NOVEL NEXT Arc 2: Noble City VI: Malice at the Palace II
Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihon-koku Shoukan as it belongs to its rightful owners.
Arc 2: A City, A Diplomacy A Dragon
Noble City VI: Malice at the Palace II
In a blink of an eye, everything had drastically changed.
Once the plaza was engulfed by the blinding light, an explosion occurred there and then. Shortly thereafter, a powerful energy was felt, and a shockwave began to spread across the city, conquering structures and toppling important landmarks. Even the trees planted in many parks and streets were not spared, immediately getting obliterated into pieces.
The unlucky ones who were near the source were caught by the wave and instantly became victims as they were all blown away like ragdolls. crashing into walls, windows, and market stalls. Some were flown higher, and as a result, bodies were flying across the districts and landing in different areas.
The shockwave was strong that it reached communities outside the walls. Being able to feel the tremors and instilling confusion and fear.
Many wonder if the time has come for the so-called long-lasting peace to end.
Everybody had expected it but nobody even bothered on taking it seriously.
Countless oracles had given that prediction for centuries, though as time passed, the people became careless and believed that they can maintain it.
They were wrong.
So what now?
Will Fate just take over like that?
However, the current circumstance doesn't it is the end.
He had been waiting for a long time for this to happen and finally, the plan had been executed into its perfection.
The hooded figure stood in the middle of a hellish scene.
A thunderstorm had arrived as the dark clouds grew thicker and bigger.
Amongst, the many lifeless bodies laying on the floor, he was there gazing upwards at the reddish beast that had finally made its entrance. Observing it and determining if it was ready for what was to come.
The first control was over.
The red dragon in turn had come back to its senses as it began looking for the one which was taken from her.
It's somewhere here...
She could sense its life force.
Until she saw what appeared to be a familiar silhouette of her offspring, and gave her hope.
However, at that very moment, something suddenly pierced her chest from the back and a sharp crystal emerged, and immediately began to spread a powerful energy in the form of a dark violet essence that engulfed her.
A deafening roar was heard all over the area.
In the midst of that, the hooded figure deviously smiled as he then appeared on top of the beast, and gave the first command and pointed towards a certain direction.
"Destroy them all."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It was that sudden feeling of dread that had struck his heart.
The main reason why the streak had been broken.
Hodor came back to his senses and saw himself back in the fields, and in front, was a huge archer's target that greeted him.
He blinked a couple of times, before realizing that the arrow had not landed directly in the center.
"I gotta say, that was your first miss in 100 attempts!"
"Well done my guy!",
The compliments also helped him realize he wasn't alone, as the open field he was in turned out to be an Archery Test field. Alongside him were various coalition members hailing from different factions, who were simply there to pass the time or demonstrate their abilities in the field of archery.
There was weariness in his eyes, but Hodor kept a composed look and smiled.
"Thank you for your compliment," he said back to the otherworlder, who was revealed to be a Man in Green from the Land of the Stars and Eagles, according to the small symbol on his attire.
The man grinned." I haven't seen someone back in my town that can do that." He remarked, using his knowledge of a certain book that became a famous trilogy movie." So it's true that elves are expert marksmen."
"Forest Elves." Hodor corrected the man, all for the name of his race." We are the ones that kingdoms and towns sometimes seek for our ability and in return for their offer, we assist them in defeating greater evils."
"Oh damn, that is so awesome!"
For sure, The elf man could understand what the man was trying to point out, despite the words and phrases which he couldn't fully interpret.
He just seemed happy to finally witness an elf like him perform his expertise. He wasn't even the best there is. By the Gods, his daughter had better accuracy and speed than him.
Yes...Tuka.
How come he had not thought of her for a while?
What that because he was busy assisting the Men in Green in their campaigns and journeys throughout the land?
What this mysterious feeling gave him that reminder that something might have happened to her?
The wind grew stronger, and the elf man felt a chill that ran down his spine.
Something was bothering him and as he looked up towards the sky, he could sense something amiss. Even though it was lovely weather, to begin with, he was not fully convinced.
So he decided to leave and headed towards a certain place to finally get his doubts cleared.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It was the dropping of a cup that brought him back to reality.
The cup, which contained the tasty coffee was now fragments that were scattered along the floor, and the hot liquid substance spread out.
Cato was startled but instead sighed in relief. It's beneficial that the maps weren't involved. Because of how detailed and realistic they appeared, the maps were too perfect to examine. Maps that even assisted him in pinpointing the designated spots and paths that the Men in Green could take upon their next journey.
Any merchant would do everything to get their hands on these things or even the innovative inventions that made them in the first place.
The cartography business should definitely invest more in whatever innovation these men carried.
Yet, amongst all of the positive feedback and thoughts. He still felt a stranger to it.
The old man had had enough for the time being and stood up to clean up the mess he had made. Of course, he wouldn't use magic to complete a simple task. To remove the remaining stains, he only needed a small blanket, a broom, and another small blanket.
His mind almost encouraged him to call out to the blue-haired teen for a little assistance, but quickly realized that she was still in another place far away from the fields and hills of Alnus.
He sighed, as he continued to clean up the mess. Though, in the back of his mind, there was something that continued to bother him.
As if a cold wind passed by and touched him on the shoulders.
His body froze just as he was about to finish his task. The old man stood up and walked to the small balcony of the town hall, which was located in the higher parts of the terrain and provided a good view of the landscape.
His mind had become restless, even though he already tried his best to unwind.
"Lelei..."
Out of the blue, he muttered his student's name.
Further observing the view of the land led him to look through the north. He could have sworn to notice a small change in the color of the sky and sun in that place. It was much darker and reddish.
*Caw*
Another sound had startled him once more and this time, he looked to his right and saw a lone crow standing over the wooden railings.
For a few moments, the old man was puzzled, and then the sudden realization hit him hard.
It was an omen of death.
A message had been sent and that concerned him to the fullest.
*Caw*
The crow cried again as it took off from its position and finally flew in the same direction he had been observing for the past several minutes.
Cato returned to his senses as a result, and though his restlessness remained, he already knew what to do next.
Despite, the little time he had right now. He had to act, clear his doubts, and finally prevent a dreadful fate.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"What do you know, after that so-called thousand-year peace, promised by the Goddess, it all finally comes to an end."
