Futuristic [Archived] VOIB_ARC1_PART2

[Novelight]

ACT.

I

Coercive Demon of Imperius

Hildegard Albrecht

★★★★★★

Female / Exhelian-Revenant / Unknown Age

Vanguard of Imperius | Grand Servitor

High Nobility / Photomancy / 169 cm / 65 kg

Emperion Palace, Imperius, Elesrith
Interactions: Khocolatte

August 4, 709 EC | 10:45 PM, Standard Imperius Time

Hilde flicked the burnt cigarette onto the ashtray before her, as the foul smell of the unpleasant smoke filled up the air in the balcony where two individuals stood, facing the evening skies filled with stars and space stations that could be seen from their view.

"So... What have you been up to recently?"

"... Work. Politics. Family." Hilde responded monotonously to the black-haired visitor, caring not to ask the same.

"The typical noble life, huh. I'm still surprised you're with the Albrecht family. The last time I saw you, you weren't exactly so excited in keeping your family name." Dietrich, the name of the visitor, spoke with a sardonic tone. "How fate connects us once more. Here I thought you and I were never going to see each other after our last camaraderie."

Hilde scoffed, smoking the last remaining bit of the cigarette before smothering the burning tip against the ashtray. She spoke with a condescending tone, although to many who knew her in the Vanguards, this wasn't a common attitude that she usually exercised. "Your stupid fucking problems in Aucteraden should remain in Aucteraden. We've got our hands occupied with other provincial-related issues anyway, I doubt our Herrscher would entertain your Collbrande's proposal. You're an Arclight now, aren't you? Way to climb the hierarchy, you absolute nuisance."

Dietrich chuckled at her remark, "Hahah... That still hurts, you know? I'm not here to repair the past, especially considering we haven't spoken to each other in several decades. The past is best forgotten as he used to say. So come on, no need to be so exasperated over the antecedent days."

"I'm more or so curious on why you decided it was a good idea to start talking to me when you're clearing in Elesrith for business. As far as I know, I don't remember inviting you to my dorm." Hilde clicked her teeth in annoyance. She turned to face her guest, visibly annoyed at the bandaged face of the man she clearly showed disdain towards.

The 7th Arclight nodded, "If I had the choice, I wouldn't be here, disturbing you when I know we've agreed to cut ties for good. It's just that our old friend would rather me be present over their long-awaited reunion."

Dietrich sighed and smiled, gesturing towards the glass entrance of the balcony, where a person of Hyzurian descent and fuchsia hair stood with her presence completely hidden, most likely because of the timid nature of the individual in question. Dietrich waved behind Hilde, ushering the shy Hyzurian to make an appearance. Hilde sighed in response and threw the cigarette away before she began to turn slowly in fatigue, not caring for the next person that was fated to receive her bashful attitude, except that she had not expected it to be one of her closest friends from the older eras of her life.

She gasped, her lethargic aura suddenly blooming in energy and excitement.

"Eu-Euthalia...!"

Sapphire Oculus

Sinaria Morphus

★★★★★★

Female / Exhelian-Demonoid / 120~

Vanguard of Imperius | Grand Servitor

Low Nobility / Soulmancy / 179 cm / 82 kg

Emperion Palace, Imperius, Elesrith
Interactions: Panther Khocolatte Emiya Shin lunar_moth Xel o.Rinn

August 4, 709 EC | 9:50 PM, Standard Imperius Time

The Emperion Palace is the grand headquarters of the Vanguards of Imperius, housing the servitors that make up the great organization under the authority of House Bismarck, where the majority of talks and operational preparations take place before all Vanguard activities begin. As such, the palace also acts as the main attraction for foreign diplomats that wish to converse with the powerful Herrscher, the Collbrande of Elesrith, for any diplomatic matters that may require the attention of the one who stands above all in the province of Elesrith.

The palace held many floors of which each housed many equipment and documents important for Elesrith affairs. This included the dormitory of the Vanguards, required by the Herrscher for her subjects to remain nearby her presence, with sporadic permission allowing the Vanguards to leave for a long vacation. A series of large bedrooms with housing materials that would be befitting for a king, the Vanguards normally did not complain about their ruler's demand, as long as she provided them with adequate living conditions as long as they served the Herrscher.

One of those Vanguards was Sinaria Morphus, who had the pleasure of standing next to the great Aldous Faust, the comandante of the Vanguards and the ninth person to take the role as the leader of the organization that served directly under the Herrscher.

She stood side by side with her back straight against the wall, alongside the other Vanguard members that were ordered to appear before the Herrscher's chambers, where she was currently speaking with the Collbrande of Aucteraden, Draigh Kaiser. Before the Vanguards on the other side of the hall stood the Arclights from the Kriegshelds Cadre, including the temporary associate Cecilia Ravenholm, who was recruited shortly before Dietrich's team departed to Elesrith for diplomatic reasons.

Sinaria, who had been staring at the white-haired Demonoid with great interest during the two side's silent but epic staring contest, finally broke the silence as she had remembered where she had seen the girl's face. "Ah! You're that girl from the Akashic Records incident, aren't you?"

