At long last we've finally arrived, the days have finally caught up and now the forces of evil are ready to move...The true battle the Red Dragons will be facing starts now...enjoy everyone :)
P.S.: Check out the author's note at the end :)
Chapter 40
The Battle for Feoh - Part 1
Near Feoh, Marpesia's Fort...
In the office of the fortress, Volt had seven letters scattered on the table, putting away the ink and quill that he had used to write them out...he gave a deviant smile and turned to his advisor, Kin...
"Make sure these get out to all seven kingdoms, they need to know their time of Reckoning is upon them now..." he grinned.
The mage nodded, "It's about time, since the loss of the black fortress, we've had to take even more time to prepare for the takeover...but now, we should have more than enough, those weapons Dong Zhuo sent have been tested and are ready to be employed with the men, Gideon has even agreed to provide us with more Ashes of war should we need them..."
The black dog leader gave a jovial laugh, "Remind me to buy him a drink once we conquer Feoh..." turning to Hicks, "Hicks, gather the men...tell them, the time has come...
A Lone-Shadow whom Volt never met entered and looked at the Merc boss, "Masanari is busy today, Master Owl sent me to assist you if you desire..."
Volt turned to him, as Hicks and Kin walked out, "Ah, give him my Regards then...how goes the search for my daughter?"
"Those who left her from their sight were punished." the Lone-Shadow answered, "It would seem that she's good at hiding and her stealth is quite good to be able to hide from a Lone-Shadow."
"Good, those slackers needed to be punished," Volt replied, "As for her stealth skill, that trait she gets from her mother, she was just as sneaky if not better, oh well, keep the search going...I'm sure she'll turn up..." stands up from the desk, "For now, it's time to address the men,"
"Are you sure that things are ready?" the Lone-Shadow asked, "What if Beasley screws things up? You need to have something that can assure you victory this time."
Volt thought on that for a second, "Beasely's got something planned for tomorrow, can't have that commander in the city if we're trying to conquer it...he'll make things difficult, he already did for Oboro from what I hear..."
"Is he that strong?" the Shadow asked.
"I've only had the privilege to see him fight once, it's not something to sniff at...and that's not even covering his skills as a commander..." The black dog answered, "Once he and his gold knights are out, we'll be able to invade without that problem,"
"I hope that it won't come back to bite you in the ass." the Lone Shadow said, "This is the first step that can assure your ascension as the greatest man."
Volt grinned, "If this goes right, it'll be more than just a "Step" and if Beasley somehow fucks this up? got a plan for that too,"
"Still, to be able to use this fortress... something seems amiss." the Lone Shadow looked around, "You need to be careful with whoever lets you use it."
"You mean Marpesia? I...don't have a reason not to distrust her, but I don't entirely...I'm surprised she even wanted in, must be something she wants out of this..." The merc shrugged, "Long as it doesn't conflict with my interests, I don't care what her pleasures are,"
"Still... Master Owl isn't happy that you are protecting the bug." the shinobi said while narrowing his eyes.
Volt sighed deeply, "Yeah... that guy there...He's creepy even by my standards and I don't like dealing with him...the only reason I didn't cut his throat when he came to me after fleeing from you all, was because Kin had insisted he could pick his brain apart and use his insects...I don't doubt my mage's progress in that...but I haven't heard anything from him, maybe someone finally got to him, eh?"
"I doubt it." the shinobi replied as Hicks entered the office.
"Boss, the men have been gathered in the yard, waiting on you now," The scout grinned.
Volt nodded, turning to the shadow, "Well, I believe that's my cue, nice as this conversation was, I have a demanding crowd, send master Owl my regards," walks out with Hicks.
"He'll undoubtedly fail..." the Lone-Shadow sighed before disappearing with a smoke bomb.
When he made it to the balcony of the courtyard, hundreds to thousands of men were amongst that crowd, cheering when he arrived, before throwing a hand up to silence them.
"Men! you all know why you're here!" Volt started with, getting their attention, "For too long, FOR TOO DAMN LONG, HAVE THESE SHIELDS, TAKEN US FOR GRANTED! US FIGHTING THEIR BATTLES! DYING ON THEM AND LOSING BROTHERS IN THE MIDST WHILE THEIR BITCH KNIGHTS, SIT COZY BEHIND THOSE WALLS!"
The crowd grows angry at that, calling for what they perceive as justice, as the black dog leader holds up another hand.
"I KNOW! my fellow men...! I know how you all feel...the rage you have, the people you lost...and those..."Laws" of theirs...to that...to that I say..." The merc leader paused, before slamming his metal fist on the balcony, "FUCK THAT!"
At that, the crowd went wild with cheers, knowing what was coming next as Volt's grin widened.
"WE WILL NO LONGER BE SHACKLED BY THE WAR THAT THOSE TWO CUNTS STARTED, NO. MORE...WE WILL TAKE WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY OURS!" Volt loudly announced, getting the crowd to cheer again, "And we're done with those little kingdoms...WE'RE GOING AFTER THAT SECRET CITY AND BRINGING THOSE MONSTERS, TO. THEIR. KNEES!"
The entire courtyard roared with excitement and cheers, in a sickening cacophony that echoed loudly...the look in each man's eyes told what their intentions were... darkened with rage and some lust for what was to come...
Volt smiled widely, "That said! Tonight! WE CELEBRATE!, food and fun are provided by Dong Zhuo and the crimson viper, ENJOY YOURSELVES BECAUSE TOMORROW, THE TAKEOVER STARTS!"
It was then when that platters of food were revealed in one part of the room, while the other half, had chained women in ragged clothing, scared out of their wits...and they had every reason to be...as the men in the crowd gave a cheering roar and ran of either parts of the room, as Volt walked away, taking a relieving hum at the sounds of screams and fabric tearing.
