Eodem: A Rifle and Sword Adventure (Complete)

Chapter 42: Exordia Bellum

"Ghana have mercy! This is Preposterous!" Clovich wailed upon hearing first the news of the Grey Order attack on his realm.

Walking around his Hotel Suite in the Imperial Hotel of Tokyo, he screamed at his closest confidants in attendance including Prime Minister Bousquet himself who came rushing out of Switzerland to personally deliver and console the Otherworlder Prince of the incident. Clovich turned to the Holographic images of his Council of Administrators who were left at home to see through the day to day operations of the Principality in his absence. They were also Governor White who helped arrange this emergency meeting on the Metanet Video Conference had brought them all on the line.

The Prince kicked and screamed as he tossed every valuable piece of décor and furniture in his luxurious suite until his room became vandalized by the act of barbarism the Otherworlder brought forth. He couldn't believe at first that such a brazen display of 'Reassertion of Authority' by his Liege Masters would do such a heinous act. But with the veracity of the shocking news now unquestioningly factual thanks in part to several prominent citizens of his Principality speaking up of their plight that brought a wave of distraught amongst the people in the suite over the sheer amount of damages done. Initially, after personally seeing with his own two eyes the Federation of Earth's marvels, Clovich wanted to gather a few gifts from Earth to be sent to Emperor Uldin and his court of the imaginable prospects of a partnership between the Empire and the Earth and how both of them living together would be mutually beneficial. With all of those taken care of the Empire of Man will reach a new level of prestige the likes of which can humble venerable Elves and the splendorous civilization of the Yujegong Fox people in their prime! With Federation resources and the Empire's Magicks a great new age can happen with them together in friendship. But oh, those plans are for naught by the news of his beloved Tyr Rian being devastated by an attack by said Master he had served faithfully as their easternmost enforcer.

Governor White reported that over half of Tyr Rian had been burnt down no thanks in part to Rogue Mages specializing in Pyromantics being amongst the ranks of the Grey Order Adventurers. Over about 800 of the Prince's subjects had perished alongside 31 UFE Colonists, half of them being young children. In terms of material damages, about 15 plots of land within the Principality, accounting of less than half of all property plots in Tyr Rian had been burnt down by the raid. Economically it is a mix between several artisanry houses, townhomes, and several administrational offices that answered to him or the Empire.

And all for what?

A Prophecy that talks about the Empire's destruction by the hands of the Otherworlders? So, they preemptively struck first!?! Don't they actually understand who they are messing with!! He knew that the Empire can be arrogant at times especially to those they deem uncivilized as them but for them to do something like this? This was unforgivable that he couldn't believe that his Masters would stab him and the people of Tyr Rian in the back over something so unsure than the oracles of a comet that could mean so many things within the imagination of just ONE person's interpretation.

"Show me again... show me her again..." Clovich fell down to his knees and shredded a torrent of tears.

"You know already en---" Governor White tried to push to conversation forward as the Prince was stalling himself on the damages rather than finding out how he can move forward but he was interrupted.

"I SAID SHOW IT TO ME!" the Prince demanded.

Reluctantly, Jeremy conceded as he grabbed his tablet and played the traumatizing images of the damages, material and human back to the Prince. There were bodies, injured, the anguishes and the ebony color of burnt wood that flooded Clovich's eyes once again as he and those of his entourage fell down into a despondent state. Yet worse of all is when Clovich saw his beloved sister, once the bright star of his life in this cold and grueling world be reduced to a comatose Sleeping Beauty on a Hospital Bed with bandages that covered her once fair face from the sinister blow she had received during the attack.