The deck of the Gastrell is teeming with the seeds and withered branches of the Nachzehrers. Seventy percent of the guns that once breached countless fortresses have now fallen silent.
Its teeth almost completely pulled and its talons whetted smooth, the logical next step is for this prey to be dismantled and devoured.
However, the Nachzehrer's throne has also been pierced by dozens of chain-ladled fortcrackers.
With just one move, the God of War could be pulled from his throne.
Nezzsalem
You have proven to me... that war marches on.
Nezzsalem
Two hundred years ago, no Victorian would have come even this far.
Duke of Wellington
Heh... And you, Sarkaz. You've proven that you're not just some decrepit old shadow.
Duke of Wellington
You are indeed a threat to this great land. Perhaps my warship should've paid you a visit sooner, after I tore Gaul apart.
Nezzsalem
You would have been afforded no such opportunity.
Nezzsalem
None of you.
Sudaram
A Confessarius transmission.
Sudaram
Yes... In the direction of the Blood of Teekaz.
Nezzsalem
...
The Nachzehrer King takes in the entirety of the battlefield.
The enemy is trying to halt the storm. This might change the flow of battle, but it is hardly decisive. Even without the Catastrophe, his warriors are just as savage, just as unrelenting.
Wellington is a worthy opponent, but the fetters of time will soon drag him away. He has no place among the future's wars.
The true threat comes from elsewhere. It comes... from behind.
Nezzsalem
Theresis and the Confessarius have reminded me that this is not the only battlefield.
Sudaram
Will you attend to it personally?
Nezzsalem
I have already received the wars promised to me by the Military Commission, present and future.
Nezzsalem
The Nachzehrers must also fulfill their pact with the Regent.
Nezzsalem
But before I leave, I must sow some seeds of decay on this battlefield for me to reap upon my return.
A thick haze rises.
Upon the battlefield, only the throne remains.
Duke of Wellington
...
Redsteel Guard Member
Is that Nachzehrer... running away?
Duke of Wellington
No. In a real war, there is no retreat.
Redsteel Guard Member
Wait, General! Look at the throne!
Redsteel Guard Member
There's some kind of mist pouring from it...
Redsteel Guard Member
*cough*... *cough*... That isn't any ordinary mist! It's... eating me from the inside!
Redsteel Guard Member
General, your body–
Duke of Wellington
Soldier, status report on the Gastrell.
Redsteel Guard Member
Damage to the cabins in excess of sixty percent. Per your previous orders, propulsion capabilities are largely intact! As for weapons–
Duke of Wellington
Remove anything that's basically unusable and discard it on the spot.
Duke of Wellington
Roll out the Originium cannons from the lower deck.
Redsteel Guard Member
Those are already...
Duke of Wellington
Obsolete. But still enough to kill.
Redsteel Guard Member
Yessir!
Duke of Wellington
Notify the Gastrell to retreat to G-0 high ground according to the plan, and continue to consolidate defenses there.
Duke of Wellington
We will also follow at speed, while ordering all current battle lines to fall back.
Duke of Wellington
Next, we'll send these Sarkaz over to Caster and Gododdin to handle.
Duke of Wellington
Any news from Shay?
Redsteel Guard Member
The captain and Lady Eblana have captured most of the Nachzehrer altars in this area!
Duke of Wellington
Yes, I saw. Her flames are... very vivid.
Duke of Wellington
*cough* *cough*.
Redsteel Guard Member
Medic!
Duke of Wellington
No need.
Duke of Wellington
...
Redsteel Guard Member
General?
Duke of Wellington
...Heh.
Duke of Wellington
A battle with no decisive conclusion... will not be my last.
We should be able to hear gunfire from our current position.
Flag Officer
Yes, Your Grace. Wellington's column is not far from ours, ensuring we'll be able to provide mutual support.
Duke of Caster
This battle will determine Victoria's fate.
Flag Officer
Indeed, if all goes well–
Duke of Caster
Then we'll be able to end this meaningless stalemate as quickly as possible.
