Book 2.
Volume 1: The Chamber of Secrets
Chapter Four: The Siege of the Capital
*****
Tulip, the capital of the Land of Flowers, is the most beautiful and the most inhabited city in the country, there are so many interesting things here, even Titania could envy: they sew clothes, bake bread, create all kinds of technologies for their own citizens, and the wages are very good, no one complains, this is taking into account the war still. In a word, the center of the country, through which all the most important things pass. That's where the train came in. So many people are panicking and screaming about the war and the advance of Titania's army. The military are trying to calm the inhabitants, but try to calm people who were almost killed by enemy shells, so all that remains is to wish them luck. Miyazaki and the guys were the last to get off the train. The girl carried her grandmother, as usual, while Toda and Kai looked around for a carriage of some kind.
- Miyazaki, we need to find a cab, let's go to the building now with the country leaders, sell them our documents and get the hell out of here! - Kai declared, feeling the taste of money.
- Kai, don't rush! We're not going anywhere with Grandma. First, let's find a hotel where we can stay overnight, at least grandma got some help, she needs peace and quiet! - No, Miyazaki doesn't want to follow Kai, she just wants to keep the old lady safe, that's how much she loves her!
- What are you talking about? The army of Titania is heading for the capital, and in a few hours, there won't be anything left of the city. We have to get our documents to the government as fast as we can, and get out of here. Your grandmother's asleep, she'll be fine! - Kai tried to tell her nothing would happen to Grandma, so yeah, what's the big deal about selling the secret files, getting the money, and getting out of Flowerland? But there was one thing Kai hadn't considered, and that was the old lady's health. She's so elderly and going from place to place all the time isn't exactly good for her heart or anything.
- You're so stubborn! What if my grandmother doesn't feel well? Haven't you thought about that? - Tears almost came out of her eyes, the girl was afraid of losing her closest person, the old woman raised, taught, fed and clothed Miyazaki and her little brother, and Kai proposes to do that to her so badly? No way!
- Okay, you win... - he surrenders. - You and Toda find an inn and put Grandma to bed, and I'll find a carriage and go to the management to sell our files. Miyazaki, give me the files. - Kai held out his hand to his friend in anticipation of the documents.
The girl was satisfied with her friend's words and gave the Titan files to Kai. The guy wished her and Toda good luck and said one last thing.
- I'll meet you in an hour and a half at this location. Please be careful! - Indeed, his words made sense. There are so many panicked people at the station, everyone is running everywhere, many don't even know who attacked them, they just heard about the war on their land and got scared. It's hard to stay calm under such circumstances, especially when you know that Titania's army is very brutal and ruthless, and your military is so disabled that they can't even hold the first front. Although who cares, Titania's army is very strong, not everyone could defeat them, or even stop them.
Anyway, while Kai hailed a cab, which is such a carriage with two horses and a coachman, Miyazaki and Toda ran through the crowd to break through to the inn. It took them twenty minutes until they finally see a modest three-story building in front of them with a sign that reads "Hotel Chamomile," and yes, it's not made of daisies if anything. She bursts inside and yells.
- We need a room! - How else is a country girl supposed to act if she hasn't seen the good life?
Everyone on the first floor looked at her, some laughed, others pitied the poor girl for her bad manners, only Miyazaki didn't care about the opinions of others, her grandmother was in a bad way. She would have stood there with Toda and the old lady on her back until one of the hotel employees, such a handsome tall man with black hair, wearing a gray tuxedo and dark pants, approached her.
- Please go to the counter, there you have to order a room and pay the bill. - he said in a gentle calm voice, which reeked of kindness. The man was the only one who wasn't surprised by Miyazaki's manners, he must have seen a lot while working in this hotel, if shouting on the first floor is typical for him.
- Ah, thank you... - The girl realized that shouting like that wasn't the right thing to do, she apologized to everyone and walked over to the counter.
