Queen's Gambit

They say a family reunion can sometimes get uncomfortable. Standing in the middle of a dungeon, surrounded by enemy soldiers, I'm pretty sure this one ranks as one of the most awkward ever recorded.

Akiko stood in the middle of the room as the door to the guard headquarters slammed closed behind her and guards came forward from concealed positions, surrounding her completely with weapons drawn. She looked to her parents then blinked as they vanished before her eyes, turning back to the warden.

"You didn't think it would have been that easy, did you?" the warden mocked. "Don't worry, your parents are safe... somewhere. We just didn't want to make it too easy. Once you've been properly disarmed and processed, you'll be allowed to see them. After all, it wouldn't be sufficient punishment if you didn't get the chance to watch them suffer for your crimes."

"Don't touch them!" Akiko snapped. "You got me, I'm the one who committed crimes against the Empire! My parents didn't do anything!"

"The Empire believes blood follows blood," the warden continued, "those who stand against the Empire also bring their families down with them." He gestured to the soldiers to Akiko's immediate flank. "Take her away!"

The guards grabbed, preparing to place her in manacled chains. However, much to their surprise, their hands passed through her as she quickly faded into nothingness. It took another second for the implications to process for the warden and everyone in the room before he shouted with outrage. "Lock down the dungeon floor! She can't be far! Sages, start casting scrying and detection spells at once! She thinks a cheap illusion can fool the Empire for long, she's going to find she's sorely mistaken!"

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Masako took note as the sounds of shouts and gongs rang out across the courtyard. She and Keiko were making their way across to the edge of the wall of the fortress to one of the barbicans under cover of invisibility.

"OK... they're on the move," Keiko whispered. She was using a magical charm that had been enchanted by linking it to a piece of jewelry given to Akiko by her parents as a form of association.

"Stay close," Masako whispered cautiously. The two of them had stayed invisible, waiting for what they knew would be an eruption of chaos once the plan went into motion. Everyone in the rebel group knew that it was only a matter of time before the Empire was going to set a trap for Akiko with her parents being the most obvious play. Making a direct attempt to save them would have been tantamount to running right into the Empire's arms, so Lady Amberbrooke taught Keiko a more advanced form of projected illusion along with a simulacrum spell to provide Akiko a way to act as her own bait without actually placing herself in a position to be captured. They knew there was a good chance the Fujiwaras themselves were bait, either illusions or disguised soldiers themselves just to draw her into an ambush, so to counter that, Akiko used a projected illusion to act as her stalking horse, giving her the leeway to conceal herself and sneak away. Despite that, she was still deep in the dungeons surrounded by guards on high alert. Even with magical help, making it out was far from certain.

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"Move!" the soldiers ordered, shoving Kyoko and Isamu Fujiwara into the new cage, slamming the locking door behind them. Word had been sent that the trap had been sprung, and the treacherous Akiko Fujiwara was in custody. Soon they would be receiving her, and the Empire's plan would be complete. The successful capture would surely mean everyone on duty would be rewarded with special commendations.

"Full alert!" a voice called out from the corridors below. "Prisoner is loose! Maintain full perimeter around decoy prisoners! Be on the lookout for primary target!"

The senior guard tensed up, deploying his men to surround the Fujiwaras, with eyes on both entrance points. He had ten men here and he was deep in the keep in the highest tower, literally as far away from the dungeons as possible. If Akiko Fujiwara was anywhere near the dungeons, then as long as his comrades could keep her pinned, there should be no real threat.

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Keiko and Masako stood outside the highest tower looking up under cover of invisibility. "Up there," Keiko whispered. "These guardhouses are one way up with only two entrances up top and you can bet the room is going to be packed with guards."

Masako looked above the guardhouse, "The battlement's empty... no one's expecting a siege right now, and there's a third entrance... the open window under the machicolations. They'll be focusing all their attention on the door, not the window."

Keiko blinked, "Were you planning to fly in? Because animal shapeshift wasn't one of the spells I had prepared."

"Something like that," Masako coyly replied. "I could use a distraction though... something to keep people from paying attention to the outside walls."

Keiko whispered into her bracelet. "We have your parents in sight in the northeast guardhouse but could use something to draw attention away from that location long enough to get them out."

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Akiko gritted her teeth at the message. She had managed to avoid detection up this point thanks in part to the sheer size and multiple levels of the Black Spire's dungeons and volume of prisoners. She didn't dare engage in combat; even if she managed to kill a lone sentry instantly, the body would have given her position away, closing the dragnet in tighter. However, now her friends needed more attention pulled away so they could accomplish the primary mission. It might also help her own escape.

She went through her options. In a lesser prison, she could probably have found a way out easily by incapacitating a patrol, then making it out the entrance. This prison however was too large and had far too many personnel. It did have the advantage of multiple ways due to that same size, but to create an opening, she realized she would have to do something drastic. Finding one of the empty cells, she scooped some hay together along with some broken abandoned furniture and took a torch to the pile. Hopefully it wouldn't burn too much given the stone architecture; she really didn't want to actually harm anyone, but the filthy fuel would soon cause a lot of smoke which should have the desired effect.

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"That's your cue," Keiko whispered, noting the shouts coming from the opposite side of the keep as guards were called from the center of the castle with shouts of additional help needed. She then gasped with astonishment as Masako jumped up ten meters and secured herself between two of the machicolations. Where the hell did she pick up these abilities...? She then stopped herself... what am I saying... I'm casting magic spells... and Akiko's turning into Musashi Miyamoto. Of course, Masako ended up getting something, she realized. This land's changed all three of us. I just hope we'll be able to adapt once we get back to Japan.

Masako hung onto the outside of the tower and looked inside. The guards were only paying scant attention to the Fujiwaras and had one of the tower doors open with two of their number looking down the corridor, monitoring for any news and updates of the developing situation throughout the rest of the keep.

Looking inside, she counted ten guards along with Akiko's parents. Her sword began to whisper excitement in anticipation for the thrill of combat. Soon, my sweet, she promised, as her thumb slid across the guard, cutting the koiguchi. Sliding silently into the room, she executed an iaijutsu on her first pair of unsuspecting targets, inflicting a crippling slash low to high before moving like a blur to the next. The spell of concealment had dropped. Keiko wasn't in the room and couldn't maintain a spell if she wasn't present, but it had done its job to get her into the room. The rest was up to her.

The guards in the next second were alerted, turning their attention to the shape that had appeared amidst their group, having two of their number dropping to the ground, but Masako was already on the move. The sword and her were in harmony, moving like a blur of precision. She didn't dare use her lethal wave strike because the Fujiwaras were here but working around the room, she didn't need to. Ironically, the cage in the middle of the room worked against them, preventing them from flanking her as she made her way around the cage, slicing them down like sowing wheat in a bloody but graceful display. Seconds later, the room was silent, aside from the gasps from the cage. "Keiko, we're clear."

A minute later after a climb up the narrow staircase, Keiko emerged from an invisibility spell, doing her best to hide her shock from the bodies around the cage... hey, some of them were alive this time... she morbidly noted. No surprise, the Fujiwaras were shocked.

"K-Keiko-chan... what...?" Kyoko gasped.

"We're here to rescue you!" Keiko quickly explained. "Akiko's with us, but we have to hurry!"

"Y-You killed these men...?" Isamu looked on with shock.

Masako shook her head. "They didn't leave us much choice," she added coldly. "Stay with Keiko... she'll protect you with her magic. I'll clear the way. We have to meet up with Akiko and get out of here!"