I apologize for the delay. Right before Christmas I switched jobs so I've been overloaded with work. I'll try to be more consistent with updates from now on.
Part Five
While the majority of the Liberation Army prepared to march upon Mlkwt Alsmwat, Daunte and his crew set off for Uaminifu. While ideally Daunte would've wanted to teleport to Uaminifu, Viki had revealed to him that she couldn't teleport him to a town he'd never visited.
"What about me?" Gunther had protested. "I've been to Uaminifu before! Can't you use me as the basis point for the teleportation?"
"How long ago was your last visit to Uaminifu?" Viki asked him.
Gunther had to think about it, which wasn't reassuring to Daunte. "If you can't remember the last time you were there, then unfortunately my Blinking Rune can't pinpoint the location. We'll have to physically be there in recent memory in order for my Rune to work."
"But what sense does that make?! I know I've been to Uaminifu before, and I know exactly where it is! Just because it wasn't most recently shouldn't matter! Why isn't the mere fact that I have been there enough to teleport us?!"
"I don't know," Viki answered unexpectedly.
Gunther gaped at her. "You don't know?! You're not an expert on your own Rune?!"
Viki shrugged, and said nothing more. So without further arguments they began gathering their 150 troops for the evacuation. Luckily they found enough volunteers who were willing to help them on this most dangerous mission.
"Lord Caesar laid out the plan for us," Gunther announced once everyone was mobilized. "There will be three squads with fifty soldiers. I will command one, Daunte will command the other, and Viki will command the third. Lord Caesar had strategized that Daunte and mine's unit station outside of Uaminifu and engage the Sheikh's forces when they arrive. Viki's unit will work to evacuate the citizens. With any luck the people of Uaminifu will cooperate enough that they can leave well before Sheikh Umed arrives, but in case they don't Viki will use her Blinking Rune to teleport the people out of there."
"A-Are you really sure that you want me to lead an entire unit?" Viki asked uneasily. Caesar had found a pair of nose plugs for her so her voice was a bit nasally at the moment. "I-I mean I trust in the power of my Blinking Rune, but do you really think I can teleport over eighty-thousand people?"
"You won't have to do all of them at once," Daunte reassured her. "Like Gunther said, with any luck the citizens will heed our warning and will evacuate. Besides, Caesar said that you teleported ships full of people in the past. One city should be just fine for you."
Viki nodded slowly. "All right…"
"So now that we have our units and soldiers, we must choose our lieutenants for our units," Gunther said, looking up. "Have you chosen yours, Daunte?"
Daunte nodded. "Roen and Felicity."
"Good. I've chosen Priscilla and Desiree—"
Felicity scoffed, but Gunther shrugged. "Hey, Lord Bearyl has commanded most everyone to march upon the capital! Otherwise Allise would be on my squad! Besides, Desiree is very quick on her feet and Priscilla said she's good with a sword! I'm sure they'll both be very helpful to me!"
"What about you, Viki?" Daunte asked her. "Which two people will you choose?"
"I-I don't know anyone in the Liberation Army," Viki admitted softly. "Lord Daunte, would you mind assigning two people to me?"
"Sure," Daunte said, standing up. "Since you're in charge of the group evacuating Uaminifu, you should have people who are capable of assisting you in getting people out." He thought about it for a long moment. "Let's see…if Shou's still hanging around, maybe we could—"
"I am."
Everyone jumped at the sudden appearance of Shou, who looked nonchalant. "If you want me to come with you, I'm ready."
"Really? Just like that?" Felicity asked.
Shou shrugged rather lazily. "I swore myself to your cause, so I might as well make myself useful."
Daunte nodded. "Thank you, Shou. You'll be in Viki's unit."
"Oh, you." Shou turned to address Viki. "Oboro knows you. He said my parents know you, too."
"They probably do," Viki agreed, laughing slightly.
"And…uh…" Daunte thought about Viki's second lieutenant. "How about Sharon? I'm sure she could use Suna to help motivate the citizens to evacuate."
"But Suna technically counts as an extra person," Gunther said. "Viki can only have two other people be her lieutenants."
"And I don't think Sharon would come to the battlefield without her dragon," Roen said.
"Then how about this?" Daunte said suddenly. "We'll assign Sharon officially to the unit, and we'll have Suna fly overhead as a non-participant. The sight of the dragon should not only scare the people of Uaminifu, but it should also spook the Sheikh's soldiers!"
"That's actually a good idea," Gunther said. "We'll have to be careful though that the Sheikh doesn't have too many archer units. They may have promise not to engage us lethally, but I'm sure a dragon is a completely different matter."
"I-I think I remember Sharon," Viki said softly. "Or m-maybe not. The Sharon I'm thinking of didn't have a dragon…I think."
"So we're all set," Gunther said, standing up. "Let's go catch up to that angry ex-Cleric before he gets himself killed. Unless there's anything else you'd like to do before leaving, Daunte?"
Daunte shook his head. "Let's go."
They gathered the army for their quick advance towards Uaminifu. Daunte wasn't at all comforted by their small numbers, and he was uneasy about what was bound to happen once the Sheikh's forces arrived. But he could already see that the soldiers were uneasy about what they were doing, and so he kept his feelings to himself. He made sure that his expression remained blank, and whenever Gunther or Roen or Felicity spoke to him he spoke in a calm and steady voice.
I'm leading a unit significantly smaller than what I've led before. They all already look nervous, so it won't do any good if I look nervous.
Halfway to Uaminifu they found Farzin. The Cleric was still positively seething over his encounter with Bearyl, but his mood lightened when he realized that they were coming to help. Though Daunte's own apprehension grew when he saw that their small numbers also made Farzin nervous.
We'll make it work somehow.
Once they reached Uaminifu, Daunte was very relieved to see the city still standing. Sheikh Umed and his forces hadn't arrived yet. "All right, we need to mobilize around the city. We should also meet with the mayor and see if we can get their assistance with the evacuation procedure."
"I'm acquainted with the mayor," Farzin said. "His name is Eamon Hiere and he's a very good politician. However, he was also promoted to mayor of Uaminifu precisely because of his radical views."
"He's responsible for turning so many children in to the Dark Chasm!" Felicity hissed.
"That may be, but so is Sheikh Umed," Farzin said calmly. "And yet Sheikh Umed wants us to avert this massacre. I believe Eamon can be reasoned with but it will be difficult. I think we should avoid bringing in the military presence until after we speak with him."
