confessor cabal: (eating) Eat your *chew, chew* breakfast! Eat hearty *gulp*! For tonight, *chew, chew* we dine *gulp* in hell! Well, some characters will. I'll be dining right here.
C.C.: Hey you. Isn't that pizza supposed to be mine?
confessor cabal: Go away. Oh, and this chapter is going to be a long one. I merged two chapters together to form this one, in order to save space.
Chapter XIII: The Hot Gates
-Begin Transmission-
Status report by Agent One.
At around 1700 of this day, Master Yoda, Yuki Nagato, Kitsune the fox and I separated from Kyon, Suzumiya, and the rest of the party, a group numbering about one hundred and fifty, in order to rendezvous with a group of reinforcements of unknown number and strength in the area dubbed as the "Forest of Death".
Our guide, Kitsune, showed signs of fear and uncertainty and fear in going through this undertaking. Those signs of fear can be expected from him, since he is one of the witnesses of the outcome of the massacre that gave this forest its name. This may hamper his efficiency greatly, as most emotions always do.
At this time, around 1800, we have reached the inner part of the forest and are now following Master Yoda in seeking for the reinforcements. As I looked around, I saw that this forest is very aptly named. These sights are truly the stuff of nightmares. Rotting corpses impaled on stakes, corpses drained of blood on the ground, entrails scattered around the area, decapitated heads of a myriad of creatures, limbs hanging from trees, you name it. And since these are all in the middle or late stages of decay, the smell here is just unbearable. Kitsune stayed behind, near the outskirts of the forest, because he can't stand the stench.
Even though I have seen (and created) sights which can be considered "gruesome", none of them can compare to this horror. In fact, the only reason why I am not running away and screaming in terror is because I have been made biologically incapable of feeling fear, or any emotion for that matter. If I were able to feel emotions now, I would faint right now.
Now, approximately thirty minutes after we entered the forest, Master Yoda ordered us to halt. We are currently standing in front of a large gnarled, twisted tree. Standing right in front of us, sticking out of the tree, is a large black metal coffin bearing a symbol that is strikingly similar to the symbol on Nagato's left palm: a curled red scorpion tail. The only difference is that this symbol is bigger, and it has this red hexagon whose upper diagonal sides are longer than its lower diagonal sides surrounding it. Master Yoda is telling Nagato to raise her left palm of the same level as the symbol on the coffin. The two scorpion tail symbols begin to glow. What happens now, I have no idea.
-Transmission Interrupted-
Huh…?
Where am I? The last thing I remembered was that last night, I and a few others were patrolling the camp when I suddenly fell asleep. And now, the sun is up, and I am here in… captured by the Witch's forces led by… Koizumi!?!? What's going on? Well, it's a good thing that they didn't find Haruhi, but why the heck is Koizumi leading the enemy's forces? I'll give him a piece of my mind right later. But as for now, I have too many questions that need answering.
"Ah, Kyon-kun. I am truly glad that you are safe. Welcome to the Hot Gates." Koizumi said when he noticed that I woke up.
"I am terribly sorry that we had to put you to sleep. That would ensure that your captors could not fight us," he continued. Captors? I'm confused. Well, either this guy's confused or he's just messing with me.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, those creatures that were with you, they were definitely going to kill you if our scouts hadn't spotted you first." Now he's just misled. I think I have to explain everything to him. Oh, we're surrounded by enemies. I think now's not the right time for explanation. I'll just play along for now.
"WHAT!? Kill me? I… I couldn't believe it." I could say that I was a good actor. I discovered that during that fake murder in that island manor.
"Yes, Kyon-kun. Those people are rebels against the Queen, and they want you dead. In fact, they want all of us dead. Now, where is Suzumiya-san? We know that she's with you." Oh boy. What would I say? Tell them that I don't know? They might kill me if I do that. Make something up? Maybe…
"THERE THEY ARE! COME ON! LET'S RESCUE KYON!!!" Oh Haruhi… charge-crazy Haruhi. Why do you have to ruin everything?
Well, as I was about to make something up, Haruhi and the troops accompanying us suddenly charged into the enemy's camp. (The enemy was camped just beyond the Hot Gates) Haruhi, I could have saved your skin, but you had to charge in like that, didn't you?
"WAIT, IS THAT KOIZUMI? COME ON, LET'S RESCUE KOIZUMI TOO!!!" Haruhi shouted. The troops then readied their weapons and marched in a phalanx…
Some random survivor in the rebel force who I ordered to narrate: We marched, for honor's sake, for duty's sake, for glory's sake, we marched. Into the Hot Gates, we marched. Into that narrow corridor, where their numbers count for nothing.
..Okay, the troops seem to be strong enough. In fact, they might even be able to pull this off. Wait, why is Haruhi, who is supposed to "support the party from behind", as Izumi-san pointed out, in front? Wait, the Witch's forces are moving back to form up for attack. And I'm trapped in the middle of the two opposing forces! I took my chance and ran behind the phalanx, and I pulled Haruhi into the back of the phalanx for safety too. The troops were kind enough to create a space for us to pass by. That was close, too close.
