“I am Maple Rian and I am one of the leaders of the humans, as of three days ago, we have made our way here into this country.”
The people stop and start to talk amongst themselves as they understand what is going on. Following this up, I say, “We humans have not frozen over and the outside world, hasn’t been destroyed, and we plan to establish contact with you all, but before that, I have to tell you all something.”
With all of my heart, I shout, “PEOPLE ARE SCARY!” This is so loud that it makes everyone on the battlefield shutter.
“What are they thinking? Why do they act in certain ways? Why do they lie? Why do they hurt people? Why do they do things differently from one another? Why do they choose death over life? Why are some better at certain things than others? Why do some want others to be a certain way?
Why do they carve attention from others? Why do they trick themselves? Why do they rely on one another? Why do they form groups? Why do they create rules they break? Why do they choose leaders and then ignore them? Why do they not even have answers to these questions themselves?
People are terrifying, and no matter where I go or what I do, I will never escape them, it is impossible to do that. But at the same time, people are kind, they are good, they are strong. People scare me, but it is simply one aspect of them, people being scary is no different than people having skin, it is simply a part of them, not their existence.
My father put up with all of my anger for years, and my people didn’t hold a single grudge against me despite all of the danger I had put them all in. They all forgave me even though I wouldn’t have done the same for them, they all love me.
Their love is powerful and something I want to protect and I am sure you all do as well, but that love doesn’t need to stay with your own people or your own family. Because I know someone who has no relation to me and my people yet loves us just as much as we love each other, maybe even more.
He is a stranger to us all but now he is a member who would die for us and we would die for. That love he has shown us has given us the strength to show that love to countless others, and now our small family has grown so big that we struggle to keep count.
So listen to me now, as you stand on this battlefield ready to kill others for your people. Know that these ones you could kill can one day become your people.
That there are those you would strike down today, that you would have killed millions to protect, so I ask you is it worth it to fight each other’s is it worth it to fill this land with blood?
Because if you still fear each other, if you are still scared of each other. I will stand beside you to protect your heart. It is said that the messiah stands beside everyone’s soul to give them strength to fight against demons, so I will be his messenger in those moments where you feel overwhelmed by fear.”
Crying as I shout, I say, “I am weak, pathetic, and not the greatest leader, I will make mistakes again and again. But I will get better for my people, and for all those who could love my people. I will stand for you and help you, so please just trust me, please give me your faith so I can fight against the fear with you!”
My words cause everyone on both sides to stop moving towards each other, but then I slowly see two people walk up towards each other. Ganthrú and Abbán and then behind them more people from the frozen crowd follow their leaders down the hill.
Then I hear shouts from both sides as they say, “DESTROY OUR ENEMIES!”
My words fell on deaf ears, so I cleaned my tears and then I shout into the shatter shell, “No matter what I won’t let any of you fight!”
In my bow, I weave a spirit arrow, but instead of making the top pointy I make it blunt, and then I shoot it at someone slowly knocking them to the ground. “Now he will be slower, I just got to keep this up.”
As the majority of all the people on the field keep coming towards me, I shoot more and more arrows to both of the beastkin sides, but then suddenly I see an incredibly fast Fanalis that looks like a cat coming towards me.
I show arrows, but it dodges as it heads for me on all fours, and soon enough it reaches me, and then it opens its giant mouth and heads towards my neck.
I try to shoot but I am not fast enough, and as it is about to rip my throat out, it suddenly gets knocked to the ground, and then in front of me, I see a Fanalis with the face of a bat.
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But shockingly the Fanalis takes off its head and then underneath it I see Iancu. As I see him for the first time in 3 days, I am shocked and the embarrassment from the issue we all had comes back to me, and I say, “Sorr-.”
“Leave it, we have better things to do. You’re little speech cut both armies in half, so let’s deal with the rest.”
“Right!”
As both groups come at us, we use our legacies to stop them from fighting the best we can.
Location: Outskirts of Prosúnfore
Φ Seeing a cave, I say, “That’s the only place around here where someone could hide so it is my best guess for where the perpetrators is hiding.”
Suzuka says, “Now let’s go.”
Staring at her covering her face, I ask, “Are you sure you are ready?”
With a shaky voice, she says, “Yes, I just don’t want to cause any problems between the two of us.”
“You Orb said that you think I hate you.”