Duke of Caster
Those eyes truly burn with a lust for battle.
Flag Officer
Do you think he has any ulterior motives?
Duke of Caster
For two decades, my desk has been filled with intel related to him, along with its response proposals. As of late, these reports have been updating a dozen times a day.
Duke of Caster
The true struggle begins after the Sarkaz have been dealt with.
Duke of Caster
But at this moment... Wellington isn't the only one who needs a decisive victory.
Duke of Caster
The time has come. The assault is about to commence, and he has never failed to be punctual.
Duke of Caster
Ahh, do you hear that?
Duke of Caster
The Gastrell's full broadside... Such a different timbre it is compared to our ships.
Flag Officer
But after this battle, Caster's name will shine alongside Wellington's in the annals of Victorian military history–
'Anomaly, anomaly. 00 and 01! Repeat! 00 and 01!'
Flag Officer
Drat, the comms have been cut?!
Flag Officer
Your Grace, all signals from the Duke of Wellington... have vanished.
Flag Officer
A group of Sarkaz suddenly emerged from the Catastrophe and have engaged in battle with our frontline troops!
What the hell is Wellington doing?! Acting alone at a time like this... that vainglorious fool! Has he gone senile?
Siege
Impossible.
Siege
I do have a conjecture, though. Do you think he deceived Caster? Or rather, everyone?
Delphine
That... doesn't make any sense. This is the Iron Duke we're talking about. Why would he abandon the other, more easily-manipulated dukes to go ally with the Sarkaz?
Siege
It's a game of prisoner's dilemma among the dukes.
Siege
How would the Duke of Windermere, a warrior, treat her foes?
Delphine
...She'd kill them all.
Delphine
And wipe the last speck of their blood across their seized spoils.
Siege
Before he became first among the Victorian dukes, Wellington had already been leading troops for decades longer than your mother.
Siege
As a noble among nobles, Caster was used to everyone playing by the same set of rules.
Siege
After spending too long seated in front of the card table, she might've forgotten that some unreasonable people, such as us gangster types, have a penchant for flipping the entire table.
Siege
Hypothetically, if the Iron Duke truly saw all of Victoria as enemies rather than competitors – he'd never even give Caster a single chip to bargain with.
The next wave of Catastrophes struck far sooner than any of the Catastrophe Messengers predicted – all our comms have been knocked offline!
Duke of Caster
How long for repairs?
Flag Officer
Fifteen minutes. No, we'll make it ten!
Duke of Caster
...
'Trilby Asher'
...Your Grace.
Duke of Caster
You came back on Wellington's orders.
'Trilby Asher'
Indeed.
Duke of Caster
You're heavily injured. Who's responsible?
'Trilby Asher'
Not any of the Iron Duke's men.
Duke of Caster
He... lost to that Sarkaz?
'Trilby Asher'
After the Gastrell opened fire, the Nachzehrers' advance brigade emerged from the fog.
'Trilby Asher'
They moved extremely quickly, using already-deployed altars to destroy a small warship – Abercorn's infantry had already engaged them for a spell.
'Trilby Asher'
We expected the Gastrell to aid this ship.
'Trilby Asher'
But...
Duke of Caster
He retreated instead.
'Trilby Asher'
That's right. The Gastrell has turned back.
'Trilby Asher'
All of Wellington's other ships are covering the flagship's retreat. Their casters... have also changed targets, relying on the covering fire from our ships to secure their own vessel's retreat.
Duke of Caster
What about Abercorn and Ashworth's ships?
'Trilby Asher'
Completely exposed to the Nachzehrers' assault.
'Trilby Asher'
They expected to show up as support – but now find themselves facing the enemies head-on.
'Trilby Asher'
Wellington's ships have completely blocked off the retreat. He's even trying to push Abercorn and the others towards the front lines.
'Trilby Asher'
It won't be long until the remaining alliance forces are wiped out... and become sustenance for the Nachzehrers.
Duke of Caster
...
