Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

The day after the broadcast, the soldiers of the Imperial Army marched with a more intense rhythm as they continued southward. Each soldier, while hidden behind their helmet, had an expression of unrelenting fury and anger towards the Hinterlands Confederation and their crimes against the clans they had crushed under their heel. The dual monarchs were now marching with the 2nd Army near the extreme right side of the advance, the 2nd Army marched into a thick forest with a lot of vegetation that provided ample cover for any Hinterland soldier waiting for them further into the zone. As the armies continued southward, far, far ahead of the columns were teams of H.I.S.S. agents who were tasked with finding and cornering the High Chief who loved to move about his nation in order to keep himself and his council safe. Currently, Task Force Amber, a team of 4 H.I.S.S. field operatives under the command of Agent Dakra, an elven man who was one of the strongest in his clan and made stronger by the intense and grueling training he had undergone when he was selected for H.I.S.S. As a field agent, Dakra's task usually consisted of him and his team just hiding and observing the numerous clans all over the continent and gathering up information for the march southward. 

His current mission however, was not stealthy, at least, not in the usual cloak and dagger. No for his current mission was about trying to corner a fucker who had been a pain in the ass to track for some time now. But after weeks of trying to pinpoint his position, they finally picked up on some good intel they had extracted from a Clan Elder they managed to capture who turned out to be one of the main navigators of the High Chief. The information revealed from his mind gave them a complete map of what routes the High Chief liked to take and when. This golden egg of information prompted Task Force Amber to set up their trap, although not ordered to capture the High Chief, they were to coral him and his entourage towards the advancing 2nd Army that the dual monarchs were currently with. 

Agent Dakra and the rest of his field team were camped out near a lake with a dirt road that went around it. This dirt road led to a nearby town that was producing weapons for the Hinterlands Confederacy and while not on their list of targets, Dakra had sent two of his teammates, an arachnia by the name of Nosovih and a lamia by the name of Lielze to go and rough up the place while he and Brawn, a wolf beastkin, would ambush the convoy containing the High Chief. 

"So what exactly is the plan Dak?" Brawn asked as he sat next to his commander, his slicked-back raven-colored hair was slowly turning white, his rugged and scarred face flashing a small cheeky smile as he looked at him with his amber eyes 

"Simple, we try to catch him" The elf agent replied with a small smirk of his own, his deep voice sounding like a growl 

"That is not a plan" Brawn replied, giving a small chuckle 

"And you have a better one old friend?" Dakra asked as he glanced over at him 

"No, not really" The wolf beastkin replied as he placed his helmet on, the rest of his plate armor suddenly expanding as if coming to life before settling back down 

"Then let's get to it. Once I startle the convoy with an arrow, you attack, kill some guards, let him run. But he has to be running west, if he runs east that will be a problem" 

"Straight into our boss's hands?" 

"Precisely" 

"Understood then. And what of the ladies?" 

"Simple, they will provide an extra reason to turn west. If the nearby town is no longer safe, the nearest one is to the west. So if we don't succeed in convincing him, the ladies will do the job" 

"Sounds like a plan then...by the way, those reports of rebels within the nation, do you think we are going to run into them?" The wolf beastkin asked as he prepped himself by taking out his bow and arrow 

"I am not so sure. From what we have confirmed, the rebels are too few and too scattered in number to actually make good on being a threat. Most of them are survivors of the conquest of the Hinterlands who had banded together with other survivors. Although so far they have done their best to avoid our marching armies" Dakra answered 

"I see, any chance we will run into them now?" 

"I doubt it, but if they do arrive, our orders are the priority but we should help them if they are here. However, if they try to kill the High Chief, we have to stop them" Dakra finished as he brandished his bastard sword

"Now focus up, I think they are almost here" The elven commander said as his eyes turned down an empty dirt road to their right, his S-Class senses firing off  

"Understood" Brawn replied as he looked down the same path and prepared a bow and arrow before handing it over to Dakra

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

Inside a large and lavishly made carriage that had a rich mahogany color as it trudged along a dirt path, with an escort of about thirty guards in front of the carriage on horseback and another thirty behind the carriage, was High Chief Erlan and his cadre of clan elders and advisors had been with him since the start of the Hinterland Confederation, even when they were once a group of allied tribes. Erlan was an old elf who had lived a very harsh life, with his clan always fighting against other clans that were, in his mind, trying to crush his beloved home. Although that was true for a few, a majority of the clans near his own were relatively peaceful but Erlan thought otherwise. He had risen through the ranks of the clan and had placed himself on top through some smart backdoor dealing and offing his opponents in secret, and once he was in power, he conquered several neighboring clans that he hated with a fervor due to them being different than his own. 

