Winding back time a bit earlier, the moment the flares were shot into the sky of Aresburg, the slave pools across the outskirts shot up their own flares which were then received and responded to by other slave pools until every single one of the detestable sights had sent up their affirmation signal for the uprising. While in Aresburg they were barely noticed or even acted upon by the citizens of the dukedom, the situation was quite different across the rest of the nation. 

In the Barony of House Theodorus on the far eastern end of the nation, when the slave revolt began, the various knight order forces suddenly found themselves assailed by not only the slaves who had risen from the slave pools armed to the teeth with swords, shields, spears and light crossbows, the local slave militia which they had hoped to stay loyal to them via the newer slave collars around their necks were suddenly fighting against them as H.I.S.S. agents embedded within the slave pools used their magic to short circuit the slave collars of the those within the slave pools and within the militia, freeing them to fight for their cause. 

One of the fiercest scenes of fighting was in the downtown section of the city of Theodosia which was where the main estate for the House Theodorus resided.

"Stand your ground and fight! Crush these damn cretins!" One Theodorus Knight shouted as he rallied several squads to engage the slaves rushing out of a nearby slave pool, rushing towards them to engage them

"Reinforcements! Reinforcements have arrived!" A younger knight shouted with glee as he turned his head to a nearby street and saw forces of the militia rushing up to them 

"That's not reinforcements! Fuck! Shift position! Enemy on the right!" One of the older knights shouted as he saw it was militia without their collars on and accompanied by several slaves as well

The two forces then clashed and despite the slave militia being outnumbered, they fought like madmen against their oppressors. One arachnia soldier who was missing two of her legs charged into a group of three knights without reservation for her own life. As their swords drove into her abdomen and chest and she died on the spot, she had provided enough of a distraction for fellow leo beastkin to get around the group and land a devastating slash from his battleaxe that tore through the backs of the knights, coating the snow-covered ground in their blood. 

Meanwhile, an elven slave who was missing his arm and who had been wounded in another engagement as shown by a large bleeding wound on his side, rushed into a group of knights, using the last of his strength to fire off a <Fireball> spell at a group before throwing his own body as a projectile for them to shield against. The fireball strikes down one knight and his body is able to topple another pair of knights before a few more militia move in and seal the kill by driving their weapons through the necks of these toppled knights.

One kitsune militiawoman found herself being attacked by knights from three sides and as they charged her, she let out a war cry of defiance as she flourished her spear and stood her ground. She thrust her spear at the knight in front of her but cursed under her breath as the spearhead glanced off the knight's shield before quickly pulling it back and then twisting her body to dodge an incoming sword slash then landing a back kick at the knight right behind her right in the face, breaking the knight's mask that splintered into a hundred ceramic pieces and making him stumble back. He was left open long enough for the militiawoman to thrust her spear at him and through the chest this time, killing him on the spot. But with this one victory, she had left herself open to another slash that crashed against her back, spurting blood that splattered over the ground and causing the militiawoman to collapse on the spot face first. But when she went down, another militiaman charged forward and killed the knight that had scored a kill, driving his blade through the neck of the knight with his dagger and pushing his body into that of another knight nearby

As the fighting continued, some of the militia and freed slaves moved over to their seemingly dead comrades and pulled them out of the fighting, using magi crystals to heal them and placing them in a comatose state, waiting for someone to bring them back to life, someone that the H.I.S.S. agents told the slaves that the empire had in the form of one of the Empresses on their way to help them. 

Along the countryside of the barony, the slave revolts were much more successful as the towns, with their low amount of knights and high amount of militias made it easy for the slaves to break their magi-collars and get organized. Such as in one town next to the northern border wall of the dukedom called Maris, the slaves sent out their blue flare in confirmation of their readiness and the small garrison of Theodorus knights in the town quickly rushed to the slave pool to see what the hell was happening, only for the militia accompanying them turn on them as they rounded a corner. 

"Kill them all!" One of the militiamen shouted as he ripped off his already short-circuited magi-collar 

"Traitors!" One of the knights shouted before being impaled in the back with several spears 

The fighting in the town became bloody as the freed slaves and militia cut a swathe through the garrison that had come to put them down. The civilians of the town fled in all directions trying to escape what they perceived to be their own deaths at the hands of the free slaves and for good reason, but that did not come to pass. 

Once the groups were fully mobilized, certain groups made a break to the west to regroup and help the other uprisings while some moved towards the larger cities in the Theodorus barony to ensure that everything was going as planned and so far, it was. 

