Pitter, patter, pitter, patter....
The wind blew upon the landscape, the rain down-poured into the earth as the thunder rolled and the lightning flashed, the weather was cold as ice as it washed upon the scapes of stone and dirt.
"DEFEND THE NORTHERN GATES! PREPARE THE ARTILLERY FOR LONG RANGED BOMBARDMENT!" Shouted a woman as she readied herself, swords in hand, soldiers in medieval knight armours had rushed themselves to the front beside her, their shields and their swords at the ready.
"ANAHANA! THE SKY!" shouted a mage in a robe with green intricate linings of thread that swirled around, making a wonderful, viny pattern.
Anahana looked at the sky above the Fortress Kingdom, there lay upon the clouds that brought forth rain, a magic gate twice the size of the land upon which the Kingdom stood, it's sinister blue hue casted an aura of danger, of hopelessness, looming upon the land like rain.
"I-It's...It's all over n-now..." Anahana muttered as she stared at the sky, her eyes contracted in shock and horror.
As the gate glowed its hellfire, the ends of the symbol in the sky started to turn into flames raging with malice, it slowly picked its pace as it fell down upon the kingdom and it's army.
"It was an honour serving you all..." Anahana said as watched the Magic Gate fall upon them, the soldiers, in tears and disbelief, shook their heads, held them together as they fell apart "Alas...the Kingdom of Fuhrenheim has fallen...there is no hope for this world"
As the Gate came close, it started to recieve tension, a thunderous boom echoed throughout the world as the Gate came into contact with a an invisible dome. The pressure increased as the Gate forced it's way through, shattering the ground as it crushed the dome, the ground shook as the earth slowly sunk, the perimeter of the dome forming cracks that ran across the lands as the small flat plain where the Kingdom and it's entirety have stood had been forced to the ground.
"Commander Anahana! Look!" One of the soldiers said as he pointed towards the sky.
The sulking, torn Anahana, looked above her. She noticed the sky being crushed under by the Gate, she looked around her. The soldiers who are able to break away from the mesmerizing event had run to the Northern Gate, aiding those who had been there, keeping the Demons from entering. She shook her head, her legs shook under her weight, and as she was about to part an order, she froze.
"Please wake up...Please help them...I'll be there..."
"What?" Anahana looked around her, there was no sign of the voice's body, neither was the caster of the shield. She took in a deep breath, her resolve to win slowly rising once again "HOLD YOUR GROUNDS! A CASTER HAD BOUGHT US TIME! CHARGE!" She shouted as she too, rushed to the enemies, her large monolithic swords at her sides.
She then poised her form to jump, and as she did, she spun in the air, her clothes and her trench coat wavering. As she landed in between a Goliath and a Durja, she once again spun her swords cleanly decapitating the demons from their spines, their abdomen cleared from their lower halves.
"FIRE THE ARTILLERY!!"
A synchronous ignition occurred from the artillery men on the Kingdom walls and from a battery team on the ground. The cannons fired, their shells flew and formed into a large explosive volley, and as it fell onto the ground, large explosions thundered and cratered the Demonic Incursion's army as they slowly started to reach the Kingdom's defences. Bellowing roars, and groans of pain echoed throughout the lands outside as the demons struck by the shells explode, gore and blood decorating the green plains, the gore amassing as corpses pile up, the odor of the dead slowly rising, mixing into the clean air as the wind blew its breath upon the world.
The world was then silent, the sounds of clashes, armour clanking and breaking, the gunshots of the artillery, the splatting and sloshing of gore, the screams and shouts of pain and agony, gone, fading, silence painted the wind's melody.
Fuhrenheim Kingdom, Makeshift Battlements, Northern Gate | Aftermath of the Incursion
She sat on one of the crates, carts rolled from inside the city to their battlements, their horses neighing as they stopped from their long journey. She gasped for breath after she finished drinking a flask of water strapped to her belt, she wiped her forehead, sweat dripping profusely. She glanced at her hand that was shaking uncontrollably, she chuckled nervously before showering herself with what's left of the water in the flask.
