Just a little warning for you, my dear readers.

In the book, this next part of the story was done with a rather large gap in it. The reader was left guessing about some of what was going on. Fujino Omori, the author, is very good at what he does, and by the end, when things DO get filled in for the reader, the audience is left collectively face-palming their foreheads going 'AHA!'

So, before you, the readers, wonder what's going on, be warned. :)

After dinner, we had all gone to the rear lot where I'd been doing most of my training with Ryuu and Lunoire. I'd borrowed a table and some chairs, and even some little magic stone lamps.

Welf, with Bell's help, brought everything he'd been working on in the past week. His combination of skill, boosted stats, and by the look of his eyes, almost no sleep, he had really come through.

For Lilly, he had remade her little single shot crossbow. It even had the same pull to it, so it should fire exactly like the other one, so he said. He'd left the serious dungeon equipment he'd made for her back at the shop, as she couldn't use it for the big event.

Bell got a new set of armour. Shins, thighs, chest, shoulders and forearms were all covered by metal, while all of his joints and points of movement were done in what looked like orc leather. Considering his high mobility style of combat, this style of armour would be perfect for him. At my insistence, Welf had also made him a helmet. It was simply a tough leather cap, with a few plates of metal over top. Nothing to restrict vision or hearing, but it might save him from a stray arrow or bit of debris.

Our newest member, Mikoto, was basically given another set of what she already owned. When we had met her down on the eighteenth, it looked like her Familia was wearing a single suit of traditional Samurai armour, divided over the four of them. She had ended up with a shoulder piece, and a bit of the hip and upper leg armour, as well as a single gauntlet. Welf had simply made her another set of that for the other side. I wasn't sure if he had time to take her measurements, like Bell and I, but they fit, and matched almost perfectly.

For me, with the opening comment of 'you killed it, you wear it,' Welf gave me a short sleeved jacket, that covered my rear and hips, and a pair of... I think they were called chaps. Belted like a normal pair of pants, but only covering about ¾ of my legs, and not joined at the crotch. It made me think of those things horsemen wore. Not only were they fairly tight on my legs, with belts to adjust them, they had a spot for my tail, and were lined with salamander wool too.

All made of drake skin, uncoloured, so it was almost uniformly rust red. The jacket even had a hood, with ear protection built in, in case of bats.

And pockets! And little loops for the standard sized potion bottles. And a loop for my jitte! And those war shadow claws I'd given him were rounded out, and used for ribs so the jacket hugged my form and protected my ribs!

"Welf can't breath! I give I give!"

I put the smith down while the others laughed.

"Ahem." After recovering, he looked over to Ryuu, shook her hand properly, and said, "I have something for you, but its not quite done."

She nodded, and all eyes turned to me.

"With Lilly's help, as well as a few small favours from Eina..." I looked at Bell, "You owe her dinner, by the way."

Lilly laughed quietly, Welf sniggered, and Mikoto raised an eyebrow. Bell became a stuttering idiot. Welf had to pat him on the back a few times to get him to recover, and I continued, "I had her dig around in the old archives, and found a map of the castle we are going to siege. With our numbers... We have to play a little dirty. Hyakinthos, for all his arrogance, is a skilled leader. So, we have to do things that will either be beneath his arrogance to deal with, or out of his experience. I think, with our assorted skills, we can do both."

Mikoto raised her eyebrow again, when I used the phrase 'play a little dirty', but didn't interrupt.

For the next two hours, we planned, unplanned, worked, and reworked our assault. The phrase 'no plan survives first contact with the enemy', was kept firmly in mind too. With just how well organized Apollo Familia was while they chased Bell and I, we had to plan things exactly right.

"The siege starts as the moon rises, and I plan on having breakfast in the throne room." I said with a smile, "All set?"

Afterwards, I handed out the various potions and such delivered by Nazza, and Lilly and Ryuu needed to go run one last errand. All that was left was for us all to visit our Goddesses and get a good nights sleep.

