Leviathan Team 3 on standby Your Majesty. Kr'an reporting] A deep and booming leviathan voice answered her 

{That galleon, do you see it?} Amelia asked as she showed the leviathan her vision 

[Yes Your Majesty]

{I want the contents of the vessel and its crew unharmed, once that is done. Move in and sink it} 

[It will be done, Your Majesty]

Following up on her orders, Kr'an moved in and held onto the underside of the ship with his hands before sending out several large tentacles that burst forth from the water and stretched high into the sky, drenching the topdeck and the sailors on it in seawater. One of these tentacles hovered over the top of the ship and a team of sirens assigned to Kr'an had hopped off it and began engaging the sailors of the vessel. Said sailors were stunned for a moment as they saw these heavily armored sirens land on their boat, a sight all of them had never seen before. But this lapse in action allowed the siren team to take the initiative as they rushed down the sailors next to where they had landed, swinging their tridents that were charged with electrical magic to overpower and stun the drenched sailors who were now starting to see the danger they were in. 

One sailor tried to thrust his cutlass at a siren before him but his attempt was blocked by a counter swing from the siren that knocked the cutlass from his hand with the end of the shaft before getting smacked across the face with the flat side of the head of the trident, thanks to him being drenched in seawater, the electrical magic of the trident shocked him and sent him crumbling onto the deck. Another sailor tried to defend himself by firing off several fireballs that missed the siren in front of him, said siren dodged and weaved each attack before charging up an overhead bash with the weapon that struck true, sending the electrified sailor flying and crashing into the door that led to the captain's quarters. The rest of the crew was also subjected to the same fate as they fell one by one to the siren team that had boarded the vessel and after a few minutes, the last of the crew was electrocuted and knocked out on the floor. 

As the final sailor was felled which was the captain no less, they found the cargo hold of the ship which was filled with over 5,000 pieces of gold, a bunch of armor and weapons in racks next to said gold, and about a hundred barrels filled with procured and preserved salted pieces of meat. Once the cargo was checked out, some sirens on the team began loading up the contents into storage rings they had brought with them while others were busy chucking the bodies of the unconscious sailors into the sea, with each body sinking below the waves being caught by Kr'an who then stored them in a bubble for transportation 

[Cargo and crew secured] Kr'an reported back 

{Good. Sink it} Amelia ordered

[Understood. Your Majesty] The Leviathan replied before the siren team jumped from the ship and into the water

The moment the sirens were clear of the ship, the tentacles stretching out into the sky quickly and violently wrapped around the fallen and began to squeeze and rip the ship apart. The sound of wood snapping and breaking accompanied by the tune of the rough waves churning filled the air as Amelia watched with a satisfied smile, the destruction of the galleon before her. When the ship was finally pulled under, Amelia turned her gaze back to her beloved who was standing over the party of humans and the elven cage handler who were all slacked-jawed and horrified at the events they had just witnessed, all of them beginning to shiver in fear of what was to come. 

"Come here Amelia. We have some interrogating to do" Ophelia stated with a smirk 

"Let's get started then" She replied as she waltzed her way over to her beloved

A/N: And here is a new chapter. Oh me oh my, is that the flag of the future enemy for our heroines I see? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I wish you all the best until the next chapter. If you have questions or reactions, let me know in the comments below and I will answer or react to them. As always Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!