In front of her were trotted horses hauling carts that had tarps on them, the soldiers limped beside the carts, dragging themselves along. Armour clanked and fell, the soldier breathed heavily holding on to their weapons as staffs as they trotted through the gates. The air was filled with the foul stench of death, the roads drenched in the blood of the enemy and of the humans, soft wails of women echoed as they slumped to their knees. Crying at the loss of their husbands, their children's fathers. Anahana took her flask again and drank from it, only realizing she had used it all just a moment earlier.
She sighed in relief as she nodded to one of the commanding soldiers who had made contact with her. She looks up to the sky, the clouds in crescent, bluish hues danced around as what remained of the dissipated Magic Gate lingered.
Fuhrenheim Kingdom, Galia Militia Camp.
"We've faced many battles before, fought in wars no man would ever want to be a part in" A General with a chalice said, as he looked upon his soldiers, and the Knights and the Cavalrymen among them. His armour clicked and clacked as he slowly moved to the front of their mess hall, the soldiers who were laughing, or were conversing with each other had stop, and had given the General their attention.
"Fuhrenheim, the 56th Dragon Corps, the 78th Dronius Company, 21st Marina Company, their sacrifices will be remembered...their deaths were not in vain..." his voice dropped, he drank from the chalice and nodded, and so did the others.
He looked at his audiences, their faces painted in sorrow, their heads bowed to give their respects to the fallen.
"We've lost countless men today, but all of this is not over, until the Demon Queen dies, or if the Prophecy is complete...there would be no end to the hell, the curse that has been brought upon us by the world of the Demon Queen." The General took another swig of the chalice, he looked around, his eyes started to blur.
"Comrades...I wish not to burden you with responsibility...I wish to not worry with you with what I am about to say..." He paused, dismayed about the news he was about to part to his men "Fuhrenheim's victory did not come at a cost, the rumors about the deaths of 77th Head Hunters Corps and the 84th Sunrider Corps were true..."
Murmuring erupted from the audience, nervous voices filled the mess hall, and faces painted with shock and terror occupied the canvas.
"Being the third largest company drafted...along with our deployment history as well as our combat prowess" He took a quick swig, and sighed then continued "The 487th Galia's Gladius company, is to immediately succeed Companies 77th as well as 84th immediately by the order of the King-"
A soldier stood up, stopping him abruptly
"Didn't the King take not of how many cadets we have?! From what I last heard 487th's Squad 14 were new guys who just come out of training!"
Murmurs started again, Anahana didn't partake in the conversation and continued her drink.
"The King is aware of that, no other Company in the Militia had enough man power to even be considered especially after today's war battle" The General replied, his voice had started to shake.
"Why didn't the King assimilate those with high losses to the other Company's then?" Said another as she stood up.
"Because the Demons have started to up their game"
Everyone looked at Anahana in the back, wiping her forehead still with a towel, tired, exhausted her voice hinted.
"We've recently been attacked in the Southern and the Westward Gates, the Eastern Defenses have their hands tied with the Golems so most of the Artillery was sent there" She took a sip of the wine before continuing, she wiped her forehead with her arms "Not to mention that 23rd, 90th, 65th, and the 74th were all wiped from their posts that the reserves needed to be drafted in the day after. They've evacuated everyone from the South and the West to the Castle Dungeons, they've prepped a large trap there already."
The two who had stood up sank into their seats, listening to her.
"We've not only run out of land but we're draining manpower, having to train soldiers is nigh impossible because we've been experiencing tiring attacks and were losing the war of attrition, we just need to hold everything up as it is for now...that's all we can do..." Anahana finished, she took her sword and her armour "If I may, General Gladius, I need to retire myself to my squadron"
"Y-You may..." General Gladius replied "Do find me by midnight, I have something for you and your squadron only..."
"By midnight, yes sir" Anahana then exited the mess hall, and trotted by to their camp.
