Love is a Weapon

“Well - I should probably know what these do in advance of the coming War of the Realm. After all, that last pink card will no doubt be useful….”

Kimi said to herself, having gone back to her throne room once she’d been reassured that she could in fact, take on the role of the character she’d in a sense, incarnated as, Sakura the Slayer Queen. As she went through the small deck of enchanted Sorcerers and Slayers cards - having carefully put aside the ivory box with ruby inlay beforehand, she couldn’t help but notice the names and descriptions of a few: 

Winter’s Wrath - Effect: Allows the Slayer Queen to call forth a storm of relentless snow and a deluge of sharpened spikes and shards of ice temporarily.

Ice Road - Effect: Allows the Slayer Queen to freeze any part of the ground temporarily.

Heart of Forge and Flame - Effect: Allows the Slayer Queen both temporary immunity from flame damage, and increased speed when forging weapons.

Love Amid the Onslaught - Effect: With the consent of the other ruler - allows for the temporary union of the fortifications of two separate fiefdoms.

Kimi couldn’t believe it, as she smiled with delight and then blushed with gratitude. Not only would the first three cards be incredibly useful during the opening battles of the fast approaching War of the Realm, but the fourth card would allow the fortified walls and keep in Kana’s fiefdom to actually be used to temporarily merge with Kimi’s and thus maximize their chances of success in battle! As Kimi looked over the cards, she couldn't help but pause once her momentary lapse of excitement had drifted away - thinking about how these Sorcerers and Slayers cards were something that she had been excited about. And yet, now she was there, in this other world that she thought was fictional - but which was most definitely real. And yet, Kimi knew that she didn't have a choice except to proceed forward.

Kimi then proceeded to pace in the throne room, considering what her and Kana had agreed to. Most likely, she’d have to face the Slayer King ruling in stewardship over the fiefdom of the volcanic and ashen sand beachhead in thus territory, due to his limited capabilities otherwise, partly from him being incarnated in a sense, into a character of his design who was also pat of the Slayer class. As Kimi considered this fact while she paced, she knew that it would probably be best to make as quick and as devastating attack as she could on him thus, as she knew that she needed to minimize her own casualties before the battle against the Sorcerer King in the fiefdom of the blackened mire of ruins and darkness. 

As Kimi put the four cards that she’d taken out back with the others, and all of the cards back in the ivory box with ruby inlay - she considered the fact that she’d have to tell Kama this revelation, though that it would be best to keep the cards secured in her throne room. As Kimi made her way down the grand staircase of the middle tower gate her throne room was, she saw that more of this’d who had been transported there as Common Folk were working ever more diligently forging and storing new swords - and more of them were mailing the walls - with some even digging ditches surrounding the walls of the fortress as a preparatory defensive measure. 

As Kimi passed out of the main doors of the fortress and armory, they bowed to her, and in response - her to them - though not without blushing with a tinge of embarrassment. Even with a newfound sense of bravery, and a newfound sense of obligation and leadership, she couldn't bring herself to fully rid herself of the feeling a combination of embarrassment, gratitude, affection, and even fear. She wondered what they had been doing prior to being transported to this other world, and where in Japan they were from? Kimi took a breath as she sighed, silently telling herself that she had to use these feelings as motivation to make sure that in the end, all of their memories would be restored when she hopefully had the power to do so. 

In the ruins of what seemed to be a shrine that was designed in the style of thus seen between the Heian and Edo Periods - there Riku sat on his tall, wide, intimidating throne made of bones, while a grimoire floated before him with a number of Sorcerers and Slayers cards also floating, but in front of the grimoire, yet all of them had an aura of black and purple, dark energy around them. These cards had the following names and descriptions: 

Consumed in the Darkness of the Mire - Effect: Allows for Common Folk under the Sorcerer King to be turned into mindless servants of darkness and attack without abandon.

Miasma of Misery - Effect: Creates a corrosive, miasmic fog around the battlefield that only those belonging to the darkness are immune to.

Spawn of the Darkness with the Power of the Vile - Effect: Allows the Sorcerer King to be gradually corrupted to the point of blind wrath steeped in pure evil - with an evolving form that activates  when a certain amount of damage is taken by the Sorcerer King.

Riku smiled to himself as the grimoire which held the cards, was closed by him with the cards safely between its pages once more. Riku felt a surge of power course through him as he held the grimoire, loving the power of the evil that it gave him as he smiled at it. Sota's reading of him wasn't incorrect in the least. 

