AN: So, another chapter, another situation. I've found myself a bit more relaxed after the whole "realizing I'm overdoing and overthinking a lot of the things" for this fanfic. Advice for those of you struggling to write a chapter for your fanfic; write your favorite part first. Get yourself invested in what you're invested in. From there, at least for me, it often then helps me give inspiration and confidence to then fill in the remaining parts of said fanfic. Just personal advice for those of you wanting to start a new fanfic or wanting to get back into fanfics themselves.
And I guess one more thing to say; this is all me. No Beta, no other contributors (at the moment; IDK); this is all me doing it on my own. Probably explains why it takes so long these days…
Anyways, I won't waste any more of your time, I hope. Welcome back, those of you who're interested, or those of you wondering why a five year fanfic somehow isn't done yet, and probably wandered in out of curiosity, lol. Don't expect scheduled updates; they come as they go. Seems that's how it goes these days. :)
As I will say and continue to say, I don't own anything. They belong to their respective companies. ?
"…and that's pretty much everything." Misora explained to the group in the caravan, as they traveled across the coastline. Marianne and Hilda sat next and across from her respectively, taking in the story. Marianne even had her hand close by, clutching Misora's hand.
"So, wait…you mean to tell me that you married one of these Riders, that Balthus happened to be part of this whole thing…and he didn't tell us?" Hilda asked, perplexed. Misora would simply shrug in response.
"He was only there for the initial move to Genasi. After that, he vanished shortly after." Misora explained. Slowly, Misora looked around the wagon they were carrying themselves on. Akaba and Aoba were in the front, silently chatting amongst one another as the small clomp of horses followed suit. Within the wagon itself, Sento was there, busy still somehow near comatose at the mere mention of her marrying Kazumi Sawatari of all people.
Then again, he probably was just in shock in general from everything hitting him all in once.
As Lysithea comforted him, she turned to face Misora, confused. Misora not only noticed the six Fullbottles currently attached to her waist, alongside one of her tomes, but also a confused look. Misora couldn't help but smile.
"You are Sento's new assistant, yes?" She asked Lysithea, getting a nod out of her.
"That, and, clearly now, his therapist." Lysithea stated with a bothered tone, as she continued to apply some type of Physic magic on Sento. "Dorothea would like to apologize for not coming by the way. Shamir held her back; apparently, some more Knights from the main front are having trouble with the Empire's skirmishers and they're low on healers; had to bring them back to Deidriu. Same goes for Balthus."
"Balthus isn't a healer; he just doesn't want to deal with me knowing every one of those dirty little secrets of his. At least when he's around." Hilda responded semi-seductively, causing Lysithea to visibly cringe from the statement. Meanwhile, in the back, Kiba was busy talking to Bernadetta about something about her writings. She couldn't quite hear them as they both whispered and chuckled to one another.
The last person on this journey though, sitting between Marianne and Bernadetta though, was unusually quiet. Petra stared solely at the wagon, staring at the wood that they were sitting on as the wagon passed by. Misora silently motioned Marianne to switch sides, which she did, allowing Misora to stay closer to Petra.
"Princess MacNeary?" Misora asked, trying to be respectful of the Princess. Petra's eyes slowly drifted upwards, as if she had just been in some type of weird trance.
"It is just Petra right now, Mrs. Isurugi. As I am exiled from the Empire, I am technically now a refugee, as opposed to a Princess." Petra tried to say, faking a smile. "It is a shame, but a necessary step in trying to understand what's going on."
Misora kind of felt bad for the Princess. After all, it reminded her of the people of Genasi. Or the workers in Renascita. Or really anyone from Earth, if the Margrave's mentions of others were any indication.
"A foreigner in a foreign land, huh? Trust me, I felt the same way for a long while." Misora claimed, as she smiled. Petra quickly gave a genuine slight grin.
"I had heard your story. Of Earth. Of Sento. Earth is…an interesting place. An interesting reality. So many cultures, mingling with one another." She responded, her head dropping down. "But I still fear so much. This war has been so bloody. So unnecessarily bad."
"I know. But where we came from, it was so much worse. Where we were the aggressors. So much blood. So much desperation on all sides." She claimed, as she didn't want to dwell on it too much.
"I…maybe we think of something else perhaps." Petra claimed, wanting to avoid the whole war and the idea of it for at least a day. "Renascita, and Genasi. What do they mean?"
Misora could only give a brief smile.
"Renascita means rebirth, while Genasi derives from Genesis. A second chance, if you will, for those who fell from Earth." She claimed. "It's Latin. A beautiful and ancient language from Earth. I've tried to teach it to Soichi, but he always found it confusing."
Petra moved her head up to face Misora, as if she was curious.