Hicks gave an amused chuckle, "Not bad boss, quite the speech..."
"But what about our "old" friends? surely, you haven't forgotten who did that to your face," Kin reminded.
Volt had a dark sneer on his face, "Oh...I have plans for THAT asshole...! Twice he's beaten me and humiliated me, No. one. bitches. ME...been talking to Oboro about him... heheheh, can't say it'll pay to have looked like those with that she-wolf after you... Traysek'll meet his match soon...sadistic bastard..." growling that last part.
"Won't lie, I have a score to settle with Lucien and Erik...Recorder...that's a personal matter," The mage grinned.
Hicks rose an eyebrow, "Is it really...?" before laughing, "Just messing with you Kin, personally, I'd like to tame that arrogant Redhead chick they had with them...when I get the chance...fucking bitch..." holding his nutsack, "as for the furball, eh...he'll make a good coat,"
It was then, all three shared chuckles and laughter, Volt's being the loudest. However, they didn't seem to notice a red-eyed raven that was looking at them and flew away after a while.
The next day...
Yamakrohz
7:00 Am
Frondas
At the House of Wings, the crew was up eating breakfast, preparing for the day, when the crystal goes off, getting their attention. Traysek glanced up and sat his spoon down, "I'll be right back, I think I know who that is," standing up and heading to the office.
Inigo raised an eyebrow, "Know who that is? wait...what's today...? has it been two weeks already?"
"Yeah, I think today's the start of the war, that might be what they're calling him for..." Erik answered, "Gotta say, I've been waiting for this...!"
"Who hasn't been? been training for these last few days, hope what we learned is enough..." Lucien added in, taking another bite of his stew, "Learned a great deal on how to break curses, and new spells but it's more progressive than our own tomes, "
Recorder nodded, looking at her new hidden blades on her wrists, "Tell me about it, it took effort getting even these...glad we took the two weeks though..."
"Got to learn about ourselves more during the time, the first few weeks we were not ready, physically and..." Yuriana paused, thinking about something, "Mentally...I won't lie, these two weeks have been interesting...got to learn things about ourselves we never knew...how gung-ho we were about things...it really bit us in the ass during the hunter's contract..."
"And our last job together, we got humbled at the end of it...things aren't as easy as we believe them to be...and there's the fact, that if the dark army has been struggling with them this long and their military is extensive, it wouldn't be any easier for us...and I think the boss understood that...especially after catching on fire..." The imperial reminded.
The rest of the crew nodded in agreement, glancing at each other...
"That said, depending on what that call's about, we might be leaving soon, but that all depends on what Traysek tells us...these calls could be anything after all," Yuri reminded, "Still, if it is that we're going, I have a special armor in mind," with a small grin.
Meanwhile...
Traysek made it to the office and picked up the crystal, "Hello? Traysek speaking."
"We need to talk, can you come to my office now?" it was Gronik.
"Ah, Master Gronik, your call was expected, I'll be there soon," The Redguard assured, "You want me there alone? or should I bring the entourage?"
"Whatever you fancy," Gronik answered.
"Alright, I'll show up myself, the men are still eating and I'm just wrapping that up, I'll be there soon," The Redguard nodded, disconnecting the crystal.
Gronik's office...
Gronik was sitting while looking at a map of Eostia while being with Greil, Olga, Udemi, and Kurenai.
"Which city should we attack first?" Gronik asked.
"While we can begin with Thorn, it shouldn't be our first choice." Greil pointed out, "The city has natural defenses, and not to mention that's where they keep most of their strongest assets. While we can claim victory, it would be at a great cost."
"True... but the other cities are way south of Thorn," Gronik stated.
"What about Feoh?" Olga asked, "Even with those strong walls, it would be easier than Thorn."
"Still, we need to let Commander Niall have a bit more time before taking it." Greil replied, "And once Feoh's defection is heard, Ur would follow as they have a lot in common."
"There's still the situation in Geofu." Kurenai reminded, "If this continues, the people might suffer a lot due to the extended period of the rebellion."
"Once we're sure that we have a way to resurrect the agent of the Birds of Prey who was stationed here, we'd have a chance at claiming it whole." Olga stated, "The people need a hero they know, someone who stood against Dong Zhuo... someone like Godfrey."
Greil nodded at that, "According to Regis, he might have found someone... but he's hesitant in approaching them."
"Ken only needs to be cleansed, if we trust what Swain says," Gronik said.
Soon after, there was a knock on the door...
Udemi nodded toward the door and a Dark Blade exited the shadow to open the door.
Traysek walked in, donning his crimson and gold outfit, giving the blade a nod as the door closed... he walked to the group sitting around the table, "Hello everyone, am I late?"
"Not really." Greil answered, "We were looking at what our first target should be."
"I see," He nodded, taking the open seat at the table next to Udemi, "Any ideas so far? I mean they have to start from somewhere, I don't believe they have the manpower to hit everywhere at once,"
"They need to strike somewhere that holds great importance." Greil pointed before narrowing his eyes, "A place reputed to be impossible to take, that way, the momentum can push others to join their cause... a place like Feoh..."
The Redguard thought on that and nodded, narrowing his eyes, "Very true...from what I learned about it, it's very rich in land and resources... The trading economy also is booming there, so it's a hotspot for merchants and performers for certain...if I was conquering in place of Volt, I'd hit there first and not just for those reasons," he paused, a smirk forming on his face, "The Shield princess there, Alicia, is close-mind at best and ignorant at worst... Very easy to anger and agitate... if I was betting man, I'd reckon Volt would know which buttons to push to ensure his victory..."
"That's true." Olga crossed her arms, "If I was invading a city reputed to be as hard to get as Feoh... I'd make sure that it's defenseless. This means that Niall may need to be warned that he shouldn't leave the city."
