Year 2: Prelude to War - Chapter 4

The Dragon’s Mouth - a massive, sprawling fortress located at the entrance to the Dragon Spine Mountains manned by nearly sixty-thousand soldiers at any given time.

Miles of land surrounded by tall, near-impenetrable walls that were carved into the mountainside, the Dragon’s Mouth had thirteen layers of defences and it was the only way to enter the mountains from the west. The steep, impassable cliffs surrounding the Mouth made any other means of getting into the mountains impossible, though that had not stopped a few brave, if foolish, mountain climbers from trying.

In the one thousand years since the Mouth’s construction, more than four hundred souls had tried and failed to scale the cliffs.

This fortress was the place that Hajime, Akane, Amen, Zuzu, Sayeh and Ari had been sent to for their second assignments.

When they’d stepped out of the carriage, they could see ice hanging from the parapets and snow painted across the battlements.

However, Hajime’s team did not feel the cold as strongly as their escorts did because of the equipment the Free People’s Alliance had made for them. His was a mixture of a traditional knight’s armour and that of a hero character from an old RPG Hajime loved in his old world. Its colours were a bold mix of blues, silvers and whites, making him stand out on the battlefield like a true hero would. 

His medium-length black hair had been cut and styled by the finest barbers in Rhodes, and his gentle hazel eyes still shone brightly beneath his helmet. He felt incredibly handsome and confident, a sensation he'd never experienced back in Japan.

Alas, not a single person, whether male or female, was looking at him.

Instead, they were captivated by Akane on his right side.

Her armour had been a custom make like Yve or Feng Li’s, and every little detail had been designed by Akane personally. She was dressed in clothes reminiscent of a traditional Japanese Kyūdō outfit complete with a dragon-metal chest guard, though she had changed the dress part of the outfit into trousers. Resting around her left wrist was a bracelet which, when mana was channelled into it, would deploy a suit of armour that Akane called her Oni-form.

When deployed, Akane’s entire body would be covered in a traditional looking Japanese samurai armour, complete with large shoulder guards. The armour itself was made of lacquered metal, tied together with silk laces and cords.

Of course, the armour was made from the greatest of materials like everyone else’s and she wore a full-face Oni mask.

Akane never told me why she doesn’t just wear that all the time, Hajime thought, staring at her wrist curiously.

“A true Japanese beauty.”

“What?”

“That’s what you called Akane once, Hajime,” Amen said. “I think I’m starting to see what you mean.”

Amen was dressed in a mixture of padded leather armour and chainmail, complete with bracers and a Gjermundbu helmet with chainmail coming down the back like hair over his neck. Gleipnir, his Divine Artifact, sat upon his right hand; the gauntlet itself was wrapped many times over by the chains that he used to fight.

“In Norse mythology, Gleipnir was the chain that bound Fenrir, the wolf of the end,” Kayleigh explained. “Even though the chains themselves are as thin as ribbon, it was forged to be too strong for any man or beast to ever break free off. I wonder if that applies to the Demon Emperor, too.”

Individually, they looked the part of the Summoned Heroes of Harmonia.

Together, they looked like a disjointed team.

Maybe I should’ve asked for a more samurai-looking armour like Akane did, Hajime pondered.

“Welcome, heroes from another world. I am Colonel Zhuge Xi, commander of the armies of the Dragon’s Mouth. May I have the honour of knowing your names?”

“…Nice to meet you, I’m Hajime Sakamoto, leader of this team of heroes. Thank you for having us.”

“Haha, please, we’re grateful to have you here, young heroes.”

“…T-thank you.”

Noticing that Hajime was getting nervous, Akane stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the commander. “A pleasure to meet you, Colonel Zhuge Xi - I am Akane Nariko, Lord Hajime’s right-hand woman. Thank you for your continued hard work and efforts against the Demon Emperor’s legions.”

“Don’t worry, we’re happy to do it,” Zhuge Xi replied. “I’ll be happier when the war is won for good but, until then, I’m happy to do my part.”

“Forgive me if this might be a rude question, Colonel Zhuge, but you are from the Yun Shogunate, are you not?” Amen asked.

“I am, lord hero.”