Misora could only give a grin in response.
"Later. When we all arrive and get comfortable." She claimed with a smile. "For now, relax. I'm sure Kazumi would be ecstatic to see you guys; heard a lot of stories about the Academy from Marianne whenever she stayed over."
"Oh, Miss Isurugi; you shouldn't!" Marianne was heard saying in a laugh, causing everyone currently in the wagon to stare at Marianne in abject shock. Except for Sento, for obvious reasons, and Misora, who seemed to mentally chuckle at the image of the women staring, some with mouths gaping at the laugh. Maybe it was for how soft it was, or how rare it was. But nonetheless, it caused a moment of pause. And, by the looks of it, Marianne had noticed, her face changing into that of a soft, squeamish look. Fortunately, Misora changed the conversation.
"Well, after your academy got attacked by the Empire, the Margrave wished to find a way to send Marianne somewhere safe. Thus, here we are." Misora explained briefly, as Marianne could only softly chuckle. Her eyes closed, as if she was relapsing into a past memory.
"This is Marianne. Say hi, Marianne."
"Hi." She responded meekly, as a younger-looking Misora and Kazumi stared at the younger girl. "I…"
"Yes." Misora simply replied, as she, much to the surprise of the girl, who was subsequently hugged by her. "We'll keep her safe. How long?"
"About 11 months. The Alliance is in a bit of a disarray after the evacuation of the Academy. Lots of conflict going between them; I'd rather not want Marianne caught in the crossfire. Not until things settle down." The Margrave claimed.
"...Marianne. Are you okay?" She could hear it as an echo.
As present Marianne opened her eyes, she saw the cart stop. Everyone else seemed to have gotten off, sans both Misora and Petra, who looked worried at the blue haired woman as she turned to them.
"I am okay. It's just…it's been awhile since I came here. I just wanted to remember." She claimed, giving a curt smile to reassure the two. As Misora nodded with a small smile and got off, Petra still stayed within the cart, staring at Marianne.
"I told you, Ms. MacNeary. I'm fine." She responded, as Petra stared at her for only a moment longer.
"I know how you feel, Marianne. At least, now. Don't hesitate to talk to me." Petra replied, giving the saddest of smiles towards Marianne. The woman could see the hurt in Petra's eyes; she didn't quite understand the whole extent of what had happened over the course of god knows how many days or weeks, or even months since all of this boiled over, but it was clear that somehow, similar to herself before, something was clearly wrong.
Presumably, though, Marianne didn't want to take the chance. Petra seemed to want to keep whatever she was feeling close to her chest at the moment. She didn't want to force that out; at least not yet.
The two immediately exited the wagon, finding themselves in the middle of a dirt road on a hilly plain. On one side of the road, a variation of small, grassy green hills overlooked a vast sea, various different jagged cliffs overlooking the sea. To many, it would look beautiful. Various different children of varying ages ran across the hills, playfully yelling and interacting with one another. On the other side of the road, were fields as wide as the eye could see, consisting of what looked to be crops of all kinds, and farmers tending to them as far as the eye could see. The two noticed that further up, a smaller dirt path formed, careening through the crops, a small wooden fence preventing any wagons from coming any farther in, a small line of trees surrounding the entirety of the area they were in. As people began unloading goods from other wagons parked nearby to carry into the town, Marianne grabbed Petra's hand, guiding her as they followed the rest of the crowd.
"I see that Genasi hasn't changed so much since the last time I've been here. Just as peaceful and beautiful as I remember." Marianne softly stated, as the two followed the crowds. Some of the farmers, noticing Marianne, gave short little nods towards the blue-haired woman as she nodded back to them. Petra found the entire experience…intriguing, to say the least. Not the part about Genasi itself, but rather how peaceful and quiet it was. Compared with most other places and their artificial noises droning out everything around her, here it was only natural noise. The light bristling of the wind, the small talk between farmers and children; it felt like what people often described as a perfect society. Or, from what Lysithea read from Sento's notes, an 'agrarian utopia', whatever the heck that meant.
Her thoughts about the town were disrupted when they approached what looked to be a tavern of some type. A little wooden sign hanged overhead, painted by hand by the looks of it. In bright white and yellow, the words "Renascita" were shown.
"Rebirth…" Petra repeated to herself out loud, as Marianne smiled at her.
"Everyone else is probably already inside." Marianne claimed with a smile. "Come on."