"He already did." Udemi spoke, "He went with a suppression force to subjugate some bandits who made camps around the Village of Halmel. From what was said to me, he was given the order this morning by the princess to aid the noble who has the territory under his control."
"This is bad..." Olga mumbled under her breath as she narrowed her eyes.
Traysek hummed at that, nodding, "And it's way too convenient, who sends out their strongest defense when an enemy is close to invading...? and for petty bandits? yeah, something's wrong, this smells like a send-off...even by the princess's standards, it's too shady...is there anyone else on the court that could have that authority...?" raising an eyebrow.
"From what we know, there's a council of nobles led by the prime minister." Gronik answered, "Saw him once when I was walking around the villages that are close to the capital city of the Feoh kingdom. I didn't like him back there, and I doubt that's going to change."
"Interesting...a prime minister...what was he like...? In-person I mean, you say you've had experience with him before, Master Gronik, that may help determine if he's the one who sent Niall off or not," The Redguard inquired.
"I was able to sneak around... and found him dealing with not only Black Dogs... but also a notorious slaver known as the Crimson Snake." the Imperial hero stated.
"Her true name is Oboro... and she's worse than Volt... by miles." Kurenai added, "Also, since she's a former Taimanin, you need to know that her Ninja Art is one only a sadist uses. So, if you meet her, run and don't look back. I'm dead serious about that." narrowing her eyes with the last statement.
Traysek sighed, "Oh by the gods, she one of "those?" oh boy, that's gonna get tiring fast...sadistic types don't frighten me anymore, then again, I'm not too familiar with what a Taimanin is capable of yet...so I'll take the warning and tread carefully, thank you," giving a nod, turning to Gronik, "As for this prime minister fellow, so he's got his hands in the criminal world here, then that would easily explain why Niall was sent out in then, he's knee deep in his pockets already...what's worse is that he's probably close to the shield princess, assuming the worst case scenario there,"
"According to what Niall told us, he easily manipulates the princess." Olga stated, "Especially after that execution..."
Traysek frowned deeply, "Execution huh? I heard of a teacher being wrongly charged about something...unless this is something else, but this does give me a good idea of who we're dealing with here, no doubt he had a hand in Niall's departure,"
"To be more precise, there's a certainty that he manipulated the princess in sending him out." Greil pointed, "Even the stupidest person knows that one shouldn't send their best asset out during a time of war. Especially after the given time to allow the enemy to recover."
"Right, and I would imagine Volt and his conspirators have what they need by now for it..." The Redguard concurred with a nod, "So we have reasons to hit there first, but how are we getting there without detection? Because if we try to get through that main gate, it's gonna be a blood bath no matter how we look at it...a small force would have to get behind enemy lines with a city like that,"
"For that, we'd need to hit through the air." Gronik replied, "The air fleet that we're going to use has been tested... well, Garoka only tested those that she'd use."
"She really hates humans, huh?" Olga sweatdropped.
"I think that it's more about her personal experience." Greil pointed, "Still, she won't be affiliated with the Anti-Human faction. She knows that not all the humans of this world are the same."
"I think that it's more a question of trust." Olga stated, "We know how she is."
Greil nodded before turning to Traysek, "With that said, Would you follow me, Captain? I need to show you something."
The Redguard raised an eyebrow, "Oh?" lips curving to a smile, "Alright, I'll see what this is," turning to the others, "Before that, Is there anything anyone else wants to cover before I head off with him? anything else important...?"
"Not really." Gronik shrugged.
"Very well, I'll fill the men in later," Traysek nodded, turning to Greil, standing, "Lead the way, General,"
Feoh...Command tower...
Alicia was in the office, fuming over something she was holding in her hands...a letter had found its way to her, from the mercenary king himself, Volt...what was it over? His new takeover...and it was something she couldn't stand. it was even made worse, that the commander was out of the city upon receiving this...
"What the fuck is this?!" she swore, slamming her fist on the table, making her guest jump.
"A-alicia...?" Prim called, concerned about her cousin's sudden rage.
Realizing her temper, Alicia calmed herself down, "I'm sorry prim... I didn't mean to snap...just something like this..." the princess growled, clenching the letter tightly, "I can't believe or forgive this...! and with the commander out dealing with bandits, there's no telling when they'll attack and now we're open...dammit!"
As Prim is about to comment, a loud explosion goes off, shaking the tower they were in, prompting Princess Knight to shield the other from any possible debris that may or may not fall.
Once the shaking stopped, the older cousin glanced down, "Are you okay Prim?"
"Y-yeah, but what was that...?" Prim shakily asked, as a couple of holy knights charged in.
"Lady Alicia! we're under attack! it's the black dogs and they've got monsters with them, they're pouring in the main gate at this very moment!" The female knight informed.
The shield princess went wide-eyed, "They're here already...?" her shock turned to anger, "Secure the main gate! Gather as many forces as you can and suppress the enemy! They are not to claim this city!" she ordered with steel in her voice.
"As you command Your Highness!" the second knight saluted, rushing out of the room.
"And what of Commander Niall?" The first knight asked, "He's still out of town!"
"We'll have to defend this city until he returns, hopefully by then most of the enemy are thinned out, now go!" Alicia shouted.
The first knight saluted, rushing out to join the second knight...Alicia then turned her attention to Prim, "I have to join the frontline, you stay here where it's safe, there's no telling how bad it is out there..." hugging her, before drawing her sword and rushing out of the room...
A horde of monsters and mercenaries were fighting. Blood and dead bodies were everywhere as Volt was smirking while looking at the spectacle.
Kin smirked standing next to him, "Looks like we hit them hard enough, with the commander out of the picture, taking this city will be easier..."
"Boss!" one of the Dogs ran to them, "We have a problem! The Lightbringer is decimating our forces!"
Volt had a hand on his chin, "Lightbringer huh? Must be Emily then, if it's only her and not her sister here, we'll be able to take her down..." turning to the merc, "Surround and capture her if you can, we can use her to get her older sister..." with a grin.