“Then, pray tell, why is it that you are in command of the armies of the Mouth, despite the fact that we’re in the Kingdom of Rhodes’s territory?”

“Well, until this war is over, individual borders, creeds and peoples don’t matter - this, lord heroes.” Zhuge Xi smacked the stone wall beside him. “Is all part of the Free People’s Alliance. It is not just I here; there are many of my countrymen here, many Elves, Dwarves, beast people and others fight alongside us. In these trying times, we must unite and stand together, not bicker over the tiniest things that separate us. By the looks of things.” Zhuge Xi’s eyes scanned over them all one by one. “You young heroes believe the same.”

“It is as you say, Colonel Zhuge Xi,” Akane said.

“Don’t worry, Colonel,” Hajime cut in with a confident grin. “While we might not be here for long, I promise you that we’ll do everything we can to help you out.”

“…I thank you for your kind words, Lord Hajime.” Zhuge Xi bowed. “The men and women of the fort’s spirits will be raised seeing you fight beside them.”

“Of course!”

“Now, if you would all follow me, I’ll show you to your rooms.”

“Thank you very much.”

“This way, please, lord heroes.”

“If I may, Colonel Zhuge Xi.”

“What is it, Lady Akane?”

“Could you please tell us as much as possible about the current situation at the Dragon’s Mouth?”

“Were you not briefed beforehand?”

“It is one thing to read a report; it is another to hear from the lips of those on the frontlines.”

“Then, if it pleases you, where shall I start from?”

“Wherever you wish.”

“Very well.” Zhuge Xi cleared his throat. “The Mouth has been rather quiet ever since Count Barthlow’s failed attempt at liberating the south-east. Occasionally, we hear eerie voices or laughter on the wind, but most days all we hear is the beating of drums.”

“War drums?”

“No. One of our resident scholars described it as a traditional giant’s drumming, played only during a ceremony or on a holiday. The drumming is meant for celebrations and to give thanks to their gods. Sometimes, they bang their instruments so loudly that the whole Spine shakes. Aside from that, we have seen skeletons and demonic figures through the snowy storms. We have signalled the alert and rushed to the battlements, but the figures leave long before we can fight them.”

“…That’s worrying,” Akane said. “It’s almost as if-”

“They’re scouting us out, waiting for the right moment to attack. We know, but we have no choice. Imagine if on the one time we did not go to full alert they chose to attack, then the Dragon’s Mouth would be lost and the hordes of the east would swarm over the west. We cannot allow that to happen.

“The cold makes things difficult, as you can probably imagine. We burn a lot of firewood and our mages are often casting enchantments upon the stones to produce heat, to help try and keep us warm. Alas, it can only do so much. The Dragon’s Spine is always deathly cold, even in the summer sun, but at least it’s manageable here. If we were to ever try venturing more than a few miles into the Spine, our soldiers would freeze to death within minutes.

“The only things that could survive in that place are giants and the beasts and figures of legend.”

“An army of undead would be unimpeded by the weather,” Amen said.

“That is what our greatest fear is at the moment. If a million skeletons charged our positions, we could hold them, but at what cost? How long before the next million arrives and destroys this place? Well, with any luck, it’ll never come to that.”

“I believe this is what Hajime called a ‘death flag’, correct, Amen?” Akane whispered.

“I think so.”

“…Great,” Hajime grumbled.

***

During more peaceful times, the highest-ranking noble would live in the Commander’s Suite that had been set aside for Hajime and his team. It had three private bedrooms, a bathroom, a living area and multiple bookshelves for various tomes, reports and documents.

“Then, I leave you in their capable hands,” Zhuge Xi said, before departing.

Ten servants and a dozen soldiers had been left to care for them. Among them were elves, dwarves, beast people and lizardmen - true to Zhuge Xi’s word, everyone at the castle came from all parts of the Alliance territory.

After brief introductions were shared, the heroes were left alone whilst the servants went to prepare their baths and meals, and the guards were stationed along the corridor leading to the Commander’s Suite.

Once they had chosen rooms, Hajime called a team meeting together, though they sat in two separate groups across from one another.

On one side, there was Hajime, Akane and Amen; on the other was Sayeh, Ari and Zuzu.