"All of you...you may retire for the night...be ready when the next battle comes" General Gladius ordered "Make sure to take care of yourselves, we need each other from now on"
The soldiers stood, and saluted, their eyes filled with determination, yet their canvas had shown a darker shade of fear and doubt among themselves.
"From all of the soldiers I've raised" Gladius remarked "You bastards are the best"
The soldiers, slowly lit up with a smile, strengthening their determination more so.
Einhara Warui Squadron Camp, Glenn's Inn
"Ahhh…..." Sighed one of the mages as she plopped down into one of the beds, she was the same mage who wore a coat with green intricate markings and emblems. "That fight was different than the other…"
"I know, it's concerning me..." Another mage said, he wore a maroon coat with subtle purple linings and purple emblems in the shape of mist clouds "Haruko~ Please moooove~"
Haruko scooched over, giving the red coat mage some space to fall face flat on the cushion. The door of the room opened, Anahana then walked in, a makeshift duffel bag on her back. The mages took notice, and the greeted her sloppily.
"Yoooo" Haruko greeted "Reagan! Stop taking my space!"
"You mo~ove!" Reagan complained as she stretched.
"Ahhh! Reagan!!" Haruko squirmed as she tried to push Reagan away.
Anahana giggled, she settled her bags on the table and unwrapped the contents, two large monolithic swords with a silver colour emerged from the linen. The girls sat on the bed and looked at them from there.
"Did you get your swords repaired from Tanjirou-chan?" Haruka asked, tilting her head.
"Hm? Oh yeah, I did. They were getting weathered from the battle earlier, one of them almost broke" Anahana replied gleefully, there was a hint of exhaustion in her voice.
"You should rest, Rehana would be back with the food in just a bit" Reagan informed, she looked at her silver pocket watch.
"Oh? Rehana went out for the food?" Anahina repeated, she looked up for a second before deciding to plop down on the other bed.
The door opened again and a third mage had entered, she was wearing a black coat with circular designs that twirl into the center of each circular design. She had on her hand were three, four bags of cooked food wrapped in a nice leather bag.
"Eh! Rehana!!" Haruko exclaimed as she jumped off the bed, she failed to land on her feet since it was still on the bed, her face planted on the wooden floor as Reagan held her foot.
"Eheheh~" Rehana chuckled, she then looked at Anahana, who was fast asleep on the bed.
"I guess being up for five weeks straight can't beat the superior Berserker" Rehena remarked."
"We should wake her up later, I overheard her and Commander earlier, and she needs to meet him sometime during midnight" Haruko informed as she squirmed off the bed.
The three mages looked at her, then at each other and chuckled.
"Right, let's eat up for now. Leave one for Anahana before she goes to the Commander" Rehana said as she prepared their meals.
"Itadakimasu!!"
Midnight, Towards The Commander's Meeting Room
'Shit! I'm late!' Anahana thought to herself as she exited the Inn. She ran out into the streets towards the horse stables, she un-leashed one of the horses and took off, drumstick bitten deeply into her mouth, she rushed towards the Militia Headquarters.
After some several minutes of travelling, she reached the Militia building and dismounted from her horse. She wrapped the lead around the fence along with the rest of the horses and knocked on the door, she was then greeted by a gentleman in a Knight's armour.
"Ah, Sir Talius" She greeted bowing, the gentleman bowed as well.
"Oh, it's you Ms Anahana" Sir Talius replied with a bow, he then motioned for her to go inside the building.
"You must be here for General Galia am I right?" Sir Talius asked cheerily, his voice had the faintest hint of exhaustion.
"Yes, I was told that there was a mission in line for me…" She replied, she then noticed Sir Talius' change in expression.
"About that…" He drifted before finishing, he went silent before motioning her to follow him.
Anahana followed him as he opened the door to the stairs that lead to the tower. They trekked the staircase until they reached the first floor. Sir Talius opened another door, this lead to a bridge that connected the tower and the Militia HQ to the main castle wall. The Kingdom's main defenses consisted of a wall that surrounded the vast land that the Fuhrenheim Kingdom occupied. The first wall surrounded the towns and the villages that reside beside the castle's surrounding lands. Then there was the outer wall that protected a few patches of villages and held the kingdom's resources.