So busy was I with training and planning, that I hadn't noticed the festival-like preparations the city had undergone. The Gods took their entertainment seriously, and all over the place there were food stands, streamers, and of course, betting booths. Hestia Familia didn't have very good odds, but I wouldn't have bet on me either, if I didn't know what we were planning. I was thankful that the weather was not only nice and clear, but warm. It would be important for later.

As evening set, I walked towards Babel, dressed in my new properly intimidating rust red drake scale, I heard a voice, projected from on high throughout the city. As the first words were spoken, a giant projection, almost like a TV, appeared about mid way up the tower. Like a stadium TV. There, in a dark room lit by torches, not magic stone, sat a serious faced man, with white hair, black hood, and piercing blue eyes.

"I, Ouranos, allow use of your divine power, to watch this war game." That was all. His voice was deep, booming, and authoritative. But... wait... Wasn't Ouranos the god of the sky? And him, giving permission for the Gods and Goddesses to use their divine power? He was in charge? Hmm...

Instantly, I felt the fur on my tail stand on end, and many MANY smaller windows popped into existence. The image of Ouranos vanished, only to be replaced by the elephant masked face of Ganesha, and a young brown skinned man. They looked to be on a quickly made stage.

"GOOD EVENING ORARIO!" The young man started. He certainly had the right voice for this kind of thing. "My name is Ishi! And for the duration of the war game, between Hestia and Apollo Familia, I will be your announcer! I'm here with the God Ganesha! Anything to say?"

"I AM GANESHA!" The elephant masked God said proudly.

You could almost hear a city wide face-palming.

Wind taken out of his sails for a moment, "Well... Right..." Ishi sighed, "Apollo Familia has been setting up the castle for most of the last week, and just this morning, sent out the last of their Familia and supplies. Hestia Familia has just departed, and seem to be trying to make it there in a hurry!"

A pause as a bit of paper was put on his desk.

"Wait, no, almost all of them have departed!" The image on the screen was replaced with 45 degree angle of me, walking towards the tower. Surprised, I looked around to spot some one on a rooftop, looking down at me through a small circle of what might have been metal. Divine cameras? I gave the man a wave. "This one seems to be walking AWAY from the battle, towards the tower?"

"I am Ganesha?" It switched back to the announcer's table.

"No no, you ARE Ganesha..." Ishi said frustratedly, "They say this girl started her out as a homeless girl, picked up by the loooooovely ladies at the Hostess of Fertility! Unable to even speak the language, she became an adventurer with Hestia Familia! What's this? And in three WEEKS! Became level two! What? Seriously?" Another bit of paper, supplied by someone just off screen, "And her senior in the Familia, Bell Cranell, managed level two in only FOUR weeks? What is going on with that?!"

I was almost at the tower entrance now, so I turned and looked for the camera man again. Spotting him, I gave him another wave, and waited for the screen to switch back to me.

"Oh? Does the Crazy Kit have something to say?" Isha asked, voice ringing out through the city. The view of me wobbled and warped around a bit as the camera guy jumped off the rooftop and ran over to me. I instantly recognized him as the man who gave me his sash after I managed to kill that hard armoured monster.

I had to admit that on the big screen, I looked good in my new armour.

I motioned for him to stay still, positioned myself so that the camera was looking at me, and the setting sun. Using the picture on the big screen as a guide, raised my hand, as if to hold the flaming orb up, then crushed it, blocking it from view with my armoured fist. I said nothing. I waited until it switched back to the announcer's booth before moving again. I gave the camera guy a thumbs up and thanked him for the help again, before turning and entering the tower.

"WOW! That's a bold declaration of war if I've ever seen one!" Ishi howled, "But if she plans on fighting, why isn't she with the rest of her Familia?"

At the doorway, just inside, I saw another screen, it switched from the announcers to a picture of my back as I walked inside. Turning, I said to the cameraman, "Icarus was an idiot." before continuing towards the elevator in the middle of the main lobby.

Surprisingly, Ottar was waiting in the elevator for me when it opened. Dressed in long shorts and summer vest, he looked much more comfortable then at the Gala.

As the doors closed and the elevator ascended, I could hear Isha go on and on about what to expect, and even heard the faint voice of Hestia and Apollo.

"What is in that box?" He asked, his deep voice feeling like it was shaking my ribs.