She starts to visible panic even more, and mutters, “I will slaughter him later.”
“I don’t know if you will believe me, but it is furthest from the truth. I am happy Maple has another friend who she can talk to, it has been hard for her to connect with a lot of the members of Aplos because of how estranged she has been, so it makes me incredibly happy to know she has a friend like you.”
With a face full of happiness she says, “Really! Well then let’s get going.”
Suzuka picking me up lunges towards the hideout, but as she runs closer to the surroundings a green fog starts to appear. “SUZUKA UP,” I scream.
And she uses her tail to push her and I off the ground, and then she says, “My legs feel a bit numb.”
“It was a trap!”
Φ Feeling spirit energy approaching us fast, I throw Willow up into the air and block an incoming punch. It is fast and heavy, but I should be able to hold it.
Suddenly I feel a second impact in the same place and am sent to the ground. As I recover I see that the person in question has grabbed Willow by the leg and has flung him towards me.
Using my tails I catch him, but as I do I see the foot of the enemy mere millimetres away from hitting me in the face. I pull my head back as fast as I can but am still hit.
If I had taken that head on my head would popped off, but more than that how did he move from the sky to the ground so fast?
Taking a closer look, I see that the person who attacked us looks like a grasshopper with metallic arms and metallic legs. But more importantly, it is a Fanalis.
Staring at us, he says, “Cannot believe someone actually managed to find us, and I thought I wouldn’t have to do my job as a guard today.”
In my peripheral, I see someone on a wonderbeast riding away at high speed. So I say, “Covering while your friend escapes.”
“That is the role of a guard but don’t worry I will meet up with him after I kill the both of you.”
He lunges towards me and prepares to strike me, but before he does with a sword Willow parries the blade.
Then looking back, he says, “Please go after the perpetrator and leave this guy to me.”
“But this guy is too strong.”
“The longer we take the more danger Maple is in.” Parrying a second blow from the Fanalis, Willow says, “So please catch him!”
Seeing his determination, I say, “But please don’t die, I would like to be your friend too!”
“Me too!”
Φ As Suzuka leaves I step back and then say, “You’re a Fanalis, don’t you know what that person did?”
“Of course I do, but how is that any of my business.”
“What?”
“The fact is the Fanalis are the losing side, so switching to the side of the winners will preserve my existence for time to come, and the sweet deal I worked out with the minister makes it so that they will take care of me for the rest of my life after this,” He says with an incredibly gloaty expression.
“I will always forgive animals for their behaviour since they know no better, but you are different. Ready to allow all those people to go kill themselves because you want to profit, right now you're in below a mindless beast.”
“If you want to talk to so much back it up with some actions!”
He throws a punch at me with his right and I dodge it, then swing my sword towards him to counter. But before my blade lands, his left leg goes from a completely stationary position to right next to my temple.
So I put my hand up to block but I am hit away, with my arm breaking in the process. Then with his fist, he charges towards my stomach, so I pour all my spirit energy there to block, and successfully I minimise the pain.
Moving my spirit energy back towards the rest of my body I prepare to counterattack, but before I can do anything I feel a second impact in the same stop, which causes me to spit up blood, and move back.
Standing up, but slumped over I stare at him as blood spills from my mouth. Within his body is some mechanism that allows his body to go from a stationary state to action, that is the only way to explain how he was able to hit me with a second blow with such intense impact.
The force was also so great he is able to move through the sky with it, but now that I have figured this out I will be able to factor it in. He keeps up his attack and in return, I charge towards him with my blade and we clash.
Φ On my apex deer, I ride away from my hiding space, and turning around I see a girl with white fox tails behind her and I shout, “TOO SLOW PRINCESS!”
I saw that she and the boy triggered the trap we set, so anywhere the fumes touch should feel numb. No way she is going to catch up to me moving at that speed.
Turning back again I see something, surprising the girl has used her tails and has turned her body into a wheel. Just like a hedgehog, she is rolling towards me at high, and as she reaches beside me, I see a hole open in the middle of the white wheel and see her eye looking at me.
I scream and start to speed up while throwing some of the Apex deer’s bombs at her.
Φ Looking at the beaten and battered body of the boy on the ground, I turn around and say, “Now it is time to go kill that little girl as well.”
On the floor, Willow's arm twitches as he grabs his sword.