Honoka was sat in a carriage with her younger sister Yukiho, on the way back from small village with her parents who had been running out supplies. The Kousaka family ran the largest farm from the central town, and hence provided the outer settlements with food stock, and this trip had been to create a new trade deal so Honokas father had gone personally and had decided it would be good for his daughters to see his business.
The trip itself had been a success and a new trade deal had been formed, food for rare metals that they mined, a good deal, her father had said, but Honoka had found the whole trip boring, having to act maturely and appropriately the entire trip.
They were about half way back and Honoka had just started to doze off when a loud scream from outside woke her. All around the carriage there was more and more screaming and shouting, along with strange whistling sounds. Their carriage came to a stop and Honoka leant over and peered outside.
As she looked through the window an arrow shot straight past her, grazing her cheek, loudly whistling as it past her. She fell back to the floor, breathing hard, heart racing. 'We're under attack' she thought, terrified, she looked back and saw Yukiho coiled on the floor.
She kneeled down next to her the shaking girl and tried to slow her own breathing as she did so.
"Come on, we have to get out of here" Honoka said, trying to keep the fear from her voice.
"N-no, if we stay here, the soldiers will protect us" Yukiho said, her voice high and tight. The shouting had subsided and there was just a few moans now, barely audible.
"See, I said we would be ok in here" Yukiho said, slightly more relaxed.
That was when they heard a deep gruff laugh from just outside their carriage. That was when a large axe came through the door and metal bolt lock and the door was swung up and 2 large, scruffy men jumped into the carriage and grabbed Honoka and her sister who could do nothing to combat them as they were hoisted over their shoulders and carried outside before being dropped heavily onto the ground.
Honoka looked up at those surrounding her and she saw that they were in the centre of a circle of scruffy people in ragtag clothes and armour, they all laughed and jeered at them, but were silenced when an especially large man, in thick furs with a bright ginger beard stepped forward, he was neither laughing nor jeering, and at a raise of his hand, all the noise from the barbaric attackers ceased instantly.
He looked around the circle and Honoka saw how none of them met his eye, she looked at his face, it was slightly wrinkled, and there was a scar that ran from the corner of his eye, all the way down and across his lips. As she was looking she made eye contact, and the moment she did, she was met with a punch across her jaw.
Pain shot through her and she was dazed, confused and off balance, she could barely make out the sound of laughing and screaming, she looked up and saw Yukiho run to the leader and try hitting him, too little avail, Honoka saw his broken lips form a crooked smile.
Honoka tried to call out but her mouth wouldn't work, she tried to stand but her arms couldn't take her weight and she crumpled, she raised her head and looked as he lifted Yukiho by her throat, Honoka felt her cheeks become wet, there was nothing she could do, as she watched, he used his free hand to reach for a knife on his belt, which he brought to her throat, laughing as he did.
Honoka whimpered, wanting to scream and shout, as he slashed across, causing a spray and a wet gurgling sound from Yukiho. He tossed her limp body aside and looked down at Honoka, grinning madly.
Which is when she heard a sound from her right, which sounded like thunder and there was an explosion which vaporised about 3 of her surrounding captors in a brilliant purple fire. All eyes left her and went to the burning wall of purple, through which a young woman, clad in black armour, who couldn't have been much older than Honoka herself stepped through.
There were gasps as they all noticed her eyes burned the same colour as the fire that engulfed her. Her captors stood and readied their weapons, but before they could she had lifted her hand and her eyes flashed as she mouth moved, but Honoka couldn't hear anything. Then, all the attackers were lifted into the air, except for the leader who stood, mouth open, staring at his floating comrades.
The newcomer raised a staff which Honoka hadn't noticed before, off the ground before tapping it down, which caused all of the raised bandits to be slammed into the ground, there was lots of snapping and cracking as bones were pulverised from the impact. None moved.
The newcomer shifted her view to the leader who gazed apprehensively. He pulled out his large axe and dashed at her, an attack which she dodged with ease, ending up behind him and cracking her staff against the back of his knees, he cried and fell to his knees, and she her raised her staff to finish him.
"No.. Stop.." Honoka breathed out.
The mage looked at the girl she had presumed dead and stopped her attack. The leader took advantage of this distraction and tried to grab her, but she grabbed his hand as it reached and her eyes flashed and she crushed the bones into dust, causing him to shout out in agony as he grabbed his ruined hand.
