56 days after the explosions - Army tent

No choice, no way out, no escape, no safe line, no hope

That's the situation everyone from the Zergeit empire found themselves

They couldn't even say they didn't have the power to make such a difficult choice, since they have both the crown prince Damian and his "guardian" general Rexford

They couldn't refuse the offer since they had they back against the wall, and they couldn't stall for time since time was of essence

They were completely screwed all around basically

Sweeten the deal? How? They didn't have anything to offer. Even worst was that they could demand even more and they didn't have a way to refuse

Empty promises?that wouldn't work. For starters, they would lose all credibility in future negotiations, something a nation couldn't afford to lose if they didn't want to be isolated

Besides, they would probably need some collateral to make sure they wouldn't go back on their word

Completely trapped, completely screw, completely defeated

"You win, we will take the deal. While we finish the details of the deal, I will send some of my guys will go to confirm what you say is true, and if everything checks out, I and the prince will sing the papers, deal?"(Rexford) said reluctantly and extended his hand so the prince would shake it

"Deal"(prince) said with a smug face and approached the general

And it was in that moment that Alice saw an opportunity. So far, the prince was beside his guards and a few meters(foots) away, so approach him would look suspicious, making them have their guard up

But now, it was the opposite. Everyone had their guard down since it looked like they reached a deal. It was one of those moments when one felt a sense of accomplishment and everyone is lost in the moment. It was a perfect time to strike

The prince left the protection of his guards, so anyone could approach him and make him a hostage. No one realised this because the mood felt like everything was over, but Alice didn't give up yet

If he captures him, she could negotiate to get away from there with the general and prince Demian(or at least Demian) and if they managed to reach the forts, she could use the hostage soldiers as a way to stop the advance of the Griffon army while she uses part of the army to stop the Rebellion

It may not go exactly as she hoped, but it wasn't a bad plan, and it could work

And how hard it would be to capture him? She may not be as strong as her brother Paul, but she was as strong as the best knight in the kingdom(or empire for the matter) and he was an unprepared, non-talented, garbage that was just in front of her. He had no way of escaping from her grasp

So she waited, and when he was just a meter away, she made her move. It was simple actually, she put mana on her legs to move faster, some mana on her eyes to improve her kinetic vision and some on her arms to improve their movement speed

Her aim was to hit his knee to make him fall, and grab the neck, and one of his arms to make a proper choke hold

It was a move her training instructor teach her, and it should work perfectly in this situation

The plan was perfect, the move was perfect, the movement was perfect and the hostage was perfect

Not

She missed

How did she miss?

She didn't understand

He was just in front of her, she had her reflex increased, she was catching him by surprise, she was using her most perfect move at the perfect moment at the most imperfect person

She didn't understand, but she couldn't surrender yet. She may have hesitated for a millisecond, but she made her move again, this time with greater speed, greater focus and greater determination, like her very existence depended on that moment

And all she could remember after that was blackness

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Note: Sorry it's a short one, but it was a perfect moment to stop