The Militia HQ was one of four Outer Cell Staglias, which were structures that contain a tower and a large building, usually housed active knights and soldiers. It served as the main base of operations during attacks. This also housed the reserves that served as back up patrol men and watch men that guard the adjacent village, Stalgia Noitha.
"Is the mission that important…If I may ask?" Anahina muttered softly, glancing at Sir Talius.
"You can put it that way" He replied immediately.
"Tell me, Anahana, are you well educated about this world of ours?" Sir Talius asked as he looked over his shoulder and at Anahana, who nodded.
"Well educated enough I'd say" Anahana replied, she held her hand and articulated it for a while.
There was a bit of silence, the wind whispered and the clouds drifted upon the dome above them. Only their footsteps as well as their armour that clanked and chinked were audible enough.
"Are you familiar with the Cursed Prophecy?" He broke the silence, asking a rather deep question.
"Yes, but didn't the new King declared that it must not be named as such anymore?" Anahana remarked, looking up to the sky for a moment before looking back at Sir Talius, who had stopped walking.
"Ah…Sorry" Sir Talius chuckled as he scratched his head "Everything was just tough right now, and I haven't relaxed yet"
The night sky was beautiful, the darkish blue melded with the milky white of the stars that scattered across the horizon. Shooting stars fell and disappeared, the sky littered a thousand jewels across a soft linen as. The wind whispered sweet nothingness once more, the leaves fluttered and the grass danced. It was a windy, peaceful night. The cold wind brushed upon them once again, their clothes fluttered.
"For simplicity's sake, let's call it the Cursed Prophecy…" Sir Talius finally replied, looking back at Anahana now "You know the story, right? How it all began?"
Anahana nodded.
"This world was merely a remnant of another…during The Day of Creation, this world separated from its self during the process-" Anahana was interrupted abruptly by Sir Talius who continued.
"In the process, there were two worlds built from one" Sir Talius continued "Because of this, we stand in a thin line in between the fabric of the universe"
There was a silence in between them.
"Most of the people that discovered this were Mages within the higher level, they were able to identify that it was a rift through time and space" Sir Talius continued after, motioning for them to walk.
"These Mages, as was stated, were deemed as Elders, they had the highest knowledge of Magic than any other at that time" Sir Talius sighed, and paused "These seven Mages were the highest-ranking Adventurers during too. Even now they're still being heralded as the strongest among all"
As Anahana was about to speak, Sir Talius gave her a smile.
"But, as we all know, that isn't true at all" Sir Talius chuckled, he took a swig of rum from his canteen, and put it back at his belt.
"Did I scatter the story too much? Sorry, I'm really tired" Sir Talius remarked as he shrugged, chuckling "You might actually be asking why the Cursed Prophecy is part of this mission"
Anahana nodded in agreement, she was all ears.
"The Creation Day, the Paradigm Data, and of course…" Sir Talius glanced at Anahana with a smile.
"The Crystalline War…" Anahana muttered.
"A very bright student you are, I've taught you well" Sir Talius remarked, ruffling her hair.
"What has the Crystalline War had to do with this?" Anahana asked "It seemed so out of place…"
"Not really, if you think about it hard enough" Sir Talius replied softly, sighing "The Crystalline War happened because a boy managed to cross the thread between this world and theirs"
Anahana was surprised, she didn't expect that kind of twist.
"Most of the information about both parties were clouded by the higher ups" Sir Talius added "I'll let Commander Gladius explain to you the rest"
Talius opened the door as they've reached the tower already.
"Ah, I was wondering where you two have been" Gladius greeted as he noticed his two visitors.
The two were invited in, the tower was quite huge. In the middle was a large roundtable and to the right as you enter the building was a large fireplace, they were invited to take their seats on the table, Gladius offered some tea, to which the two complied.
"I presume that, Talius has teased you with information" Gladius grunted as he sat on his seat. Anahana nodded.
