Author: Because obviously my thesis will write itself.
Disclaimer: Nope.
Chapter 5
Dais was annoyed to have his concentration broken when he had finally gotten into the swing of slogging through the latest batch of intelligence that had appeared on his desk, but he recognized one of Kayura's handpicked guards as the soldier who knelt in front of him.
"Where is she?" he asked as he called on his armor, standing.
"The throne room, my Lord."
"Dismissed," Dais said and the guard left, returning to wherever Kayura had summoned it from.
This had better be good.
Thalus had returned five days prior, and all of Dais' time had been consumed by interrogation and negotiations with the leadership of the Clans. He felt he just needed one more angle, one more piece, and then the Clans would turn themselves over to him willingly and he was fairly certain that the final twist would have to do with the Army.
When Dais entered the throne room, he found Kayura lounging in the chair, an unfamiliar form on its knees before her. She looked up when she felt Dais enter and gave him a cold smile that Dais knew meant trouble. Nonetheless, he kept his pace unhurried, which didn't seem to bother her. He stood beside her to reveal a soldier from the Children—unbound and unharmed, but heavily guarded.
"I have someone for you to have a conversation with," she murmured too softly for anyone but he to hear.
She turned her attention back to the soldier. "I am sure you are acquainted with the Warlord of Illusion," she drawled, and the soldier's softly glowing emerald eyes darted over to Dais. "I'm a busy woman," Kayura said and stood. "My Demon General will speak with you in my stead."
Kayura walked out, her handpicked guard flanking her, leaving Dais with the soldier and three guards.
"You must be an emissary, otherwise you are a terrible assassin or spy," Dais drawled and a small gesture compelled the soldier to stand, and the lightest touch of suggestion made the soldier perceive the throne room as larger, darker, with unfriendly things whispering in the deep shadows.
The soldier coughed nervously, then said, "The Children have been wholly defeated. As I will not join either the Ogres, I petition you for sanctuary and offer my knowledge and skills."
Dais crossed his arms. "I know you, Youmu," Dais said. "Don't look so surprised that I know your real name," Dais drawled. "I keep track of the enemies of the Dynasty. You're coming here as a last resort. I'm guessing that's why you are unarmed and unprotected, hm?"
Youmu's fists tightened in anger and shame at the reminder of lack of armor and weaponry. "The soldiers of the Army are cowards and weaklings."
"Cowards and weaklings who defeated you."
"If it had not been for the foreigners, I would have won!"
"That is perhaps even worse, then, losing to foreigners."
"These weren't just any foreigners, Dark Warlord!" Youmu protested. "Their strength might match your own."
Dais shook his head slowly. "Excuses for your own weakness."
"One of them had armor kin to yours, Dark Warlord," Youmu said, and that tidbit caught Dais' attention.
"Kin to mine," Dais repeated.
Youmu nodded briskly. "There were some obvious—"
"Similarities," Dais finished for him. "And differences, I imagine."
Dais was silent for a long moment as he observed Youmu before coming to a decision. "Come."
Youmu was clearly suspicious, but Dais compelled the soldier to follow him. The slightest touch on the soldier's mind made Youmu blind to his surroundings, pulled along only by Dais' will.
They reached a room that Dais kept for non-violent interrogations, and Dais finally let the fog lift on the soldier's mind.
Youmu blinked and shifted uncomfortably at the seemingly abrupt change in scenery.
"Akuma is dead," Dais stated and Youmu nodded.
"Few are not," Youmu said. "All of us—well, everyone but the traitors—were forced to fight to survive. Nonetheless, the battle was swinging in our favor when the foreigners we had heard whispers of appeared. The weaponry they wielded, the armor that they wore, was not of any make we had seen before."
"Meaning…?"
"The armor seemed to be made of solid planes and was, from how they moved, heavy. Every movement was loud and clanging and stilted, but the increased protection allowed it to weather more of our attacks. Still, they were just mortal, Dark Warlord, as defeatable as any other enemy. It wasn't until their version of a Dark Warlord showed up that the tide turned against us."
Dais gestured for Youmu to sit down, which the soldier reluctantly did.
"Tell me about this warrior."
"The warrior was male," Youmu began.
Youmu had, apparently, not gotten a very good look at the foreign warrior, which was probably why he was sitting before Dais and not carrion like the rest of the Children. Now that even one special warrior had been shown, Dais was sure that he would quickly become intimately familiar with the armor and its bearer. However, the mention of special abilities made Dais pay attention.
"Your weapons turned against you," Dais repeated.
