“The air here is crisp, can you feel it?”
Alisson says. The air was still for the time being. We were only on the outskirts of the Deadzone; nothing but snow was before us. Clouds churned in the distance, we probably have a great deal of blizzards to pass through ahead of us.
According to Lavjoure’s maps, the concentration of mana in this region is right in the center of the large, grayed out area of desolate wastes. That’s our objective.
“It’s like no one ever breathed this air…”
I responded to Alisson. The air was chilly, and there was something thin about it. Like I needed to breath twice as much to get the same amount of oxygen.
“I’m surprised Basil hasn’t shown herself in a while.”
Me and Alisson made small talk as we trudged through the foot deep snow, already a mile long trail of disturbed snow was behind us. Wearing all this protective equipment, on top of our heavy packs, and trudging through snow, was not exactly a pleasant experience.
“I didn’t bring her with me.” Alisson looked to me quizzically, so I continued, “I left her with Marmel. Told him I was keeping a pet rat in one of the packs on my mare, and to feed it accordingly.”
“I see…” Alisson muttered. “Well, it’s your pet to take care of I suppose…I don’t fancy looking in its direction after all…”
It didn’t come out of its egg clothed. I rolled my eyes at Alisson’s prudence, and thankfully he wasn’t watching me.
I took a deep breath and set my sights forward. The cold bit at the edges of my skin, bearable, but uncomfortable. The weight on my body was by far more straining.
My physical state was in the back of my head however. My brain was focused on gathering up my courage, to confront Alisson.
Alisson. I already asked you this. Why? Why are you so set on coming in here?
He initially listed off a few reasons, that sounded logical if one were to not look to deeply at them…But I knew that he was covering up something, and pressed further. I got my answer. He was scared of Sidonia. He was scared of his own mind. It’s true, we’ve spent an extended time away from our Lady. Our loyalty may have withered, and me thinking that going into this place is overkill may very well just be me being insubordinate.
But I don’t think so. This is over the top. It’s extreme. Even without the pretense of our minds losing our loyalty due to our distance from our Lady, I don’t think Alisson would go so far as to enter this damned place. There’s something going with Alisson that I’m not aware of, that I think even he’s not aware of. Some force driving him toward this danger.
“Alisson.”
He turned toward me, and by this point new that when I addressed his name it was usually for something important.
“I want to ask again. What value do you see here?”
Alisson looked away with a sullen expression.
“We can foil Andestine, and wait out that blockade in a place they won’t ever dream of giving chase.” He sighed. “But also…As I said…” He looked up into the sky, “I feel like this is what Sidonia would want me to do. There’s a chance that what’s here pertains to that door in Freigat and since our Lady ordered us to find a way inside…”
His voice trailed off for a moment, but he continued, “... then we should pursue it…Even if the only lead we have…points us here…”
I frowned, and shook my head. “I don’t think Sidonia would want us to kill ourselves, Alisson.”
“She ordered us to go into Freigat. We survived. This is no difference. Don’t dilute your feelings.”
“Dilute?” My eye twitched. “I’m the reasonable one here Alisson, it’s you who’s acting delusional by coming in here.”
My eyes widened as the words left my mouth so easily. By the time I was done speaking though, I resolved to stand by my true feelings.
“So?” Alisson asked rhetorically. “I am loyal. I am following orders.”
Alisson nodded to himself. My eye twitched again, and I responded once more, in a louder, more angry tone, “So you’re saying that being loyal to Sidonia is being delusional!?”
Alisson glanced to me, surprised. “Wha-”
But I wasn’t finished. “And don’t give me that ‘following orders’ either, Alisson. You told me to have some free thought after the hive with the adventurers, when I followed your words to the letter – You scolded me remember?”
Alisson averted his eyes. It took him a moment before he spoke again.
“That was…that was because it was you…This though…I was planning for it to only be myself, after all…”
I frowned angrily. “So it’s okay when you risk your life but not me?” I picked up the pace and stormed past him with a few steps. “Hypocrite.” I spat.
Alisson and I didn’t speak for a good while after that. As the winds picked up and the sky darkened, and the horizon behind us ever turned into snow, a certain dread over took me. That maybe I’d been too harsh. I shook my head. I’m not. This is on Alisson. I’m arguing against him because I care. I care about him. I wouldn’t’ve said a word in the months prior.
