Chapter Text
Gazing mournfully upon the hero's body lying upon the pillar, the goddess could not help but bitterly reflect on the irony of the situation. While the people knew her as the Goddess of Time, she was not actually omniscient- even she could not foresee such an outcome. Still, even the gods were said to be bound by fate, she mused. While the hole in her heart would never truly heal, the fact that the people- along with the four guardian deities of the land- mourned along with her, was at least some consolation. While the demon was vanquished, the presence of the mask left behind were a matter which needed to be dealt with. The one calling to mind the demon was objectively hideous, and her first instinct was to destroy it utterly. However, she had never encountered this sort of magic before, and not even she knew what sort of evil would be released upon the land and the people should said magic be unleashed.
"What do you think, my friends?" she inquired. "This mask...not even I can say would be the outcome of destroying it outright."
One of the giants gave a moan, apparently concerned as well, discussing it with his fellows.
"W-what are you going to do, milady?" inquired the imp, still rather shaken from witnessing still, lifeless form of his hero.
Staring balefully at the wicked mask in her hands, the goddess sighed. "He did his duty and did so honorably." she reflected. "So shall I do mine."
"What do you mean?"
Levitating the mask into the air, the implement was suddenly enveloped in light, vanishing into the ether. "I have sealed the fiend's mask in a space not of this world- between the dimensions. With luck, any evil within it should not trouble this- or any- world any longer."
Another of the giants bellowed, almost in a questioning tone.
The goddess nodded solemnly. "Hopefully, it should, yes."
Finally, for the final order of business, the deity turned to the imp, holding in her hands the mask bearing the visage of her fallen hero. "Should it find a way to return," she resumed. "and the world finds itself in danger once more, grant this mask to a hero whose power is matched by his wisdom and courage. And only to this hero. Can you do this?"
The imp beamed. "Of course, milady!" he answered. "I'll protect it with my life."
While the goddess smiled at this outpouring of dedication, it was a weary sort of smile, not only for the loss of her dearest champion either. While there was a great and righteous power emanating from his mask, there was also a wicked power, just as strong, emanating from its counterpart. While she kept hope in her heart that her magic would hold the seal in place, a part of her could scarcely believe that an implement of such dark power would remain in the shadows forever.
Hana spent much of the night thinking about the revelations relayed to her, both by Horace and Fi. The truth was, it didn't feel, well- real. Even with everything she had seen and experienced on this journey, the idea that she was this legendary hero just felt very strange, to say the least. Sitting on her cot in her tent, Hana, unable to sleep, after several minutes of absentmindedly playing with her hair, spoke at last. "Can we talk, Fi?"
Her blade illuminating in its sheath shortly saw the sword spirit manifest. "Of course, Mistress."
Hana inhaled deeply. "Okay, I know, after all I've been through, I should be the last person questioning it, but-"
Looking over at the mannequin holding up her green battle dress, the swordswoman continued. "it just doesn't feel totally...real to me. And how Sir Horace was talking about me? Like I'm this bigshot hero when I'm just- well, me."
"Ah, I see."
"Honestly, it feels more like some strange dream. I was content with being responsible for Sakura. Then Hoshido in general. But the world? Truth be told, I had always pictured Takeshi more as some legendary figure."
"I understand. But may I be so bold as to pose a question as well, Mistress?"
Having monopolized the conversation to such a degree, Hana tilted her head in genuine confusion. "Sure, what is it?"
"Who was it who saved Princess Sakura? And rallied the resistance forces against the enemy? And not only collected the Jewels of Virtue, passed the trial?"
"I guess...I did."
"Who was it chosen by the sword that seals the darkness? And slew that marauding beast?"
"...I did. But I had help with all of those-"
While her crystalline body and expression were, of course, rather neutral, Hana could swear for a second her companion wore a ghost of a smile. "It is my wish that you should not doubt yourself so, Mistress." consoled Fi. "All of these feats were you fulfilling your destiny- I have no doubts that someday, you and your allies will be victorious in this war and you will slay the Demon King."
Granted, it still felt awkward, being subject to all this praise and the expectations, both of her own people and those under the Nohrian yoke, were daunting. But nonetheless, Hana found herself to be in noticeably better spirits. "Thank you, Fi." she said at last. "It still feels weird to me, but if it's my destiny...I'm going to be the best hero I can be!"
This pondering and conversation had taken up more time than expected by Hana. In fact, it was actually daybreak by the time Fi had concluded consoling her. The swordswoman had only gotten an inkling of this by the sunlight seeping through the seams of her tent and someone rapping on the supports of her tent to attract her attention.
Hana yawned slightly, finally rising from her cot. "What is it?" she spoke, still a little groggy.
Clad in his traveling garb already, Hisaya peeled back on of the tent's flaps. "The preparations are complete." he informed. "The princess sent me to wake you."
Starting to replace her assorted pieces of armor, Hana nodded at her subordinate. "Oh, well, thank you for that, Hisaya."
The swordsman raised a hand before giving a dark smirk. "Think nothing of it." he said. "Shall we go hunting, Commander?"
"Yes. I think it's time too."
Hisaya escorting her to the parade of wagons and their accompanying beasts of burden, despite her noble origin, for Hana, it still felt rather strange to be waited on in such a manner. Her offers to help with her own few remaining effects were actually brushed off by her attendants and subordinates. Knowing when an effort was a lost cause, Hana acquiesced to the insistence of all parties involved, instead going to the front of the caravan to find Horace listening in rapt attention to a (somewhat timidly recounted) statement of Hana's exploits by the princess.
"Oh, Hana!" she remarked, audibly relieved, pecking her on the lips. "Good. We're finally ready."
Hana's expression darkened slightly. "Wait, what do you mean, 'we?'" she inquired.
"I-I'm going with you all."
Hana's face contorted into an expression of displeasure. "Sakura, no! You know how dangerous this is going to be-?"
Nonetheless, the princess' expression was firm. "I-I already know what you're going to say, Hana. And I know how dangerous it will be. I see you and Rinkah doing all you can- knowing my people are suffering. What good is it being a princess if I can't help them when they're in need?"
While not exactly pleased with the turn of events, Hana knew when she was defeated. She was already well-aware of how stubborn the princess was and this was clearly of the utmost importance to Sakura. "Fine, fine." she conceded. "But when I can't be with you, the Royal Guards will."
