Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: I can't believe we're finally here. This is Chapter 17, and the second to the last chapter of this story. A note on the last chapter, I forgot to change the chapter number, that was actually 16 and not 15. Also, one quick announcement. PollySenpai PMed me today asking me if she could translate this into Spanish. I said yes, so keep your eye out for that as well (and don't go all batty on her because she posts it up under her account, I gave her permission to translate it.) First, the review responses…
Sakura Li-chan – Not in this story, I'm afraid. At least, not the way you're talking about. But I hope the conclusion satisfies you nonetheless. Thanks for all your support!
Kaiora – I'm so glad you liked that part! That was the most fun to imagine. I hope you like this one and I hope you like how it all plays out!
Knight-Dawn – So glad you liked it! I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to look at your fic. College has been killing me, but I'll read it soon and review. Thanks so much for all your support! It's appreciated!
Gravaja Umbros – Hey, welcome back! Did this fulfill your guesses in any way, or do you still have some guesses for the final chapter? Thanks for not posting them, just in case you're right. I never would have thought to do that, but now I'm curious. Did you figure it out? Thanks so much for the support!
X-Strike-Fire-Dragon – I…may have forgotten to mention that. *sweatdrop* Not sure, though. Half of this stuff is made up on the spot. And about the Light Adepts, yes, one of the beastmen says that the light gave him strange Psynergy, which caused the golden fur. So…for the purposes of this story, I'm inferring that only beastmen can be Light Adepts. And yes, from Karis's point of view it's not a move she likes, but from Amiti's point of view, it makes sense because Amiti loves her and doesn't want her to die because of him (which is why he tried to send her home in the first place).
And so, without further ado, I bring you the penultimate chapter of A Different Kind of Storm!
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A Different Kind of Storm
CHAPTER 17
Mousetrap
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Alex stood on a ledge in the Khiren Mountains, overlooking the Ei-Jei region. Two years ago, this place had been nothing but dry desert. Now, it flourished. From his vantage point, he could see the natural ridge that cradled Passaj, keeping it safe from attacks from the mountains, as if the Khiren Mountains' inhospitable climate hadn't done that enough already. Below that, he could see grass beginning to crop up, becoming increasingly more green as it neared the nation of Ayuthay.
Ayuthay, the city between two rivers.
Even from here, he could see the clear waters rushing out from the city, feeding the rivers and the Ei-Jei region in turn. The Alchemy Well had been a glorious thing when he first activated it, but working in tandem with the Alchemy Forge, it had produced nothing less than a miracle. He remembered looking out the window at the moonlight playing off the surface of the newly created Lake Barai, Veriti asleep at his side. At that time, he had marveled at the city's resemblance to his own Imil—a secret built by the ancients, a dying culture that simply did not know its own potential, the joy shared amongst the people when those secrets were finally brought to light.
He remembered thinking he could stay in Ayuthay. Thinking of how much it felt like home.
That was the night he knew he had to leave.
He tore himself away from that memory and looked up, his eyes narrowing. He looked up, his blue eyes fixing on the flag billowing in the wind. From this distance, it was unclear, but he knew that it wasn't Ayuthay's flag. From here, he could almost fool himself into believing that all was well, but he knew better.
The jewel of Ei-Jei had become a death trap.
He felt a smirk come onto his face, the wind blowing his long blue hair back. It was a brilliant move, one that neither Paithos or Veriti would have considered. It was deceitful and cunning, and had anyone else but Alex been leading the Tuaparang, it would have felled both Ayuthay's foes in one masterful stroke. A part of himself couldn't help but feel a small amount of pride, even though he knew that he had had no hand in raising his son.
"Lord Arcanus?" asked a voice from behind him.
He turned his head, facing one of the Tuaparang's officers. "Yes?" he asked.
"The loading is finished and the airships are ready to launch. Your orders?"
Alex looked away from the soldier and back at the city again. Ayuthay stood there inconspicuously, as if the country wasn't going to become a battlefield before the day was out. He sized it up, studying it with all the care of a chess player waiting to make a critical move. He could almost sense Amiti waiting from inside the city, watching him to see what he would do.
"Launch the airships," said Alex, turning around. "All but one of them. Leave that one to me, and all the soldiers on it as well. Attack Ayuthay with the rest."
"My lord," said the officer, bowing. Alex watched him go, turning once more to face the city.
Fine, Amiti, he thought. I'll play the hammer to your anvil. But don't underestimate me.
He turned away from it, walking over to the airship that would soon be left to him.
"Your move," he muttered under his breath, still smirking.
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Amiti knocked on her door just as she finished dressing.
Karis frowned and stabbed a hairpin through one unruly lock of green hair, pinning it to her hair before she stood up. She waved her hand in the air, replacing the Psynergy that would allow her and Amiti to talk unheard for a short time before she opened the door to admit him.
