Five minutes before music
* ***Touji's Prospective*** *
It took us an hour to collect almost every Litch stone in Tyrants Rest and fill up everyone's water canteen.
Upon returning, they instructed us not to leave without good reason. I tried to mention the scouts but they seemed unconcerned, as if it was never intended to deal with them. Knowing Rider, that meant if push came to shove, they would be our opponents as they dealt with the main force.
"Last few should be in here"
"Of course they'd stay here too"
Ota pointed towards the last building off the main paved cobblestone road. A lonely dirty two story building sitting in front of crumbled stone battlements. The wall itself still severed its purpose despite fighting plants pinning down like an armored warrior refusing to yield.
My home, my rundown Orphanage.
Blackened by decades of fighting the elements, the house was built with the carcasses of unworthy sea vessels like most of the town. It appeared to be in a more destroyed state since I had left it halfway through Harvest.
As we got closer, the details began to reveal a truth I wish I never saw. Darkness could only hide the echoes of hatred for so long.
Words had been carved and burnt on the outside of the house. 'Traitors', 'Cultist', 'Liars' and 'Murderers'.
"The hell is this?"
"People without the power to face their problems are happier to make new enemies instead-"
Ota reached out as I tried to provide the little insight I could and held my hand as she looked over the place I once lived. I felt a wave of emotions hit me like a carriage. Not only had she experienced something similar ten years ago, she'd done exactly what she said herself.
"-Not everyone knows what's troubling them, and some people will offer them solutions that aren't right"
"Do you think Enda lied to me when she said Alameda was behind it? The riots?"
"I think she realized that if you chose to see her as an enemy, you would've only felt hopeless trying to fight her. How would you feel watching her get up every time you killed her? Knowing she would let you do it over and over again until you stopped?"
"I dont- I don't wanna... talk about this"
"Enda, the Church of Athena, they've both done horrible things, but they've done good as well. Mother Zoe, all the sisters here, even Naji, they all worship Athena. Nobody forgot what happened ten years ago. Just... some choose to let go of that hatred"
"How can you forgive people that try to kill others just because they believe something stupid?"
Her hand tightened around mine as her voice became distant. I didn't need to feel her emotions when she spoke like that, as it came from a place that she might not have even been aware of. Ota was projecting her insecurities.
In a way that made me glad, as it meant she hadn't accepted her actions as justified when she tried to kill me at the end of our first duel, or when she turned that longing for death towards Enda.
"People make mistakes. You, me, even Arisu. The difference is we try to fix them, and change for the better. That's why I forgave you, and... hope she forgives me"
"I saw your fight. You did nothing wrong"
"She only swung when I refused to listen. Verdandi didn't block my ears, I decided not to listen. That's why I have to be here. I messed up, even if everyone tells me I didn't"
We walked around to the main entrance, a small square porch with metal railings on either side leading to a large door. The spot where it all started, where I took my first step forward, away from the shelter that had once felt like a shackle.
Strangely, one plank was missing, leaving a hole big enough to swallow someone's foot whole.
"Huh"
"What is it?"
"There was once a loose plank here that I scratched every Harvest... Did she..."
"Who?"
"We had to run from Alameda and ended up fighting some Paladins, but they turned out to be rookies disobeying orders because they thought they were going to be cast out for being weak. Tsumugi was one of them. After we got away, Alameda burned down the Guild Hall and kidnap the staff to set an example. We didn't know what they were after..."
"Wasn't it you?"
"Yeah, I mean Enda believed it could've been either of us really. Arisu, me, her. She said something about being targeted for my blessing- well you know"
"That doesn't explain why'd they go after Ari though"
"Boree survives that's to the quality of their soldiers, the Empire prefers to send endless quantities of their troops. She's a Kitsune so they might of been after her brain or something"
I had forgotten whether or not Ota knew that Arisu was reincarnated from another world, so instead told her a little white lie just in case.
Ota let go of my hand as I knelt down and inspected the hole a plank once filled.
In the darkness I made out what looked like half a plant with burn marks on what little was left. Grabbing the piece to look closer, the lack of a blue tinge left me with one conclusion.
Faith magic had to have been used to incinerate its existence.
"Only Naji knew about this, but she can't cast Faith. None of the sisters even practiced offensive chants..."
"Think Paladins did it?"
"Maybe, that or one of their 'Prophets'. They could of easily been keeping tabs on me from above"
"Why hide some scratches on wood though? Seems like a bit too much effort to hide this"
"Yep-"
Ota tugged on the lowered wide hood of my coat, indication we were followed and it was best to avoid talking further.