“There shall we be way that I don’t prevail - with the powers of the darkness - I shall win and I shall rule!”

Riku announced as he stood up from his throne in a feeling of evil triumph. He truly didn’t know the weakness that his malicious hubris really was! And yet, he didn't really care either - all he wanted was power, and it was only power that would suffice. Riku then looked out on the fiefdom that he ruled over in stewardship, gazing upon the many Common Folk dressed in their tightly and skinny, stitched together rags, grumbling, whispering, and mulling about, and yet none of them made eye contact with Riku. He didn't mind in the least however, simply watching over those that he saw themselves as better than. As he watched, heavy rains began to fall and it eerily complimented the atmosphere of this part of the realm, and yet no one there seemed to be surprised by or mind the rain. 

All the while, the Common Folk of the fiefdom that Riku ruled over in stewardship continued to mull about in their tight fitting rag and patchwork outfits, many with their faces half-covered, begging, weeping, or stealing from each other. Sharp breezes passed through the rain, rustling the rotting bamboo as if echoing Riku’s malevolent arrogance - all the while Sota floated above it all, watching and listening with a keen look. Sota had made his sentiments known about Riku, and it was proving absolutely correct - the chaos and evil amid a land of rot, muck, and decay that Riku thrived on and ruled in stewardship over, was all that he knew at an intrinsic level. 

It wasn’t long before Kimi had made her way back to the fiefdom that Kana ruled over in stewardship, and to her surprise, it was not Haruto that greeted her - but Kana herself, who was standing outside of the main doors in the center of the fortified wall! Kimi couldn't believe it, it was another one of those moments where she felt a moment of levity, a moment of comfort amid the seemingly endless hours of fear for the coming conflict, and the longing to make it back home to the other world, back to Japan.

“KANA! I’M SO GLAD TO SEE YOU! I - “

Kimi said as he smiled and rushed to Kana, holding her arms out to embrace her, while Kana smiled silently and sincerely, placing two fingers over Kimi’s mouth gently. Both Kimi and Kana felt a sort of affection that they hadn't felt with anyone else, and even though Kana was the one with more natural confidence, it was because of Kimi that she was able to express herself in this manner. Kimi merely blushed in a deep shade of red and smiled, waited to hear what Kana was going to say and for a moment, forgetting that she was anywhere in particular except somewhere with Kana. 

“You’re here to propose something to me, aren’t you?”

Kana asked with a supportive, warm tone. The affection for Kimi was so strong that she could sense what Kimi was feeling, and she felt it herself, the kind of feeling that only came from being with someone being with another that they felt a deep affection for. 

“Yes! I found a card in my deck that will allow us to coming out fortifications temporarily! I was thinking that we could do that - and then I could devise a swift attack against the beachhead fiefdom, before we anticipate an attack from the blackened mire fiefdom, and - “

Kimi blurted out before Kana repeated her gentle, affectionate gesture, simply nodding to Kimi as she then pulled Kimi in to embrace her - holding her closely as she gave her a meaningful kiss! Kimi nearly fall over, going weak in her knees and it was thanks to Kana for holding her up in their embrace as Kimi get a sincere rush of warmth surge through her, feeling absolutely amazing - like time had stopped and nothing else mattered in that moment - not the War of the Realm, not her duties as the Slayer Queen, but just herself as Kimi, a High School Senior and a girl in love with another girl her age!

“I - !”

Kimi said softly before finally fainting - with Kana catching her easily and carrying her in a bridal carry back to her fortress and armory. Kana knew that Haruto would watch the fiefdom - and since her Common Folk had lesser but still effective magical powers in terms of wielding light - they’d be fine for the moment. After all, as Kana saw it - the business of combining fortifications could come after the pleasure of sharing a first kiss!

"I request safe passage - to bring back the Slayer Queen into her chambers before departing. I promise that I won't be more than a minute."

Kana said psychically as she looked up at Akio, who was hovering above the entrance to the fortress and armory, looking at Kimi and Kana, seeing that Kana was indeed just passed about, but completely unharmed. It was clear to him, not that he had any doubt when Haruto had described Kana - that Haruto was indeed correct about her. 

"You may indeed pass through to lay the Slayer Queen down to rest, but please do make haste."

Akio replied as Kana bowed as best she could, making sure not not accidentally drop Kimi as she then passed through the main doors of the fortress and armory that were opened by a few of the Common Folk within Kimi's fiefdom that she ruled in stewardship. Before long, Kana laid Kimi down gently across her lap, as Kana sat in Kimi's throne as she smiled down at her.