The Vanguard giggled, finding it amusing that she was recruited for whatever it was that the Collbrande of Aucteraden was planning. "Magnus, look! It's that girl we were talking about a few days ago! It's such an honor, really. It gets quite boring seeing the same faces from the Kriegshelds, like that guy over there you're standing next to." Sinaria pointed at the blonde who was standing on the same opposing side as Aldous, who was presumably the leader of the Kriegshelds, Claudwin Liberalis.

"Either way, once this is over, I do hope we can become friends~!" Sinaria spoke cheerfully, though it would be difficult to make out if she was being purposefully intimidatory or if it was simply a part of her egoistic personality.

 

[Novelight]

Valorous Order: Volume 1 - Chapter 2

Story Chapter

Necessary Expedient

Kriegsheld Cadre

Gundahar

Dietrich Lexcher

Imperius City, Elesrith | 9:45 PM Standard Imperius Time

After the coordinated attack on the Grand Imperius Bridge that left the platform divided, senior Vanguard Morphus ordered a strike on the haven of the Golden Oath Organization using whatever forces she could muster, only to be validated of her suspicions. As suspected, the ambush was planned according to their haste escape, moving their resources and men to an untraceable location that left the Vanguard dumbfounded. For the first time in years, Sinaria had lost the lead. After believing that she was a step ahead of the enemy, she would only be left disappointed with the realization that this wasn’t going to be settled before the Northern Coalition Anniversary.

What came after was a thorough scan of the entire northern province. From observing recorded footage of the street cameras to auditing the companies near the area to gain any leads, the effort seemed rather fruitless, as the enemy had managed to disappear without a trace to be seen. Honestly, it was an act deserving of applause from the senior Vanguard. From installing a mole into the ranks of the Vanguards’ lower management to successfully escaping an ambush that should’ve been impossible, if Sinaria and Hildegard couldn’t get this over with before the anniversary, they were going to be in for a rude awakening.

However, as the situations became tougher, fortunately for them, they had a group of people to rely on during these trying times.

As the two teams rendezvoused in a secure private cafe in one of the many state-owned skyscrapers in the stunning city of Imperius, the Vanguards and the Arclights could be seen gathered in the main lobby, with several new faces in the corners waiting to introduce themselves to the club. After the realization that they required extra bodies with specialized expertise surrounding different fields, the Kriegsheld Cadre went out of their way to recruit new fighters to help with the Vanguard’s end of the deal for their cooperation with the problem in Aucteraden.

The cafe, which was more of a soft nightclub and bar for the high-class of the Elesrith hierarchy, was one of the more secure areas in the province, with strict supervision and hidden spy tools installed in nearly every corner of the establishment and the exterior outside, making it one of the more reliable places for privacy. With spies confirmed in the lower ranks, the original place for discussion, the Emperon Palace, was now considered a red zone for any private conversations until they could successfully weed out the moles that had thwarted their initial plans.

Unfortunately for those stressed with the current line of work, the only bartender of this establishment, who also happened to be a high-ranking Vanguard, was nowhere to be seen as he was on duty unrelated to the current operation. And because of his strict nature and the rules of his ownership, no one was allowed to touch anything behind the counter.

Not that anyone was left to supervise except for the excessively strict Hildegard herself, who was seen constantly scolding Cerberus for trying to sneak into the wine storage.

As for the tolerant Dietrich, he sat on one of the tall stools and focused with his arms folded, discussing the main issues with everyone now involved with the extermination of the Sindalone weapons storage and the rising threat of the Golden Path’s terroristic plans. “Before we discuss our next move, it would be appropriate to give the newcomers a chance to introduce themselves. I’m glad we have new Vanguards joining the ranks. As for us, we have a promising ISD agent who’ll be aiding us from the skies.”

Interactions: Cerberus, Hildegard, Panther (Syriel), Khocolatte (Euthalia), Emiya Shin (Cecilia), TerrorKitty (Vex), lunar_moth (Lusia), SleepySheepiez (Valkyria), Admiral19 (Retten)

Code by Serobliss

 

[Novelight]

Valorous Order: Volume 1 (True)

Story Chapter

Silence Before the Storm

Thread 1-1: Time Skip

Novelight Panther Khocolatte lunar_moth SleepySheepiez Admiral19 TerrorKitty

The night passed with relatively no discomfort until morning came, initiating the inception of the operation. The team would be divided and formed into two groups for the sake of achieving different objectives, leaving no room for mistakes. And so, the 5-day process continued without much trouble, the first team infiltrating ports and investigating the city’s underworld. In contrast, the second team operated on the surface, surveying the capital for possible conflict. Luckily, no trouble arose for a significant period of time. Aside from having to conjoin the two parties near the fifth day to help capture a fleeing target, the operation was rather peaceful, as no significant harm was inflicted on any of the operatives involved.

