AUTHOR'S NOTES: Due to my new job, weekly updates will probably start being on Tuesdays instead of Mondays, but I still plan to keep it at least once a week or more. Either way, this chapter sets up a lot for the upcoming chapter, where we will delve into the game's 9th stage and deal with the wild ride that it entails. We also see the return of a familiar face or two, get a little more insight on Mozu's current mental state, and have a few other wild adventures in store. So strap in, enjoy the ride, and please review!
Happy Reading!
CHAPTER 51: The Eternal Stairway
Sing with me a song of Caverns and Winds...
The Eternal Stairway turned out to feel exactly like its name suggested. On and on it trekked with no remorse for those who travelled it, with the desolate rocky crags bringing them ever closer to the Wind Tribe. There were no signs of the attacking Faceless just yet, and so Corrin hoped that they had gained a lead on the monsters. In the meantime, all they could do was keep walking and keep their wits about them. In the meantime, a lot of the army bantered with one another to pass the time.
Corrin was skeptical of how Kamui had no trouble whatsoever with walking barefooted on the sharp rocks of the cavern. She simply shrugged and commented that Azura did it too.
"Well sure," Corrin indicated, "but she's a lot lighter on her toes than you. You have this weird hunched stumping around when you're carrying a weapon."
"The rocks are nothing, and not nearly as uncomfortable as shoes." Kamui quipped. "I could be walking through snow and it wouldn't faze me."
"Don't give me ideas, Lady Kamui," Oboro quipped from behind them, "If Lord Corrin willed it, I would find or design something not even you could resist."
"Don't try me either," Kamui laughed, "if I perceive something as a challenge I'll inevitably and unfailingly accept it as such."
"Touché," Oboro chirped. "Perhaps I'll draw more ideas from the next book you put out?"
"Which one?" Kamui turned around for a moment, "Please don't say Dancers and Diviners… that one's trash."
"Well… I was actually talking about The Hero in Hoshido, but I also really want to study the details of that dancer's outfit from your first book. Your writing was so detailed that I could see it in my mind and I want to design it."
"You would do that?" Zenzi's ears literally twitched and perked up to the point where the hair on the sides of her face fluttered. "I-I mean… obviously you wouldn't need to do it for me or anything…" she looked down at her hands and began wringing her fingers.
"Nonsense," Oboro chuckled, "I was originally going to try and find a way to force Kamui into it, but I feel like someone like you would make better use of it. I'll start drawing up plans after we get out of here alive, so no dying on me, okay, Zenzi?"
"Well hey, if it gets me out of it, then by all means, please feel free to design it for Zenzi," Kamui smirked. Roku kept his eyes ahead of them, although images of Zenzi in brilliant and exotic attire made the corner of his lip curl up.
"Watch yourselves," he warned. "The fog's getting thicker."
Mozu trembled, clutching her jagged hunting knives tighter. "That's exactly what happened right before them Faceless attacked!" she cried, "Don't let your guards down!"
She herself migrated towards the middle of the group as much as she could. Already the fog was swirling around her, and she could see legions of the monsters coming up from behind, grabbing whoever was nearest with their massive hands and slamming them against the rock, bones cracking and blood splattering out from the point of impact.
"Mozu…" A voice swirled in her head, sounding urgent, like a call for help. Mozu shrank, bracing for what she thought was her inevitable end…
"Mozu?" the girl yelped as she felt a hand on her shoulder, although it snapped her out of her trance as she glanced around. Silas stood in front of her, with the rest of the army only a little ways ahead. Mozu sighed, still gasping for breath.
"Are you alright?" the silver-haired Nohrian looked Mozu in the eyes, a look of concern on his face as he noticed Mozu's frightened visage.
"Criminy…" she murmured, "yeah, I'm okay… just shaken is all. Has anyone up there run into any Faceless yet?"
"No, but the fog is getting thicker," Silas warned, "so being behind and away from the army like this is probably not a good move. Here, hop up!" he offered his hand to help Mozu onto his horse and rode back to catch up with the rest of the army.
"Did you want to talk about it?" he offered. Mozu shook her head.
"Did you want to talk to Lady Sakura about it?" This seemed an odd offer from Silas, but that was actually who he had been conversing with before finding Mozu. If there was anyone that could listen to someone's problems without becoming judgmental in the slightest, it was her.
"Oh no… not here or now, anyhoo," Mozu shook her head again, "maybe after we get somewhere safe, but I'm sure them princesses and princes are busy with royal stuff to be too concerned about li'l ol' me."
"They're not as high and mighty as you think," Silas chuckled, but almost as if this was a cue of sorts, a loud, 8-second belch that changed pitches at least three times thundered through the ranks, and immediately nearly everyone was glaring at Kamui.
"What?" she spread her arms defensively, a nearly empty bottle in her left hand.
"Now if there's any Faceless here they're going to know right where we are," Hana snapped at her. "Oboro was right about you, Lady Kamui."
"Isn't that what we want though?" Kamui reasoned, turning to Corrin to see what kind of tactical advice he could offer, "either they storm the Wind Tribe unannounced—since let's face it: they're ahead of us and we aren't overtaking them—or we deal with them and thin the numbers before they raze the 'tribe the way they did to Mozu's village."
"Yes!" Mozu called out with a stroke of confidence, "If they're here, I reckon we should fight 'em before they get away! No one should have to see… have to see the things I did…"
She frowned again, leaning against Silas' back without really realizing what she was doing.