The two entered the establishment. And the first sense that Petra managed to notice was smell. Or rather, the massively collection of smells she experienced all at once. Grilled,meat, flour, sweets. Pretty much almost every ingredient under the sun, she could be able to smell all at once, like a cascade of smells all confronting her nose at once. So powerful were they, that she had to briefly close her eyes to be able to experience it. The second sense she picked up on? Sound. She heard Marianne doing much the same thing; idle chatter commenced across the area. More than likely, the rest of them were already here, being semi-comfortable after their arrival. The only ones she didn't immediately notice being in Renascita were Sento and Lysithea. More than likely still finding some way to snap Sento out of whatever state he was still in after a day.
As she opened her eyes, both her and Marianne saw a man approach them. Having a messy mop of short chestnut hair on his head, and wearing weathered brown pants on top of a messy fur jacket, the man managed to notice the two, leaving his place at the counter, as he approached the two. Marianne let go of Petra's hand, hugging the man.
"Oh, it's been a long while, Marie; you look a lot better since the last time you came here." The man responded as the two embraced in a tight hug. "Ay; a little too hard there, Marie; this old man can't handle that much love like that!"
Petra could only look at astonishment at the entire situation unfolding around her. Especially given her previous state just before they got off the wagon.
Eventually deciding to move on, she eventually moved on, walking away to find a table of her own to sit in. After sitting, she slowly closed her eyes. Taking her surroundings in. To those on the outside, it just looked like the woman was just taking a small nap against the chair she was sitting in. But she decided to rest. Somehow, she presumed it had to do with the side effects of combat plus whatever the hell else was affecting her from being Cross-Z, she could start picking up specific situations. Dialogue; being able to easily concentrate and hear a conversation from her position. As she opened one of her eyes, her eyes concentrated towards Lysithea and Sento, who had just entered into the establishment last. Kazumi had moved from behind the counter, as Marianne went off to greet others more than luckily. As Sento sat down on a nearby wooden barstool, Kazumi stood on the other side.
"Sento, I'm gonna be as blunt and honest as possible. You look like shit. Like, homeless Gentoku hobo type of shit. Hair looks like a bird nest, you clearly haven't slept in 2 weeks and " Kazumi claimed, as he began to whip something up.
"Wow…thanks for the optimism Kazumi." Sento semi-sarcastically replied. "How in the hell did you end up becoming a father of all things? Doesn't seem like you to settle down like that."
"Well.." Kazumi claimed, as he began mixing a motley of drinks together. "Mii-tan…I mean, Misora, needed someone to hold to. Being everyone's everyday idol isn't exactly well known in Fodlan at the moment; probably not until we fade away, I suppose. She needed something to hold on to; remind her that we didn't fail for nothing. Plus, she had a damn kid with her, acting like she was his mother. The opportunity to be a father to a kid? With Misora? I wanted to prove to her that I ain't just a fan. Saved her, we ended up falling in love genuinely. Got married in a small ceremony with the people here, decided to stick with a combination of our last names, voila, as they say in whatever language Evolto was speaking, we have Soichi."
As he started shaking the drink together, Sento looked ever so puzzled at what Kazumi had for him. "Did you seriously try and make me an alcoholic drink, Kazumi?"
"Nah." He claimed with a smile, as he pulled out a glass, beginning to pour the drink into the glass. "Mr.'Science Man' needs his big brain intact after all. Some of us farmers drink this to relax. Be able to find ourselves sleeping well; lot more happy and all after a good night's rest."
"I'm not drinking that, Kazumi. Not in my damn life, nor the next, nor the next." He claimed. Lysithea pouted as Kazumi looked towards her. An opportunity ended up arising, and as Sento returns to tiredly moving his head down in revelation at the whole thing, Kazumi pulls something from a jar of some type behind the desk. Sliding a cookie silently and inconspicuously towards Lysithea, the two stared at each other for a moment. After a nod of recognition at the deal, Lysithea shifted her hands, eventually forming a small circle of tiny, glowing dust, formed from seemingly nowhere. After muttering some indiscipherable words, she slowly motioned it in the direction of Sento gently, as it concentrated towards his face. As it latched onto Sento's nose, he sniffed it in, the glowing magic spell vanishing upon impact with anything else. As his body slowly, but effectively became more tired, Kazumi quickly slid the drink towards Sento. As Sento groggily grabbed the drink, he downed it in one go, much to both's surprise. After a bit, he stared towards them, his eyes clearly showing that the spell was working. Silence reigned for a moment, before…
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but…"
He slumped immediately on the table, Kazumi instinctually moving the glass out of the way of Sento as he dropped down on the ground.
Lysithea could only stare towards Kazumi, who stared back to her.
"The hell's was that; did you…" he asked worriedly, as Lysithea looked on the verge of panicking.
"I just put a little sleep spell on him; hopefully I didnt." She started, before a small snore from Sento confirmed that he indeed, was asleep. Soundly, if it was any indication.