Her problem was that she had never been to the city, so all those beautiful paintings on the walls, the silver chandelier on the ceiling, the wonderful men in work uniforms, everything seemed unnatural, such was the village people's vision. Oh and stupid of course Miyazaki, the woman behind the counter tried to order her a room, I was like, "What room do you want?" and she was like, "What do you mean number?" Yeah. This would go on for another two hours until the same man in a gray tuxedo helped the girl and chose the best room for her. In short, Miyazaki was happy when she heard about the best room in the hotel, but she had no idea yet that the prettier the thing, the more expensive it is. The man's deception worked, the girl really did not understand it and ordered the most expensive hotel room. And she had to go to the top floor, and there is no elevator, and somehow the grandmother has to be dragged. But that is another story.
*****
Kai had been in town a couple of times before, when he went to pick up his parents' bodies from the war, so he had no trouble getting his bearings here. He understood the rules, and while Miyazaki ran the red light, he stood and waited for the green light to come on. Ten minutes after leaving his girlfriend, Kai walks over to the carriage and orders a cab. He had money, and what do you think he ran to his house in the village for then? He grabbed the pennies he had accumulated and stuffed them in his pocket. The coachman was a little surprised, saying, "What's a kid like that got to do with the leadership of the Land of Flowers? And there's a war coming on their territory, and instead of running away, the kid goes to the city center. But the main thing for the coachman is the money, he got it right away and went.
- [Just to make it in time...] - he was very much worried. Of course, the enemy is approaching the capital, who knows how much more free time he and Miyazaki have. Kai himself fears for his girlfriend, he doesn't love her in terms of romance, rather loves her as a friend, she's the only one who grew up with him in the village, they walked all day long, found adventures on their asses, got brooms from neighbors for stealing apples, and that's with the war in mind.
As the carriage made its way downtown, Kai looked out the window and marveled at the people. The population was like ants, or so he thought. If you tell them about the war, they'll run around and panic, times like these call for all of you to pull together and either flee the city or stand together and face the enemy. But the citizens have a different plan, they run and shake, they can be understood, the army of Titania is very brutal, the stories of the war participants alone are worth it. The boy is still fifteen minutes away, he is so bored, he decides to doze off from such turmoil in the capital.
*****
Closer and closer they came, the ruthless warriors of the Titan Empire. Their titanium armor slams against each other, creating a rattle for the ears, their faces covered by helmets from which only the bloodthirsty gaze of predatory eyes can be seen. Three columns of troops marched past fields and forests, approaching the city of Tulip in full readiness. The general of the army, Oda Satoshi, walked at the very end and proudly looked ahead, admiring the power of his army, indeed, it had not yet known defeat. General Oda was so happy in his thoughts that he did not notice how his soldiers stopped.
- What is the matter? - He asked the soldiers in surprise.
- General Satoshi, we stopped ten kilometers from the capital. Further way is not possible, the road is mined with small bombs, we cannot pass. - The soldier replied dejectedly, with his head down.
- Running away, the army of Flowers decided to mine the road, quite nicely. - Even Satoshi Oda is praising the enemy army.
The army of Titania has stopped near an ordinary flower field, which is showered with small bombs. If you step on one of them, you can be left without a limb, or even be thrown into that world. General Satoshi was well aware of that, so he came up with his own plan.
- Not bad, but not brilliant either. - The general smiled and grinned slyly. He thought of something, the freak after all. - Front column, create shields and stand on them.
- General, what do you want to do? - I don't understand a fucking thing about the military.
- Have the troops from the first row stand on the shields and roll off the field onto them. The bombs will explode, but they won't do us any damage. Once the entire field is free of mines, the second column, then the third, will follow the first.
- Bingo!
So much for the plan. Very unconventional, but so well thought out. It's a shame that Titania has such clever bastards, it's even more insulting that General Satoshi is a cruel scum, and he could have fought against Titania, but no, he chose the stronger side, everything, just to save his own ass. The first column really got up on its shields and rolled off the top. So many explosions went off, but the shields withstood them. It took five minutes to completely clear the ground of the bombs. The road is clear, the army moves on.
*****
Miyazaki finally got past that hellish three-story staircase and went into her room. Toda was surprised by such beauty, the room really justifies its price: the concrete floor covered with a gold-colored carpet, on the walls there are paintings with flowers near them, the windows are decorated with lily of the valley, and the room has three beds flat, just right on them. The girl puts her grandmother on the soft bed and covers her with a blanket, let the old lady sleep without any trips.
