*Gainos Roads*Nanael had followed Corvrus' group for a long while, thankful to be as far away from the swamplands as possible. Leina grew curious with the Angel. "So, why are you so far from Heaven? I mean, with all that happened in the swamplands shouldn't all the angels be on high alert?" Leina asks as Nanael flushes with embarrassment. "Well...I have been sent to make sure you are ok. Since my incident with the elves severely damaged my reputation in heaven, and there is the fact that I have been causing rigged Queen's Blade matches." she said, hating to admit it. Leina was surprised to hear all that, but she seemed to also have suspected it as well.
Corvrus, on the other hand, looked at Alleyne, he was curious on what Echidna meant by "dark side,". Echidna scouted ahead. Meanwhile Alleyne had been a little on edge ever since Echidna exposed her reckless nature for the first time in many long years.
*Hotsprings, many miles away* Tomoe grew weary from the journey she had undertaken with Menace, Risty, Melona, Davlin, and Shizuka. They overcame many obstacles, ranging from giant monsters, perilous mountain regions, dangerous wastelands, and low on supplies. It was becoming harder and harder to get to Gainos. Davlin relaxed a bit on a nearby boulder, he was exhausted after trekking for many miles. Menace seemed to actually enjoy it, claiming she had never seen so many locations due to being cooped up in Amara for many years
Tomoe saw a hot spring close by and felt the water. "Hmm….this seems to be warm enough." she said as Melona pushed her in, drenching her Miko robes in water. Shizuka laughed as she pulled her friend out. "How warm is it?" Menace asks as Setra gawked at Tomoe's body, earning a quick whack on the head by Risty. Melona was already in the water, completely nude as her rabbit ears were folded like a towel around her head. "Damn, this feels great." Melona purred out as she relaxes, earning a quick blush from Davlin. Risty went to Tomoe and undressed her, leaving her Miko robes to dry. "So, what exactly do you priestesses do anyway, besides pray all day?" Risty asks. Tomoe seemed nervous with the subject, since nobody ever bothered asking before. "Well, our most notable activity is that they protect the shrine of a powerful Warlord, Masakado. Masakado used to be a legendary warrior of Hinomoto and was seen as a hero, only for him to be defeated by our Noble's armies. Legend said he killed ten thousand soldiers before his head was severed from his body. Masakado's head was mounted on a wall of one of the Noble's manor and the head never decomposed, swearing and cursing the Noble,"
"Eventually the cursed body of Masakado found its head and butchered the Noble and his whole family. A survivor of Masakado's massacre took the head while it slept and gave it to a warrior priestess to prevent such a massacre to happen again. She took the head to a shrine, where it will sleep forevermore. We priestesses pray once a week to the shrine to keep him asleep. They fear once he awakens, his body will arise and destroy all the priestesses and all who imprisoned his head." Tomoe said, shivering a bit. When she was a little girl, she witnessed the Headless Samurai butcher her village due to the Noble living there. She was horrified of what could happen should the Priestesses stop praying. Shizuka tried to comfort her as Menace and Melona were in shock, not knowing there used to be one so powerful.
*Half a world away* The nobles of Hinomoto were in utter disarray. When Shizuka assaulted one of the Nobles, all the Kouma Ninjas transformed into a frog, and the People without fear of them anymore, their reign of terror is coming to an end. Soon the nobles held an emergency meeting. "This is an outrage. These peasants are making a mockery of us. We were supposed to rule this land. Now we have those accursed Priestesses uncovering all of our activity." A noble with a small mustache said. Another noble countered with, "That is true, but we cannot make ourselves look worse, what if the Queen knows of us and deploys her Assassins on us." Soon another Noble, one with a small goatee, said "True, but with the Empress under our thumb, she looks up to us as father figures and is totally oblivious to our activity. Who is to say the Queen will be any different?" That sparked all three to laugh a bit before a knock was heard at their door.