"I…don't think we're going to have much luck reaching out to the local government about this," Gunther said slowly. "There's no way they would believe us that their beloved Sheikh is leading a citywide massacre against them."
"We should still try." Farzin looked at Daunte. "My Lord, I believe the best course of action would be to infiltrate the city and speak with the mayor. If we just surround the city with our forces, the city guards may attack before the Sheikh even arrives!"
"That's a good point," Daunte said, nodding. "All right, we'll infiltrate the city and seek out Mayor Eamon Hiere and try to get his cooperation."
"Good luck," Gunther said dryly. "I'll stay outside the city limits just in case the Sheikh's forces arrive. Plus, I didn't leave Uaminifu on a good note the last time I was here, so it's best I don't venture inside."
"What did you do?" Roen asked him.
Gunther forced a smile at him. "It's not your concern."
"I'll go into the city," Daunte said. "And I'll take you with me, sir." He motioned to Farzin. "Since you know the mayor."
"So that's two people," Gunther said. "Who else will you take with you? I'll be staying out here, and Viki needs to stay out here to be on the lookout."
"I think it's best if I stay out of the city limits," Priscilla said. She tugged at her own scarlet sleeve. "These clothes mark me as a criminal, after all."
"Why don't you change out of them, then?" Felicity asked her.
Priscilla shrugged. "I don't have any other outfits. Besides, I think this color is growing on me."
Daunte looked over the people under his command carefully before deciding. "Shou, Roen, Felicity, and Desiree."
"All right, good." Gunther glanced at Farzin. "Well you have a great company to keep you safe if necessary."
Farzin scoffed and shook his head. "I can defend myself just fine."
"Really? How so?"
Farzin raised a hardcover book. Daunte remembered that he had held it against Bearyl threateningly previously. "You'd be surprised how much damage a book can do. But never mind that, we're wasting time."
"Good luck you guys, and don't be too long," Gunther said. "Today is the day the Sheikh is supposed to attack, so they'll be arriving at any time."
With his assembled party, Daunte traveled into Uaminifu. Per Farzin's suggestion they went through the front gates and though Daunte was very concerned they would be recognized, the soldiers barely glanced at them and skimmed their identification books. However, Daunte quickly got a feeling of dèjà vu when the guard checking their books suddenly spoke to them. "Can you name three of the first High Clerics of the Theocracy?"
"Aaliyah, Huda, and Rifat," Farzin immediately answered.
The guard positively grinned at them and gave them back their books. "Welcome to Uaminifu."
It didn't get much better from there. As it was late morning on a clear sunny day, the streets were packed with people. And it wasn't just the guards asking them religious questions—the shopkeepers and even random citizens stopped them and quizzed them about the Scriptures. Being a Cleric himself, Farzin answered every question effortlessly and even corrected the people who asked him questions with incorrect information. It reminded Daunte strongly of Kõrkus, but much more intensive.
And that wasn't the end of the fanaticism however, as they continued down the streets. All around them Daunte caught various conversations, and the dialogue was…unsettling.
"—Sheikhs are purging the land of heretics!"
"Such a shame that so many children are so sinful!"
"Indeed! Why, just last month I had to turn my own sister in! She'd always been so shameless ever since we were children, but the way she kept looking at my husband…she never looked at her own husband that way! I knew she would sin and I needed to stop her before she did!"
"—heard that the heathens in the Dark Chasm are now being fed only once a day. What on earth are they thinking? Don't those children want to redeem themselves? Why do they continue to act sinfully that the government has to keep strengthening their punishment?"
The conversations Daunte was overhearing was literally making him sick. He glanced at Roen and Felicity and he saw that they too looked extremely uncomfortable by what they were hearing. I'm…starting to see some validation as to why Lord Bearyl didn't want to save these people. But…But I can't abandon them. Their ignorance is so infuriating, but I won't leave them all to die!
They neared the end of the market district and were starting to turn towards the upper crust residential neighborhood when Daunte caught sight of a rune shop and raised his hand. "Guys, I need to make a quick stop. I want to see if this shop has a Boar Rune."
"That makes sense considering you wield a tekko," Farzin said. "But we really need to hurry. The Sheikh could arrive at any moment."
"I'm all set with Runes," Shou said as they entered the shop. "So I don't th—" he abruptly stopped talking and paused. Daunte stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw.
"Oh, good morning." A stunningly scantily-clad beautiful woman with long silver hair greeted them from behind the counter. Her voice was sultry and she dipped her curvaceous body over the counter and Daunte had to advert his eyes so he wouldn't accidentally look down her dress. "How can I help you all today?"
"I-I'm looking for a Boar Rune," Daunte said, still keeping his eyes away from the Runemistress. "Do you have any?"
The Runemistress laughed softly behind her hand. "Of course I do. I would be glad to attach it your hand for 1,500 bits. Unless you're a government employee, for which the price is 150 bits. Do we have a deal?"
"Yes," Daunte said. He stepped forward and offered his left hand. "I'm not a government employee, so I will pay 1,500 bits."
The Runemistress quickly attached the Rune to Daunte's hand, and Daunte felt a measure of relief having the Boar Rune to use. She turned sultry eyes towards the rest of the party. "Is there anyone else who would like a Rune?"
"Miss Jeane, I did the inventory," a clerk came out from the back room. "Our stock is down eighty-five percent from last month."
"Well, it can't be helped," Jeane said, straightening up. "With all the new regulations it's become too expensive to keep full inventory."
"But we may not have enough money to—"
"We'll be fine," she reassured him calmly.
Daunte wanted to ask her if she would like to join the Liberation Army, but before he could speak Farzin cut him off. "So you got your Rune. We need to leave now."
"Have a good day," Jeane told them good-naturedly. She blew a kiss at them as they left.
Per Farzin's insistence they left the rune shop and followed him out of the market district and towards the mayor's house. "Allow me to do the talking," Farzin said over his shoulder. "Word may not have reach this city yet that I was defrocked, so we might be able to get in there without effort."
"Right," Daunte said, nodding.
It wasn't long before they reached the gates of Eamon's mansion, and Farzin saluted the guards at the gates. "I am Cleric Farzin Masood. I'm here to speak with Mayor Eamon Hiere about important matters."