"I can only guess that he stopped telling at the Crystalline War" Gladius chuckled "The damn bastard"
"What? I'm tired, and even then, it somewhat makes a good drama, despite my exhaustion earlier that probably screwed it"
There was a pause between them, each drank their tea, and sighing from exhaustion. Talius had himself slip from his chair a bit, looking at the tower ceiling.
"The Catalyst" Gladius started "Is a book that contained, more or less what the Seven Mages of old had theorized about our world"
"From the Creation Day, The Paradigm Data, everything" Gladius paused, shaking his head.
"They knew it all…They were the ones that set the foundation to most of today's studies" Talius added as he drank his tea "Not joking at all, those bastards were greatly responsible of everything that we know today, from how our powers work to the discovery of the different fauna, race, everything"
"The Cursed Prophecy as it's more wildly known was just that, the collection of data they've gathered from their adventures. As well as data foretelling the future of what's to come" Gladius remarked as he waved his hand around the room, the paintings of landscapes, generals and the such. Anahana looked around them, and were fascinated with a few. She noticed one painting in particular was covered under a cloth, she then looked at Gladius who had taken a few scrolls and some few maps.
"May I ask why the Cursed Prophecy was named so?" She asked, looking at some of the scrolls, Sir Talius looked at Gladius as well.
"The Cursed Prophecy, has already been achieved" Gladius replied, Anahana gave him a confused expression. "Or so we thought it to be"
"It was called the Cursed Prophecy because, apart from their discoveries regarding the parallel worlds, they also discovered the Ripples, which were more or less threads of time and space that had stabilized to allow travel in between them" He added, finishing his tea, he sighed as the taste seeped in "Somehow, from all that, they managed to foresee the coming of the Demon King, and beyond that, a certain destruction of a world"
"However, instead of a King, it was a Queen instead" Sir Talius remarked "Despite the difference in gender, the Prophecy's foretelling of the coming of this Demon was more or less the same"
"A crystal of red shall appear in the midst of war in the heavens above, and from it, a demonic dragon shall come forth sending the world to ruin" Sir Talius continued "And the reign of the Hell Dimension would bring forth never-ending wars upon the lands of Veindeljara. From it, it also stated that in the reign of a tyrant, shall brought forth an era of violence and war."
Gladius leaned forward and motioned towards Talius then Anahana. "But there was no other information about that last one, it was left empty"
There were a few moments of silence, the wind blew through the windows, clattering the wooden panels as the window sills clapped against it.
"Some, of the current elders were desperate to find a solution to this, and through the data provided by the Seven Mages they found one, this is where you come in" Gladius stood from his chair and handed Anahana a scroll, in which she opened and read.
"What?!" Anahana exclaimed as she stood.
"Yes, what you see there is the truth, it is from the data gathered from the Seven Mages themselves" Gladius replied, he sighed and sat back on his chair.
"Yesterday, as we were battling the Northern incursions, one of the Elder's scouts that were sent to inspect the Talous regions earlier came back with some news" Gladius informed as he drank his tea "The scout was sent under the concern of the expeditionary group sent there earlier this week, and apparently, the instruments they planted inside the Talous Labyrinth had started to receive interesting data"
"The expeditionary group? Weren't they supposed to be back by now?" Sir Talius asked, somewhat confused.
"They should've been already, however, as the scout had reported, the group had already encountered strange activity there" Gladius read one of the scouts' report and handed it to Sir Talius and Anahana. Talius stood behind Anahana as they read the parchment, quite confused.
"Is this really what they've observed?" Sir Talius asked, picking the parchment from Anahana " 'We've observed similar instances to the summoning phenomenon during the Demonic Incursion, however, there were noticeable differences' What…." Sir Talius read aloud a portion of the parchment's message.
"It also said that the phenomenon was quite similar, but…instead of a red glow and lightning it was more peaceful" Anahana remarked as she picked up one of the parchments that followed.
