A&O Volume 2: The Long March South – Chapter 60: Rise Up! (Part 2)
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As the fortress was still in disarray, Flavius saw his chance to get the hell out of there and into the courtyard after passing by so many guards who paid him no mind as they were rushing towards where the explosion had come from. He dashed out of the fortress and entered the courtyard which was in disarray as soldiers passed him, rushing inside with buckets and giving Flavius his chance to mount his horse and get the hell out, though his exit turned a few heads, none of them were really questioning it as they had larger things to worry about. 

'Thank the Gods that worked on time' He thought to himself as he rode off, thinking back to how everything went off without a hitch

The bomb that had caused the entire fortress to shake was planted by Flavius himself before he had entered the main meeting room. He had placed it inside a concealed package within the armory of the fortress as it was the closest to the meeting room where it wouldn't harm him, but shake the entire palace hard enough for him to make his escape. The bomb itself was gifted to him by Takawa who had told him that it was made with not only explosive magic but also by cramming several monster crystals into the thing to give it enough punch to really shake up the place. He tucked the thing in between the ray of shields that were inside the armory and when he primed it, the thing was tied to an activation crystal hidden within the sleeves of his overcoat that he had kept close to him. 

"That was step one, now to step two" He muttered to himself as he rode into Aresburg. 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Inside the city itself, Takawa was in the middle of one of the slave pools that she had been rotated to a day earlier thanks to Flavius' help. She was standing in the middle of the slave pool and turned her gaze up to the Malgrave Stronghold when she heard a loud BOOM which shook the earth even where she stood. A smile on her face as she could see smoke going up into the sky and it was not just her, other slaves in the slave pool turned their gazes to the smoke going up into the air and they all turned to Takawa for the order. 

Outside the slave pool, bystanders which comprised of adults, kids and their parents, the elderly and soldiers of the local garrison all turned and gasped at the sigh of the smoke once the shaking had stopped. Some began rushing to their homes out of fear while others were just standing there, confused as to what was happening. Some of the Signatari garrisons began rushing towards the fortress, their shouts echoing across the city while there were murmurs building up as the citizens were all scared and unsure of what had just happened. The thought of the twin-headed dragon which had ravaged the city months ago was still fresh in many peoples' minds and the thought of this being another attack cast a growing sense of fear across the city. 

"What's happening?!" An old lady cried out as she pointed at the smoke rising from the fortress 

"You three! Move it now! We have to assist them!" A Signatari Captain shouted as he rallied some of his men 

"Mama? What's going on?" 

"We have to go now sweetie, we shouldn't be here" A mother and her son said as she carried him in her arms and began running away 

"It's another dragon attack!" An elderly man cried out 

"It is?! Run!" A younger man shouted 

This led to a sudden chorus of people shouting and scattering in all directions as the fear of the dragon attack reared its ugly head and the growing tension in the air was finally broken. Everyone began bumping and crashing into one another as they fled the scene and the few Signatari soldiers and Abernath knights who were trying to keep the peace were forced to retreat and regroup back at the Malgrave Stronghold as they too were gripped by the fear of another dragon attack and wanted to see if their comrades and commander were safe and ready to dish out orders.  

With all of the panic, no one noticed the slaves in the slave pools now standing at attention and with the guards of the slave pools being pulled away to assist in the crisis ongoing in the fortress, there was no one to notice that there was a soundproof barrier surrounding the entire slave pool. Even when a seemingly well-dressed man atop a white stead arrived out of nowhere and stopped right at the gate of the cage of the slave pool, hopping off his mount and then slicing open the locked door before stepping inside. 

"Right. The time is now everyone! It is time to rise and revolt!" Takawa shouted as she stomped her foot on the wooden floor of the slave pool, activating her H.I.S.S. armor which materialized around her after breaking the magic crystal necklace around her neck. 

"What is step one?!" 

"Create Panic!" The beastkin replied without hesitation 

"Step two?!" 

"Light The Signal!" 

At that moment, a malformed arachnia who had lost a pair of her legs and one of her arms hauled over a cylinder that was kept under wraps within a thick silk satchel she moved over to Takawa who then nodded and turned to Flavius to remove the thing from its container and place it in the middle of them all. Opening up the satchel, a large, gray metal tube no larger than a bucket was revealed, the sides of the tube had various inscriptions traced on it and there was a monster crystal on the top part which was waiting to be activated. 

The beastkin and Flavius took a step back as Takawa placed her hand on the dormant monster crystal and poured her magic into it, making it shine blue before stepping back and watching the crystal shoot up in the air past the cage overhead. 

{!} 

The magic crystal resembled a blue flare in the darkening sky of grey and once it was sufficiently high enough, it let off an ethereal shimmer of blue that captivated many who saw the sight before simulating an explosion of blue light that spread out across the city. A few moments later, several other similar flares were launched from the various slave pools across the city, and the repeated flashes of blue light were finally noted by everyone who stopped panicking for a brief moment to be captivated by it. 

