Will of the King - Chapter 7

TITLE

Lyrian Chronicles 9 - Will of the King

Google Drive Version: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CvSvn5ligfnFtrkranaNauoDLFFbIVWoX-oxCFuMPB0/edit?usp=drive_link

Campaign By: Leaflit
Adapted By: Leaflit and ShyMoth

Edited By: ShyMoth

Proofread By: Ayra

Chapter Visual: Kriss Sison

This story is a replay novel.  Everything occurred over a game of Angel’s Sword TTRPG.  You can play for free now:
https://rpg.angelssword.com

You can follow the game here (Characters and Documents):

https://app.roll20.net/campaigns/journal/18196509/index

New Episodes every week or so.

Thank you so much Patrons and Subs for making this possible.

https://www.patreon.com/leaflit

https://www.patreon.com/angelsswordrpg

CHAPTER 7
Promise

A kaleidoscope of magic blasts rained down upon Yasha, her body tilting as she ran in an arc, a trail of dust exploding around her.  Holding one arm in front of her, she continued forward, the unyielding torrent sizzling on her flesh and armor as she did her best to guard.  The enemy knew that she was a major threat and they weren’t going to let her have her way.

The two Captains clashed, the Blackguard gripping her massive greatsword in a single hand, their weapons screeching against each other.  Evadne drew the shotgun from her belt, her voice cold, “Repent.”

Boom.  Smoke filled the air as Yasha disengaged, the shot peppering the rubble behind her as sparks illuminated the dark hangar.  She kept cool, shrugging off the pain as smoke from the magical barrage rose from the scuffs in her armor.  Keeping her eyes locked on Evadne she ordered her allies, “Focus on the creepy one.”

Kaede’s voice echoed throughout the large room, “Lanes?!  He’s gone!  There was another and they’re both gone!”

The creepy one, Spica, spun around with her greatsword as it came in an arc from above, “It’s time to play… here I come snakey~”.  She cooed, her voice playful but laced with a twisted excitement.

Helene met the sword with her shield, using the great muscles in her tail to dampen the blow.  She seemed unamused at Spica’s taunting as she exerted her internal magic throughout her entire body, wisps of energy flowing off of her like licks of flame.  “I’ll take you on then,” she confirmed, her training showing through.  There was no time to panic about Lanes.

Spica continued the assault on Helene, her eyes gleaming in manic excitement, “Hey… hey… when are you going to bleed for me?  I want to see it.  Snake blood is red too, right?” a smile curled on her lips as she taunted, her voice eager.

Without any care for her own safety, Spica continued into a frenzied onslaught, swinging her greatsword in a two-handed flurry.  The sheer force of the attacks were reckless, but continued in growing intensity. She spun around with her sword like a top, feinting an attack on Helene before turning around to swing her greatsword at Kaede. Kaede brought up her axe and supported the blade of the weapon with her hand as the surprise attack slammed into her, sending her flying across the room. She landed on her feet, but continued sliding with a tumble, using the weapon in her hand to slow down the movement.

Helene continued to guard and reposition, slowly losing ground as Spica continued to crack her shell.

But unfortunately for the Berserker, Helene was the sturdiest among them.  Sparks of light filled the dim room as the two danced, heavy blows being redirected by the Lamia with precision.

Spica spun around with a heavy slash from above, striking the ground as Helene slid backwards. 

The Lamia focused, drawing all of her energy into her spear hand, “I got you… now!”  she moved forward to punish the missed strike, her spear glowing with the heavy infusion of mana.  The spear rang out in a reverberating hum. 

Swoosh.  Crack.  The spear missed as Spica hopped up into the air.  Helene’s weapon embedded itself into the ground as the floor began to shatter in a spiderweb of cracks, the energy sending rubble in every direction.  The blue glow faded from the spear as Helene attempted to catch her breath.

Spica’s grin widened as she looked down on Helene from above, “With your magic draining from you… I can hear your heartbeat more clearly.  I really like it…Can you show me what your heart looks like?”  she sighed, her voice dripping with an almost sexual excitement. 

As Spica moved in to deliver the counterattack on Helene, Kaede caught up to her.  “Don’t even think you can go loose on her without anyone stopping you!”  She snapped out of her worry for Lanes and swung her axe wildly to catch the Berserker mid air.