'As observed with the Demon Queen's summoning, it was almost, if not the same, however, instead of malice, violent aura we've felt something more peaceful and painful. We are not sure what it means but it must have some connection with the summoning ritual that brought forth the Demon Queen during the Day of Malice. It was well observed that the clouds had formed the same vortex as the Demon Queen's, however, the blood red and black aura that surrounded was absent, in it's place was a faded aquamarine hue, there was almost no thunder nor lightning present, as if the subject that was summoned was slowly dying, fading'
"What does this mean?" Sir Talius asked Gladius, who shook his head.
"That's why the expeditionary group stayed. They wanted to know more" Gladius opened the map on the table "Here, this is the Talous Cave and it's Labyrinth, Anahana, go there, bring your team with you-"
"Gladius, are you sure about this" Sir Talius gave him a stern expression "I thought it was an expedition to claim a legendary weapon, this is not what I had thought you'd do"
"Yes, Talius, I know what I'm doing" Gladius responded "I've thought about this long enough to think that this may have been the Prophecy continuing its work"
"You…" Sir Talius muttered, he thought for a moment "You don't think it's-"
"Yes, it's that Warrior's prophecy" he replied sternly. Talius took a moment again to think, Gladius stood up and walked closer to Talius.
"It.. doesn't make sense.. or at the very least not yet.." he muttered, Anahana simply listened "The Seven Mages were not finished with the Prophecy, and after their deaths, a lot of scholars and scribes had tried to continue it with no success. They were met with death if they even found out"
"The Warrior's Prophecy? Wasn't that treated as a hoax?" Anahana remarked as she held a parchment on her hand.
"Yes, yes it was the scribes had debunked it as the missing part of the Seven Mages' Prophecy, and because of the death that surrounded the finding of what's left of the missing parts, it was rejected by the populace, they did not simply believe it" Sir Talius replied "But of course, they'd spin around and believe it sometime after Crystalline War, when the warrior successfully banished a Deacon, and then disappeared entirely"
Anahana was taking it all in, she looked at all of the parchment that lay in front of her. Maps, scrolls, research, all of this were for a continuation that never came to light. Bringing forth to them a 30-year war against the Demons under the rule of the Demon Queen.
"This Warrior…what was his contribution to the Prophecy?" Anahana asked, looking at Sir Talius with a puzzled look, she held on one of the parchments that was laid on the table.
"The continuation of the Prophecy became too diluted, a lot were seeking attention and fame when a Warrior of black metal barged in the King's conference who was conferring with his Scribes and his Wise Men" Sir Talius motioned to the painting of the King on the wall, dimly lit by the dancing fire on the hearth "This Warrior simply placed the decapitated head of one of the Deacons the Demon Queen summoned, and left"
"The King ordered for a search party to commence to find the warrior of course" Gladius continued "Once he was found he parted with what seemed to be the legitimate piece of the Prophecy the scribes were looking for"
"He was apparently similar to the Demon Queen, however, he walked through the thread that connected our worlds on purpose. He was as he said, hunting for someone, and I believe that his objective has been fulfilled after the Crystalline War, in which he disappeared without a trace sometime after" The General took a sip of the tea, then refilling it. "Take it upon me but, that warrior felt different at most, he was not from here"
Gladius took another scroll, and laid it on the table, she took and read it silently. The wind blew her whispers, the land bent to her grace, sending a chill mist among the warmth. They shivered inside as the chill crawled up inside.
"It seems unreal…" Anahana remarked, as she slowly placed the scroll back.
"It is, and despite all of its unreal nature it is true, and right now it seems to prove its legitimacy even more so with these following events" Gladius sighed, he pointed at the map with a mark "Your mission would be to provide over watch and protect the Expeditionary Group's activities. The Group would explain the situation they've gotten themselves in once you've rendezvoused with them"
Anahana took to her thoughts, processing the information told to her. The wind blew inside the tower, opening the wooden shutters wide open, howling inside the stone and concrete walls like whispers in the dark shadows.
"I accept this mission" Anahana said, her eyes filled with resolve and determination
"There was no other option…Anahana…" Glaidus remarked as he started to fix the documents together.