"What is step three?!" 

"Rise Up!" The beastkin and even Flavius shouted in response before they began grabbing their weapons and armor smuggled into the slave pools 

"Follow me! For Freedom!" 

"RAAAAGH!" 

{!}

The sudden sight of the slaves suddenly rushing out with weapons and armor reintroduced the panic state from before. As Takawa led the way out, several Abernath Knights who were on their way to the fortress saw her and the slaves breaking out and moved in to intercept them. Flavius and some other beastkin slaves were about to move forward to engage but the H.I.S.S. agent was pretty much done with the entire dukedom by this point and wanted to vent some of that frustration. 

She dashed forward to meet the squad of six knights head on and the nearest knight to her died almost instantly as she drove both of her daggers into the chest plate of the unfortunate soul, his eyes went wide as he felt the weapons drive deep into his chest and he coughed up blood which stained the insides of his mask. As the man was falling backward, Takawa used his lifeless body as a springboard for her to leap onto the closet knight who was on the left, wrapping her armored legs around the neck of the man, plunging her dagger into his undefended head and using the momentum to then throw him onto the ground hard. After dealing with those two, she saw the remaining four stopped in their tracks, unsure of what to do as they just saw her take down two of their own before they could even react. 

She didn't waste time for them to try anything as she lunged at them like a predator to her prey, the nearest knight tried to launch an attack, swinging his sword but it went wide, missing Takawa and allowing her to land an uppercut blow, driving her dagger through the man's chin and then into his brain. Pulling out her dagger quickly, the kitsune agent grabbed the collar of the dead man's chest plate and as she twisted her body, there the heavy corpse at one of the knights trying to attack her, sending the corpse and the knight crashing to the ground. 

Turning her attention to the last two, she allowed them to charge at her. She dodged the downward swing of the first knight, allowing his weapon to strike the cobblestone ground nearby before kneeing him in the chest plate, making a dent, and sending him staggering back before toppling over and clutching his chest in pain. The second knight tried to be smart, launching a diagonal slash but she was ready, leaning back and then twisting her body during the motion, allowing herself to launch a turning long kick that struck the knight's face with enough force to crack his jaw and destroy his mask, spurting blood and making him cry in pain as he staggered off to the side clutching his face. 

Seeing her chance, Takawa stowed her daggers on special holders on her arms before coating her right gauntlet in fire magic and then driving it through the chest of the knight and crushing his heart, killing him on the spot. Leaving him wide-eyed and gasping for air as he died. 

She turned her gaze to the other two who were still alive and saw that Flavius and some of the beastkin slaves had finished them off, making her nod in appreciation, hiding the small smile underneath her helmet. 

"Good. Let's get the rest and proceed to step four" 

"What's step four?" Flavius asked, prompting the kitsune agent to turn to the freed slaves 

"What is step four?!" 

"Release the horde!" 

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Across the city, as people ran in all directions in a panic, the slaves in their slave pools rose up one after another as they saw Takawa and her group reach them. They regrouped with each slave pool and each time, they threw back the determined attempts by the local garrison to take them down. 

For example, near the center of the city, by the massive church dedicated to Histy known as the Temple of Saint Rhine which was its name, a group of Abernath Knights had hauled in a bunch of crossbow launchers that were bolted onto a single wooden beam with nails into one massive linear arrangement which was meant for one of the defense towers across the city which was still in the process of being rebuilt. 

They wheeled it in on a cart they had attached the massive thing to and aimed down the street where Takawa's force was moving down. Nearby, the slave pool in front of the church was surrounded from all sides by Abernath mages who fired spells through the holes of the massive cage at the slaves who huddled in the center with their smuggled shields up which were tanking the fire. In the center of the huddled group of slaves were the small children and an orc H.I.S.S. agent by the name of Grundle who was busy using his specialized defensive magic to keep the people under his charge alive, planting his hands on the ground and using his magic to strengthen those holding up the shields. 

As Takawa's group rumbled down the street, the Abernath Knights sent out several squads to try and stop them, while their commander ordered the crossbow launcher to be aimed right at them. 

"Steady....Steady...FIRE!" He shouted as he pointed his sword forward 

{!} 

The crossbow launchers fired in unison and the bolts passed over the charging knights, slamming into the shield formation that the incoming slaves had made in response once they saw the launcher aimed at them. 

"Tsk, annoyance!" Takawa roared in anger as she fired off a fireball that slammed directly into the launcher, sending it flying in multiple directions and the crew scattered on the ground 

"Charge!" She then ordered as she dashed forward, leading Flavius and other slaves who were right behind her 

While the kitsune agent moved ahead of them all to assist her fellow H.I.S.S. agent, she cut down several of the knights but left a good amount for them to handle. Flavius was skilled in taking one sure, but the slaves had to work in groups to take down the armored knights before them. One group, comprising a wolf beastkin armed with a bastard sword, and two elves armed with spears charged down one knight who was running right at them. The first elf fired off a thrust that the knight blocked with his shield before the second elf got around to the side, forcing the knight to try and take a swing before the second elf could get his thrust in but leaving him open briefly, long enough for the wolf beastkin to drive his sword into the right side of his armor. The knight screamed in pain and before he knew it, his defense was shattered as both elves then thrust their spears again, driving them into his chest and spine, coating the cobblestone ground in his blood before his body clanged on the ground. 

