"War with the Okean Empire? Why in the world would System want that?"

Keith sat next to Octavia as she explained what information she had overheard.

"War is a massive boost to the economy. An increase in nationalism, military industry, acceptance of higher taxes. System wants to use a massive war to prepare the country for their great reform."

Keith looked at the wooden floorboards, deep in thought. He had a stack of political documents in hand, the heavy pile weighing him down as they attempted to ascertain System's plans.

"After the raid on the palace you were asleep for nearly three days straight, which gives us less than four days to formulate a plan to prevent the assassination of the Okean emperor."

Octavia poured over a document of architectural notes for the emperor's speech location. Heavy resistance against ground based attacks, but there wasn't a speck of defense against snipers or explosives. Their military, along with the rest of the world, had no way to combat the strange technology of Xenon. The emperor was a sitting duck.

Two days later, Octavia exited the hospital, followed by Guard. Together they waited at the train station, waiting to be taken to the Okean border. Guard’s small bronze plaque declaring his royal protector status swapped out for a generic steel manufacturer’s logo and Octavia wore a simple suit instead of her normal royal uniform. Together the pair were certainly strange, but in the bustle of wealthy train passengers they didn’t stand out. Keith elected to stay behind, explaining how the crown prince of Blackhall interfering in such matters would lead to all matters of international scandal.

“Are you prepared to leave the nation for the first time since your birth, princess?” Guard spoke inquisitively as they stood at the station.

“I told you to call me Via, remember? We’re undercover.”

Octavia looked off to the southeast, towards Okeaos.

“I’d be lying if I said this doesn’t feel strange. I have other things on my mind though.”

The screeching wheels of the train sparked into the station where the pair stood in wait. Its doors slid open to admit them, the blaring sound of a megaphone announcing their departure towards the border. Sitting upon a creaking wooden bench, Octavia laid Guard's chassis on the floor before her.

She folded her jacket like a pillow, settling down across the bench to sleep. Guard sat with his chassis resting upon the floor, his metal legs folded underneath the large body.

“Hey Guard, don’t you find it a bit strange that we’re the only ones who’ve advanced our technology this far? We’ve had our works displayed to the world for nearly a decade yet no other nation has ever tried to replicate us, to use our devices. It seems unthinkable.”

“I cannot say for sure prin- I mean Via. However, I have come to a possible theory if you wish to hear it.” Guard inched closer to Octavia, lowering the volume of his speakers to a whisper.

“Well don’t just keep me waiting, what’s your theory?”

“The Holy Church is violating our treaty of free trade and religion we won in the revolution. They’re using the fact that they surround us to deny our trade with anyone besides the nations under their control. They’re trying to quarantine what they believe to be heretical inventions.”

“The Church? That’s quite a bold claim. My father told me that ever since the revolution we’ve had positive relations with them for nearly two decades, how could they strangle our trade routes and still keep a good reputation?”

Guard beeped quietly as his voice recordings shuffled around, blending with the sound of racing train tracks and cheerful music pouring from the next compartment.

“The Church often works in rather underhanded methods. Having near absolute control and holy justification can lead to that. It’s really just a theory, but international shipping manifests in the last ten years have been full of strange errors. However I would advise not paying too much mind to the Church’s activities at this moment. We already have our hands full with one conspiracy.”

Octavia nodded lightly, turning up to face the ceiling. Her eyes slowly shut, sleep washing over her with the rhythmic clank of train tracks.

Octavia awoke with a shock as the train screeched to a halt. Rubbing her tired eyes, she gazed out the window to see an endless sea of rolling sand dunes. Clouds of dust blew over the station as she walked out of the locomotive. Guard clanked behind her, stepping out of the way to admit a handful of passengers.

"Welcome to the Okean border, Via."

Octavia stepped off of the platform, boots sinking into the piled sand. A weathered stone road stretched forward, winding down miles and miles to the capital of the nation. Around half a mile away stood a military facility guarding the border, currently closed down to prepare for the coming of the emperor.