After a few minutes, Anahana had exited the Stalgia and rode her horse back to the inn.
"Once there, there Expeditionary would fill you in on the situation"
Her mind seems to rewind back, trying to evaluate the situation at hand.
"Some say, the prophecy isn't over, some say that there is salvation, and that we'll all be free someday"
"M-mother…?" She whispered as she rode her horse to a halt, stopping it in time before it could even collide with another horse pulling a cart.
"I'M SORRY!" She said as she re-aligned her horse "I'm really sorry!"
A boy who had a bowl cut was startled; he reigned his horse as to not create any more problems.
"Anahana-san?" the boy muttered.
"EH? Fretzer??" Anahana rubbed her eyes as she did so "Didn't Rehana tell you to stay in the inn?"
"Uh…Yeah she did…but the innkeeper asked me to deliver some food to the barracks for the soldiers" Fretzer replied, opening the canvas that covered the wagon's cargo. Inside were crates filled with freshly picked ingredients, fruits and the likes were visible on top of barrels and boxes.
"Oh…I see" Anahana yawned for a bit before continuing "Make it quick, we'll be going off in a few minutes"
"I will I will…" Fretzer said "I'll be back in a bit! I'll hurry!"
Fretzer whipped the horse, it then galloped towards Fretzer's intended destination. Anahana watched him for a while before disappearing into the defilade. She sighed before having her horse gallop back to the inn.
Glenn's Inn, Stables. Dawn
"Are we all set?" Anahana asked as she set her swords on a makeshift rack by the horse's hind legs.
"Yeah, we'll be finished preparing the explosives in a bit" Reagan replied as he observed some vials on a chemistry set being lit by a burner. "Haruko, the potions are ready yeah?"
"Yeah, I've put them in your satchels, they're over by the wagon over there" Haruko pointed at the wagon, the same one Fretzer used to deliver some goods.
"We'll be ready to go in a bit Ana-san" Reagan assured as she placed the last batch of empty vials onto the chemistry equipment. She started boiling again, and adding mixtures on different vials that were connected by a glass tube that sat on top of the flasks.
"Let's be quick Reagan, it's just about time before we set out" Anahana remarked looking at her pocket watch. She hears galloping followed by the sound of a wooden cart, she looks behind her, confirming the source of the sounds. The cart halted beside her horse, the driver seemingly tired as she panted when she reared the leash, stopping the horse.
"Tanjirou-chan?" Anahana called as she approached the wagon.
"Hahhh….Haaaaaahh" Tanjirou Hanakaze panted, wiping her forehead with her cloak. "Yo….Anahana…san…"
"What are you doing here Tanjirou?" Anahana asked as she came close to the cart.
"General *gasps* wants me to *gasps harder* join you *the sound when you inhaled too much*" Tanjirou coughed as she gasped too much "Goddamnit" she muttered.
"The General did? Why?" Anahana asked, confused as to why they'd sent the kingdom's blacksmith with them.
Tanjirou got her flask out, she opened the cap and drank the contents for a bit before she gasped again. She slumped to the backboard of the cart, looking at Anahana.
"They told me that I may as well help you guys repair your weapons, the area you're going to is basically a Vile Demon's nest yeah?" She sighed and picked herself up, she got the leashes that dangled on the hook. "They may be Low Leveled Demons but nonetheless in a mob scenario they're really terrifying. There's also ore there we can use to upgrade your weapons you know?"
"Ah…I see then, you haven't forgotten anything right?" Anahana asked as she glanced at the cart.
"No no…This is the cart I used in my adventures; you know? The one with the built-in smithing area? I told you about it right?" Tanjirou chuckled as she patted the cart, she seems proud she has made a mobile blacksmith station that had onboard smithing tools, which, in an ore gathering adventure, would be useful for any blacksmith in the Knightly ages.
"Oh, so that was this? It looked like an ordinary cart" Anahana remarked, Tanjirou hopped off and had gestured her to follow to the back. Once there, Tanjirou set aside the canvas that drooped over, revealing an interior that was fully equipped with materials for smithing, from tools to a hearth and everything they needed.
