Drawn to Battle! The Ink Army Rises

They waited for the sun to reach its precipice, and the two warriors rushed down to the stronghold. Täter’s men were busy drinking until it was too late. Reinhardt and Leona crashed through the glass, both of them cutting down enemies until none were left standing.

Further in, that was hazy for Arata. But he remembered there being three chambers, the first being a sort of rundown bar for his minions and the second being an open space with no one around. Past that, it was Täter’s chambers, and the Princess waiting to be saved.

Reinhardt and Leona managed to make it to the Scourge, both of them battle scarred and barely able to swing their weapons. Täter made light work of them and the kingdom was lost.

The thought of that reality weighed hard on him as he looked at the base, like an ominous premonition that he refused to believe in. In this version of the tale, Franz was with them, that alone made Arata feel a little more calm.

“So, what’s the plan?” Franz asked as he covered his fists with an elastic fabric. Leona kept watch below, growling quietly as she saw them drinking and throwing stools around at each other.

Arata had been hard at work since he was woken a few hours ago… by a sudden flow of ice cold water sponsored by the cat woman herself. They had a stump of a log in their makeshift camp, and on it he had drawn out a map of the base to the best of his ability. He’d also fashioned little models of the three of them, the Princess and the Scourge. He quickly set them up in the positions they were in now, using his knowledge of the manga to place their targets, which Leona looked rather impressed with.

He moved his own and Leona’s models forward, to the entrance of the base and left Franz’s behind. “We aren’t going to beat these guys through brute strength, we need to use a good strategy. They will see us two and underestimate us, Täter will likely make his way out to fight as well.” He then moved the Franz piece behind the base. “They don’t know about you, Franz. So, whilst they are all trying to deal with Leona and I, you will make your way around, free the Princess and we will make our way back!”

Both Leona and Franz looked at each other, unsure if they had missed some information the other had heard. “Uh…” Leona uttered. “How is Franz supposed to get in the base from the back? Surely if he breaks his way in the thugs’ll hear it?” She asked, Arata looked smug. “There is…” Pause for impact… “A secret exit.”

As the Scourge had Reinhardt on the ropes, and Leona rushed in to save him, just for a moment, there was a pathway in the panel that intrigued Arata. There definitely wasn’t enough space for another room, therefore, it must have been another way in. His hand moved up, as if to push a pair of glasses up, glasses he wasn’t wearing.

“Yeah, that’s great and all but, what about after that? Franz gets the Princess back and then, what?” Leona interjected.

“We’ll still be keeping Täter and his forces busy. Franz, once you have Princess Plotgerät, signal us and we’ll all make our way back to Heimstadt. It’ll look like we just gave up to Mühelos, running away with our tails between our legs, when really, we’ll be getting her back home. Even if they catch up to us, the soldiers of Heimstadt will back us up, even Täter would struggle to beat all of them.” Arata explained obnoxiously as he posed like some genius.

“That’s assuming we don’t get destroyed by Mühelos while we wait.” Leona complained.

“Well…” Arata smiled, looking behind him at the odd drawings he had been working on since they arrived. “We’ll have a bit of help.”

*-*-*

Silence was their ally here. As the gang sang odd songs and beat each other up, they could sneak to their positions freely. Franz nodded as he made his descent, wrapping around the building as quiet as the wind.

One of the grunts was sent flying out the door by another member of Mühelos in a drunken stupor. He got back to his feet eventually and complained.

His attention was grabbed by the sound of a distant horn, his vision meeting the two warriors on the embankment, fear suddenly creeping up his back and licking the back of his neck. He rushed back in, screaming at the top of his lungs “They’re here! They’re here!”

Täter was at his desk working through some paperwork as he heard the horn, and a grunt rushed in to inform him of their visitors. His glance over to the Princess was one of pure ecstasy. “My, here comes the fury…”

They swarmed out of the doors like bees protecting the queen, it was a seemingly never ending stream of well built warriors wielding heavy weaponry, and cloaked thief looking guys and gals with knives. The moisture in Arata’s throat dried like a summer's day in the Sahara, nerves shook him to his core.

“You ready for this?” Leona asked. She was stood beside him, also looking down on the army facing them, waiting for the signal to begin their assault. She was a true warrior, not a single sign of fear on her. She gave him that little bit of courage he needed, and nodded with a smile. “Yeah… let’s get this started.”

The army of thugs released a warcry loud enough the Palace in Heimstadt could hear it, their approach mimicking the drums of war. Still the duo were still, Leona tensing her hand and Arata holding his G-Pen tightly.

They reached the halfway point, and Arata lifted his pen in the air, a strange aura emanating from it. “Arise…” He commanded.

“My Army!”

The wind changed at that moment. Grunts of Mühelos at the vanguard laughed as they approached, seeing a mere two opponents and eagerly awaiting the killing blow. A moment later, and a line of soldiers appeared like dust in the wind. That line ran forth to meet Mühelos, and another line, and another. From nothing, warriors of ink spawned from the ground and attacked. They were not of flesh and blood, no muscle or sinew to them. Nay, they were a stickman army!

The grunts looked at these opponents with nothing more than mockery. Seeing nothing more than slim bodies, weak and frail. The first one was cut down easily… but the next, its sword matched the Mühelos grunt’s blade with equal strength, pushing him back.

Leona’s bloodlust overflowed just watching the action, she was no longer fulfilled with being on the sidelines, rushing into the pack and unleashing her killer side.

One of the stickmen clashed sword to sword with a madman, equal in strength. Another grunt swung his axe and spilled the ink, but he too was swung upon by another stickman. Even when one of the grunts freed themselves of the onslaught, they’d be taken down by the roaming beast herself as she drifted through the carnage, picking off those she could.

Arata remained at the peak, watching the fight unfold, waiting for that signal from Franz.

As the fight had kicked off, Franz frantically searched for this secret entrance. Täter was ready, gearing up and in the first of the three rooms, about to step out and fight these intruders. But, it was almost as if a voice spoke to him and only him. Not one of power, but the whisper of a zephyr.

Finally, Franz found this hidden door, camouflaged by the foliage. It was meant for a retreat should the knights of the Palace rally a rescue but, it had clearly never been used. Quietly, he attempted to pull it open but it was stuck in place. A quick fire spell melted away the rust, and the door was open.

Before going into this new long corridor, reaching to his beloved, he took a moment to compose himself. His hand reached for a hip flask, it was one that Reinhardt (Arata) had given him before the battle began. “A secret weapon” he said, “A last resort”. He hoped the time he needed to use it would not come, and made his silent journey into the underbelly of Mühelos Manor.

Something felt off for Arata. They were losing a lot of stickmen but, they were keeping Täter’s men at bay, and Leona was taking down a lot on her own… “What is it?” He thought. “What is this feeling?”

A quick scan of the battlefield revealed the uneasy feeling there and then. “Where’s Täter?”

Franz rounded the corner, checking as he went. So far, so good. He could see a doorway at the end of the corridor. Yes, he was drawing near now. “Just a little longer, Princess” He whispered. “I’ll get you out.”

“Hoh? You will, eh?”

It was behind him, but he didn’t have the luxury of looking. Before he knew it he was smacked down to the ground. They allowed him to turn on his back, and see the terror that caught him.

The elite of Täter’s rat pack… and the man himself.

“Little mousey” He mocked. “You activated my trap card!”