Her eyes narrowed the moment she saw him, and she shut the door behind her. Amiti was wearing armor. It wasn't noticeable to the naked eye, as he was wearing his typical loose-fitting Ayuthayan robes above it, but there was a difference in the way he moved, and a difference in the way the wind moved around him. She placed her hand on his shoulder and felt the metal beneath her fingertips. In response, he turned his head towards her, his eyes flicking over the dress she was wearing.
"Not that dress," he said.
Karis took a step back. "Why not?" she asked, looking at herself in the mirror.
"It's not mobile enough," said Amiti. "You can't fight in it."
That confirmed her suspicions easily enough. She didn't say anything, simply nodding and walking over to the wardrobe. She opened it and sifted through the clothes, looking for something she could wear that would allow her to move easily without attracting Wo's suspicions. "So, it's time?" she asked as she worked.
Amiti nodded, reaching into his pocket and tossing something at her as she turned towards him. She caught it in the air. Even with the Psynergy up to keep their conversation secret, words were always sparse between them when it came to these things. They could never be sure that someone wasn't listening in.
Karis caught the thrown object easily, turning it over in her hand. It was a gold coin, the type used as currency in all of Weyard. Like all coins, this one carried a date on it and the name of the country it had been manufactured in, as well as the country's ruler's profile on the reverse side. She noted Morgal, then flipped it over to see Sveta's face staring up at her.
"Where did you get this?" asked Karis, setting it down on her desk. She reached into the closet, pulling out a dress that would work.
"From one of Kaocho's Morgal mercenaries," said Amiti, obligingly turning around as she stepped behind the dressing screen. Karis rolled her eyes slightly. It wasn't as if he would be able to see anything with the screen in place. But she appreciated the gesture. She unfastened the dress she was wearing, letting it fall to the floor around her ankles. "He bumped into me as I was passing by, literally, and slipped the coin into my hand. The guards almost skewered him for his trouble."
Karis nodded in response, even though she knew Amiti couldn't see it. She busied herself with getting into the other dress. "A spy?" asked Karis.
"Most likely," said Amiti. "Sveta's definitely clever enough for that."
"Mm,' said Karis. She adjusted the dress's collar, then stepped out from behind the screen. "You can turn around now," she said. Amiti did, and Karis picked up her brush and redid her hair, continuing to talk. "So, it's a warning?" asked Karis.
Amiti nodded. "The Tuaparang are closing in."
"How long do we have?"
"I have no idea," said Amiti. "Unfortunately the soldier couldn't stay around to tell me how long it had been since Sveta sent him. Before the day is out, most likely."
"Alright," said Karis. She took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest as she put her brush down and stared at herself in the mirror. Finally, after a month of having to live with Wo, the Tuaparang were coming. She didn't know what that meant for Amiti's plans, but she did know one thing. This scenario was about to come to a close. She put the thought that she might not live to see tomorrow out of her mind, the same way she had done during the Grave Eclipse.
Tomorrow would take care of itself.
She had to survive today.
A blast suddenly shook the castle, and trumpets began blaring from the walls. Karis cried out and braced her hands on the desk as the world lurched, and Amiti shouted a word he had definitely learned from Eoleo, losing his balance and falling onto the floor. She heard the clank of armor as he hit the ground, reinforcing her guess that he was ready to fight.
"What the hell?" she asked as she straightened up, hearing the sounds of soldiers mustering for battle. "Is it them?"
Amiti picked himself up to his feet, his eyes wide. "Come on," he said, running towards the door. Karis nodded, throwing down her brush and binding her hair in its usual ponytail. She snatched the Sylph Rapier from its hook on the wall, holding it tightly by the sheath as she followed Amiti out the door.
It was chaos in the hallway. Servants dressed in Kaocho colors ran this way and that, shouting and screaming in panic as soldiers ran past them. Karis saw several maids and serving boys in Ayuthay colors slipping quietly away from the madness, trickling down into the lesser known hallways and eventually into the secret paths leading to the shelter. Unlike their Kaocho counterparts, they weren't panicking. Their faces were grim and their eyes hard as they watched Amiti pass, nodding in a sign of respect to him before ushering the younger ones down the passages first.
Ayuthay had played the game of survival before. It knew how to win.
A handful of guards stepped in front of them as they ran, moving aside to allow them to pass. One of them turned towards Amiti, and Karis briefly recognized Amiti's honor guard.
"Your Majesty!" he called.
"Take the people to the shelters!" said Amiti in reply, not even turning around to face them. "Take any Kaocho civilians that will go quietly as well."