Sakura gave a faint smile. "That's all I ask. Th-thank you, Hana."
At this display of fealty to the common people, Horace was, interestingly enough for a man in his thirties, on the brink of tears.
Bidding farewell to the Flame Tribe stronghold, Hana's caravan departed the area shortly afterwards, everyone from their commander down to the royal guards rather on edge- considering their exceedingly important passenger, it would have been neglectful not to be so. But as the convoy reached their first designated camp (the area having been long since cleared of the enemy), some of the tension began, slowly but surely, to abate somewhat.
The swordswoman's very first instinct being to dote upon her princess was however interrupted by the two of her colleagues. "We've received word from Lady Kagero." informed Hideaki. "Everything is going according to plan for now."
Hana sighed, it being rather painful to go against her first instinct. "Very well. We should go over everything together."
For all of the times she had been a part of such meetings, for Hana, it was still at least a little odd to hold one of them in her own tent for the first time, despite having no real explanation for it. In the center of the tent, Haruka had set up the map of Hoshido on the table, the white and black wooden figures upon it giving off the impression of a needlessly complex game of chess. "Lady Kagero's forces are approaching the capital from the south and east." she informed, pushing some of the white figures to the south and east of a particular dot. "They're engaging what remains of the enemy forces who seem to be retreating to the capital."
"W-why the capital?" inquired Sakura, not entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.
Hideaki shook his head. "No one is entirely sure, Your Highness." he replied. "We assume they intend to use it as a stronghold. There are better positions in the country they could take, but the capital is the best they could do given the circumstances."
"So what we want to do is approach them from the north and west and make sure they can't escape!" spoke Hana.
The swordsman smiled. "Well, it sounds like we have our orders."
Haruka grimaced slightly. "But remember: The enemy in this area is battered, not beaten."
Hana gripped her chin in contemplation. "Hm, that's a good point." she conceded. "If we head straight for the capital now, we run a very real risk of being overtaken from behind."
Hideaki nodded. "Indeed. With that in mind, we have two options: The first is to head straight for the capital. As you already said, there are risks. If we beat Lady Kagero and her forces there, we could very well run into trouble and we also run the risk of being overtaken from behind. The second option would be for us to fan out and eliminate as much of the enemy as we can before marching on the capital. While it would take longer and possibly give the Nohrians some reinforcement from the survivors, we give ourselves plenty of time to prepare and meet up with the other contingent."
Having pondered the pros and cons of both approaches for several hours now, Hana felt reasonably confident in the decision she was making. "Let's go with the second one." she said. "That gives us the chance to destroy any reinforcements coming from their homeland towards the capital too."
*At their revered commander's order, Hana's unit set out to clear the area of the last remaining Nohrian forces. For the next week or so, Hana and her unit engaged the enemy in a series of skirmishes. The state of the enemy's troops, even among the dead, had become rather revealing: After one battle where her unit had rather handily defeated the enemy, Hisaya, having cornered a Nohrian who (most uncharacteristically given their past bravado) chose to behave himself in a rather unusual manner.
"P-please!" groveled the vanquished soldier, feebly backing away from the incensed swordsman. "I-I had no idea! I was just following orders! I was-"
With one clean slash from his blade, Hisaya silenced the Nohrian for good. "Not my problem. Burn." he said coldly.
Taking stock of the carnage she and her subordinates had inflicted upon the enemy, Hana reflected a bit: Granted, it never exactly felt good to take this much human life. But they nonetheless, had a duty to the country, its people, and the princess who had given the order in the first place.
"Well done." congratulated Hana. "You've been doing especially well the past couple of days."
Hisaya snorted. "Hunting beasts." he remarked shortly. "That's all there is to it, commander."
But her inspection of the battlefield and the enemy casualties- along with this most recent one- did confirm a number of things for Hana. "Hang on," she began. "did you notice anything about these guys?"
The surly swordsman flourished his blade to shed it of the accumulated gore. "Truth is, I was focusing more on making that giant gash across his chest."
"No, I mean, really look closely. Like with this guy: His clothing is worn, what armor he's got is in bad shape, he looks like he hasn't had a shave in ages."
"Meaning...what now?"
Hana's eyes narrowed into predatory slits. "It means we were right about the enemy forces in the area- they're in a bad way."
And the progressive liberation of the capital area from their tormentors did not go unnoticed or unappreciated by the common people either. After routing the enemy forces from one ravaged village in particular, the terrified denizens of the hamlet, assuming the marauding Nohrians had come to finish them off, emerged slowly from their homes in various states of disrepair, the lines on the village elder's face seeming particularly heavy, yet eternally grateful for his saviors.
"Oh, thank you, Lady Hana." he spoke for his people. "And Princess Sakura! We had despaired of ever seeing you again!"
"It was nothing," insisted Hana. "Just doing my duty...but just between us, I think you'll have to wait a bit if you want to thank the princess."
Indeed, Sakura was being feted by the grateful villagers. But the injuries of the wounded, some worse than others, had given her such focus that she scarcely had the time to be embarrassed by the praise as she usually would. "It's a miracle!" exclaimed a middle-aged man, throwing his crutch off to his side. "I was sure I would never walk on it again! Thank you, milady!"
"N-no, think nothing of it." insisted Sakura. "Is anyone else in need of aid?"
The wounded, grateful villagers crowding around Sakura and keen on having some respite from their pain, were forced to be kept in order by surly-looking Hisaya. But their elder had some concerns of his own. "Milady, surely you've noticed the state our village is in." he remarked.
Hana gave a slight frown. "Again, I'm sorry for your losses." she consoled. "But we don't have the resources to really help you right now."
The elder looked scandalized. "Oh, no, of course! You must have noticed that we still have more than a few young men left- and they're keen to join your cause."
Hana, rubbing her chin, mulled it over. "Again, we're kind of in a hurry." she admitted. "But now that I think about it, there is a way they can help us."
The swordswoman gestured to one of the officers among her guard. "You there!"
Dutifully, the officer presented himself before her. "Yes, ma'am!"
"You're to remain behind- first thing in the morning, start drilling these men into an actual fighting force. If need be, they can protect our rear too."
The guard bowed. "Of course, ma'am!" he replied. "At once!"