The remarks were hard to believe if they were made before the arrival of the catastrophe. The truth was certainly bittersweet, and everyone should be trying to swallow it into their mouths by now.
For the first time in many hours of continuously running, Ine finally had the chance to rest as she sat down on a wooden chair nearby the open window. Her eyes briefly gazed at the scenery outside.
Never she had seen dark clouds this thick and the thunderstorm itself was just a reminder that they had entered a situation that they had never encountered before.
The man was right.
There was an ending to this and it finally happened at a time when everybody thought it would not.
The shockwave which came from the fiery blast that originated from the city plaza had also reached the tower. The young woman thought the structure was going to fall apart but to her relief, she was given a second chance.
For the first time, she felt helpless.
She did everything that she had to do and activated the siren and it was all just too late to begin with.
What could happen next?
"So...How are you doing so far?"
The official of the room had asked, handing her a cup of water.
The young woman remained silent but gave a simple nod.
"I understand...Survivor's guilt is such a pain in the arse sometimes." He remarked, also observing the hellish scenery which had taken over the principality."Though, I find no reason to cry nor think about my loved ones." He added, his voice worn out.
Ine immediately looked up and glared at the man. How could he say things like that? For sure, he had a family somewhere in the city, who cared about him.
"They're all gone." The man simply replied.
She stared at him in surprise.
The man chuckled in return." I had no choice but to cut ties with them." He explained, recalling memories of the past." You do understand that this is not an easy task?"
The young woman smirked." Of course, you're responsible for informing everybody in the Principality if there are potential threats."
That's when the man raised a hand to point out another thing." And as well as protecting its very walls."
"What do you mean?" She raised an eyebrow.
The guardian looked her in the eye and asked." Have you ever heard of the Myth of the Crystallis?"
Ine stared at him intently." Ultima Crystallis?" She tried to guess.
"Yes, the unbelievable children's fairy tale told from generation to generation." The man explained further, before continuing." Well...to break the glass...It's true."
"All of it."
Silence reigned for a brief moment.
Ine didn't know whether to laugh or not. She couldn't comprehend why the man was talking about a fairy tale she had also heard when she was a little girl and then suddenly admitted that it was real without evidence.
"Trust me, it is the reason why I never left this room and why I also didn't fully trust most of the people." He explained more." There are others that could appear kind and helpful, then in the blink of an eye, they will stab you in the back just to claim it as theirs." He finished his side of the story, recalling how he had to defend himself from many of the death threats and assassination attempts by the so-called protectors of peace.
"That's why everyone here could be an enemy in secret." He said." That's the reason I decided to stay in this place with closed doors, and now due to our current situation, they finally revealed their true faces and intentions.
It seemed he finally got the last laugh and he was still here.
There was little tension that the young captain had felt and she could sense that the man was also serious about what he was telling her.
"If what you're saying is true, then how did you come to know the truth about it?" She then asked.
"All throughout my service to this kingdom I never came such people, not even my superiors are aware of this." She wondered, it would be impossible for secrets to be kept, especially how the governing body honors integrity.
The man gave a little laugh."It's simply because there only a selected few that deserves to know it." He raised his fingers and began counting.
"The leader of the Principality, The Prime Minister is an obvious choice, second, his trusted advisors, the crazed elven council..."He then pointed to his chest." And lastly me, and the ones who came before me in this position." He explained.
The young captain took the time to absorb all the information.
The only possibility for the rest of the officers and even scouts is there was someone from the higher positions that were blinded by greed that they decided to spread it.
Although, what about its location?
The man then rested on his once more." Unfortunately, only those who resided in the higher positions knew its resting place." He said." Though the previous guardians before me had the authority to access the artifact, that was changed a long time ago."
The young captain nodded as she was starting to understand.
When Sadera began its conquest, the officials of the principality were terrified, and paranoia had set in. As a result, there has been a mass change and reshuffling of positions within the governing body.
Though, what also made her curious is what kind of power did it possess. For all she knew, it was just one of many, which were scattered all across the new world after the defeat of the Nosgorath.
To keep it hidden and safe from evil hands.
The myth itself had also been turned into some treasure-hunting story for the adventurers and keep themselves motivated.
"Do you want to find it as well?" The man asked, breaking her thoughts."
Quietness took over for a while.
Ine slightly shook her head as her mind tried to explore more solutions and thus, came up with an idea that could be far-fetched." I would have left this room immediately if I wanted to find it just for myself." She explained.", But, if the artifact does exist, then it will give me the reason to fight." She added.
"If I have the opportunity right now, I'll search the whole palace for it, and I believe it could give us hope in preventing more deaths."
Was she already taking the challenge because of desperation?
I may not know its true power but we need to find it."
The latter stared at him in amusement while the young woman continued.
"I believe that your current task is to use it whenever the principality is plunged into chaos." Ine stood up from her seat and said." You're the only one that could activate it." The young captain showed her resilience.
She did eventually figure it out.
"You "Know" its exact location."
Silence returned once more.
The man was surprised since the girl had guessed the correct answer. Moreover, her eyes show her determination and eagerness to save this land from destruction. But he was still hesitant to provide the exact coordinates. One reason was that someone had already got there and taken the artifact for themselves.
If he told her its location then she would eventually get herself killed along the way.
Then it was at this moment, that a certain blue Crystal that began to glow as the Mana communication tubes beside the empty tablet came to life.
"Frankel."
A voice then emerged which the man immediately recognized.
"Parna?" He muttered, trying to comprehend if it was really her.
The young captain stayed silent as she too was caught by curiousity.
"Yes, it's me." The voice replied, before adding." Please listen, I don't have much time to converse with you, but do me a small favor for one time."
The man was still anticipating.
"What is it?"
"I know your patience is that strong, and I request that you wait for a friend of mine, and he'll be arriving there with a special item you sought to see for a long time."
Hearing her statement, he widened in shock.
"It can't be...H-How's that even possible?"
He can't believe that warrior woman actually did it.
Ine was about to speak up when a loud barge was then suddenly heard from the door.
Multiple loud knocks then followed.
Desperate knocks as if it was demanding that they opened it immediately.
As a response, both grabbed their respective weapons, with Ine holding a small blade that she had used to protect herself prior, while the man with his crossbow once again.
Could this be the one or was it just one of the enemy factions?