"Nothing to worry about. But, nothing like you've ever seen, I'd bet."

We spent the rest of the trip up in silence, his presence not as... looming, as I'd imagined in a small space like the elevator. Probably because he wasn't moving. It was like having a statue in there with me.

The elevator 'ding'ed quietly, and the door opened. Moving past me easily, Ottar simply said, "This way."

Stepping out, I realized that we were in the centre of a large apartment. Loft style. There were a couple of rooms, but for the most part, it was just a wide, extremely well decorated, tastefully lit, apartment. It was perfectly clean too. Aside from a couch with haphazardly thrown pillows. A sturdy carpet, out of place with the soft reds and purples of the room was near a patio door, where a large coffin sized wooden crate was resting.

As I followed Ottar towards the box, I spotted the open backed gown of Freya, who was looking towards a personal sized screen of her own.

Without knocking, Ottar opened the sliding glass door, and said, "She is here."

Again, I felt my heart doing flip flops as the Goddess looked at me, again, my tail wrapped itself around my leg to distract me. "Lady Freya. Thank you for your assistance." I bowed to her, breaking eye contact again, and feeling my body calm down slightly, even with only a half second of not looking at her.

"You said you would show me something spectacular..." She said, approaching, the scent of her making my tail twitch, even though it was still around my leg. "I do hope you are right. As you may have noticed, we Gods do enjoy unique things."

"Well, if I could ask for Ottar's assistance, an extra pair of hands would help." I replied, looking at her ear, instead of her face.

"Certainly."

Ottar cleared off the balcony, while I unpacked the box. Rods, fabric, rope, loops, it was all there, in perfect condition. If I was right, and memory served, this would work. If I was wrong... No, don't think about that.

By the end of putting things together, Ottar and I had assembled... A glider. Taking up most of the balcony, with the tail sticking a little bit inside the apartment. The cloth, a tightly woven canvas sort of material, was one of the many I had tested. I had managed to make a balloon out of it, back at the Hostess. It had also been oiled, making it even less permeable to air. The frame was made of strong piping, and Welf had said he could hang off any part of it, and do chin ups, with all his equipment. Welf also managed to get the little bit on the tail perfect. It was a simple pair of flaps, that would let me turn, albeit slowly.

Using the wood from the crate as a ramp over the rail of the balcony, and lining up the glider, I looked to Freya and Ottar. "Well?"

"Oh... You are full of surprises. Both you, and the Little Rookie. But, will it work?" Freya asked, running a hand over part of a wing.

"If it doesn't, I will have to do a lot of running to catch up with the rest of my Familia." I replied, pulling the last item out of the box. Nazza had given me a pair of goggles, for when she made her more volatile potions. Popping them over my head and tightening the strap, I made sure my one and only safety measure was secure in my coat. It wasn't much, but it was a simple circular bit of fabric, attacked by string to an iron ring. With my strength, I could use it one handed, but I hoped I wouldn't need it.

Really hoped.

"Well, in that case... Shall we show the rest of the city?" Freya asked, moving her viewing window, and pointing it at me as I got under the glider and secured myself. I had opted for a simple triangle of metal at my ankles, one for my middle, and a larger one for my hands. If this thing came apart, I didn't want anything actually tied to me. I looked over myself, then to the view screen, seeing myself in it, looking rather silly, laying down under some kind of weird looking tent.

Waving at the camera, I looked back to my feet, and said, "Hey, could you push me over please?" Hearing the voice repeated for the entire city to hear, I looked back to the camera, gave the city a thumbs up, and with a brief squeak of the little wheels on the corner of the front 'triangle' I was off.

For maybe the second time since I arrived, I had cheated with my knowledge of 'future' technology. The entire city erupted into cheers of excitement as I, a mortal, was flying. Not with magic, but artifice. Thankfully, I was actually flying, and not say, breaking apart and making a mess for someone at the bottom of the tower. Also in my favour was the warm and sunny weather we had had all day. As with any city, the cobblestones had been soaking up the heat, and now, as the air cooled, they were giving that heat off again, giving me a bit of lift as I glided over the city walls.

