“What? That’s—” Jaid found it hard to believe, so she’d need to check it out herself. She ordered the troops to keep marching and then barged into the nearest building. Wait, I’ve been here before.
She glanced around inside the familiar bakery, memories of dozens of visits coming back to her. But was there really no one here? Something felt wrong. In her mind, she could clearly picture where everyone should be standing, where all the seats and tables should be placed. So why were there a bunch of chairs huddled together in one of the corners?
Rezin. A familiar face suddenly came to the forefront of her thoughts. This had to be his doing. You’ve gotten much stronger. Jaid stared at the chairs and closed her eyes, thinking of the people she’d regularly seen in the store—the clerks, the bakers, the regulars. When she opened her eyes, some of the chairs were filled with those she knew, the illusion partially broken. It seemed she couldn’t force herself to see those she didn’t directly remember.
Jaid raised a finger over her mouth and silently shushed them, hoping to alleviate their fears. Their army was under strict orders to not lay a hand on a single civilian in Bisomote. Even if the citizens were to aggress them for whatever reason, they were only to detain them inside a shop and nothing further.
Really, they had nothing to fear, but she understood their worries completely. An army suddenly appearing in their town was never a good sign. Jaid also understood why the Fiends For Hire had taken this action, and she herself was glad they’d done it.
While the army itself wasn’t allowed to engage, she had no doubt that certain soldiers were in the pockets of various CP representatives. There was no telling what specific orders those rogue elements may possess. But having the citizens vanish from their sight entirely only ensured their safety further. Even though Jaid could break the illusion to an extent, she wouldn’t extend the same courtesy to the rest of the army, not that most knew the specific citizens to begin with.
She did another scan of the bakery, to see if she could spot anyone else hiding. But what drew her focus most was the display of treats, particularly the large cake at the center. If things had been different, if she’d never been caught, would she be eating that cake right now or later today?
It had likely been irrelevant to their decision, but it felt like a punishment directed at her all the same. This operation was taking place on Sextaugber 16th, her birthday. Now she was just imagining the taste of the cake on her lips.
That pleasant wonderment was quickly replaced with something else—vehement vexation as another memory involving her lips came to the forefront. Her real motivation for today, and why she was able to cut through her sentimentalities and do what needed to be done; revenge on Drim Drazah.
Context surrounding the event in question still eluded her. Jaid had to imagine it was her own mind forcibly repressing the incident for her protection. All she knew was that the two of them had kissed, and she was inconsolably upset at the time. For that, she needed to get answers, and more importantly, beat the bastard bloody until he felt the same turmoil.
The sweet aroma of the bakery was only making her nauseous now when combined with the distaste on her mind, so she quickly exited the bakery, making sure to lock it from the inside before she did.
“Report. Any movement from inside?” Jaid inquired once she returned to the front of the infantry just outside the gate of the Fiends For Hire compound.
“None, Captain,” a soldier reported. “And no response to our demands.”
Jaid did a quick scan of the area she could see ahead, barely able to make out the entrance of the headquarters building. No sign of anyone anywhere, and she at least should be able to see them if they were hidden by Rezin’s Curse. That meant they were all hiding inside somewhere, assuming they hadn’t fled.
“Spread out and let me know when everyone’s in place,” Jaid gave what should hopefully be her last proper order until everything kicked off. All that was left was for her to give the signal to charge, and it was going to be one that no one could miss.
“Where are the other Fiends? Where’s Laurim and Izma?” she tried to do a bit of last-minute cleanup and organization.
“Izma’s caravan is still making the march,” someone reported.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“Good, bring her in once the initial charge is complete,” Jaid reminded them.
“Laurim’s here, Captain!” One of the stronger men stepped forward, carrying the petite mauve-haired girl by the scruff. She looked like a terrified puppy, her body shivering endlessly. Jaid could only pity her. She didn’t belong on a battlefield. Hell, Jaid wouldn’t even draft her as a normal soldier. But according to those responsible for her, she didn’t belong anywhere else, so she’d been forced into the army.
A few minutes of tension went by until all soldiers, numbering over ten thousand, were in place. Jaid checked one last time that they’d received no response from the Fiends For Hire through any channels and that they’d passed the official deadline given. Finally, she took one last deep breath before starting.