Another group of three, this time being all elves charged down another knight nearby, each of them armed with swords but only two also holding shields. The pair with shields were the first in, trying to shield bash the knight into a corner but the knight reacted quicker than they anticipated, dodging the first bash and then replying with his own shield bash that staggered back the second elf. The third elf thought that there was an opening and tried to land a thrust with his sword, but the knight had given not an opening but a feint, stepping back and out of harm's way before bringing his own sword up in an upward slash that severed the third elf's left hand from his arm, making him scream in agony as he collapsed to his knees. But as the Abernath Knight was going in for the kill, the first elf from earlier had gotten behind the brute and ran his sword through the knight's chest, killing him instantly. 

"Come on we got you, we have to keep moving" Another slave, this one being a dragonkin with cut-off wings said as she knelt next to the bleeding elf, pulling out a healing crystal that Takawa had given several slaves to act as healers, 

The crystal gleaned a soothing green as the dragonkin placed it on the stump where the hand was, picking up the severed hand and then placing it back to where it was, cleaning, disinfecting and repairing the whole thing in a few moments before they got back up on their feet and continued forward. 

Meanwhile, Takawa was busy tearing apart the Abernath mages who were now shifting their fire from the slaves in the slave pool to her when she came into view. They fired fireballs that missed her by a wide margin and slammed into the nearby wooden stalls or even the houses and cobblestone, sending fragments of rock and splinters of burning wood flying in multiple directions as they tried to kill her. The first mage she came down upon died as she drove one of her dagger's into her neck and then pulled it down to the mage's chest before pulling it out and quickly twisting, using the momentum to help her throw the lifeless body at another mage. Before she even attacked the other mage, she quickly threw one of her daggers at the cage lock which broke instantly and the slaves inside rushed out and began attacking the scared mages who were now panicking and fleeing out of fear for their lives. 

"You could have gotten out sooner" Takawa said as she moved to take the knife from the broken lock, looking at Grundle who had just exited the slave pool

"Sorry, was protecting kids" The orc H.I.S.S. agent replied 

"Alright, fair enough. But regardless, we should be heading out now. It seems Step Four is a great success" 

The two of them stopped for a moment as the sounds of fighting and explosions filled the air, followed by the shouting of Abernath Knights and mages and other members of the local garrison sending out orders to fall back to the fortress to protect the Duke. 

"It seems it has Head Agent, I believe they will promote you to the head of field operations after this don't you think?" The orc asked with a sly smile 

"Gods I hope not, but it would be a good promotion"  The kitsune replied with a smirk of her own 

"Right, enough dillydally, let's get on with it" 

"Right behind you Ma'am" 

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Atop the ramparts of the Malgrave Stronghold, Duke Abernath, Baroness Baro, Sir Matthews and Mako looked on in absolute horror as they watched the slave uprising wreak havoc on the city of Aresburg. The explosions erupting in the distance let ut shockwaves that could be felt all the way atop the ramparts. The growing fires across the city and the screams and shouts of slaves and soldiers alike helped in painting the nightmare scenario before them and while everyone was busy trying to wrap their heads around what the hell was happening, Sir Matthews and Duke Abernath could not have had different expressions on their faces despite their masks. 

For Sir Matthews, he had an expression of abject horror as he saw the entire thing unfold, his lips trembled and the eyes behind his half mask widened the more he stared outward, inside that mind of his, cogs were turning and parts were clicking into place as his imagination and realization came to the conclusion that the destruction of the Dukedom's Army had been nothing but a prelude to this very revolt and what's more, he had no reservations that the empire that crushed him on the Barrah Plains were the ones who had orchestrated this and soon, he knew they would be marching south to finish the job.

"In all our arrogance...we fell right into the trap" He muttered under his breath, his body straining to stand as he slightly fell over and leaned on the rampart walls, Mako by his side and trying to help him 

Meanwhile, Duke Abernath's could not be wholly different. Underneath his crimson mask was a man with a scowl, fuming with so much rage that his grotesque and disfigured face underneath was getting red from all the emotions he was feeling inside. His large grubby hands gripped the rampart walls and he could feel his rage power him as he crushed the rock underneath his angry grip. His gaze darkened and his body was shaking slightly as he could hardly contain the rage bottling up within him. 

"Mother fucking bastards" He muttered as he looked on at the chaos unfolding 

"Order the garrison back into the city at once! I want this rabble crushed now!" He bellowed as he turned to one of his knights, watching the young boy nod and then disappear running down the stairs 

"They want my city. Then they will have to die for it"

A/N: We have reached the endgame chapters now. The end is in sight! 

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