Soon a few geisha girls were seen leading a man with a pale eye. It was Kade, he had returned to Hinomoto. The three Nobles look at him, fear gripping their hearts with icy fingers. They had witnessed Kade's work, many years ago, when he transformed the Emperor, the father of the Empress, into a hideous Dragon due to the Emperor ordering his village destroyed. Kade looked at the nobles, "Well well, if it isn't the bean counters. How long has it been since we last met, fifteen, no ten years ago?" Kade asks in a menacing voice, almost like a hiss as his pale eye glinted like a diamond. The nobles carefully back away from him and his wicked gaze. "D-did you get our message?" The bald noble asked. Kade laughed evilly, throwing a pair of cards at the geisha girls. "Of course I did, do you think I am so ignorant of your desperate letters?" he snapped as the geishas began changing. With a scream in pain the two began changing to gorgons, serpent hair sprouting from their head, fangs jutting from their canines, skin turning olive green with armored scales, breasts getting bigger until they reached healthy G cups, huge tails replacing their legs, and had green, reptilian eyes with slit pupils. The transformation left them in shock, but made them utterly loyal to Kade as they slithered over to him and snuggled him. "Easy now my servants, we will do this another time. In the meantime, it is time for a little bit of….redecorating." he said as the gorgons trash the place, turning everything valuable into stone, slashing tapestries with their claws, ripping displays from the walls, and even eating a few koi fish from their pond.
This behavior was appalling to the nobles, but they were too afraid to protest. "What do you want from us? Our women, our gold, our palace? Take them all, just leave us be!" the mustached noble said in horror as Kade thought about it, his palm resting on his chin. Soon the gorgons slither to his side, their exposed bosoms pressing against him. "All of that sounds like a tempting offer, but there must be something you want in return. Oh yes, the Hinomoto Priestesses gone, correct?" Kade asks as the Nobles nodded silently. "Now, I will take your temple, your women, your armies, and your money. And in exchange you get to see the Hinomoto Priestesses fall. Do we have a deal?" Kade asks, holding a gnarled hand out, looking almost skeletal save for bits of flesh seem with a ring on his finger with a sickly green stone. In his hand he had a contract, written in ancient tongues that none of the Nobles could read. "Sign your names here on the dotted line, and all your troubles will be over." He hissed as the Nobles quickly signed it, causing it to burst into flames. "The deal is struck; I will destroy the priestesses, in exchange for your palace and everything in it, including you!" He shouts in a triumphant voice. "What, that is not part of the deal, is it?" The goatee noble exclaimed, making Kade laugh. Kade then showed him the contract again, "It is here, on Line 31, the recipient of the contract must give everything in order to pay the offer, including their lives if need be. I will not kill you, do not worry, but I have something more...special for you three." He said as he threw 3 cards at them, the cards were a hideous hydra.
The Nobles cried out in panic as their bodies turned on them, necks elongating, flesh replaced with dark blue scales, fins replacing their ears and facial hair, horns jutting from their heads, and their bodies forming into a large torso. The Hydra now was under Kade's control, having two powerful legs, a mighty tail, four wings, and three snarling heads. "Yes, that is right my pet. You will now destroy the Priestesses of Hinomoto. And when you are done, you will attack Corvrus and his allies, but I want him alive. Kill the others." He said as the Hydra roared, spreading its huge wings as it charged out the Palace wall, startling all the servants inside. The Hydra now flies to Hinomoto, to take its long awaited vengeance
*Gainos, Roads* Elina had put up a small force in order to track down Leina and Corvrus. She was eager to finally find Leina and bring her home. "Soon, dear sister, we will be together again." She thought to herself. She was then interrupted by a soldier. "M'lady, it is getting dark soon, should we camp here?" She asks, snapping Elina back to reality. "Uh, yes. Get the cart unloaded. Where is Irma? I thought she was supposed to be foraging for a decent meal." Elina said as she dismounted her horse. She went in the cart to see if Irma was there, but she wasn't, only a few cooking supplies and a couple spare uniforms. "M'lady, we have reports there are Hotsprings in this area. And...we are not alone, another army set camp in the West. Shall we scout ahead?" She asks, only to have Elina focused more on hot springs, it has been a good while since she had a proper bath. Soon what appeared to be thunder was heard, and a puff of smoke was seen behind a bush. "That is close enough, another false move and the next will be your head. State your identity." A man's voice rang out. Elina was not in the mood to be threatened, she had her spear at the ready. "I am Elina Vance, daughter of Earl Vance. I have a permit to use these roads." She said loudly.