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A similar situation was also developing in the neighboring Barony of House Malintara to the west. The uprisings across the barony were fierce as the knights of House Malintara responded swiftly and brutally. The knights, quickly turned on their militia counterparts, using any still-working slave collar to electrocute and eliminate these soon-to-be foes before they could turn their weapons on their former masters. There were a few H.I.S.S. agents embedded into the militia and these agents reacted fast, short-circuiting their own collars before quickly saving the rest as they let out a magical discharge that disabled the rest. Fights broke out in the streets as the militia fought the knights and in the ensuing chaos, the slaves inside the slave pools, with their own slave collars broken, rose up to assist and enact their plan. 

Inside the main city of Malintarus, the main city for House Malintara, the slave revolt had begun with a boom as several charges around the city were detonated in conjunction with the flares being shot up into the air. 

"Regroup at the market! The rest of the militia are holding their ground there!" Romus shouted as he and the rest of his slave pool broke free from their cage 

"There! The damn slaves are trying to escape!" A knight shouted as he and his squad rounded the corner, rushing towards them with their weapons at the ready 

{!} 

Romus was about to issue orders but a blur of black passed him and attacked the squad of knights. It was a H.I.S.S. agent by the name of Ilara who had been assigned to this slave pool a week ago, The armor-clad siren wasted no time in dispatching the knights who were far weaker than her, the trident in her hand acting as a blur of death, the prongs tearing through the armor of the Malintara Knights with easy swings that sent them flying and crashing into the nearby buildings and pavement. One knight tried to block a slash from the trident with his shield, only for the weapon to punch through the thing that was supposed to protect him, one of the prongs raked across his chest plate after piercing through the shield and the side of his torso, embedding itself deep in his chest as it move from right to left and sent him crashing into a nearby bench. Another knight tried to get behind her and stab her through her spine but the siren turned faster than he anticipated and Ilara thrust her trident first, the middle prong punching through his body and exiting out the other side. The armored siren then simply used the corpse on her weapon as a projectile, throwing the body with enough force to kill another knight who was making a run for it. 

Despite having the numbers and seemingly home-field advantage, the knights were being used to coat the snowy ground in their crimson blood, many of them dead despite their best efforts before they could even comprehend who they were fighting. 

"I will draw their attention, go now with the rest" Ilara stated as she glanced back at Romus 

"Alright, good luck" The old elf replied, the two of them sharing a nod before the H.I.S.S. agent began sprinting in a different direction. 

"Let's go! Before they regroup for another attack!" Romus bellowed as he turned to his group and began making his way to the marketplace 

Around ten minutes followed as they fought their way to the market square in the center of Malintarus, they met up with other groups of slaves who were all making their way to the same area and they moved together like a synchronized tidal wave of iron and resolve. The cold winter air was alight with the sounds of fighting all across the city, the sounds of civilians running and screaming, the slaves and knights bellowing out war cries and the singing sound of steel clashing against steel and magic being fired from all sides.  At one intersection where the road split into three right before them, Romus and his large group engaged in a melee against three groups of Malintara Knights which were charging straight at them from all three roads. 

"Drive them back!" Romus bellowed as he raised his sword and shield before charging first into the fray

He leaped into the air and slammed into one of the knights, their shields colliding, and the force of the attack sent the knight to crash onto the ground. The old elven warrior let out a war cry as he dodged several swings from two nearby knights, their blades nicking his shoulders and arms, creating fleeting sensations of stinging pain as they failed to kill him. He replied with a downward slash towards the knight on his right which failed to meet his target as the knight raised his own shield in defense, Romus didn't even have time to do anything else as the knight on the left fired off a thrust that he quickly countered by shield bashing the blade off to the side and then quickly replying with his own thrust that struck the center of the knight's chest plate with a sickening crunch, killing him on the spot and drenching the old elf's blade in blood. 

Romus then got swatted in the face by the other knight who let out a blood-curdling scream as he tried to kill the slave who killed his friend, charging at the staggering old elf. He would have died then and there for sure were it not for a life-saving fireball that struck the knight charging at him and sent him flying a few meters away before crashing onto the ground. Wasting no time, the old elf continued to fight, this time using his own magic and mixing it into his attacks. He charged another knight who was rushing towards him, thrusting his sword forward and into the shield of the knight who predictably blocked it, but to the knight's surprise, branches sprouted out of the handle of Romus' sword and wrapped around his neck, forcing the knight to reel and pull his head back, breaking his focus long enough to be exploited by the old elf who then quickly swung his blade and decapitated the knight then and there. 

After this melee, they finally made it to the marketplace and saw that it was heavily fortified. The militia and other groups of freed slaves that had gotten here before them had gathered up barrels, crates, and overturned wagons and stacked them atop one another in order to create large barricades that blocked off several roads leading into the square. 

