A wave of tremendous dark energy sprang at Roshan yet again and she dodged it just as the many times before. Whoever this man was, there was no denying he was a powerful opponent. She'd been unable to get close to him without him teleporting away and throwing strange powerful spheres of magic at her.
Exhausted yet determined not to show it, she stood a distance away from him, clenching her sword tightly with white knuckles, watching him with uncertainty. At least she had rescued the Princess before it was too late and she hoped she and the others had safely gotten away by now. Somehow, Roshan knew there was no escaping from the Palace now; if she would die now, she would die with honor.
A cackle escaped the masked man suddenly, an intense and terrifying aura emanating off him entirely. There was something strange about that mask and she wondered why there was a demon inside it. Had the man been so tempted by the power that he'd lost his mind or were they one in the same person?
The walls, ceiling and the floor of the Palace shook around them, the tremor knocking over many tapestries, golden ornaments and so forth crashing to the ground around them. From outside, a golden light poured in from the open window from the right side of the room, and it was so bright Roshan had to shield her eyes from the intensity.
What was happening to the Kingdom?
Roshan felt the strain on her face broaden more. The Kingdom she knew 14 years ago had never been this dilapidated and destructive. Long ago it was peaceful and the atmosphere surrounding the Kingdom was surprisingly pleasant. Occasionally, however, it had its share of problems too, what with the wandering spirits haunting the woods and a few bandits that prowled and pillaged from time to time.
Emmett charged at her again, his malicious intent to kill her surging through his veins wildly, but she was well prepared for his next move. With her legs spaced apart and her sword clenched in her fists, Roshan prepared to jump at him, but she never got the chance, nor did the crazed lunatic approaching her with great speed.
It had all happened too fast.
One moment she had awaited the opportunity to strike and the next, an intense and radiant blue light blinded her. When she squinted to see past the light, Roshan nearly dropped her sword in surprise.
Wielding a Double Helix sword with a mystical light was a tall and godly figure hovering before her with his back turned to her. He was aglow in that light, and the amount of power emanating off him brought great concern and fear upon her.
With his sword outstretched, a powerful beam of light sprang from the blade, and to Roshan's surprise, she watched in stupor as her foe was thrown back with a tremendous force into the farthest wall of the room before collapsing unmoving. Much of the wall had crumbled upon impact, but it remained standing surpringly.
"If you value your life, escape," His words were threateningly dark, that it caused Roshan to look between him and to the masked one across the room.
Roshan's eyes narrowed suspiciously at this unusual man. No it couldn't be…The Fierce Moon God? Who summoned him? "How—"
Noticing movement from across the room, Fierce Deity's sword brightened immensely. "I shall silence this Kingdom's turmoil once and for all," Those were his exact words before delivering an impressive beam of light at his opponent.
OOO
When Inuyasha had arrived Link immediately assisted him in battle. They were outnumbered. Though as they fought, a tremendous earth rattling tremor shook the entire castle and it was just enough to assist Link and Inuyasha against the Garo.
Unfortunately it hadn't lasted very long and once again, Link and Inuyasha found themselves still at odds against their enemies. As Link plunged his sword at the nearest Garo, careful of the swift swipes aimed at him from behind, he found it difficult to deliver any type of blow. The Garo were trained rather well in their swordsmanship, and as he and Inuyasha suddenly had their backs to each other with three of the Garo surrounding them from all sides, they realized they were still at a disadvantage.
From underneath the bed, Kagome looked on in fright. This was not good. Why was she hiding in the first place? Oh right…her bow and arrows were likely ashes by now and she had no way of truly defending herself.
No…that wasn't true.
She still had Link's necklace called Nayru's Love! It could at least put a barrier around her for a short while to protect her, so maybe there was something she could do to distract them.
Someone had grabbed her ankle suddenly, and alarmed, Kagome was pulled roughly from under the bed where she looked up into the threatening eyes of one of the Garo members. How had they known she was hiding under there?
Kagome gasped, and from the other side of the room, she heard Link and Inuyasha call out her name in surprise, though they were unfortunately preoccupied. He was standing before her, his sword drawn, and she scooted away until her back hit the wall beside the bed.
She was cornered.
From up close, she saw that he was garbed in a long hooded brown cloak; it was almost impossible to see his eyes or face, but Kagome definitely saw the long daggers in each of his hands as he stalked towards her.
