Kitsune of the Blue Sun
Chapter 88- Fort Battle

Chapter 88- Fort Battle

[Sigurd POV]

After a few months of planning and preparing, my squad and two others made our way to the border forts.  There, we stayed for a few days for reconnaissance before it was time to take them.  It seems that the patrols had become lax since the time the commander was in charge as they were few and far between.  Once we were sure of the timing, the teams that would storm the other two forts separated from us and, as soon as night fell, we attacked.

Our earth magic users used spells and knocked the wooden gates off their hinges, and we rushed inside.  The reaction time of the soldiers inside the fort was quick, though not fast enough for any respectable standard knights should be held to.  Taking advantage of this, we started pushing further in.

“Team One, go and take the stables!  Make sure not to kill any of the horses if possible!  Team Two, secure the walls!  Team Three, we storm the main keep!” (Sigurd)

The teams split and headed to their respective capture points.

“Sigurd, enemies approaching from the east!” (Emma)

The vanguards of our team moved to defend from the east and almost instantly clashed with the ones defending the fort.  While the knights we clashed with were slow in their response to being attacked, they were still elites.  They completely stopped our advance.

“Leader, they’re coming from the west!”

“Mages!” (Sigurd)

At my command, our mages set to work setting up an improvised wall that would stop the western enemies from advancing from our flank enough for us to deal with the ones from the east.  As they were doing this, I jumped into the fray.

Summoning my Soul Weapon, I swung it at the nearest enemy.  He raised his shield to block my sword, but it being just a normal shield, my sword cut through it like paper, bisecting the soldier behind it along with the shield.  Just as another enemy took the place of the one I killed, an arrow sprouted from his neck.  While I would have liked to celebrate that, it wasn’t all good things as arrows also rained down on us from another wall.  We got stuck in place fighting while being attacked from two, nearly three sides as time passed.  A while later after the suns rose into the sky, something started to change.  Emma and I were fighting back-to-back as our comrades’ traded blows from two sides, the walls of earth magic long gone, when we both felt the temperature start to rise.

“Emma.” (Sigurd)

“This familiar feeling…” (Emma)

Though it could have been a mistake, I trusted my gut readied my sword once more.  I cut down three opponents in front of me and moved forward.  Seeing this, my comrades’ morale was boosted, and we started to gain ground.  Finally, we pushed past the enemies, and we found ourselves in the courtyard before the main keep’s doors.

“Regroup on me!” (Sigurd)

My allies grouped up around me and we faced the doors we just pushed through.  The enemy soldiers chasing after us rushed through the doors when, from on top of the walls, something fell between us and them.

“It seems you need some help, Sigurd.” (???)

When the dust settled, an unfamiliar kitsune woman stood between my group and the fort soldiers.  The heat coming from the woman was intense enough to make the air around her waver.  She stood tall with her long, silver hair tied up in a long ponytail that still reached just past her knees.  Her silver colored twin tails waving slowly, making the cerulean tips of her tails move like flames along with the end of her hair and ears.  Wrapped around her arms were black chains that connected to the pommels of two swords in her hands, their black blades glinting in the light of the flames that coated their edges.  She turned her head back at us, looking over her shoulder.  When I saw her eyes, I instinctively took a step back.  Her iris was a glowing cerulean with the slit pupil in the center making it feel like she was staring right into my soul.  This effect was compounded by the sclera that were a darker black than a moonless night.

“Young miss.” (Emma)

“Oh?  You’re here too, Emma?  Well then, I guess I have to put in more work if I want this reunion to go well.” (???)

The woman turned her attention back at the soldiers that continued to pour in through the doors to the courtyard.  She dropped the swords from her hands and took hold of the chains connected to them and then started to swing them around.  The faster the swords were swung, the brighter the flames on the blades became until the swords and chains were glowing an intense blue.  When she swung one of them, people, the doors, and even some of the wall was cut like a hot knife through butter.  She didn’t stop there either as she stepped forward a step and swung the other sword, making another cut.  This shortly turned into an spinning dance of fire and death as the woman cut through the enemies we had a hard time fighting against.

“She really is going all out from the start, huh.” (???)

“Well, if what she said is true, there are a lot of repressed feelings that are coming to the forefront.  Will you please follow after her and make sure she doesn’t end up in a bad situation?” (???)

“Yeah…Hey, knight guy, we’re here to help.  Any of your injured step up now and she’ll heal them, but I’m warning you, any of you try anything and I’ll cut you down faster than you can see.” (???)

The newly appeared wolfgirl then ran through the burning door after the kitsune woman.  I turned to see the third new arrival to see a silver haired snow leopard woman smiling over to us, a sleepy look in her eyes, yet a welcoming warmth in her expression that made it feel like we could lay bare all our hurts and she would heal them.

“My name is Pram, a healer.  Like she said, any of you that are injured, step forward and I will heal you.  Those two can handle the rest, so recuperate while you can.” (Pram)

While there did not seem to be any lies in her words, I couldn’t relax just yet.

“While I would like to take you up on your words, Lady Pram, we must take this fort as soon as possible.  We cannot rest until that is achieved.” (Sigurd)

“While that is certainly something you probably needed to do, I don’t think it’s possible.  Okami burned her way through several of the buildings and walls on her way to get here, slaughtering any enemy in her path, so I don’t think there is much worth to capturing the rest of the fort.” (Pram)

“…” (Sigurd)

“Pfft.  That’s one way to take a fort, I guess.  Sigurd, should we send up the signal then?” (Emma)

I let out a big sight and took out the magic tool we were using for sending a signal.  I pointed it to the sky and pulled a trigger, sending up a ball of fire magic.  After a few seconds, a loud pop sounded out and a few minutes later, two more pops sounded from the other forts.  Hearing this, everyone relaxed, though the sounds of fighting continued to ring out from the two women who passed through here a moment earlier.

“Young Miss really grew up, huh, Sigurd.” (Emma)

“And it seems like she’s gotten stronger than we could have ever thought possible.” (Sigurd)

“Hehe.  Believe it or not, she’s still not going all out.  If she was, then this place would probably be a smoldering pile of ash, and she’s not using her magic either.” (Pram)

Emma and I looked at the snow leopard woman with astonishment.

“Wow.  You Falheim people really don’t know just how much stronger people outside are.  I really pity you.” (Pram)

She then turned her back to us as she continued to heal our injured comrades.

Chaos Realm:

Atmos: Ooooooo!  This is gonna be fun seeing this reunion!

Luna: Keeno really is just going crazy here too.  I mean, I understand her, but still.

Meh.  It’s just a pile of brick and wood.  It can always be rebuilt later.

Luna: …True.

Astraea: Ahahahahaha.  Things are going swoosh and shwing!

Order: Payto…

Don’t worry, she’s seeing a censored version than what we’re seeing.  I don’t want her to see all that just yet.

Order: Alright.

Luna: Out of curiosity, what is she seeing?

*snap*

Luna: …Hmm.  I’m not going to question how it looks like all these dead bodies look like they are just unconscious, but it’s very interesting.

Never underestimate parental magic.

Luna: …

Atmos: …That’s a thing?

Yep.  Exclusive to me and Order, but yep.

Atmos: Anyway, back to watching Keeno do things.