"There's also the fact that some knights that are under the orders of Niall are still in the city! Xunaakt wants to know why they're there!" the merc added.
"So Niall left a few knights behind, I see..." The black dog leader went into thought, "It doesn't matter, kill any men of his you find, if there are any women... bring them to me..." with a sneer.
"But Xunaakt-" the merc didn't have any time to continue as Volt snapped.
"I know what he probably wants me to do! One thing at a time, first the Lightbringer needs to be brought to her knee and then we'll deal with these knights, now get to it!" Volt ordered.
The merc stumbled back before running to give the orders to the front soldiers.
The Black dog leader sighed, "Even with these small drawbacks, unless comes barreling out of the sky, this city is as good as ours..." with a wicked grin, drawing his Greatsword.
In the front line, both mercenaries and monsters are falling to the longsword of a young blue-eyed woman with auburn hair. One of the imps drew a dagger and charged at her while she was busy with two other enemies, that being a black dog merc and an orc... raising a shield to block the dagger before doing a spinning slash that gutted the imp. The same black dog she was fighting earlier, tried to take this chance to sneak a blow in... she spun her shield, pushing the weapon away before cutting his face with her longsword.
One of the holy knights with her, impaled an orc, tearing the blade out and finishing him with a beheading chop, "Ma'am! they're pouring in too strong! we'll have to push back!"
"We can't!" the woman snapped, revealing a young woman with long auburn hair tied in a ponytail and blue eyes that were filled with determination. Her attire consists of a silver cuirass that has blue flowers drawn on it, as well as a blue cape flowing behind her. In the lower part, she has a blue skirt that's the same color as the cape and silver sabatons, "We must ensure the safety of the citizens!"
"Of course Ma'am!" the knight concurred, ducking from the blow of an oncoming centaur.
"We must hold up until the arrival of the reinforcements!" the young woman yelled as she decapitated two mercenaries with a single blow, "Where's Commander Niall... why was he sent away today? Damnit!"
Meanwhile, at Yamakhroz...
After the war council had its meeting, Traysek had followed Greil into a large hangar, now currently looking over another airship, a much bigger one...
The Redguard whistled, "And here I was about to ask what all they've done with my ship...But compared to this aircraft, it makes the Aveza look like a log boat,"
"Since your current mode of movement isn't ready, I figured that you'd need something comparable to it." Greil replied, "Feel free to use it as you'd wish."
Traysek was in shock and awe, remembering the day he acquired his old ship, how proud he felt at its size, now? it felt like that again..."This is for me...? By the gods, I...I don't even know what to say..." he said, mouth agape.
"Well, this is the smallest that we have, so you shouldn't worry about Garoka asking it back." Greil stated, "You can even take it back to your world, she wouldn't care."
The Redguard's eyes went wider, "This is the "Smallest"...? Gods, the Aveza's gotta be tiny then...Regardless, thank you, Greil...I mean that, thank you..." Smiling afterward, turning back to the ship, "So...how many rooms does this have? seems like it can hold more than what I'm thinking..."
"You can have 60 people in there." Greil answered, "Of course, that doesn't take into account maintenance people and the workers that can help with things such as cooking and cleaning."
Traysek whistled again, "Fourty more than the Aveza...impressive, and that's not mentioning those guns up there," glancing at the massive cannons, "From the broadsides, I can tell that's going to require plenty to operate those...what's the name of this fine vessel?"
"Garoka called it 'Orgrim's Hammer.'" Greil replied, "But feel free to name it whatever you like."
"Orgrim's hammer...yeah, a name change would be nice, especially if we get to tinkering and adding things on to her...other than the name though, she's a beauty..." The Redguard nodded, placing a hand on the smooth armor, thinking about something, and sighing, "Much as I want to take her to the skies...A ship this size would take ten people to get it moving, we're a good six...and there's the fear of it being shot out of the sky...not a fan of shipwrecks..."
"All that you'd need is someone who can communicate with spirit to operate the engines." Greil replied, "It can take more than a mountain before beginning to fall. So you'd need only those who can help with maintenance."
Traysek nodded in agreement, "Okay, I can understand that, if it was the same tech, it'd be no problem, but since it isn't...we'd need a maintenance team, which we don't have at the moment... so this beauty's gonna have to stay here until then, no doubt I'll find someone in Feoh that knows how to work on it though, so until then..." turning his gaze to the ship, "Sorry Beautiful, but until we get that, there will be no sky dancing..."
"Greil laughed before adding, "You don't need to worry, I already gathered some people to aid you with it."
At that moment, a Dark Elf ran toward them, panting, "S-Sir! Feoh is under attack!"
Traysek rose an eyebrow, "Damn...already...? I expected them to come around the afternoon..."
"They took advantage of the absence of the commander." Greil mumbled loudly, "We need to send our forces there now. Go spread the word; All Forces! Get ready for an attack on Feoh!"
The Dark Elf nodded before running to do what he was ordered to do.
Traysek grinned at that, "Well, with that said, I'll pass the word to my men, I'll need my armor and weapons... is that crew you gathered onboard now? if so, I can tell my men to meet here and we can leave that way,"
"They are." Greil nodded, "Although, you'd need something faster to get there in time." he then handed him a whistle, "It was given to me as a replacement mount, but I have another one that I can use."
The Redguard quickly inspected the whistle, "Another gift huh? I'll see what this is soon, remind me to buy the first round when this is over, Gods blessings you, General," giving a nod before walking out.
The house of wings...