By the time, he grabbed the knob, the door immediately burst open and an unfamiliar young man emerged, gasping for his breath as it seemed he had run a thousand miles. Both of them observed the newcomer with a bewildered expression.
The way he dressed and the way he acted was something that they had not seen before.
Moreover, How the heck did he evade the enemies, who currently roaming the halls?
Moments later, he was able to speak as he raised his hand, getting the opportunity to talk.
"Please hear me out! I am not one of them." The young man explained, trying to prove that he was on their side.
This time, Frankel spoke." Are you the person that she was referring to?"
A small smile crept upon his lips.
"You know...Parna-san can give you good directions to follow, but the catch is that there would be mind-controlled guards to annoy you in every spot." He chuckled.
The young captain and the guardian of the room took glances at each other. Both had the same question in their minds.
Who was this person?
As for the young man, he adjusted his glasses, standing up straight and presenting a leather pouch that contained a certain object.
"I believe she requested to give this to you sir."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It would seem as if he had the best situation at hand.
No enemies around.
Just himself and the various monitors and radios present in the room.
Silence became his companion as the Oracle of Emroy had already left, but not without giving a reminder that would eventually bring conflict to his already worried mind.
"Okay, just try to keep yourself calm and focus on the task at hand...Shit, I hate this!"
It was certainly difficult for Al to make decisions at this rate. After an hour and a half, he found himself in the middle of trying to fix the radios as he tried everything to contact the rest of the coalition team and even Alnus HQ itself.
However, he was still getting that same static sound.
The young man semi-slammed his fist on the table and rubbed his forehead in a stressed manner.
He was in a crisis.
His frustrations clouded the growing worry inside.
He wanted to go to the Main Palace and investigate whatever was happening there. If Brian and the rest of the gang were in an ongoing dire situation, then was time that he would be the one to save the day.
Yet, playing hero was an idiotic move, in all honesty.
Al got out of his seat and walked over to the window for some fresh air. Hopefully, the commotion was unlikely to spread to this area, as the guest houses were located far from the government-occupied buildings. His eyes widened in surprise as he saw the scene outside.
It was definitely getting dark as if the late afternoon had arrived. Moreover, the glass window was wet, indicating that there was bad weather outside. The last thing he observed was that the visibility level was near zero.
"You've got to be kidding me." He muttered, slowly realizing that he couldn't just go outside like that.
At the same time, there was a flash of lightning that appeared before his eyes and followed by the immediate sound of thunder which almost gave him a heart attack.
"Dammit!" Al swore again.
Luckily, there was no one here to witness that slightly embarrassing moment of a grown man getting jump scared by the weather.
As of now, Fate had to remind him to stay put.
"Fine, it's that's what you want then I'll stay here!" He exclaimed towards the empty living room.
Having let out some of his frustration, the man sighed as he decided to continue fixing the radios. Although, due to his self-discipline, something did happen to him...For the better.
The static sound of the radios was interrupted and voices continued to emerge from the speakers.
"Do you copy!?"
"This is Sgt Kuwahara from Team 2!"
"The city is under attack! Please inform HQ regarding-"
He didn't get a chance to hear the last sentence, his focus shifted towards the very door of the guest house.
A series of knocks then greeted him. Multiple presence which seemed to be in dire straits. Not long after, he could hear voices asking for help from the other side.
Al could sense some fear growing but despite all of that, he felt the need to answer and managed to summon up the courage.
Thus he decided to open the door, and in not more than seconds, someone emerged and grabbed him.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chaos reigned upon the Palace halls.
The thick smoke which originated from the blast caused the visibility to go down, and as a result, the enemy, in the form of the palace guards, had now the chance to commit their atrocities for themselves. The dark influence was so strong that it brought all the negative aspects of their character.
It gave them the strength that they never had before and the drive to achieve superiority.
Their victims, who were the delegations themselves had the unfortunate opportunity of becoming their very targets.
So to say that blood was already spilled once they began.
"No! Please Have Mercy!"
"Shut your mouth!"
"All of you will be part of his will!"
The screams and yells of agony continued, as small scenes of torture commenced. The corrupted guards began to drag the helpless, who are already been subdued in the first place. Their victims' legs were repeatedly stabbed by their spears and swords so that they won't be able to escape. The men of the delegations, who tried to resist were immediately beaten down and tortured by getting their skins repeatedly slashed as punishment.
Laughs were exchanged between the corrupted as the madness continued.
Although, in the middle of that, came a certain someone that persevered and began his own campaign to stop them.
A subtle quiet shot rang out across the halls. As soon as the enemy guards began their dirty work, each of them immediately felt something sharp and painful that pierced through their legs and sometimes, their own buttocks.
The men, in turn, found themselves in a brief agony before being suddenly hit in the head by a mysterious object as their consciousness automatically faded away. The victims would be in for a surprise to see their captors falling over them like drunkards finally giving up to the effects of their booze.
Bodies would soon be dropped on the floor and no one could witness it with the exception of Brian, who was actually the one responsible for taking down the men each time he had reached a potential torture spot.
For the young American Lieutenant, the whole situation felt like the time he was placed into one of the army's grueling stealth training sessions, with only a handful of items in his arsenal, he had to make the best of the situations ahead. At times, dummies, acting as hostages, and the captors would be placed into different spots, and by the time, he stumbles upon them, that's when he would execute the little game plans he had forged along the way.
It worked as he expected it to be.
Other than that, He mostly preferred to act on his own to finish the job in a smooth way as he often believes.
The ongoing situation was similar but real this time around.
Because of the dense smoke, he can only be seen as a black phantom-like figure moving around in a stealthy manner. His actions became a stuff of little nightmares for the guards themselves as they looked everywhere for any sign of the lone phantom.
Little shots rang out once again, thus more of them fell to the ground.
The captured members of the other delegations were thrust into a swirl of confusion, as they had no idea what was happening at this moment. Some believe that their own prayers had been answered and the Gods had been helping them all along through divine intervention. But in truth, it was just a man wanting to do what was right.
"Please leave this place as soon as possible."
His voice was soon heard.
Brian took the time to lead the victims he had saved to a much safer location. So far, he had visited the majority of the spots in the halls where potential enemies could be found. It was all thanks to his trusty vision goggles, which allowed him to see through the smoke. It may appear that the ordeal was nearing its end, but something he was expecting was taken aback when he suddenly felt something grab his feet, causing him to slide and fall to the ground.