Youmu nodded earnestly. "The metal of my sword changed," he slightly-clarified. "Something the stranger did made it morph and twist from a strong, straight blade into a wavy mess that was easily shattered. I saw my comrades' weapons behaving the same way—as long as there was metal in the weapon, its structure became brittle and breakable."
"And your armor?"
"Was fine. The straps grew a little uncomfortable, but nothing drastic."
"And that happened only once?"
"Once was enough," Youmu spat.
"How did the warrior appear after having turned your weapons?"
Youmu was silent for a long moment. "Exhausted. The warrior was exhausted. I saw him unconscious on the ground."
"And you made use of that distraction."
Youmu nodded, glowering at the floor.
"A wise move."
Youmu's head snapped up and the soldier stared at Dais.
"As is coming to me," Dais said. "What say you about being one of the Dynasty's lieutenants?"
Youmu stared. "What?"
"I know you to be a capable soldier, and you have now proved to be observant and intelligent," Dais said, "which are qualities I value in my soldiers."
You are also the only warrior I know to have met one of these other 'warlords'.
"Tell me, did you hear what the foreigners called themselves?" Dais asked.
Youmu paused. "The Army warriors referred to the warlord as a naito and the foreign soldiers as kuruseida."
Dais turned the word over in his mind.
"Walk with me, Lieutenant. While I could simply drag the knowledge from your mind, I would prefer if you provided intelligence to me willingly."
He heard the hitch in Youmu's breathing and Dais smirked, nudging the warrior to follow.
A gesture of generosity followed by a reminder that I am the one in complete control.
When Dais and his new soldier entered the war room, Kayura was about to say something, but her mouth shut when she saw Dais towing Youmu behind him.
Dais gestured Youmu forward and activated the ever-evolving map in the room.
"Youmu has confirmed for me that Akuma is dead," Dais lied—it was actually the first he had heard of the Children's leader's demise. Youmu seemed to take the statement as truth, however, as it earned him a stare from Youmu at the word confirmed. "Youmu is now a lieutenant in the Dynasty armies. I will ensure that you forget no detail, Youmu, but provide us with all the information that you have accumulated during your time with both the Children and interaction with the Army."
Youmu shifted nervously before reaching out to the map and beginning to maneuver pieces around.
Dais was glad that most of the information he received from his spies was correct regarding the Children, and it was only once Youmu began to describe the Children's interaction with the Army that he turned his full attention to what was being reported.
The Army had arrived at the remaining Children stronghold and had tossed Akuma's head at the feet of Akuma's Warlord, Brutus. The action naturally enraged him. A conflict ensued with heavy losses on both sides, brute force meeting brute force. The battle ended in the Army retreating—although Youmu had speculated it to be a feint. Still, some of the Children had, apparently, recognized a losing battle when they saw it, and had chosen to defect to the Army. Youmu had not been one of those to do so, out of both pride and caution. Youmu's caution served the soldier well, as the following day, a scout reported that the heads of all those who had defected to the Army were perched on spikes in front of the Army encampment.
The remaining warriors had decided that survival was the better part of valor, and were all planning on petitioning the Dynasty for sanctuary when the Army attacked again. This time, foreign warriors were included among the netherworld soldiers, and Dais made sure that Youmu took great care in describing that battle.
"I suppose they were sure in their victory," Youmu said bitterly, "taking us on when we were all rested, our injuries tended to, our weapons and armor in prime condition, and our position fortified.
They announced their attack by catapulting the bodies of the fallen—both theirs and ours—onto our defenses. I'm sure that the foreigners in their midst thought that would dishearten us, but we all had done the same thing before. It was annoying, but it meant that we had extra weapons and protection.
I believe that they thought our archers would run out of arrows, as they sent the fodder up first. The ones that got close we tossed the corpses on, which sent them and those behind them tumbling. When whomever was commanding the troops realized that no, we wouldn't run out of arrows, they sent up the foreigners.
It took just a little too long for our archers to figure out where the joints and weaknesses in the armor of the foreigners were, and they had to retreat or be cut down or shot by enemy arrows. We let them have the walls, although our fastest and most nimble warriors remained up there to cut down those they could, the archers having reported where the weaknesses in the armor were. The weight of the armor also slowed them and allowed us more time to observe these new foes.
They initially seemed to be made of only metal, but once we saw they could be wounded, that they could bleed, they became creatures. They carried weapons that we didn't quite have names for, but one injury, one death, showed the rest of us the damage that could be done—how deep the cuts were, how long a motion took, the degree of accuracy and power, the fortitude necessary for adept handling. They had fought against our weapons before, but never against those with our skill. Unfortunately, their armor was both their weakness and strength. It could withstand more damage, and what should have wounded only inconvenienced them. It was a battle of speed and stamina, strength and protection.