As they approached the first barricade they saw several militia members had popped their heads out and aimed light crossbows at them. They held their fire as they saw Romus at the front of the group and a few moments later, the barricades opened a bit for them to funnel in. Once they were inside, Romus moved to the center of the marketplace square and met up with other leaders who were already there waiting for him. 

"What is the status of the others?" He asked as they gathered around a table that had the map of the city laid out before them 

"The southern portion of the city is under our control for the most part, the east and western sectors have retreated here to where we are as there were reports from our friends outside that the Malintara Knights are massing for a full-on attack. We have to be ready for them" A boar beastkin answered him as he pointed at the map 

"Alright. What about the Halkare agents who were stationed with you all? I don't see them around here" The old elf asked as he looked at the other leaders 

"They all left us once we broke out of our cages, I believe they have their own mission. Perhaps they are distracting the enemy long enough for us to prepare" One of the kitsunes answered him 

"That is reasonable...tell everyone to prepare. We are going to have to hold this place until otherwise. Go!" Romus ordered, the others nodded and dispersed to their own groups to get ready for the oncoming battle ahead 

"Let's do this" Romus muttered to himself as he took one last look at the map and then moved to his own group ready to fight tooth and nail for this plan to succeed. 

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As the winter sun peeped in and out of the cloudy sky above and the winter waves of the ocean churned while their ships plowed through them without problem. The 1st Bombardment Squadron of the Imperial Navy was nearing the western end of the Dukedom of Abernath which was currently going to hell. The squadron comprised 

• HNS Triumphant (Inspirational Class Ship Of The Line) 
• HNS Dauntless (Inspirational Class Ship Of The Line) 
• HNS Tinder Box (Enterprise Class Brig) 
• HNS Maelstrom (Enterprise Class Brig) 
• HNS Summer (Enterprise Class Brig) 
• HNS Rowdy (Enterprise Class Brig) 
• HNS Lapis (Emerald Class Sloop Of War) 
• HNS Bismuth (Emerald Class Sloop Of War) 
• HNS Ruby (Emerald Class Sloop Of War) 
• HNS Pearl (Emerald Class Sloop Of War) 

The head of the formation was the flagship of the squadron, the HNS Triumphant which while having fewer guns than the typical Gaius Class Ship Of The Line, the Triumphant still had more than enough firepower to annihilate anything that the Dukedom's navy would throw at them. The main mission of the bombardment squadron was to assist the slave revolts along the coast of the Dukedom, sailing from east to west and providing firepower to their allies currently fighting for their freedom. 

A/N: A model of what the Triumphant Class looks like, albeit with fewer guns than the actual class of ship

The bombardment squadron also had several detachments of soldiers from the Imperial Army, these were specialized Light Infantry who were trained in city fighting and the clan style of warfare of hit-and-run tactics. These so-called Imperial Marines who were mostly dragonkin, demonkin and sirens, would be dropped off via Emerald Class Sloops Of War and would immediately move to help the nearest freed slave group and press on until relieved by the main bulk of the Imperial Army currently marching towards the Dukedom ready to burn it to the ground. 

Standing in the crow's nest of her flagship, the demonkin admiral, Admiral Skitt, who funnily enough, served as an Admiral for the Royal Navy of the Kingdom of Amma and died before being resurrected, was looking out across the wintery ocean for any signs of the enemy, the coastline was visible to the northwest and by the looks of it, it was still relatively peaceful. She was using a spyglass gifted to her rank and this one had a monster magic crystal inside it, allowing her to zoom in and out of her target much more than the standard spyglass. 

"This sure beats being dead" She muttered to herself as she scanned the horizon, a hint of amusement in her tone as she really was relieved to be alive and quite thankful to the empire for bringing her and her sailors back from death and with the encouragement of knowing their God Harcun had blessed this very empire, they were more than happy to be part of this nation and its great endeavor. 

{!} 

Just then, appearing rather close by, about 10 to 13 nautical miles ahead was a fleet of 8 Dukedom War Galleons sailing northward towards the coast that they were closing in on from the southeast. Skitt was able to identify the flags of the Dukedom which were waving in the wind and that was all she needed to know to begin her job. 

"All hands to battle stations! Enemy on the horizon!" She bellowed into the communications console in the crow's nest. 

"Understood Admiral. Orders have been relayed" The voice from the Comms center replied 

It didn't take long for whistles to be heard across the decks and the shouting of sailors running up to man their positions filled the air. The order was also relayed to the rest of the fleet and Admiral Skitt could see everyone rushing to their battle stations on the other ships nearby from atop the crow's nest. She leaped off the crow's nest and glided down to the deck of the ship and landed right next to the ship's helm, taking command from the kitsune helmsman who bowed his head slightly before stepping back for her to take control. 