"HOW FUNNY OF YOU THINK THAT THIS IS ALL OVER."
As he looked down, he caught a glimpse of the decaying face of a man, who was already corrupted by the dark influence, as he tried to drag him across the halls toward a specific location.
The young lieutenant struggled as he attempted to break free from the latter's grasp. He could feel the absurd strength as the enemy seemed to be crawling and pulling him to a spot where a large group of them, fully taken over by the darkness and corrupted had been waiting for him.
"I GUESS MEAT IS BACK ON THE MENU BOYS!"
One of them yelled out in a demonic voice and the rest gave cheers.
Upon hearing that statement, Brian felt a bit horrified for the first time, as he had unexpected that cannibalism was a part of this ridiculous fiasco. In those moments, he saw them with their own swords and spears ready to tear him to pieces. His desperation started to kick in, and he attempted to escape once again. Yet, the enemy which was still grabbing him by the leg was his main target.
Soon, it opened its mouth as it attempted to bite a huge chunk of his leg.
Eventually, having no choice, he carefully aimed at the enemy's head within the last seconds, and as he was about to pull the trigger, the enemy had anticipated his move and leaped towards him, smacking the gun out of his hand, leaving him without a weapon to resist.
"You think, you're puny magic would save you!?"
The enemy screamed and began to taunt him.
Brian gritted his teeth in frustration as he was placed into another struggle once more. Yet, he quickly recalled that he still had the last line of defense.
He was able to use his right hand and drew out a small combat knife from his belt and immediately used it by stabbing the enemy in the cheek. As a result, blood in the form of a black substance, burst from the enemy's mouth, splattering across the floor including on the young man's combat vest. Not wasting any time, he kicked the enemy toward the rest.
"Fucking gross!" He was able to comment before proceeding to get up on his feet and attempting to make another run.
However, one enemy that he killed would then be replaced with a new one and not even 10 seconds passed, the corrupted guards had already reached him and tried to grab him by the shoulder.
"Get down!"
In the midst of that, a familiar voice yelled out.
Recognizing that certain voice, Brian immediately took a dive before he was grabbed again, and a loud shot was then fired directly hitting the enemy on time.
The American Lieutenant then looked around to see a silhouette of a man, and as the smoke cleared up, the familiar attire of the JSDF greeted him.
"Lieutenant Itami.." He muttered aloud, having this small relief that grew inside of him.
Alas, in some form, a little salvation had arrived.
The Japanese captain nodded as he began shooting the corrupted guards, who were all charging at them.
This time, instead of a normal handgun, he was now using his signature Howa Rifle, which he had finally retrieved and begun firing at the enemies. Every shot he fired, brought him unforgettable memories of what he had experienced during the Battle of Ginza. He saw firsthand the atrocities that had been committed against his fellow countrymen and the situation right now had definitely triggered some of his rage.
But he knew how to control himself, instead of shooting with the purpose to kill, he aimed at their legs, knowing those bullets would take away their ability to walk in a while.
Brian, on the other hand, saw this as an opportunity, finally retrieving a certain type of grenade from the bag, and immediately tossed it towards the charging men.
The grenade hit one of the guard's heads as it bounce back mid-air and then was activated. A quick flash of light immediately blinded the rest of the enemies from their vision and every one of them held their eyes in pain.
"Itami, Now!"
Brian exclaimed, as he and his Japanese counterpart charged at the enemies and started to knock them out unconscious. For every guard, they hit, the same dark essence was coming out of them.
Emotions were mixed.
Both rage and self-discipline battled it out in both of their minds with the latter aspect winning eventually.
In the midst of that, a familiar bunny warrior had witnessed the two men and their actions. A small sense of amusement was shown in her eyes.
These people were trained well in their homeland, and even though they lacked the experience of war, they act as if they had gone through hundreds of them, and possessed a strong willpower.
A small smile crept upon her lips.
Once the two lieutenants had put the danger into its place with all the unconscious bodies of many palace guards laying around, both immediately noticed her presence.
"I must say, I am quite impressed with your combat prowess." She made a remark, complimenting their actions altogether.
Brian stared at the girl with a serious look while attempting to catch his breath." I'm guessing you're the one responsible for those explosions?" He wearily asked.
The young woman slightly nodded." Quite clever of you to figure it out." Parna replied." It's the only way that I could keep them distracted."
"Where's Carl?" Another question followed.
This time, Itami spoke." He's with the other rescued diplomats," he explained. "He's currently leading them away from ground zero, and they're all heading towards the safe zone."
For the first time, the Californian let out a chuckle." About time...About damn time..." A small grin formed, indicating that somehow, he felt proud of the younger man learning that his childhood friend took his responsibility to heart.
The small battle in the meeting hall was finally over as silence had reigned once again.
All of their attention had shifted towards the lone and final door which housed the main members of the Qua-Toyne delegation, the elven council, and as well as the representatives from an unknown kingdom.
However, there was one more problem that they had to face, and that was simply opening its gigantic doors.
Upon further observation, the doors to the meeting hall had that slight yellowish glow, indicating that magic was somehow involved. That's when Parna took several steps towards it as she shook her head in amusement.
"Seems those old elves knew what they were doing." She remarked, knowing that this move was their last resort.
For the simple reason that they were already terrified and masking it through a force of authority and rage.
"Looks like a hostage situation to me," Itami spoke this time, reminding him of a scene from a manga that he had read not long ago.
"If I remember, we do have some C4s back at the base camp." Brian had suggested, having more faith in his homeworld's arsenals. To him, the equipment of war could help them destroy whatever magic was placed on the door.
For Parna, the young woman just gave a confident smile.
"I have a better idea."
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The tension had grown ever since the plan had commenced.
The higher council had everything in their hands.
They controlled the enforcers.
Had the authority at their disposal.
Possessed the call to major decisions and lastly having the ones who were formerly in charge begging on their knees.
The only thing that they had to do was to make everyone follow their cause, including the ones they despised.
Though, it may have been too late.
As the guards continued to beat the poor old man, it garnered more attention as the rest of the cabinet members finally mustered up the courage as they stood up and began their protest.