They had thrown strong, skilled warriors against us, but we are—were, I suppose—some of the best the Netherworld has to offer. We were going to win. One warrior with great skill can take down dozens of unskilled opponents. We were going to be just enough. Barely, but we would survive.
Until their naito showed up."
Youmu's hands balled into fists. "He had, has, probably, immense strength. He bore the armor that his comrades struggled with with an ease and grace that was envious. He punched a hole in our stone wall like one would poke a hole through rice paper. His armor and weapon seemed extensions of his body, any attack made against him sliding harmlessly away. His weapon flashed and cut as if it were alive, as if he controlled it with his will and not his body.
Nonetheless, the Children's warriors were nothing if adaptable, and we used his own men against him, slowing him down as he tried to not harm those he commanded. He must have become frustrated, since that was when our own weapons failed us. My sword warped in my hands, and it is through luck that I wasn't killed by the warrior I was fighting, he simply shattering my weapon instead of dealing me a fatal blow. I knocked my opponent unconscious and escaped. I checked back the next day to find the bodies of the warriors who had attempted the final defense hanging from the gates. The Army has claimed the territory that the Children had not lost to the Ogres or the Dynasty." Youmu fell silent and glared at the area of the map that shifted color from the one Dais had assigned to the Children to that of the Army's. "That is everything I have for you my Lord, my Lady."
Dais nodded slowly. "Your information is welcome, as is your skill," Dais replied smoothly and gestured for a pair of guards. "My men will take you to your new quarters. Rest, and I will give you an assignment tomorrow."
Dais watched as Youmu was guided out of the War Room, and sighed once both Dynasty soldiery and his new lieutenant were out of hearing range.
"Well, well. Quite lucky for you, don't you think? Assuming he's not lying."
"He isn't," Dais said and moved the piece signifying Youmu out of the Children's pile and into the Dynasty while taking the remaining Children out of play. Dais hesitated, then slowly put together a piece signifying the new kind of warrior that Youmu had run into and placed it in the ranks of the Army.
Kayura looked between it and Dais. "Who's that?"
"Our new enemy," Dais said grimly. "One whom I must figure out a defense around."
"What has you afraid?" Kayura asked, cocky defiance in her posture.
"Afraid? I suppose. While this warrior's ability to manipulate metal is apparently a once-per-battle thing, it is still dangerous—imagine how crippling it could be. I, admittedly, do not trust all the details, because Youmu was fighting and occupied with another warrior. Nonetheless, it is the first appearance of a truly dangerous force that the Army has made a pact with. I'll have to have Tano look into these new warriors."
"Should they actually exist."
"Which her results will either prove or deny," Dais replied smoothly. Dais tapped his fingers together and said "Think you can control the Castle for a few days?"
Kayura frowned. "What, you're going out into the field?"
Dais nodded.
"Dais, you're fairly recognizable," Kayura drawled. "You'll be a walking target."
Dais smirked. "Assuming that they do recognize me. Try to keep the Capital safe in my absence, will you?"
Kayura rolled her eyes, but the tightening of her fingers on her hips betrayed her nervousness.
"We'll be in contact," Dais reminded her.
"I can't afford to lose you too, Warlord," she said after a long moment of struggling with herself.
"It will take more than you think to kill me, my Lady. I'm also going to be traveling with one of Kurosuke's troops."
"They won't resent your presence?"
"Every so often, I send an…emissary among the troops of the warlords who are loyal to me," Dais said. "Someone to check in on how the troops are being treated, what they are encountering, the state of their gear, and so on."
"And the emissary is really you."
"Precisely," Dais replied. "Admittedly, it takes most of my armor's power to sustain the comprehensive illusion, but I'm an adept fighter regardless of the powers my armor gifts me with."
"I don't believe you."
Dais smiled smugly. "Then don't blink."
It was a particular pattern, a special illusion that Dais had tucked away in his mind, woven into his armor. It wasn't easy to invoke, and it did leave him without any power but that of his own—which was still more than most. He activated it and felt the illusion snap to life.
Seeing Kayura's incredulity melt into hastily concealed astonishment was strangely gratifying.
Dais had taken great pains to make sure he looked like any other Dynasty warrior, except the trim that indicated rank was the same dark pink as his armor, a color that no other soldier shared, and a small, faint spider insignia was imprinted over his heart.
"I will be traveling with Kurosuke's lieutenant, Jade. They are in the Capital now and due to head out within the hour. Kira will take care of my correspondence and hand over information that my spies uncover to you."
"Who is…" Kayura paused as a diminutive assassin appeared at Dais' left.
"Keep me up to date and I will keep you up to date," Dais said to Kayura before looking at Kira. The assassin bowed deeply to them both before vanishing.