"Kyon, you idiot! What did you do that for!?" Haruhi, who is clearly infuriated, asked me when we reached the safe part, behind the phalanx.
"If you stay in front, you'll die. Don't you know that?"
"But I want to fire out spells like crazy in the front!" Oh, this reminds me of the 'Day of the Sagittarius III' game we played.
"Listen, you're supposed to help Aslan liberate Narnia, so you shouldn't die before that. Wait till we defeat the Witch, then you can fight in front all you want." Haruhi seemed to like that idea. She shouted out her orders from behind.
Our troops stopped when they reached the part where the mountain pass ended. This was where they plan to make their stand.
Then, the first enemy soldiers charged in. Asahina-san was right; there are more than a thousand enemy soldiers here. And with the "valiant troops composed of free… creatures fighting a greatly numerically superior slave army" scenario that is unfolding, I can't help but feel as if I was watching the battle of Thermopylae during the Greco-Persian wars. Let's just hope that we don't dine in hell tonight.
Some random survivor in the rebel force who I ordered to narrate: We did what we were bred to do, what we were trained to do, what we were born to do…
As expected, the first wave of enemies was pathetic. Not one of our troops was killed. But as time went by, as the wounds and weariness took their toll, I felt that the fighting was turning more and more against us. I decided to help the men and fight as well, and Haruhi started to cast her spells… but nothing happened. She doesn't know any magic as of now, so she's practically useless.
"Come on, men! Fight on! For Narnia, and for Aslan!!!" Haruhi said. That's right, Haruhi. If you can't fight with us, just encourage us.
We were successful in holding the enemy off… until that happened. Enemy soldiers appeared from behind us, obviously passing through a narrow path we haven't seen earlier. Our troops formed a protective circle around Haruhi and me. I was too exhausted that time. Haruhi might have forced me to do all the manual labor for the SOS Brigade, but fighting like this is far more exhausting than doing any of those. I miss the old world already.
Koizumi, seated in some high carriage thing, was among the enemies who appeared behind us. He then tried to persuade us to join his side again.
"Kyon-kun, Suzumiya-san, you are being deceived by these rebels! Please, stop fighting and join us before we destroy those creatures!" He pleaded.
"Never!" Haruhi shouted. "Koizumi, as your Brigade Chief, I order you to come with us at once!"
Then we heard a maniacal laughter from behind us… or is it in front? It's really hard to tell when you're surrounded.
That maniacal laughter came from a guy with dark green hair, an artificial eye, and regal-looking clothes. He obviously a high-ranking officer in the Witch's army, judging from the way he looks.
"You've done a great job in cornering these rebels, Sir Itsuki. Now, soldiers, kill them all!" He ordered.
Koizumi looked shocked. So he was misled a while ago. I knew it.
"But Sir Gottwald, the children of Adam and Eve are still with those rebels!" He said in a tone that is seemed to be both shocked and confused.
"That's more of a reason to kill them! A prize shall be given to him who kills any one of the children of Adam and Eve!" The green-haired guy (who I now know to be Gottwald) exclaimed.
"No… wait… stop!" Koizumi said desperately. This is going to be ugly.
"I knew it! So you ARE a traitor after all! Soldiers, capture the traitor Itsuki, and take him to the dungeon!" Gottwald ordered. Koizumi was then dragged away by two minotaurs.
"Now, KILL THEM!!!" Gottwald exclaimed.
The enemy archers prepared to fire, and the foot soldiers prepared to charge after that. We, on the other hand, prepared for our imminent doom. Then, everyone turned when they heard something atop the cliff.
"YA-HAAA!!!"
-Continue Transmission-
…
Nagato then raised her left hand in such a way that the symbol on her palm was directly in front of the larger symbol etched on the black coffin. After a few seconds, the symbol on the coffin, as well as the one on Nagato's hand, started to glow a bright red. They glowed steadily for a few seconds before the coffin opened, revealing nothing inside. But evidence inside the coffin suggests that someone has been placed inside there, someone who woke up and walked away before we got here.
"Excuse me," someone who recently appeared behind us said. His was cold and foreboding, as if he died and was reanimated. "But may I inquire as to what you are doing in front of my coffin?"
We all looked back and saw a pale, thin anthropomorphic creature, which is most certainly a vampire, judging by the way he looks and speaks like. He had raven black hair and red irises, and his pupils were like those of a snake. He was wearing an ornate red armor with that red scorpion tail symbol on its breastplate, had a black hooded cape, and carried a large crossbow with some kind of rapid-fire mechanism attached to its front. He also had a long shashka (a Cossack saber) kept in a sheath with a scorpion motif.
"Who exactly are you?" He asked. He then looked at Master Yoda and said, "Ah, Master Yoda. Greetings." He then turned to us and said, "Since you're daughters of Eve, and Master Yoda brought you here with him, I guess you're not with the Witch."
Master Yoda decided to speak first. "Correct, you are. Someone you must know about, I brought here with you."