"Poidum! Stop this madness!" Hanki, the acting chief of foreign affairs exclaimed and demanded while the palace guards were restraining him.
"Stop this at once!"
The Saderan faction began to voice out their concerns, in the form of Hamilton, whose cries had finally turned into anger. The young page tried to push the palace guards away as she made her way to help the old man.
The palace guards who tried to prevent her from going there got nagged and yelled at in return.
"Go on! You dare to hit a lady!?"
"I am not afraid of you men!"
With her emotions that high, she didn't notice that she was already shoving and pushing the men, who were preventing her. It continued until they finally became aggressive.
The elven council chose to appear unfazed by what was going on right in front of them. The growing resistance was just one of those things that had happened before and they were used to it.
"Have they forgotten, that we had the authority to order their deaths on the spot?" One of the members had wondered.
"Yes, it seems they want someone to die right now." Another shared his thoughts.
They all turned their gaze to the old man who was now badly beaten and barely moving.
A smile formed around their lips.
"What do you say Poidum? What do we do with all these lowlifes?"
For a while, the council's leader wore a sly grin. He was well aware that if they were unable to convince them, with or without the artifact, they would move on to the next decision. Furthermore, this was undoubtedly personal for him, as everything he had done to help and contribute to the principality had been for naught.
He was the one betrayed and left forgotten.
They never deserved the blessing of the Goddess.
No matter how many times, He tried to warn them of the impending disaster that will arrive in the near future.
Not a single soul believed him.
Through fear and rage were the only way they can be convinced.
The old elf began to laugh, showing his own arrogant nature. He looked towards the rest of the cabinet members and finally made the decision." I say we should help them go to the heavens and be with our beloved Goddess." He said, with sarcasm before raising up his hand.
"You may proceed."
As a result, the palace guards obeyed and began to drag the cabinet members toward the front, with the exception of the Prime Minister as they plan for him to witness their deaths first in front of his eyes.
Minister Kanata had this horrified expression as this was going to be too much to handle. He was going to that breaking point.
And He couldn't bare to see the others suffer a terrible execution.
For Pina, everything was falling apart in front of her, and the dream of cementing a good relationship with the Principality was coming to an end. Yet, despite that, her own emotions were growing, and beyond that, something mysterious and powerful was emerging from within.
"I didn't dream of this."
"Why is this happening to me?"
"I won't accept this!"
"I won't let this happen!"
Slowly but surely, her mind was now focused on one goal and that emotion was building up.
As the cabinet members were brought to the front, the palace guards each hit them on the back as they all forced their knees to the ground. Each sword where pointed at their necks. It was definitely going to be an execution site.
As the situation went to that very moment, something unexpected had transpired.
As Hamilton fought her way through the guards, who began to draw out their swords, she didn't notice a shade of red that passed by her, and soon enough, those same guards who were apprehending her found their own hands being broken and twisted. Not more than seconds, they were all knocked out unconscious, without even the time to react to their new injuries. This, in turn, surprised the brown-haired teen as she couldn't believe what has happened, and the moment she witnessed that act, the time she realized that they had provoked something unsettling.
Meanwhile, the guards who were about to slash the cabinet members found themselves frozen to their wits as they all felt the same intimidating presence, in spite that it was just a young lady in her late teens.
Poidum, who saw everything was even more impressed but felt the powerful essence at hand.
"Never in my life, that I would live to see the other side of you, Milady." He remarked." For sure, everyone has forgotten that in centuries."
"How you were loved and feared by many."
Pina stood in front of them, with a death stare. The young woman held her sword as she pointed towards them.
"If you don't release them, I swear to the Gods, that I will personally kill you all.'
Her calm words sent shivers down the guards' spines and the cabinet members were overtaken by shock, seeing the princess of the empire, doing everything to save them.
She really did care from the start but the energy that she was bringing was frightening.
But still, the advantage was on the elven council, and they could re-order the execution whenever they want.
Although, from a distance away and above, someone was already planning way ahead.
In fact, it was Hamilton, who spotted that certain someone on the giant open window hanging on to the glass.
The curves and sexy silhouette, the long black hair, and pointy ears and the eyes of vengeance.
"A Bunny warrior?" Hamilton muttered under her breath.
The figure shattered the glass and hurled what appeared to be a single rune at the elven council. Moments later, that rune glowed, activating the magic that summoned a powerful shockwave that spread across the meeting hall. Furthermore, a mini-catastrophe occurred in the form of a larger shockwave that originated from the main city district itself.
Everyone in the meeting room had been rocked by the powerful force.
The windows were shattered as the broken pieces of glass fell to the ground.
Parts of the old roof had collapsed as huge debris saw themselves crashing on the ground.
Pina was startled by the sudden change of pace as she was then pulled down by Hamilton in time before huge debris landed on her former position.
Then another explosion happened again, this time the door which was sealed by the magic, was suddenly blown up to pieces, contributing to the spread of smoke and dust in the air.
Soon, emerged the two men, with their rifles as they fired the first shots that took down the corrupted enemies who were incapacitated by the blast.
The sounds of fighting rang across the hall, as chaos finally reached them.
The Cabinet members, the Prime Minister, and as well as the Saderan representatives forced themselves on the floor to avoid any crossfire or violence which was happening right now.
Hamilton, whose emotions were at an all-time high, found herself being comforted by her childhood friend.
Though in the midst of that, she caught a glimpse of the Elden council, trying their best to assume control of the falling situation.
"No...This will not happen!"
"Nobody will leave this place!"
Poidum was beginning to lose his mind as he fired out all the threats and strong words he could think of.
"For we shall conquer death itself!"
Although, what he didn't expect was that death had finally arrived in the form of a certain someone that leaped from the open window and landed behind the Elven council members.
"Conquer this." A familiar voice entered the conversation.
Most of the elven council turned around to see the young woman herself, with a grin.
"P-Parna!?" A council member muttered aloud, before being slit on the throat by the latter.
"N-No, Please!"
Another one drop dead before being stabbed from the top of his head.
"You're a traitor to the order!"
The blade then pierced through the member's eyes as he was thrown across the small stage.
"You shall pay for this!"
The next two members were both given a stab through their hearts as they lay down on the floor with blood gushing out from their gory wounds.
Then Poidum became the last surviving member of the council as he tried to back away towards the window while the bunny warrior pointed her blade at him.