"We were unaware of any Clerics coming by for a visit," one guard said.
"I apologize for the short notice, but it of the most absolute importance that I speak with him," Farzin responded.
The guards looked at each other before nodding. "It's not our place to refuse a Cleric. Come in."
Daunte could barely hide the sigh of relief as they were escorted onto the mansion's grounds. The guards on patrol snapped to attention as they passed and he tried not to look nervous. With any luck the mayor will see reason.
They were led straight to Eamon Hiere's office. Daunte had been expecting an older man, possibly older than Farzin. So he was surprised to see that Eamon Hiere was in fact younger than Farzin, possibly his early thirties. He wore the white uniform one would expect from a Nagarean government official, and it contrasted strongly with his dark bronze skin. His eyes were pale silver, and they looked upon them with intensity.
"Cleric Farzin Masood," Eamon greeted, standing up from his desk and walking around it to stand in front of it. "It's been a long time."
"Far too long," Farzin greeted him. "I see you're still running Uaminifu efficiently."
"Thank you," Eamon said sincerely. "I must say I'm surprised to see you."
"I understand—"
"Especially since you were recently defrocked."
Daunte stiffened, and snapped into a fighting pose when the guards stationed around the room quickly drew their weapons. "Damn," Shou said under his breath.
"I hope you'll forgive me, but I must take you all into custody," Eamon said.
Farzin didn't look surprised by the ambush. In fact, he barely moved a hair. "Well, then let's skip the pleasantries. You're all about to die."
"Really?" Eamon asked, not looking fazed. "And how are we all about to die?"
"Because Sheikh Keiran Umed is marching upon this city with his forces under orders to massacre all of you."
The guards shifted with shock at this proclamation. Eamon however still looked unmoved. "Am I supposed to be impressed by such an outlandish lie, Farzin?"
"Have I ever been known to be outlandish?" Farzin asked him. "This isn't a joke, Eamon—"
"Do not speak to me with such familiarity," Eamon snapped at him.
"This isn't a joke," Farzin quickly repeated himself. "Right now as we speak, the Sheikh is on his way here to kill every citizen of this city."
"And again," Eamon responded. "Am I supposed to be impressed by your lie?"
"I'm not lying to you!" Farzin exploded. He shook his hands with frustration. "I was there in the Grand Citadel when the Cabinet of High Clerics drafted this resolution! They ordered this massacre to turn the country against the Liberation Army!"
"The country is against the Liberation Army. There is nothing to accomplish by killing us, the most faithful city in all of Nagarea." He waved his hand. "Seize them."
Daunte was very disappointed that Eamon wasn't listening to them, but in all honesties he wasn't surprised. Well…we tried at least.
"Don't you understand?!" Felicity exploded with anger. "They are coming here and they are going to kill you! The Sheikh himself sent us here ahead of him to evacuate the city!"
"Now you're truly not making any sense," Eamon said. "You're telling me the Sheikh is going to kill us all, but you're also telling me that he wants to evacuate the city?"
"He doesn't want to kill you all, but he's been compelled to do it! We're here to stop him! Just listen to us!"
"No. I refuse to listen to anymore nonsense."
"So you're not going to call for an evacuation?" Farzin asked him.
"Why would I organize the evacuation of a city of eight-five thousand people based on tall-tales?"
"I—"
"Lord Daunte!"
There was a sudden 'whoosh' and a burst of light within the chamber, and Viki suddenly appeared. The guards shouted in shock and jumped away, and Eamon's jaw dropped in shock. "Lord Daunte," Viki said, hurrying to Daunte's side. "The scouts—the scouts have spotted a large number of soldiers three kilometers away!"
"T-They're here!" Roen cried out.
"Now do you believe us?!" Farzin snapped at Eamon. But Eamon only shrugged. "The soldiers are probably here for you."
"Wait a minute," Shou said suddenly, looking at Viki. "How did you teleport here?"
"Because Gunther knew you guys would be at the mayor's mansion," Viki responded.
"But you've never been here before," Shou said. "If you've never been here, how did you teleport here?"
Viki shrugged. "I don't know. I just did."
Daunte didn't want to question the logic of Viki's Blinking Rune at the moment. He grabbed her by her hand. "Get us out of here! We need to take position to defend the city!"
"You're not going anyw—" Eamon began, but he was cut off when Viki activated her Blinking Rune and teleported the group straight out the office.
"What should we do, sir?" a soldier asked him. "Do we evacuate the city?"
"Of course not," Eamon said harshly. "You should know better than to believe tall-tales told by the Liberation Army! If there ae any soldiers on their way here, they're most likely here for them, not us!"
"I…yes, sir."
"So the trip was a total waste of time?" Gunther asked blandly.
"I can't believe that moron won't see reason!" Farzin raged, slamming a fist down upon his book. "How hard is it to believe that they're going to die if we don't save them?!"
"Well, even you have to admit that our story is pretty outrageous," Priscilla said blandly. "Even if it is the truth."
Daunte held a hand over his eyes and squinted at the Army advancing from three kilometers away. "I'm seeing four full army units. So it really is 400 soldiers against our 150."
"Yeah, the odds still don't look good," Roen said grimly. "Especially with the city being uncooperative."
"Lord Daunte."
Daunte nearly jumped out of his skin when Shou suddenly materialized beside him. "My Lord, we have a situation," Shou said. His blunt tone, however, lessened the impact of his words.
"Well, we clearly have a situation," Sharon said sharply. "Or haven't you seen the army advancing?"
"There's more to it than that. Lord Daunte." Shou stepped closer. "The Sheikh's main unit has a High Cleric in it."
Daunte felt his heart sink, and a strong feeling of dread filled his being. He quickly looked at Gunther, who similarly looked unnerved by this news. Oh Nagar. Did we walk into a trap?!
"A High Cleric?!" Roen exclaimed. "That can't be! They're supposed to be on recess!"
"T—Then they're not on recess?!" Desiree cried out, pressing a hand to her throat.
"Allise!" Gunther shouted. He looked towards the south in horror. "The Army—are they walking into a trap?!"
"We've been had!" Felicity snapped. She wrung a hand through her hair, causing her veil to become lopsided. "Did…were we deceived into coming here after all!"
"No!" Farzin snapped. "The massacre is real! Otherwise I wouldn't have risked my life to come all the way out here!"