From the map in my head, I had a little course correction to do, but...

I was really enjoying this. My status as an adventurer was keeping most of the cold away, the feeling of motion was making my blood sing, and honestly... I had managed to actually build the thing and make it work on the first go. Sure, I had help. Welf had made all the components perfectly. But I had managed to put to paper what was basically a scale drawing I had seen some where in high school and having been hand gliding exactly once. Skydiving too, but I was glad I didn't have to do that just yet. The sun was still going down, and I had about two or three hours to kill before I was due for the siege.

I thought over the plan again, keeping an eye out for the landmarks we had found on the map to orient my on my flight. A small village, a hill that looked like a giant golf club divot... I took my turn very slow. It wasn't that I didn't trust Welf's craft, but my own skill.

Flashback

"Before we begin, we want to deliberately give a few things away. It will be up to you to make sure they notice." I told Lilly. "Nazza has given us special glowing bottles. And we will light them up in order."

"Lilly understands."

Return

I could see the castle from my current height. The air was starting to cool, and I was slowly losing altitude. I was still above the sparse clouds, and was actually getting a little damp from catching bits of them. The sun was down, and the moon was steadily moving up, the half full pale face clear and bright.

My eyes, amazing in the dark, spotted a faint blue wisp of light near the tree line. Reaching into my fancy new armour, I plucked the first bottle out of its little holster, pushed the cork in a little further, and shook it. The coating on the cork, and the liquid in the bottle mixed, and started glowing a dim red. The little blue light bobbed once, twice, three times.

I did my best to gain as much height as I could, slowing down slightly as I eased the flaps behind me to angle me up. I moved my red glowing bottle from side to side twice, then returned it to my coat.

I spotted, off in the distance on the wall, a second light, this one a dim green. It only flashed once before vanishing.

Flashback

"Here." Welf handed Ryuu a long wooden box, "It's not my best work, but they don't need to be..."

Ryuu accepted the box, placed it on the table, and opened it. Inside were three long thin blades. At first glance, they looked like poorly hammered steel. The edges uneven and jagged, the hilts wrapped in simple cloth. But running down the centre of each blade was multicoloured line. Looking almost like a crack in the metal, it switched between subtle shades of red blue and green. He had made Magic Sword. Three of them. And had presented them... To an elf.

Historically, as Welf had told me, Magic Sword were nearly the end of the elven race. His ancestors had supplied a war against them, burning their forests and homes.

"I will take care of them." Ryuu said. She wasn't smiling, but neither was she upset. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. Welf nodded grimly, and after a moment of looking at each other, and the three Magic Sword, we went back to planning.

Return

The first sound of alarm rang within the castle. Magic stone lamps, with mirrors inside of them tried to light up the area around the wall where the green glow had appeared.

"3...2...1..." I counted down.

And a wave of blue light, like the reflection of a blade in the sun made solid, arced from the tree line, to the wall. It took almost a second for the noise to reach my ears, but it was loud, even at my height. Position wise, I was nearly above the castle itself as another, and another and still another wave of blue light crashed into the stone wall. Shouts of alarm, pain, crashing stone, all were ringing out in the moonlight.

Time for phase two.

Flashback

"Shortly after Ryuu begins, I'll signal the other two teams."

"What's the signal?"

I grinned, holding up a bottle.

Return

For this one, I used two bottles. Above my head on the glider itself were two slots. Reaching up, I placed first one, then the other next to each other, pressed the corks down on each, then flipped the tops off the both of them.

Nazza, with her mixing skill and surprising mind for experimentation, had helped me put these potions together. Both required their own catalyst, then both of those, required each other to work. The result?

Smoke. Thick, black, nearly impenetrable smoke. It curled along the underside of my glider, and filled the air behind. It smelled terrible, and even though it was above me, it still tried to obscure my vision. I started to circle above the castle now, filling the air above it.

I pulled out my little glow bottle as I circled, having lost my sense of direction momentarily with the sudden onset of darkness. I spotted the little blue light, and now, a purple one. Again, I moved my light from side to side and put it away, watching both blue and purple lights bob once, then vanish as well.