The crew were now all in the basement, geared up in their new armor. For Inigo, he was donning the amber armor, sporting his signature green headband and a cape of the same emerald color. Lucien decided to go light but wore leather insulation under his clothing, that being a grey attire with a sash and scarf nearly over his face. Erik had repaired his madness armor and was now once again wearing it, giving his shield a few finishing touches. Recorder was even lighter in armor, in a bodysuit with strange magic markings all over with armored pauldrons and kneecaps, along with the hidden blades under her gauntlets. Yuriana was in skimpy chitin armor that had wings, wearing a helmet that sported glowing blue eyes, akin to the face of Chaurus.
They weren't alone though, currently with them were a few Kletzkreig, Dargo, Endra, and Zephyr...they had shown up to the house after Traysek had left and were now training and sparring for the battle ahead.
"So... I take it you got this from a horror cave..." Endra commented after seeing Yuriana's armor as both Dargo and Recorder were sparring.
She chuckled, lifting the visor, "Well, you're not wrong, the armor is based on the creature it comes from, Chaurus are huge armored bugs in our world that can infest your house and lay eggs, tough bastards to get rid of...I figure if we're facing both armies, why not bring a bit of Tamriel terror into it, eh?" with a smirk.
Inigo's ears twitched, firing an arrow into a target, "Right... that's not bringing back bad memories at aaaaalll," sarcastically making her snicker.
"Riiiight, that seems to be a way to do it... except when you remember that some people have a phobia related to insects..." Endra sweatdropped, "I do know a couple of friends, and thankfully, they're not here, that would try to kill you because you look like that. Sure, the enemy might be scared... but it can also affect your allies."
"Each people have their way of fighting." Dargo pointed, evading Recorder's sword, "You shouldn't criticize them. Especially since they aren't from this world."
"No he's entitled to that, those bugs are creepy even by our local's standards..." Erik added in.
"It's not that I tried to be rude, but You know who would draw at her scythe if she was wearing this armor in front of them." Endra pointed, getting a nervous look from the other Dark Elf.
"The last thing that I want is to clean after her mess..." Dargo commented as both he and Recorder stopped, "Melasis would definitely go feral..."
"Who's Melasis...?" Yuriana asked with a frown.
Moments after, the door to the basement opens, with Traysek coming down them, "Hey guys, hope you're all ready and-" spots what Yuri's wearing, making him cringe, "-...Really...? You're wearing THAT...? Why?"
"Wanted to bring at least bring one of the beastly terrors with on the battlefield, why what's the problem?" The Redhead frowned.
The Redguard deadpanned, "Because I know YOU and how you like to go all out, no doubt you've got that cursed visor...if you have to be a combat medic out there, and chances are you will be, the last thing anyone being revived or walking to said person being revived, wants to see...is a face full of eyes..." with a shiver.
"Melasis is a Lycan who faced... a lot of insects during a scouting mission." Endra stated, "She was so traumatized that she jumps at anything that has any relation to a bug..."
"And I doubt that someone would want to be healed by a bug out of the demons' realm..." Dargo added.
"Well...when you put it that way..." Yuriana said, going into thought, taking off the visor, "Yeah...nevermind, thought it'd go well with today, didn't realize I'd be acting medic, that is nightmarish...ugh..."
Traysek made his way to his gear, "I wouldn't say get rid of it though, I'm sure you'll get to wear it, especially if we run into any more forts...for now though, I'd refrain..." Going for the Knight of Thorns set.
"And you sure that you'd want to wear that?" Endra asked as he raised an eyebrow, "You do know how you look, right? What if a civilian sees you? You'd be used as the monster who'd kidnap children who aren't nice, and the children would be afraid to approach you."
Traysek chuckled, while getting the gauntlets on, "A nice way of saying the helmet on this is creepy, trust me, I know, and I've got something better in mind for that... and it's rather ironic," with a smirk, donning the rest of the armor on, he then went for a small box and opened it, pulling out a pair of horns and a...tail...? from the box, putting them both on, a crimson glow emitting from the tips of the horn, and through the cracks of the tail, "I prefer the horns of battle~"
Inigio whistled, "Oooooh~ I recognize the horns and tail, that's Alduin's isn't it? Nice!"
I guess that this Alduin is some sort of hero..." Endra looked a little confused, "Well, suit yourself. It's not like it's any of my business anyways."
"Actually, he was a dragon and destroyer god, firstborn of the dragon god of time in our world," Erik answered anyway, "He was quite powerful, able to resurrect dead dragons, conjure meteor storms, and had the strongest fire breath out of all of them..."
Yuriana raised a good question, "Which brings a good question, why model yourself after him...?"
"The question you should be asking is, "Why not?" Alduin himself was at war with humanity in our world, and now I happen to be in that same position against this world's version of it...that's why I said it's "Ironic," Traysek answered, grabbing the crystal spear and placing it on his back, before activating the storage spell and grabbing a strange dark sword from it.
"If you see him as a hero, I'm not going to judge." Endra shrugged.
"They don't see things same as us." Dargo walk to the other Elf, "For us, we need to be the image of the future, the thing they'd want to become. If in their culture being destruction incarnate is better, we should respect it."
"I just spoke my mind, ya know?" Endra replied, "Besides, he's free to do whatever he wants."
Traysek waved him down, grabbing his pistols, "I'm glad that he is, means he's comfortable enough to do so..." placing them on his hips, "That said, we got you guys something in that trunk over there, don't mind paying us back, it's on the house,"
"What are you talking about?" Endra asked as both Elves looked at him confused.
"We chipped in a bit and got you a few things for today, you guys'll like it, trust me, I almost took it for myself," Inigo chuckled, ceasing his shot, before going for a quill of amber arrows.
The two elves looked between themselves, shrugged, and went to where they were told to search.
upon opening it, there was a blue moonlit bow with arrows and quill, along with what looked like a molten sheathed katana...
"What are...?" Endra tried to ask, but someone beat him to the answer.
