Preparations for Battle

In the capital city citadel, activity continued as reports came in throughout the Empire. Some of the messages were from spies, but others came via magical scrying and the eyes of the very creatures that had been subverted to the Empire's service. Sorting the vast amount of noise and distilling the chatter down into useful information fell onto a dedicated group of scholars who served as the ministers of intelligence. Normally, their days were spent eavesdropping in on mundane conversations of the citizenry, listening for any signs of rebellious or disloyal behaviors. However, the past few weeks, a more urgent task had been set before them, with all available resources instructed to be on the lookout for one particular face.

"Still no sign of the Fujiwara girl," the minister reported. "Based on the fact that she hasn't been seen nor heard, our best guess would be she's either been spirited to one of the breakaway Baronies that are employing protections from scrying or has gone outside the borders of the Empire to some of the rival faction powers."

"If she was in the hands of the rival factions, half of them would either sell her back to us for a huge ransom while the other half would probably be trying to exploit her to try as political leverage," the head minister pondered, before deciding. "Focus our efforts on the wayward Baronies; since we can't scry them, have our spy networks focus there."

"At once!"

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Akiko and Keiko did their best to conceal their disgust as they and their escorts passed by a slave trade auction that they were scouting, in the small hope of seeing their friend. The group were in a larger town that was a half-day travel from Merwindolyn named Yartin. "And this is... normal in this world?" Akiko whispered to Kenji.

"Many of these people are debt slaves, usually going into tax debts so high, they can no longer afford to live an honest living. Others are political prisoners, sentenced for speaking out against the Empire; that's why we were cautious about saying anything while we were in the capital. The seers are particularly through there. Your friend is neither so we're not sure what they were going to do with her. Slavery would have been our first guess, but since it's been some time and the Empire hasn't still found you, it's possible they're holding onto her in the hopes of drawing you into a trap. If they are, then we can expect some kind of announcement of a major public execution with a specific date, likely announcing her among other important people, with the hope that you'll come, so they would capture you if you tried to rescue her."

"We're not just going to let them execute her, are we?" Keiko whispered sharply.

Kenji grimaced, as he wasn't quite sure how to answer. "We will make every effort to make sure that doesn't happen, but we need to be smart about it. If that is their plan and they want to draw you in, then they'll make a big announcement with at least several days in advance with the location publicly known, so you'll be drawn in. They wouldn't just kill her quietly in a cell. Based on that, we would need to come up with a coordinated plan based on that location to allow us to seize her and escape while keeping the ambush force that will almost-certainly be waiting for us distracted."

He then led the group into a small shop. "These two need some equipment. Twin swords and some light armor this one and some protective gear and focusing crystals for the other."

The old shopkeeper nodded as Kenji dropped some coins on the table. The shopkeeper looked the girls over with a gregarious manner, "So you're the one everyone's fussing about? Somehow, I thought you'd be taller," he added with a chuckle.

Taking both girls to the back, he measured both girls across the shoulders and torso before pulling down some gambeson tunics. "Start with these, see how they fit. They're light weight so you can wear them effectively anywhere and inconspicuous enough that you won't draw attention, but these have been lightly enchanted to blunt the impact of an attack by maybe half, unless it's enchanted. If you are going into a serious battle, you'll want something with a little more protection." He pulled down a hardened leather chest piece and strapped it onto Akiko.

"I-I don't know about this," Akiko said hesitantly as she struggled to move and pivot, "with all this on, I can barely move, much less fight."

"Hm... well, that could be a problem," the shopkeeper mused. "If you don't have proficiency to wear that kind of armor, then you may need to resort to more exotic protection, but that's something you'll have to discuss with the sergeant." He turned to Keiko, "These are some beginners focusing crystals. I assume whoever's teaching you has given you some basic formulas to focus through these?"

Keiko shrugged, "She's taught me some basic defense spells and a few simple illusion tricks, but any kind of offensive magic is still something I'm struggling with, so I'm afraid I'm kind of useless if a fight breaks out."

"No one becomes a master overnight," the shopkeeper assured, "and besides, battles are won on defense and deception just as much as brute force, sometimes even more."

"So, this is a world of magic," Akiko continued. "Are these swords magic?"

"They're sharper, faster and lighter than regular swords," the shopkeeper confirmed. "You'll want to practice your kata with these, so the balance doesn't throw you off."

The girls nodded and bowed as Kenji also thanked the shopkeeper, who nodded with acknowledgement, "Watch yourselves out there," he warned. "We've lately been seeing more unfamiliar faces around town this week, and rumors are coming out of the capital that some big project is being built that is going to change the balance of power."

Kenji blanched. "The capital already has the most powerful mages in the Empire. What else could he be building that could centralize even more power?"

"Not sure, but right now, you and your group needs to watch your back. I don't know if I quite buy all this talk about prophecy; maybe people just need something to believe in more than it being some kind of divine promise."

"She had Captain Fujiwara's spirit, of that I'm sure," Kenji swore. "The more I see her in the way she moves and fights, the more I'm convinced that's true."

The shopkeeper sighed. "Then for all our sakes, I pray you're right."

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Kenji and his group of men escorted the girls to an inn for the night where they would set off to return to Merwindolyn in the morning. As they sat for their evening meal, Akiko got Kenji's attention. "Sergeant, you keep talking about your Captain as some great warrior, like he's some mythical figure, and how he was your friend. OK, he was a great fighter. But, well... what kind of person was he? What makes him the kind of person that would make him so dangerous to the Emperor? Like I said before, one good fighter wouldn't bring down an empire."

Kenji sighed. "You're right, it takes more than brute strength. Akira Fujiwara though, he joined the Empire decades earlier. There was a time not long ago when things weren't so bad back then. The government was stern, but fair. He very quickly became one of the most inspirational officers. His personal heroics were too many to list, and his units became among the vanguard to defend the Empire. But sadly, not everything lasts." Kenji paused as their food arrived, and he quaffed his ale. "Corruption and rot had begun to seep within the halls of power. Those who served on the front line... perhaps we were too far away to see it... maybe some of us just didn't want to believe it." He shook his head and sighed with remorse. "I still remember the night Akira had returned from a particularly bloody and difficult mission where so many of his men had fell in battle, and I had never seen the man so defeated and burned out. He told me he feared for his life, and that... there would come a day that he and all those who didn't serve the new corrupt masters may soon be hunted down. He confided to me that he was resigning his commission... that he had it all planned, with a farm far away and just disappear to live a quiet peaceful life." Kenji sighed and shook his head again. "How ironic... if the Empire had just let the man retire, they may very well have defeated the very prophecy they now fear..." He then looked at Akiko with a look of realization. "I suppose... you should know... when we get back to camp, there's someone you should meet, so you know what's truly at stake from a personal level."

Unbeknownst to them, one of the patrons left as soon as their meal arrived. Turning the corner into a private alley, he pulled out a crystal and began to chant as an eerie glow began to emanate towards the sky.