Spica smiled at Kaede as the attack closed in on her, pulling her arm back and punching Kaede’s axe on its broadside in a makeshift defense.  The sheer force behind the axe shook the very air around it, her arm erupting into streaks of blood that sprayed into the air.  Spica smiled at Kaede, “Just wait your turn…You’ll be mine next ok?”  Her arm hung limp at her side.

Yasha continued to run, as the beautiful multicolored missiles of arcane energy showered the area around her.  The Catfolk mage at the backline with her suppression art was much more formidable than she had initially anticipated.  She knew she had used a lot of her precious stamina on evading both Meifyn’s blasts and Evadne’s assault and hadn’t made a single foot of ground towards the backline.  In fact, she knew she was being pushed backwards.  A time for a change of plans.  The Captain called out to her Lieutenant, “Helene.  Anti archer formation A”. 

Without needing to confirm, Helene dropped her spear to the ground and pulled a glass flask from her belt.  She swirled it a bit, a cloudy mist forming, before throwing it to the ground in a cloud of fog with a violent hiss.

Yasha spun her spear, ducking a slash from Evadne and while tipping the shotgun straight up with her polearm.  The shot rang out in a cloud of smoke as Yasha ran towards her allies—the magical barrage following after her.  She leapt over a blast that kicked up the rubble beneath her as she landed and slid into Helene’s smoke.

Evadne yelled out as she looked around herself frantically, “You’d run away from me Yasha?!  Coward!”

Yasha taunted, “I’m right here!  Come get me if you can.”

Meifyn squinted, lowering her swords as Evadne pressed on into the smoke.  “I can’t see!”  the dual wielder looked around frantically for targets, her vision obscured by the fog.

Helene raised up her main hand to hold her shield, now spearless, as Spica continued her reckless onslaught one-handed.  The lamia’s arms began to weaken, every fiber in her muscles shaking as the acid continued to build up.  

Moving in to assist, Kaede slid her axe back—grinding it against the stone floor as she slashed in a predicting arc.  The Berserker stepped into the strike in a reckless rage, Kaede’s blow hitting shallowly in a spray of blood.  Kaede stumbled forward in surprise turning back towards Helene, “Oh shit!  Watch out!”.  Spica got away from her, barreling down on Helene.

Ching. Woosh. Thud.  Spica finally peeled back the Lamia’s defenses, Helene’s shield flying up into the air and spinning like a coin until it finally rested on the ground.  The blackguard raised her blade up, forcing an attack with both hands, “Goodbye snakey!”  the greatsword came down upon her.

Through the smoke, Yasha saw Helene raise her arms into the air, fully prepared to sacrifice both of her arms to avoid a lethal blow.  Thud.  Yasha felt her spear pierce through Spica’s light armor, hitting the familiar feeling of flesh.  She twisted the blade and kicked the Berserker away.

Yasha turned to Helene, “You did good holding up until now.”

Helene smiled at Yasha, “I’m a bit tired, though.”

The gratitude on both sides was evident to the two of them—it was all they really needed to say.

Spica fell to her knees with a smile, “Ahh… Captain… the snake girl was really tough!  Ahahaha…”  she passed out, blood spilling onto the cold stone ground.

Evadne’s mouth wrinkled into a frown, her eyes narrowing, “Spica…  y-you bastards!”

The smoke began to clear and Meifyn saw her Captain flanked by the enemy.  She screamed out, “Master!  Spica!” her voice shifted to dread as she saw her comrade laying on the ground.

Yasha and Kaede circled Evadne, while Helene picked up her weapons.  Yasha knew they had the upper hand until she heard a voice.

“Hey Captain, I won…”  Crest’s feline ears twitched as he appeared far behind them, dragging Lanes along by the collar.  He grinned mischievously, “Oh damn…”

Evadne kept her focus at the two that circled, her voice steady, “Spica’s down Crest.  We need your help.  Their frontliner is a bit too sturdy.  You can handle her right?”

Crest spun his dagger in his hand, in a cheshire grin.  “Yeah Captain, I can kill them… but I can’t use that technique anymore… I’m all spent out.  But I’ve still got my daggers and my rifle,” he said, casually twirling the blade between his fingers.  “But I have an idea…”

His tail lazily swished back and forth as he turned towards the Royal Guards. “Ah… so guys.  I’ve like… got your friend right here,” he mocked as he held Lanes up by his collar.  “I’m gonna kill him.  So like… just hand over the Armatae okay?  Basically… fuck off or I’ll slit this man’s throat.”