Naturally, Hana's first instinct was to shield her lady from as much of the gory details- figurative and literal- of her business. But there were times when this could simply not be ignored or sanitized. One such instance came after a particular skirmish where the Nohrians had been routed from what appeared to be some sort of makeshift fortress complex with an open-air enclosure, the obviously-Hoshidan people in various forms of distress and injury- those who still lived, of course. Naturally, once the area had been cleared, the princess darted off to help as many of these put-upon souls as she possibly could, Haruka chasing after her, urging her to wait.
Meanwhile, Hana and her husband had lined up the Nohrians who had not been killed in the battle or escape to join their fellows in the capital. Needless to say, once Hana had received reports about what the exact purpose of such as sadistic facility was from her subordinates, she was less-than-pleased. Pacing up and down the line of the assembled Nohrians much in the manner of a wolf circling her prey, Hana's expression made her displeasure more than clear. "Well?" she snarled. "Anything to say for yourselves?"
Whether out of shame, humiliation, defiance, or just plain exhaustion, the Nohrians very distinctly avoided meeting her gaze, the rare responses more akin to disaffected murmurs. Flanked by Hideaki and Horace, the swordswoman simply nodded at the pair, the former of which had already drawn his blade. "Deal with this trash." she commanded.
"At once, ma'am." said Hideaki.
"As you command, milady." said Horace, his grin too broad for the task to which he was being put up.*
Finally, the evening after a week of skirmishes, back at camp, Hana noticed the cry of a falcon headed for the camp. She'd thought it kind of unusual for a bird of prey like this to be active at this time of day, and this turned out to be exactly the case. Landing on her left arm plate, the bird gave a cry, almost seeming to call attention to the piece of paper fastened around its right leg. Taking the piece of paper and releasing the falcon for a well-earned rest, Hana immediately recognized Kagero's flourished handwriting:
"Rats fleeing into the trap. Marching to close the door now."
Even without the code, Kagero's message was obvious: The enemy had been swept from the south and east of the capital- come morning light, it was officially time to march for the capital. "Hm, what's wrong?" inquired Haruka.
"Kagero sent word." she replied, her tone matter-of-fact. "And it's good. We march for the capital first thing tomorrow morning. Get word to everyone."
Haruka smiled knowingly. "At once."
Naturally, the news about the enemy's dire straits and their imminent march on the capital spread through the camp like wildfire and the various units and their personnel were abuzz with rumors, some more fantastic than others. Hana herself however, was rather restrained in what she would reveal for obvious reasons, but this did not hold true in all cases, particularly for her princess. "Well, we're marching for the capital tomorrow." she informed dutifully. "Every step we take, this nightmare is one step closer to ending."
While she would have necessarily have had a series of complex emotions concerning this homecoming, Sakura, for now, looked as though she could cry tears of joy. "Th-thank you, Hana." she said. "For everything you've done for me."
The swordswoman gave a comforting smile. "Don't thank me, Sakura." she replied. "Really, all this is just doing my job. I'm happy to do it-"
The princess nonetheless overcome with emotion, perhaps as an unconscious throwback to another of their interactions, pressed her lips against Hana's, kissing her rather forcefully. Of course, she did not exactly pull back from the affectionate gesture, but it was rather unexpected from the shy, demure Sakura. "Although, this is fine too." remarked Hana with a smile. But in the embrace of her princess for several seconds more, Hana still noticed something odd. A small crowd gathering around them- for her. While Hana's first instinct would have been to tell them off for making a spectacle of such a personal moment, the swordswoman took note of their clamoring:
"The commander says we march for the capital tomorrow!"
"At long last! Thank the gods!"
"Our homeland is nearly free!"
"Yeah! That's our commander!"
"Arrogant Nohrian bastards don't stand a chance!"
While she trusted the gathered men and women with her life, her own direct subordinates in particular, for Hana, seeing the crowd becoming progressively larger, was at least a little unnerving. "Did you do this?" inquired Hana shortly.
Haruka shrugged her shoulders. "Technically, I suppose." she conceded. "Word got around a little faster than I had expected."
Her husband gave an amused sort of grin. "I think they want to hear some words from their commander before we march."
**Oh, damn, Hana thought. This was definitely the sort of thing she expected from Takeshi to rouse his men before a battle. Nonetheless, Hana ushered the princess off to her side and inhaled deeply, giving at least a little thought to a speech that could make or break morale for the coming engagement. "Hey there." she began, a twinge of nervousness about her. "I know this war has been hard on all of you. You've all lost a lot- homes, friends, family. We all have. But freedom for our country is finally in sight. The enemy is making his final stand in the streets of our capital and-"
The mood of the crowd, while obviously energetic, had a distinct air of hope and optimism to it as they cheered on their heroine. Even Hana, never fancying herself as some great public speaker, seemed to be heartened by the reception of the crowd. "I'm not going to lie to anyone here." she continued, noticeably more confident. "Our enemy is battered, bruised, but not beaten. He'll fight for every street and every house. In this next battle, we will lose good men and women. But you all know that, don't you? You also all know that we have something worth fighting for behind us- not the aggrandizement of our country or the enslavement of our neighbors- but our homes, our friends, our families!"
The crowd gave another round of raucous cheers, interrupting Hana for a good half a minute. "That's exactly why we have to- no, that's exactly why we WILL win! Why we WILL free our Hoshido from these glorified pillagers and cutthroats! I ask you all, one more time, to stand with me for the coming battle!"
At this point, the gathered crowd was in an absolute frenzy, cheering their commander in affirmation, damnation of their enemy, and general statements of excitement. "Alright, back to your tents!" demanded Hideaki. "You heard the lady- we march at first light- you're no good to us half-dead!"
In a surprisingly orderly fashion for a crowd of this size and state of excitement, the gathered audience did gradually begin to disperse over the next several minutes, no doubt realizing the truth of her fellow commander's words. Hana however, was both physically and mentally exhausted after such a display. Nonetheless, her compatriots would also see fit to praise her efforts.**
"Commander, that was amazing!" spoke Yua in awe.
"N-no, it was nothing." insisted Hana, slightly embarrassed.
"And you didn't rehearse it at all?" inquired Tomoe.
Hana shook her head. "No, not a word."