"Well." Kazumi smiled and said, as if it wasn't immediately an issue before hand. "Now he gets a good night's sleep, and he'll wake up like good old Sento."
Lysithea stared at him, as if wondering. "What did you put in that drink?"
"A little apple cider vinegar, ginger, and maple syrup. Still had some made by a nice Canadian couple nearby that helped us form this little town. Helps us farmers keep ourselves stable in a jam. We call it a Haymaker Punch; it'll help Sento here wake up; man looked even more stiffer than a board. At least, more than he usually was." Kazumi responded, nodding. "I'll get Akaba to get him to one of the guest bedrooms."
He pulled out a small jar containing some of the small cookies that he gave Lysithea.
"Go to town." He winked, as Lysithea smiled and began to dig in.
Thus, that lead to Petra losing interest in the conversation. As her eye shifted towards Marianne, she and Hilda moved to the back of the establishment, up some stairs hidden behind a cabinet. Normally, Petra would be interested in it, but given they vanished quickly, she decided to move on instead. Somehow, like usual, Bernadetta had seemed to somehow hide herself among the bar. She briefly saw her body moving with Kiba and Soichi, more than likely disappearing outside.
Somehow, she didn't notice Misora managing to silently escape her focus, sitting down in a chair across from her, as the Japanese woman stared at the Brigidian. The only reason she even managed to notice Misora was for a simple reason; that dastardly scent of smell allowed her to smell what was more than likely meat. As she turned, she met Misora's eyes, who looked…curious. She was looking specifically at her jewelry, especially the necklaces that adorned her.
As Petra looked down to find the source of the smell, she found that they were…buns. Perhaps with meat in there based on the smell, but they were buns nonetheless. 5, in a small wooden plate.
"I didn't know what you wanted, , but since everyone else seemed to be busy. You seemed very distant during the trip; even now. I thought I'd come here to keep you company for the time being. Kiba's with Bernadetta; they seem to get along pretty well. Maybe that's just the kid in him." She began speaking, laughing nervously. Petra could only give a sympathetic look at her. She briefly gave a stare at the gold bangle on her wrist, before staring back towards her with a small grin.
"I am…" she began, somehow stopping in her tracks. A brief flash of memory came across her mind of Banjou, injured in the bed. "I am…could, be better. A lot of things happened in the past month."
Misora could chortle as she relaxed in the chair.
"I understand. Having your whole life turned around, becoming a Kamen Rider; I remember Sento's whole revelation when he first found Banjou. The two were like water and oil; didn't mix, always bickering one another." Misora claimed, as her eyes briefly closed. Reminiscing about the three in their early days. She quickly opened them though, a thought crossing her mind. "How is Banjou, by the way? I know that he got injured from battle, from what heard of the rest of you."
"He was injured because of me. He took a blow meant for me." Petra quickly responded. Her body shuddered and her eyes watered upon seeing what happened during the battle. "I worry he only cares about other lives over his own too much. As if I am a burden to him."
Misora placed a hand on her shoulder, as if to calm her.
"Hey; it's okay. Banjou, he tends to be, what they say, aggressive. Passionate. He's always hot headed, never could tell what he would do or the lengths he goes." Misora claimed, her smile getting wider as a sudden number of memories entered her mind. "But he has that passion for people. Protecting them at any cost. Kazumi is the same way; so did Sento. And Gentoku. It seems that's all it takes to be a Rider these days."
Petra pulled out the Dragon Fullbottle, as she fiddled with it. Misora quickly moved her hands towards Petra's lowering it.
"Quiet. Try the food; I thought as a friend to Banjou, I'd let you try my new Nikuman recipe. Steamed pork buns, in case you were wondering." Misora claimed, quickly adding the last sentence after a brief moment of realization.
Petra slowly placed the Fullbottle nearby, as she grabbed the nearby fork. Poking into one of the buns, a fresh waft of steam briefly splayed into Petra's face, before she quickly consumed it whole. Misora looked slightly surprised at Petra's sudden motion, but eagerly anticipated her reaction.
Petra didn't quite know what to expect it, nor how to describe it. But she, whether instinctually or not, had a single reaction. With a bright smile on her face, she gave a bright smile as she throughly chewed the bun, giving a thumbs up in reaction. She didn't quite know what it meant; she learned it from Caspar and some of the commoners that were motioning her with that in Deirdriu, but based on Misora's beaming grin and squeal, it was clear that this was a positive answer, and a positive reaction.
As she slowly got up and gave a small grin, she grabbed the Dragon Fullbottle from Petra, handing it closer to her, she kneeled in front of her.