"Just how much of the Dynasty do you control?" Kayura asked carefully.
"How much of the Dynasty, or how much of the power structure?"
"Does it matter?"
Dais smiled faintly. "Point. Not as much as it seems. I just have one to five warriors loyal to me in the various holdings and troops of different warlords. It keeps me aware and has thwarted more than one assassination and a few rebellions."
Kayura shook her head ruefully. "What use were the other Warlords?"
Dais shrugged. "I'm not a commanding presence on the field of battle, my armor can't do massive amounts of structural damage, and I find physical torture abhorrent."
Kayura hummed.
"Keep in touch, my Lady," Dais said with the smallest of bows. He sent messengers to Thalus, Yami, Kurosuke, and Mayuri, directing that they report anything pressing to Kayura—otherwise, he trusted them to be able to do their jobs. He neglected to tell Kurosuke that he would be traveling with one of his lieutenants, however, as he didn't want any word to reach said lieutenant.
He made sure his quarters and other miscellaneous affairs were in order, then left the Castle, an odd mixture of apprehension and relief running through him. It would be nice to not have to juggle everything for a few days, but he didn't trust anyone else to do his job. It was a regrettable consequence of his pride.
He reached the troop before they headed out and wove through the ranks, searching for the lieutenant. He received a few curious glances, but there was an excitement of the hunt buzzing through the ranks.
Dais eventually found Jade, and caught his attention.
"Lieutenant Jade, I presume," Dais said, his voice modulated slightly. He was distinguished and recognized by his armor and his voice more than anything else, so he was careful to change his voice as well.
"I am he," Jade replied, still slightly distracted with preparations.
"My name is Rajura," Dais introduced himself, and Jade's attention shifted abruptly to him. Rajura was a familiar name among those troops loyal to Dais, although no-one quite knew who he was. The only thing that most were sure of was that Rajura was another soldier under Dais' command. How and where he stood was a dangerous unknown.
"Welcome, Rajura," Jade said with such excessive politeness that Dais laughed.
"At ease, lieutenant. I have been ordered to follow your command—my skills are yours for the duration of your mission."
Jade's shoulders fell slightly as he was able to slot "Rajura" comfortably beneath him in station.
"Then I shall treat you no differently than my men," Jade said, falling back into his normal mode of address.
Dais bowed. "As my lord wishes," he replied, just polite enough to not be insubordinate.
Dais happily settled into the midst of the troops, and while his armor earned him more than a few suspicious looks, his ability to avoid small, testing tricks and traps earned him respect and mild acceptance—which was, really, all he needed.
For all his distinctive coloring, Dais was very good at blending into the crowd. In Dais' opinion, it was as good to have information on one's friends as one's enemies. Especially one who was starting to chomp at the bit.
Dais knew that he would be bored if he didn't have to pay attention to every detail. The journey to the battle was boring—the battle itself was a moment of sheer energy, gone very quickly, to be replaced with clean-up that was almost as tedious as the travel.
Still, even the travel taught him about the mental state and command capabilities of those present in Jade's troops.
They were going to address the problem of some Ogre troops that had been picking at Dynasty lands, but were more an annoyance than an actual problem. Still, they needed to be dealt with, if only to prove that no incursion, no matter how small, would be tolerated. It was a laudable and useful action, but Dais disapproved of the way they were approaching the area. Admittedly, his caution often was his downfall on the battlefield, so he decided to see how someone with a more aggressive stance handled a confrontation.
There was sporadic conversation, since most Dynasty soldiers had very little free will and imagination, but Dais took note of what gear the troops did—and did not—possess. He worked his way from the back of the ranks, where the supplies were carried, slowly towards the front, where Jade was proudly riding point. Dais hung around the higher-functioning commanders who guided the troops from the back, but they had nothing particularly interesting to say, and showed no true signs of dissatisfaction.
For the most part, the Dynasty grunts were happy to be lead, and even happier to be unleashed upon an enemy that was designated for them. It was only once Dais reached Jade and his commanders that he overheard interesting a relevant dialogue.
"You said Rajura was traveling with us?" one of Jade's commanders said.
Jade nodded. "I'd heard he was the Dark Warlord of Illusion's right hand, but I am…unimpressed."
Dais smirked slightly.
"I wouldn't judge too quickly," the commander said. "Not if he belongs to that particular Dark Warlord."
Jade hummed. "We'll see."
The terrain undulated slowly beneath them as they marched on tirelessly, Dynasty soldiers needing neither rest nor food; Dais was glad that whatever immortality Talpa had bestowed upon him almost eradicated the need for creature comforts.