"But this is odd," Priscilla said grimly. "Didn't the Sheikh say they would be arriving in civilian clothes to help put blame on the Liberation Army? If they're riding with High Cleric, then they're leaving the impression that this massacre really was sanctioned by the government, which would be counterintuitive. Maybe…" she looked at Daunte fearfully. "Maybe this really was another trap?"
Daunte swallowed thickly and looked back towards the Sheikh's Army. He remembered the argument he'd witnessed between Keiran and the Matron. Keiran had been genuinely furious during the argument, so this couldn't have been entirely faked. And he was angry without even knowing Daunte was there!
But having a High Cleric ride with a group that's about to massacre an entire city is a humongous PR mistake. I mean, the High Clerics don't even visit the Dark Chasm because of the potential negative publicity, but yet one High Cleric risks being linked to a massacre?! That doesn't make any sense!
"Daunte," Gunther spoke to him calmly. "We need to decide what to do. Either they've tricked us, or they really are here for a massacre. If it's the latter then we need to take position and defend the city, because they refuse to evacuate. But if it's the former, then we need to get the hell out of here before it's too late."
"The soldiers are moving too quickly for me to gather enough information in time to find out which one is right," Shou said. He looked at Daunte. "What should we do?"
What was the right decision? Risk the lives of his meager units on the very real chance this was a trap, just to save a city of ungrateful zealots? Or to run and save themselves and potentially risk the deaths of eighty-five thousand people? Daunte let out a shaky breath. Since when did this suddenly become my sole decision?! …But I guess this is what happens when you're a leader.
"Daunte," Gunther said again. "We need to decide now before it's too late. Do we stay or do we leave?"
Daunte hesitated for but a moment, before he nodded stiffly. "Gunther, take your unit and position yourselves to the northwest of the city. I will take my unit and position us to the northeast. The army is advancing upon us from a single direction, so we don't have to worry about an ambush from the back. Viki?"
"Y-Yes?" Viki asked, stepping forward.
"Take your unit back into Uaminifu and try to start the evacuation process," Daunte told her. "Do anything you can to get the citizens out of the city. Sharon, can you have Suna fly overhead?"
"Sure!" Sharon said cheerfully.
"Thank you. And Shou?"
"I'll just spread a lot of rumors," Shou said. "That should scare a few people."
"Thank you. Farzin." Daunte looked to the ex-Cleric. "Stay with Viki's unit and help with the evacuations."
"I'll do what I can," Farzin promised.
"All right, everyone, let's MOVE!" Gunther shouted. "They're coming!"
The Evacuation of Uaminifu
Sheikh's Forces: 400
Liberation Army Forces: 150
Victory: Hold the Sheikh's forces off long enough for the evacuation to complete
Failure: The Sheikh's forces reach the city
Two kilometers outside of city limits, Keiran craned his neck as he looked around. He was dressed in a zaffre-colored sherwani with cream-colored pants, and his Kampilan sword was strapped to his hip. He frowned deeply. Where are they?
"And here we are." High Cleric Yuuto brought his horse to a stop beside Keiran's. He looked at the Sheikh with a harsh expression behind his white hood. "Remember what you were told, Keiran Umed. If you fail in your duty again, you will be relieved of your command."
Keiran did not look at him, but kept his voice steady. "I understand."
Behind him, dressed in a crimson-colored sherwani and brown pants, Mihr was visibly seething and glaring at Yuuto's back. The rest of the Sheikh's soldiers looked equally grim. None of them were enthusiastic about the task they were being compelled to perform.
But I didn't agree to lead this…campaign, then my men would've been left in the "care" of that adulterous, murdering bastard. Keiran's frown deepened. And who knows what depths that man will sink to in order to appeal to the High Clerics? What he will force my men to do in order to elevate his own status?
"Well?" Yuuto demanded sharply. "What are you waiting for, Umed? Lead your Army and advance upon the city!"
"Sir!" Lanny was shouting as his horse quickly rode up to them. He was dressed in a forest green tunic and black pants, and his eyes were wide. "Sir—the Liberation Army! The Liberation Army is here!" he didn't bother hiding the relief in his voice.
"What?!" Yuuto shouted, glaring in the direction of Uaminifu. Keiran took the opportunity to let out the breath he was holding. "Why on earth are those infidels here?!"
"Ex-Cleric Farzin Masood must have caught up to them to warn them about our advance," Keiran said bluntly. "Without a doubt they have aligned with the city and are armed to defend it. This is a lost cause, and I cannot risk the lives of my men against the combined forces of the Liberation Army and the city. I will call for the retreat." He was already starting to turn his horse around.
"Not so fast!" Yuuto interjected. He pointed towards the city. "Just look at them, Sheikh! What a pitiful force! You can overtake them easily!"
Keiran froze in his saddle, and his head snapped around. He saw two group forming on the north end of Uaminifu, but dread settled into his stomach. He yanked out his binoculars and looked. His eyes swiftly looked over each unit and his jaw hung open in shock.
A…Are you kidding me? Those aren't full army units! Is that even 100 people?! How could they do this?! I told them the threat was very real, and Bearyl Lutis sent the bare minimum help?!
"HA!" Yuuto laughed, looking through his own pair of binoculars. "The guards on the city walls are shooting arrows at them! Oh, this is going to be much easier than I could've imagined!" he lowered his binoculars and grinned wickedly. "With the Liberation Army present, and with the citizens of Uaminifu openly treating them with hostility, we'll definitely be able to convince the public that the rebels caused this massacre! Hell, we might even convince the citizens of Uaminifu that this is the fault of the heretics!" he nodded to Keiran. "This is our chance. Order your men to charge, Sheikh!"
Keiran slowly lowered his binoculars. For the first time in years he felt genuine fear in the pit of his being. He looked over his shoulder at Mihr, and his second-in-command looked positively furious at the circumstances. Keiran slowly turned back around, and briefly touched a hand to the hilt of his sword. Maybe…Maybe I should kill the High Cleric and force a retreat? I could blame it on—
But it was a ludicrous thought and he quickly shook his head. No. No, they would know I did it. They would definitely know I did it. And if I killed a High Cleric, they wouldn't just execute me. All of my other men here today would die, and so would their families. He grinded his teeth together. Damn you. Damn you, Bearyl Lutis!