"Sire!" Karis heard them say. She heard the clang of armor as the guards saluted, then ran to help with the evacuation. Karis turned towards him in surprise as they ran around the corner. He looked at her, and Karis could see the small amount of guilt in his eye.
"War is war," he said, "The soldiers chose their fate. But Kaocho's people did not."
He didn't say anything more, saving his breath as they ran up the staircase that would lead towards the walls. Karis followed him. She was unarmored and faster than he was, so it wasn't difficult. She didn't run ahead of him, though, mostly because she had no idea what she would see once they got there. He pushed the door open as they reached the top of the stairs, never slowing down as they ran out to the walls.
Wo stood on the walls between Kan-Shuku and Meisa. He turned around the moment Amiti came into view, his eyes narrowed in anger.
"Son of a bitch!" he yelled, pushing away from the walls. All propriety was forgotten as he turned towards Amiti. "You bastard! You planned this!"
Amiti's eyes narrowed, and Karis turned her head, her eyes widening. The Tuaparang troops were on the ground, engaging in battle with the surprised Kaocho troops. Black pushed back against red and gold as the two sides fought on the open field between Ayuthay and the river.
"You little brat! You have less spine than your half-wit inbred impotent uncle!" Wo screamed in rage, pulling his fist back and rushing at Amiti. Amiti's fists clenched at his side, and Karis's eyes narrowed, her hand going to the hilt of her rapier as she prepared to draw it.
In an instant, Amiti was gone. Wo's fist sailed through thin air as Amiti appeared behind him, Psynergetic light trailing behind him as an aftereffect of his teleporting. Ayuthay's king turned, his blue hair spinning out around him as he raised his hand. Karis barely saw the water form around his fingers before ice exploded outwards from him, a blast of ice as tall as Amiti and twice as wide forming where his fingers touched the air. It slammed into Wo, and he crashed into the wall, the great Ayuthayan stonework shuddering from the impact. The ice cracked and broke into several tiny fragments, and Amiti walked through them slowly, drawing Masamune.
"The first two might be true," he said, ice crunching underneath his boots as he stood in front of Wo. The Kaocho king had crumpled to the ground, whimpering in pain. Amiti swung his sword, pointing it at him. "But insult Paithos again, Wo, and I swear on my uncle's grave that your head will rest on my city's gate. Your soldiers outside the city may retreat if they wish. I will not stop them. But for you, who stands within the walls of Ayuthay, there is no escape."
He slashed Masamune through the air and sheathed it, turning around. "Karis," he said, facing her.
Karis nodded quickly, still in shock from the suddenness of what had just happened. Amiti walked between Kan-Shuku and Meisa, both of whom were still in too much shock to stop him. Karis followed him hurriedly, and he walked back through the door they came in from, closing it behind them. Once it was closed, Amiti slumped against the wall and pressed a hand to his head. He gulped down air, looking suddenly green.
"I hate teleporting…" he said.
Karis made sure the door was locked behind them. There were other entrances and exits off the walls, but it would give Kan-Shuku and Meisa a harder time finding them if they couldn't get through this one. She turned towards Amiti.
"Did you plan this?" she asked.
He turned towards her, then nodded briefly. "It wasn't hard," he said. "The most difficult part was getting Wo to stay for long enough." He took a deep breath, his shoulders still shaking with anger as he straightened up and shook his head. "Come on. There isn't enough time."
He started walking again, this time down the stairs. As he walked, he turned to Karis. "Can you fly the soarwing?" he asked.
"Yes," said Karis, "Why?"
"You saw the army," said Amiti. "They had twelve banners. One banner for each unit."
Karis nodded. "So?" she asked.
"So…" replied Amiti. "…My spies reported thirteen Tuaparang units."
Karis's eyes widened and she froze in place. Amiti turned towards her, his expression grim. He nodded.
"Yes, Karis," he said. "We're going to see my father."
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The so-called Cursed Isle [1] wasn't really cursed at all, mused Alex as he stepped onto the foggy island. He flicked his fingers, clearing the fog around him in a radius of eight feet with barely a wave of his hand. He looked up at the structure in front of him and smirked. A good use of the miko's abilities, but it hadn't been hard to realize that all of the so-called "ghosts" and "demons" that were said to inhabit this island had not been beyond Himi of Yamata's abilities to conjure.
There were only a handful of reasons why someone would want to stop other people from poking around an island, and even less that made sense in this situation. It was obvious from the movement of the ships where Amiti had sent his soldiers to.
Nice try, but I still have the upper hand.
He walked towards the cavern, his cape swishing at his back.
Behind him, about two hundred Tuaparang soldiers disembarked, following him down.
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[1] Cursed Isle – Remember this from way back when in chapter…I don't know…three? Bet you didn't think I had something planned there, did you? *evil laugh*