Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero: 108: Interlude: Reiser

Unfortunately, I’m Not A Hero: 108: Interlude: Reiser

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Commissioned by Shaderic

Wordcount: 2500

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By his command, the skies burned once more as a fleet that would be the nightmare of the Empire was felled by my Lord’s command.

The arcane might of a Pharaoh, used to hold aloft a castle’s worth of stone to guard a fleet of ships high, was turned against that Pharaoh’s army. The terrible weapons my lord unleashed, amalgamations of undeath and mystical artifice, smashed into the highest of the earthen defenses, coated them in flaming substrate, and turned into shrapnel that fell upon the fleet. As the keening cries of the ghastly-winged pillars still rang in my ears, the thunderous echo of their dying breath resounded through the skies, and so a fleet fell to an inferno of unrepentant flame and stone.

My Lord Hachiman stood at the helm of the ship, and while all others watched in awe of his latest weapon’s designs, he took command.

“Bring us into range. Fire into it and make sure they don’t recover.” My lord saw a foe flailing and shocked and saw no other course, besides to ensure their complete destruction. The flying behemoth that he called his own, an artifact long lost and improved by a Dragon and an Archdemon, moved in accordance with desires to bare its side upon the enemy force. The magic coursing within it, the enchantments of the Empire, the power of Dragons and Demons, and the arcane sorcery of the Pharaohs, moved according to his will practically before the Kindred at the Helm bid it to move. “Fire.”

And, at his command, a broadside filled with power and might equal to the fortifications of an entire stronghold unleashed itself upon the fleet contending with their defenses turned against them. Bolts of arcane might, emboldened by Demonic corruption, surged towards the foe from three layers of ballistae from one of the ship’s sides. The purplish bolts, to the untrained eye, seemed to be fired with great accuracy… but to mine gaze they were moving towards their targets midflight as if guided by an unknown intellect wishing to do as my Lord bid.

In the previous battles, they struck in between formations to set boats alight and force the fleets to fall and burn upon the desert sands. But in this battle, they were aimed for the sake of destroying the enemy. The lances of corrupted light smashed through the lesser ships of war that the Pharaohs used for thousands of years and broke them apart, before exploding upon another time and time again. None of the enemy ships could withstand a direct strike and many were crippled by the explosion of the bolts alone.

The fleet would’ve been felled with more mercy, if they did not deign to present themselves as such a formidable foe. It felt as though their Pharaoh’s support, their goal to assault us with greater defenses and force, emboldened the ship to wreak more havoc upon them. And, so, the fleet was torn apart by flaming, arcing stone from above and bolts of explosive, demonic power rippling through ship after ship.

And, when the ballistae of that side ceased to speak and required power and rest, Hachiman gave another command.

“Turn the ship about. The other half should end this.” My Lord’s words carried across the ship to the ears of all upon the deck. His cold and calculated words made many Kindred flush… but not just with need. They looked upon him with awe and their presence weakened in his presence. They knew that he stood above them and beyond them and that they could never have him. “Everyone else… prepare to attack and receive our specialists.”

With his commands the ship turned to fire upon the enemy, while the entire deck surged into action.

As we worked and prepared ourselves, the sky burned and another fleet of myth and legend crashed onto the dessert, while his agents returned with the source of a living god’s power after his command. We all knew that we fought for a living legend, a man whose words killed gods and felled legends, and so excitement and urgency brewed itself into a heady mix of anticipation and excitement in the air.

By my Lord’s command, we took arms to strike down those who created a heavenly realm upon earth, and we felt no fear.

Because Hikigaya Hachiman was with us, led us, and would lead us victory.

That was known to all aboard the ship.

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The battlefield was unlike any other I witnessed.

Purple flames burned the wreckages of flying ships torn apart by direct hits. Chunks of immense stone rocks jutted out of the sands sloughing and molten due to magically-enhanced, bright-orange flames. The golden sands of the desert melted in the heat and stepping upon it felt like crushing glass underfoot. Charred corpses were in every direction, while some lucky soldiery tried to fight with the might of a Kindred empire though untouchable.

They were valiant soldiers who gathered to healers, picked up their weapons, and rallied behind the champions. Many even tried to scavenge the ballistae of their ruined ships and take aim upon my Lord’s ship and his forces… but acts of valiant defense and glorious actions only succeeded in legend.

In the here in now, the remains of the foe faced the truth of war as shaped by my Lord.

Wyverns and Harpies worked together in the skies.

The cousins of Dragons were not as powerful as their cousins, unable to call upon powerful magics and breathe draconic flames, but their hides were strong and their strength undeniable. Now they were emboldened by many long, barbed spears that they used to pierce and bring their foes high into the sky, as well as artifacts that increased their strength, and armor that protected their bodies. Even members of great power of the Apophis’s court died as they were plucked into the sky by “squadrons” of the wyverns to be torn apart by claws, fangs, and shorter blades.

The Harpies, thought of as lesser Kindred even amongst their own kind, were armed with small bombs, fearsome satchels, and their talons were strengthened with enchanted steel blades. They used their smaller size and speed to great effect, by dropping bombs upon their foes, and either fanning the flames with their wind mages or sweeping in with their empowered talons to spill blood upon upon the desert sands.

They alone could’ve ended the lives all warriors who crashed onto the sands, but they were not alone.

Beside them stood Hachiman’s Amazons and Kunoichi.