"We'll talk later. Just relax. Enjoy the buns. If you need somewhere to sleep or rest, I have guest bedrooms upstairs. Sharing it with the rest of the ladies. Sento seems to prefer anything that isn't a table, and Kazumi and I have our own places to rest." She responded, smiling. "And don't worry; I'll pack some for much later, whenever you guys decide to go back to that dreaded war that you guys seem to be stuck in."
As Misora left to potentially help handle the early morning crowd, Petra stared at the buns. Then to the Dragon Fullbottle. Placing the Fullbottle to the side after a hesitant few seconds, she started to dig into the pork buns, she, at least for a moment, felt that clearly, there would be a moment of peace here.
Clearly.
(Around the same time..)
"YEEEAGH!"
"Again."
This was the case for days on as Edelgard slammed her fist again against a person, sending them careening back. Not quite to the point of flying back or being knocked off their feet, but enough for a visual impact. This was a fortress knight, so despite the actual small indents seen on his armor, he gladly moved himself forward back into the position he was before. She sweated in some surprisingly casual gear for someone who would be considered leader of a warring faction; specifically, a combination of a simple white linen shirt with pants colored in red and purple, her hair wrapped in a long ponytail. Now, normally as an Empress of a great Empire in the middle of the war, this would be considered uncouth, much less considered by many to be something of a very weird type of thing for someone as important as the Empress, especially given the war currently ongoing.
But out in the fields outside Enbarr, outside a small little village known as Lubrae down the river stream, away from the prying eyes of the public and the nobility, Gentoku slowly walked around the battle scene occurring, where his normal garb of a purple silk grab with dark black pants flying down to his sandals, which was all over a strange oddity in Fodlan; a black, weathered leather jacket. He adjusted that oddity, as Edelgard slowly circled around the fortress knight, who simply stood there, ready to take any blows from the Empress.
"Gentoku, I must ask what the point of this is? I know how to fight well, even without Aymr, or your steam-related weapons." She claimed, as she gave a look towards Gentoku, a simple nod following as he nodded to the fortress knight. She was immediately thrown forward by the Fortress Knight's push, sending her to the floor.
"My little hawk, you used the Sclash Driver. Became Rogue. I need to be sure you know what's to come with that. The sacrifice, the pain. Especially if you're going to prepare to fight Evolto, should it come to that." Gentoku stated, kneeling down next to Edelgard as she looked up to him, panting from the exercise.
"You always say that, Gentoku; just say whatever you're worried about. As I've told you, I'm not your 'little hawk'. At least, not the one you remember anymore." She stated, attempting to get herself up from the push. "I'm supposed to be this grand figure that everyone's supposed to look up to. And if I don't…"
She suddenly went silent. There was that moment of hesitation. Risking pulling Gentoku, one of the people she could genuinely trust and who she could consider family, being pulled into her dark world.
Unfortunately for her, unlike most, Gentoku picked up on it immediately. Turning towards the fortress knight, he fished through his leather jacket pocket, searching for something. Eventually, he grabbed a pouch, throwing it towards the Fortress Knight.
"You are dismissed. That should cover the price for your armor repairs, and a few meals for you and your people. Wait at the village and take a break for you and your men, Captain Makane."
The fortress knight simply gave a nod and a short bow.
"Thank you, Minister Himuro. It is an honor. My Empress, thank you for your generous offer." Makane stated, walking away. Edelgard got up, turning away. Her eyes were genuinely shocked by what Gentoku did.
"What…what is this, Gentoku?" She asked desperately, as if she was wondering what he was doing.
"Back when I was Prime Minister…when I too was Rogue. There was a way that I often ended up learning how to read other people. How to let other people speak their minds. It was the way back in Seito. And now, we shall try it on you." He stated, turning towards Edelgard, as her instincts heightened.
"And what would that be, Minister Himuro?"
Gentoku slapped the Sclash Driver on his belt.
[Sclash Driver!]
"Our ambitions drive us. But it also breaks us. You know this yourself; betraying your comrades, forcing yourself to struggle in this war. I want to know why all the effort. Why all the suffering. And, if a certain black cat has told me, then you want to know about Evolto. About Earth. Why he wants you. Petra. Build." He stated, seeing if any of those manage to cause a reaction in Edelgard. He saw it before, and was expecting her to stay monotonous and neutral about it.
To his genuine surprise, he found that Edelgard had a very vitriolic reaction.
"How do you know all that? Why, Gentoku; why does Evolto want this Build so badly? Why won't he; why are you…" she began to try and explain, her getting visibly flustered trying to gather her thoughts together. She eventually got a slow hug. Looking up, she saw Gentoku using said hug to try and calm her down. Her face made its way towards Gentoku's chest, her face buried in it. Slowly, Gentoku hummed as he rubbed Edelgard's back like a parent trying to calm their child after a tantrum. After a brief moment of calming down, Gentoku decided to step back, walking towards the other side of the field they set up.
