106

 

106.  Not of This World

 

Kamo and Caleb shared smirks as they sat alongside other warriors of the Royal Guard and ate their last meal before battle. On plates before them lay cuts of charred, emaciated-looking fish, along with a mound of rice and some yellow pickles. In each wooden cup was some murky, green tea.

 

The two received tactful glances of curiosity from the natives as they both tried their best to pull the scarce meat from the fish's body to their lips with thin wooden chopsticks. The fish had been salted, but to Kamo and Caleb, it still didn't taste like much.

 

Lit by hanging lanterns with thick candles burning within, the mess hall was little more than a conglomeration of tents positioned in the shade of the cliffs. Kamo and Caleb were seated toward the front of the main tent, next to a raised platform where Reijiro and his officers sat. At the far end of the tent sat a small golden shrine with a statue of a pudgy man in the center.

 

As the sounds of wood clinking against lacquerware continued, Reijiro stood up and addressed his troops.

 

"I will make this short: thanks to the assistance of the Empress and her associates..." Reijiro coughed awkwardly. "There will be a limited force of women coming to aid us in this battle. Do not think of it as shameful. We do not possess the proper manpower to defend ourselves against Koga's forces, so this is what must be done."

 

Shouts of disapproval and protests erupted. Reijiro glanced over to the foreigners briefly, then continued to speak.

 

"Talks with the Iga clan have been going well. They still have yet to let us know when exactly they will come to help us, but I think the chance is high, if only due to their hatred for Koga. There is still hope, men. No matter what kind of forces we are met with today, we must not allow them to reach our Exalted Light. We must fight our hardest and stop these devils where they stand, you hear me?!"

 

Some powerful screams filled the room, but not everyone was moved by Reijiro's speech. Whether it was the presence of foreigners or the bleak state of circumstances, it was obvious to Kamo and Caleb that morale was low.

 

"Strong words!" Kamo called out. "My only question is, what are we going to do about the formation? We don't even have any idea how the enemy will be coming at us."

 

"There will most likely be one Shinsengumi captain leading a group of yokai," Reijiro explained. "From my experience, the monsters are only dangerous due to their number and strength. They are not smart, but their human masters are. Those are the ones we need to watch out for."

 

"Target the fleshies." Kamo snorted. "Sounds simple enough."

 

"Don't underestimate them," Reijiro said. "My father was killed by one of their captains...they are not to be taken lightly."

 

Kamo picked absently at the bony carcass of his fish. "Right. I just wish we had Azuka here. She would have been great help."

"The empress must stay within the caverns. She is the last line of defense for the emperor," Reijiro explained. "Now, enough talking. We must prepare for battle."

 

Then, a stern, female voice sounded from the opening to the hall. "Not just yet."

 

Kamo and Caleb both turned to see Azuka standing in the doorway. Ravi, Sabine, and ten women clad in black kimono stood behind her. Azuka was dressed in a sheer white hakama with golden trim, emblazoned with a golden phoenix on the back, one of the many symbols of the Exalted Light.

 

Since coming to Yamato, she had spent most of her time reuniting and catching up with her father, and as a result, her allies had hardly seen her. The images of her breakdown during their confrontation with Zeigfried remained etched painfully in their minds, but they believed in their steadfast ally. And now, her face looked just as powerful and determined as it always had before. She had embarked on a new mission now, and felt eternally grateful that her allies had found it in their hearts to put their faith in her again, despite her unexpected breakdown back in Enmetropolis.

 

The empress addressed her people with booming intensity. "I want to make something very clear here. I have come here to crush the enemies of my father. No matter what it takes, I intend to win. The royal family will suffer no further humiliation!"

 

All of the men bowed their heads low and let out a roar of approval.

 

"We're moving out at once. Stuff the rest of that food into your body and get outside immediately. Whatever breaks through into our camp must die. Do not forget that."

 

Azuka motioned for Caleb and Kamo to follow her, and then moved outside to join Ravi and Sabine. The sun was bright and birds were chirping, but the air was tense.

 

Azuka's face lost its tense fire as she turned to her old friends. "I'm sorry for all that's happened so far. None of this is working out like I expected."

 

"Do you regret coming here?" Ravi asked.

 

"I'm still not sure yet," Azuka replied with a sigh. "But sometimes I wonder whether it'll all really matter, even if we do manage to destroy Koga's army and put the royal family back in the capital."

 

"What are you saying?" Ravi asked. "We're saving an entire world from oppression, aren't we?"

 

"I'm thinking farther ahead," Azuka replied. "Even if we do manage to save Yamato...the Church knows there's a Clock here now, but to them, the more dead heathens the better. This world refused to be converted, so they're happy to sit back and watch both sides kill each other. And then, when all's said and done, I imagine they're going to swoop in, claim the spoils, and obliterate whatever's left."

 

"In other words, these people are fucked either way," Sabine spoke up.