The Amazons had descended shortly after the Wyverns and Harpies descended and nary had their feet touched the ground did they begin their slaughter. They wielded great and powerful weapons forged by the finest Dwarven smiths of Ylstu and so carved through all foes with ease. Their training in the arts of the warrior granted them greater resistance to damage, immense strength, and the ability to ignore pain atop their already powerful, natural attributes. They hunted down all users of magic who survived, tearing through their defenses with their weapons, and leaving behind chunks of foes in their wake.

The Kunoichi followed in their wake at first, but soon worked alongside them. They slunk in the shadows of the inferno. Many enterprising Apophis warrior seeking to wage a battle hidden in the wreckage died before loosing an arrow or launching an ambush. They used their agility and stealth to guide our forces towards concentrations of the enemy, which often was destabilized and searching for them, only to be confronted by larger numbers of heavily-armed individuals. They used a myriad of weapons and poisons to great effect, killed when the opportunity arose, and guided others to the enemy.

Then, above them all was my Lord in his ship, which rained fire upon any foe that showed any modicum of resistance to our forces. Like a vulture floating above the battlefield, his ship circled and preyed upon any foe that presented itself, and with incredible accuracy and might rained deadly power at the slightest provocation.

The heavens were his throne to smite his foes, the skies were controlled by the Wyverns and Harpies, and the land taken by his Amazons and Kunoichi.

Thus, I strode into battle not just alongside A’Bel, but with Ur and Sayuri as well.

An Archdemon, a warrior with immense resistance to all magics, and an undead master of the sword who overcame death time and time again.

We sought out our target and everything else in our wake died by his command to ensure no one would come to Ylstu in search of her.

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We found the Apophis, the Pharaoh Miriam, alone before the wreckage of her ruined flagship. The large ship had been made of carved stone, covered in limestone, and carried six ballistae. Its size allowed it to carry many troops as well, so it would serve as a grand tool to bring low the tribes beyond the lands of the Pharaoh’s desert. The formidable beast would’ve been feared by all other fleets of the surrounding land, but against my Lord it was naught but another wreckage made by the volleys of his ship.

The Apophis had her back to us, her great tail was covered in large segments of armor, and womanly form was clad gilded, metal plates. In one hand she held a long spear and in the other a kite shield, while a visored helm covered her face. She looked to me like one of the Demon Lord’s Royal Guard… or perhaps one of the Empire’s Knights.

Her attempt to deceive my Lord came to the forefront of my mind, and some anger arose within me, as she displayed herself garbed in foreign arms and armor. I was now sure that Hachiman’s concerns of her attempting to deceive him were true… but that mattered not.  Here and now, my purpose on the battlefield, was to capture her alive and bring her back to terrify the rest of her kin for Hachiman’s plans.

So, upon sighting her, I drew my sword and walked forward, as did Ur, A’Bel, and Sayuri.

As I wondered if the Apophis would speak, she moved and lashed out at us with a cry of rage, fury, and desperation.

Alone, I would’ve been incapable of receiving the speeding lance surging towards me. Its long body was covered in whirling magic, meant to penetrate the tough hide of greater Kindred, and behind that magic was a massive Kindred with incredible physical strength. Had I been alone, my strength and armor wouldn’t have been enough, but with my companions… it was no threat to me.

Ur’s great blade collided with the lance and skimmed off its side, and in its wake the terrible magic that engulfed it sputtered and died with a screeching scream, leaving it only a speeding mass of empowered artifice. That speed and strength was crippled as Sayuri brought up her blade, straight from its scabbard in a flash, and struck the lance by its underside to divert its course upward with the sound of scratching, keening steel against steel. The terrible blow aimed at me was not only nullified, but parried, and thus I was given an opening to strike instead of having to defend myself or dodge.

I charged into it without a care, while calling upon all my strength.

The armor Hachiman granted me use had none of the defenses I enjoyed, but he was true to his word about it having all that I would need to give me strength. Glassed sand broke upon my footfalls, before turning into sprays as I threw myself off the desert surface towards my foe. Winds surged around my form, as strength filled my entire body and granted me the durability to withstand power greater than my body could hold in its own. Without the extra weight of enchanted plate and chainmail, I was even faster than I had ever been before, and I could see better without the helm that used to narrow my vision.

So, even the living god was scarcely able to bring forth her weighty kite-shield against my blade… but even that meant nothing.

Through her helm’s visor, her eyes widened, as she felt her shield get punctured by the blade that I wielded. The blades of the Empire’s nobility were treasured weapons, handed down family lineages, and empowered by each generation. Reforged from iron into steel, before being utterly remade with materials such as mithril, they were studiously and devotedly granted increased power by every successive generation of an entire noble line until they became weapons that even Demon Lords would know to fear.

My lineage would’ve never permitted me to wield one of the Empire’s fangs, but Hachiman had granted me the honor without hesitation, despite all that I did.  If I had not sworn myself wholly to his cause before that moment, I would have then and there, even if he hadn’t saved me from pursuing a life of injustice and hatred. It was a weapon of legend that he seized rightfully, whose name he stripped from history, and made his through conquest… and I would wield it without even the thought of failure.

Thus, I cleaved through the living god’s shield from top to bottom, and severed her wrist and hand from her arm, before kicking off of her, sending her flying into the wreckage of her ship, as I returned to my comrades to evade attack.

Ur gave me a nod of respect at my actions, but I paid her no heed.

I will not fail him.

Sayuri raised her sword for me for my skill and courage, but I gave her no nod in return.

Never again will I fail him.

A’Bel’s smile and gaze bore into my back, but I paid her no heed.

Laden with sin as I was, my Lord still granted me greater honor than I would’ve ever received from the Empire.

Hikigaya Hachiman was the only one who I wished anything from.

With that in mind, I went to bring the Apophis low, break her, and bring her shackled to my lord.