The Night We Will Always Remember

Akiko breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news that her parents were rescued.  Now all she had to do was find a way out and this rescue would go down as a resounding success.  As she slipped through the dungeon's ventilation, she found herself in the cistern system beneath the foundation. Not the most glamourous way to escape but the Empire's soldiers had been too thorough and had the conventional exits sealed tight. However, even the best fortress needed water and that eventually had to go somewhere. She communicated on her bracelet that she would meet them in the open well inside the courtyard. Now we just need to get past the magical protection and cast a portal to get us all home.

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The keep commander swore an epithet as reports came in. By now, they said that the prisoners were freed from the tower. He had already issued orders that the drawbridge remain closed but knew that might not be sufficient. Magic was involved, meaning he had to be prepared for increased mobility. He ordered mages up to the walls with spells to counter invisibility and illusions, something he should have done long ago. One way or another, they would not escape.

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Keiko, Masako and the Fujiwaras quietly made their way across the courtyard, sticking to the wall to avoid leaving tracks despite the cloak of invisibility. As they made their way to the front, the closed drawbridge loomed in front. Masako kept an eye out for enemy opposition while Keiko looked to the well in the middle of the courtyard for signs of movement that Akiko was crawling out and was finally rewarded. She was going to need a fresh casting of invisibility as her illusion disguise had long since worn off and she wasn't quite advanced enough a caster to accomplish that on her own.

Unbeknownst to them, eyes from the top level of the keep walls were scanning the grounds with magical detection as archers and mages readied their attacks. As Akiko emerged from the well, Kyoko and Isamu instinctively came forward as Masako's attention was focused on enemies. Akiko looked on in horror... No, damn it... stay back... you're too exposed...! She watched as her parents came up, step by step, the whole scene playing in slow motion with their faces expressing hope at seeing their daughter and the prospect of an imminent reunion. Behind them, Keiko's voice also cried out but went unheard. Her illusion spell was still working, but she also knew the Empire's mages would be ready for it by now. One could only use a trick a few times before an enemy got wise to it and they had played this card a few too many times. Behind them, Masako suddenly realized what was happening and reached out to grab them but too late.

Up on the castle walls, archers took aim, mages held their breaths and focused their energies as the moving targets below drew closer by the second. Although they had magical detection to defeat the illusions and invisibility, it was still night and with no illumination, all they could see were targets against the darkened courtyard grounds. But one was crawling out of the well and nearly stationary and the other two were just about on top of the first... easy shots once they were all together. All three would die together, per orders of the Empire. The commander nodded... "Loose...!"

The arrows and spells flew with lethal accuracy as Akiko could only watch as her parents both jerked and stiffened in a way she had grown all too familiar with these past few months. She had watched dozens of soldiers, enemy and allied go down during the game of revolution but had learned to compartmentalize her feelings until after the battles were over. This time however, all those barriers collapsed as both parents fell forward into her arms. They stared into each other's eyes for one last moment together... a lifetime of family memories... before a final farewell. Akiko collapsed to her knees, oblivious to the shouts around the courtyard and activity of soldiers ramping up and preparing for battle. Keiko was frozen in shock before Masako shook her back to awareness.

"Get her on her feet!" Masako ordered. "We've got seconds before they're all over us or this will all be for nothing!" She then prepared to jump, "When that drawbridge drops, get her across and cast the portal as soon as you're clear of the magical ward! I'll follow as soon as you're through!"

Keiko wiped the tears from her eyes, steadied herself and nodded, grabbing a sobbing, grief-stricken Akiko and dragging her back under partial cover of the wall. Up above on the castle wall's walkway, the guards noticed Masako and charged forward, engaging her with weapons and magic, only to be repelled by deadly force and magical attacks. Moving with speed and precision, Masako called upon a combination of skillful strikes, magical attacks and parries to work her way to the guardhouse protecting the drawbridge, slicing the restraining bolts open, causing the door to fall. She watched the two girls make their way across, attacking anyone on the wall who even glanced in their direction. Once they were clear, she made the leap across the moat into the night. She knew they weren't completely clear. Keiko needed to open that portal or the fort would send out pursuing parties and run them down and for all the power of her sword, even she couldn't keep this pace all night.

Keiko handed Akiko to Masako as she turned her attention to her magic, focusing all her attention on her portal. Last time, she could only hold it open long enough for one person; this time, she needed to keep it open for two or one of them would be left behind, and there had been enough tragedy this night. Like a complex equation, she thought... and she channeled her will to force the energy through like a torrent. Masako watched carefully as the magic coalesced into a dark-grey and purple disk which began to open up into a visible passage. "G-go... I'll be right behind you...!" Keiko gasped.

You better be, or I'll have to hunt you down, Masako silently thought, dragging Akiko through the gate. Behind her, she took one last look at the Spire as the sounds of the enemy could be heard. Despite her earlier attitude, she also felt the empty feeling inside her chest... the Empire definitely won this round... as she and Keiko managed to escape at the last seconds. Akiko-chan... please forgive us... we failed you...