After a while a Man was seen in peculiar looking armor. The armor in question had a metallic face on it, with a mighty beard and an angry expression on it. The armor also bore some signs of it being Spanish, the helmet and breastplate certainly did not look like anything the Vance army ever witnessed before. In his hands was a Musket, another unusual part of the soldier as well as a bandolier of flintlock pistols, a claymore sword, and a shield on his back bearing a symbol of a star. The musket was fully loaded and was close to his chest. "Which among you is Elina Vance?" The soldier asked, searching the area for her, soon many soldiers were seen from behind the hill and from the adjacent roads, they were trapped. Elina strode forward, about the same size as the soldier, "That would be me, but who do you serve? You do not look like one of the Noble soldiers, nor one of the Queen's. Who are you?" She demanded as the soldier cocked his head at her. "I am Sergeant Quint Hollix. I am in service to General Arganis Blanc of the Valencian Empire. We are from a continent over and we sent scouts here, but the never reported back with their findings. We are here to find them, and defeat all who oppose us." He said coldly as the soldiers saluted, a clenched left fist over their chest, "For the Empire!" They shouted, causing Elina to roll her eyes. "So, where is your commander now?" She asks, curious on if these men may be a strong ally for the count. "We will take you to him tomorrow, for now, it is too dark to advance. We will wait till morning." Quint said as the Valencians relax with Elina's soldiers.
*Hotsprings* Davlin was in a separate hot spring with Tomoe and Shizuka, the others were growing too wild for his taste. The sun was setting in the west, behind the mountains. "You know, the sky is just as blue when we left Hinomoto, kinda strange isn't it. That no matter where you go, the sky never seems to change." He said as the two girls giggle a bit. "Ya know Davlin, you may be a bit thick at times, but you sure know a lot about the world, how many places have you seen?" Shizuka asks, being stark naked unlike Tomoe. Davlin blushes a bit before saying, "Long enough to know about nearly everything on this planet and-" Soon a Horse was heard, interrupting him. Davlin got up as well as Shizuka. "Was that a horse?" Shizuka asks as Davlin seemed a bit nervous. "Maybe, but if a horse is here that can mean one thing, unwanted company." He said as Shizuka got dressed and raced to see who the horseman is. Davlin tried to relax, only to notice Tomoe was a bit on the edge. "Everything in this land is new to me. Is it normal to be frightened by things you do not understand?" She asks meekly. Davlin smiled and hugs her. "Hey, that is perfectly normal. It is human nature to be afraid of things they have yet to comprehend." Tomoe hugs back, seemingly put at ease.
Soon a splash of water was heard, someone was here. "Shizuka?" Tomoe asks, only to turn and see a nude Elina Vance. "So you beat me to this place. Get out of here so I can bathe." Davlin and Tomoe were too stunned to say anything. "Did you not hear me? Captain Elina Vance demands exclusive use of this spring." She barked. Davlin stood up, "We heard you, but what brings a Vance so far into Queen's territory?" He asks, earning a mean look from Elina. "Filthy commoners must leave here, including you and...uh...your maid I guess." She said. "I do not understand how you can order me around, I am not your servant and I was here before you. Aren't I entitled to this spot?" Tomoe asks. Elina recognized her face, "Wait, I know you. You are the one that was with my sister in combat, aren't you?" She demands, earning a look of confusion from Tomoe. "Don't try to fool me, I saw it on the broadcast." Tomoe was curious, "So, your sister is-" she was then cut off by Elina. "Leina Vance, correct." She snapped angrily. "I see, so strange for our paths to cross like this." She said, Davlin then sat on the rim of the spring, looking at the two women while reaching for a book to keep himself busy as the two argue. After a few screams from Elina, he paused when he heard gunfire, the others stopped as well. "Friend of yours?" Davlin asks, earning Elina to panic. "That has to be Quint or one of his men. If you excuse me, I have something to attend to." She said, bolting out of the spring