Dais would have never marched during the night, regardless of how deep they were in Dynasty territory, but, again, he was a cautious commander.
He nonetheless usurped a horse for himself, giving his legs rest. He was a spider, not a wolf or ogre—he waited, he didn't actively go out and hunt, so the travel was annoying.
It still gave him the chance to observe how Dynasty lands were faring and how Jade interacted with his more mentally-agile underlings.
Dais saw the signs of battle before scouts reported there being an Ogre encampment not far ahead. There was a ripple of anticipation through the soldiers, but Dais frowned.
The Ogres are many things, but they're not foolhardy, Dais thought. We're still deep in Dynasty territory, and nowhere near where the battles have been taking place. To be this far in and for me not to receive word…
"Army," Dais breathed and brought his horse up to where Jade was about to lead the charge, forcing him to stop.
"Who—Rajura, what is the meaning of this?"
"You are facing Army," Dais said calmly. "Not Ogres."
Dais felt disapproval washing off of Jade. "There's no way you can know that."
"Where are we, lieutenant?" Dais said dryly. "Still two day's march away from the last reported point of conflict. The Ogres don't have the resources that would allow them to travel so far so quickly without someone noticing, and the Clan and Children are both under Dynasty jurisdiction."
Jade sat back in his saddle, glowing jade-colored eyes narrowed. "Army or Ogre, they will not be expecting our attack."
"I simply offer a warning," Dais said and moved aside. "You will not be fighting the opponent you expect and on disadvantageous terrain. You, however, are the leader of this fight, not I. Chose to do what you will."
Dais met the lieutenant's glare easily. You can't scare me. You haven't survived 400 years with the other Warlords.
Jade was the first to look away. "Swing south-south east. We will trap their retreat against the Shirogawa."
Assuming they retreat—I do know they won't surrender, Dais thought as he watched the troop move almost as one unit.
"I thought you weren't here to usurp my command," Jade said, stopping his horse beside Dais'.
Dais looked at Jade sidelong. "I did not," Dais replied. "I advised."
"You made me look foolish."
Dais turned to face the lieutant fully. "Would you rather be known to listen to wise council when offered or for leading your troops rashly into battle?"
Jade's hands clenched around his horse's reins.
Dais sighed. "Lieutenant, I meant no disrespect. I have inherited my Lord's cautious nature and do not wish to see resources or men wasted, to experience a loss that could have been avoided. I would see you further your reputation as a capable commander."
In truth, Dais was rethinking Jade's assignment and position, but the battle that was to come would give him a better idea of how capable a commander Jade was in actuality.
It wasn't a terribly complicated maneuver and no Dynasty forces were supposed to be in the area, so it had a decent chance at working—it was sometimes the simpler tactics that achieved the best results.
Jade gave Dais a dismissive salute and Dais gave a polite bow. Sometimes, the best way to make an enemy was to figuratively kill them with kindness and respect.
Dais wasn't sure who was more surprised by the rapidity that they descended on the Army camp—the Army, who were clearly just getting ready to leave, or the Dynasty, who hadn't expected the troops to be so close.
Jade seemed to be a warrior of opportunity and speed, since he immediately ordered a charge.
Dais happily stayed out of the way. He hadn't come to fight himself, and was thus glad to let other people do the hard work for him.
The battle that unfolded was brief and brutal. The Dynasty had been the quicker of the two to react, and it seemed as if some of the Army soldiers were hampered by the pre-dawn dimness.
Jade appeared to be a capable on the field, a strong warrior and adept at thinking on his feet. Dais surveyed the battlefield and frowned at the supply carts. They were much larger and full than what most Netherworld armies would carry. Dais trotted over to the area and found that all those who had been tending the area were either dead or had run away. The forms that he found dead were chained—slaves—and the supply carts carried food that would be appropriate for soldiers, not just horses; such was odd, as the majority of Netherworld denizens needed no sustenance outside of negative human emotions. Dais dismounted and began to rifle through the carts.
"Get away from there!"
Dais picked up a glaive in the cart and turned in one smooth movement, and the soldier who had been running towards him crumpled, head detaching from its body.
However, no smoke of spirit was released, and the corpse hit the ground with a dull thud.
Strange.
Dais frowned and walked over to the corpse. He toed it over and blood pooled out from the stump of a neck. He picked up an arm and stripped it of armor, and blinked in surprise when flesh was revealed—flesh that was stained with tattoos.
Humans? He thought, wary. There are modern day humans here? Why would they be working with the Army?
Dais gestured with his left hand and a crow lighted gently on his arm. "Sachi."
The crow's eyes glowed a violent pink.