It was also during these conquests that he faced a trio of kitsune clans that defied him and gave him his first defeat. Impressed by their fighting prowess and skills, Erlan met with their chiefs and was able to strike a deal with them. The deal was to create a nation that would be the masters of the continent, and purge it of the undesirables that both sides agreed were other species that were not either elves or kitsunes, it also helped that they had a shared contempt for the nation known as the Dukedom of Abernath to the south that had repeatedly been capturing and enslaving their own populace. But that hatred for the Dukedom had been pushed aside as the Hinterlands Confederation currently needed a fresh influx of weapons, money, and food. Something that the Dukedom was suspiciously happy to provide on the condition that there would at least be a shipment of "undesirables" with each received shipment of aid. An agreement that Erlan made without the consultation of the other leaders of the nation, which was on purpose as all of them were buried and forgotten thanks to his politicking and backstabbing to ensure he remained on top and now surrounded by yesmen and those immensely loyal to him, crushing any sort of dissidents in the ranks of the nation through his skill [Silver Tongue] which allowed him to sway those at a lower power level than him. 

"Soo, how goes our fighting in the north against the Monster Horde?" Elran asked as he stroked his long white beard, his eyes narrowing on a pair of advisors on the right side of the carriage 

"The reports are...not great High Chief" A kitsune replied to him bowing her head

"Explain" Erlan replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice 

"Well...It seems that the monsters are smarter than we had anticipated, our armies that have been sent northward have failed to come back. Although we have yet to confirm it, it seems that the largest of the hordes is to our west. A force is being assembled as we speak and I have been asked by the commander of the force if you wish to lead it yourself" The kitsune answered him 

"Hmm...I would rather not. I am too valuable to lead an army unless there was no other choice then I will refrain from doing so" Elran stated as he looked down at the map before them 

"High Chief, may I suggest that leading an army would actually make you safer than this form of protection. Going around and around the nation with such a small guard will inevitably be discovered by those damn rebels, or worse, we may run into a monster horde" One of the elven advisors suggested as he looked at Elran 

"Hmm...I shall consider this but for the foreseeable future, I believe that sticking to this type of protection will be the best so far. By the way, what of our progress to the south?" 

"The armies in the south are doing great. Reports come in almost every day about new clans and tribes conquered and enslaved, although they are saying they are facing stiffer resistance than expected" 

"Hmm good, draft orders for them to be allocated back to the north. I want this monster horde problem dealt with" The High Chief stated as he leaned back onto the wall of the carriage and closed his eyes

"You do not seem frightened by this development of the monster horde High Chief...may I ask why?" One of his advisors asked with a curious expression 

High Chief Erlan opened his eyes and an annoyed expression formed on his face as he locked eyes with the elven advisor, his nostrils slightly flaring with a hint of anger from being questioned. 

"I do not need to fear this monster horde as like all monsters, they are stupid and slow. They are ridding us of the weak stalk we have amongst our ranks and once they are purged, the monster horde will be satisfied and head back north. All beasts have their fill and once they leave us, we can strike them when they least expect it" he explained as he looked at all of them, seeing faces of realization and some with confusion 

Erlan felt a twinge of annoyance in that there were still a few of his advisors questioning his thinking process, to him it was all clear as day but to these buffoons who failed to even grasp his thinking was just annoying to him by this point and so as he let out a sigh, he activated his skill [Silver Tongue] 

"Trust Me...All will be well" He stated to them, 

His advisors shuddered as they felt a warm and fuzzy feeling wash over them that soothed them of their worries, his words filled them all with reassurance and that everything was fine and dandy, with nothing to be scared of because he said so. 

"You are right High Chief...sorry for doubting your brilliance" One of the kitsune advisors apologized with a deep bow, with the others following shortly after 

"No need to be sorry, just keep trusting me-" 

{!} 

Before the High Chief could finish his sentence, an arrow punched through the wooden wall of the carriage and struck one of the elven advisors in the chest, killing him instantly while also punching through his chest and splashing his blood across the wall of the carriage he was in front of. There was then the sounds of metal clashing upon metal and the sounds of horses in distress. The carriage stopped outright as it crashed into a tree near a lake next to their initial destination. 

"Wha-"

Before anyone else could react, several more arrows punched through the carriage and killed the rest of the advisors, the large metal arrows practically impaling and then pinning them to the walls of the carriage, none of them able to let out a scream as they died. The initial shock had finally subsided as High Chief Elran peered through the massive hole made by the first arrow and his eyes went wide as he saw the guards in the front of the convoy dead on the ground, their horses gone, mostly likely fleeing and running away. 

Elran then began to quickly exit the carriage as he could sense there was something strong hidden from view, his breathing heightened as he stumbled and fell out of the carriage flat on his face. He looked to his right and saw there were still soldiers from the rear who were not even moving as they were unsure of what was happening up front. 

"Stop standing around and do your fucking jobs!" Elran shouted as he struggled to get up, his angry tone bringing the soldiers back from their initial confusion, some of them tried to help him up but he shoved them away and pointed at the front of the carriage 

"Go investigate what the fuck just attacked us!" He shouted as he dusted off his robes, with a few of the soldiers nodding and then moving past him while others began moving in front of him to shield him 

{!} 

Suddenly, there was an explosion and his gaze turned to the right, just across the lake, the town was on fire and there were explosions that rang out, sending massive fireballs and plumes of smoke into the sky. These sights were accompanied by the sounds and screams of people who then appeared from burning buildings, they were all on fire and they were screaming and running as they jumped into the river to try and save themselves. 