*Hotsprings, outer perimeter* Elina was with Quint, she was being escorted to the springs by him. The two were being watched by Shizuka, peeking behind a pillar of rock. "So, what do you know of Valencia?" He asks Elina, only for her to look at him in an annoyed manner. "Enough I guess, can you head back with the others, I don't fancy a peeping tom in the springs." She said as the Sergeant headed back. "So that is what Westerners look like, hang on a minute. If she continues that route, it will lead straight to Tomoe, I better warn her" she said before being stopped by Irma, bumping right into her. "Who are you?" Irma demanded. Shizuka got up. "Sorry about that, you wouldn't by any chance know a way to the Queen's capital, would you?" She asks, helping Irma up. "The Queen's capital?" Irma asks, brushing a few pebbles from her attire. "Yeah that's right. I and a few friends of mine are in a real hurry to get there, the Queen's blade will start at any moment." Shizuka said anxiously. Irma kept her icy glare at her. "Your outfit is strange, like that of a Hinomoto Ninja." She said, earning a surprised look from Shizuka. "How can a Westerner know that?" She asks herself. Irma stated "The queen said that you switched sides, she knows many things despite her supposed madness. She said you and a friend of yours made it here. She wishes to see you both." She said coldly. "Thanks, but something tells me you will lock us both in a prison cell, so no thanks." She held out a few knives. Irma bolted, with Shizuka in hot pursuit.
Soon gunfire was heard, and then felt. Irma was shot in the leg and Shizuka in the arm. "That was just birdshot, next round will be more lethal." Quint said, holding a double barreled musket. He reloaded and slid down a pillar to see them. "Well well, a queen's assassin and a ninja. I have a few questions for you two." Quint said, his emotionless mask adding to the feel of dread. "First Question, your names." Quint said as he drew a claymore while sitting his musket down. "I am Irma, she is Shizuka. Why are you doing this?" She asks, earning a swift slash at her clothing with his blade, cutting her stomach in a non-lethal way. "I will be asking the questions, not you. Second Question, what is a Queen's Blade?" He asks coldly, his blade trained at her neck. "It is a competition to determine the next Queen, Aldra has one many times." Irma said, it was going to be a long night.
*Night time* Davlin was with Tomoe, looking for Shizuka. "Where could she have run off too, I could have sworn she was in one of the hot springs." He said as Tomoe was worried, Shizuka surely would come back at night; she was a ninja, not a coward. A bullet then whizzed by them. "That is far enough you two." Quint said, having both Irma and Shizuka tied up, with a pair of flintlocks pointed at their heads. "These two told me everything I need to know about this continent, and I find this place diseased and corrupt. The Valencian Empire will Purge this place and all who resist us. Including Hinomoto should they stand against our crusade." He said angrily, earning a look of horror in Tomoe. Shizuka was coming round, blood dripping from her mouth and her clothing cut. Irma was not better off, she was bruised, cut many times, and even had a black eye from where the butt of the rifle hit her. "Shizuka!" Tomoe shouted in panic, earning a quick shot at her feet. "Another Step and these two die, one bullet from these guns can can travel 50 feet and still splatter their brains across these rocks. Drop your weapons." He said, earning a quick kick from Shizuka. "Tomoe, no!" In turn, she got hit with the barrel of the flintlock. Tomoe and Davlin had no choice but to disarm themselves.
"Good, now then, leave me be so I can interrogate them further." Quint said coldly, pointing one of his flintlocks at Irma's throat. "What, no. Why would you do this?" Tomoe demanded, tears in her eyes. Quint pointed both flintlocks at her. "Simple, enemies of the Empire deserve no quarter, not even these two." He cocked the flintlocks, prepared to pull the trigger. Tomoe couldn't bear to look. A gunshot was then heard. Tomoe looked at him, Quint's right arm was sliced off by a Valencian soldier. Quint screamed in agony as Davlin untied both Irma and Shizuka. "You…you traitor. How dare you betray our cause?!" He shouted at the soldier. The soldier only giggled. "I am no soldier." He said in a feminine tone, that voice can only mean one thing, Melona. Melona formed back into her regular body as Quint was bleeding out. Shizuka and Irma Punched him hard in the armored gullet, having him fall over in pain.