"I have an assignment for you: go into the human world. Stay in Japan. I have reason to believe that the Army might be making incursions into the modern human world. If they are dragooning humans in their service, that would be a…regrettable situation, and one that would need to be immediately remedied. Stay in the human world for a fortnight. If the Army hasn't shown up in that amount of time, return. If they show up before then, contact me immediately. Even if it is just one soldier scouting around, notify me."
The crow nodded solemnly and Dais opened a portal to the Human World. It jumped off Dais' arm and into the Human World, upon which Dais promptly closed the small gateway.
I have to make sure that the modern humans were not willingly recruited. If myself and the other Warlords would willingly hand ourselves over to a demon, why wouldn't a modern human do that, too? I doubt it, however—most are too lazy and unskilled to be useful.
Dais made short work of the Army soldiers who attempted to escape the battle, and his wariness grew deeper as most of them were revealed to be modern-era humans. Dais was careful to ensure that no Army soldiers escaped, Netherworld or human, which Dais was sure Jade wouldn't see the merit of. Jade wasn't a tactician, and certainly not a strategist. He was a weapon, and Dais would use him as such. Dais mounted the horse, who had stayed nearby throughout the battle, rode back to where he had last left Jade, and sighed when he saw the lieutenant being treated for some minor injuries.
"Lieutenant."
Jade looked over to him and his eyes narrowed in anger. "Where were you?"
"Cleaning up," Dais replied smoothly.
"Rajura—" Jade began when the earth heaved beneath their feet.
Looks like we're not in the clear yet.
"Don't panic," Jade snarled and Dais eyebrow rose fractionally.
Perhaps the reason he's leading is because he has a strong enough will to control the mindless when something unexpected happens.
Dais dodged as a root from one of the trees exploded out of the ground. It impaled one of the slower grunts, but Jade's iron will impressed the need for avoidance over all else. Such was, admittedly, difficult, given how quickly and intricately branches and roots maneuvered. Dais abandoned the horse so avoid a branch that whipped his way, and the carcass of the animal heaved and twisted desperately on the wood that had impaled it.
While metal could cut into the wood, it never fully penetrated and the wounds always healed over.
Dais sighed and idly wished for Sekhemet's presence.
Dais avoided the attacks nimbly, finding a small amount of fun in swinging between the labyrinth of wood, using his flail and an abandoned kusarigama to maneuver. The wood was being directed somehow, there was a will behind its movements. The question was finding out where the will was.
Dais figured that the best place to start was to find a way to do lasting damage. There were going to be structural weaknesses, due to wood being imperfect. Joints, branching points, thin and small branches, successful, biting attempts that bled a strangely red sap.
"Jade crystal hurricane!" Dais heard Jade yell.
Wherever the tiny spheres of jade light hit the wood, the surrounding wood would crystallize then shatter into a sparkling dust, and Dais would have sworn that he heard someone or something screaming.
There is someone controlling this, and they're somehow connected to what they're manipulating, Dais thought, good eye narrowing. Dais ducked under a limb and stepped back into a banked fire. He smirked. Let's see how well you burn.
Dais snapped off a small branch and coaxed a flame to life. He grabbed a fistful of the embers and tossed them into a pillar of wood that slammed down beside him.
A screech was clearly audible, and Dais finding leaves to set flame to made the wood writhe in agony. Abruptly, everything returned to its original location, leaving churned ground and revealing a woman standing at the far end of the camp.
She was by no stretch of the imagination beautiful, even beneath the bruises and burn on her face, flat brown eyes and a thin mouth her only visible features. She was of medium height, stocky, and wore armor similar—and dissimilar—to what Youmu had sketchily described. She wore a deep-bronze colored helm that had swirling vine-like patterns etched across it in dark green and it protected everything but her face. The pauldrons on her shoulders were made of interlocking planes of metal that shared the color of her helm; they laid atop sleeves that appeared to be made of tiny interlocking scales that glittered green and ended in handguards of reinforced leather that shared the vine-like pattern imprinted on her helm. Her elbow joint was protected by the same kind or bronze, as were the greaves that protected her knees and shins (which were also engraved with the swirling plant-like pattern as her helm). The leg armor that vanishied beneath her greaves was also made of interlacing verdant scales. The chest piece was a solid pane of bronze, and it seemed that, if it wasn't in tatters, it would be covered with a green piece of cloth that bore a foreign crest. The cloth fell from her shoulders to just above her knees and which was cinched at the waist by a brown silk cord.
"I guess you are from the Dynasty, huh?" she said, her voice hoarse, probably from screaming.
Jade stood proudly, his sword still unsheathed, his stance balanced and wary, but didn't reply.
My armor can somehow translate her speech—Jade probably only hears gibberish, Dais thought and moved from his hiding spot and stood slightly in front of Jade.