The operation was not fruitless, however. Instead, they made discoveries that could potentially help them in their future endeavors once the team departed to Aucteraden. With the successful captures of a high-ranking member of the Golden Path and an enigma from the Sindalone Organization, their arrests were followed by interrogations that would leave them with a sense of direction, much unlike the previous investigation which was left blurry.

• The Sindalones were selling weapons not only to the Golden Path but to other terrorist organizations prominent in Elesrith, going against their usual modus operandi. Investigation suggests that a change in leadership had altered their business ethics, but this has not been confirmed.

• Most of the weapons sold had their serial number extirpated, making it impossible to locate the exact manufacturer. However, the pistol belonging to the higher-ranking officer was the Kurian N-45, a standard pistol manufactured only by the Kurian Enterprise, a massive corporation that produces ballistic weaponry for the empire. An investigation was followed afterward by the Elesrith ISD and suggests that there exists a corrupt executive who is supplying the Sindalone Organization.

• A small amount of ‘Vicarius Dust’ was found in hidden storage. This discovery was reported to the ISD and it is believed that a large-scale provincial investigation will follow suit in the coming days.
An invitation to the Northern Coalition Anniversary was sent to everyone involved, allowing them to make their presence known in the Emperon Palace as honorary guests. Vanguards would be called to help organize the event while the others remained in the bar.

With their operation done, the teams regrouped and had a day for themselves, resting for the event that was to emerge tomorrow.

Thread 1-3: Time Skip

Novelight Panther Khocolatte WinterFestivity voided Purity OverconfidentMagi

Their first and second raids resulted in failure. Unable to capture the priority targets—Temperance and Yuxiong—the operation ended when the Yakuza prevailed in each and every attack, proving their renowned tenacity for survival. However, the operation was not ineffective, as several revelations were discovered that helped the ISD identify more and more storage within the sector. These discoveries lead to the mass arrest of Yakuza members and the confiscation of goods that were sent to the mainland for analysis. Although their primary targets would escape the binds of the handcuffs, it was enough that they at least made their business conduct much more difficult, thanks to their arduous efforts. However, they would certainly know that this wasn’t going to be their last time dealing with the Yakuza.

Suspiciously enough, contractual agent Yaksha, whose real name was Kyouka Yamaken, was nowhere to be found after the second raid. Having seemingly disappeared from the face of the sector before the operatives returned from their raid, her digital payment was frozen by the ISD for having deserted the contract, taking only half of the front payment that was given before the operation that was paid to build trust. From her desertion came problems that the team would have to mend using their own tactics, but it was still detrimental that they lost their information broker that had managed to locate Yuxiong and her assets. With her absence, the operation only grew more difficult. But regardless of the unfortunate and mysterious loss of the Katsuragian, the operation was not greatly hindered.

Agent Tianshu and Agent Celandine were transferred to their respective stations prior to the operation, especially after Qinglong was capable of proving her innocence through her actions. Still suspicious of her possible betrayal, the Director did not release the decree, however, and instead attached her to the other agents that partook in the operation in Sector Twelve, locking her partnership with Erebus, Blackbird, and Aria. The quartet would soon find themselves before the Director once more, this time at her office in Sanguinum, receiving their next orders.

“Your performance at Sector Twelve proved your capabilities as agents of the Imperial Security Directorate. You have no reason to anguish about the overall failure of the operation. It was the expected outcome. But despite my low expectations, you have proven to be quite effective. Congratulations are in order.” The Director clapped with what seemed to be a genuine smile. “Anywho, the past is meaningless now. You four are to form an official team under the name ‘TAS-401’. The name holds no significance; it is merely for the sake of documentation. Now, about your first operation as a four-man team…”

Thread 1-1: Official

The Northern Coalition Anniversary is a provincial exclusive celebration that takes place in the northern region every year, on the 18th of August. On this day, the provinces Elesrith and Volcrest would enter their holiday break, celebrating their honest alliance and solidarity between the two northern provinces. While it was exclusive to the north and the holiday was not official in the other provinces, the event was significant enough to invite several important individuals across the world to exchange gifts, including the Collbrandes, offering them a spot as a guest to the event.

Each year the celebration would either take place in the Emperon Palace in Elesrith or the Dragunov Castle of Perfectua in Volcrest, depending on who hosted it the previous year. As the last celebration was held in Volcrest, this year, the honors of preparing for the party were in the hands of the Elesrith officials such as the Vanguards and the Collbrande’s retainers, leaving no room for error.

Of the many that were invited to attend, the following invitees have accepted the invitation:

• The Collbrande of Volcrest, Novaskaya Krovoza, has confirmed their attendance.
• The Collbrande of Aucteraden, Draigh Kaiser, has confirmed their attendance.
• The Collbrande of Anterås, Luria Cineris, has confirmed their attendance.
• The Collbrande of Katsuragi, Nozarashi Amaterasu, has confirmed that they will be sending a representative for social affairs.
• The Symbol of Revelation, Zephyrus, has confirmed their attendance.
• Izuna Kurian, the CEO, and founder of Kurian Enterprise has confirmed their attendance.

With the preparations set and the clock reaching its twelfth hour, the day of celebration began when midnight struck.