"Let's rest a bit"
I simply nodded and got up, opening the heavy door to welcome her inside. A hot sensation like somebody was pressing a forge-stone against my back caused me to quickly push her inside and slam the door behind us.
The distinct sound of two metal objects being lodged into wood barked at us to get ready for a fight.
"Shit! Can you fight without a weapon?"
"Will you get mad at me if I smash up the place?"
"Don't hesitate if you have to"
We found ourselves in the living room of the Orphanage. At night this could hold twenty of us sleeping on the rug with a combination of blankets and hammocks attached to the central mast that bore most of the house's weight. It was a repurposed boat after all.
Four windows, two to our left, one next to the door we just rushed through and one ahead. Two doors on our right leading to other rooms. A large mast in the middle gave us a small amount of cover but our options were limited.
We could make a break for the back door in the next room but could end up being exposed to more danger. At a time like this I would let Ota decide our next move unless I saw an opening or needed to immediately escape.
Two knocks on the door were quickly followed by a kick that sent the door flying in-between Ota and I, hitting the central mast with a loud thud and crack.
"Lets see here. Touji Himura, sixteen, C rank, adopted by the Phoenix Witch herself, nothing remarkable. Ota Shattered-Axe, almost seventeen, newly appointed B rank, lives under the care of Mistress Rose, nothing re-mark-a-ble. Wow, something tells me these reports are incomplete"
Embroidered leather armor dyed in white and gold, a deep red cape with his hood up and shiny metal symbols along his chest and shoulder. He held some sort of high rank and possessed an air of wit about him.
Over his shoulder and neck he wore a bandolier of throwing knives like a scarf.
Wielding a bastard sword in his right hand and throwing daggers in his left, he moved about like a predator playing with its prey. His movement was intimidating, combined with his lanky body and unhinged look within his bloodshot brown eyes.
The man carried two pieces of paper that he tossed aside to draw more knives from his bandolier.
"What do you want?!"
I kept my hand hovering over my relic, ready to grab it out of its sling at a moment's notice while also hiding it from his sight.
"What do I want? Well, a warm bed with a bent over wench, but there doesn't seem to be any here. Just an Oni and abandoned brat. What use could either of you provide the Empire? Hmm?"
He moved around casually, practically flaunting his weapons of choice like a sideshow without the comedy.
"This is my home, my town. The Empire has no right to step foot here"
"And yet here I am, spreading dirt. You bootlickers should be happy to slobber all over your filthy faces, or perhaps you are too young and don't know your place? It doesn't matter, I suppose, our orders were clear..."
We moved in unison away at his slow advance, finding ourselves in a corner of the room without any escape option. It felt like we we're under a trance by a master tamer.
"What's your name?"
"My oh my, working up an appetite are we? If you wish to know my name you must strip naked and grovel before my feet, then I shall assess your ability to become fleshy fun for my squad. You see, they've spent so much time away from their families they're feeling rather lonel-"
"Enough!"
I drew my relic and tried to transform it into a weapon to match his, only for it to once again take the form of Arisu's sword.
With a grunt of anger I took a central stance. My blade pointing towards him, right foot slightly forward, left heel up. The position screamed both beginner and balance, which is what made it perfect for such a seemingly experienced opponent.
Upon seeing my weapon he flinched and his face tensed up.
"That blade... You're the one that crippled my commander! Bastard!"
Ota quickly formed a standard set of basic plate armor around her body as the man began his attack. I felt the intense heat against my chest of his aim as my heart thumped once in the fashion I had become oh so familiar with.
*Thump*
The world felt slow and my body sluggish, yet it was enough time to pick up on his attack strategy. A double feint with two thrown weapons. While he threw his small daggers, he changed his grip mid lounge from overhead to downwards stab, speeding up his attack significantly.
"You're slower than HER!"
I grit my teeth and blocked his attack while kneeling down and quickly cast an Airburst right against his chest, sending him back to slam against the central mast.
His throwing dagger had hit my chest plate the exact way I wanted, causing a ricochet and leaving a nasty dent. He was strong alright, and nothing could say that more as he stood up again chuckling away.
"Hehehee, sorry about that, I seemed to have lost my temper. You aren't the White Fox I'm looking to flay"
"Touji, we're surrounded"
Ota's ripped out a knife that pierced her gauntlet with a groan and threw it on the ground. A combined effort of a dagger coated in Aura directly hitting armor. Thankfully very little blood poured out.