"Then what are you doing?" She asked, as Gentoku pulled up the Crocodile Crack from his pocket, twisting the top of the bottle.
[Danger…]
"One way that the people of Seito used to vent out any answers or frustration was through training. Combat." He claimed as he slammed the Crocodile Crack Fullbottle into the Sclash Driver.
[Crocodile!]
"Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Edelgard asked, eyebrow raised as she raised her fists, bracing for whatever is to come.
"We shall see. Henshin."
[Wareru! Kuwareru! Kudakrchiru!]
Gentoku's armor formed around him, as he once again became Kamen Rider Rogue.
[Crocodile in Rogue; ORRRA!]
Rogue raised his hands, motioning Edelgard to come at her.
"Come. Let us see what you have learned from Sawa and I." He explained, slamming his fists into his chest. "And let us see what hides in the great Edelgard's mind!"
Her teeth gritted as Edelgard slid her boots along the dirt, fists raised as her eyes briefly laid to Aymr. It, alongside Gentoku's Transteam Gun and Blade laid in the dirt, huddled up against the tree.
"You can't rely on just a simple axe. A crutch, if I must say. It won't help you if they revitalize or rethink their strategy." Rogue stated, as he paced in a circle around Edelgard, as she kept her eyes on him, following him. "What happens if you lose your weapon in combat? What if simply ax combat doesn't work? You should know this better than most, Edelgard. After all, you did attend the academy for this, did you not?"
Edelgard couldn't help but give a soft chuckle at the mention.
"Yes, Gentoku. But there are things more pertinent than simply brawling. You can't run at an army of archers and have them not shoot you. Or magi, for that fact."
Rogue tilted his head, as he looked towards Gentoku.
"Then you miss the point of the Rider Systems." He responded. In a rush, he charged right towards the Empress, as she prepared her feet. Quickly, waiting while Rogue rushed for a punch, she quickly threw herself to the side, rolling away from him. "Sento Kiryu created them originally to purify monsters affected by Nebula Gas. Nebula Gas that I provided, in order to upend the government. To create a new order without division by government. To reunify my country."
Edelgard stopped for a moment, taking in that part alone.
"You…you were a government…oof!"
She was quickly interrupted by a punch in the gut, as Rogue pushed her away. Edelgard quickly spat out some spit on the grass before rearing her head back around, raising her fists once more.
"A government official, yes. My father was the head of the government. Split between three nations after an incident with the Skywall; Evolto's catalyst for destroying the world for his kind. Touto, Hokuto, Seito. Each represented by a different leader. Focused on ideology. Almost all with the single goal of unifying the country into one single entity, ruled by one sole leader. Through any cost. Tell me, Edelgard; does that remind you of anyone?"
Edelgard could only look shocked at his implication.
"And what makes you say that, Gentoku? What brought about this…opinion?' She asked, as she tried to throw her leg into a kick at Gentoku, only for him to grab the leg and throw it back, Edelgard barely balancing herself back. He expected Edelgard was going slow on this; probably holding back.
"Evolto. You made a deal with the devil, and yet you believe you're doing the right thing, don't you? Believe you can control him, like you do your Empire?" Rogue asked her, as he was suddenly assailed with punches. Rather than dodge or avoid them like he normally did, he took them in full stride. There was strength in them, probably from whatever caused Edelgard to have such a high Hazard Level, but they felt pushed back. As in it was purposely not as hard.
"…why? I…Evolto has done so much wrong in my plan. Sabotage what was supposed to be an easy way to win. Plunge the continent into so much destruction; I asked solely for a chance to finally win. Not…this!" She shouted, as, to Rogue's surprise, tears quickly appeared on the edges of Edelgard's eyes. Gritting her teeth, she reared her fist back, and threw a direct punch right into Rogue's chest. While normally, Rogue expected the same small punch, he was sent moving back a few feet from where he was standing. The wind very briefly knocked out of him, and as he looked up, he saw Edelgard in a surprising state; with her on her knees, hands buried onto her face. Rogue quickly looked down towards the woman, as he gently walked up to her. It was a surprising moment for Rogue; he too had suffered in similar terms. And he knew what path it walked towards. Death. Destruction. Ruin and regret.
Edelgard clearly couldn't fathom the end result of that path, he realized. But the least he could do was prepare her for when that time came.
Which was why he stopped for a moment, attempting to see what Edelgard would do next. She stared at him, as if pleading for some type of assitance. Rogue's instincts screamed at him to not help her; to let her stand on her own two feet. As he approached, he suddenly felt something unexpected; as Edelgard wrapped her legs around Rogue, she managed to throw him down to the ground. Quickly, as Rogue rolled away, Edelgard slowly managed to get up. Her face put on a mask of a neutral expression as she got up. It was threatening to peek out a smirk at her move.