- Toda, don't touch anything! We're only here for one night! - Of course it's one night, the prices don't allow for two nights.
- Come on, I'll just open it... - the boy went to the window and opened it. Poor child, he had never seen such beautiful windows in his life, he even started playing with them, opening and closing them.
- Let's have faith in Kai. He said to meet at the station, one hour to go. Toda, I'll go to Kai in an hour, and you look after my grandmother. - she said in a stern tone, because her brother was always running off somewhere.
- Alright, I'll stay here. - Toda said sadly, though he didn't want to stay in his room, even he understood the gravity of the situation. It was enough to look outside and take a look at everything.
People are fleeing the city, the roads are jammed with carriages, only the hotels are still working and not running anywhere, real fighters, devoted to their work. If they start bombing, they'll run away, too.
- Miyazaki, look out the window! - The boy jumped in surprise, pointing his finger down. Well, they were on the third floor, that makes sense.
Miyazaki walks over to his brother and looks out the window. There they saw a whole bunch of military men in green uniforms and with guns in their hands. They have heard that Titania's army is marching on the capital, and they will not surrender their home easily. If the Tulip falls, the whole country falls, that's not what the army wants. The city's borders were fenced with electric barbed wire, which would hit my body and kill me if I touched it.
- That's what I was afraid of... - the girl swallowed her saliva hard.
- What is it? - Toda didn't seem to have any sense at all.
- Where there's war, there's fighting. If there are battles in the city, it will probably be attacked and bombed. Toda, we've got to get out of here, and fast... - her face faded in attitude, sadness creeping out, along with an endless supply of tears.
- What about Grandmother?
- Toda, we'd rather take grandmother with us than stay here. I have a very bad feeling, I have to get out of town, urgently...
Miyazaki just finished talking and a piece of iron fell near their building and exploded. A crater formed on the road, the military scattered, and the girl and brother fell to the floor. So much for... My grandmother even woke up from that. And that was just the beginning. A hail of blows fell on Tulip from the east. Titania's army has reached the capital and is bombarding it with its weapons. Those locals who hadn't escaped were caught in the middle of the fighting. The bombing has just begun, and already there are dead. Miyazaki hears the screams from the street, hears the whole nightmare, and at a rapid pace he plunges his grandmother onto her back, grabs Toda by the arm, and runs out of the room. It's urgent to get out of here.
*****
The carriage reached its destination and stopped just outside its entrance. Kai stepped outside and thanked the coachman, then took important documents out of his pocket and walked toward the building. He was immediately greeted by two stout men with swords in their hands. So tall, in plated uniforms with roses on their breast pockets. They blocked the guy's way and looked at him with a brutal stare. Really? They should have gone to war with their size, not staring at the kid.
- I urgently need to see the leaders of the country, I have important business! - Kai shows the guards the photo ID of Titan and tries to convince them that he's right.
Well one of the guards didn't even look at it. He just laughed at Kai and chased him away.
- Get out of here, kid. This ain't high school, you want to play jokes? Get out before I tell your parents!
*BOOOOM*
There were men a few seconds ago, no men a moment later. A big piece of iron fell right on top of them and exploded. There was hardly anything left of the bodies, but that wasn't what worried Kai, it was more...
- What the hell was that? - The guy collapsed on the pavement and couldn't come to his senses at all. And this building with the management inside was the first to come under fire. Four whole shells landed there and exploded.
Well, now Kai won't sell anything, but wait, what for? If he dies following the leadership inside the collapsed house, what's the point of the money? Nah, that won't do. The guy gets his ass up and runs to the train station in fear, that's where he promised to see Miyazaki. Meanwhile, shells fly by everywhere, people die, the military advises to leave the city, good people after all, but Titania's army is seriously considering leaving nothing behind from Tulip.
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Author: Youn Ji-min
Cycle: Madness
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I'll post two chapters in one day and then do the same every other day. Occasionally there may be pauses to rest and build up new ideas.
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