"Run out the guns and full sail! I want us first into the action!" She ordered 

"Order the rest of the fleet to make for the coastline to begin bombardment. Tell the Dauntless to move with us and engage that enemy fleet" She added as she turned to her first officer standing by the intercom station

"Comms have confirmed that the orders were sent Admiral" Her first officer replied with a small nod 

"Good. Let's go have a little fun" 

The sailors around her ships were furiously moving upwards to unfurl the sails for maximum wind capacity and the win magic crystals embedded into the masts of the ships were glowing a perfect gold as they were switched on to their maximum power. The battle was on and there was no turning back now, for they had every single advantage going for them. 

The HNS Triumphant and HNS Dauntless broke off from the rest of the fleet and began an interception course toward the enemy fleet that had just spotted them, going as fast as the Emerald Class Sloops Of War which were supposedly the fastest ships in the fleet. The rest of the squadron was moving toward the coast for their mission and the deployment of their detachment of Imperial Marines. As the two ships of the line were sailing right at the enemy, the 32-pounder magi-cannon bow chasers of the ships were run out of their holdings. 

"Open fire!" Skitt bellowed and a few moments later, the chaser guns from both ships roared 

The first two shells lobbed by the Triumphant destroyed the leading War Galleon and the one directly behind it, the shells slammed into the portside and exploded upon impact, tearing the ships apart from the topside all the way down to the waterline and quickly sinking them. the Dauntless also fired and her shells destroyed another pair of War Galleons, both ships exploding into fiery pieces of driftwood that quickly sank below the waves. 

"Tell the Dauntless to follow us in, we are going to broadside them with the larboard battery" Skitt told her first officer who was relaying her orders into the intercom 

"Larboard battery at the ready!" One of the officers shouted as he made his way down into the gun deck, the sailors quickly ran out the 32-pounder magi-cannons and used the turning tables the guns were mounted on to aim towards the ships that were rapidly coming into view. 

"Fire at will!" 

As the two ships of the line turned fast to starboard, the magi-cannons opened up in quick succession. The rapid booming sounds and subsequent sounds of explosions filled the air as the two ships turned, still far out of reach of the War Galleon's own ballista launchers mounted to their decks. The Dukedom's sailors could do nothing but scream as shell after shell landed on the remaining 4 ships and once the initial broadside was done, the two ships of the line circled back to capture any survivors if there were any in the first place. 

Meanwhile, the rest of the bombardment group had sailed next to the coast, their ships cutting through the wintery sea without pause as the magi-cannons aboard the ships were run out and ready to begin their bombardment. As they neared a fortress of stone that belonged to House Theodorus, the ships opened fire, their magi-cannons rapidly firing into the enemy position, the shells exploding and destroying portions of the fort which were hit. A bell was heard from the fort, probably calling for help and another salvo from the HNS Summer silenced it thanks to her shells landing directly in the fort. 

As they were sailing right in front of the place, while still being at a distance great enough to not be hit by the enemy's ballista launchers, the Imperial Marines leaped off the ships, the sirens diving into the cold sea while the demonkin and dragonkin marines soared into the air, all aiming for the fortress which was now turning into a burning tomb. 

The sight of all of this spooked what remained of the fortress' garrison and they fled like rats from a sinking ship, throwing down their weapons and running for dear life as the fortress was subjected to more naval artillery fire that turned what was left of the burning tomb into nothing but a pile of smoldering rocks. 

"Fuck! Get out of here! Regroup at the village nearby! What the hell are those things?" One of the officers asked as he was running for his life 

"I don't fucking know and I don't wanna know! Those aren't ours that's for sure!" Another much younger officer replied as he too was running in the same direction 

With virtually no resistance to meet them, the Imperial Marines that landed on shore were met with nothing but the burning ruins of a fort that was seemingly insurmountable moments before it took a full squadron's worth of magi-cannon fire. Some of the marines were actually quite disappointed there was no fight but that was sentiment which was quickly quashed once their communication crystals came to life with the voice of Admiral Skitt. 

"1st Detachment, you are to begin your mission and rendevous with any elements of the uprising. We will continue sailing eastward and landing more detachments and destroying anything else. From here on out you are on your own. Good Luck. Glory to the Empresses, Glory to the Empire"  Skitt's voice stated while they looked at one another 

"Understood Admiral. Happy Hunting. Glory to the Empresses. Glory to the Empire" The marine commander replied as the crystal deactivated, turning to the marines who were waiting for his orders 

"Let's get going then"

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