"Someone I must know about? Who is it, then?" He asked. So he is not an enemy. I deduced that he was a curious one from that question.
Master Yoda then pulled out Nagato, and showed her left palm to the vampire. The scorpion tail symbol glowed brightly for a few seconds, and then dimmed down again. The vampire had an immediate reaction when he saw that symbol: he kneeled on one knee in front of Nagato.
"Long have I waited to serve you, Master," he said in a humble tone of voice.
So that was what the scorpion tail symbol was for. And that is also the reason why Master Yoda brought only Nagato and me here. It all makes sense now.
"M-M-Master?" Nagato asked in a puzzled and reluctant tone. I think that she also understood what is happening, but fear of the vampire led her to disbelief.
"The mark proves it. You are indeed my master. Now, what would you have me do?" The vampire asked as if to prove to Nagato that she is indeed his master.
"W-well, come with us and help us cross the Hot Gates," Nagato commanded, still nervous.
"The Hot Gates, eh? As you wish, Master. But first, let me send one of my familiars to scout the area we will be traveling in," the vampire replied. He then sent out a raven from his arm, and commanded it to examine the Hot Gates. The raven flew quickly, and then returned after a few minutes. It was then absorbed back into the vampire's body.
"Hmmm… troublesome…" the vampire muttered.
"Why?" Nagato asked.
"Well, my familiar reported that the Witch's forces that are stationed in the Hot Gates are attacking a small band of rebels led by two humans."
"Can it be…?" I asked to no one in particular, "Kyon and Suzumiya? But why would they attack that recklessly?"
"We should ask the questions after we save them," the vampire pointed out. He was right. Then he turned to the direction of the forest.
"Comrades," he said, "arise." He started to talk more and more like one of those old Bolsheviks (Russian communists during the October Revolution).
Then, from within the forest, an army of undead soldiers (mostly vampires with long white hair and elven ears) carrying longbows and swords, and clad in black armor (and all with black hooded capes like their chief), marched to our direction. When they reached our spot, the head vampire, the one who we met earlier, spoke to them.
"Comrades," he began, "you who have failed to protect the fallen kingdom of the elves. Today Aslan has sent a new Master for us to serve, sent so that we can redeem our honor. Today, we will show our worth in battle, and crush our Master's enemies! We will destroy all those who dare oppress the masses of Narnia! We shall annihalate those leeches, those who give vampires like us a bad name… those who fatten themselves up at the expense of the working class! For Narnia, for Aslan, and for Master…" the vampire then paused and looked at Nagato. Nagato seemed to understand what he wanted to say.
"Yuki," she said.
"Right, thank you. For Narnia, for Aslan, and for Master Yuki!" he exclaimed. The other soldiers then shouted their war cry.
The vampire then sent out two ravens from both his arms and told them to notify "the lazy dog". He then turned to the direction of the undead army again.
"Now, comrades," the vampire said at last. "To the Hot Gates!"
-End Transmission-
"YA-HAAA!!!"
I've seen and heard many weird things here in Narnia, but that one's beyond weird. It's… a copyright infringement. Oh well. At least it delayed our death.
Then, a storm of arrows rained down… on the enemies. Something is happening here, and I think I like it.
Gottwald then looked at the top of a cliff, and so did I for that matter, and we saw a tall, thin guy dressed in red armor and a black hooded cape with the hood up. I also saw Master Yoda, Asahina-san, Kitsune, and Nagato standing beside this guy. When I saw them there, I understood what happened: reinforcements have arrived to help us. When they showed themselves, I saw that all of them were… well, undead (They gave that "undead" feel, and there were some skeletons among them). Not that their being undead bothered me, but… whatever. I should be glad that the mess Haruhi caused has been fixed, regardless of who fixed it.
Then the guy with the red armor (everyone else wore black) said, "Now, you lazy dog!"
"You troublesome commie," a voice from the other cliff said. "*sigh*, Well, Here goes."
Most of the Witch's army suddenly disappeared… or they fell under a giant pitfall trap and were crushed by tons of rock. Then Gottwald (who survived) looked at the guy with the red armor and shouted, "This is not the last time we will meet! Next time, both of you will pay for your crimes!"
The other two weren't listening. The guy in red was already gone (along Nagato, Master Yoda, Asahina-san, Kitsune, and the undead army), and the other guy… well, I don't know. But I thought I heard snoring from the side of the cliff where he was in. His voice sounded really familiar, I just couldn't put my finger on it. And why did Nagato and the others leave like that? Well, I guess they're also headed for Aslan's camp, so I'll just ask them when I get there. We better get moving.
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confessor cabal: Well, *munch, munch*, that's it *gulp* for this chapter. And for this pizza. The next chapter would be shorter than this one, I hope. Oh well. I'm still hungry so I'll go get another pizza.
C.C.: Another pizza? How many can you eat?
confessor cabal: More than what you can, that's for sure.
C.C.: Oh? Then prove it.
confessor cabal: You're on.
nliev: (wakes up) I smell pizza… oh well. Yey!! Math is finished!!! HAHAHA!! DIE MATH!!! *coughs*