The constant assault from Ryuu had slowed, then with a flash like lightning, I saw the elven sword-woman clearly as the first blade shattered. From the wreckage of the wall, I saw a group of magic stone lamps, like fireflies in the near darkness, rush towards her.

Until they got about half way... And she started with the second Magic Sword.

On the opposite side of the castle, a little green dot bobbed once, followed by a purple bob a moment later. More shouts, more firefly spots of light, and more of Apollo Familia went to reenforce that side.

Then Mikoto used the third Magic Sword.

This one, from Welf's trio, was both the weakest, and strongest, he said. It might last for two swings, but it would break any wall you pointed it at.

And boy howdy did it ever. Ryuu had attacked what was basically the 'back' wall of the castle. It was the most solid, with two high watch towers guarding the back of the main tower inside, where the throne room would be. The wall itself was very badly damaged, but would still be solid enough to defend, provided you didn't just send out your defenders to attack the lady with the Magic Sword. The wall Mikoto was attacking was the actual main gate. Fallen slightly into disrepair, Apollo had at least replaced the doors, as well as the portcullis leading into the courtyard.

Except with a single swing, the huge double doors, iron portcullis and a good portion of the stone holding them all up, were wrecked. Mikoto's form lit up as the Magic Sword shattered, but before the sparkles around her vanished, I saw her already running forward.

Flashback

"Can you do it?" I asked the young samurai girl.

"It is not 'can'." She replied seriously, "It is 'must'."

Return

I lost sight of her for a moment, then caught sight again as she started glowing. People were lining up on what was left of the wall and gathering to meet her in the courtyard. I couldn't make out what was happening in great detail, but I hoped she would be safe.

As safe as one can be, charging solo into the teeth of what was probably twenty to one odds.

I was circling around again, losing sight of Mikoto, and focusing again on Ryuu. Her battle was going as I'd hoped. Gone was the second blade, and she was now engaged in a fierce melee with a half dozen others. I respected her too much to ask what had happened to her, for her to live with Mia at the Hostess. But she had told me her Goddess didn't even live in Orario, and so long as we didn't give her name to anyone but the guild, for registration in the game itself, she would help.

Like some sort of superhero. Or retired villain?

I shook my head to try and focus myself again. My job as coordinator were mostly done at this point. Down below I saw, briefly, a pair of people running around from the back of the castle, to a small building in the courtyard. The building itself, was attached to a bridge that led to the second tower, where we figured the throne room would be. The diagrams had the bridge over an inner moat, but it had long gone dry. It was still a deep pit, and the tower itself had no ground floor entrance, so the bridge was the fastest way. I was just coming back around to see that, when a pillar of purple light began to descend from my fake cloud cover. Turning as quickly as I could, so I wouldn't get caught by it, I looked over my shoulder to see Mikoto herself at the centre of her spell. She had done it. Almost everyone near the gate was now in her little gravity bubble, the otherworldly glow lighting up the area enough for me to see it all clearly.

And explosion on the bridge leading to the main tower made me smile. They were closer to the tower, not the bridge entrance, meaning that it was the defenders who were getting blasted.

Then an arrow went past my shoulder, into the canvas over my head.

Looking straight down, I spotted the white and gold armoured form of some one with a bow. Standing on a balcony, and aiming again. My smoke bottles had run out, and the glow from Mikoto's spell had lit up the sky. The glider, not meant for evasive motion couldn't do much in the way of dodging. The second arrow ripped a hole through a wing, and the third passed through the front pipe on the other, right in the middle.

As I watched the wing fold upwards like a bit of paper, my logical mind was boggling at just how much power was behind the bow. My now much more dominant adventurer mind replied with 'I can punch through nearly a meter of solid wood, break wooden weapons over my body and not bruise, and glow when I get angry, and this surprises you?'

Letting go of the glider, and trying not to get tangled up in the wreckage, I grabbed the iron ring inside my coat, and hoped.

Just as the bottom of the tower glowed an incandescent blue, right through the windowless stone foundation.