I, I just couldn’t stop myself. It’s like Alisson just wants to kill himself or something. I’m lucky he let me come along, that’s for sure.
I like Alisson. I like him a lot. He’s kind, gentle, shy, affectionate…and he really cares about me. I don’t want to see him do something stupid. I just don’t know what’s going through his brain, and that’s stopped me from not tackling him and knocking some sense into him about why coming here is a stupid idea. Well, that, and I’d probably be executed on insubordination when we return to the homeland. Even if Alisson didn’t say anything about it, if I really tried to usurp him, and not simply convince him of something, Sidonia would know. She always knows. Everything. What you’re thinking, what you’ve thought of, what you’ve seen and done. There’s no hiding anything from her, unless you’re across the world away from her.
And that’s why Alisson thinks his loyalty is fading away. In all honesty, he’s more loyal than the average Nekomata, so much so that he’s paranoid about his loyalty to go out of his way to such an extent to prove that he is loyal.
I swear. Alisson’s a mess. It’s up to me to fix him up. To make his insides as calm and gentle as his outsides.
…
Alisson was afraid to speak. He felt like if he said anything, his apprentice would just turn around, and shoot him that scorn filled glance that he so ever feared ,and ignore him. She was in front of him. This had not happened before. She was so fed up with him that she didn’t want to look at him, and she had taken the lead.
Partly, Alisson was terrified, about her just abandoning him like he feared previously, and if this was really the right call, to march so brazenly into the most dangerous place on the planet. At the same time however, he had an inkling that she was simply disappointed at him, about how much he feared for his own loyalty to his Lady, and how much he feared what would happen if Sidonia deemed him disloyal.
Sidonia would let Apophria do whatever she wanted with him – And that was only the beginning, if Alisson was found to not be acting in Sidonia’s best interests.
How he yearned for that night outside the Ipithid Plain, next to the fire, Celis’s smiling face. How he yearned for all the times that his apprentice had snuck into his sheets in the night, and held him tightly. The heat of Tsuhara’s hot springs, the heat of the Celis’s body wrapping around him. The cold of the air bit at him, spiting his mind’s fantasies.
It made his mind go fuzzy, and dizzy. It felt like he’d been hooked on some drug, and hypnotized to forever trudge forward through the snow, chasing after his apprentice, occasionally opening his mouth to say something, but either not finding the right words or not having the courage to say them.
It was so stupid. They were walking right into the most dangerous place in the world and here him and his apprentice were, getting into a fight that was more about their minds than it was about the danger of this place. The danger in Alisson’s head, the risk, the death looming over him, it was negligent. He’d been through Freigat. This seemed no different. Frankly, he didn’t care much. If he died, then so be it. He didn’t think that would happen, judging as though they’d survived Freigat and all, but if he did die, Alisson fantasized in his head that it would be in saving Celis. Pushing her out of harm’s way, that sort of thing. She was always so perfect and composed, always knew what to say and when to say it, and above all, she seemed to care for Alisson. Perhaps the only person in the world who did.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
On that thought, Alisson blushed, as he stared at cloak before him. Portruding from the cloak were many bulges of the many blocks of lead, but underneath it all, was that person. Alisson’s cheeks reddened even more and his shoulder strayed up by his face.
…Perhaps he should just call this whole thing off then. If it was in following Celis’s will, he wanted to act in her best favor so…
Suddenly a shot of icey blue rang though his head, and his eyes cringed. He ears were in a sudden pain and his brain ached as if he’d stuffed his face full of snow.
No! I must…I must…
His vision blurred and he struggled to stand for a moment.
I must prove my loyalty!
Before he knew it, he fell to the ground.
“Alisson?”
Celis had heard him fall, and turned. Upon seeing Alisson down on the ground, a hand on his forehead, her expression quickly broke into concern.
“I’m, I’m fine…”
He shook his head, and attempted to stand as quick as he could. An extended hand appeared before him, but when he looked up, expecting to see Celis; For a moment, he saw a pink haired adventurer, with a tender smile.
Alisson’s eyes widened and he yelped, stumbling back into the snow, backpedaling as he breathed rapidly. A few blinks and the vision was replaced with reality. Celis stood staring at him with a muddled expression, only serving to pour more scorn on Alisson’s brain.