The girl and her robot walked forward towards the rising orange sun, shining rays spilling above the border walls. Step by step they moved forwards as a mirage on the road's center eventually formed into the shape of a young woman in a battered, crimson suit. Octavia casually waved to the serious figure as Guard backed into a combat stance.

"Hello again Anis. How do you do?"

Anis calmly strode forwards towards Octavia.

"Far better than last time. I'm ready for round two."

Anis drew her blade, pointing it forward with a dark gleam in her eye.

"Tell me this, Anis. Why do you fight for System?"

"What?"

"You clearly value honor and knighthood on the battlefield. Concepts that System is destroying."

Anis backed up, tightening the grip on her sword. The heels of her boots sank into the sand as she held a combat stance.

"System isn't the one destoying those. It doesn't work so directly. All they do is give us the tools we'll need to survive, tools that not everyone is ready for. Make no mistake that System and those who follow it are very different. "

Octavia shook her head, her hands still far from the hilt of her blade.

"What storm? The biggest threat to the world is Xenon itself!"

"You're right in a way. Our goal is horrific. The annihilation of every person outside of Xenon's borders. It sickens me to think what we have to do. However the alternative is far worse. When the end comes, the souls of everyone without our blood will be taken. Killing them before that can happen is a mercy."

Anis jumped forward into the air, slamming her blood-red sword into the dirt where Octavia had stood seconds before. Octavia flipped backwards, drawing her sword to deflect another blow racing in the direction of her head within an instant.

Their swords drew together into a cross, both fighters showing a desperation to succeed in the fight, no matter what.

"That's insanity! Even if that was true, could your honor really let you simply massacre innocents instead of searching for another way?"

The cross broke into a storm of clashing steel as Anis's movements grew more and more erratic.

"There is no other way! We can't stop their fate, it's impossible."

Octavia rolled sideways, parrying Anis's sword into a forward lunge.

"Nothing is impossible. I'm fighting for what I believe in, for the future of humanity. I fight for my ideals against endlessly stacked odds because I know there is a chance I can come out on top. Can you say the same? Are you really following your ideals?"

Anis's face grew cloudy as her thoughts deepened, letting openings form in her stance. The two ran forward into one last attack, swinging their swords with all their might. The two blades let out a shrill ring, then flew out of their hands, buried into the sand.

With their weapons gone, Octavia stretched out a hand.

"Anis, join me. I don't care what System has told you, there has to be another way."

Anis stared at the ground for a time, walking over to grab her sword. The blood red blade slid into its sheath, and Anis turned her head towards the rising sun.

"We’re finished. This duel was a draw. I can’t win here, not now. But remember this. I will stop you. For the world’s next great revolution into a perfect, final form. A form ready to survive the Outsider.”

She walked off in the direction of the warm orange rays, the desert heat causing her form to shiver and vanish as if it were a simple mirage. Octavia watched her leave, flashing Guard a confident smile.

Octavia's hand fell down to hold her chest, feeling the thumping deep within. If the fight had lasted only seconds longer she would have considered using the new trump card that Keith had requested be installed into her body as she recovered.

A Mana Reactor was bound to her heart, waiting to be activated. A rare device which combined the powers of magic and technology, enhancing Mana generation and power at a brutal cost to the user's body. In her desperate fight she had no choice but to take any possible advantage, no matter the danger. The device forced open a connection with mana crystals that normally only activated within living beings, exploiting the gateway inside the crystals to pour out far more magical power than natural. For the mana resistant people of Xenon it was the only way they could harness magic.

The duo approached the border's military checkpoint, slipping out of direct view as they grew close. Octavia’s sword cut a triangular hole into the fortress's walls, stepping through the opening into the central compound while Guard hung back at a safe distance.

Before they left, Octavia and Keith had compiled a list of sniping locations available in the fortress, which Octavia checked one by one. At the base of a guard tower, Octavia found the stripped body of a guard inside a stack of hay. Climbing into the tower, she slowly worked up a dimly lit spiral staircase.

