AUTHOR'S NOTES: A slight delay, but not even 24 hours. We move into the game's 3rd chapter with a brief insight into Hoshido, and a few slight spins to make the differences in Kamui's character a bit clearer. This chapter follows most of the game's chapter 3, but is far from just a simple plagiarism. That said, the updating schedule of this fic might go from twice a week to every 4 or 5 days due to the lengths of these chapters, but I don't plan on scrapping this fic by any means. I've put too much into it and gotten too much traffic.
But... I'll spare the rant. Happy Reading!
CHAPTER 13: The Journey Begins
Sing with me a song of Travels and Scouts...
Kamui spent the next two days vigorously training, both to ensure that she was strong enough to fend for herself out there, but also because she was admittedly nervous about the endeavour. It seemed too easy for Garon to want her to waltz in and check out a fortress. She suspected a trap, although was mostly worried that the conniving Hoshidans would be behind it instead.
There were a lot of people in Castle Krakenburg that Kamui had not met, and so it was hardly a surprise when she saw a maid or servant or visitor that she didn't recognize. Heck, she still hadn't even gotten to know the names or faces of her siblings' retainers yet.
There was at least one man that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, however. During one of her sessions at the barracks, striking a practice dummy with increased vigor, she could practically feel someone's icy breath down her neck, as if the room's temperature had suddenly dropped a few degrees. She spun around, her hand still tightly gripping her sword, and took a step back from surprise. The masked sorcerer in front of her gave her a conniving smile, and his voice dripped with false flattery that clearly reeked of a hidden agenda.
"Umm… can I help you?"Kamui rarely trained with her armor in when she was indoors, and it seemed the intricate scar patterns carving up her arms and legs had taken the man's attention for a moment, if his wandering eyes were any indicator.
"Oh no, don't mind me," the man's tone turned oddly innocent, "I'm merely observing the movements and behaviours of King Garon's pride and joy. I am Nohr's finest tactician, after all, and so it is my duty to know each of our country's strongest soldiers as much as I can."
Kamui's ears twitched, and it was clear that she didn't believe this man's motives at all. Her red eyes narrowed and it almost looked like she was about to say something in retort, but she reconsidered it at the last minute. The man almost seemed to return this gesture with a taunting grin of his own.
"Do I know you?" Kamui finally spoke up a moment later.
"If you do not, you are making a mistake," the sorcerer warned, "but you may address me as Iago, grand strategist to King Garon himself, and general of the Nohrian armies."
"A pleasure, Iago," Kamui nodded, although her own voice was practically dripping with subtle sarcasm as well. "Now, are you here to teach me new moves, or are you just here to get in my way? I don't want to be cutting any heads off here…"
"My, my… that tenacity will get you far if you know the right way to point your sword, darling…" Iago cooed, "Keep up the good work though; you never know when those wily Hoshidans might try to plunge a dagger in your back."
With a deft pivot on his heel and a swish of his robes, Iago strode away, leaving a befuddled Kamui in his wake. She loosened her deathgrip on the hilt of her sword, took a deep breath to help herself focus, and then went back to work.
The two days sometimes felt like only two hours, for before Kamui knew it, the time had come for her to prepare for her departure. Jakob and Gunter were handling weapons and supplies for the journey, and Kamui was fully armed and armored, saying her goodbyes.
"Normally I'm not one to question Father's words," Camilla began, "but I don't like the looks of this. Are you sure you're going to be okay out there, darling?"
"Ideally I'd say so," Kamui admitted, "but I'm as skeptical about it as you are. Hopefully I'm just being paranoid and overthinking it. Maybe it really is just an abandoned fort."
"Of all times to be skeptical, this is probably the most appropriate," Leo pointed out, "it's not like Father to be so forgiving, even to his own children."
"I'm more worried about that Iago fellow," Kamui shrugged one shoulder, "He seems exactly like the kind of man to whisper foul things into Father's ear… and with a face and a voice like that he's bound to go 'mwah ha ha!' at some point, I just know it."
"Don't worry," Elise butted in, "and Leo, you shouldn't be trying to scare Kamui before her first mission like that!"
"I've always been paranoid though, baby sister;" Kamui gave a lighthearted chuckle, "I trust no one—not even myself."
"And those witticisms, it seems," Leo almost rolled his eyes.
"Well then," Camilla cracked her knuckles, "I guess I'm just going to have to tag along either way to make sure my little darling sister is safe."
Before Kamui could even discuss the notion with Camilla, however, Iago's voice emanated from behind them.
"I'm afraid that's not possible," he smirked as he entered the room. Camilla, however, was having none of that.
"Why ever not, Iago?" She frowned, Camilla was not used to being told what to do, especially when it came between her and Kamui; or between her and a good fight.
"The reasoning is simple, Lady Camilla," Iago almost seemed to have rehearsed this explanation, "King Garon intends this mission as an expedition of sorts. He would like to know if Princess Kamui is worthy of joining you and your brother as the Great Vanguards of Nohr. This is her rite of passage the same way you had yours and Xander had his. Therefore, your assistance would just muddy her results. Surely you understand."
"Just because I understand doesn't mean I have to like it." Camilla pouted, "but she won't be entirely alone, will she?"
"Not at all, Camilla." Garon stepped into the room.
"Father!" Kamui and Camilla both looked equally surprised, "I didn't see you there!"