"It's a lunar light bow, with a hint of solar magic, just enough for you to use your abilities through them, I...made a couple of visits to the blacksmith who worked my scythe and he had that and thought of giving it to Inigo, but I figured you would have better use...the sword was from Kyoka's shop, the one you took Recorder to Dargo...that I almost kept but..." Traysek paused, narrowing his eyes at her, "Someone persisted I give it to you...said to be a blade of concentrated magma, so it should attune to you well," causing Recorder to slightly blush.
"Wait a sec, you sure that you'd give us these?" Endra asked, "I mean... what's the occasion?"
Traysek waved him off, "Nothing too special, but you've been helping out, even at times we didn't expect you to and that doesn't exactly go unnoticed here, and since weapons practically fall out of the sky for us anyway, we figured we could help our friends out today, enjoy, you'll have plenty of time to," holstering his guns and grabbing his backpack, strapping it on.
"We can't accep-" Endra tried to talk before being cut.
"If we don't, we'd send a wrong message." Dargo pointed out, "When a friend offers you a gift, you must accept it."
"A wedding gift?" Endra teased before getting a powerful kick to the stomach, "... worth it..."
The Redguard chuckled, "That said, we need to get going, they've already gotten started in Feoh and while we have a new ship, it'll take time to get it up and out, so we'll need to be quicker,"
"A new ship and we can't use it, that's just great..." Recorder sighed.
"I wouldn't say it's too bad, we'll just need to get there quickly, and in your case, going with Dargo would be a good idea, since he has a flying mount and I'm sure Zephyr wouldn't mind you riding with her either, Erik,"
Erik raised an eyebrow, grabbing his ammo bag, "Okay...? but don't we also have a Gryphon? I could use that..."
"Not really, it's only loyal to me and the reason he even allowed you to be on him after I was off was because I was there, if any of you try mounting him, he'll get hostile, so it's no go there,"
The Nord nodded, "Alright, I figured as much, he was giving me the eye while I was up there, probably not a good idea...that said, I don't tagging with you Zephyr, if that's alright I mean,"
"And I can take the other lady with me." Endra stated, "As soon as she changes, I'll take her on my mount."
"Eh, the chitin armor itself is fine, just the visor's the issue, I'll be fine with the crown helm though, I won't scare anyone then..." Yuri shrugged, shouldering her hammer.
Traysek glanced around, nodding, "Okay, then that leaves both you and Lucien, Inigo to join the fleet at the hangar, any ship'll take you there,"
"You got it, I'm guessing the very hangar we came in, yes?" The blue khajiit asked with a raised eyebrow.
"The very same, Garoka's fleet will be leaving from there, you'll both be going with the main force on them,"
"Very well, guess we all have a way out there, but...how are you getting there?" Lucien asked.
The Redguard chuckled, "Oh don't you worry about that, I have it covered, trust me," he waved off, "that said, any more questions before we go? Any gear you're missing?" looking around, getting headshakes from the rest of the crew.
"Heh, no questions on my part," Endra said with a smug.
Traysek smirked, "Well then... I'll see you all out there, good luck~ try not to get killed, I don't want to have to go to any funerals or report any family deaths," chuckling, but somewhat serious, "Make sure you have your crystals too, we're getting a briefing on what to do on our way there," heading upstairs with the entire party following behind.
Southern Gate, Yamakrohz...
With the war starting, many armored warriors were in a rush to get to the hangar or their mounts and taking off. The Redguard managed to get past that rushing crowd and finally reached the opened gate area. With his comrades set on how they were getting to Feoh, he grabbed a whistle from his satchel.
'Time to see what you got me, Greil,' he mentally noted, blowing into it, giving off a weird whistle.
At first, it didn't seem like anything happened, until a loud flapping was heard around him, a loud thundering boom landing behind him, shadowing him entirely.
Traysek turned around and grinned widely, "Ohoho! Aren't you a big boy?" getting a growl in response, "Look at that armor! Oh I like you already, let's go!" he laughed going towards it...
Revealing to be an armored red wyvern, which looked toward Traysek with a prideful stance, giving a snort and letting his head down.
In Feoh...
A lot of the Black Dogs and some Holy Knights were dead in an alleyway as Jenelica walked out smiling... and full of blood.
"It was so fun." she giggled before noticing a group of Dogs running toward her.
One of the black dogs cringed, upon seeing her covered in so much blood, "You...! You're that psycho! Get her boys! Don't bother sparring this one!" he yelled, angry, as they went for a charge, their weapons raised for the kill...
Jenelica smiled wickedly as she said, "Let's play a game." and everything went black.
"What the hell?!" one of them swore.
"What did she do?! we can't see shit!" another yelled out.
"Find her! There's no way she could be-" but something cut him off.
When they turned, they saw a nightmarish monster who bit his head off.
"Let's begin with a game of tag~" Jenelica's voice sounded, "This is going to be so much fun~" and then began to laugh.
The mercenaries there shat themselves, screaming and trying to get away...
"Monster! Help!"
"Where's Reinforcements?!"
"Aaaaahhhhhhh!" another finally screamed, echoing the area.
Reynold who was nearby, had just run one of the dogs through with his sword, kicking him away, when he heard the terrified screams and familiar laughter, 'I...I don't even wanna know...long as she's helping, I don't care...' ducking a beheading swing from orc, before breaking into a run.
The auburn-haired young woman killed an ogre before beheading two mercenaries with a single swing.
One of the knights she was fighting with, goes down to an arrow piercing her skull, spooking the one next to her.
"Ma'am at this rate, we're gonna get overwhelmed!" one of the soldiers shouted, before getting pressed into a blade lock with an orc, gritting his teeth.
Her sword began to glow as she swung, shredding enemies and healing her allies with a series of golden tornadoes.
"Go try to help the civilians!" she then looked at the coming enemies, "I'll keep them occupied."
The knight bowed and left to do that very thing, slicing down an imp on his way to the inner city.