"Shit..."
Outside every window I could see the faint silhouette of large crossbows pointed at us.
"Well I hate to cut this short but we have a job to do after all"
Stuck between two impossible scenarios I had to think quickly. We needed cover, but inside this house was a death trap.
Maybe if I combine them...
It was at this moment distant muffled music began to fill the air and for a split second the hooded scouts attention shifted.
Now or never
"Ota, make an exit!"
Maybe if my home was constructed by anything but several decades old rotting wood we wouldn't have been able to leave this way.
Ota created two metal tower shields on both arms as I cast a large Vortex intertwined with Greyward, letting it suck up all the smoke and dust I could muster, casting one spell in each hand.
Our slimy opponent decided to dash towards me to stop our plan. Only his actions were flawed.
Throughout our skirmish I noticed he never used magic. Instead, he focused on maintaining a strong enough Aura to do serious damage with his daggers. This, and his choice of short reaching weapons would ultimately be his downfall.
To make up for his sword's reach, he threw knives, and when he intended to attack, I could feel and adjust.
Right for my forehead, a single knife. Perfect.
Within the span of three seconds Ota broke through the wall and I baited a push by tripping over on purpose. As I fell backwards, he threw a weapon believing I had no movement options.
*Thump*
The world moved slowly, he shifted to a follow-up lunge full of murderous intent.
Now, faced with the true intent to kill, I understand the difference between bloodlust and seeking death. This wasn't a time to be tested, it was a time for results.
The lustful man may have known how people feint with weapons, but not with magic. Airblast was simply Vortex refined and redirected. With a little bit of knowhow, I had charged up a powerful setup.
I launched myself towards him while remaining vertical and covering Ota's exit in a thick cloud of smoke and dust. In less than a tenth of a second, I was directly under him.
For a single moment in time I saw the look of fear in a man's eyes before his life would be taken.
Twisting in air my blade cut like a knife through butter, straight through his torso, leaving him in half. Despite being sliced through the gut and spine, my blade somehow sealed his wounds as he was cut by burning his flesh.
I used the moment from Airblast's launch and kicked the ground, landing upright with momentum. Running out the door, I grabbed its frame and leapt feet first over the left side railing to attack the man waiting with a crossbow.
Tyrant's Rest was slowly being bathed in the light of a lidless blind eye that looked like a moon falling from the night sky. Clouds parted and flaming rocks flew towards the nearby battlefield.
A young man wearing a basic white hooded scouts uniform holding a Windlass Crossbow raised his weapon in my direction. Something about him was off.
*Thump*
He shot out of fear as I leapt towards him, feet first. The bolt barely missed as I crashed into him. Sheer luck saved my life as I wasn't fast enough to react. Rolling off his body, I immediately lunged back at him as he got up to draw his sword, leaving his crossbow on the ground.
Within range I swiped from the right, timing it perfectly with my speed.
I hit him straight in his stomach to no effect.
''Unless yer a murderer or a thief, it cain't hurt you''
Shit
Sliding as I hit the ground to recover, I looked back to see my opponent struggling to breath.
I took out a spare dagger from my boot and threw it at him as he got up. It struck his left upper shoulder, barely missing his neck and he yelped in surprise and pain. As he heaved and coughed I offered him an exit, one that if he did not take, I would at least commit to knocking him out.
"Run or die"
He may not have been a murderer yet, but if he managed to hit me ten seconds prior, I might have died and his hands would have been stained with blood.
The longer I spent fighting this one young man the higher my anxiety rose at the thought of Ota having to fight at least three scouts alone without a weapon. She didn't know what I had planned and lacked anything to be offensive with outside of her conjured armor.
Thankfully the scout dropped his sword and ran in fear. I made a mental note to study and master some offensive advanced magic when I got home. For now, my attention was chained to my companion.
"Ota?!"
Shouting out her name I spirited to the back of my old home to the sounds of pain and grunting.
Flicking the patches of burnt flesh from my Relic, I ran both pinky and ring finger over it to cover it in aura without getting anything on the enchanted cloth gloves aiding my magic.
Arisu had her reasons for not killing anyone. She could explain all she wanted and yet at the end of the day if a choice has to be made whether or not to spare some monsters disguised as people while they tried to rape and pillage others homes, I would always chose to sever that persons soul from their body.
