KeotsuEclipse
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MILD GORE IN ALL THREE PARTS
Wow, that took FOREVER. I apologize for how long it took to get this out, but hopefully the chapter will make up for it. Oh, and I had to seperate the whole chapter into three parts, because combined, it was almost 2x the total amount of characters allowed.
Read, and review, but above all, enjoy!
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[size=+1]Chapter Four: Roar of a Thousand Lions
Part I[/size]
Part I[/size]
The Lion. A symbol of Strength, and Honor.
Once and always, a ferocious warrior.
With a voice that demands respect and radiates authority, the lion is truly the King.
The King of Warriors.
Fierce fangs that pierce.
Claws that slice.
The Lion is King, Judge, Jury, and Executioner for all who oppose it.
I stand, a warrior, against many more.
One Lion, against thousands.
My roar will silence theirs.
I will fight.
I will win.
I will survive.
I will roar.
With Honor, and a just blade, oh, how I will roar.
Once and always, a ferocious warrior.
With a voice that demands respect and radiates authority, the lion is truly the King.
The King of Warriors.
Fierce fangs that pierce.
Claws that slice.
The Lion is King, Judge, Jury, and Executioner for all who oppose it.
I stand, a warrior, against many more.
One Lion, against thousands.
My roar will silence theirs.
I will fight.
I will win.
I will survive.
I will roar.
With Honor, and a just blade, oh, how I will roar.
Mizutoki walked calmly through the hall, as the quite bustle of early morning hung in the air. Some were just rising from their slumbers, while others were already hard at work, honing weapons and farming tools, blades for cooking, or even just taking care of their laundry. A slight mist fell upon the field out front, and the grass was sodden with dew. A bird’s call echoed through the silence occasionally, and it truly was a peaceful morning…unbefitting of the events to unfold later that day.
Riku was sitting idly in the food hall, enjoying a quaint breakfast of two eggs, and a small pitcher of ice water.
Riku: Aye, so your finally up?
Mizutoki: Did I keep you? Have we missed our window?
Riku: Haha, not at all! Our journey will take the greater portion of the day. A battle near sundown is actually favorable to us.
Mizutoki: I see. Where is Lady Lawliet? And, may I ask, what is our target?
Riku: I imagine she is out doing some drills. And our target…is the Lions Brigade.
Mizutoki: I cannot say I have any knowledge of them.
Riku: That doesn’t surprise me. Even my knowledge is limited. What we do know, is that they are a siege and army force. They are often used as advanced infantry, or for the take-over of land…. They are dangerously close, within a single solar cycle, to this place, and they are not exactly a shaky force. They are precise, deadly, and efficient. Each and every one of them. And they number…exactly 1,000. Their attacks are often called the Siege of the Pride, and the song they sing beforehand, their battle cry, is known as the Roar of a Thousand Lions.
Mizutoki: A thousand?! I must say, I have pride in my abilities, but, if it is only you, I, and Lady Lawliet, I don’t see how we can take out a thousand trained soldiers. I’d be hard pressed to do so, even if they were untrained.
Riku quickly downed what was left of the water, and stood.
Riku: And that is why you have an audience with Mistress Akiza, and Lord Versuvio.
Riku handed off his dirty utensils to a man working the kitchen, and turned back to Mizutoki.
Riku: Now, before then, lets get you properly suited.
It was a short walk. Riku had lead Mizu outside of Veil’s base, and was able to see it was a Cathedral, identical to the one that had the wall of Mercury. There were people all over the yard, sparring with swords, sharpening blades, tightening the stings of their bows to a fine taunt. Riku opened a small wooden door, and stepped inside a building covered in white stones.
Immediately, they took a left turn, and entered a large room, filled with all sorts of armor.
Riku: Normally, a Knight like yourself would be accustomed to fighting in a full suit of plate armor. Here, we find plate armor too bulky and cumbersome. We have a special type of material – I call it Steel Silk -, that is as strong as any plate armor, but is more flexible, breathable, and comfortable than the casual clothing on your back at this moment. My garments, and my black cloak, and even my blindfold, are made of this material. Come; choose something to your liking.
While it took Mizutoki several minutes to decide (for the warrior in him kept returning to the wall covered in plate mail – a natural response), but he finally chose a black jacket adorned with two golden rings on each arm, and a gold “v” that looped around the front and back of his torso. His pants were the same black color, and underneath, he wore a sand colored shirt. Finally, he chose a pair of jet black boots, that fit snuggly to his feet – they would get him were he needed to go and were durable as well.
Riku: Now… I believe its time you got your Mercury.
The hallway was long, and Mizu could swear there was a gentle downward decline. Finally, they came unto another door, this one of a black stone, and Riku placed his hand in the center of it.
Strange markings jetted across the door with his hand at the epicenter. As the door disintegrated into ash, and revealed another Wall of Mercury.
Riku: Hold your breath.
And with that, Riku stepped through. Mizutoki took a moment to fill his lungs, and collect his bearings, and then charged through.