Meanwhile, Brian and Itami began helping the other cabinet members recover from the ground as all of them were guided outside of the meeting hall and onwards to the safe zone.
"Uncle."
Prime Minister Kanata, was the one to personally assist Rinsui as he helped the beaten old man on his feet and helped him get out of the main palace once and for all.
Pina saw this, as she too rushed towards them to lend a hand.
"Please be alright." She remarked, showing her concern for the old man.
Minster Kanata saw the girl's recent actions as he gave a smile." Your Highness, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your assistance." He said.
The young lady could only smile as she gestured toward her childhood friend.
"Hamilton, promise me you'll keep them safe." She instructed, looking through the latter's eyes.
The brown-haired teen simply nodded in understanding as she proceeded to lead the way.
"What about you milady?"
A smile crept upon her lips as she glanced at the ongoing scene before her.
"Don't worry about me, I might have some unfinished business to take care of." She explained, gazing at the beast.
With that, the young page simply nodded as she left the scene along with the rest of the cabinet members.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The tide had drastically changed.
Poidum was at a breaking point. Finding himself, at the mercy of the young woman and as well as her companions behind her.
All his dreams were lost.
The plan that he had forged for many years had collapsed in less than a day and he was on the verge of being killed and forgotten.
"Do You think this is over?" He said, with a bitter tone of voice.
"Do you all think you've won this war!?"
"You're making a grave mistake!"
"It only just begun!"
Parna simply shook her head." This is not a war, old elf." She said." This is just a childish move to bring back an irrelevant era that has been long forgotten." She replied back.
It was an insult...but what can he do?"
"This is not the end! There will be more to create chaos and bring destruction to this forsaken land!" He yelled out.
"This guy is getting crazier every second." Brian silently remarked to himself as the man and his Japanese counterpart watched the whole scene unfold, while still pointing their rifles at him.
Anytime, this person would try his best to remove their guard and cast his magic upon them.
They were wondering when this will finally end.
As the old elf began to fire out useless threats and words, the ground began to shake once more.
"You will all regret this!"
"You will all die before their hands!"
"Nobody will come to save you!"
By then, a huge shadow could be seen from the dark clouds, slowly emerging from it.
Parna had immediately sensed it as she knew that it was finally approaching and making its presence known.
"Remember, all of you will be nothing without the Elven council and Old Order!"
"You will be helpless when they return once again!"
Poidum raised his hand which balled into a fist, attempting to cast magic for one more time.
"I'd rather be eaten by a dragon rather than lose my life at the hands of traitors and wretches!"
Then it finally happened, from the hellish clouds, the flame dragon in its purest corrupted form smashed into the big windows as it opened its mouth and bit the elf on the head with its razor-sharp teeth. Moments later, the dragon threw the elf's now lifeless body towards the open horizon thus signaling the demise of the elven council that stood by the principality for centuries.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The entrance of the dark dragon shocked everyone, with the exception of Parna, who immediately avoided disaster.
The dragon roared as it tried to intimidate them, as the rain poured heavily through the ruined roof.
Brian and Itami, readied their weapons to fire, yet as they were about to pull the trigger, a dark essence emerged and suddenly manifested into a human figure, then to its physical form in front of the dragon.
Both men were taken aback by its appearance and before they could make a move, the hooded figure, raised its hands and casted magic, which manipulated the force itself, and as a result, both lieutenants found themselves thrown across and outside the now destroyed doors.
Pina attempted to charge at the newcomer with her blade, but the latter just grabbed her by the hand and kicked her on the stomach, and then threw her a few distances.
This finally leaves Parna as the sole survivor. Nonetheless, in an unforeseen move, she remained calm and collected. Her gaze remained fixed upon the hooded figure.
The tension then receded as silence returned once more.
As both stood inches apart, the hooded figure then spoke.
"I believe you have something for me, Parna." It said, expecting to receive the special item.
The young woman didn't respond immediately but instead presented the empty tablet where the said artifact formerly rested.
"They took it away before I even got there," Parna informed, showing no signs of hesitation or panic." I tried to pursue them but they had already sealed away in another location."
She attempted to make valid reasons and did her best to persuade it.
The hooded figure continued to stare at her and made its own conclusions.
"Do you know that the fate of this world rests upon your task?" It reminded her." You don't have to lie about giving the artifact to someone else."
"So where is it?"
She slightly widened her eyes and wondered how he was able to figure it out. Nonetheless, she strengthen her heart and stood by her beliefs.
"Parna, you must understand that we serve the same cause. The hooded figure continued to persuade her." No one can prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled if none made immediate actions." He explained." So please, reconsider your loyalty to-"
"My allegiance is to my Homeland!" She cut his statement off!" I made a pledge to serve it and to preserve our identity." She fired back, letting out her emotions for the first time.
The hooded figure remained silent.
For the recovering Pina, she had heard their conversation and was even more confused regarding this prophecy.
As the tension grew once again, it became apparent that both of them wouldn't reach a fair deal. Despite the best efforts to convince the young woman, it left him with no choice.
"Then I have no choice but to accept your betrayal." The hooded figure then said as he grabbed the young woman by the neck and raised her up.
Parna began to struggle as she attempted to resist, only to fail due to the strength that this individual possessed.
"It doesn't matter, I will find it eventually." It said, as he decided to go for the kill, in hopes of preventing more traitors from doing their dirty work.
For the young woman, she wondered if this was indeed the end for her. Her consciousness was fading away and soon she will be out of breath. Her final thoughts lingered around her home and especially, an individual to whom she looked up the most.
"M-My Queen...Please forgive me." She thought as a tear fell down her eye.
This was the end for her...But not until a certain someone suddenly appeared beside the two and she caught a glimpse of a dark long hair, blood-red eyes, and lastly, a big halberd which immediately struck the hooded figure, causing it to let go of the young woman.
The specter had finally made her presence known.
Pina widened her eyes in shock as she recognized the one standing before the enemy.
"Oracle of Emroy."
She muttered under her breath, finally seeing her once again since she was a little girl. Her appearance had not changed one bit the last time she saw her back when Sadera was recovering from the previous war.
As for Rory, she was glad that she was able to choose the perfect time to make herself known. She definitely anticipated the fact that it would keep him off guard in the end.