In the upper room, she found a guard peering intently out of the window. Hiding in the shadows, she squinted to see what the guard was doing. In their arms was a long metal pole covered in small devices and tubes, topped by a large telescope. A deadly new invention, designed for assassination. The sniper rifle.

Octavia quietly slid her blade into the man's back, holding her hand over his mouth to silence the scream. She took the weapon up in her arms, using the telescope to watch the approaching imperial procession.

A golden carriage was drawn by two snow white horses, groups of knights in shining steel armor flanking each side. Several squads of archers and magicians followed close behind, forming a defensive perimeter. The formation lacked adequate defences against sudden ranged attacks with no magic signature to alert sorcerers to create a Force barrier, leaving the emperor open to assassination.

A low beeping sound began to creep into Octavia's ears, causing her to look down at a small metal device near her foot. Raising the machine to her ear she recognized the radio Morse code of machines. System had been notified that their assassination attempt was foiled.

The carriage pulled up to the gates in a cacophony of fanfare, masking a low rumble that built up in the earth. A tan skinned man in fine white silks stepped out from the golden cart, shining golden sandals lightly touching the sandy ground.

Knights wielding great shields strode side by side with the emperor as he walked onto a grand stone stage overlooking hoards of soldiers.

The rumble grew stronger and louder as he walked upon the stage. The murmurs of the people began to grow, whispers of an approaching sandcrawler. The goliath reptiles never came near human settlements however, the hard texture of stone and unnatural thumping impacts of civilization drove them away.

The emperor continued unhindered, raising his arms up high as he addressed his people.

"My loyal soldiers slaving away at the border, leagues from civilization, I applaud your ceaseless devotion! The efforts of the people-"

With an explosion of dirt and sand the ground shattered, collapsing down an endless pit as a grand machine pulled itself upward from the darkness. Four metal pole legs, each nearly 3 stories tall, dug into the sides of the tunnel on massive spiked tips. The appendages converged into a towering steel fortress, smokestacks pouring black clouds into the air above while hundreds of guns peeked outside the gray metal walls. The Okean emperor tumbled down the pit, his fall ending midair as a massive leg spike pierced his chest. The limp body slid down, coating the foot in crimson red. Fog horns reverberated loudly from deep inside the machine as it exited the earth.

Octavia lept from the window, landing lightly on the ground below. She drew her sword, standing to face the machine head on.

“So this is Subjugation Walker…”

Smaller automatons spilled from the gaping hole in the earth, setting ropes down for hundreds of soldiers wielding guns and swords to pull themselves to the surface.

Octavia laughed maniacally as her eye systems poured out red light, raising her sword forward. She charged forward towards the leviathan machine while Guard skittered out behind her, unleashing a torrent of bullets into the approaching army. Octavia's sword sunk deep in the chassis of an automaton, slashing the edge outward into an approaching soldier with a burst of blood and oil.

Octavia dodged a massive leg falling down to crush her, igniting her sword as she leapt upward onto the appendage's side. Running up the pole, she slashed wildly across the steel with her flaming blade. Bright orange gashes crossed the leg as she attacked, yet the metal pole seemed overall unharmed.

With a final flip onto the central chassis she cut a red hot gash into the Walker's side, rolling into the cramped interior hallways. The walls were covered in steam pipes and machinery, emitting a sweltering heat that slowly boiled the outside of Octavia's skin. Stabbing anything that seemed important within her sight, the room flooded with scalding steam that forced Octavia to leap upwards back onto the Walker's outer roof.

With Octavia once again on top of the steel fortress, automatons shot up from the interior to attack her. She dodged between them, straining her body to keep up with the speed of nearly a dozen automatic weapons. Two automatons fell off the side of the craft as she launched a wide kick, only to be hit in the shoulder by a stray bullet. Her movements slowed, but the adrenaline coursing through her body didn’t let her feel the pain.