"The...these are not monsters" Elran stated as his anger was boiling at the sight of his people dying before him 

"DAMN REBELS!" He screamed as he took a sword from the sheath of one soldier and began moving forward 

{!}

But then, the soldiers who went before him were suddenly flung from the front corner of the carriage, their bodies landing directly at the feet of Elran. He looked down out of fear and his eyes went wide as he saw their bloodied faces and wounds through their chests that looked like they were punctured by something akin to claws. His gaze then turned back up and he and the soldiers behind him took a step back as they saw a bloodied and towering enemy before them, they could not tell who this person was since the armor was something none of them had ever seen before and the fact it was covered in the blood of the soldiers that were now at his feet sent shivers down his spine as he dropped the sword in his hand and began running past his guards and towards a horse. 

"Protect the High Chief!" One of the soldiers shouted as he rushed forward, followed by the rest of the guards except a few who ran back to the High Chief to help him escape by helping him onto a horse.

Once Elran was mounted, he looked behind him and was horrified at the sight of his guards being slaughtered by this thing that came out of nowhere. He watched as the soldiers charged the thing and the first soldier was cut down immediately by what he assumed was the weapons of the armored beast, massive claw gauntlets that ripped the first soldier into pieces before following it up with another swing that pierced the second soldier and lifted them into the air. The third soldier that charged was cut down by the claws running through her chest while the fourth was backhanded onto the ground and then impaled through the back. After that last death, the soldier standing next to the horse the High Chief was riding on smacked the behind of the steed and sent Elran dashing away westward before charging at the armored beast to try and by time, only to be cut down by an arrow through his chest that sent him flying and pinning him to a nearby tree. 

"I will have my vengeance" Elran muttered as he galloped west, his mind thinking of things he could do to try and get some safety 

{!} 

His mind and eyes then lit up as he remembered that there was an army in this direction that was going to attack a monster horde, his mind began to come up with a plan to take command once the monster horde was dealt with. 

"Once those beasts are dead, we can turn back here and smite down that fucking thing" He muttered as he kept galloping ahead, not daring to look back, his eyes and spirit filled with vengeance and anger at the audacity of something trying to kill him. 

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

Back at the ambush sight, Brawn was standing in the middle of the road next to the piles of bodies of soldiers he had made, stacking them up next to the carriage. His eyes turned to the burning town nearby which had already died down into just smoke and he saw a lamia and a arachnia making their way out of the burnt out front gate that led into the town. On the back of the arachnia Nosovih, was a bundle of people all tied together and tightly secured on her abdomen, with the lamia Lielze holding onto a length of rope that was connected to the tied bundle of people. 

"Who's your new friends?" Brawn joked as he looked at them near him 

"Oh you know, just some rebellious kids who thought that they could avenge their clan by trying to kill everyone in the village all on their own" Nosovih replied as she set them down before the wolf beastkin 

"They tried to attack us when we were sneaking around, didn't work though" Lielze said as she moved towards the bundle of kids and picked them off the abdomen of her arachnia partner and set them down before them. 

"Hmmm, so you guys just tied them up?" Brawn asked as he removed his helmet and armor, seeing the kids react with fear as they looked upon his bloodied state 

"Well yeah, we weren't going to let them die there...the other kids however" The lamia field agent turned her gaze towards the smoking town as she trailed off 

"I see, well...considering the crimes this nation has committed and how their own kids have been seen to be just as bad, I think you did all of them a favor" The wolf beastkin agent stated 

"It still sickens me though...Doing this once was enough, there will not be another" Lielze said as she looked at Brawn

"Maybe Her Highness can bring them back from the dead like she did in Amma" Nosovih chimed in 

"Maybe she can...but I find it best not to think about such things for now" Dakra's voice interrupted as he appeared from the thick foliage

"Sorry Sir" Lielze stated as she looked at her commander 

"Don't worry, I also have those thoughts. Anyways, now that our target is heading west. Our orders now are to regroup with the main force, those kids are coming with us as well" The elven field agent said as he looked at the young kids looking up at him, all of them were of different races such as lamias, orcs, beastkin, and even some humans 

"Understood Sir" The three agents replied to him with a nod 

With that, Task Force Amber began moving through the foliage towards the 2nd Army currently marching southwards, their mission complete and their target further traveling into the jaws of a trap made especially for him. The end of the Hinterlands Confederation was nigh and it seemed that no one but the Halkare Empire saw it coming.

A/N: Hello! So the next chapter is going to be a bit delayed due to me having to write some papers for school. I hope you guys enjoyed this one and I hope you will continue to enjoy the series down the line! Anyways, that's all of now and as always, Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!