"Sheikh!" Yuuto snapped. "Every second we sit here is a second of wasted opportunity! Call the order to advance now!"
Of course the High Cleric would require Keiran to call the order. By Keiran giving the order it expunge Yuuto of responsibility of the massacre, even if he was practically blackmailing Keiran into doing this. Keiran let out a short breath, and steadied his voice. He raised his right hand. "Units B and C. Forward march!"
"STOP SHOOTING ARROWS AT US!" Gunther hollered from behind his shield. "Don't you idiots see the Army advancing?! They're here to kill you!"
"That's not the Sheikh!" a soldier shouted. "They're in civilian clothes! You're not fooling anyone!"
"They have a blasted High Cleric with them!"
"Really?" several soldiers looked up towards the advancing army. One soldier's eyes widened. "Sir! That looks like the robes of a High Cleric!"
Daunte felt a measure of relief, especially when he saw the shock in the sergeant's face. However, it was short-lived. "If that is the Sheikh, then they're obviously here for the Liberation Army, not us!" he glared down at the Army stationed to protect them. "Just get out of here, you damned heretics!" the guards on the wall readied their bows again, and the Liberation Army frantically raised their bow-covered shields.
"Hey, Daunte!" Gunther shouted as another rain of arrows showered over them. "It's not too late to leave these guys to their fate!"
"Now is not the time to be sarcastic, Gunther!" Daunte shouted back to him. He was sandwiched between Roen and Felicity behind a shield.
"I'm NOT!" Gunther shouted back to him. But Daunte heard the grin in his voice so he wasn't entirely sure if he was serious or not.
"I hope Viki is having better luck than us," Daunte muttered.
Inside the city, however…
"O-Okay, everyone!" Viki shouted meekly as the citizens of the market district ignored her and went about their business like normal. Sharon stood beside her and glared at the oblivious people around her. "If all of you would come over here, I can teleport you to safety! …Um, excuse me?"
"Damn you, you idiots!" Farzin shouted. The insult actually worked to make people pause and look at them. "The end of on nigh! If you don't get out of this city, you're all going to be slaughtered! You and you and you and YOU!" he gestured wildly at them. "None of you are going to live to see nightfall!"
The stares only lingered for a few more moments before the citizens continued about their business.
"This is a bust," Shou snapped as he materialized beside them. "I've sent out my rumors, but nobody is listening to me! If they're going to be this blind to a threat on their lives, then maybe they deserve what they get!"
"Hey!" Viki yelped. "That's a terrible thing to say!"
"We're going to die too if we stay here!" Shou pointed out.
"Oh, for the love of…!" Sharon growled. She pressed two fingers to her mouth and whistled. "Suna!"
A loud growl reverberated the air, and the citizens finally stilled and looked skyward. The golden baby dragon flew overhead, growling as menacingly as it could.
"A dragon!" someone shrieked.
"There's a monster!"
"Suna, set fire to someone's house!" Sharon called out gleefully.
Unfortunately, Suna's presence had a less than desirable impact on the people of Uaminifu. Instead of falling into line to evacuate, they instead panicked. Within seconds a full-scale riot had erupted in the market district.
"Oh, this is worse than before!" Viki wailed, rubbing a hand to her head. "They're too scattered for me to teleport them!"
"Oops?" Sharon offered unapologetically.
"I should've stayed in Falena," Shou grumbled, folding his arms over his chest.
"Well, it looks like we're going to die here with everyone else," Farzin sighed. He sounded as though he were disappointed with the weather, and not about their impending death.
"A dragon!" a guard on the wall shouted. "There's a dragon flying through the town!"
"Damn!" the sergeant snapped. "Forget the Liberation Army for right now! Focus your arrows on the dragon before it kills somebody!"
"This is a disaster," Felicity complained softly.
"GUYS!" they heard Desiree shouted.
Daunte lifted the shield and his jaw dropped. Two units from the Sheikh's army was less than nine meters away! The two units split to engage each of Gunther and Daunte's units, and Daunte could've sworn he saw Lanny in the unit advancing on Gunther. The unit advancing upon Daunte, however, was led by Mihr. "T…TO ARMS!" he shouted. "Don't let them near Uaminifu!"
"A-Are we supposed to attack the Liberation Army?" a soldier asked Mihr.
"Do we have any other choice?" Mihr responded.
"O-Oh Nagar," Roen said fearfully. "That's a cavalry unit. And we're an infantry unit!"
"Use nonlethal force!" Daunte snapped as they began to charge towards Mihr's unit. "The Sheikh swore to me that they would engage us nonlethally!"
"But you promised the Sheikh a larger unit!" one of the Liberation Army soldiers shouted to Daunte.
Daunte didn't have time to feel dread about that simple fact when Mihr's unit was upon them.
From the back of the battle, Keiran calmly turned to the remaining archery unit. "Fire arrows upon the battlements."
"Ah, good!" Yuuto laughed. "That will kill the guards on duty while they're distracted."
Keiran had discussed this with the unit before Yuuto had spontaneously arrived to ride with them into this massacre. He had guessed that Uaminifuwould have a hard time believing Daunte's story about their arrival to kill them all, so he brought his archery unit to open fire upon the battlements. Not to kill anyone, really, but to let the city know that the threat was very real.
"Damn, that dragon is too fast!" one soldier complained.
"INCOMING!" a soldier shrieked.
"WHAT?!" the sergeant shouted. They had been distracted, so when the arrows began raining down upon them they were taken entirely off-guard. The guards panicked, and despite Keiran's careful efforts to not harm anyone their panic caused several guards to be hit.
"T-They fired upon us!" a wounded guard wailed, clutching at the arrow in his knee. "The Sheikh's forces!"
"The Sheikh's firing upon the battlements?!" Roen shouted in disbelief. Daunte however was too distracted by their battle to be surprised.
"W…" the sergeant looked towards Keiran's forces with disbelief. "What's going on?"
"Again," Keiran commanded grimly. The words tasted foul in his mouth. Thankfully the soldiers on the wall were better prepared for the second wave of arrows and scrambled in different directions.
"Sir!" a guard on one of the towers shrieked, clutching a spyglass to his chest. "I saw it! I saw Sheikh Umed! He motioned to the archery unit, and they fired upon us! It really is him and he gave the order to attack us!"
"We TOLD YOU SO!" Gunther barked over his shoulder as he parlayed another soldier's blow.