Turning a blind eye was not an option. On that Arisu and I would forever be different. My home town may be a crumbling waste of land with little value to the rest of the world, but I would protect it with my life if given the chance.
To me, protecting my home was a righteous cause, and saving the one I loved was something I would kill for.
Sprinting around the Orphanages corner, I saw Ota struggling to deal with a male and female scout trying to pin her down while a third reloaded their crossbow within a few meters. She had already been shot in the left calf and right shoulder, the bolts visibly sticking out from her body.
Armor that had once surrounded her had been mostly chipped off, especially around her wounds.
It infuriated me.
Anti armor weapons wielded by Scouts? That wasn't normal, none of it was.
''Do not hesitate''
Rider' voice once again echoed in my head once again as they prepared a final shot to kill the Oni I cared deeply for. They had stabbed her thigh and were trying to pin her down in order to rip off her remaining armor.
At the distance I was, I couldn't stop them, but I needed to.
Reliving a past traumatic event had taken hold of Ota at the worst time possible.
As the third scout violently spread her legs open, he began to take off his belt and I almost lost control. Deadly calm crept in my mind and the will to change what I saw made me sprint.
There was no crueler fate for her then being forced to relive the experience that led her friends committing double suicide several years ago. From that point on she'd been all alone until Arisu showed up one day to comfort her in the form of a white spirit fox.
She looked at me, smiling through a half shattered plate sallet, tears swelling up in her eyes, accepting her death and the defilement of her body.
I'll kill them all.
*Thump-Thump*
Vibrance.
A world of color stretched out before me as if time had completely shifted to day, all the while moving as slower than a falling father.
My Relic yearned for action to be taken, guiding me forward with each step. All the while my body became flooded with senses. I felt lust, anger, hatred, the primal urges that drove my enemies forward.
And yet, my eyes saw something strange. Layers upon layers of thread waiting to be pulled, invisible to everyone else like it simply didn't exist. It reminded me of Taurus's missing arm that had somehow been replaced by an invisible spirit arm that only I could see.
Several pairs of eyes watched my next moves with great anticipation. Presence from above the Orphanage, in the Lords cliffside manor and from the battle occurring outside of town, I felt them all.
I ignored all of it to focus on the three scouts that planned to kill my friend and rape her lifeless body.
Once upon a time I had been able to copy Arisu's Relic to save Ota and myself from Rider's deadly strike. Ever since then I had wondered how it even happened, why I wasn't able to do it again.
Embodying an ideal allowed me to copy her Relic, of that I was certain now, but I could never move like her and wasn't even half as skilled, not yet. I wasn't even part spirit like most Yokai, so how? How did I do it?
Embodiment and what?
What was Arisu's goal when she moved at the speed of light? Not justice. Not to save others. What was she trying to do that I did? Both justice and not at all?
Retribution? Yes. That was it
First, I would kill the man with his crossbow pointed at Ota's head.
As I moved the bolt had just been launched. In one foul swoop I beheaded him with a single slash from the left, then used the tip on my blade to guide the full metal projectile up to hit the woman that had stabbed Ota's leg, and let it pierce through her head.
With my blade still pointed straight I let momentum carry me forward and pierce the man desperately trying to take off his belt in a disgusting lust filled act.
As the bolt hit the female scouts head and my blade penetrated the last man's heart, the world regressed back to its drab moonlit palette.
Darkness taken form by a discerning goddesses lidless gaze.
The distant muffled music had stopped in tandem with my actions and I felt an enormous presence of power rivaling Riders unfiltered aura, like two mountains standing side by side on the outskirts of Tyrants Rest.
I hit the ground with a harsh thud with the man who sought to do unspeakable things beneath me, blade through his chest. In the last seconds of his life I felt a sense of hopelessness, despair, regret, and surprisingly, loneliness before nothing remained.
A wave of fatigue pushed washed over me and I found myself instantly out of breath.
"Ota?!"
I barely managed to shout out my companions name the moment my lounges filled up with air.
In through the nose, out through the mouth...
Her shoulders quaked and she breathed as heavy as me, not from exhaustion, but mental anguish. I ran over to her as quickly as I could, almost tripping when pulling out my Relic.
The Oni slowly shook herself together and held her left leg close in an attempt to hide her face.
"Ota? Talk to me! Are you okay?"
With my hand on her cheek, I felt the streaks of despair that had run down her face due to my absence.
"I thought you were there... but the smoke, and they shot, and I just..."