"Rest assured I will not be sending you out there completely defenseless, Kamui." Garon promised, "apart from your retainers, of course, I have another soldier who will accompany you."
A bald, grizzled man wielding a wicked-looking battleaxe stumped out, smirking and licking his lips. Kamui was not sure if it was a perverted stare at Kamui's body, or if he was just excited to go out there and kill things. His presence certainly made it feel like this was not just going to be merely scouting a fortress.
"Milord…" Hans bowed respectfully before his king.
"This is Hans," Garon introduced the man, "He is a veteran warrior who will ensure that no trouble befalls you."
"Thank you, Father," Kamui feigned sincerity, not wanting to cross Garon even more when she was already on thin ice, "Out of curiosity, did Xander and Camilla have this sort of assistance during their rites of passage as well?"
"I have higher expectations of you, Dusk Dragon," Garon replied, "and as such I am offering you an extra measure of security to ensure your survival."
Kamui nodded and began heading back to get her things while Jakob and Gunter met back up with Hans. While Kamui was returning to them, Xander joined her and walked beside her.
"I'd be wary of that man if I were you, Kamui," he warned.
"I already am," Kamui shook her head, "what kind of person is he? I mean, I can't exactly imagine him petting small puppies or anything."
"He's an ex-criminal;" Xander explained, "a murderer and a scoundrel, to say the least about him. I arrested him myself a few years ago, and would have sentenced him to death had Father not intervened. Now he thinks that Hans has been rehabilitated, but I'm not so sure."
"I'll keep my wits about me then," Kamui promised.
"A wise choice, Little Princess," Xander nodded, "because if nothing else, he is a formidable soldier—to friend and foe alike."
"I see…" Kamui mused. "Thank you for the tip."
=Bottomless Canyon, sometime later…=
The journey to the Bottomless Canyon was unremarkable, although Kamui kept a close eye on Hans, who surprisingly seemed to behave rather civilly for most of the trip here. He did go a little out of the way to retrieve a throwing axe after he had thrown it into a wild animal, but that was not really enough to brand someone as good or evil in Kamui's eyes. The canyon itself was far more menacing than Hans could even dream of being, however; with pitch-black skies, dead, gnarled trees and jagged rocks, and vicious lightning strikes in all directions. This place was one that housed a great evil, and even the Nohrians knew it. However, the Daishan fortress where Kamui and her party were arriving was not as deserted as it first appeared...
"They're sending only four of theirs against us here?" Saizo grunted, "feh; and here I expected a challenge. This one's you, Omozu. Remember the rules of engagement."
"We will conduct our business with the safety of our countrymen at the forefront," Omozu explained, "and provided that our safety is assured, we will do what we can to slow the princess down. Your men are responsible for her capture if that is what you seek."
"Not to worry," Saizo nodded, glancing towards Rinkah, who was at his side. "We'll handle it."
"I hate the idea of sitting idly while you get to bash their heads in though." Rinkah commented.
"Ideally, it won't come to that." Omozu explained, "If they are merely scouts the way they claim, they will see that we will not allow them to pass and be on their way."
The Hoshidans laid low, with Saizo vanishing into the shadows as well while Rinkah pulled back to wait for Kamui after the battle. They took to the shadows, hiding behind rocks or roots or in some of the old and slightly run-down buildings in the area, staying deathly silent and giving off the atmosphere that the fortress was truly deserted. However, Hoshido was not about to surrender its lands, or even its fortresses, to Nohrian marauders. Thus, a small location such as this one was protected by the small contingent. Once Kamui came into view no one moved. Her next actions would determine how the Hoshidans would react.
"So… is this 'Bottomless Canyon' really bottomless?" Kamui tilted her head as she glanced around at the dark, hostile, unforgiving landscape.
"Let the eternal darkness below us be your answer," Gunter warned, "For those who fall in will never return. Perhaps Nohr and Hoshido were meant to be divided by this fetid place. It was clearly one that we mortals were not ever meant to enter."
Kamui frowned, looking around and realizing that Gunter had a point.
"I truly despise this miserable place," Gunter continued, "The sky is always dark and lightning keeps even the boldest flyers groundbound. Normally I would suggest that we go around, but the Daishan fortress we came to survey is just right over there." he pointed across the chasm where a few rickety bridges connected the cliffs, and a worn but still intact Hoshidan fortress awaited them, seemingly deserted.
"It's somewhat exhilarating to me, to be honest," Kamui quipped, "although that might just be my thrill-seeking side doing the talking. I haven't had a thrill like this since that one time with Camilla where we took… ehh, never mind."
"Ha," Gunter let out a small chuckle, "either way I suppose it puts age and youth into perspective, milady. But come… let us proceed."
They did not get very far, however. After taking hardly a few steps onto the rickety bridges, Hoshidans started pouring out of every crack imaginable on the other side of the bridges and around the old fort.
"Blast!" Gunter growled, "this place is not as abandoned as we thought! Why the devil is this gods-forsaken place crawling with Hoshidans?!"
Kamui froze, analyzing the situation.
"It is your call, Milady, but I would strongly recommend turning back," Gunter suggested, "we have what we need to know, and we are vastly outnumbered."
"Right," Kamui nodded, although as she looked around and even behind her, she was pretty certain she saw ninjas and maybe even an archer or two, zipping through the trees and rocks. She had a hunch, and if it were true, the Hoshidans were surrounding them even now…