"G-Get off the wall!" the sergeant shouted. "Find the mayor NOW! The Sheikh attacked us! They really are here to kill us!"
FINALLY, Daunte thought with relief.
Mihr's unit did indeed keep their word and were engaging them nonlethally, and Daunte could see that Gunther's unit was also being engaged nonlethally, but they were still being overwhelmed. The blows they received still hurt though, and bones were broken.
Gunther's unit didn't fare better, though some were more amused than others.
"STAY STILL!" Lanny shouted. Despite the order to use nonlethal force, his youthful anger was getting the better of him. He kept stabbing his sword at Desiree, who was effortlessly dodging him with graceful, fluid motions. "Damn it all, fight me!"
"Aggressive as always, aren't you boy?" Priscilla laughed at him.
Lanny's eyes went wide when he saw her. "W-What are you doing here? HEY!" he snapped at Desiree. He swung his sword again, but she dodged it this time with a graceful backflip. The motion however caused her helmet to fall off, and her pink curls fell down around her head as she straightened.
Lanny's eyes went wide, and he froze in his tracks. "Y…You're a girl?!"
Desiree giggled, and took advantage of his shock to calmly kick the sword out of his hand. "OW!" Lanny yelped, clutching at his wrist. The shock faded and he quickly became angry. "Why, you little—!" he charged at Desiree with nothing but his bare hands, but the dancer used her superior speed to once again dodge him. This left Lanny stumbling forward until he fell face-first into the dirt.
"Oh, don't be angry," Desiree cooed to him. She held out a hand to him. "Are you all right?"
Lanny merely glared at her and scrambled back to her feet. "Stop mocking me!" he snapped.
Desiree blinked. "I'm not mocking. I simply—"
"Hey, it's Desiree!" one of Keiran's soldier's shouted. In the blink of an eye, roughly a quarter of the Sheikh's forces in that unit abandoned the fight to mob Desiree.
"The dancer from Baltas!"
"She joined the Liberation Army?!"
"I don't care! She's even more beautiful up close!"
"Thank you, thank you!" Desiree laughed, taking the opportunity to sign autographs for her adoring fans.
"H-Hey! HEY!" Lanny shouted. "We're in the middle of a battle! We're supposed to be fighting! Not fawning over some girl!"
"You're too young to understand, Lanny!" a soldier snapped at him.
Lanny's face turned purple with anger. "I'm NOT too young!" he stomped his feet in anger. "I'm already thirteen, you moron!"
Gunther watched all of this in silence for a moment, especially after his own opponent abandoned their fight to reach Desiree. Then he calmly sheathed his sword. "And they thought I was crazy for bringing her along…"
"We should probably go and save her though," Priscilla laughed.
"Why? She's clearly enjoying the attention." Indeed, Desiree looked positively delighted by the soldiers fawning over her.
Inside Uaminifu, the mood was a lot less pleasant.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Eamon Hiere shouted as he arrived in the market district with his bodyguards. "There's a bloody battle going on outside and my citizens are rioting?!"
"Mayor!" two wounded soldiers limped towards him. They briefly saluted before speaking. "The Sheikh! The Sheikh attacked us!"
"W-WHAT?!" Eamon hollered, doing a double-take.
"H-He ordered his archery unit to fire upon the battlements!" the second soldier wailed. "Our injuries—they were caused by the Sheikh, not the Liberation Army! He's really here to slaughter us!"
"A-A-A-A-A-A…" Eamon sputtered frantically as he tried to formulate words. "Are you absolutely certain it was the Sheikh and not some imposter?"
"It WAS the Sheikh!" the first confirmed. "I recognized him through my spyglass! And-And he had a High Cleric with him! This was obviously a government-sanctioned attack against us!"
Eamon slapped a hand over his mouth in disbelief. Cold, ugly fear quickly filled his body and it made him physically ill. He looked to his bodyguards for support, but they were also at a loss for words. One or two were even staring at him accusatorily.
I…oh, Nagar. I-If I had started the evacuations when Farzin told me to, I…he felt like he was about to throw up. My citizens are going to die because of me. What have I done?
"Sir!" the first soldier hollered. "What do we do?!"
Eamon nodded jerkily and he spoke in an unsteady voice. "Ring the alert bells and order the evacuation. Direct the citizens out through the south entrance. Hurry!"
"My Lord, the girl who teleported into your office is right there!" one of his bodyguards exclaimed, pointing towards Viki. "Maybe she can get most of them out of here safely?"
Eamon nodded again. "Y-Yes. Start gathering up the groups here and send them over to that girl. Everyone else needs to proceed to the south entrance! Now!"
"It looks like Eamon is finally seeing reason," Farzin said grimly.
"But this is too chaotic!" Viki wailed. "I can't coordinate a mass teleportation like this!"
"Oh, jeez," Shou groaned, covering his face in his hand.
Outside of town, the alarm bells could clearly be heard. Daunte sighed with relief and shook his head. "They're finally evacuating the town!" he shouted over to Roen and Felicity.
"Good!" Felicity shouted.
The sounds of the evacuation bells reached Keiran's unit. "T-They're evacuating!" Yuuto exclaimed. He gestured at Keiran. "Hurry! We need to do this now!"
Keiran hesitated for a moment before raising his hand. "Units A and D. Forward march!"
The realization that the Sheikh really was there to massacre them did not cause the citizens of Uaminifu to mobilize in an orderly fashion. All it did was cause widespread panic. Almost all of the eighty-five thousand people were caught up in the hysteria, fleeing their homes with whatever they could carry and trampling over each other. Only a handful listened to reason and either made their way to the south entrance and out of harm's way, or made their way towards Viki to be safely teleported outside of town.
Three hundred people, however, did not yield the evacuation warnings and fled out through the north entrance and right into the middle of the battle.
"W-What the—STOP!" Daunte shrieked as the panicked citizens, men and women and children of various ages pushed themselves out into the midst of the battle. "No! Get back!"
"You idiots, you're going to get yourselves killed!" Gunther shouted. "Damn it all! What is Viki doing?!"
"P-Please stop pulling at me!" Viki wailed as dozens of hands grabbed for her. "I-I-I can't concentrate like this!"
"Dragon girl, get your damned dragon!" Farzin shouted. People recognized him as a Cleric and threw themselves at his feet, asking for a final blessing. Others were also pulling at him.