"Cheap. But effective." Rogue chastised, sounding somewhat salty about what Edelgard did, as she stood on top of Rogue's chest, using him as a bench. "One of Sawa's tricks?"
"Indeed. I found it refreshing to say the least. Now. While I sit here, wondering how long I want to go ahead and decide to relax here, you'll tell me everything you know." She claimed, as her hands moved to the Sclash Driver attached to Rogue's waist. Slowly, she pulled out the Crocodile Crack Fullbottle out of its slot within the Sclash Driver, before grabbing the Sclash Driver, tearing it off to de transform Rogue. "Plus, I suspect you were going easy on me. I'm not that dumb, Gentoku."
Gentoku could only roll her eyes.
"But…from what you said. I understand. I will not let Evolto control me as he done to others. I have known for the past five years what sacrifice and pain feels like; being this 'Kamen Rider' won't change that. I chose this path because it was my own destiny; I won't let some world eater stop me, nor the Alliance or the Kingdom." She claimed with a smile, carrying both the two items as she got off Gentoku, walking towards where their weapons were.
To Gentoku, her voice briefly weathered in regards to the Alliance and the Kingdom. But he didn't want to say anything.
"Now, since I won, I want to wear your jacket on the way back to the palace."
Gentoku looked visibly frustrated by that of all things, as Edelgard quickly threw the jacket over her normal clothing. It looked way too big for her.
"Really?" Gentoku asked incredusly.
"Hey; you made me leave my actual coat back at the Academy, and I'm cold!" She shouted at Gentoku, as she wrapped herself in the jacket, pocketing the Sclash Driver and Fullbottle into the leather jacket pocket. "I'll await you back at the stables. I might be lucky and get you something nice, Minister Himuro. Same for Sawa, when she gets back from wherever she was assigned to."
As Edelgard walked away, Gentoku managed to get up on his own two feet, staring towards the Empress as she strutted away. As he sighed, he immediately felt a chill going up his spine.
That wasn't random.
"Paltry, I must say. Her majesty certainly, as you Earthlings say, 'kicked your ass to high hell'." Hubert immediately claimed behind him, giving a soft chuckle. "Clearly, as you can see, she is still quite adamant on her path of conquest. Of course, not even I, I could imagine, could convince her otherwise. Not all at once."
"I'd like to see you get your ass kicked, Vestra. See how long you last against 'her majesty'" Gentoku mockingly responded. He only got a dark snicker out of Hubert, his smirk never vanishing.
"And get humiliated like you did? I would rather be vaporized by this 'Evolto' than suffer through even one of those bouts again." Hubert claimed. "Escape with my dignity at least."
Gentoku could only give a subtle glare at Hubert as he said this. A glare in which Hubert subsequently ignored in favor of simply laughing at Gentoku's humiliating defeat. At least to him.
"Still, perhaps it would be time that we do our own investigation. Lay low. As long as Evolt dosen't suspect any foul play from any of us, in theory, we may work in the shadows. I'll let you know if there are any physical updates on that front." Hubert claimed. "Now, come; let Edelgard have her little dance and victory; and let me rejoice her majesty. She needs anything as a victory at this point."
Gentoku could only grumble as he walked after Hubert, shaking his head the entire time.
"Hmm…" Blood Stalk stated. He looked alongside the coastline, as he saw the sun slowly start to slowly cascade into dusk, his visor turning towards the small lights formed from the small farming town in the distant coast. He mused silently as he pulled out two Fullbottles. He twirled them in his hands as another man walked up next to him. His black plague-like Doctor mask protected his face from the dusk sunlight fading from the small cliffside, his black cloak around his body protecting him from any form of light or color.
"Hm. You seem to come barely out of shell, Odesse. Especially since Myson and you have been working on MY old driver. Has our old friend 'Arundel' not been made available? Busy pretending to mingle with the Adrestian royalty? Or is this a different type of visit?" Blood Stalk stated, releasing the Cobra Fullbottle from the Transteam Gun attached to his hip, reverting back to his human persona, the armor vanishing in a fit of smoke.
Odesse simply gave a low hum at the fields ahead of him, as he stared onward.
"I had only but heard of your experiments with Crests and this 'Smash' being you mentioned with the Fullbottles you possess. Myson asked to continue with your Evol Driver on his own. He's already made a weaker copy for the time being; the materials, especially some of the material of this 'Pandora Box' we recovered was not enough for a full repair. But, as for my reason for being with you in the first place? I wanted to solely see for myself the results of these 'Crest Smash'." He claimed quietly, as Evolto raised an eyebrow at the mention.