Kaito wore a confident grin on his face. "I have to hand it to you, commander- you made even someone like me ready for tomorrow!"
"Yeah, it was a cool speech." said Hisaya boredly. "But we need more action."
"Trust me, you'll get plenty of that once we start approaching the capital." Hana informed shortly. "We all will."
"Speaking of these matters," interrupted Horace. "while I don't have much in the way of means to support the cause, my dagger is yours for the coming battle."
Ida gave a look of confusion. "Wait, who is this guy again, commander?"
"He's fine." assured Hana. "I need some sleep."
Having had a long, grueling day topped off by said speech, Hana actually did fall into a dreamless sleep rather quickly. The same however, could not be said for the rest of the camp, as the rousing speech by their commander, along with the imminent liberation of the country, provided much fodder for conversation deep into the night. But surely enough, the excitement would die down with time- everyone present took Hideaki's warning to heart.
The savages' capital, let alone their palace, was in a rather bad way. This was little surprise to anyone among the ragged group of Nohrian survivors who had gathered there for one final stand. However, their commander, Johan, dark circles under his eyes and increasingly on-edge, seemed to be rather distracted, to say the very least, pacing about the room he'd commandeered as his study, muttering to himself about all the places he must have searched, his marked charts littering the desk and surrounding walls. And it was not as if he lacked any more headaches to deal with. His old friend he'd enlisted, the scarred mercenary Dominik, in contrast to his easygoing nature, did not seem especially sanguine about the situation as he delivered his report from the south.
"Well, they're through our lines in the south and are approaching us from the east too." he informed. "It looks like we'll be fighting them in the streets after all, but the final call is yours."
"Hm, that's interesting." Johan replied, seemingly unconcerned. "Yes, yes, prepare for a siege."
Dominik's expression wrinkled into one of confusion. He understood his old buddy's mind worked on a completely different level from his, but his lack of interest in the increasingly desperate situation was curious, to say the least. "Anyway," he continued. "some of the guys were thinking we could send a bird back home and ask for reinforcements- gods only know if they'll get here in time, but-"
Johan's eyes widened briefly. "NO!" he blurted out. "Not when I'm THIS close!"
The mercenary now had more than no genuine concern for his old friend. "Are...you okay?"
Realizing what his momentary lapse in judgement had revealed, the mage regained his composure. "Er, I mean- very well. Prepare what defenses we have and send word back home. With any luck, they'll have troops to spare."
All he needed was time, more time, Johan ruminated. Even if the savages were to arrive in force soon, as long as he could come to possess the Golden Power- as long as he held breath in his body, this could all be fixed! All he needed was more time!
***True to their commander's word, the horn that awoke the camp every morning sounded at the first light of the sun. Even with the palpable excitement, at least some had managed to get some sleep to prepare for this momentous occasion. Others, like their excitable guest from Notre Sagasse, ran on sheer adrenaline and anticipation to remain alert. Either way, within the hour of the sunrise, the camp stirred with activity- the supply convoys were prepared, the beasts of burden awoken, last checks of equipment performed before their march to the capital- easily taking most of the day assuming no resistance was met. And their commander, clad in her green battle dress, stood overlooking it all.
Once the columns had been formed, the convoys stocked, and any final preparations undertaken, Hana, her blade aloft in the general direction of the capital, gave the order. "Alright, now move out!"
As her troops marched over the once-verdant plains now stained with blood, resistance was (or perhaps not so much) surprisingly light for Hana's expectations, most of the advance fortifications and outposts having been abandoned without a fight. This was not especially odd, seeing as the enemy had received their orders to fight a defensive battle in a more tenable position. Neither was it particularly odd that the long-terrorized common folk, having gotten word of their enemy's dire straits, would emerge from their devastated villages and towns to greet their liberators marching under the banner of the star, possibly even to get a glimpse at their heroine(s). Nor was it especially surprising that, once the outposts and fortifications had fallen, the banners bearing the Nohrian trident were trampled underfoot as a matter of principle.
The aerial reconnaissance forces having set out for the capital about an hour prior, Hana was, of course, somewhat nervous. It was therefore a great relief to see Yua's pegasus touching down in front of the liberated fortification. "Good, you're alright." said Hana with a smile. "What does the capital look like?"
Yua grimaced somewhat. "T-to be honest," she stammered. "intimidating. The Nohrians have a fair number of siege engines deployed in and around the city. We can't approach them easily at all."
"Damn." swore Hana. "That's about what I expected. It looks like we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."
At some point in the afternoon, Hana once again received Kagero's falcon perched upon her gauntlet, bearing another message:
"Enemy alerted. Remain on guard."
And the report was no lie. Advancing further towards the capital, the enemy scouts and skirmishers had begun to engage in localized engagements and small-scale ambushes, all of which were brushed aside with fairly little effort and fewer casualties, those recoverable treated fairly promptly by the princess and her healers on duty. "Pitiful." remarked Hisaya contemptuously. "If this is how they fight for the capital, we've basically already won."
"Hey, that kind of attitude gets people killed." reminded Tomoe. "So stow it already."
"Yeah, she's right." insisted Hana. "You know how were complaining about too little action? I have a feeling you're going to be getting exactly what you were asking for."
Their commander's instincts seemed to be spot-on in this instance as well: In line with the reports of their own scouts and skirmishers, as northeastern districts of the capital came into view, so too did the enemy's hastily-constructed lines. "Contact!" reported one of the scouts. "We've made contact with the enemy."
"Alright, people, what we've seen so far was just a warm-up!" announced Hana. "It's time for the real thing!"
To their enemy's credit, their lines did not exactly melt away like ice on a hot summer day- genuine resistance was put up (if for no other reason than the sinister, secretive mages behind said lines) to an opponent none too keen upon showing mercy to them. But the barrage of magic and arrows, along with some deft blade and spearwork, ultimately saw the Nohrians scatter, retreating into the city proper.
"Alright!" said Hisaya, pumping his fist into the air. "That's our first victory of the day."
The surly swordsman turned to the men under his immediate command. "You all! On me!"
Nonetheless, for Hana, there was just something...off about this retreat. While she could not prove it by any means, instinct informed her that something was amiss here. Before she could ultimately make a decision one way or another, Hisaya and his men were already making their way towards the city gates before the gears in Hana's brain worked to their fullest extent. "Wait, stand down!" she called. "Hisaya! I'm ordering you to stand down!"