The mage raised her hand and stone moved around him, and gripped onto his legs, trapping him in place. She went over to Honoka and helped her sit up.
"What happened?" She asked?
"We were.. Returning home.." Honoka wheezed "They.. Attacked us.." She continued, looking across at the struggling prisoner.
"I'm Nozomi, a mage from the village of Merita" She said
"I was at a nearby shrine when I heard screaming, I came here as fast as I could, but.. I'm sorry"
Nozomi said, looking downcast at the mess of bodies around them. Honoka shut her eyes as tears began to flow, the realisation that her family was gone, even Yukiho. Her head fell down and tears dripped off of her face onto the floor.
Nozomi put her arm around the crying girl and held her, the only sounds being Honokas quiet sobs and the leaders hitting the rock that encased his legs. After a few minutes Honoka looked angrily up at the man that had taken her family, tears no longer flowing.
"Do you need a weapon?" Nozomi questioned quietly.
"No" Honoka grunted, before standing and moving towards him.
She reached him without him looking up and kicked upwards, catching his chin and knocking him back. He looked up in anger and surprise, but when he saw who had kicked him he smiled instead and stared her in the eyes.
Honoka reached into his waist band, never breaking eye contact and pulled out his knife, still stained with her sister's blood. He licked his lips as he broke eye contact and looked down, still smiling. He again stared her in the eyes, as she stared into his.
"I hate when people stare" Honoka muttered.
Before bringing the knife above her head and stabbing down before he could react, plunging the blade into his right eye. He screamed out in surprise and pain as Honoka lifted her arm again and stabbed out his other eye.
Both of his eyes gone and Blood flowing like tears from the holes. He wildly swung his arms around, in an attempt to keep his attacker at bay, whist screaming in agony. Honoka had stepped back and simply watched as he flailed round.
She turned and went over to his axe which was on the floor where he had dropped it after Nozomis earlier attack. She picked it up and weighed it up, it was heavy, yet well balanced. She turned it over in her hands, examining it. It was old, covered in scuffs from use, the handle was wooden, and thick, and the head was large.
She turned back to the bandit who was no longer flailing just still, trying to tell where the next attack would come from. Honoka took the axe and walked back, just out of arms reach. She knelt down and picked up a stone of the ground and tossed it behind him. His reaction was instant and he lunged as far as he could in the direction of the sound.
As he did Honoka stepped in behind him and lifted the axe above her head and brought it down between his shoulder blades, she felt him tense and still, a small whimper escaping his lips as he crumpled to the ground, still held by his legs.
Nozomi stood expressionless, observing Honoka as she came back over to her.
"Thank you for leaving him for me" Honoka said quietly, looking at the ground.
"These bandits, they are everywhere, attacks like this happen far too often, leaving too many hurt, I want to stop them, all of them, I don't want anything like this, to happen to anyone again" Honoka said.
"They're numbers are too great, they're attacks unpredictable" Nozomi said
"However, we might be able to, if we create a group of fighters, and we attack them, turn the tables, we can save people from them. We should create a unit, of fighters, after the mythology of old, the muse. 9 Goddesses. Together, we will hold off these bandits, that one day they will stop" Nozomi continued.
Honoka looked up at her, very interested in her idea.
"How will we find these other fighters?" Honoka questioned the Mage.
"We shall travel to each village and recruit the strongest, the best they have, and we will unite the tribes in defence. There is an old compound where we can base ourselves after we gather them, but it will require some work to repair it. And I know which village we can go too first, meet an old.. Acquaintance of mine" Nozomi said, smiling to herself.
"Lead the way, we shall find these fighters, and we will beat of these bandits and marauders." Honoka said, eager to get to work.
"First though, you will need a weapon, the way you wielded that axe, you must have some training and the stone throwing shows natural strategic intelligence, have you had military training?" Nozomi asked, again eyeing Honoka.
"Yes, but only a little, I have been shown the best ways to attack an enemy, and the use of a number of weapons, my strongest being a sword and shield. My father wanted.. He wanted me to be able to live safely." Honoka said, sadness creeping into her voice, the knowledge of all that had happened weighing heavily on her.
"We will bury them before we leave" Nozomi said, resting her hand on Honokas shoulder. Honoka simply nodded, fighting back more tears and turning back to the wrecked carriage and the bodies spread around it.