The woman's eyes darted to him, and her face twisted in rage the still-burning branch in his hand. Her hand tightened around the shaft of her pole arm. "You. You were the one? I'll kill—"
Dais caught her eyes and grinned inside his helmet as he caught her mind and made her see all the remaining soldiers as images of him, every one carrying a burning branch. Her rage abruptly turned to horror and she retreated, melting into the trees.
"Rajura?"
Dais turned and looked at Jade, who had slouched slightly, his injuries obviously paining him more than he wanted to let on—the old ones that had been aggravated and new ones that worried at him.
"You did well," Dais said.
"My troops are—"
"In much better shape than if you had been weak-willed and unable to control their surprise and panic," Dais finished for him. "There have been losses, yes, but we can claim the victory."
"What was she?" a commander asked softly, obviously terrified that speaking of her would bring her back.
"An enemy," Jade asserted.
Dais nodded and looked at the broken landscape. A powerful enemy.
Dais took quick inventory of their losses and sighed softly.
"Leiutenant Jade, I advise returning to the Capital."
Jade nodded unhappily. "I agree."
"There may be supplies and loot left," Dais said. "Let those well enough check—you need to have your wounds tended to, as do others."
"You're taking over command?" Jade asked, weary annoyance in his voice.
"I directly serve the Demon General of Illusion," Dais said dryly. "I did not attain my position through luck."
"How did you escape injury?"
"I repeat my previous statement."
Jade gave him a long, weighing look before he sighed. "The Dark Warlord of Illusion would be looking for someone who fought with minimum of effort for maximum effect. Although…how did you get her to run away?"
"You should rest some, Lieutenant. Maybe then you'll stop asking questions with obvious answers."
Jade momentarily bristled before he came up with a coherent answer that made him shuffle uncomfortably.
"I leave my men to you, Rajura-sama."
Dais smirked inside the helm. "Rest, Lieutenant. Your men are in capable hands."
As he supervised the activities of the remaining soldiers, he was given time to process the battle.
So, he thought as objects necessary for living humans were thrown away, I believe I have met one of these naito. She seemed…human. An interesting development, perhaps more than her mystical abilities—she was manipulating that wood somehow. Perhaps that is where they lay? The Ronin have elemental affiliations…perhaps these naito do as well.
Dais knew that they didn't have to immediately move—the extent of the devastation would keep scavengers away, and the naito wouldn't be coming back, regardless of whether or not he had hurt her pride. Jade's special attack had done damage, and burns hurt even past time of infliction.
The appearance of the naito nagged at him, however—why would someone so powerful be somewhere so innocuous? The coincidence was too great; there was forethought behind the action.
'Kayura,' he said over their unhappy connection.
'What?' she snapped back.
Dais smiled smugly. 'Responsibility sucks, doesn't it?'
'It's not polite to gloat.'
'I ran into one of the new warriors.'
'Funny, I've had reports of two of our holdings closer to Army territory having run into them as well.'
'They left survivors?'
'Yes.'
'Foolish.'
'Not everyone is as cold as you.'
'Not everyone is as good a strategist as me either.'
'When will you be coming back?'
'As soon as Jade and his men get their feet under them.'
'Don't dally too long, Warlord.'
Dais tapped his fingers against the crooks of his elbows. 'What did the reports say?'
'Come back and look at them yourself. They're encoded in your cipher.'
Dais was tempted to ask which one, but figured that he could rub Kayura's face in her incompetence better in person than at a distance.
Dais looked out over the landscape and began to delicately pick his way through the carnage. He turned over the corpses of Army soldiers, and his eyebrows rose slightly as he uncovered one that was wearing unfamiliar armor.
Dais pushed debris off of the body to reveal it. Parts of the body were at odd angles, and Dais could see a dark stain leaking out from beneath an armpit.
Lucky strike, Dais thought as he pulled the limp arm up. It was difficult to kill someone by piercing their heart through their armpit, but it was doable. Just difficult.
I wonder who did that—it's too perceise a strike to be made by Jade.
Dais removed the soldier's helmet and frowned.
Human.
The human looked like one of the pale ones that he had seen while meandering Tokyo. That meant that it was probably some kind of equivalent to something from wherever the paler people hailed.
I have some research to do.
He left the foreign body behind to help with attending to the remains of Dynasty troops. He supervised the looting and distribution of the goods found, made sure the wounded were being attended to, and set up some kagemushi to alert him of anything hostile coming towards them.
'Are there any other troops near where we are?' Dais asked.
There was a brief, surly silence on the other end of the connection before Kayura replied: 'Mayuri's general Natsumoto. To your north and west.'