"Now... no holding back!" and the Lightbringer began to fight more seriously by altering both her sword and shield at the same time.
Meanwhile...
Alicia was looking over the forces below giving commands while the battle raged...steel rang loudly as city forces and black dogs engaged each other, with dozens of smoke trails nearly blanketing the sky. With Niall still out of the city, forces were starting to thin out, and there seemed to be no end to the onslaught, as many women were caught in the mix... Being grabbed and taken by the mercs and demons to someplace.
"Our forces are spreading thin in the east woods, we need reinforcements!" she commanded loudly, as two other knights were approaching from behind.
"My lady! We received word that Commander Niall is on his way." one of them said as she had some sort of hope in her gaze.
"Not only that but there's reinforcement coming from the city of Theviste!" the other one said with the same ray of hope in her eyes.
The shield princess smiled a bit, "That's good, that means there's hope of winning this battle after all, we'll just have to hold out until the-"
"Yo! Princess!" a wicked voice called.
They all froze when they heard that tone, rushing to source at the wall, finding a horrid sight...The nuns were lined up against the wall, held up by the imps there, a few of them already tearing off the fronts of their gowns.
Alicia bared her teeth, "You Bastards...! Let them go now!" she shouted down as the lead imp laughed.
"Whaaat?~" The leader of the imps, which is a much larger imp, lent an ear, smirking widely, "Are you sure those are the words we need to hear~?"
Alicia somewhat shivered, when he watched how close the dagger was to his hostage's throat, making her clench her fist, "You...! What do you want?!" finally barked out.
The smirk grew wider the imp said, "You received the letter from the boss, right? So you'd better give up and we may let them go."
She tensed at that, 'Give up...?' that was something she was having a hard time balancing at that moment, on hand Niall's forces were on their way back, along with the reinforcements from the south...but on another, there was no telling how long it would take for them to get there... her eyes shadowed over going through her thoughts as the imps started laughing and stepping up what they were doing to the nuns.
While looking at this, Prim was trying to appear scared while having other thoughts in her head, 'They know that Alicia-nee-sama is a strong believer, which is why they sent Imps beforehand to infiltrate the city. But the question is who did it...' she then looked at the maid who followed her, 'If worse comes, the jester will save the situation. Both Commander Niall and Lord Swain thought of it quite well, hihi~' she briefly flashed a smug before hiding her face, acting like she was crying, 'I will receive not only power but also the insurance that no man touches my Alicia-nee-sama. I can deal with that jester at a later time.'
"So~? What will it be~?" he knew that following the instructions of Volt could help, there's no way for this to fail.
The other knights looked horrified at what was about to happen, one of them going up to Alicia, "Lady Alicia, don't! we can still fight them, the battle is going in our favor, please, the commander will be back soon!"
Alicia clenched her fist even harder, as one of the nuns spotted her above them.
"L-lady Alicia...please...keep fighting...don't stop...for us...I'm begging you..." she pleaded to the shield, as her top was the next to be torn off.
The nuns begged and pleaded with Shield Princess to continue fighting, but as they did, the imps finally gave into to their lusts and began to vent off on those poor women...despite this, the ones who could still talk, persisted on her holding out and to look away from them.
At this point though, it was getting to be too much for the shield princess, she held up a hand with her eyes shadowed over, unable to bear it any longer..."W-we...we...we surrender..."
"Lady Alicia!" the other knight shouted horrified, "You can't mean...?! After everything?!"
"We surrender!" she once again repeated, loud enough for the demons to hear, making both of her knights hang their heads in defeat.
The grin grew to a point of deformity as the Imp leader began to laugh victoriously.
And that was it... after all that fighting they put up, it was over...the imps cackled, as the weight of what she'd done had was upon her now...
'Father...Mother...prim... my city I'm sorry, I failed you all...I couldn't protect you like I thought I could...' Alicia mentally cried, tears starting to flow from her shadowed-over expression.
However...Just as it seemed everything was down...
Jenelica took a deep breath before shaking her, "My poor little Alicia... you really did it... which means that you're no longer a Noble." she began to laugh before her lute began to create some sort of music that could be heard by everyone.
Axes flash, broadsword swing
Shining armour's piercing ring
Horses run with polished shield
Fight those bastards 'til they yield
Midnight mare and blood red roan
Fight to keep this land your own
Sound the horn and call the cry
How many of them can we make die?
She spun and killed three Dogs before deflecting a Holy Knight's sword.
Follow orders as you're told
Make their yellow blood run cold
Fight until you die or drop
A force like ours is hard to stop
Close your mind to stress and pain
Fight 'til you're no longer sane
Let not one damn cur pass by
How many of them can we make die?
She grinned as she heard a rallying not only from the soldiers fighting to protect the city but also a few civilians who took up weapons to fight the invaders.
Guard your women and children well
Send these bastards back to hell
We'll teach them the ways of war
They won't come here any more
Use your shield and use your head
Fight 'til every one is dead
Raise the flag up to the sky
How many of them can we make die?
While people were having a boost of morale, there was one person who felt nothing.
Rey inspected himself, not finding a glow on him, narrowing his eyes, "So she boosted everyone but me...that's perfect..." he groaned, slicing down an oncoming merc, giving him a finishing stab.
Alicia heard the music, her expression turning to that of shock, "This is...!"
The Imps were frozen, but not by fear or shock, simply by confusion.
"What the fu-" he didn't have time as he was cut in two.
The lead imp looked around to have most of his men dead before a shadowy blur ended up behind him...
"H-hey who the fuck are-?" he tried to utter before there was a flash of blue light and a click...there were flashes of cuts going over him, before he fell into blood pieces, unable to even scream with a look of shock and terror etched on his face.