Unable to escape and crawl around him, Kagome pressed her back further into the wall, her hands covering her face as she cowered before him. "Anatahadare? Watashi no chikaku ni konaide kudasa!" (Who are you? Please don't come near me!) She screamed, but she never realized she was speaking his language rather than the language of Terminan's.
Nothing happened though, and baffled, she opened her eyes to stare questionably at her attacker, but he was only standing there, staring at her and very quietly too. What was he going to do to her?
Instead of attacking her, he merely knelt before her, his swords pierced into the floor beside him that it caused him to flinch. "Anata wa watashi to onaji gengo o hanasu. Anata wa korera no hitobito ni yotte hitojichi ni tora reta?" (You speak the same language as me. Were you taken hostage by these people?)
Kagome blinked. "N-nani? Hitojichi?" (W-what? Hostage?) Wait a minute, what did he mean by hostage? Was he asking if she had been kidnapped?
Ignoring the fight on the other side of the room, knowing that his companions were faring well in the battle, Kesuke reached out to touch the young and frightened girl who held a faint resemblance to that of his own people. She even spoke his language quite well; there was no denying it, she had to have been held hostage here! "Anata wa daijōbudesuka? Kowa gatte wa ikenai. Anata wa watashi ni obieru koto wa arimasen. Watashi wa koko no anata o erudeshou."
(Are you alright? Don't be scared. You don't have to be frightened by me. I'll get you out of here!)
Get her out of here? This Garo honestly believed she had been taken from another village, and what was worse he planned to take her away! "Ē to, anata wa sore ga machigatte motte iru!"
(Uh, you've got it wrong!)
Yet he did not believe her, and as he reached for her, she attempted to evade him and crawl out of his reach while also avoiding the edge of his sword in the process. Unfortunately and not surprisingly in the least, Kagome was suddenly grasped and thrown over his shoulder effortlessly and she screamed in surprise.
Kagome struggled, pounding her fists upon his back and kicked at him to release her. "Let me go! What do you think you're doing!?" She cried out, but he would not let go.
Inuyasha cursed. There was always something about Kagome that had her getting kidnapped or attacked, especially at all the wrong moments. "Damn it!" With his sword, he pushed against the twin blades of his opponent before him before glaring back at the man with Kagome slung over his shoulder. "Get your damn hands off her!"
Angered, Link surprised the one in front of him when he kicked the Garo straight in the gut, causing the cloaked figure to stumble back, offering just enough time to turn things around. Turning sideways yet at the same time keeping the other Garo within his sights before he retaliated, Link swung his sword at the Garo pushing his swords dangerously close to Inuyasha's throat. To his relief, he managed to surprise him, his blade cutting into the opponent's arm deeply.
Inuyasha smirked and took that moment to knock the older Garo back with a fierce swing of the sword that belonged to the King. If he had been in his half demon form, this fight would have ended a lot quicker, but he was dealing with surprisingly skilled warriors of a native land.
A sharp sting suddenly hit Inuyasha at once, and when he realized warm blood had seeped into his white under shirt of his Fire Robe, he realized he had been cut on his left shoulder.
Link hadn't reacted quick enough to warn Inuyasha of the attack from behind, and had watched in immediate agitation as the Garo plunged his blade into his friend's shoulder, unfortunately causing Inuyasha to stumble and fall to his knees with a painful cry.
When she heard her friend cry out, Kagome panicked. "Inuyasha!" She cried.
Fortunately the attack had not hindered Inuyasha and before Link and the other three Garo knew what to expect, he had turned and almost recklessly swung back, effectively knocking him back.
"I told you to let her go, damn it!" Inuyasha once again shouted as he darted straight towards the man named Kesuke, but he failed to listen to Link's urgent calls. He immediately regretted turning his back to his opponent when a blade plunged through his back, only to jut out from his chest quite close to his heart. Blood spilled from his lip and he fell to his knees, his silence frightening Link and Kagome.
Link found himself at odds between the three Garo with one attempting to steal Kagome away. Two of the Garo had their blades directed at Link's throat simultaneously and he recognized the blood staining the others blade as that of Inuyasha's. He scowled.
How many of his friends would suffer during his life time?
Enraged, Link ignored the blades directed at him before throwing himself at the nearest Garo, but he knew his attack would miss and he was right. He fell to the floor but before he could pick himself up, a heavy boot held him down and a familiar long blade pierced the floor at his face and he felt the tip of the other blade scraping against his head.
Surprisingly, they didn't strike him just yet. Honestly there was nothing Link could do at that moment and he pondered how to escape from such a situation and save Kagome and Inuyasha.