"My name is Sharon!" Sharon snapped, but she whistled again for Suna, who came out from the sky and flew down towards the mob. But this only caused even greater panic as people scrambled in different directions to get out of the way.
On a nearby rooftop, Shou was lounging and watching the clouds. "What a pain," he grumbled.
"Oh no, guys!" Priscilla shouted. She pointed. "The Sheikh! He's coming!"
Of course, this shout did nothing to quell the panic. Both Daunte's forces, Gunther's forces, and even the Sheikh's forces were overwhelmed by panicking, angry citizens. And both sides were being violently assaulted by the citizens who didn't know who was defending their city, and who was there to kill them.
"Well, this was a bust," Mihr said, sheathing his sword. Someone grabbed him from behind, and he instinctively elbowed the attacker in the face. He turned and gave pause when he saw an elderly man lying on the ground, clutching his bleeding face. "Sorry," he offered lamely.
Daunte was left standing there, dumbstruck. This was worse than anything he could've imagined. And while he now fully believed that the Sheikh had wanted to prevent the massacre, both of their efforts were clearly going to waste. People were being trampled, and to his horror he actually saw some kill in clear self-defense. This was not how this was supposed to happen. "Howl!" he shouted, frantically healing the people surrounding him. It worked, but they kept fighting and trampling. "HOWL!" he frantically shouted again, tears stinging his eyes as he was forced to use his healing spell once more. But it did nothing to quell the chaos around him.
The Sheikh should've done more to prevent this. However, I know that his replacement would've actually launched a massacre and not a pretend one. No…WE should've done more. Lord Bearyl should've allowed us to take as many soldiers as we could to defend this city. If we outnumbered the Sheikh's forces, he could've convinced the High Cleric this was a lost cause!
Daunte felt a blow strike the back of his head and he saw stars. He took two steps forward and fell onto his knees. His vision rattled, and he felt blood slide down his neck and soak into his collar. In a clear daze, he sat there dumbly as an angry citizen rounded upon him, crying hysterically as he raised a pole.
"You damned Holy Army scoundrel!" the man shrieked. "A-After everything we've done for you and you reward us with death?!"
Daunte gaped at him. After everything he had done to save these people and they thought he was there to kill them?!
"STOP IT!" Roen hollered, tackling the man. He punched the man twice in the face, knocking him unconscious, before joining Felicity at Daunte's side. "Daunte, hang in there!"
"Are you all right?" Felicity asked him softly.
Daunte then lost his temper. "Damn you all. DAMN YOU ALL!" he jumped to his feet, despite the motion making him dizzy. "We're trying to save you! SAVE YOU! And all of you are too stupid and too self-absorbed to realize this! None of you care what we sacrificed by coming here! You don't care what the Sheikh has had to sacrifice by trying to save you! No, all of you are too stupid to understand ANYTHING!"
His right hand suddenly exploded in green-yellow light. Daunte gaped at the Rune of Restoration, and the people surrounding him abruptly stopped fighting to stare. He slowly raised his right hand, feeling his head injury heal and his vision cleared as he raised his right hand high.
The familiar voice then returned, whispering in his ears. "Berate."
Daunte gasped. He'd heard this word before, back when he'd been imprisoned in the Sheikh's garrison. Too much had been going on for him to notice, but…but this was familiar. Like when he unlocked the Howl spell from the Rune of Restoration.
Then—I've unlocked another spell?!
He didn't waste a moment and stretched his hand high over his head. "BERATE!"
The symbol of the Rune of Restoration rose high into the air, and with everyone paused and staring there wasn't a single person who didn't see it. The sky abruptly turned dark, and from the clouds green-yellow rays of lights rain down upon the battlefield, sending people scattering and screaming. Daunte was horrified to see the spell hurt people, but it didn't kill anyone thankfully. But he was still surprised.
The…The Rune of Restoration has an attack spell?! What does that have to do with restoration?!
"Daunte!" Gunther shouted, running over to him. "It worked! The people are fleeing away from the battle, and you've spooked the Sheikh's forces!"
Daunte laughed slightly in relief. "Good! Hopefully Viki and the others can finish the evacuation!"
"That," Yuuto breathed softly. "That was the True Rune. That symbol was exactly how the Matron said it would look! We need to keep surging forward!"
Keiran however was sitting stunned on his horse. Daunte…he had the True Rune all this time? I had him in my custody, and I didn't know he had the True Rune! He shook his head. It doesn't matter. There are more important things to worry about.
"Your Worship, we've lost the battle," Keiran announced. "If the boy uses that spell one more time he will wipe out my soldiers. We're outmatched and need to retreat."
"Outmatched?!" Yuuto sputtered. "Look at your soldiers, you fool! They're mostly injured, not dead! And we've barely been touched! We haven't a moment to lose, we need to finish this massacre and capture that boy!"
"If he uses that spell again, we'll all die," Keiran snapped at him. "I've already risked my soldiers enough with this disgusting mission. I'll not risk more of them."
"'Disgusting mission'?!" Yuuto echoed ominously. He rounded upon Keiran. "How dare you! This was a Holy Decree, Umed! Consider yourself court-martialed! Now you will follow this command, or I will place you under arrest for treason!"
Keiran didn't move a hair. "I refuse."
"You're refusing the order of a HIGH CLERIC?!" Yuuto shouted, finally losing his temper.
"Yes," Keiran said. "I'm ordering the retreat, and we're leaving."
"Arrest this man now!" Yuuto shouted, pointing at Keiran. He didn't notice that not one of Keiran's soldiers moved to obey his order as he turned his horse around. "I'll lead this onslaught if I must! Just you wa—"
Keiran swiftly unsheathed his sword and pressed it against Yuuto's throat. "Allow me to make something clear to you," he rasped. "I'm not going to let you kill anyone. And if you decide to force my men to follow your deplorable orders, I will slit your throat. Do you understand me, Sir?"
Yuuto gaped at him, and carefully arched his head back to avoid the blade pressed against his jugular. He swallowed very carefully before answering. "K…Keiran Umed. Y-You—"
"Do you understand me?!" Keiran bellowed out. His shouts echoed for meters around him, startling his soldiers.
Upon hearing Keiran's shout, Mihr spun on his heel. His eyes went wide with horror. "Damn!" he shouted, and raced back to his horse.