It was as if he had just run through the doorway. Though winded, he was immediately inside a great room that opened up unto the sky. Sunlight poured down in a wide column through the opening and through awe-striking stained glass portraits of battles, people, and symbols of a time long forgotten (coloring the room in different shades depending on the pane it passed through) landing at a central point – a giant basin of Mercury set in the ground. The colored lights hitting its reflective surface seemed to have a prism effect, as nothing in the room was it’s natural color, save for the Mercury itself.
Akiza: Your late, Ranthian.
Riku: ‘ey, don’t blame me. He took longer to pick out his armor than I had expected.
UzumakiJake(1): It matters not. We’re in our position. As soon as my mates and Lord Versuvio arrive, we can begin.
UzumakiJake(2): ‘sides, you eager to send ‘em off to their demise?
Versuvio: That’s enough of that, Jake. I’m here now.
UzumakiJake(3): Pay them no heed, Mizu. When I use my Doppelganger power, it splits myself into four bodies, but each one is ruled by a different emotion. Number one is logic, two is pessimism, three is understanding, and four is rage. But, today, I only needed three of myself.
Akiza:Ah, you’re here, Lord Versuvio.
Versuvio: I apologize for the delay. I had to relay a message to Counselors Rei and Nexus. It seems my third Councilor has been killed by an attack on the wall by Blue Forces. I’ll waste no further time; I’ll move to my place.
Akiza and Versuvio moved to opposite sides of the Mercury Pool, and started a deep chant. The three Jakes formed a triangle around them, and started the same chant so they sounded like an echo.
Mizu whispered his questions to Riku.
Mizutoki: What are they doing? And what is so special about this pool of mercury – all of this mercury, really.
Riku: To answer the first question, they are activating the dormant magical energy in the Mercury. As for your second question… Watch the Mercury. It will show you.
Sure enough, an image was forming in the pool. At first, there was simply an empty flower field. Seasons passed by uneventfully. But within the blink of an eye, everything had changed. The fields were on fire and desolate – a meteor had struck. By the lapse of time, and the strange violet color of the flames, Mizutoki guessed that the fire was unnatural, and had burned for years. Slowly, the Earth healed, as the flower field came to bloom, and even flourish more than it ever had.
Something strange had happened to the crater the meteor had formed though – it was filled with a silvery liquid. The only thing that could even describe what it looked like, was Mercury. Then, the progress of time in the pool slowed, as showed by the rapid changing of the Sun and Moon slowing.
A single monk stood before the pull, and dipped his hands into the pool. He took a sip of the strange liquid, and began to tremble. Mizutoki thought he had poisoned himself, but he was wrong.
Immediately, the monk went into deep prayer in front of the pool. He prayed, and did not move, eat, or sleep for five cycles of the Sun and Moon. On the sixth day, he stood up, and opened his palms, revealing a solidified ball of the liquid. He then buried it in the ground, and left.
The quick pace cycle of days and nights resumed, and it seemed nothing happened. Seasons went by, as the flowers went into hibernation, and began to bloom, again and again.
Then the monk reappeared. By the lines and wrinkles, at least forty years had passed. Next to him, were a young man, King Versuvio, and a woman, Lady Lawliet. The monk the motioned to the two – he was pleading with them.
Mizutoki recognized the man. It was Father Ulrike. He was a priest at one of the biggest Cathedrals in the entirety of Spiral Sanctum, and a close friend of Mizutoki. He often gave Mizu much needed guidance in the early years of his time in the Blaze Corps.
Father Ulrike strongly opposed the Ancient and Births war.
He placed his hands on the ground, on the exact same place he had buried the Mercury ball decades before. As if by magic, a fog set in suddenly, and then cleared within seconds.
There stood the very Cathedral they stood in now.
Then, slowly, faces began to form. King Versuvio’s, Lady Lawliet’s, Sir Ranthian’s, Mistress Akiza’s, Sir Uzumaki, and many more, before it finally ended on Mizutoki’s own face.
Riku: Go. Kneel before the pool. Place both of your hands inside it, and say your Oath of Blood. The one that resides within your soul. Don’t worry – it will come as a song from your mouth, as if you knew it from the time you were but a small child.
With a nod, Mizutoki stepped forward, knelt, and placed his hands within the pool. It definitely felt like molten metal, thick, and sluggish in movement. At the same time, it flowed between his fingers with more grace and ease than water.
From a deep welling within him, Mizutoki broke into a chant in a tongue he could not understand, but even he knew that the words carried powerful meaning.
Blue translucent lights spiraled up each of his arms, slowly turning a deep green color as they worked their way into a cone around Mizutoki’s entire body. A sense of elevation surged through him, as if he was standing underneath an endless water fall of energy, and it was filling him to the brim.
Slowly, the lights returned to their bluish hue, and worked their way back into the pool. Though the euphoria still stood within him, he felt a brush on his shoulder and looked up to see Ranthian motioning him to lift his arms.