"Oh wow…You didn't joke about it being kitted out like this" Anahana was in awe, she took a step in and looked around. "You built this? By yourself?"
"Not really, I had Majou-san and Kirou Nii-san to help me, they said they wanted theirs too so we made three in the end" Tanjirou replied, pointing at a plate beside the entrance.
Kuga Majou
Harou Kirou
Tanjirou Hanakaze
"Mobile Blacksmith Cart"
"Eh! Aren't the three of you rivals?" Anahana asked, looking at the name plate.
"Yeah, but sometimes rivals can be friends you know? They're in charge of repairing the Knights' weapons while I'm gone right now…I hope I can get back to them someday"
"We'll all come back alive…I promise" Anahana said "So, let's get going no?"
"Sure, let's finish this" Tanjirou replied, helping Anahana off the cart.
"Reagan! You guys done yet?" Anahana asked
"Yeah! We just finished two more batches, we're ready to go!" Reagan as he started to pack their belongings. "Haruko, be gentle now"
"Ye~ss" Haruko said softly, putting the last crate of potions in one of the boxes.
Anahana took her horse and unhitched the lead, she sat on the saddle and had her horse in front of the pack. She scanned them, Tanjirou nodded at her. Haruko, Reagan, and Rehana had mounted their horses, Reagan had then helped her fix the boxes unto the cart. The packed soon moved out of the city and out of the Southward gates, their horses galloping through the plains as it slowly transitioned into the desert fields of Talous, the desert region of Veindeljara.
Back in the Staglia
"Do you think its related to that warrior in black?" Talius asked, reading a few books and scrolls.
"Quite frankly… It does doesn't it" He muttered to Talius as he overlooked the map of the kingdom, running his fingers along the roads and lines drawn on it.
"If indeed our sister world has fallen, then… There is a war, up there in the heavens" Gladius chuckled, pointing upwards "Don't you think so?"
Talius chuckled nervously "Who know's old man, our Deity hasn't given any word yet-"
"She has" Gladius interrupted "Believe me, she has"
Talius stood up, slowly starting to sweat. "W-what do you mean-"
"Isn't it why the Elder Mages are silent right now? They can't put more fear in the hearts of the people" He simply replied "Who knows, I might be wrong. Our Deity must be in some paradise in a beach somewhere"
"That's not a good joke to say…" Talius muttered, looking down at the scroll.
*~Soldiers and knights bustled through the greenery, marching up the hill in a rush
"Quickly! To the cave!" shouted a knight as they hurried, their armour clanging as they ran up.
They soon reached the cave, panting their swords sheathed and on their knees rested. On a rock sat a warrior in black, his armour was shiny, the mask he wore had a thick slits, where two purple eyes flared towards the men. Beside him on either side were two large greatswords each with intricate lining and patterns that décor its surface. The armour he wore was spiky, edgy. We was covered in sharp protruding spines that curved upwards, and the crest that laid on his forehead was clean and posed in a v-shape in two pairs, the smaller sat on top of the larger.
"Warrior! Warrior!" Called a scribe.
The warrior in black slowly gazed upon him, his eerie, yet calming presence being bestowed upon the scribe.
"You have defeated a Deacon of the Demon Queen! Tell us! How do you fight them!? Tell us so we may victor in this war against them!" The scribe pleaded, bowing down as he breathed the dust of the rock. The soldiers with him kneeled, bowing their heads in anticipation of an answer.
The warrior stood, the armour moving silently like the breeze.
"In time. The answer to this war you seek lies upon the shoulders of a girl" He bellowed majestically, the winds shaking as he spoke, the branches dancing in joy "Like I, she is born from your Deity. Born from the very crystals engraved on your swords and amulets, engraved on the stone that created this world"
The soldiers and Knights gazed upon him on their knees, some in tears as they listened with their hearts to the surface of their ears.
"Like I"
"She will be a Legion"~*