Crest’s eyes met Yasha’s, “Oh… and don’t you even think of those Oni magnetic force tricks… I’m a real fast cat.  Meow.”

“I’m not giving away the future of our kingdom to save the life of a single soldier,” Yasha stated without hesitation, tapping the floor with her spear and pointing the tip of it towards Spica’s throat.  “You realize we can finish off one of yours as well right?”

Crest twirled his dagger thoughtfully, glancing over the injured Spica with pity before letting out a small chuckle.  “Man… you drive a hard bargain…” he mused, flicking his tail as he tossed the blade into the air and caught it.  

“Alright, you know what?  I kinda like Spica—she really vibes with me and all that—how about we make a deal?  I’ll let you keep this idiot,” he said, jerking his head towards Lanes, “and you give us Spica back.  Then we go one-for-one with the Armatae.  Sounds real fair right?”

His grin widened, clearly amused by his own offer.  “Actually if it was Meifyn instead, I’d have told you to go fuck yourself!”  Crest burst into laughter, the trilling sound echoing throughout the chamber.

Meifyn’s shoulders dropped, rolling her eyes in clear exasperation.

Yasha ran her spear tip along Spica’s cheek, “I’m willing to trade one for one with the injured.  But you’re not getting a single Armatae.”  She continued without a shred of hesitation, “Also only because I kinda like Spica, of course,” she gave a slight smile.

Kaede turned to Yasha, her face in shock, “W…what’s that supposed to mean, Yasha?”

Helene rolled her eyes, “We need to work on your taste in women, Captain.”

Yasha sighed at the pair, “It was a joke!”

Crest burst out into laughter, shaking his head in disbelief.  “Man, are you crazy Yasha?  You Madeline folk sure are wild.”  He continued to spin his dagger lazily, a disgusting smirk on his face.  “Look, I’m super energized, full of mana… and my stamina?  Topped off.  Meanwhile, you guys?  You gotta be tired after fighting Spica of all people…I know how she rolls…”

He tilted his head, eyes sparkling with amusement.  “My deal is like…super a bargain, isn’t it?  I was already being like…so nice.  So…why don’t you stop being such a shithead and take it instead of wasting my time!”

Lanes’ eyes opened barely, coughing up blood as he groaned, “You talk too damn much… can’t even die in peace…” 

He looked up at his Captain with grim determination, “Captain…I still owe you an Armatae from before…you guys got this…right?”

Yasha’s eyes met with Lanes, understanding between them, “Of course.  We won’t lose.”

Lanes let out a breath of relief, “Good…tell my mom to write me a good one…tell her I’m sorry.”

Yasha nodded, “You have my word.”

Lanes opened his mouth wide, turning his head with the last of his energy, biting into Crest’s hand.

Crest’s tail shot up in pain as he dropped his dagger, “You piece of shit!”

Lanes held on as long as he could as Crest continued to beat him over the head, over and over with one hand.  His jaw gave out and he fell to the ground.  Shakily, his arm reached for Crest’s knife, wrapping his fingers around it.  However his legs would simply not move.

Crest glared down at Lanes, “What do you think you could possibly do in this state?”

Lanes raised his head up from the ground, straining every muscle in his neck, “Protect Madeline…Protect them all.”  He firmly planted the pommel of the dagger on the ground before falling on top of it, the blade piercing into his neck.

Crest glanced at Lanes for a long moment, his expression shifting from bewilderment… and then to frustration.  In confusion he broke into uncontrollable laughter, “You can’t be serious, man.  Holy shit…by Yggdrasil…no way!”  he cackled as he picked up the dagger, blood dripping from his hands.  “Yo Captain, do you see this shit?  He really did that! What a riot!”

Evadne, however, didn't seem amused.  Her voice was sharp, "Yeah...and now Spica's in trouble.  We have the edge on stamina.  If we spread out and fight defensively, we'll wear them down.  Stay far away, Crest—use your sniping rifle."

Crest sighed dramatically, rubbing the back of his head, "But I love stabbing tired targets..."

Meifyn, clearly unamused by Crest's psychopathy, responded with exasperation.  "You idiot, listen to Master.  They're all melee fighters.  They want us in close.  Stop being stupid."