Flag Officer
Your Grace, the alliance forces dispatched to the heart of the battle has collapsed, and the Sarkaz will soon return to the rear where we're situated.
Flag Officer
The plan to cut off and encircle the Sarkaz has failed! We're at risk of getting surrounded ourselves!
Duke of Caster
At risk?
Duke of Caster
No, it's already too late.
Duke of Caster
What's enveloping us... is much more than the Catastrophe.
Flag Officer
...Nachzehrers!
Flag Officer
The signal's back online, and we've run into a large contingent of Nachzehrers... No, it's an entire army!
Flag Officer
There's another force approaching from the right... Is that their second army?
Flag Officer
They've already begun fighting. The Catastrophe is amplifying the Nachzehrers' witchcraft—!
Flag Officer
The Originium response is spiking sharply! Your Grace, watch yourself–
Vina remembers the first time she saw a high-speed battleship.
It was sitting on her father's desk. A small scale model, only as long as an adult's forearm. Its crystal flagpole would fall over with just a little poke.
Her father pushed her touchy-feely hands away, telling her that high-speed battleships are akin to metallic monsters that conquer the land. They, like the indomitable city of Londinium, were the crowning jewels of Victoria's industrial technology.
'Alexandrina, when you are older, I will take you aboard the newest battleship. You will see for yourself.'
Many years later, when Vina did in fact see one, it was only upon the battlefield.
Be it Windermere's, Caster's, or Wellington's warship, they were so majestic that the people standing beneath them were mere specks in comparison.
But at this moment, the broken warship in the palm of the colossal Originium wave before her seems to have reverted to the tiny toy she played with in her childhood.
Siege
...
Siege
That... Originium Wave, crushed the Gloriana into pieces.
Morgan
My eardrums... are still aching––
Morgan
The sound of a warship being destroyed... I doubt there's anyone nearby who didn't hear it...
Indra
The duke driving that huge thing... is dead, just like that?
Indra
Grr... Hey, Dagda, you'd better not shit yourself.
Dagda
You're the one whose hands are shaking.
Indra
Hmph.
Siege
You've been quiet this whole time, Dagda. What's on your mind?
Dagda
They made an example of the Duke of Caster at this critical juncture. The Sarkaz intentions are all too clear.
Indra
What might that be? A warning?
Siege
No, it's a message. A message that the Sarkaz are about to launch an all-out attack.
Morgan
...
Siege
Inform all our comrades and prepare for the next assault–
???
The Duke of Caster's not dead.
Siege
Horn! Our morale's completely shot right now...
Horn
That was quite the commotion just now. Nobody has ever seen anything like that before... including us.
Bagpipe
But, the captain's already sent out a bunch of old vets to tag along with you and calm down the fresh greens. Aye, looks like it's been workin' out.
Horn
Bagpipe, don't hold them to our standards, even if you're just doing it subconsciously. The Exemplars just happen to be a particularly special case.
Bagpipe
Aye. Got it, Captain.
Morgan
Horn, you just said... that the Duke of Caster is still alive? You seem quite certain about that.
Horn
Take a look – the muzzles of the Gloriana's cannons have been locked on since the very beginning.
Indra
Huh?
Horn
There might be countless criticisms about Victoria's grand dukes... But holding that position for decades is no easy feat.
Horn
Since the Gloriana has not ceased its resistance, that means the Duke of Caster has not perished.
Horn
As for the actual situation... maybe that's something a Trilby Asher can clear up for us.
Siege
He left the moment the Gloriana started to run into trouble.
Siege
He might be in the vicinity trying to a get in contact with the Gloriana to figure out what's actually going on.
Siege
But from what he told us, the Stone of the Sword we're looking for is also right there–
Horn
Siege, what's our next move?
Delphine
We've just heard back from the outpost!
Delphine
The Gloriana has been completly surrounded by the Royal Court's blitz attack, and the Duke of Wellington has suddenly withdrawn his forces.
Delphine
The situation in the surrounding areas has rapidly deteriorated––
Delphine
Vina, I'm afraid that... we'll have to halt our march at once.