Of course, Hisaya and his men were well out of earshot, particularly given the chaos of a battlefield. Only adding to the mayhem were the strange Nohrian magic orbs that rained down streams of blue beams upon Hisaya and his unit from both sides of the gate. Swearing to herself, Hana urged her own and Tomoe's units forward. "We have to take out those mages if we're going to advance!"
The unit under fire from the storm of light was not faring particularly well, their commander's frustrated insistence they continue on not helping matters in the slightest. "Damnit!" he swore as his men fell namelessly around him. "We have to do...something!"
Almost as if on cue, almost as suddenly as it had begun, the beams of deadly light ceased. Hisaya himself observed the sight in confusion before realizing what must have necessarily happened: Hana still holding her blade aloft as the broken body of one of the mages fell from the gates, his fellow on the opposite side having one of Horace's throwing knives lodged in his neck. The Hoshidan forces now flooding into the city from the northeast, once she had joined their ranks, Hana simply glowered at the reckless swordsman. "When I give you an order, listen!" she scolded urgently. "I'll deal with you later. But the rest of you, don't be a hero- watch those magic orbs!"
And this was no idle warning: The Nohrians had set up the enhanced magic orbs on selected streets, especially along the main roads, both for crowd control and support of their own troops. In contrast to their commander's warning, more than a few units had made similar mistakes to that of Hisaya's. One way or another, whether the units were still action-worthy or not, it was not a mistake that was made twice. Granted, while Hana could sometimes maintain the focus required to summon one of the blue beams from her own blade, the din of battle, along with the short-and-long range threats alike, made opportunities to remove said mages operating the orbs progressively more scarce.
And it was an effective tactic for as long as the mages lived and could make use of the orbs: On one occasion, even the unit directly under Hana's own command was pinned down while approaching one of the main thoroughfares towards the palace. Jerking Horace back behind the wall of some ruined structure or another, it was not a moment too soon as the mages began raining those deadly beams of blue light down the road, sending Hana's men scurrying for cover or prone on their stomachs to avoid the vertical beams of light.
"We must advance, Lady Hana!" Horace shouted over the din. "I have no way to throw a knife this distance!"
"No! It's too dangerous!" she insisted. "We're taking too many casualties already!"
"That beam from your blade- why not use that?!"
"I can't focus like this!"
Of course, once the sustained suppressing fire was gone, the enemy took this opportunity to advance, and it was clear they were on the higher end of quality the Nohrians could have mustered given their dire straits. As she and her men struggled to reassemble their lines before the inevitable contact with the enemy, Hana realized that, yes, this must have been exactly the point of strategic placement of these enhanced magic orbs. The clashes were desperate once their lines had become somewhat coherent- Hana found herself having to do quite a bit of work herself in cutting down the officers, but surely enough, the enemy was repelled. This time however, it was Horace who dragged her behind the walls of a ruined structure, narrowly avoiding another volley of those deadly beams of light.
"This is insane!" complained Hana. "I can see their lines forming up from here again!"
"So this was their plan all along..." said Horace. "Damn!"
"If I had a yumi, I think I might be able to hit one of them from here, but-"
This next volley however, was actually interrupted by neither blade or bow- or rather, neither implement from the pair. From a gap in the wall, Hana could make out friendly troops advancing into the Nohrian lines, coming into a certain state of disrepair once they made contact. Peeking her head out from cover, Hana could confirm their relief had come- Hoshidan troops were in fact, advancing on the position of the mages from the right, the enemy fighting desperately to keep, the death or withdrawal of the mages not withstanding. Once again hoisting her blade to the sky, Hana called on her own troops. "Anyone not wounded, on me!" she ordered. "Advance!"
Enveloped on two sides as a result of the counterattack, the Nohrian line gave way in rather short order, those not fortunate enough to escape with the surviving mages meeting their maker as well. With a lull in the fighting, Hana could confirm that these troops, were in fact, Hoshidan, and under the command of someone she had not exactly expected to see.
"Well met, Haruka." she thanked. "Thanks for the help back there. We've never seen anything like this magic they're using here!"
Haruka nodded, putting her own blade away. "Think nothing of it." she replied. " That's what our own mages and engineers are going to figure out. And finally, the west side of the capital is secure, more or less."
"Really? That's excellent!"
"Yes, it is. Lady Kagero entrusted me with a message: She's waiting for you to start the liberation of the palace."
While this was, of course, one of the greatest honors of her life, Hana was someone who hated to leave loose ends. "But the enemy's still got a fair bit of the city." she reminded.
Haruka placed a sisterly hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "We'll deal with the Nohrians." she insisted. "You and Lady Kagero go after their commanders in the palace."
The truth was, Hana did not exactly fancy facing those magic orbs once again- they had certainly done a number on the unit under her direct command and the troops would be needed for any assault on the palace. "Have your healers tend to our wounded." she requested.
Haruka nodded. "Of course."
"Tomoe, Hisaya! You two take your men and help Haruka clear the city."
"With pleasure, ma'am." said the pair in unison.
"The rest of you-" continued Hana, interrupted by a roar of cheers and enthusiasm. "-on me! The palace is just ahead!"
It took a minute or two for the remaining Royal Guards under her command to settle down a little. Nonetheless, once that was achieved, the advance continued. Little resistance was encountered- apparently, the remaining Nohrian troops had retreated either to the palace or the still-contested east side of the capital. To this end, Hana gave a strict order to the scouts: Eliminate any and all enemy scouts and messengers, an order which was dutifully carried out, when given the chance. Still, Hana and her men alike took stock of all the enemy had done to their once-lively capital- their depredations had turned it into a city of the dead, figuratively and literally. Nonetheless, this only strengthened the resolve of everyone involved to finally eject their oppressor from their capital and homeland in general.
Just outside the palace gardens, one of the scouts returned with word. "Ma'am!" he said. "We've spotted the enemy preparing their defenses in the palace gardens!"
"Hm, that's about what I thought." answered Hana. "Any more of those magic orbs?"
"Not that we saw, ma'am. But we can't rule out one or two."
"Excellent. At ease."
