The March on Paradiso

The humiliation of their defeat could not be matched. General Matt Douglas had left with an army of ten-thousand and was now returning with only a little over two-thousand.

However, even though this was because of Lily’s own orders, her fury was unparalleled.

An ear-splitting shatter tore through the air as Lily picked up a porcelain vase and threw it against the wall, sending fragments flying across her office.

“Ms. Aranea, the—”

“Shut up!” She threw a fancy bauble at him but missed. “How could you fail!? Practically all you had to do was walk in!” She slammed her fist down on her desk and got right up in his face. “Just how useless are you!?”

“I’m sorry, but—”

“But what!?”

Douglas gulped hard. “I-it’s…”

“It. Is. What?”

“It’s just that… It’s because you ordered us to go through the gorge—!”

A gunshot rang out as a bullet tore through Douglas’s head, splattering blood out onto the floor and walls behind him.

With icy fury, Lily lowered her gun. She exhaled slowly then turned to Adam. “Well, it looks like you’re General Adam Gray now.”

“Excuse me?” Adam could barely even listen, he was still shellshocked by what he’d just seen, his heart pounding and stomach twisted in knots.

“Douglas was a useless failure, but you managed to save the Doll Corps. You’re a skilled tactician, Adam. I trust our army much more in your hands.”

“Thank you, but…I don’t know if I can accept this…” He loved the Republic and Lily, but…

“Nonsense! I can’t think of a better man for the job!” She leaned in close to him, her eyes going dark. “Just don’t disappoint me. Murder all those imps and then come back to me. We’ll celebrate with our wedding. Okay, my fiance?”

“Yes, of course, Lily…” He accepted her offer. It was far too late to go back.

***

The march to Paradiso took a few days, and traveling with such a large group posed logistical challenges, but they managed and were now in the outskirts of the Republic. Felix was perched atop a hill, surveying the city with a pair of binoculars.

“See anything?” Velvet asked.

“Yeah. The army is mostly guarding the legislative building. That’s where President Aranea herself works.”

“That’s strange, isn’t it? Wouldn’t they want to fight outside of the city to protect it? And why the legislative building?”

“Well, the legislative building is probably the most defensible area in the city. It’s atop a hill and surrounded by wide open space. Fighting in the city also limits our actions.”

“How so?”

“Well, in a city, there’s civilians. It’d be better to avoid unnecessary casualties, meaning we can’t fight at full capacity.”

“So you mean… They're planning on using their own people as human shields!?”

“Yeah, I think so…”

“That’s despicable!” She clenched her fists in anger.

“Maybe so.” He put down his binoculars. “But that’s the Republic for you.”

***

Lily Aranea sat in her office cross legged, smirking devilishly. The Empire might’ve gotten lucky and annihilated their army of worthless conscripts, but they were about to overplay their hand. Adam would almost certainly mop them up, but even if he somehow failed, she had an infallible backup plan.

“Madam President, you called for me?” It was Dr. Argent.

“Ah, good doctor.” She shifted to a more serious position. “Now, this is urgent, but is the prototype for the human inhibitor ready?”

“That’s right, ma’am.”

“Very good.” Bending forward slightly, she said in a conspiratorial voice, “I want you to use it on Adam.”

“What!?” Even Dr. Argent jumped back from hearing that. “Are you certain!?”

“Of course. And be sure to use the normal one on Ava too.”

“Yes, Madam President. Will that be all?”

“No. Be sure to keep Project Regina on standby too.”

Dr. Argent gasped in horror. “Madam President, you can’t be serious!”

She laughed. “Oh, but I am.”

“You do realize how dangerous it is, right!?” He frantically argued, “The entire city could be wiped out by that thing!”

“Exactly. That’s why I want it deployed. Now hop to it.”

His lips trembled as he opened his mouth to argue, but Lily’s icy gaze pinned him in place. With a sullen expression, the doctor relented. “Understood…”

***

The last of the army had been organized. They were to defend the legislative building to the last breath. Even though they had less dolls, they still outnumbered the Imperials, so as long as they stayed on the defensive, they should be able to barely squeak out a victory.

“Adam.” Ava had approached him. “The Doll Corps is in position.”

“Good, thank you, Ava.”

“Adam…” She looked down.

“What is it?”

She paused for a long time before eventually saying, “Nevermind.”

“Dear Commander!”

Turning around, Adam saw Dr. Argent.

“Or should I say General? Congratulations on the promotion.”

“Dr. Argent, to what do I owe this visit?”

“Tch, so harsh. Here.” He passed him a ring. ”A gift from our fair president. Put it on your ring finger, atop of your covenant ring.”

Obediently, he slipped it on. “And what is this for?”

“She didn’t say. Here, you get one too, Ava.”

Taking the ring, Ava reluctantly put it atop her covenant ring as well. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. Anyway, I’d best get going. Goodluck.” Dr. Argent waved goodbye as he walked off.

Adam examined the ring closely. Something about it seemed ominous. It was made from some kind of black alloy and it was topped with an opaque gem of some kind. Still, it had a kind of dark beauty.

Ava looked at her own ring too. Not only did it bother her to see the ring that marked her and Adam’s covenant covered, but, for whatever reason, it also filled her with a feeling of inescapable dread.