Crest groaned as he stood up, slinging his rifle over his shoulder, "Ah, shit...why couldn't they have killed you Meifyn?  You're such a bitch."

Meifyn snapped back at him instantly, "Fuck you, Crest."

Yasha closed her eyes as they bickered, heat building throughout every fiber of her body as she took a deep breath.  There was no time to mourn, this was a battle of life and death.  Being shaken would not bring Lanes back...and rather than think back on that loss her mind was flooded with thoughts of Cherry, Helene, Fontina and Kaede.  She swallowed her emotions, burying them deep in her Soul Core as she stepped past Spica.

The Berserker coughed up blood as Yasha walked past her, giving a faint smile.  Spica barely held on to consciousness, her eyes flickering with a wild gleam.  "Hey...heal me," she spoke with a rasp, her voice strained but playful.  "I'm okay now...I'll be good, I promise."  Her once twisted grin was now something almost pitiful, but that tinge of chaos still lay beneath the surface, even in her weakened state.

Yasha paused for only a moment, "I don't want to betray Lanes' sacrifice by bringing back an enemy.  Stay down and maybe we can talk after this fight is over."  The heat of mana flooded the Captain's legs from within as she burst forward with her spear in a flurry of strikes.  

Evadne backpedaled, a look of confusion on her face from the calm-headed assault that sprouted from the death of a comrade.  The two Captains exchanged a flurry of thrusts, shotgun blasts, and slashes that created a light show against the dimness of the room.

Kaede narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth, in a display of anger, "Lanes...Y-you bastard!"  She gripped her axe and dashed after Crest in a fury, her axe kicking up sparks as it ground against the rough stone floor.

Helene gathered her implements, the pain of both body and mind only slightly visible on her saddened eyes.  She quickly pulled herself together, summoning a second wind by force as she moved towards Meifyn—shield raised, "I won't let you interfere with Yasha."

Meifyn swung her swords to the side, "You're coming for me?  Because I'm ranged?  Assault Mode: Twin Sabers !!"  steam hissed from her swords as they twisted and locked in with a mechanical sound.

The Catfolk Mage's blades, one glowing orange and the other blue, pulsed with arcane energy.  "You're tired,"  Meifyn pitied the lamia, "You can't hold up anymore...can you?  I've still got plenty of stamina left, so...I'm sorry!"  With an arcane hum, her blades whirred to life, slashing at Helene with lethal intent.  As the sword met her shield, Meifyn tilted her blade and pressed a trigger attached to the sword.  Twist.  Click.

Helene's eyes opened wide, "A buster weapon artifice?!" 

A force like a cannon emitted from the sword with a deafening boom and the crackle of arcane energy, the magical fuel shell expelling into the air as Helene's shield flew out her hand from the force.

Meifyn already had her other weapon raised, "It's over!"  The slash came in swiftly.

Helene smiled softly in acceptance of what was to come as she opened her hand to allow her spear to fall to the ground.

Boom.  Crack.  A blue flash filled the room.  However it was not the sound of flesh and death, it was instead the sound of metal striking metal.

Meifyn grit her teeth as she jumped back, her sword rebounding backwards, "What the...?"

Before her was another woman, bathed in arcs of electricity.  Her teal eyes glowed brightly and her matching colored hair fluttered in the disturbances in the air, crackling.  The newcomer locked eyes with Meifyn, bringing her sword up with both hands and pointing it directly at her.

"Madeline Thunderstrike Division Commander, Rin Tatsugami.  I'm here to help."

EXTRAS

DM Message

Hi everyone, Cure here.  This chapter was late as a lot of our team members were incredibly busy the last few weeks.  Also this chapter is significantly shorter than the others as I’ve realized that previous ones were far too long. 

We’re reaching the halfway point of the first book and I’m going to be on vacation towards the end of the month.  I’m going to try to rewrite the earlier chapters with better POV writing. 

Also we’re a bit de-synced now from the main story.  The campaign is probably 4-5 chapters ahead now… and I’m not sure if we’ll ever catch up without the tabletop going on hiatus.

I guess we’ll just take it as we go… try to release on time but not stress too much if it takes more time.  Getting it done properly is probably more important!

Alright guys, thanks so much for reading.  See you next time!

-Cure