She refused to look at me as she buried her tearstained face into her left knee, as her right leg had been pierced by the scouts weaponry, her left stabbed by a scout and yet she had mustered the strength to shield what little dignity she had left.
What she went through, what they were trying to do, to say it didn't matter or to move on would have just come off as insensitive.
I pressed my forehead against hers, embracing her as much as I could without making her wounds any worse. Through touch I could feel fear that had halted her body as it slowly subsided.
"It's okay, I'm here"
"Don't leave me Touji... I can't... not again..."
"I won't"
It was only a passing moment of sorrow and my presence had seemed to help. Ota's heart remained chained and heavy. While her mind transitioned from crashing waves to a low tide, a sudden interruption startled both of us.
A fancy black halberd had landed next to us with a harsh thud. It had been thrown by a familiar Motte that stood on top of my old home, her beady yellow eyes lit up in the night sky like distant stars.
Her suggestive skirt and short top fluttered in the breeze as if to beckon all lustful eyes to her body. An intrusive illusion that could entice the greediest Dragon to another form of wealth.
"And so the Anti-Paladin squad falls to a couple of rookies before they get a chance to shoot their shot. No doubt Alameda saw your little stunt as well"
"Ota's hurt, we need to move her to safety"
Marge jumped down, landing in near silence and slowly walked over to us.
"Their crossbows are built to pierce armor and punish healing. One would assume that you are either unaware of Otamaru's technique or have already mastered it"
"He... He said he'd teach me when I was older, but..."
The Oni had to grit her teeth in order to respond. Forcefully, Marge pinned Ota down with her four arms and looked over each of the wounds she had received, preparing to rip the bolts out by force.
"What are you doing?!"
"Otamaru's greatest feat earned him the title of the 'Infatigable Oni', do you know of this tale?"
"Yeah? He fought a bunch of peOPLARGH!"
Ota screeched in pain as the two bolts stuck in her leg and shoulder were pulled out simultaneously.
"Hundreds of Oni. And yet, after giving and receiving a thousand blows, he still remained standing in defiance. When asked, he always gave the same answer of how he was able to stand proud"
Marge stood back up and took hold of the Halberd, presenting it to Ota.
"H-his blood 'blazed brightly with vengeance'..."
Ota found herself pulled to her feet and struggling to stand. All she could do was use the weapon to prop herself up and deal with the pain as blood poured from her wounds. Marge reached under her short shirt to pull out a small shimmering pouch seemingly out of nowhere.
She reached into the impossibly deep bag to pull out two unmarked glass potions. Both contained a green bubbly liquid inside.
If I judged by its hue alone, I would believe them to be Advanced Stamina Potions, just shy of being graded a 'Baron's Sweat', a nomenclature similar to health potions.
"Anger, revenge, they're powerful emotions for an Oni. If even a drop of his blood flows through your veins then it should come naturally. Take that pain, let it fuel the fire in heart and pump blood through your vessels"
Marge had described a very similar technique used in Martial Arts with Life Force, or 'Chi' as some people called it. Problem was that Oni, alongside Kitsune, happened to be among some of the very few races unable to wield such a power.
Maybe they just use it in a different way instead?
"Ota?"
"I'm fine... Just, need to focus"
Noticing sounds of footsteps and shouting I turned around and got ready for another fight.
Marge handed each of us a Stamina potion, instructing us to drink it straight away. Afterwards, she once again opened up her small bag to take out a Reverberating Rod and twisted the top before throwing it into the ground.
It hummed with a blue glow, ready to play whatever tune it was told.
"You surpassed my expectations, Touji. Killing without a shred of remorse, unbeknownst to what thou shall receive in return. How do you feel after killing several people"
"Relieved... I guess?"
"You 'guess'?"
"Is it wrong to be happy after something like this?"
"Warriors do not kill for a crown because they want to, rather, they convince themselves they need to. Protecting your home, saving your friend, driving off invaders that would rape and pillage all you hold dear? A farmer does not delight in the act of harvest, only the result of reaping"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Some things in life are necessary, and those 'things' may lead to death. As long as you differentiate between needs and wants, you're heart will remain whole"
"A balance to all things"
"Yes, and those scales are never level. Although, that is a talk to have with Judgment herself"
Across nearby rooting rooftops and decrepit high stone walls. Precisely twenty scouts armed with bows and bastard swords taking aim at all three of us. Their commander stood amongst them, on the wall between us and my home.