While keeping his eye on the lad at his feet, the Garo in charge glared at his comrade. "Kesuke, nan anata wa baishunpu de yatte iru?"
(Kesuke, what are you doing with the wench?)
The other hadn't been too keen on seeing his comrade with his hood down and his face revealed to the strangers in the room. He growled at Kesuke. "Ima, kono tame no jikande wa arimasen! Watashitachi ga modotta toki ni kanojo wa chōdo korosa reru tame ni okotte iru!"
(Now's not the time for this! She's just going to get killed when we return!)
Kesuke merely glowered at Inuyasha in front of him before sending a glare at his companions. "Anata wa machigatte iru! Kanojo wa watashitachi no yōna monodeari, yoku rikōtekunikarurepōto kanren rinku gengo o hanasu. Kanojo no gaikan o sanshō shite kudasai shite kara kimeru!"
(You're wrong! She is of our kind and speaks the language well. See her appearance and then decide!)
They were stupefied at this. They noted her peculiar clothing and how the bareness of her legs and thighs were surprisingly exposed to them. If they had known any better, they would have assumed she was a whore. "E? Hontōni? Sonogo, akai sūtsu de koko ni kono otoko no nani? Nani ga, karera wa akiraka ni watashitachi ni mukatte tekii o misete iru tokiniha, yūkai sa reta anata ga sō kakunin shimasu?"
(Eh? Really? Then what of this man here in the red suit? What makes you so sure they were kidnapped when they are obviously showing hostility towards us?)
The other laughed darkly. "Anata no kanjō ga watashitachi no shimei, Kesuke no hōhō de shutoku sa sete wa ikenai. On'nanoko wa, osoraku ō no sokushitsudearu. Wareware wa, tanjun'na on'nanoko ni yotte ki ni suru koto wa dekimasen."
(Don't let your emotions get in the way of our mission, Kesuke. The girl is probably a concubine of the King. We can't be bothered by a simple girl.)
Kesuke scoffed. Of course they would reply with such words. Though she certainly looked the part of a whore, she seemed innocent enough. He was sure these people only acted hostile to them because they feared for their life, like most did when his people presented themselves upon their humble homes.
"Watashi wa ō ga soreto wa nanika o motte ita to kakushin shite iru. Kesshite sukunaku, watashitachiha isoide tsukuru to, kono basho wa,-ro-nai ni naru mae ni koko kara dasshutsu senai!"
(Never the less, let us make haste and escape from here before this place turns into a furnace!)
"Ō? Watashitachi no shimei wa, kare o assasinate suru kotodeshita. Watashitachiha meirei ni somuku baai, anata wa nani ga kamo shire jitsugen suru ka—" Neiji replied.
(And the King? Our mission was to assassinate him. If we disobey orders, do you realize what might—)
"Watashi wa ima, karera wa kaika no doa o kayotte kowarete kita koto de kakushin shite iruto—" Kesuke replied arrogantly.
(I'm sure by now they've broken through the door downstairs and—)
"W-what the hell did you say?!" Inuyasha growled from his place on the floor, managing to look up defiantly despite his deep wound. Like hell he would let them assassinate the King! Who did these assholes think they were?
Link released the breath he had been holding. Thank the goddesses he was alright.
"Let me go! Put me down! What are you doing?!" Kagome cried as she continued to scream and kick at Kesuke who refused to put her down.
The other Garo sent her a death glare, but before they could approach Kesuke and silence the wench, a bright light from the window blinded them, and Kesuke looked back in surprise.
Kagome gasped. What was happening now?
It was thanks to the distraction that Link took that opportunity to plunge a hidden blade of his into the Garo's ankle. When he stumbled away, it gave Link room to pick himself off the floor to gather his bearings.
Despite the almost fatal wound to his chest, Inuyasha over took the other Garo and with Link's help, they both turned their swords against the one named Kesuke who had yet to release the struggling priestess.
OOO
The moment the lock to the double doors leading into the Dining Room had broken and the doors were thrust open; Cathleen crawled frightfully underneath the elongated table where the table cloth draped to the floor; it hid her easily enough.
As she held her breath, she listened as footsteps entered into the room. One had stepped near the table and the other had distanced himself away from her as far as she could tell. Cathleen gulped.
"Ima watashi wa chīsana on'nanoko ga kono heya no naka ni jibun jishin o rokku shite ita chikatta kanōsei ga arimasu. Doko ni kakurete iru?"