I didn't have time to stabilize myself like a real sky diver. I simply pulled out the iron ring, grabbed the part that wasn't occupied by thin but strong rope, and hoped the folded bit of fabric attached to it would get the idea and unfurl. Spinning wildly for a moment, and seeing a massive column of blue light spear its way through my black smoke cloud. There was a roar, the sound of collapsing stone, and screaming.

Then the fabric caught enough air, and my shoulder nearly popped out of the socket when my crazy downward tumble was replaced by a sudden slowing. The few seconds I'd fallen had brought me more than half way to the ground, and I still falling fast enough that I wasn't sure 'tuck and roll' would help.

Not that it mattered, I wasn't really able to steer the circular parachute, and the now punctured roof of the main tower was coming up fast.

Fighting. Some one was fighting. The floor under me was uneven, but carpeted, there was the smell of burnt wood and stone in the air. And fighting. I tried to get up, but was suddenly pushed down again, my body suddenly hurting all over.

"Stay down, girl. And just watch your friend get beaten by Hyakinthos."

Eyes snapping open, I looked around as best I could with two people pressing down on my back. In the centre of the room, Bell, his armour scratched and bloody, marked by fire too, was fighting Hyakinthos. Resplendent in gold and silver, he wasn't unmarked either. Both were fighting hard, but Bell was slowly losing. Battle experience was winning out, but the look on his face... The arrogance was gone.

Frustration. He couldn't seem to figure out why he wasn't just steamrolling the younger man.

I tried moving again, not very hard, but to get a better idea on how bad I'd fallen. I had two hands on each leg, smaller, maybe female? But nothing felt broken. Arms too. Held down, sore, especially my right shoulder. But again, nothing broken. The hands tightened on me again.

"Please, just stop struggling." It was Daphne. "We don't want to hurt you."

"Yeah. After that fall, I'm surprised nothing was broken. I mean, except the second hole in the roof." The first speaker said.

"Once Hyakinthos wins, you won't have to worry. Until then, just keep still." A second male said, the rounded ball of a mace entering my vision just to the side, leaving my view of the fight unobstructed.

I took a deep breath, not relaxing, but no longer trying to struggle. "The fire burns, the cage glows red." This time it was Cassandra.

"Hush! You were right about the flying... thing... But you just happened to look out the window." Daphne again.

"Worried about your friend?" Hykinthos said, voice angry, "Once I deal with you, I'll make sure the two of you are brought to Apollo in chains!"

Bell said nothing. Though his face was twisted in rage, the look strange on his usually pleasant face. I took another breath, feeling my skin heat up.

"And you added to your little Familia too!" The Apollo ace kicked Bell sharply, sending him across the room, but without even slowing down to roll, the white haired boy was on his feet and charging back almost instantly. "The Eastern girl... Apollo will like her."

Bell simply fought harder, instead of answering his taunts. I was feeling the cage inside me starting to melt. Cassandra hands on my leg were shaking too.

"And your smith! Once I win, his contract will come to us... And his Magic Sword with it!"

This time it was Bell who sent Hyakinthos for a tumble. It was a lucky punch, low to the side, but Bell had left a clear knuckle print in the fine armour. "I'm done playing around with you BOY."

This time, as he charged, he started chanting, "My name is love, precious child of light. I offer my body to my sun." Sword and dagger clashed, yet his chant continued unabated, "My name is sin, jealousy of wind. I call a gust of wind to my body. Released ring of fire - come, wind of the west..." Again, Hyakinthos kicked Bell away just as his long blade and Bell's Hestia knife crossed, "RUPELE!"

A brilliant disk of white light formed just behind Hyakinthos, streaking towards the still recovering Bell. To his credit, Bell managed to dodge, ducking under it, then springing up again, only to see the magic arc around, then come back at him.

"FIREBOLT!" Unused until now, the disk was struck by the lance of electrical fire, only to pass through it.

"USELESS!" Hyakinthos shouted, raising his sword again, "I've chosen you as its target! Until the ends of the world it will chase you! SUBMIT!"

I felt my blood almost boiling, watching this, helpless. Pinned down by four level twos, I was stuck where I was. Four? No... Three. Cassandra only hand her hands on my leg. Trembling almost like she was freezing. I could hear her mumbling, her fingers twitching against my leg.