"Oh? Are you thinking about your little 'kindred spirits' that you've tried to make? Or is it something different?" Evolto asked, curious.
Odesse only gave a slow nod, as if he didn't immediately want to talk about it for the time being.
"We've taken some of the ideas you gave us from this 'Earth' you mentioned before. Mechanized soldiers, loyal to us. Maybe not the guns, as that would be a last resort…" he began, Evolto quickly interrupting him.
"What do you mean, guns as a last resort? You could destroy everything in an instant! The humans' armies, with their swords, and their ancient weapons capable of hurting but only a fly; you could win the war before they even have to retaliate, Odesse." Evolto claimed, scrunching his fist as if he was trying to emphasize his point. Odesse only shook his head no.
"Thales claims that we are not at that stage yet. The Kamen Riders do not present that grave of a threat yet to him, not to mention that Rogue remains in our hands. So is Edelgard. And you. So as long as none of them fall out of our hands, Thales plans to use your Guardian mechanical soldier designs solely for melee usage. As fodder for the great reckoning, save our main units from the slaughter."
Evolto gave a disappointed look as he rubbed his chin in thought.
"Mmm…well then where is this weak Evol Driver you mention?" He asked Odesse.
"I'd suggest asking Myson, wherever he chose to move his personal headquarters. Presumably somewhere near the Valley of Torment. He seems much more…comfortable in a place not surrounded by humans. Or well-traveled." Odesse claimed innocently, as Evolto nodded.
"You know, you're boring, but I can always tolerate you the most. You aren't 'oh, the beasts of this planet have to be eliminated' like Myson or ninety percent of your gang or so cartoonishly evil like Thales. He's damn good with deception, but he's got that…tick that most of the humans have."
Turning towards Evolto, Odesse tilted his head slightly.
"Cartoonish? Another one of your Earth terms, I would presume." Odesse claimed, as Evolto hummed in quick response. "Plus, our war is with the Nabateans above all. The ones who casted us into the below. Some of those humans just so happen to be puppets towards a certain creed made by others. Us, the Nabateans. It does not matter. But beings of Earth; the ones influenced by them. They are…interesting."
"Don't get too crazy with that thought train; they aren't exactly that different. Now, did Thales nab what I mentioned?" He asked him, as Odesse simply motioned behind them. There, two armored knights walked towards them, bringing with them two young looking pale farmhands, blinded solely by rope tied along their wrists, alongside loose bags over their heads.
"As you requested, Evolto. Two pale Fodlan-based farmhands. Prior checks suggest both to have Minor Crests of Gloucester. Family is long dead. They will not be missed." Odesse coldly and factually claimed. "Doused and knocked out with this 'chloroform' you had created. Supremely effective in knocking out humans for your plan."
Evolto darkly laughed, as he kneeled in front of one of them. Shaking one of the Fullbottles in his hand, he quickly grabbed the unconscious beings by their back, slamming the Fullbottle into their chests. He quickly moved on to the other one, doing the exact same thing. Their unconscious bodies soon began to convulse slightly, as Odesse looked up to Evolto.
"Are they going to be…"
"Bloodthirsty monsters who hunt all life? Certainly. Will they be defeated by Build or Cross-Z? Depends. What matters is that it's proof enough." Evolto claimed, motioning to the soldiers.
"Place them outside the fields of Genasi. Then, return back to base. We let these beasts cause chaos, cause Hazard Levels to rise in everyone from Earth. Then, you have a new pool by which you can create pure Smash." He commanded, as the soldiers nodded, dragging the poor future monsters away to be prepared.
Odesse could only watch as the bodies were dragged away.
"Staying for the festivities, I presume?" Evolto asked him, as Odesse solely looked towards Evolto.
"Are you?" He would ask Evolto, as the being would hum in amusement.
"From a distance. I've always been one to watch chaos sewn, Odesse. Perhaps maybe I can even introduce your kind to one of the only human things that's actually delicable while watching the world burn." Evolto claimed, as he gave a smirk. "Unless of course, you're busy with Thales little devices or whatever."
Odesse could only give a small thought.
"I shall watch from here. A much more open view of the coastline city." He claimed, as Evolto shrugged, chuckling.
"Very well. I'll go get the binoculars and the popcorn; you, stay here, get comfy. Maybe even summon a couple of those flying beasts just to scare them even further." Evolto stated, vanishing into crimson smoke. Odesse would watch the small farming towns as lights and candles would light in the darkness. Odesse would stare towards the town, eyes distant towards the coming storm now that he was temporarily alone.
"As one scientist said to another…let the experiment begin."