“I think it’s time we put on our masks.” Celis remarked.
Alisson slowly nodded his head. “A-agreed.”
His body shook, scared of the foreign visions and thoughts assaulting him.
As they strapped on the lead lined, heavy masks, Alisson had a moment to shake himself of the chagrin that had assailed him from having fallen out of nowhere. He didn’t know exactly what happened in those brief few seconds, but he did know one thing:
He needed to accomplish his mission.
With the mask over his head, he could hear his own breaths acutely. The glass visor before his eyes was something of an oddity. What an odd instrument it was. When he looked at Celis, with the mask over her face, all her could see were her eyes through the dull sheen of the glass; her face obstructed by the protruding filter ports.
...
Sir Remis walked though the courtyard of the Irinian outpost. Before him were a line of about a dozen fully clad soldiers. These were the Principality’s finest rank of soldier, and so many of them gathered in such close proximity was rare unless there was some enemy army looming about.
There was no enemy army.
The overcast sky above let little sunshine to the ground, and wisps of cold, snow filled air blew over the outpost. Around them were desolate wastes, not a single settlement for miles in all directions; this was one of the most remote outposts in all the Principality, and its subpar infrastructure showed.
Not a week earlier had Sir Remis been in the cozy capital of Irine, Penthreigin. How spoiled the people were there. If only they knew of the desolate wastes that could become their homes without the Irinian military. No, without the Prince.
Sir Remis silently strode past the Principal knights, staring each and every one of them down with his sharp eyes. This was an impromptu operation. In a remote part of the nation, this was the best that had been gathered.
Sir Remis sighed. With the withdrawal of the northern theater forces to the south to fight the Sidonian Empire, the forces in the north of Irine were severely lacking. The knights before him proved this.
They were all rookies. Not to say that they were freshly inducted in the military, just that they had seen no combat experience.
It was not until he reached the last knight in line that Sir Remis stopped. The knight now before him was far shorter than the rest, two full heads shorter than Sir Remis. He squinted in suspicion for a long moment. With all of their helmets off for inspection, he could see clearly the knight’s face.
“Who are you, exactly?”
Sir Remis asked indignantly.
“Prince Irine Ir Iridide’s Knight: Cecil Al’Alavōunt! Milord!”
A femine voice greeted him. The knight before him bore bright, hazel hair wrapped into a pony tail. Her blue eyes quivered beneath Remis’s glare. Remis took a deep breath.
“So I didn’t read the manifest wrong…You are the commanding officer of this outpost?
“Y-yes, milord!”
She responded loudly, a gauntlet on her heart through her shining armor.
Remis frowned. Just the what hell kind of joke was this?
This was all that the regional lords here able to send? Really? A rag tag band of rookies and some baby-faced captain?
Remis sighed, but put his hands behind his back. He backed up and cleared his throat.
“Men. I’m sure you’re not aware of what assignment the Prince has for you, and if there’s even anything to be done in this region.”
The knights silently stared forward, and Remis continued, “You are being sent as reinforcements, not to our fellow countrymen, but to Andestine.”
The knights’ expression changed, if ever so slightly.
“Sidonians are meddling northwards, and Andestine has requested help from our Prince. In keeping with our diplomatic relations, you will aid the Andestinians and hunt down the Sidonian swine. Rumor has it that the Sidonians have been encroaching on our territory – So think of this more as housecleaning than a political dispatch.”
Remis filled in the knights. He didn’t know the details exactly, and to be frank, Andestine could probably handle it all on their own, he wasn’t worried about the job actually being done or not, he was worried about how the men would feel about taking orders from Andestine, and how Andestine’s reception would be to a group of rookies as ‘reinforcements’. It was a slap in the face.
“Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes, milord! For his majesty the Prince we will obey!”
All of the knights responded unanimously. Remis’s frown only grew deeper. Their coordination meant one of two things. That either the captain here, that little girl over there, had whipped her men into shape beforehand, or that the knights here were so detached from the nation and from fighting that this is the extent of what they thought of when it came to their duties. The old, slightly insubordinate and cynical soldier was a far more reliable one, Remis had come to learn.
“You’ll apparently be joining up with a couple battalions of Andestine Platinum Knights. What exactly the enemy composes of , I do not know, but whatever they may be, I expect all of you to show the Platinum Knights of Andestine what Irine is made of.”