Irma seemed depressed. She lost the only chance of finding her brother, Aldra was the only one on Gainos that knew where he was. She got her shredded maid outfit and left with Davlin, Tomoe, and Shizuka. "Wait...Your name was Irma, correct?" Quint said weakly, he was losing blood quickly. Irma looked at him, "Yes, what about it, you monster?" She snapped. Quint steadied himself up. "I know where your brother is. Iovan is his name. He was drafted into the Valencian Army, you will never kill us without risking his death, hahaha" he laughed as he coughed up blood. Irma was deeply disheartened, her own brother in the clutches of one of the most dangerous superpowers on the planet. She had nothing else to do but to burst into tears. Davlin Punched Quint hard in the face, denting his metallic mask. "Irma, this will not help in the slightest. But Quint speaks the truth. Your brother is drafted into the Valencian Army, but he is a Squire, still in training. He will not see actual combat within a few years at the very least." He said as he tried to comfort her
Irma kept crying, Tomoe did her best to comfort her as well. Shizuka kept her distance, holding a grudge for the assassin attacking her. Irma eventually calmed down, "We best get a move on, eventually someone may come looking for him." Davlin suggested, picking Irma up bridal style as Melona saw to Shizuka. Melona hugs her, coating her wounds in slime. There was a burning sensation at first, but her wounds slowly healed. Shizuka seemed surprised that Melona could do that. "So, what do we do with Irma here? Think she can tag along?" Melona asks. Davlin thought it over, unsure if he could trust her. "Please, if I can find my brother, I will help you." She said, bowing in submission. Davlin helped her up, "No need to bow, I am not a ruler." He said calmly as Melona healed Irma.
*Gainos Roads* Quint was being escorted by a few Valencian soldiers, his mangled body covered in cuts and bruises. Elina woke up to see what the hell was going on. "Soldier, what is going on?" Elina demands, only to see for herself. She nearly threw up out of seeing so much blood. "He needs to see a doctor." A Valencian said to her, Elina didn't have a doctor on her. "I am sorry, but the only one who could qualify as such is Irma, but she disappeared." Elina retorted, earning many swords drawn from the Valencians. "Irma was an Assassin of the Fang, she was right under your nose the entire time," Quint barked in sheer spite, turning to a Valencian. "Soldier, send word for the Apothecary, he will know what to do." The soldier saluted and headed off, leaving Quint behind on a small pallet. Within an hour, the soldier returned with a strange looking figure. The figure was dressed like a hooded plague doctor. The doctor's mask was a dark bronze and his cloak was pitch black with a few medical tools around his waist in the form of a belt. He also had a peculiar vial that hissed off blue smoke, possibly a potion of some sort. The doctor went to investigate the wound, his arm was cut clean off, no signs of any bones damaged, but it was gruesome nonetheless. The doctor then bandaged the wound while using a small fire to cauterize the wound. Elina was horrified with the process, but it had to be done. Quint's screams were heard for miles around.
*Corvrus' Camp* Corvrus was half asleep, Echidna had the night watch as he was bunked with Claudette. He hugs her close as he fell asleep. Leina was watching the fire while reading Nanael's notebook on the fighters. Nanael read with her, showing her maps, biographies of the fighters, the weapons found across the world, and the many races of Gainos and beyond. She paused when she saw the Dwarves, noticing the females looked like humans while the males were rather stocky and bulky. The only dwarf she saw was the Steel Princess, Ymir.
Well, sorry for taking so long. I had a horrible case of writer's block and school work was murder. I did my very best to try and update my writing style. I may take a while to write about Corvrus and Leina's adventures in Vosk, meeting Cattleya, and Nanael getting herself into trouble again. It was hard to write this chapter, not many interesting things happened in the anime at this point so I decided to add the Valencians and a story arc involving Elina and General Blanc. It will be a blast writing the next chapter. Seeya then