White Trinity found themselves at a plains area, but knowing that they had people hot on their tail, they had no choice but to continue their flight towards Britoniah. Elua and Heal-Do would catch up to them after halfway through Geffen Fields, and began attacking them with a volley of arrows and venom knives. Knowing he couldn't cast while moving, Thiji was forced to fight defensively as Ray and Raien returned fire with bullets and shuriken, which Heal-Do would deflect with ease.
As the chase continued southward, the Holy Saviors had also caught up with the two Vixens and struck at them with Holy Light blasts. Elua ordered Mukuhawk to strike at Youmei, harassing her with swooping attacks so as to prevent the Crusader from closing the gap with another Shield Charge.
It had become a race of epic proportions as White Trinity, Battle Vixens, and Holy Saviors made their way to Britoniah through the Kordt Forest, using whatever they had at their disposal to tire out their opponents.
"This area used to be filled with Kobolds…" Lee said. "Namely of the Blue Wolf Clan."
"Where are they now?" asked Thiji.
"Somewhere not in Rune-Midgarts, that's for sure."
Their journey continued as they would lose their pursuers and soon notice a series of castles in the distance – the source of those beams of light surely had to be here. As White Trinity dashed down the path, they would meet with a Kafra employee, but this one looked different from the others. Instead of a skirt and blouse she wore a pair of marigold shorts and a midriff top of the same color. She sported lime green hair and her headband was greatly different than that of the regular Kafra employees.
"Damn, who is she?! She is delicious!" Raien spoke as he slowed to a halt with the others.
"Greetings, White Trinity, and welcome to Britoniah! I am Kafra Misty!" she introduced with the usual Kafra bow.
"Your attire is… different than that of the other Kafra employees we have seen," Thiji pointed out.
"That's because I hail from the Kafra Corporation's Western Branch! Our attire is a lot different than those in the mainland, but we still work towards the same goals!" she explained. She would then teleport the four of them to the eastern portion of the area, atop of a hill that was blockaded by a barrier of magic. "Until this officially starts, all members are welcome to rest and wait while the other parties arrive!"
"Do your thing, Wizard," Ray hinted Thiji. The Wizard stepped forward and kneeled down before the barrier, trying to survey the area from their vantage point. He had noticed not one, but five different castles, all of a different colored banner hanging upon the portcullises. Then he made note of the small islands surrounded by water, each holding a castle – the center held one, while the western and southern portions held two, and two bridges connected them with the central island.
He relayed this information to his comrades, and Ray pondered on the situation while the Holy Saviors had appeared, and were teleported to the southern portion of Britoniah. Lupi and Aege had finally overcome their encumbrance and caught up with her sisters, in which Kafra Misty would teleport them to the opposite side of the Trinities' "starting point."
"This doesn't look too difficult…" Momiji thought aloud.
"Now we'll crush them here, in Britoniah!" Lupi declared with a clenched fist.
"Prepare for an exciting battle, gentlemen…" Thiji forewarned, bracing himself for a long-winded introduction.
"Welcome," said Kafra Misty, "to the Emperium Citadel! Tucked away in Western Geffen territory, the battlegrounds of Britoniah have become the staging area for this next leg of the Emperium Frontier! Behold now, the landscape before you: a series of five castles, each with a banner of a particular color! Inside of these structures is an elemental shard! The rules are simple: touch the shard and claim the castle for your guild! Each shard infuses you and your guild with a different effect; the fire shard will make your attacks more powerful! The water shard will bless you with quicker attacks! The earth shard will make your skin hard as stone, increasing your endurance! The shard of wind will make you fleet of foot, allowing faster movement! And the light shard will increase resource recovery!"
"Resource recovery…?" Ray said in confusion.
"Mana regeneration and the like," the Wizard clarified.
"The first of the five areas has been made available! The others will activate after a certain amount of time has elapsed! Fighters, prepare yourselves for battle for the Sapphire Emperium!" declared Kafra Misty, snapping her fingers as the fire castle – stationed at the northern end of the area – activates with a red beam of light, "turning on" the fire shard within…
Ray: Okay, Thiji. What's the plan?
Thiji: The wise warrior avoids the battle; ponder and deliberate before you make a move.
Lee: "Avoids the battle…" Wait, you're saying we stay up here?!
Thiji: The Sapphire Emperium is shrouded from us; we do not know how to call it. But I've a hunch that these five castles hold the key to such a riddle.
Raien: So, what, let the Vixens take the fire castle and make their already-painful attacks become even more agonizing?
Thiji: I will provide support from afar. We will have to pick our fights more carefully considering the enclosed spaces we're in. Carelessness will send us plummeting into the water…
Lee: Okay, so we'll be short a man, technically.
Thiji: They'll be more worried about finding me than focusing their efforts on you all for too long. But if we can find that light castle and claim it, I will not tire as fast.
Ray: So fight only when necessary and secure the light castle! Roger that!
Raien: For now, we wait…
The Lightning Ninja goes into a meditative position with Lee while Ray takes the time to flip some coins until he had five floating around his person; Thiji found some shrubbery and hid from within.
The time for battle was near as the Battle Vixens and Holy Saviors strategized in kind…
Lupi: Go straight for the fire castle, no ifs, ands, or buts! We already pack a punch; with the essence of flame under our control, those Failities won't know what hit them!
Aege: Okay, but I was thinking that the earth castle would be good, too.
Elua: That's only because you're earth, Aege!
Heal-Do: But the water castle will make our attacks faster! Those heavy weapons of Lupi's and Aege's will be dangerous with the blessing of water!
Lupi: Not a bad idea, Baby Sister… Still, that Fire Castle is top priority!
Over at the Saviors…
Youmei: Sisters, we must deter the Vixens as best we can while we find the key to finding the Sapphire Emperium. We take whatever castles they hold, no matter the cost.
Botan & Momiji: Yes, ma'am!
Tsubaki: So we harass the Battle Vixens, but what of White Trinity?
Youmei: Yes, you're right… I had forgotten about their strategist, the Wizard, Sir Thiji… he will definitely be a worthy opponent, especially after what he pulled back at the bridge.
Botan: We will take care of them, Sister Youmei!
Momiji: Yeah, leave it to us! We're Acolytes for sure, but we're not weak!
Once the three guilds had established their gameplans, they waited patiently as the barriers slowly began to dissipate.