The scout returning to the remainder of the unit, said unit under Hana's command, at their commander's insistence, took the opportunity to do what rest, recuperation, and what refitting was possible before their assault on the palace. Not long after giving the command, Hana spotted their country's star banner along the clan emblem of another noble house being flown by a column of troops. While their commander was not currently at its head, they nonetheless acknowledged and bowed to Hana. "Lady Hana." said the commander.
"At ease! Get some rest before we do this."
"Yes, ma'am! At once!"
The column of troops disbanding to join their fellows in getting what little rest was possible given the circumstances, Hana scanned the area for their elusive commander, swearing to herself that she had not taken the opportunity to ask about her whereabouts. It turns out she did not have to wait long at all.
"Well met, Hana." came a familiar voice. "Good to see you well."
With a puff of smoke, Kagero made her appearance before the swordswoman once again. "I should say the same." greeted Hana.
"How are you faring so far?"
Hana grimaced. "The casualties we've taken were heavier than I had hoped." she admitted. "It's those damned magic orbs! Please don't tell me they have any more of those."
"Yes, they should." informed Kagero grimly. "But only a few. As long as you can keep the enemy distracted in the palace gardens, we'll take care of the orbs."
Hana's grimace returned to its usual friendly smile. "That sounds very doable."
Kagero nodded. "Indeed. As long as nothing goes terribly wrong, our combined forces should be sufficient to take the palace."
The warriors giving their soldiers about half an hour to rest and refit, Hana and Kagero called them once more to form up for the final push. "Now, I don't know what exactly is going to be waiting for us inside the palace." admitted Hana. "The Nohrians are preparing in the castle gardens as we speak. Expect the enemy to fight for every bit of ground we take. But I KNOW none of you want to give up after coming this far!"
The cheers and roars of affirmation, of course, spoke for themselves.
In the palace gardens themselves, the forces under the respective commands of Hana and Kagero split off into two groups. Once the exterior defenders were dealt with, while they would be somewhat more restrained to minimize any more damage done to the palace, once they reached the interior, the enemy would (most likely) be seriously weakened. "Draw them out into the gardens!" demanded Kagero. "We'll deal with the orbs and defenses!"
"Understood!"
While they may not have had much in the way of men to spare, the Nohrians still had, one essential resource outside of the mages trained to operate the orbs- time to prepare. While she knew it would be risky to the troops under her command, Hana urged them onward, knowing fully well they lacked any other choice. Generally speaking, apart from things which caused Sakura distress, Hana was not a vengeful person in the slightest- she could actually count the things she genuinely hated on one hand. However, she was ready to count these magic orbs- these magic turrets- whatever one wished to call them- on that list of things Hana truly despised, especially with the lack of cover one found inside the palace gardens.
Once again, the enemy sallied forth to attack, overseen by those deadly beams of light. Needless to say, the Royal Guard's lines were not exactly easy to maintain under such circumstances. While she was obviously distracted by battling the Nohrian officers, dodging the beams of light, and giving commands in an attempt to keep their lines together, Hana would later swear that the enemy's defenders on the wall were firing so wildly, they were actually indifferent about hitting their own men.
The pair of them crouching behind a rather considerably-sized rock, Horace twirled one of his throwing knives in his fingers. "Lady Hana!" he shouted over the din of the battle. "I believe I can kill that mage if I can get a bit closer!"
"No!" insisted Hana, well-aware of how many casualties they already had taken. "Do you know how dangerous that will be?!"
"Do we actually have a choice?!"
"No...damnit!"
Reluctantly acquiescing to the request, Hana readied her blade once again as her troops began to regroup. Once again, the enemy sallied forth from within the walls over the bodies of their fallen comrades. Torn between covering her excitable follower or the remainder of the Royal Guards accompanying her, Hana decided upon the former, knowing just how dangerous those magic orbs were to everyone on the field of battle.
As befitting his role as an experienced assassin, Horace actually managed to slip past the chaos of the front lines, getting close enough to the exterior walls to notice the mages were having some trouble with the orb's function. "Perfect." he said to himself, readying a pair of his throwing knives. But the other orb positioned on the outer walls was more than ready to begin another barrage, this time training a red beam of light upon a rather oblivious Horace, the reticle becoming progressively more focused as the nanoseconds ticked by. Out of some atavistic instinct, and, despite very rarely using the implement placed on her back, the very second the knives left Horace's hand, Hana called out to him.
"Look out!"
Turning his head forty-five degrees to the right, Horace's eyes momentarily widened as he spotted the beam of solid blue light rushing towards his chest. The shield on her right arm, Hana sprang in front of the excitable assassin, batting away the beam into some architecture or another of the palace. "Once more, you've saved my life, Lady Hana!" he spoke.
"Thank me later!" she ordered. "Now, move!"
The Nohrians, their lines already having taken quite a beating, were rather dismayed to learn that they had only been receiving half the support from their magic orbs upon the outer walls. Of course, neither did the expect to be flanked by a detachment from the Royal Guards and have their back lines thrown into complete chaos. Most fortuitously, the ninjas had finally ascended the interior and exterior walls to deal with the snipers and mages stationed upon them. Indeed, it was more than a little vindicating to witness the magic orbs turned against the remaining Nohrians streaming out of the castle. But as their commander, Hana had more pressing matters after the last of the enemy had been routed or eliminated from the castle gardens.
"You!" she called to a sergeant. "What do our casualties look like?!"
"In a word, ma'am?" he answered truthfully. "Bad."
"Damn, that's what I was afraid of. Get the healers tending to the wounded- anyone who can be saved."
"At once!"
Once again appearing as if from thin air, while her expression was rather neutral to begin with, Hana could still tell Kagero was rather pleased with the situation. "It was lucky you got through when you did." said Hana thankfully. "Things could have gotten a lot worse without you all."
Kagero nodded. "Indeed." she confirmed. "But I've just received word from Haruka- the enemy force in the capital is on its last legs- all that remains for us is to take back the palace."
"We can't get too pleased with ourselves until their commanders are dead though."
"Exactly."
Gazing up at the majestic palace, Hana shut her eyes momentarily, taking stock of the cost it had taken to be able to return here in something even close to victory. "So you and your ninjas can take the lower levels." she half-inquired. "We don't know what traps the Nohrians may have set for us."