“Yes, milord!”
“You are dismissed.”
Sir Remis finally concluded, and turned with a flare of this cape. His bodyguards were quick to form up on him and follow in his steps. They were Principal Knights like those who he’d just spoken to, but it didn’t take a veteran soldier to tell that those who escorted Sir Remis were of a far higher caliber despite being at the same rank of those before them.
Whatever this operation was, it was something important to the Prince, as Sir Remis had been sent to personally oversee the preparations.
“Having fun Remiren?”
A sly voice called out to him, and Sir Remis stopped dead in his tracks. He knew that voice. He turned to his side to see two figures, one that was very much out of place, and the other that was very much in place here in this derelict outpost.
“What exactly is a general of an expeditionary army doing all the way up here? Aren’t your forces in the south?”
Remis questioned with scorn. The commander he was addressing bore a sly grin that said that there was nothing Remis could do about it. It was an oddly petulant sight for someone who was supposed to be the general of the best performing battlegroup Irine had.
“Why yes…My boys must be getting quite lonely without me…I’ll have to return soon.”
Remis’s eyes sharpened. “I know why you’re here.” He looked to the rookie knights, and then back to the small frame of the brightly adorned general. “You poached the knights that were originally going to be sent to Andestine, didn’t you?”
A creeping smile was obscured by a petite hand of the general. They averted their eyes deviously.
“There’s a reason my army performs so well Sir Remis…I love them and they love me. Teehee.”
Remis frowned. “Don’t you ‘teehee’ me. That excuse doesn’t hold up to actively weakening the Prince’s assigned forces; you’re going to make Irine look bad if all the knights we send are fresh off the boot.”
The general brought their hands up in a shrug, shaking their head. “There’s nothing you can very well do about it, Sir Remis. Those knights of yours are far better suited under my wing than freezing up in the north – Once I told them that, they were all too happy to join me instead.”
Remis let out a heavy breath of air. Being such a large man, bearing over the tiny general, it was threatening in nature. The second figure, one that was clad in a ragged cloak, stepped forward slightly. It was a small gesture but it was one that said that the general would be protected at all costs. Remis knew both of these people.
87th Southern Expeditionary Army regent, Nariseer Barindough Iquaintseer. Despite their bright pink outfit of nobility, bright hair, and beaming face, Lord Iquaintseer was male. Remis tolerated his choice of outfit only because of the skill and leadership Lord Iquaintseer displayed when he was at the head of an army. It’s as if any man serving beneath him had double the moral they would have otherwise, and the longer they took orders from Lord Iquaintseer, the more vehemently loyal they became. The 87th all commonly had pink stripes on their armor or pink flags at the ends of their spears and pikes. It was laughable, but when one saw the enthusiasm the army had, and how well they were commanded, the choice of aesthetic quickly became an afterthought.
On paper, this called for a very real threat of a coup d’état, however, Remis knew Lord Iquaintseer – He wouldn’t betraying his nation anytime soon. The enmity he held against all things Nekomata was powerful enough to have driven him into the military at such a young age.
Lord Iquaintseer’s bodyguard was one of the 87th’s Iquatine Garde. They all shared a common race, and were all fierce fighters.
Remis sighed. He knew he could beat sense into the meddling boy if he really wanted to, but such squabble was useless when Sidonia was on their doorstep down south. He was irked of course by Lord Iquaintseer’s blatant poaching of experienced soldiers for his own army, but Remis knew that Andestine could probably handle whatever they were doing on their own, with or without any assistance.
Remis turned away, frowning. “I’ll see you in the south I suppose.”
“Oooo…Is the Prince personally leading the armies?”
“I’m not sure. But I do know that I am needed elsewhere. I’d rather be fighting Sidonian armies, not whatever the hell Andestine is playing with.”
Lord Iquaintseer writhed back and forth, his hands on his cheeks. “I could care less where I do battle – If the Prince’s handsome face was there – I wouldn’t mind!” He exclaimed with a syrupy lisp.
An uninformed person wouldn’t be able to tell that Lord Iquaintseer was male, that was certain. Remis sighed as he walked away from the crossdressed general. Sidonia was on the move. This was no time to question those who took your side. Sidonia was already eating up swaths of land in the Caliphate, and for the time being, seemed to be winning the war.
That would change. It most certainly would.
***