The process was difficult – the more he withdrew from the pool, the more the euphoria escaped him, and he was tempted to thrust his whole body within the pool. But he eventually won out, freeing his hands from the pool. With a silver orb of Mercury about the size of a softball in each hand.
Riku: *whistles* Two? Not everyday you see that.
Mizutoki: And this will form weapons for me similar to your Way to Dawn?
There was a voice – it came from the door way – and they turned to see Lawliet standing their, much less intimidating in her normal clothes, instead of the jet black armor she wore when Mizutoki first saw her.
Lawliet: Not yet. You must “prove yourself” to the Mercury. In a time of either need or victory, your weapons will reveal their true forms. Until then, guard the orbs. Sir Ranthian, I’m ready to depart. Please give him his armor and a steed, and meet me outside the gates in one half of an hour.
Riku nodded.
The UzumakiJake, Versuvio, and Akiza quickly left to leave the warriors to their preparations.
Mizutoki: Call me na?ve, but I believe you said the Steel Silk was stronger than any armor, and more flexible than the cloth on my back. Why would I need steel?
Riku opened open his jet black cloak to reveal a glimmering coat of leather and chainmail.
Riku: It’s true, its better than any armor, but it also acts as an unnatural catalyst to magic, so we wear normal steel either over or under it to negate that ability.
Mizutoki: In that case, these garbs may be to trouble some.
Riku: Then we will deal with it before leaving. But, come, for we must make haste!
Mizutoki quickly placed the now hardened orbs into a satchel, and ran down the hall after Riku. He wasted no time – he choose a pair of black pants and a tight black shirt, and over that, wore the sand colored shirt that came in with his Blaze Corps uniform. Over this, we wore a shirt of a sort of combination of close fitting plate mail with chainmail at the joints, allowing for quick, uninterrupted movements. He wore something of a similar sort for pants as well.
Moving to the Armory, Mizutoki grabbed a medium sized shield, and a long sword with a decent length, and snapped the sword to his waist, while putting the shield on a gauntlet on his left arm.
Dashing through the halls, and intricately weaving through butchers, farmers, cooks, and trainees alike, they quickly reached the stables. Riku moved over to a pitch black horse with a white ridge descending down the bridge of its face, and an equally white mane and tail.
Riku: This is my personal steed. She has gotten me out of many a predicament, and I wouldn’t trade her for any other mount. Go, and choose a steed to your liking.
Mizutoki walked quickly through the stables, examining each horse. Part of his training was being able to quickly assess a mount, and he was better at doing so than most. He stopped before a horse that had a subtle, shiny brown coat. It was male and, though not as big as others, a stable mount. It held itself in a dignified poster, and had a calm air about it. It was the perfect war horse. Unshakable, but not na?ve. Its calm eyes showed that if Mizutoki could earn its trust, it would be a great companion, but regardless, it would obey its master.
Mizutoki: I’d like this one.
Riku: Ah, Sleipnir. A good, reliable steed. You have a good eye. Get him ready for travel, and we will depart. I’m sure Lady Lawliet is unhappy with our lollygagging.
Mizutoki nodded and wasted no time saddling Sleipnir. As he hopped aboard the horse, Riku was already waiting, and they quickly cantered out of the stable, and broke into a short gallop to the edge of the land surrounding the Cathedral where Lawliet was awaiting the duo.
Lawliet: Are you two ready to depart?
Both nodded, and the trio started slowly down the path, each remaining silent and within their own thoughts for the first several hours of the trip, only stopping to let the horses drink, and galloping across the wide plains to make up for the somewhat slow pace they where taking, purposely trying to burn daylight.
As they were stopping to let their horses drink, Mizutoki finally decided to ask about their plan.
Mizutoki: So, why are we waiting until nightfall to attack? I imagine that we took up a faster pace that we would reach our destination shortly.
Riku: ‘tis true.
Lawliet: Sir Ranthian and I agreed on this raid many weeks before the very notion of your recruitment was even suggested. Besides night being better for the stealth assault that we wish to take before the full-fledged battle erupts, my own blade, Luna, is stronger with the setting of the Sun, as Ranthian’s Way to Dawn gathers power at Dusk and Dawn.
Mizutoki: Gain power…? The weapons are already indestructible – what other powers could they have?!
Riku: Heh, the weapons are made of a magical element. It’d be strange if they didn’t have some other magical properties. While some are more…obvious than others, some are hidden powers. You’ll see some when we fight.
Mizutoki did not question anything from that point out. Instead, he took advantage of the slow pace to make sure his shield was fitted properly and that his sword was sharpened to razor edges with a deadly point. He expected more wear and tear to fall upon these weapons in this upcoming battle than most weapons would endure though years of use – he simply hoped they would not fail him.
They rode for many more hours until the first colors of sunset finally started to paint their vibrant, fiery colors across the evening sky. Against them, Mizutoki could see the faint smoke of giant fires being made that would warm and light the enemy encampment throughout the night.
They were almost upon the battle.
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