As the afternoon approached, the soldiers commenced their march toward Fairdrift. Along the way, the landscape bore the scars of devastation. Burnt-out homes, plundered farms, and desolate roads painted a grim picture of the Devil's tyranny.
Ellisa appeared particularly distraught, her face etched with grief as she traversed the ruined countryside. This was once her home, now reduced to ruins by the vile forces of evil.
Passing an abandoned shack, Ellisa's demeanor darkened even further. Sensing her sorrow, I gently asked, "Are you okay, Ellisa?"
She had her eyes at the shack and replied, "There are so many memories here that I have with my dad. When mom passed away, dad brought me to this place to start a new life. Far away from the reach of the Devil's and her underlings. We used to come to this shack every weekend to have dinner."
I can feel the pain that she felt at the moment. but I knew there was little I could do to ease it. She would have to find her own strength amidst the devastation.
Commander Nyoko opted to establish our base camp near Halo Swamp, situated northwest of Fairdrift. There, she would strategize and deliver a speech outlining our upcoming assault.
"My brethren, fifty minutes down this road will begin our gruesome journey to Fairdrift." she declared, gesturing toward the city. "This once-proud city now stands as the Devil's domain, teeming with enemies and monsters."
Pacing before us, she continued, "Starting here, I will divide all of you into five major groups. Each group will consist of around five hundred soldiers. You guys will be tasked to infiltrate all corners of Fairdrift's main entrance. One in north, south, east, and west."
A soldier interjected, "How about the final group, Commander?"
"The final group will come with me in a special mission to locate Uglin once the others have cause diversion for us. I want all of our most skilled warriors to join me in this mission. Especially the Unmarked Sinners and his friends. This fight won't be an easy one for any of us," she announced, her gaze lingering on me.
"Once you guys infiltrated the vicinity and cleared out the enemy, light up a green beam signal to inform the others that you have succeeded. Then, proceed to strengthen your position for any incoming enemies attack. Block out any exits and barricade yourself with anything available around you. Remember, they won't let us win no matter what." Nyoko instructed.
Continuing her speech, she adopted a more somber tone. "I don't want to give you all any false motivation right now. So listen to me carefully; some of you might not come out from this fight alive. Nobody can save your back in there. You are all on your own, with no backup, no support. Just you and the enemy,"
"This will probably be your last day of having a warm meal, remembering your families and friends, and living in this world. Anyone who isn't willing to fight, this is your last chance to leave. I will allow you," she offered.
"Allow, my ass. You dragged me here with my friends and threatened me," I muttered under my breath, but none of the soldiers stirred from their positions. They were all resolved to stay and face the impending battle.
Nyoko's smile softened as she continued her rallying cry. "For those who stay, I want to say thank you. It's an honor for me to fight alongside you. If we achieve this victory, this will mark our first success against the Devil's army. Our name will be remembered in history for eternities. We will bring joy and most importantly, hope, to our family, our kingdom as well as our king,"
"Now get ready for battle! Honor to Specia!" She screamed her lungs out,
The soldiers echoed her cry, shouting, "Honor to Specia!"
As they settled into their designated groups, I was surprised to find that the group I was forcibly assigned to consisted of only three of Nyoko's favored warriors, along with around seventy regular personnel, including my friends and me. In contrast, the other groups boasted five hundred soldiers each.
Nyoko came towards us and said, "My best soldiers will introduce themselves to you now. They will be your teammates from now onwards. So get to know each other and make some bond before we begin our journey."
As Nyoko left the scene, the first to approach us was a warrior who revealed herself as Cicily once she removed her helmet. With a bright smile, she introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Cicily! One of the 6th Batallion best warriors. I'm specialized in long-range bow attacks, so you can count on me to watch your back during the fight."
Ellisa's face lit up with delight at the realization that another woman would be joining our team. "Wahaha! You're a girl! I thought I'd be all alone surrounded by these men in this battle!"
Cicily chuckled awkwardly, replying, "But Commander Nyoko is a woman too—"
"A very gloomy and scary one if you ask me! You don't look anywhere close like she is!" Ellisa interjected.
"Oh, come on! Nyoko's not that bad! She probably seems that way because her ex-leader is in the same group as she is. She tends to act differently when she's nervous," Cicily explained, trying to ease the tension.
Ellisa and I exchanged puzzled glances. "Huh? What do you mean—her ex-leader? Who?" we asked simultaneously.
Cicily closed her eyes briefly, then turned to Ichijou. "Him," she stated simply.
"What?!-" We were taken aback by the revelation that Ichijou was Nyoko's ex-leader.
"Why would she trash talk him like that then? That seems incredibly disrespectful to speak about an old comrade that way," we protested to Cicily.
"There's must be a reason for that. You don't have to take her word when she talks like that- It's fairly normal!" Cicily reassured us, patting our backs.
Turning to Ichijou, we inquired, "So, what's the history between you and Nyoko, Ichijou?"
But he remained silent, indicating he wasn't inclined to discuss it. Cicily intervened, diverting the conversation. "Ah- Save the story later! Let the others introduce themselves first, shall we?"
Agreeing with her, we nodded. "You're right."
Cicily then directed our attention to another team member. "That's Poloppo," she introduced.
He waved in our direction. "I'll be on the frontline with you all. Specialized in defense and tanking. Pleasure to meet you," he greeted.
Returning the gesture, we replied, "Likewise."
Next, Cicily pointed out another figure in the group. "That grumpy guy there, he's Darren. Our best of the best sage in the army."
