Chapter 2 - Long Ride to Riche
The squad met Danzo just outside of headquarters. A carriage, decked with two horses, and a trim of the rare fiery oak awaited them. Danzo stood beside the carriage, bags and rations in hand for the journey.
"Good afternoon, Judgment! Ready for the road?" He grinned, his voice a little too cheery for Knoxx.
"Yeah. Ready to go talk it out with a bunch of merchants…" Knoxx responded. "Maybe we'll find some APC goons there. I've been itching to use Miagi!"
Azumi slapped the back of his head. A quick "ow," escaped his lips as he rubbed it.
"Not everything in war is blood, Knoxx," Danzo frowned, placing his bag in the cargohold.
Tsuki looked down. The weight of his words resonated with something in her.
Not everything in war is blood… she had been taught differently. The realities, the things she learned—with every passing day, the APC's lies became more and more malicious.
Knoxx's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Let's board. We've got a long ride ahead of us."
"I agree with Knoxx for once. Can't believe the day has come," Geo joked, putting his arm around Knoxx's shoulder.
Knoxx gave a fake frown, while Azumi and Hatori chuckled while hopping into the cart. Tsuki was the last in, hoisting her bag in before jumping into her seat. Together, Judgment and Danzo rolled out into a different stage of war.
Meanwhile, in northern Galion, squads of Memento were on the brink of battle.
Three men stood in a triangle deep within the Galion forests. The air was thick and filled with smoke. One man, the captain wearing a decorated Memento cloak, shouted, "Shintaro, watch the flank! We've got company!"
Shintaro's eyes were wide and observing the great oaks around. Nothing hostile was in his view, and yet, the view of fire spoke for itself. The enemy hadn't revealed themselves. "Got it! These freaks are hiding like kitties! You ready Hideki?"
Hideki nodded and looked to the sky. "They're not ready for this," he said, a sense of pride and excitement filtered in his voice. He raised a hand, and with every movement of it, a storm above moved at will. One stalker appeared from the trees. Her movement was slow and steady, clearly unfazed by his ability. Her limbs twitched, and a maniacal smile stitched her face.
A matching grin came across Hideki's lips. "Shouldn't have shown yourself, you damn stalker!" His arm came down in a sudden tug, and a lightning bolt mustered, directed at the looming threat. A clear hit.
Or so he thought.
"The hell—that was a direct—!"
He didn't finish. A sudden impact hit his back like a freight train, knocking the breath from his lungs as if the world folded around him. He hit the dirt with a thud. Dust flew in every direction, shrouding parts of the battlefield.
"Hideki?" Shintaro shouted, "you spaced out! What the hell was that?"
"I… I swear I hit her—but my vision…" he muttered. His head was spinning in a loop, unable to mutter the words in a sentence.
Before Hideki could piece it together, Shintaro's face shifted—his eyes glassy and lifeless. He lunged at Hideki without a word.
"Shintaro, what're you doing? Talk to me, dammit!" Begged Hideki. Shintaro was now on top of him, throwing punches and kicks. Hideki blocked with his elbows in desperation.
The captain yelled through the air. "Stop it Shintaro! You two, get back here! They're show—"
A piercing sound hit the air. A yellow arrow tore across the battlefield in a striking beam of light. The sound seemingly woke Shintaro from his trance. He turned to see the arrow impale the captain through his chest, his body falling limp, and his face in horror. Blood splattered on the surrounding dirt.
Hideki and Shintaro froze, their captain now lifeless, and the two of them were battered. To worsen the scene, the remaining two stalkers showed themselves. One was a tall man, with a bow now slung across his shoulder. His eyes glowed yellow with a target mark on his left iris.
The second was a shorter woman. Her presence was a haunting calm. Her dark hair covered one eye, allowing the other to peer into her target's soul.
The twitchy one, Yodoma, laughed. "This is Memento's elite? What were we supposed to be worried about?"
Erodima followed it up with a chuckle of his own. "Straight up pathetic. Ain't that right, Pia?"
Pia was the only one whose expression remained neutral. "I expected more. Guess the reports were generous," she said flatly.
Hideki tried to lift himself off the ground. Pain shot through every joint and tendon in his arms. Shintaro stumbled over in a protective manner. "Hideki, run. I'll stall them. Go—warn the others. These three are too dangerous…"
"Damn right we are," Yodoma mocked.
Shintaro spread his arms out wide. Blood trickled from multiple different wounds, but he didn't budge.
"Erodima's fully charged now. His arrow won't miss. Be proud, you stood in your final moments," Pia said, still straight faced.
Hideki and Shintaro turned to Erodima, shock and fear overcoming their bodies. His bow was drawn and the string was nocked. Their deaths were imminent.
The arrow released, and launched forward in immense speed. It was impossible to dodge, and the two Memento soldiers could only stare as it rocketed closer.