 

"Not necessarily," Kamo said with a smirk. "If we managed to knock Koga out early and get ourselves situated in time, we might be able to surprise whatever scavengers the Church sends here."

 

Azuka let out a dark laugh. "You make it sound so easy. Either way, it means we have a very long road ahead of us."

 

"It's our only road," Kamo replied. "These people can be jerks, but they're not all bad. They've got a strong sense of duty, and they've given us food and shelter. After we save their asses here, I'm sure they'd be happy to take on a priest or two with us."

 

"Zeigfried humiliated us in Enmetropolis," Ravi said, gritting her teeth. "He robbed our home from us and tried to kill us, all in the name of God..."

 

"My father wants to give us all the aid we need, but there's little he can do as a fugitive." Azuka's eyes floated out to the plains below the cliffs. "He isn't the man that raised me, but he is my biological father. I respect him despite his shortcomings, but I feel much closer to all of you than I do to him. The point I'm trying to make is...I'm not just fighting for him, nor am I just fighting for this world, despite how beautiful I think it is. I just don't want to see it fall into ruin – not by the hands of the Church or any other party."

 

"An army of mutants, killer swordsmen, and then the Church. Sounds like we've got our work cut out for us, folks," Kamo mused. "Speaking of which, are Koga's captains really that strong? Reijiro said one of them killed his father..."

 

"I'm not sure," Azuka admitted. "But if they've gotten this far, I think it's safe to assume that they have great power at their disposal. Their monsters are more like weapons than soldiers, so we're going to have to trust that Reijiro and his troops can take them on. But the Shinsengumi – Koga's team of human officers – I expect we'll have to crush them on our own."

 

The four nodded and Azuka turned to face them. With a mixture of uncertainty and determination in her eyes, she put out a hand. Her allies followed suit and put out their own, until the warmth from everyone's palms spread out through the group.

 

"Thank you for sticking with me through this," Azuka said, placing another hand on top and gripping theirs. "Without the four of you, none of this would have been possible. And who knows, maybe we can even clean up this whole mess by the time the Seneschal comes to join us. The enemy shouldn't be too far ahead. I'm counting on you."

 

"As we are you," Ravi said, then removed her hand and motioned to her allies. "Let's go, you three! We're on the front lines!"

 

Azuka took a deep breath as she watched her four loyal companions speed off into the field. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Royal Guard hurriedly made preparations for battle. As Azuka was left alone, her face turned grim, and the words her father had recently said to her resurfaced in her mind.

 

"The blood of the men who built this land runs through our veins, my child. We were born to be solitary. Leaders. We walk hard, lonely roads, but our decisions support countless people. Being a true ruler means no gifts. It is only giving. We must sacrifice for the greater good."

 

Wounded in the last battle before he fled, the emperor had to struggle and wheeze just to enunciate properly. It had pained Azuka to see the man so weak, and while his words sounded strong, even they could do nothing to mask the desperation that filled the Emperor's eyes.

"Koga is not the source of all this. It was merely coincidence, or possibly fate that placed him in his position. There is something behind him, and that is the true source of his power...a dark source...something alien. This is only part of a much larger war...one that is much greater than both you and I."

 

His words had given Azuka goosebumps, partly because she knew exactly what he meant.

 

"Azuka, you must recover the royal capital. I will be gone soon, and then our people will be left with no hope. Kyo is our home...you must not let those monsters desecrate it. It's all we have left."

 

Azuka turned around and headed back to the tiny encampment where the last of her father's protectors stood waiting to fight. High above the cliffs overlooking the valley stood archers preparing their tall, elaborate bows. The ten women deemed strong enough to leave the caves were all young and stone-faced, awaiting their chances to prove themselves to the men who would not acknowledge their strength.

 

Azuka gazed upon it all, filled with a mixture of awe and despair. At one point, I was prepared to shed my duties as a Knight and sacrifice myself for this world, all on my own. But I'm not alone anymore. Kamo, Ravi, Caleb, and Sabine came with me. Cliff will join us soon, and hopefully Vance and Eden as well, once Tao locates them. This isn't just about Yamato. This is about us, the Clock, and stopping the Church once and for all. There's still hope...it's just farther away than we thought it was. I can still reach it...it's my turn to lead now.

 

"The enemy is upon us!" Azuka screamed out. "Fight for the emperor!"

 

Roars and shouts of approval and energy echoed across the Kurogaya Plains, reaching the ears of Ravi, Kamo, Caleb, and Sabine, who stood at the head of the squad. Azuka's declaration was not wrong – for the past moments, they could hear muffled sounds of destruction spilling out from the forest beyond them.

 

"Do you hear that?" Kamo asked softly.

 

"What?" Caleb asked. "The shouts?"

 

"No," Kamo said carefully. "It's below that. A booming noise..."

 

The four watched in surprise as a hulking mass of monsters stampeded through the forest from the other side. Towering ogres marched forward, clutching spiked clubs in their muscular arms. They had curly hair and sinewy skin blotched with vibrant red, blue, and green.