Dais paused and ran through the patrol routes he knew before nodding. A small flick of his fingers brought another crow to him, the bird alighting on his arm. "Aya, go tell Natsumoto that Jade's forces will be joining them. Tell them Rajura sent them, and that their numbers are small because they defeated a naito."
The crow seemed to nod before taking off, and Dais sighed softly.
Once the Dynasty warriors were settling in for a brief respite, Dais approached Jade, who was pouring over a map of the area.
"Leiutenant."
Jade's head snapped up and he painfully saluted Dais. "Rajura-sama."
Dais good eyebrow rose slightly. I wonder what changed his mind.
"Meet up with some of Mayuri's troops," Dais commanded. "Natsumoto is on patrol in the north-north-west near the intersection of Shirogawa and the Great Road. I have sent a messenger alerting them of your impending arrival."
"But, Rajura-sama…"
"I need to get back to the Capital as soon as possible," Dais cut in. "I know Natsumoto. If anyone gives you trouble for the state of your troops, include that in the report that you will give to Kurosuke. My Lord will hear of it and the actions will be dealt with."
Jade stared, then bowed. "Understood, Rajura-sama."
Dais smirked inside his helm. "Stay safe, Lieutenant. Your experience is invaluable."
He turned and walked away, waiting until he was a distance away before making a portal into the Human World and slipping through it. Once through, he shed the illusion on his armor, although that also caused the armor itself to be taken off, leaving him in a yukata, the mystical energy that powered the Armor of Illusion depleted. Dais sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
I won't be terribly out of time, Dais thought as he exited from the public bathroom, just a little unusual.
He was proud at how he didn't even flinch at the mass of humanity, although he could also attribute that to exhaustion.
Distance and time were different in the Human World and Netherworld, so Dais was capable of covering great distances in a relatively short amount of time by taking a short cut through the Human World.
Dais wove through the populace with less agility than he would have liked, but he was thinking too hard to really care about those he bumped shoulders with.
I'm going to have a pile of reports on my desk, Dais thought and grimaced. He stopped in at a crosswalk and tugged at a loose thread on his yukata's sleeve. I wonder what abilities these other naito will have, since the one we fought was able to control wood.
Dais sighed softly and looked up, checkning to see whether or not the light had changed. That abruptly stopped mattering when his eye met a familiar pair.
This isn't possible, Dais thought as the young man he had met twice before met his gaze with equal incredulous astonishment.
Dais had read that there were roughly 6 billion people in the world, and that Tokyo alone contained 25 million souls. Meeting one person was chance; meeting them twice in the same place was improbable; meeting them three times in the same city was unfathomably rare. True, many people looked alike, but Dais knew, just knew, that the young man he had locked eyes with was the same. Without the barrier of his sunglasses, the young man could finally get a good look at his face, and was obviously puzzled by what he saw. The moment stretched out longer than Dais thought was possible, and some part of him said that both he and the young man were committing each other to memory. Perhaps not consciously, but there was an imprint, a mark in their minds that would always belong to the strange person they kept on meeting.
Dais wanted to make certain he never got a name. It was just easier on his sanity if the young man remained nameless.
Dais broke their staring match by giving the young man a lusty wink and blowing him a kiss, which made the young man balk and scowl.
Dais decided that there were other ways that would bring him just as close to the War Room as he wanted—just a room or two down in the other direction.
Dais created a portal on a blind corner and stepped through, his armor immediately reforming on him.
His arrival in the War Room made Kayura frown. "That was fast, Warlord."
"This matter is urgent, Lady," Dais replied.
Kayura nodded. "Since I talked to you, 2 more reports came in regarding attacks on Dynasty lands, and I think that they all have the same theme."
Dais nodded and held out his hand, wherein Kayura dumped a number of scrolls.
"So we know of six naito," Dais said simply. Which means that there are more of them than the Ronin. Interesting…and unfortunate.
"Have the Clans caved?"
"Youmu's story and your treatment somehow reached them, and they decided that siding with the Dynasty was better than siding with someone who would turn against their allies like that."
Dais hummed. They obviously don't know the Dynasty.
"Oddly, the Army only attacked places that are of little concern," Kayura said, frowning. "But they did destroy them entirely."
Dais shook his head. "If everything is destroyed, it's because of orders."
Kayura's head snapped to him. "What?"
"They're standing orders," Dais replied to her accusing gaze. "Talpa's. He wanted to make sure that no enemy got anything out of our holdings. Resources can be recovered, and making any attack unprofitable was an attempt at detterence."
"Right," Kayura said slowly. "And you haven't changed them."
"So, where are these reports? What have you learned in my absence?"