There was a chuckle after that, a voice Alicia recognized...but dreaded. "Uh-oh, looks like somebody surrendered their city~!" the voice sang, as the blur revealed itself to be Recorder, smirking up at her in her half mask, "I would hate to wonder what would happen if someone important knew...it would be almost...tragic...poe-tic~!"
The shield princess bared her teeth at the newcomer, "It's you...you may be wearing a mask, but I know that voice anywhere...Recorder!" she growled, hand making her way to her blade.
Dargo landed next to her, stabbing an Imp who tried to sneak up on Recorder, "Pathetic Vermin..." he then noticed the melody, "This is..."
"Yeah...I hear it, I can even feel the power from it too..." Record nodded, looking at the glow on her hands and body, "That said," going over to the nuns, "Are you girls okay? I'm sorry we weren't here sooner to prevent all of...that..."
"T-thank you, Miss..." the lead nun thanked, "I don't know who you are, but your timing couldn't be any better...our princess just surrendered,"
Recorder chuckled, "Just because she, "Said it" doesn't mean actually is, many are still fighting, for now, you need to get somewhere safe, go with the harpies, they won't hurt you unless you get to tugging on their feathers," with a nervous expression as some landed near them.
The nun laughed, "Of course not, once again thank you and my Celestine's light bless you,"
"Uh-huh yeah...appreciate it, just go!" Record ushered.
The then Harpies swooped and took the nuns away to a safer place.
"They will take them to some healers." Dargo pointed before seeing a group of Holy Knights, that didn't have the boosting aura around them, "I take that they're enemies..." his hand began to hover above the pommel of his newly given weapon.
She chuckled, "Sounds about right, looks like that Bard isn't rallying everyone like they think she is," hand on her katana.
"You there!" Alicia yelled to the group of Knights, "Arrest them!"
"Yes, my lady!" the lead knight answered as the men charged the two.
"I take that she doesn't know." Dargo pointed, staying calm at the men charging them.
"It appears to be that way, she's either she's blind to it or that dead set on killing us," She sighed, sidestepping a knight that had tried to cleave her into, retaliating on him with a quick drawing slash, beheading him with a watery wave, "Oi, Princess Unreliable! if your bard's singing and they're not glowing something's wrong don't you think?!"
"S-She's right!" one of the knights standing with Alicia said as she looked at her hands, "Jenelica's voice can reach anyone in the city."
"No! They're trying to buy time!" Alicia roared, "I will have her head!"
Prim sighed as two other male knights entered, also not glowing.
"We need to escort all of you to Ur." one of them said.
"Sally... dispose of them," Prim said with a tired voice as the silent maid waved her hand, impaling the knights with red roots.
"W-What's going on?" Alicia was shocked as Prim walked to the balcony and looked at the city with cold eyes.
"Citizens and defenders of Feoh!" Prim spoke loudly, "The fight has yet to end! Fight for your home! For your family! For everything that you hold dear!"
In another part of town, Jenelica stabbed a Dog in the eyes before looking toward the castle, "Always hated that bratty bitch... but now's not the time for that." she took a deep breath before continuing.
Dawn has broke, the time has come
Move your feet to a marching drum
We'll win the war and pay the toll
We'll fight as one in heart and soul
Midnight mare and blood red roan
Fight to keep this land your own
Sound the horn and call the cry
How many of them can we make die?
Axes flash, broadsword swing
Shining armour's piercing ring
Horses run with polished shield
Fight those bastards 'til they yield
Midnight mare and blood red roan
Fight to keep this land your own
Sound the horn and call the cry
How many of them can we make die?
She dodged an arrow before throwing a dagger at the archer.
How many of them can we make die?
She smirked as she jumped to a rooftop.
How many of them can we make die?
Dargo noticed that he was still glowing, alongside Recorder, "Interesting... despite the end of the song, the benediction is still on."
"I know right?" quickly ducking and stabbing a holy knight casually with her hidden blades, "And we're enemies to them, I'm even openly insulting her...weird..."
"I think that she's the only one who sees us as enemies." Dargo pointed as he decapitated an Orc, "Monsters are showing up."
Recorder glanced up as the knights they were fighting did...One of the knights who was beside Alicia also looked up and her eyes widened...
"Lady Alicia! look! In the skies!" she called out to her, getting the princess to look up, her expression changing from anger to horror...
The Sky was now littered with large and small airships, belonging to the monster army, the flag proudly standing out on them, mounts also being seen flying around the city...
"W-W-What is going on..." Alicia stumbled back, falling on her ass, "What kind of nightmare is this..."
While Prim was smiling at the sight of it.
The ships then started letting off their forces, warriors in heavy armor, both human and monster engaged both the black dogs and holy knights, adding to the horror that she was already witnessing, and then...A large shadow rushes over them quickly following a violent boom of wind that blows on them from below with a loud cheering voice...another familiar voice to her.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Traysek's laugh echoed loudly, shaking the ground...
At this point, the shield princess was sweating, "It...it can't be...if he's here then that means..."
Recorder chuckled, "Oh good, looks like he finally made it," with a smirk as the knights in front of her regained their attention on them, "and it seems we're not done with them yet, Dargo, shall we?" grin getting wider.
Dargo simply nodded, "With pleasure." as the knights in front of them tensed up...
To be continued...
Important Author's note: Hello Everyone, if you've made it this far...thank you and I owe a couple of apologies...the first one, We're sorry it took this long to get this out, we were supposed to much earlier than this...like a month ago, but our other author had issues in life so we were held back while working on our craft to perfect the arc... We've decided to continue without her since we don't know when she's ever available, which is a shame, she had a great idea to add to this...oh well...so on that, we would like to apologize for the time it took...the second one would be on the fact that it took 40 chapters to get here... we've reviewed your criticism and understand, and did at first think of doing a lazy time skip but went against that. but now we're finally at the meat of this, expect part two to be even more action-packed than this one... until then, thank you all, and have a great day... :)