"O-Oh," Felicity gasped, pointing at the sight. Daunte was also gaping. I-Is that the Sheikh?! Did he really pull a sword on the High Cleric?!
"I-I…" Yuuto hesitated, eyes looking downward at the blade. "Yes. I understand."
Keiran removed the blade but kept it pointed at the High Cleric. "Get out of here," he growled at him.
Yuuto frantically rubbed at the welt at his throat. His head snapped around, as though about to bark out an order, but he paused when he saw not one of Keiran's soldiers came to his aid. Every single one of them glared back at him, as though daring him to do or say the wrong thing. He snatched at the reins of his horse. "I will not forget this," Yuuto told Keiran ominously. "It won't be today, but consider your life to be over." He swung his horse around and galloped quickly in the opposite direction of the battle.
Keiran calmly sheathed his sword as reached Mihr reached his side. His second-in-command looked positively furious, and grabbed Keiran's right wrist and leaned in to hiss at him. "What are you done?! If you were going to defy that monster, then you should've allowed me to threaten him! You'll never save face now!"
Keiran calmly pulled his hand loose. "It doesn't matter. What's done is done."
"And you let him go! You were better off killing him!"
"Was I, now?"
"Yes! Now he'll report back to the capital what you did!"
"And if I killed him, then his murder by my hand would've been reported back to the capital. Either way, I wasn't going to win in this situation."
"Excellent job, sir!" a soldier positively gushed as he hurried over to Keiran. "That was so amazing how you stood up to him like that!"
Keiran looked at him calmly. "Your superior officer just committed high treason. It is inappropriate for you to praise me for it."
As the Sheikh's forces departed back to their Garrison, completely uncertain of what was going to happen after Keiran defied a High Cleric and threatened their life, the evacuation of Uaminifu finally completed.
But it wasn't a complete victory. With everything that had happened during the course of the day, and because they did not heed the evacuation orders, approximately 100 citizens had died. The knowledge that it could've been far worse did nothing to comfort Daunte, especially when they had lost two dozen soldiers.
"You bastard!"
Daunte flinched, and turned around. He suddenly found himself face-to-face with thirty anguished and very angry citizens of Uaminifu.
"This is all YOUR fault!" the woman in front shrieked. She shoved Daunte in the chest. "None of this would've happened if you had just left us alone!"
"Are you stupid?!" an even larger group of citizens advanced upon them. "He's the reason that we're all still alive! Or didn't you notice that the Sheikh really was here to kill us?!"
"But if the Liberation Army didn't exist, then the High Clerics would've never come up with this plan in the first place!" a man from the first group shouted.
"But the fact that the Cabinet of High Clerics even thought of this idea shows that they're unfit to be in power!"
The arguing between the two groups escalated. Daunte didn't have the strength to join in. He just wanted to lie down and rest for a moment.
"Quiet! EVERYONE QUIET!"
The groups did abruptly silence at Eamon Hiere's shout. He was hoisted up onto the shoulders of two bodyguards so that the entire populous could see him. "Everyone, stop," he pleaded with them. "Do not blame that boy for what happened here." he pointed to Daunte. "That boy is a hero. That boy risked his life to save us."
It wasn't just me, Daunte thought, but Eamon continued before he could say the words out loud. "This is my fault. I was warned about the massacre in advance. I chose to ignore the warning and not issue the evacuation until it was too late. There's nobody to blame in this situation but me."
The people began to stir with mild outrage, and Eamon raised his hands to appeal calm. "This incident showed me that I'm unfit for being the mayor of this great city. Effective immediately, I will resign from my position." He slid off the shoulders, and Daunte could see he was trembling with emotion. "I…I'm so sorry. Daunte, Cleric Farzin, and everyone—please forgive me!" he bent down to his knees and did a full kowtow to the crowd in front of him. "Please forgive me for being such a weak man!"
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Farzin said, walking over to him. Daunte saw Farzin waved to him, and Daunte pushed his way through the crowd towards them. "You were put in a situation you shouldn't have been put into. I can't really blame you for doubting us when what happened today seemed so…out of the realm of reality."
Eamon however shook his head and stood up. "I still failed Uaminifu, and so I can do no better than to resign from office. I…" he scrubbed the tears off his face and looked to Daunte as he came into view. "I owe you everything, Daunte. I did a terrible thing, and I…" he collected himself briefly before straightening up. "I owe you. And so I will pledge my life to your service."
The citizens gasped in shock, and Daunte gaped at Eamon. "I've served a government that proved today that even the most faithful and loyal servant to Nagar is merely an expendable tool to them. I cannot in good conscience be a good shepherd to such monsters ever again. But you, Daunte—you and your soldiers defended us, despite being outnumbered. Despite the fact that we doubted you and attacked you, you defended us anyway." He gestured to his own chest. "I can do no better than to be your good shepherd and overthrow this tyrannical regime. If you would have me, my life is yours."
Daunte found himself grinning, and he laughed slightly and accepted his handshake. "Welcome abroad, Lord Eamon."
To their surprise, the citizens of Uaminifu erupted into loud cheers. Both Eamon and Daunte were then mobbed by people. Daunte yelped as hands grabbed him and he found himself lifted up into the air. The people chanted his name and cheered, and all Daunte could do was simply stare as they crowd-surfed him around.
"Well," Farzin mused as they watched the display. "It's amazing to see how much inspiration one teenaged boy can invoke in tens of thousands of people."
"It was group effort, but it was Daunte's perseverance that brought us all here," Gunther said. He signaled to the others to come forward. "We need to get back quickly and check on the rest of the Army. The presence of the Sheikh seems to indicate that they may not have been on recess after all, so there's a very real possibility that Lord Bearyl and the others walked into an ambush."
"What if the Sheikh returns with his forces?" Felicity asked.
"We all saw Sheikh Keiran Umed draw his weapon on the High Cleric. He's definitely not coming back here. But yeah, let's station maybe two dozen soldiers here to keep an eye on the city. I'm sure the people will be more than happy with our presence."
"And what about Daunte?" Priscilla laughed, gesturing to him.
Gunther watched him for a moment and snorted. "He'll be all right. For the moment."
Rune of Restoration
Level 1: Howl – Restores Half HP/1 MP Spell
Level 2: Berate – 200 DMG across all enemies