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A man with straight, medium-length azure hair peered out the window, while simultaneously trying to ensure that no one noticed him. A beam of light from a helicopter searchlight forced him to duck his head back inside.
- Well, what's the situation, Revan?
All seven people present were in an old building in an abandoned district not far from the city center, where they were hiding from their pursuers.
- Same as before; a bunch of helicopters in the sky tracking us, hundreds of soldiers on the ground, military transport, armored Humvees equipped with machine guns, and blocked roads.
- Alright, that's clear, - Drakkoshka continued, - but why the hell do you have blue hair, and what is Imaris doing here?!
- Oh, well... Right before arriving at the palace, I visited a top stylist friend of mine, and she cut and dyed my hair.
- But you said they shaved your heads bald in prison!
- Did I? I don't remember that.
- And what about Imaris?
- No idea, and besides, what difference does it make?
- Hey, - Imaris called out to those talking, - for the record, I can hear everything.
- That is why he speaks so loudly, evidently, - VisTrit remarked, - however, I would recommend lowering your tone slightly, otherwise we risk being discovered.
- Agreed, - Hostor joined the conversation.
- You're not very talkative today, Hossie! – Morning commented.
- Try being talkative with a broken arm.
- Stop whining; some were far less lucky.
Arandor, meanwhile, didn't say a word, remaining distraught after what had happened. He felt he was to blame.
6 hours ago.
Mentu and Hostor were extremely lucky not to be smashed to pieces falling down, but the soldier they landed on was less fortunate. Ment lost consciousness, while Hostor quickly came to, only to find that his arm was broken. Despite this, he understood that he had no time for anger or distress and simply started running; he had to survive. He desired revenge against those who did this.
On the run, Morning ripped the fake beard off his face and immediately attacked the nearest soldier. Yes, depriving himself of the beard beforehand was extremely important. In mid-air, he grabbed the opponent's head with his hand, jumped back, and thus broke the poor man's neck. And, naturally, he took the assault rifle from the corpse—how else could it be?
- Over here!
This was the voice of VisTrit, who was once again seated in the saddle of his warhorse.
Morning jumped on behind him and began showering the enemies with lead while his comrade's horse darted through the hall at great speed.
- Look! Hostor.
- I see him, - VisTrit replied and directed the horse toward the fighting guy. Due to the broken arm, the advantage was clearly not on his side, so he nearly lost his life in this struggle. However, a precise headshot fired by Morning deprived that soldier of any chance of defeating Hostor.
- Vissi! Get Hostor out of here; I'll make my own way!
After some time, special forces were examining the bodies and reached Reinhard's imposing exoskeleton. Two men held this dead mechanical body at gunpoint while a third examined it.
- The outer armor isn't breached; perhaps he is still l...
The soldier didn't have time to finish the sentence before losing his head. Dragnil lightning-fast leaped from the destroyed exoskeleton and just as quickly cut off the first man's head, and sliced two other soldiers in half at the waist.
- The sword's edge is sharpened in a modern modification; it cuts even steel, - its developer, Reinhard, commented with pride. However, placing the stunned Drakkoshka on his shoulder, he hurried to leave.
Also, somewhere during this, Tox caught up with Amko and Arandor below, but the latter managed to escape, while the former caught an electrical discharge from a paralyzing rifle intended for the king.
And that is how this group of seven escaped this predicament.
However, the main question—namely, who the attackers were and whether they would get away with it—remained unclear.
It turned out to be none other than the military leadership of Heroesland, under the command of the valiant General Silverfail, who, right under the nose of the ruling dynasty, achieved full control over the army, managed to modernize it, and bring it into order, so to speak. He joined the army two years ago after S.T.A.F.S. were disbanded, and over time rose through the ranks, made plans for the future, sought like-minded people, and in the last year achieved the desired result, now setting the mechanism in motion.
Essentially, in the current situation, there were no bad or good people, right or wrong; there were simply people with different points of view—some approved of the monarchy in its current manifestation, some did not. That was all. However, the goals of the current military leadership were unclear: either to establish a military dictatorship or to turn Heroesland into a democratic state. But that didn't matter now; a meeting was taking place at headquarters.
- Gentlemen, - the general began, with his same familiar hair as black as pitch, - the completed operation, unfortunately, cannot be considered successful. Yes, undoubtedly, thanks to the actions of our incomparable commando, Colonel Nebo, we managed to capture the queen; however, by this, we have only done half the job. We need the king.
- General! I still believe that we could have reached an agreement with the royal family peacefully, - Brigadier General Ment objected.
- I perfectly understand your feelings, but... Trying to change an entire state, we must cast aside all our prejudices and also forget about fondness for friends. You may not know, but Lieutenant-General Vikhr and I were not called the most serious personalities of our state for nothing. I will resort to any means, - the general shifted his gaze to Vegtam, - your thoughts, Major?
- I think we should not focus all our attention on those being pursued and gradually start thinking about the future.
- I agree. Perhaps it is time to choose a face for the new state, - the Brigadier General suggested.
- Hm, excellent. Any ideas?
- I have a suggestion! – Private Tox spoke up, - we could hold some kind of contest or something like that!
The reason why military personnel of different ranks were present at this meeting was extremely simple. They all belonged to the recently formed S.A.M.S. (Special Anti-Monarchy Squad).
- Good idea, Private, - Vegtam spoke out, - in this way we leave the people the right to choose, showing that we are not cruel tyrants but represent, so to speak, a benevolent government, and the current state of martial law is merely necessary measures.
- Then that is how we will proceed. By the way, Major, Colonel Nebo and Captain Wishmaster await your arrival for the start of the mission; do not be late.
- Yes sir.
- And what shall we do with the prisoners? – The Brigadier General asked, - I mean Lord Mortulus, Plesen, Omega, Amko, and Queen Nayra Drake.
- Let those four remain in the holding cells at our headquarters, and I will speak with the queen myself soon. Dismissed.
Leaving the meeting hall, Silverfail soon found himself at a single, well-guarded cell where the queen was held.
- Well, what do you want? – she asked.
- Nayra, you understand how this could end, right? Why don't you just sign this document, give up the crown, and leave this place you dislike with a clear conscience?
- Go to hell!
- I am truly sorry, Nayra, but in such a scenario, I will have to kill you, - taking his pistol from the holster, he pressed it against Nayra's forehead. She squinted, awaiting death, but the general put the pistol back, - but not now. In any case, not until we get Arandor. Killing you now could provoke the creation of a rebel movement that would follow the king, wanting to avenge you. But by killing you both publicly, I will strip all conservatives of any fighting spirit.
So, here are two nominations (canonical) and a contest for you!
1. Vote for users whose avatars are most appealing/interesting/original to you and so on.
2. Same as the first case, but regarding signatures.
3. Pictures. Yes, them again and sending them once more. What's the point? Each participant sends two pictures/photos of who they consider to be the most attractive representatives of the male and female own respectively. However, this time you won't have to guess them; as in the nominations, you will vote for the most attractive. Send them via PM, naturally. 72 hours for the contest and nomination overall, 36 hours for sending pictures.
The winners in each of these nominations, as well as the contest, will become, so to speak, the faces of the new state.