Bell was slowly losing ground against the flaming disk, dodging it by less and less each time. Bits of his clothing and hair burning as it passed.

I could feel my magic reaching a boil, but I couldn't lose myself to it. I had to wait for exactly the right moment.

Cassandra finally broke down, crying, "The gate closes! The forgotten child brings disaster!"

One of Daphne's hands left the back of my leg, just as I heard a familiar 'snap click'. I gripped the carpeted floor with both hands, curled my legs up under me, and threw myself against the two holding me down, even as I pushed forward.

Black smoke filled the room as something shattered against the far wall. The two holding me down lost their grip on me about half way towards Bell, and I fell over the boy just as the disk descended on him.

An explosion, smoke, heat, lungs burning, hands feet and tail feeling like they were touching a stove top. I couldn't breath, let alone cough, but my nose was filled with the terrible scent of chemical smoke.

Some one coughed under me, then something bumped into my breasts. I felt the body under me stir, and then cool metal against my chest. I heard the pop of a cork, and a single gulp.

I was just recovering my breath, still holding my spot above Bell, as the air started to clear. Hyakinthos was standing there, looking at us, eyes full of fury.

"Impossible!" He shouted, "How can you still be alive after that?!"

I only smiled, my face stiff.

"Fine! I will simply BURN YOU BO' *snap-click*

There was loud 'tonk' noise, as a small metal bolt jammed itself between two plates of Hyakinthos's armour, right in the side.

Finally working enough soot from my mouth, I said, "You forgot someone." I lowered my head, and gave the back of Bell's head a kiss, "To you, little brother."

With a steel point jammed into his armour right about where his lower lung would be, Hyakinthos was suddenly unable to fight back as well as he had. Leaping out from under my protective cover, Bell cleared the distance between them and, to put it simply, took him apart. Bell had been pretty much supporting me, so I simply tried to recover. Numb hands managed to find and bring a potion to my lips. I felt my hurts fade, but could feel that my back was slick with something. My coat was intact, so I couldn't tell what it was.

The observers, the people who were holding me down, were simply sitting there, stunned, as the tables turned. Having used every second not fighting to recover, Bell while not fresh, was certainly far more energetic than a moment ago. Hyakinthos fought desperately, but in his anger, he overextended a single swing, and instead of cutting Bell's head off, the shorter man ducked under the strike, grabbed Hyakinthos's wrist, and slammed his forehead into the now straight elbow.

With a wet snap, and the clang of metal, Hyakinthos dropped his red glowing blade, and fell, coughing blood and holding his shattered arm, to the floor.

Most of Apollo Familia were at least gracious in defeat. It may have been that they knew the event was being covered, live, in Orario, and while they lost, they didn't want to be seen as dishonourable, as well. Cassandra and Daphne tended to me personally, while the rest were being tended in one of the still intact rooms.

"You are going to want to clean this when you get a chance." Daphne said, holding my somewhat blackened coat out at arms length. "Pants too."

In my boxers and nothing else, I caught the familiar smell of burnt skin and blisters. "Thank you. I'll be sure to ask Welf about how to clean it properly without shrinking it." I looked behind me, at the timid girl Cassandra. "Thank you too. I'm sorry I upset you so much though."

Her hands, wrapped in a healing light were roaming over my back. Everywhere she touched seemed to hurt less, like a tense muscle finally relaxing. "You believed me, didn't you?"

"So did Bell. I had to count on everyone else," I gave Daphne an accusing look, "Dismissing your visions, for this plan to work." My tail disobeyed me, curling around one of the girls arms, "Mind of its own, I swear... But yes. From the start, you saw everything about me. How I think of my magic, Lilly being the key to our plan, why I follow Hestia..."

"Saying we had let her in too." Daphne said bitterly, "How you would eclipse the moon... What was that anyhow?"

I was just about to explain, when the door opened, and a grumpy looking Pallum walked in. Brown hair and large eyes, he shut the door behind him, and looked at the three of us.

"Ah. Was wondering." I said, grinning, "Looking for some place to change?"