As for the enemy, the hood had finally come off and his true appearance was finally revealed to be that of a face of a youthful, handsome young man possessing dark brown hair and hypnotizing black eyes.
A serious facade of him greeted the Apostle, and he wasn't having it.
"Funny that you decided to finally show yourself at this moment...Rory." He remarked recovering from the attack.
The Oracle giggled in return." Not too surprising anymore to you Lucious?" She said, with strong confidence.
The young man smirked in return, as he readied the dark dragon to prepare for another feast." I believe not but if you tried to get on my mission then I'll be forced to eliminate you." He fired back, thus summoning his weapon of choice.
Rory smirked in return." Trying to be professional aren't we?" She fired back, readying herself for another battle.
"So be it."
Those were the only words that the young lady had said before she and the man began to clash at an incredible speed which can be seen as two phantoms moving everywhere.
Another battle had ensued and the loud sounds of the Rory's dark halberd and the cursed blade of her opponent rang across the ruined hall. The fight was hard to keep watch due to the faster pace and suddenly, both powerful entities vanished into another realm.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Pina was left in awe as the two battled it out like fearless warriors. But her attention immediately shifted towards the recovering bunny warrior, who was about to become the dragon's next target.
"Look out!" The redhead yelled out in time to alert her.
Parna saw the dragon's gigantic claws reaching to grab her, and she forced herself to move, barely being touched by the beast.
It made another attempt on capturing her, this time it wanted her dead first, so it opened its mouth and summoned the strong fires from between.
There were no options this time around for herself to fully escape rather than finally face her end.
Although, at the same time, a small circular object was thrown in the direction of the beast's mouth.
The next thing Parna knew was a small explosion, which caused a slight shockwave that eventually delayed the beast's move.
"Get out of there, while you still can!"
She heard the voice of Itami from behind, followed by the sounds of gunfire from the American Ranger, as he held his rifle, aiming directly at the dragon's eyes.
The dragon roared in pain as it retaliated back by using its strength to crush the ground, and the huge cracks started to appear until the whole thing was already collapsing and falling towards the edge.
Parna attempted to dash as fast as she could, apparently, almost nearing the doors, and unfortunately, luck was not on her side this time.
The beast immediately recovered, as it tried to take the young woman down with it once more.
Itami and Brian watched helplessly as they tried everything they could to save her.
The enemy was too strong this time.
However, amid that breathtaking moment, there was a small bright flash of light followed by the cry of an eagle.
"Mera!"
Pina yelled at the top of her lungs as she brought out a specific crystal and tossed it into mid-air, where it landed near the fallen warrior. The young lady then leaped from the crumbling ground into the light blue ethereal essence that was beginning to shape. The Griffin was summoned moments later and was able to save the bunny warrior in the nick of time, avoiding the beast's grasp.
Pina sighed in relief, as she was too, caught by her beloved pet in the air.
Now, she had the opportunity to take charge.
"Hang on tight!" The princess exclaimed as she commanded the griffin to fly away from the destruction of the main palace at incredible speed.
However, the beast quickly became aware of their attempt to flee. It was not going to let a potential prey escape, so it roared again in anger and aggressively pursued them all the way.
Thus another cat-and-mouse game ensued in the skies, and that would eventually lead them to the heart of the city.
The two lieutenants found themselves shocked and dumbfounded regarding what they had just witnessed. It was just too good to be true, but considering that they were in another world, they had to move forward.
Though, in the midst of that, a familiar voice spoke inside their minds.
"Get everyone out of the palace as soon as possible."
"Ms. Rory?"
"There's no time to explain."
"What's going to happen?"
"All of your lives will remain in danger if you don't leave at once...Please!"
The conversation ended right there.
Coming to their senses once again, Brian and Itami both took glances at each other before finally deciding to leave the area and join the rest of the group. From this point on, they'll have to guide everyone to a much safer place even if the situation had de-escalated.
By then, the storm was calming down as it was now making way for another faction to make its entrance.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It had to be the most ambitious campaign through the skies.
The scene of a thousand wyverns was the largest to be assembled yet in the Empire's history.
A magnificent site to see, and more glorious if one was flying with them.
Captain Julius was one of them, albeit they had the sense to observe and examine how the dark wyvern riders acted.
They were just like them.
They weren't silent like he had imagined them to be. In fact, he could sense a community and a rich culture within the divisions and ranks.
They were just like ordinary wyvern armies.
Had the emotions, were idealists, opportunists, and dreamers.
For those moments, he felt welcomed and pleased. If he was an official of this group, he would get along with them well. A thought had come to him that Sadera and their armies weren't the usual evil empire that many claimed to be.
They bonded like brothers.
"Captain Julius, was the weather always like this in Qua-Toyne?" The commander of the Saderan Wyvern asked.
His observation was true. There were pockets of dark clouds scattered all over, and from a far-off distance, a shade of the Noble city could be seen.
The former captain of Qua-Toyne's Wyvern divisions smiled as his hopes were up.
"No sire, the storm won't last that long." He explained, seeing glimpses of the sun's rays penetrating the dark clouds.
The man nodded with confidence.
"We shall see the daylight soon."
His words did sound prophetic, and it somehow made the commander smile.
"Towards the Noble City! Glory and Honor are upon us!"
The rest of the riders gave cheers and the battle cry was sounded.
"Sadera will reign the skies once more!"
As the aerial army advanced towards the huge walls, there was something that subtly alerted the former captain. When a small lightning flashed from the dark clouds, he caught an unusual detail and saw the appearance of the wyvern riders which surprised him.
All their faces were pale and some looked hellish while they conversed, and after that, visions of a glorious wyvern army taking on a demonic beast, flashed before his eyes with the last image ending up in a bittersweet conclusion.
After that brief moment, his eyes blinked and saw all of them reverted to their ordinary looks.
His sweat became cold after witnessing that brief scene and he felt frightened for the first time.
"Are you alright Julius?"
The commander then asked, voicing out his concern.
The latter shook his head and kept his composure.
"I-I am alright sir." He replied, avoiding eye contact with him, assuming that he had a similar appearance from before. " I just hope there will be no more obstacles ahead of us."
The older man gave a confused look thereafter, not noticing the man's fears growing. He sighed and simply nodded in understanding.
"Very well, once we conquer the city, I guarantee, you will have a privileged life as a Saderan." He assured the man, before adding.