(Now I could have sworn a little girl had locked herself inside this room. Where are you hiding?) He called.
The door to the room slammed shut all of a sudden, and Cathleen felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand. Whoever these men were, she didn't understand the strange gibberish they were speaking. They intended to harm her; she was certain.
Footsteps neared her suddenly, and fearful, Cathleen crawled further under the table in case he should pull the table cloth to look under, but as she continued crawling away; she heard the footsteps following alongside her.
"Anata ga soko ni watashi no aisuru no shita ni kakurete imasu ka? Naze anata wa detekuru to sukoshi no tame ni watashitachi to issho ni saisei sa renai?"
(Are you hiding under there my dear? Why don't you come out and play with us for a bit?)
A rough and large hand had reached under the table from the opposite side and snatched her white dress roughly, tearing it slightly as she was dragged out from under the table. Cathleen shrieked at the sight of the armed and robust man shrouded by his cloak. She was lying there on her stomach looking back at him from over her shoulder, and he was menacing.
"Kanojo o kakuninshitekudasai kawaī 1 kanojo wa, tengu sa rete inai nodesu ka?"
(She sure is a cute one, isn't she Tengu?)
Unsure of what he was saying, Cathleen scrambled to her feet and attempted to escape from the room, but her efforts proved futile. He had ceased her quite easily, grasping her golden locks roughly and she cried out in pain as she fell back.
His friend, Tengu, approached them from the other side, smirking mischievously as he raised his sword in the air. "U ̄ n? Kanojo wa anata ga sukina yō ni shite imasen. No wa, wareware wa dōyō ni kakikomu mae ni kono Jō o shutoku shite mimashou, Hiroshi."
(Hmm? Doesn't look like she likes you. Let's get this over with before we burn as well, Hiroshi.)
Hiroshi only chuckled as he grasped the struggling girl's wrist, still keeping a firm hold of her hair in the process. She was flailing about wildly, screaming in a language foreign to him. "Naze watashitachi wa kanojo no saisho ni saisei sa remasen? Anata wa, watashitachi wa karera o korosu mae ni, watashi wa watashi no josei no yō hōhō o shitte iru."
(Why don't we play with her first? You know how I like my women before we kill them.)
There was a sudden explosion just outside the room, followed after by familiar masculine screams. The Garo within the room realized they belonged to their comrades just on the other side of the door, and Tengu was quick to react.
Tengu scowled. "Jigoku wa nani ga okotte iru? Heishi-tachi wa kono fukutsu no seishin no naka mada aru watashi ni oshienaide kudasai!"
(What the hell is going on? Don't tell me there are still soldiers within this fortitude!)
Annoyed and prepared to kill anyone that dared step in their way, Tengu ran towards the door, but before exiting, he glanced back at his friend Hiroshi who was still playing with the screaming girl on the floor "Sore ga jinsokuna koto o kakunin shimasu. Watashi wa sugu ni modorimasu," He replied.
(Make it quick. I'll return shortly.)
After his friend had left the room, the fire blazing just down the hall, Hiroshi found himself laughing to himself. He had caught himself a fine young woman. Judging by her pale skin and her intricate white dress, he guessed she was of a noble birth, and it pleased him all the more.
Cathleen cried out when she felt his hands grab at her waist suddenly and she fought to free herself from the perverse man. "No! Stop it! Get your hands off me!" She cried. When she failed to free herself, she was suddenly forced upon her back where he kneeled above her. Cathleen saw him rip at her dress, tugging the cloth up and she frightfully attempted to hold his hand still, and her face reddened shamefully.
"Princess!" Roshan called out from the doorway suddenly.
A smile reached the Princess's face. Her nursemaid had come to her rescue just in time. But her smile soon fell when she was pulled to her feet and her back pressed against the larger Garo who held his sword at her throat threateningly with the other pointed at Roshan.
"Help me!" Cathleen cried, struggling as her attacker laughed.
During the battle with the mask one that had murdered her King, the Moon God had appeared and stepped in to put a stop to him, surprisingly and he warned Roshan to assist those she loved still within the Palace. Of course she listened but she still couldn't believe such a deity had come to their Kingdom in such a chaotic time.
When she turned to approach the doors, she heard others behind it attempting to break in and out of nowhere, a blast of energy from behind her destroyed the door entirely and with it, killing those on the other side. The Fierce Deity had then vanished from the room entirely and as she looked back to stare at the masked one, she found that he was not moving and she supposed he was dead.