Corrin froze for a moment as he put his fingers to his chin. Times like this made him contemplate growing a beard simply so he could stroke it when he was musing and mulling various thoughts over.
"I actually think Kamui is right." Corrin admitted, "we should draw their attention to us, since we're aware of their presence and all of us are seasoned fighters. While the Wind Tribe is fully competent, many of them are inevitably civilians."
"So we need noise then?" Oboro raised her eyebrow.
"That's the gist of it," Corrin suggested.
"Righto then," Kamui chugged the rest of her bottle of whiskey, smashed it against her own head and then clutched her dragonstone. "Tally ho!"
She transformed into the black and grey dragon and emitted an echoing roar. Sure enough, from ahead up in the distance, the thundering sound of Faceless could be heard as they stomped back to follow the sound of Kamui's roar.
"Prepare for battle," Corrin called out, "and show no mercy—for there will be none received."
Despite it being an uphill battle, Corrin's army retained an edge against the Faceless, and many of them seemed like they had gotten into some sort of scuffle before meeting Corrin. Whatever the case, the army made quick work of them and were able to traverse the Endless Stairway with relative ease until they made it to the exit.
"How strange…" Azura mused, "normally there are guards and a small patrol placed along these walls to alert the Tribe of trespassers or visitors… did the Faceless…"
Whether or not they were killed by Faceless was unclear, for there was no blood and no bodies. There were, however, a few of the monsters stumping and stomping about, as if looking for something else to slam their fists into.
Corrin and Kamui caught the monsters by surprise and made quick work of them, but only after the last one fell did they learn the terrifying truth about these Faceless. The fog that surrounded them thickened, and a moment later it dissipated to reveal the lifeless forms of several Wind Tribespeople. A cackle on a nearby rock revealed the culprit of this little illusion.
"Having a nice little trip yet, Kamui?" Iago cooed from his vantage point.
"Iago, you fucker, I swear I'm gonna rip you right in half!" she lunged, already launching herself up the side of the rock with remarkable speed.
"Oh, no; I'm not here to chat," he leered, "Uncle Iago just wanted to send his and King Garon's regards!" And with that, he vanished right as Kamui launched herself skyward and plunged her sword into the rock just below where he had been standing. She cursed loudly and rejoined the others, who proceeded with caution.
"So what's the plan?" Kamui turned to her brother.
"We can't just quietly move on without at least telling the truth," Corrin frowned.
"I hate it when you're right," Kamui grunted, "we're right behind you."
They did not have to go too far before running into living Tribespeople.
"Come," a woman extended her hand. "Chieftain Fuga will decide your fate."
"I don't suppose we're in much of a position to argue…" Corrin sighed.
"Like hell am I going down without a fight…" Kamui whispered.
"Not now, Kamui." Corrin sighed. There was silence as the small army was led to Fuga's keep, and soon, the twins were situated in front of Fuga himself.
"Explain yourselves." His voice seemed surprisingly calm, almost as if this was a loaded question. But he refused to say what he wished explained, and so Corrin began with an honest recounting of why they had come this way, ending with his admittance that they had accidentally slain the Wind Tribe sentinels under Iago's illusion.
"I have heard the story from the voices of my men and women that still speak and draw breath," the large and rather imposing Wind Tribe Chief spoke, "and I am unsure of what to make of it. Do you truly claim that it was a sorcerer that bewitched your eyes?"
"I neither had nor have any intentions of wishing or inflicting ill upon your people willfully," Corrin explained, "I apologize and we are willing to pay penance if needs be."
"That will not be necessary," Fuga explained, "For it seems there was a woman that vouched for you—in particular, for your Nohrian sister. Rinkah… step forward.
Rinkah appeared in front of them in an unusual state of undress. She was barefoot and in shorts, and her right hand was bound and bloody. There was also a rather large cut across her left arm, and her right eye was bruised and swollen. Corrin only briefly saw it as she walked in, but her back looked like it had been whacked a few times with a butcher knife.
"Rinkah?" Kamui gawked, "what happened to you?"
"I came ahead of you to inform Fuga of a discovery I had made, but I ran into some trouble." Rinkah explained, before turning to Fuga. "and I'll testify for these sunsabitches that they're here to help, and were probably here to warn you of the attack that they just stopped in its tracks. You'd be wise to help 'em out, Chief."
"You did voluntarily help our tribe with selfless motivation," Fuga explained, "and that is not a debt that will go unpaid."
"Then we need your support," Rinkah declared, "we'll learn in time about the real enemy, but more importantly, Chief… I have learned about… them."
"The sages?" Fuga raised an eyebrow, "Those of the alcoholic disposition, no less?"
"The very alcohol sages spoken of in the legends," Rinkah smirked. "But I'm not telling you a damn thing until you promise your support."
"Conviction," Fuga smirked, "I like it. Very well. I offer my support, but on one condition."
"The game?" Rinkah glanced at Fuga. Fuga did not reply immediately, but his grin spread until it was practically ear to ear.
"The game," Fuga nodded. "Prove to me your convictions, Prince Corrin; Princess Kamui; Princess Sakura, and those who follow you. Come with me."
Corrin was not sure what Rinkah and Fuga had just planned for them and their group, but he had a feeling it was not going to be a walk in the park.
AFTERTHOUGHTS: Like Mozu and Silas a few chapters ago, Rinkah has not officially joined the group yet, but she'll inevitably have her bio show up at the end of the next chapter for sure.