"And become one of us."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Al thought that this was the end for him once he opened the door.
He thought an enemy would emerge with some scary sword and either chop his head off or stabbed him to death.
How he hated the suspense...
He despised the horror element...
He hated sudden surprises
Yet, he still was able to embrace it fully.
Literally...
As the truth came out, it wasn't an enemy or a group of enemies but a bunch of scared and wet palace servants and staff, who were revealed to be in front of his doorstep. Amongst all of them, a beautiful female wolf demi-human was the one to embrace her.
"Oh thank you for opening the door, mister!'
He recalled the words as if it had happened again. He failed to forget it, as it was something that had not happened to him before.
Maybe because he hadn't been hugged by a girl like that before?
He wondered why he had that long blush after.
The man shook his head as he tried to bring sense to his mind. As he observed his surroundings, the living room was filled with not just the palace servants but locals, from a nearby residential area, who had fled from the mainland towards higher hills to escape the ongoing chaos which spreading throughout the capital city.
It was a good thing that the guest house had enough food and water supplies to last for several days, in case the situation had not been resolved. The problem is how long would they last here.
Although, he was able to get a chance to speak with the Palace servants as well as some of the locals themselves and gather more information regarding the truth about what really happened.
"The Palace Guards were acting strange since morning and when the meeting was about begin, they suddenly sealed the doors and held us against our will, and we only managed to escape with the help of Lady Parna and her friend."
"Do you have any clue why they would do that?"
"I'm sorry sir."
"What happened to the city and what made you guys take refuge here?'
"The Flame Dragon, the legend had come back from the dead and is destroying the city currently as we speak."
"There is more than one Dragon! I swear to the Goddess, I am not telling lies!"
The testimonies brought a similar ordeal but different levels of how worst the situation has gotten. Both made him worry but the second testimony made him even more concerned.
He did hear a subtle roar of a creature not long ago, followed by a small quake that followed after.
He did another second interview and this time more of the locals were voicing the same reason and story of a huge dragon wreaking havoc. He also tried to piece the puzzle and recalled the old conversations between him and the second coalition group, which was assigned to the heart of the city.
Kuwahara, The old Japanese sergeant, who became the second-in-command while they were there, was in the middle of what seemed to be a stampede.
His voice, which included desperation and the conversation being cut short, was something he had encountered in a different and also creepy place.
All the cards were at the table and he had the responsibility of making the decision, which helped him make a conclusion for himself.
Indeed, He was not going to waste more any time.
He headed towards the table and made another attempt to adjust and fix the radios. No matter how, frustrating this was, he wasn't going to give up that easily.
"You can do this! Please stay with me..." He muttered under his breath and began to reconnect the cords and moments later, it showed promise as the signal began to improve.
The static sound was fading away, and finally, he could hear the familiar voices from the background.
His eyes lit up as he immediately grabbed the walkie and took a deep breath as he knew there was no going back.
"Alnus HQ, this is Al from RTC3, do you copy?"
"Heard you loud and clear Al, any updates on the situation there?"
The man slightly nodded.
"The city is under attack by dragons, we request for air support as soon as possible."
With that said, the man finally summoned his world's version of Death From Above.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
It was frightening to finally admit that the end of days had arrived and the noble city had been transformed into a hellish landscape.
The rain, now fading away, still continued to pour down the lifeless and quiet streets. However, there are faint voices of agony, and the cries of the people for help and salvation could be heard across the city.
Every major area was left in ruins as huge debris was scattered all over the cobblestone roads.
Houses and other buildings were a shell of their former selves and most were reduced to rubble because of the blast.
It seemed that the threat had left abruptly into another place, but for a certain boy, he opened his eyes only to discover what the catastrophe has done to his community.
Leaving the dead bodies of his family and friends, the boy walked along the streets in a dazed as his memory was juggled up and he couldn't comprehend what had happened a few minutes ago.
They were celebrating until a mysterious blast came and everything went black for him.
He walked until he reached a small circular plaza and by the time he got there, his attention shifted above as he gazed at the dark skies.
As he watched a great ethereal essence manifesting and surrounding the entire city from afar, a massive army of dark wyverns finally arrived at the same time and descended to bring their own reign of terror.
CHAPTER END
AN: Well, here's another lengthy chapter that focuses more on the perspectives of the characters back at the palace. It has more action-packed scenes with a little flavor of horror elements.
This should be the end of certain characters such as the rest of the elven council, though in the original plan, Rinsui was supposed to be killed during the conflict at the meeting hall scene, but changed it at the last minute. The scene where Brian gets dragged down by the enemy is kinda inspired by the Evil Dead series, where I recall, a lot of first-person dragging victim scenes were used. The first scene in the chapter where the flame dragon is corrupted had a bit more ambiguous vibe to it (More details will be revealed in the next chapters ahead.)
Regarding Lucious, His background is going to be a mystery for a while, similar to Elrena, (Still working on their backgrounds) in the previous chapter. But is hinted that he knew Rory for a very long time.
Regarding the lore, I did some build-up here, mostly the Legend of the Ultima Crystallis(Name loosely based on the Final Fantasy Series) If you have read the previous chapters, there are hints regarding it as an important artifact, and something of a must-have. For Qua-Toyne it's sacred and a possible savior, for Adventurers and Isekai Protagonist, it's a treasure and extra power boost, for Apostles, something to protect and to use for a bigger purpose, and For Sadera, something like a key. So when Yuji presented it to the guardian, he automatically knew what to do and as a result (The last scene gives a hint.)
The lore about Sadera, it's a thing that is still in its building phase. We got a couple of hints here in some scenes, especially, Pina, who has hinted to be in the negotiation world for quite some time and her showing nasty side when things go horribly wrong.
Captain Julius sees glimpses of Sadera's wyvern past.
Oh, and there's also one more during the earlier "Noble City" Chapters, that includes a painting.
Recently, I kinda implemented a little bit of that Vague Final Fantasy-style ending scene in every chapter so far, much like the last one and this one recently.
With that said, thank you so much for giving your time to read the chapter and I really appreciate it. Also, please forgive me for small grammar mistakes, since English is not my first language.
Would also like to thank DFMRCV, of the Freedom's Ring and Overlordhammer for their ideas and suggestions. Really appreciate it and your support.