 

"Rush through them!" Ravi commanded. "We have to make it to the Captain!"

 

Sabine was the first to leap out, timing her jump perfectly so that her heel landed straight on the head of one of the creatures in the front. As her shoe pierced its cranium, she used the momentum to propel herself forward again, leaping across the crowd as if she was as light as a feather.

 

"Damn if these aren't some ugly mugs..." Kamo spread his arms wide and spread a band of neon psynergy around his body, then used it to propel himself forward like a human arrow. He slammed his way through the mob, but lost his momentum halfway through and had to come to a stop on one of the beasts' shoulders.

 

In the rear, Caleb shot his extendable trident forward, skewering the line of monsters that Kamo was above. With a strained grunt, he yanked his weapon sideways and dragged them all to the ground.

 

Still, Caleb couldn't see past the army to the other side. "If we don't clear out some of them now, they'll maul the soldiers!"

 

Ravi monitored Sabine and Kamo's progress as the two sliced their way through the opposition. The squelches of spiked clubs ripping through flesh resounded in the forest as the berserk creatures attempted to catch their agile foes, but only ended up dealing mortal wounds to each other due to the cramped environment. Instead of red geysers, thick black liquid exploded out from their wounds.

 

"What the hell is this?!" Kamo shouted as his robes were darkened. The ogres swarmed him, and no matter how many he blew away with his psynergy, there was no end in sight. "A little help over here, Ravi?!"

 

Without delay, Ravi produced two temporary arms and extended them through the mob. As if they were made of rubber, her psynergy-spawned arms lassoed around groups of demons and crushed them together. Inhuman screams echoed through the field as black

 

*************

 

blood painted the grass. On the edge of the Akeogi Forest, a mustachioed man clad in metallic blue body armor stood on a hovercraft and watched the battle. Across from him on another hovercraft were Shimada Kai and Yamazaki Susumu.

 

"Who the hell are those guys?!" Shimada shouted. "What are foreign barbarians doing here?"

 

"Interesting." The armored man scoffed and absently adjusted the topknot above his long forehead. "Looks like we'll be able to have some fun today after all."

 

Yamazaki sighed. "What a pain in the ass. I guess we'll go on ahead."

 

"What?!" Shimada shouted just as loudly. "Are you sure it's okay for both of us to leave?!"

"Shimada..." The armored man smirked and placed a muscular arm on the silver spear that was strapped to his back. "I doubt I'll even need to unsheathe my weapon in order to subdue the likes of these. Go."

 

"Y-yes sir!" Shimada saluted, and the two scouts sped off into the air.

 

They had just reached the top of the trees when they were spotted by Ravi. Her eyes grew wide as she focused in on the two Yamatoans, and quickly dissipated her arms to relocate her power.

 

As the hovercraft sped through the sky, Ravi leapt up at it from the ground.

 

"Looks like she's coming for us," Shimada said. "You're gonna have to try harder than that, barbarian!"

 

With a lurch, he pulled what looked like a small wheel out of a bag. In the center of the object was the face of an old man, grinning and gurgling the ancient tongue. With his free hand, he struck the object hard with his psynergy, and it burst into flames. Then, he tossed it straight at Ravi.

 

Ravi raised her arms in defense as the strange object flew toward her. As it collided with her, she stood her ground, then let out a cry when the object detonated into a bright arc of energy.

 

"Hah!" Shimada laughed as the hovercraft sped off into the distance. "Wanyudo never miss!"

 

The talkative scout looked impressed to see Ravi somersault out from the smoke, leaping straight for him. Her skin and clothes were lightly charred, but she was far from injured.

 

"Woah!" Shimada gulped. "Hey, she's not half bad!"

 

"Deal with her," Yamazaki said, still lying on the side of the craft with his legs hanging off it. "I'll go on head."

"Okay, sure!" Shimada said happily, then moved over to the edge of the hovercraft It tipped down sharply as he sprang off the end. "See ya later!"

 

Directly below them, Kamo ripped through the back end of the ogre army near the forest. "Don't worry about Ravi! She can handle herself! Keep pushing through!"

 

Sabine dashed into the trees, while Caleb finished spearing a route through the beasts. Dripping with the black monster blood, the trio fell into stride together and finally spotted their true enemy. Hovering just below the canopy was the armored man, standing on the edge of his hovercraft.

 

"Enjoying your stay in our land?" he asked. "Unfortunately, you are not welcome here."

 

"Oh, don't worry," Kamo said with a laugh. "We didn't come here to sightsee."

 

"I'm afraid it doesn't surprise me to know the beauty of our land is lost on the likes of such barbarians." As the man locked eyes with Kamo, a sneer spread across his face. "I am Tani Sanjuro, Captain of the 7th Division of the Shinsengumi. Now, if I may be so bold – which one of you brutes wishes to die first?"

Next: Sneer of the Spear