She quickly tossed her sword into her off hand, using the mechanical arm to punch behind her, shattering an automaton. Quickly she snapped the sword to her boot, leaping forward into a spinning kick that sliced a robot pulling a cannon cart into two clean cut halves. Her sword disconnected from the boot, falling down with gravity as Octavia slammed down to the ground, grasping the handle before it hit the sandy earth. Slashing forward, she caused the legs of a group of approaching soldiers to become suddenly unattached from their waists in a shower of blood.

Guard stood nearby, taking cover behind Octavia's attacks as he filled waves of soldiers with bullet holes. He scampered to his side, narrowly avoiding the impact of a greatsword, then spun around to blow the attacker to pieces in a stream of hot lead.

Octavia turned to face the machine, readying her blade back up for another round of attacks. Her wounded shoulder sagged slightly down, injured.

"Smug bastard. I bet you think you're invincible don't you?"

The echoing blast of a foghorn responded to her as the fortress pulled itself back to its feet. Digging its back leg spikes into the dusty ground, the Walker's front leg rocketed forwards towards Eva's face. Blocking the spike's tip with the flat of her blade, she pushed back against the hundreds of tons in crushing force. Flooding her body with the mana generator's power, she threw her sword to the side, urging her body to remember the magic lessons she had learned over her childhood. With the Generator there was no longer a limit due to her natural ability, letting her cast basic spells with proficiency. She connected to the mana flowing from the crystals in her chest, picturing an unstoppable blast of energy to counter the massive vehicle, unleashing a flood power to knock the great machine back.

Her entire body screamed in pain, collapsing to the ground. The augmented heart beat so fast it felt as if it was trying to escape her chest.

Subjugation Walker fired wildly at the crowd of fleeing Okean soldiers, blowing them to dust with cannons, blasting them with bullets, stomping them under its feet. A group of automatons marched towards the prone Octavia who attempted to force her failing limbs to crawl backwards. The foremost machine beeped, stopping to rev its guns. Just as the first bullet left the barrel, the machine burst into scrap in a flash of red.

Anis landed on the ground with her back facing Octavia, slicing the bullet out of the air and brandishing her crimson katana against the mechanical horde.

“I promised to be the one to defeat you. I won’t let this oversized bucket get in my way. Now run!”

Anis held her sword high as the walking fortress turned towards her. Deep horns bellowed from deep within the warship sized machine as it thrust forward a spike which Anis gracefully dodged. Guard rushed over to Octavia, letting her weakly grab onto his side. Anis hopped upon the Walker’s side, attacking any exposed piece of machinery she could find.

Guard sped across the sand, firing at any nearby enemies with reckless abandon. Octavia clutched his side, upturned dust and rocks covering her face. They leapt over the walls of the military base, clacking down the winding road to the capital. At the same time Subjugation Walker drove its front leg into the ground with a thundering impact, causing more of the ground to crumble into the abyss. Anis attempted to stick her sword into the leg as she plummeted downwards, but the blade simply bounced off.

The battle disappeared from view in a dust cloud pouring from the hole, covering the escape of the princess. Her fist clenched tight as her bright red eye crackled with interference from the smoke.

“We have a promise… so you’re not allowed to die here, Anis.”

The pair traveled for miles, finally arriving at a small town on the outskirts of the empire. The buildings were squat and simple, crafted from sun bleached adobe bricks and centered around a single large well.

Octavia looked at the unfamiliar designs with a dazed mind, having left the bizarre city she called home to reach foreign lands for the first time in her life. Despite the circumstances it still brought some small wonder to her mind. The tanned townspeople looked on with suspicion at the machine as it stepped into a humble church, gently letting off Octavia to lie across a bench. A tall cleric came to greet them, looking in disdain towards the automaton as he came to Octavia’s side. Guard turned to Octavia as she struggled to keep her consciousness, beeping empathetically.

“Get some rest Via. I’ll handle things from here.”

Octavia struggled to form a smile for the loyal machine as her eyes fell shut, slipping into a deep sleep.