He cast a fleeting glance our way but remained silent. Cicily approached him and playfully nudged him from behind. "Come on! What's with the long face?~ Are you hungry or something?"
Darren recoiled, snapping, "Shut up, you annoying rascal!"
"Aww, isn't he adorable when he's angry?" Cicily teased further.
"Stay off me! Don't make me look like an idiot in front of them!" Darren snapped back, visibly annoyed.
"Hehe!-" Cicily chuckled.
"The name's Darren. I'll be your middle man. If you do your job correctly, I'll consider healing you up. I hate anyone useless. So keep that in mind," He said to us while glaring at us sharply,
"Ahhh... just when I thought this group was filled with nice people. This person popped out," Ellisa remarked bluntly.
"I know, right?~" Cicily agreed, nodding in amusement.
"What did you say?!" Darren's retort echoed sharply.
Cicily quickly intervened, clapping her hands. "Anyways! Now that we introduced ourselves, why don't you do the same?"
I smiled at her, taking the cue to introduce my friends and me. "I'm Kiseki. An Unmarked Sinner. This cheerful girl here is Ellisa, just an average Ender Human mage. And lastly, as you guys already know. He's Ichijou. A Sinner."
"How delightful! Let's give our all in this battle, shall we?" Cicily said, extending her hand toward me.
I shook her hand warmly. "Absolutely."
About an hour later, Nyoko initiated the plan, and each group set off on their respective paths.
As we journeyed toward Fairdrift, Nyoko marched ahead, leaving Ichijou and me to walk side by side. I took the opportunity to whisper to him, "So... What's the deal with you and Nyoko? What's the backstory there?"
He sighed heavily at the question but eventually shared with me, "Two years ago, during my tenure as a Fearrun Military Grandleader, my unit and I stumbled upon a bandit organization while on a scouting mission. Upon investigation, we discovered that they were involved in smuggling and trafficking Cat-people."
"From what I understand, Cat-people are an endangered species in Ruina. They are among the various subspecies residing in the Beastman Colony. When the war with the Devil began, the Beastman continent was among their first targets."
"Because the Beastman society was less advanced than others, with minimal military strength, they became easy prey. As a result, the population of Beastmen dwindled rapidly, forcing them to flee their homeland and seek refuge elsewhere."
"Unfortunately, some Ender Humans exploited this situation. They captured the survivors of the war and enslaved them. The female Cat-people were often sold to wealthy individuals as entertainment, while the male Beastmen were forced to work in illegal mines."
"I took it upon myself to stop these bandits and rescue the slaves, including Nyoko. That's how we met. Initially, I thought freeing her was enough, but a few weeks later, she appeared at my doorstep, pleading to join the military forces. I was hesitant at first, but eventually relented," Ichijou recounted.
"I placed her under my command and became her personal trainer. She was incredibly talented, mastering everything I taught her quickly. Over time, she rose through the ranks, becoming one of the most skilled members of my unit. Our bond grew stronger with each passing day. We tackled missions together, never failing to accomplish our objectives. I came to see her as a little sister," he continued.
"You did a lot of things for her! Then why did she treats you like a scumbag?!" I inquired, perplexed.
Ichijou's gaze shifted to Nyoko in the distance as he replied, "Remember when I mentioned that I chose to retire from fighting after the kingdom I served fell?"
I confirmed. "Yeah?"
"Among the survivors of that attack was Nyoko. Witnessing the deaths of everyone she knew left her traumatized. Despite her ordeal, she remained committed to the war. Learning of my departure devastated her. The one person she looked up to had abandoned her in the midst of the conflict," Ichijou explained solemnly.
Ichijou POV
"Where are you going, Grandleader Ichijou?" Nyoko's voice pierced through the air.
I continued walking, not bothering to meet her gaze. "Somewhere far from here..."
"What do you mean by that?! We still have a chance to win this war! Why are you leaving?!" Her voice carried desperation.
"I've failed everyone around me... I can't bear to watch any more of my friends die..." I replied, my gaze fixed on the sky.
"So you're just going to leave me like this?!" Her voice cracked, tears welling in her eyes as I turned to face her.
Approaching her gently, I urged, "Nyoko... Please, leave the army... It's for your own good... To discern that you'll put yourself in a dangerous situation always worries me,"
But she pushed me away, her voice trembling with emotion. "No!- I expect you to be a great leader like you always are!- Why are you doing this!? I have no one else with me... and you decided to leave me too...? When the time I needed you the most... I still have hope left in this war! Why can't you see it like I do!?"
I stood there, unable to find words to console her. The disappointment in her eyes cut deeply.
Back to Ichijou's POV
"In the end, we part ways from each other. Nyoko must have felt like I betrayed her... which is why she looks down on me like this right now," Ichijou ended his story,
"I see..." I responded softly, understanding the depth of Nyoko's pain.
The anguish Nyoko felt when Ichijou left must have been profound, breeding resentment toward him over time. Hearing this story, I wondered if there was anything I could do to heal their fractured relationship.
"Here we are, boys. Fairdrift..." Nyoko's voice brought us back to the present.
The sight that we saw over the distance was truly shocking. Fairdrift has no longer looked the same as it was before. The wall protecting the city has already crumbled and torn apart. Thick smoke from the burnt-down buildings still soaring the sky above the city. The enemy was surrounding all over the vicinity with their siege monsters waiting outside of the walls. Do we really able to win this fight against this many armies?