All except their leader wore dark gray hooded uniforms with a yellow cockatrice on their left leather shoulder pad, ranking on their right. Not heavily armored by any means and practically irrelevant with my weapon, Ota shouldn't have much trouble against it.
What did worry me was who stood above them, ready to give the order to fire. A woman of perfectly average height with her hood and mask down creating a distinct look of superiority.
Like the lust filled man, she too wore a white outfit, presumably some sort of formal getup with golden trimmings. For some reason I could only accept as insanity, her boots happened to be fitted with four inch metal stilettos.
Her hands rested on each of her sabers pommels, ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.
"So the Motte is here? I take it you are responsible for the deaths of my A-P squad then. The Merchants guild where all to happy to she a little light on your capabilities"
Marge stepped forward towards the leader of the scouts. With two arms she made grandiose gestures as she spoke while her other hands remained behind her back.
"And what did they say about me, hmmm? That my favorite food it Wulf hair with a side of dried rice?"
"They said you liked to use your body to achieve 'pleasurable' results"
"Oh? Mayhap I tend to dabble in a little exhibitionism, after all, we do what we can to survive. Motte cannot call upon the 'great equalizer' after all"
The fact she could switch her personality at the flip of a hat scared me. Moreso she felt no sense of shame in her actions or speech. And yet, she had them entranced with every step, so much so that none of them paid attention to what she did behind her back with her other arms.
"Are you a merchant or an escort? My men require the services of both if you so chose to surrender"
Their eyes remained fixed on her swaying progressively shortening skirt and slowly unraveling top. All that thread and far, far more had been weaved across our surroundings.
"I wouldn't mind having fun with all your men, as long as you join in. I've been told many times I'm good with my hands if you'd like to experience something... exotic"
"If you and your companions submit and service the core as our companies personal 'toy' for five years, we may overlook this incident"
What is wrong with these people...
Now, all Marge's shimmering thread had all fallen in place. I could catch small glimpses every now and then like a mirror reflecting light. In entrancing all our opponents attention on her, she had successfully laid her trap without notice.
But for some reason, she had tied twenty separate strands of her silk back to my relic.
Looking behind, Ota had steadied herself. Regular plate armor with angled black segments and spikes adorned every part of her body, creating the look of a thorny flower taken form of a knight.
Her helmet had taken the form of an armet with a plume and extra protection for her horns.
A small amount of blood had escaped certain crevasse of her armor. Noticeable, yet not nearly as much as I had expected. She flexed her neck and lost her arms and legs.
Ota intended to prove her worth and leave her fear behind. Based on her movements, it looks like her wounds would not hold her back. It was then I recalled a myth Mother Zoe liked to talk about.
An old story the nun had picked up on travels. Once upon a time Oni were believed to be able to regenerate, yet every time she asked, they claimed they could not, except one that gladly showed off his power by cutting open his hand.
He was despised by others outside of his immediate family, as he often flaunted his prowess with a smile and treated the constant threats against his life as nothing more than empty insults.
She can regenerate?
"You make a very tempting offer for a lonely woman such as myself. If you survive, I'm sure we'll spend plenty of intimate time together"
The crack of thunder cut off any further degenerate talk. Despite the sound, there was nothing above us. Enda wasn't here, neither was her splinter of the fallen world tree, so I guessed that it had to be a power of one of the Horsemen.
"Touji, call her lightning"
I raised my blade to the sky, as with every rumble, it felt like an invitation to accept.
Although I couldn't truly explain how or why it seemed familiar, my mind was cast back earlier today when my High-Drake mentor seemed unaffected by the elements that had caused her grievance in the past.
Sounds brought into existence by an instrument that had yet to be created in my world, combined with the tapping of a drumstick on a ride cymbal. As the chanting in the background started to begin I knew what I had to do.
Pure white lightning struck my weapon and traveled along each of the connected treads to every single scout that had been wielding a bow, disintegrating them in the process.
Music began to play yet again. This time, it was clear as day thanks to the 'Reverberating Rod' Marge had stuck in the ground.
As the thread also began to fade, Marge turned back around to wish Ota and I good luck.
"Conquest chooses her disciples well. Do us a favor and win this fight. The odds are still stacked against you- Unless..."
"W-What? Woah"
My whole body was twitching. Not in a way that was damaged by the lighting. It was twitching because it had accepted it. Sparks surrounded my blade and occasionally spurted from my body as if it was conducting the element itself.
"She really does pick them. For her sake, try not to die"