Before she left the room, she had heard a familiar scream just down the hall in the other room, and she recognized the voice belonging to that of the Princess. Numerous bodies of cloaked men lay sprawled and very much dead after the door to the Throne Room had been demolished by Fierce Deity's power, but she ignored them.
On her way towards the room, a man dressed in a similar garb as those dead in the hallway, exited the room Cathleen was presently being attacked, and Roshan wasted no time dealing a blow to him.
With her gaze locked onto the one named Hiroshi, Roshan slowly maneuvered herself towards him, careful not to bring harm to Cathleen who had frozen fearfully in his grasp. Roshan saw that her dressed was ripped in various places, exposing much of her legs and something inside her urged an almost territorial growl from the amazon; it was something she had felt long ago in the past.
When Cathleen felt the Garo behind her stop, she saw that he was backed into the table; his attention focused entirely on her protector before them. Yet when she glanced back, she saw a familiar Garo directly behind Roshan. "Watch out!" She cried.
Roshan reacted instinctively, her sword blocking that of the Garo's twin blades. And as the two fought one another, Cathleen realized she was once again in danger. Searching around with her eyes, she saw that Hiroshi was distracted by Roshan and his friend's battle, and that gave the Princess just enough time to find an escape. They were very close to the table and thankfully there was something on it that would help her somewhat against the man holding her captive.
Reaching out, she took hold of one of the eating utensils and immediately stabbed Hiroshi's arm, effectively freeing her from his grasp. Without hesitation, she fled around the table to distance herself from him, but he was quick to pursue.
Not getting very far, Cathleen's hair was once again ceased by the brute, and with his painful grip, he pulled her back until he threw her upon the table with a clatter. She shrieked and struggled as her back was pressed into the silverware and his dangerous form once again towering over her small one.
He immediately wrapped his hands around her neck, watching as the Princess squirmed and fought for breath beneath him. "Bitchi! Watashi wa atode anata o onzon o kangaete itaga, watashi wa anata ga rafupurē shitai sanshō shite kudasai!"
(Bitch! I was thinking of sparing you afterward, but I see you want to play rough!)
"N-no…l-let me—" Cathleen tried to speak, her legs kicking wildly at him to release her, but instead she was met with a hard slap to her face that left a stinging sensation to her cheek. Tears fell from her eyes as her nails tug into the skin of his hands.
He laughed at her, thoroughly enjoying her suffering. That would teach her who was in control. Yet as he glanced back at his companion battling against the tall amazon woman, he saw that Tengu was not fairing too well, but if he left this little minx here alone, she would no doubt flee from him yet again and that of course would prove troublesome. He intended to kill her slowly.
As Cathleen desperately attempted to free herself before her life was drained from her, she noticed a glint from the side of his waist and she realized it was a dagger strapped to his belt. Before she could reach out for it in a desperate attempt, she felt his fingers squeeze tighter upon her neck and she gasped, her mouth opening in surprise and her eyes widening. She couldn't breathe.
He was so focused on choking her that he didn't notice a dagger fly towards him until it was too late. It struck him in the side of the neck, and he pulled away from Cathleen with a loud cry.
Cathleen fell from the table, gasping as she clung to one of the chairs around her for support. On her knees, she desperately fought to regain the oxygen she had lost, but her vision had started to darken suddenly and she felt this dizziness upon her as her head laid against the hard wood of the chair's leg.
From beside her, she heard the Garo in question screaming, and as she looked back curiously, she saw that one of Roshan's daggers had struck him in the neck, effectively hitting an artery she thought. The man was stumbling around aimlessly, his hands at his neck but he was too fearful to remove the blade.
"Your Majesty quickly escape!" Roshan shouted as she fought against the Garo some distance away from her, as Cathleen used the table to pull herself to her shaken feet, she glanced at her nurse maid worryingly.
Rounding the table slowly, she heard Hiroshi fall behind her and curious, she saw that he was dead, a puddle of his own blood spilled around his head. She felt nausea weighing itself upon her and as she was about to heed her nursemaid's instruction to flee, she heard a feminine shout from out in the hall.
"Priestess…Kagome?" Her eyes brightened suddenly and elated her friends were still safe, Cathleen immediately ran towards the doorway, but she should have heeded Roshan's words.
The moment she left the room, she expected to see her friends down the hall and she did of course. They were running towards her, their expressions mixed with worry and relief, but before she could call out to them, she felt a presence behind her. Turning she saw the vengeful eyes of another Garo and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Cathleen!" Kagome cried out.