“Alright, Dura, you’re up.” Jaid announced and then stared at the barrier, waiting for something to happen. And she continued to wait. “Dura?” She looked over to the spot where she’d just seen him a few minutes ago but he was nowhere to be found. “Dura!” she spun around and yelled into the crowd.
“Coming, Captain!” she heard his distinct accent call back from amidst the crowd as a bunch of soldiers were pushed aside. Finally, the monk broke through the front line with an arm full of cupcakes that she immediately recognized from the bakery she’d just visited. “Sorry, sorry!” Dura apologized to the soldiers, handing out cupcakes to a few of them.
“Here, Captain. Happy Birthday!” Dura held one of the cupcakes out to her.
“Would it kill you to take this seriously?!” Jaid scolded him, but her eyes never left the dessert.
“Don’t worry, I paid for them,” the monk insisted. “And c’monnnnn, Captain! I know you want ittttt~” He waved the cupcake in front of her face, almost brushing the icing against her noise. Jaid was about to bat his hand away, but then he insisted, “I’m not going to do the thing until you eat a celebratory birthday cupcake!”
“Fine!” Jaid swiped it from his hands and began unwrapping it. “But you better have finished your job by the time I’ve finished.
“No problem, no problem,” Dura waved his free hand and trotted over to the front gate. “Now where is it, somewhere around here, yes?” He patted the air until he hit something solid, the pink barrier flickering in response, showing the dome fully for a split second around the entire compound.
Dura prodded at it a few more times, making sure that it wasn’t going to hurt him, before he placed his hand flat on the translucent surface. It only remained there for a second before he turned around and waved happily again. “I’m done, Captain! Did I do a good job?!” and then he proudly stuffed an entire cupcake into his mouth, only pulling out the wrapper halfway through chewing.
It was hard to believe that he’d done anything at all since there had been no noticeable change whatsoever. But that was how his Curse worked. No one could tell the difference any time he used it, and of course he took advantage of that regularly for pranks around headquarters. If he didn’t do it properly this time, all it would do was leave Jaid standing there like a fool. Hopefully, he was smart enough to not let that happen.
The Paladin unsheathed her sword, slamming the tip into the ground for a moment as she adjusted the controls on the hilt, enabling the railgun. She then picked it up and took aim just above the front gate. Really, she didn’t need to go this far, but their downfall being struck by the power they’d gifted her was a cruel irony that even she couldn’t ignore.
A bolt of lightning shot forward, striking the barrier dead-on. Part of her expected nothing to happen—the barrier just absorbing the energy and becoming even stronger as a result. But that wasn’t the case. The bolt pierced right through, shattering the barrier easily as if it was made of thin glass.
That was the signal, and all units began advancing into the compound. As many as possible charged through the front gate, but most had to vault over the walls surrounding the perimeter.
But Jaid couldn’t take a step forward, not after what she saw. Dura had suddenly vanished from sight. None of the other soldiers seemed to notice and ran right past the space where he once stood.
Her eyes immediately drifted over to Laurim who was cowering off to the side of the gate, trying to work up the courage to run inside. It took longer than Jaid expected, but Laurim vanished as well.
Damn it, we didn’t hinder her enough! Jaid stood firm as what felt like the entire army rushed past her. She adjusted her stance slightly and gripped her sword even tighter. Her breath picked up in pace until it was almost erratic, trying to brace herself for the inevitable to happen—for Phon’s invisible hands to wring themselves around her entire body.
And then her world shifted, just as she expected. But Jaid didn’t find herself anywhere else—enshrouded in complete darkness. Once her eyes adjusted, she realized there was a light after all. It was definitely coming from an electronic device like a phone or a tablet, but it seemed to be turned away from her, so it wasn’t illuminating anything that could be helpful.
“Good job, Rezin,” she heard a painfully familiar voice. “Keep it up for a few more minutes until all the soldiers are in the compound and the citizens have had a chance to escape. Then join the evacuation with the others. You’ve done enough.” There was a beep, sounding like a call ending, and then the light vanished.
Jaid heard shuffling in front of her, followed by a few footsteps. Then she saw it, clearly in the darkness: the unforgettable burning green eyes.
“Hello, Jaid. Welcome back.”