"Yes." He said, before glowing, his form shifting and then settling again, Lilly's child like face replacing the other one. "Lilly is tired."

"Lilly is a hero." I replied with a smile, "Daphne, Cassandra, meet Lilly. The key to the entire plan."

"Lilly didn't do that much..." She took off some of her disguise, discarding the blackened shirt and scrubbing her soot covered face with her undershirt. "Miss Kodori was flying!"

"Sure, I gave out signals, made sure both sides of our force struck when they needed too. But you made sure that those strikes would do the most damage. And I have to say, your aim with that last shot was perfect."

"Wait... She was right about that too?" Daphne exclaimed, holding her face with a hand, "All this time..."

Cassandra ran a hand through the fur of my tail, making me shiver, "Hey... Careful." I mumbled to her, "Are you done? I'd like..."

The door opened again, and in walked Bell and Welf.

The two boys, both with fresh lumps on their heads, were sitting down now, along with Mikoto, who had a few arrow holes in her shirt, but had been healed, and Ryuu, who was untouched, though as tired as I'd ever seen her. And for the record, I wasn't the one who... disciplined the boys.

"Well. Apollo is packing up, and tomorrow will be a busy day." I looked to each of them, grinning, "Ryuu, thank you, for everything. Without you, we couldn't have kept that side busy. Welf wouldn't have lasted in a melee like that."

I gave Welf a thumbs up though, "Without you to deal with the mages inside, and your amazing job on our equipment however... I'll need help cleaning my coat though."

Welf gave me a return thumbs up. He looked like he wasn't totally perfect in his managing of the mages, but he looked like he would only need to replace his shirt, and oddly, his right boot.

"Mikoto, let it never be said you failed in any way this day. You took the gate and held down almost everyone inside the courtyard. You do your Familia proud, both Takemikazuchi, and Hestia."

She nodded to me, giving me one of her rare smiles. "And thank you for overlooking some of our less honourable practices too. I know it bothered you, but..."

"Kodori-sama is wise." She commented, "But, while not pure, our victory was necessary. Both to save Hestia Familia, and correct Apollo Familia and their ways."

I nodded to her, pleased she was at least accepting our victory for what it was.

"Bell, you did it again. You not only held back a level three, but... broke an entire tower... There is hardly enough floor here to sit on." We all looked around the throne room, the once restored room so badly damaged that not only it, but the entire tower would need to be replaced to make it look like it once did.

I felt a little bad about that honestly. Bell did too, by the look of him scratching the back of his head and fit of nervous laughter.

"I had an image... A picture in my mind about a single hero, breaking through and defeating a mad king..." He scratched the back of his head some more, "And fighting him, if Miss Kodori hadn't protected me..."

"That was my job. To make sure everyone was doing what they needed to do, when they needed to do it. But even that, was only possible because of Lilly."

"At great risk, knowing they had a seer, no matter how ignored she usually was, Lilly replaced one of the Apollo Familia, and told them, at exactly the wrong time, where to be when we struck. Making sure Ryuu took the wall down with as many of them as possible. To get as many people inside the courtyard when Mikoto took the gate... And to provide covering fire and cripple Hyakinthos exactly when we needed it most." I scratched my back, where Cassandra had healed me for severe burns, again.

The others, while I gave Lilly's head a pat, raised wooden mugs in cheers for her. The usually unflappable girl blushed at the attention, but stood and gave us a bow anyhow.

"Now, it might be a little early, but, who's hungry?" I said with a grin.

Notes.

Well, aside from the aftermath of the war game, that's it. I do hope you liked it. Again, with the limit/freedom of first person, I kept all the story in one place, and re-capped it in the end, instead of the original story, that told of Bell and Welf fighting on the bridge, Lilly sneaking around the castle telling Apollo Familia where to be, just in time to get blown up, or Mikoto's brave and valiant dash to the middle of the courtyard, to use her gravity magic and hold everyone in place.

Some of the ideas I used were borrowed from other anime I've seen. Jormungand, for one. Where soldiers used dim glow sticks on their backs, so the sniper behind them didn't shoot them. Good anime too, if you haven't seen it, and are looking for a good action show.

Until next time. :)