For what seemed like the first time in many months, Kagero gave a ghost of a smile. "As you command."
Turning to the assassin, Hana nodded. "Horace, get everyone who can stand ready" she instructed. "We move on the palace as soon as possible!"
The assassin smiled. "Of course, Lady Hana."
The truth was, in light of the casualties taken in the fight for the capital, it took few minutes to gather the remaining forces under Hana's command in the palace courtyard. While usually at least a little battered, they were by no means broken, not when the complete liberation of their homeland was just within their grasp. When Horace returned from wrangling the troops, Hana could not help but grimace slightly. "This was all you could muster?" she inquired softly.
Horace, never a particularly jolly man, had an equally morose expression. "Yes, milady." he informed. "The healers are overworked as is, but we should get a trickle of reinforcements as needed."
Turning to the formation, Hana's tone changed noticeably. "Alright! We're almost there!" she announced. "Once we free the palace and kill their commander, what's left of the enemy force in the capital should crumble."
The assembled guards made their high spirits known in their whoops and cheers for their commander.
"But the Nohrians aren't beaten yet." she admitted. "I don't know what traps they may have set for us- stay on your guard!"***
She and Horace pushing with all their might to open the main door, Hana kept one hand on her blade, to be ready to react at a second's notice. ****It was very clear that the palace had seen better days, what with the battles having taken place inside and around it over the past many months, to say nothing of the usual wear and tear. While she could not say beyond a shadow of a doubt for their own country, it was apparent that they Nohrians did not take very good care of the possessions of others.
With the doors ajar, both swordswoman and assassin scanned the foyer for any traps or immediate threat. For the former, they did not have to wait long at all. At the sound of a horn's call and a rather-alarmed voice shouting "they're here," the enemy began to stream into the entrance hall, attempting to form up their lines. What was most striking about this engagement wasn't its brevity, but more the fact that the enemy had assigned a mere skeleton force to defend the foyer.
"Pitiful." remarked Horace, contempt dripping from his tone as he wiped some gore from his blade with his handkerchief. "Truly pitiful."
"Yeah, it was." confirmed Hana. "And overall, it's a good sign for us."
"How do you figure, milady?"
"If they were going to make a stand against us, the entrance hall would probably be the best place for them to do so."
But to be sure, Hana had to do her due diligence as a commander, gesturing at the two idle scouts. "You two!" she called. "Scout the palace's upper levels! If you encounter resistance, fall back here at once!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the two replied in unison.
Once they had been made reasonably certain the ground level of the palace was cleared, as per Hana's orders, the foyer increasingly became an operations hub for this particular leg of the operation. In practice, this consisted mainly of sorting increasingly-restless Royal Guards trickling in from the palace gardens and the healers patching up the salvageable casualties of the last battle. About half an hour later, the two scouts reported back to her, one of them seeming...off somehow. "Well?" their commander inquired.
"The second level is clear, ma'am!" informed the first scout. "We encountered no resistance."
Knowing the palace as well as she did, this was somewhat concerning to Hana. "Wait, then they must be making their stand in the throne room." she deduced. "Hm? What's wrong with you?"
The second scout however, did not seem as on-point as his fellow. In fact, he was looking rather ill. "Urgh, n-nothing, ma'am-" he protested. "I'm just a little...under the weather. Perfectly fit for duty-"
This would have been more convincing however, had he not violently vomited at her feet before collapsing on his backside. "I'm...just going to take a little nap..." he said weakly.
Hana's nose wrinkled, half in irritation and half in concern. "I don't understand. He was fine when you two left."
The first scout sighed. "Well, there was this strange, purple sludge covering much of the second level." he informed. "This guy here insisted it was harmless, but-"
"We're moving out to the second level!" Hana announced. "And get a healer over here right away!"
Given Hana's viscerally bad feeling about this purported sludge, she felt she had to witness this danger with her own eyes. As her troops marched alongside her up to the next level, everyone involved was somewhat surprised by the lack of resistance found at on the second floor, consisting mainly of a detachment of scouts which were easily brushed aside. While this was, on the surface, a positive development, there would soon be another obstacle to the liberation of the palace making an appearance.
In the main corridors of the second level lay this sickly, purple sludge covering much of the much of the floors and walls. While none present had witnessed such a sight previously, Horace, purely out of curiosity, tossed his handkerchief into the sludge about five paces in front of him. It was rather dismaying therefore, to witness the cloth almost immediately disintegrate into the muck. "What even is this stuff anyway?" inquired Hana, more than no frustration behind her words.
Much as with Kagero and Saizo, Hana had long since been inured to the companion housed inside of her blade appearing and disappearing from thin air. However, it was disconcerting for the men under her command, even Horace, to behold Fi.
"This is malice, Mistress." she informed.
Hana tilted her head in confusion. "Wait, so you mean like hatred?" she inquired.
"Yes, precisely, Mistress. It is an obstacle created by the power and hatred of the Demon King. You, of course, recall your battle with that beast: Focus and swing your blade its direction and you should be able to form a path."
Lacking any other recourse and knowing how dangerous this substance was to her troops, let alone life itself, Hana, steeling her focus much as against the dragon, swung her blade vertically, a disc of brilliant blue light surging from the weapon, cutting through the sludge like a sword through water. "Alright, we kind of have a way through!" she announced triumphantly. "But wait for my signal! This stuff is dangerous!"
It was of course, at least a little time-consuming to cut through the malice, seeing as it was the exclusive purview of the one wielding the sword that sealed the darkness. Time that could have been better spent seeking out and purging the enemy from the last of his strongholds in the palace. But the scouts and skirmishers alike reported nothing else on ("So they ARE held up in the throne room!" Hana remarked.) this level of the palace. So therefore, Hana knew it fitting to do her part by clearing the impassible sludge from as much of the corridors as possible.
After ten or so minutes, the halls were clear enough that a reasonable number of troops could form up and await further orders. While Horace reminded her that the reinforcements could still trickle in, Hana still remained somewhat uneasy at the comparatively few Royal Guards standing before her and the great doors. But nonetheless, according to the returning scouts, the enemy's last remaining stronghold was the throne room, so that is exactly where duty demanded they go.****
"Alright, we're almost there!" announced Hana to whoops and cheers. "But stay on your toes! I admit, I don't know what's waiting for us in there."
Nodding to Horace, the assassin and a couple of Royal Guards pushed against the great doors with all their respective might, the assembled men awaiting their commander's signal to storm the throne room. "Alright, go!" she commanded. "Exactly like we rehearsed!"
The assembled guards split off into three groups: One to engage the Nohrians on the left, the second on the right, and the third under the immediate command of Hana and the excitable assassin, made their way up the great stairwell and towards the throne. Naturally, their commander was either seated upon it or sulking behind said throne. Either way, the last leg of the battle had decidedly commenced. Mercifully, there were none of those modified magic orbs set up at the top of the stairwell or anywhere else in the throne room, but there was something else of note: Two-thirds of the way up the stairwell, something began to assail the troops assigned to take the throne itself. While Hana, rather distracted by dispatching a pair of Nohrian officers, did not get a good look at what exactly was bombarding them, once that particular pair of enemies had been dealt with, Hana turned her head slightly to the left at the cries of pain from one of the guards.
"I'm fine!" he insisted, looking rather ill already. "I'm fine!"
"No, you're not!" insisted Hana in return. "Stay down and find some cover!"
"Lady Hana!" exclaimed Horace, heaving one of his throwing knives into the back of a fleeing Nohrian officer. "We must advance!"
"You're right! Everyone! On me!"
This bombardment by the strange magic and resulting small pools of malice continued well up to the point where the throne became visible. *****And the individual defending it seemed rather...out of sorts, to say the least. Even from this distance, Hana could tell that: Hunched over, visible circles under his eyes, and patches of facial hair indicating he hadn't shaved (or slept) for weeks, clutching his tome as though it was his firstborn child. "I will find it..." murmured Johan manically. "The Power of Gold...I WILL be the greatest king of Nohr...!"
"What on earth are you talking about?" inquired Hana, not seriously expecting an answer to his ramblings.
Almost immediately in response, the mage sent a volley of great purple spheres through the air at Hana. Of course, she dodged them handily, but the other issue Hana noticed was that said spheres exploded, scattering pools of malice about the battlefield. Of course, she thought. He's trying to box them in! Hana's first instinct was naturally to sweep the malice away as she had done outside the in the halls, but it is rather difficult, even for her, to achieve that level of focus on an open battlefield.
And as deft as his knifework was, the pools of malice being generated by the manic mage was becoming increasingly problematic for Horace and the men under his command, progressively boxing them into an increasingly small area. Hana knew she had to end this quickly. Tuning out as many distractions as humanly possible, she sent another of those brilliant blue discs in the direction of the mage, causing him to recoil on impact and clearing away some of the sludge to boot. With a path figuratively and literally cleared, the swordswoman saw her chance and took it. Already staggered by the disc of energy he had taken to the head, Johan realized what was coming, albeit a second too late to actually change it. Struggling to evade Hana's blade, this was, of course, unsuccessful, the swordswoman impaling him through his side.
Such were the depths of his obsession with the mysterious relic, Johan scarcely noticed the searing pain of being run through, only balefully realizing then that what had become his life's work- was essentially now for naught. "No...!" he protested. "I was so close... The Golden Power..." Any further thoughts he may have had on the topic were silenced as Hana removed the edge of the blade and slashed him across the back.*****
Panting and chest heaving, Hana took stock of what had become of the battlefield. Apparently, the enemy was in worse shape than she had thought, seeing as their visible survivors numbered in the tens. And the dissolution of the pools of malice did not go unnoticed by the few enemy survivors in the throne room.
"Sir Johan is dead!" cried one Nohrian.
"What do we do now?!" inquired another.
Apparently having some inkling of news from their brothers in the lower levels or in the streets of the capital, the remaining Nohrians, sensing the hopelessness of the situation, threw down their arms in front of them, hoping against hope for some distant chance of mercy.
For the eastern peoples, the Sun Temple was quite literally the most sacred site in the whole of their lands. The exact reason was lost to time, but legend had it that underneath it lay a portal to a golden land of plenty where the fondest wishes of those who reached it would be granted. Of course, for this very reason, the site had been coveted and fought over by those same peoples for many centuries now- some speculated that this was the original cause of the division between the peoples of the continent's east.
Of course, those past squabbles scarcely mattered right now, as the man from the desert and his legions- whether human or not- had heard tell of these legends and made haste to occupy it- or rather, defile it, according to the unanimous sentiment in the east. But that nightmare for the surrounding villages appeared to be nearing its end. Wielding a shimmering blade with the power to destroy evil, a young noblelady appeared from the north, officially an escort to the princess offering prayers at the temple, but also a warrior of sublime power, sharp wisdom, and peerless courage in her own right. There, she and her companions cut a swath of destruction through the assembled monsters, seeking to free the sacred shrine from its occupation.
Now, in the sanctuary of the temple, the most sacred site in the whole of the eastern lands, the heroine made her way forward, blade shimmering a brilliant blue as she made eye contact with the sickly, pulsating cocoon housing the Demon King's guardian of the temple.
"P-please, be careful." spoke the princess. "I've lost so many people already, I can't lose you too."
The heroine turned back, flashing a confident smile at her charge. "Not to worry, milady." she replied. "I've been preparing for this for months now!"
Advancing as she held the shimmering blade aloft, the sanctuary began to quake slightly. ******But this was no natural tremor, rather the beast struggling to escape its enclosure. Reflexively pushing her lady back towards the entrance, the heroine kept her eye on said enclosure as...something emerged from it, its great heft compromising the floor significantly. Before she could react, the heroine was dragged down into the abyss with the fiend, albeit catching herself upon an outcropping. Still well aware of her mission, the heroine leapt down to the underground enclosure.
"Are you alright?!" yelled the princess.
"Yes, I'm fine!" the heroine called back.
Hoping against hope that the floor's collapse had killed the entity, the heroine drew her blade, the malicious, hateful guardian turning to face her. A grotesque mass of wild red hair, a sickly sludge-like substance, odd, mechanical tentacles and a humanoid face, the scourge of the Sun Temple let out a belligerent roar. But she would not- could not- be deterred: So many of her countrymen had fallen to this beast, so many families shattered, her own included. And even now, it had profaned their most sacred site! While she could not get to its master for the time being, culling this...thing would be a fine consolation prize.