Despite training and learning together every day, there was a no denying that two friendship groups of three had formed, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. Ari and Sayeh were incredibly close and rarely apart from one another, except at night, while Zuzu was the more talkative and friendly of the trio, allowing a bridge to exist between the two groups.

If not for her, then there would almost certainly have been a divided team.

“Okay!” Hajime clapped his hands. “Before we get started, I just wanted to ask and make sure that everyone read and understood this month’s assignment, correct?” They all nodded at him. “Zuzu, if you’d do the honours.”

“Why?”

“If there’s one thing I learnt from my old Maths teacher, it’s that having a student prove they’ve absorbed and understood a key skill is the best way to make sure it stays stuck in their minds for long afterwards.”

“Since when was Hajime a teacher?”

“Quiet, Amen-kun! Ehem, Zuzu, please.”

“…For the next two weeks, we’re to join the garrison of the Dragon’s Mouth and defend it should any attacks come from the east. If not, then we’re to continue training and studying as normal; other than that, that’s all there is to do.”

“…Hajime.”

“Right, sorry, Akane.” He cleared his throat, put his hands on his hips and confidently declared, “Before we turn in for the night, I wanted to tell you guys my brand-new plan to help us all fight a lot better.”

“Oh?” Zuzu asked.

“Your plan?” Sayeh scoffed.

“N-now, now, Sayeh - tell us, Hajime, what is your new plan?”

“It’s quite simple, really - we don’t fight as a single unit, but, instead, as two!”

***

“Pointless.”

“Hmm?”

Sayeh jumped onto the sofa beside Ari and said, “Pointless,” again.

“What is?”

“Hajime as our leader. Akane’s really in charge.”

“N-now, now, don’t say that, Sayeh,” Zuzu pleaded, lightly patting her head. “Certainly, I can’t deny that Hajime’s had a few issues as our leader, but I believe in him and, more importantly, so does Akane.”

Sayeh’s blank expression remained unchanged as she sunk into the sofa, mumbling to herself.

“I think his plan will work,” Zuzu said, unfolding her arms. “Right now, it’s best for us to stick to who and what we know rather than try and force us all to work together. Maybe, if this works out, Sayeh will give him a proper chance.”

“Unlikely.”

“What, that you’ll give-?”

“That his plan will succeed.” Sayeh undid her belt containing her Divine Artifacts, the kris blades Mpu Gandring and Taming Sari, before staring at them intently. “It doesn’t matter what he does, as long as I act.”

“Sayeh, we’ve talked about this,” Ari chided her. “Don’t do something stupid and put yourself at risk again, like last time.”

“Your concern isn’t necessary.” Sayeh drew Kris Taming Sari and brandished it. “I cannot lose when fighting for the one I love.” She sheathed her blade, then leapt up, kissed Ari on the cheek and bid them both goodnight.

“…I really don’t get her.”

“Don’t talk badly about her, Zuzu.”

“I wasn’t trying to. Honestly, I wonder what you both see in each other some days.”

Ari laughed lightly and stroked his chin. “My love’s a bit different from hers, I think. She reminds me too much of my little sisters, so I can’t really leave her alone.”

“Sisters?”

“Oh, right…I only mentioned Rizka before, didn’t I?” Ari leant back in his seat and smiled bitterly. “Kartini, my youngest sister, was always a bit ‘different’, for lack of a better term. She always spaced out, didn’t understand things we told her and just kind of clung to me whenever she could. I don’t just mean emotionally, I mean physically too. I remember once I got home from school and she leapt onto my back, nearly sending us both tumbling. I was fourteen and she was eight.”

“…Why didn’t you ever mention her?”

“…Zuzu, what’s the first rule we all agreed on as heroes?”

“…Not to pry into each other’s pasts unless the other person opened up.”

Ari smiled solemnly at her and said, “Sorry, but that’s something I don’t intend to share with anyone. Honestly, when I see Sayeh, I just imagine Kartini and can’t help but be drawn to her. Honestly, she’s a near-spitting image of her.”

“…She’s Persian, remember?”

Ari laughed boisterously. “True enough, but…I can still see Kartini in her. What Sayeh sees in me I’m afraid I don’t know. What I do know is that she’s dedicated to me, far too dedicated, even when we’re not going out.”

“You’re not?”

“I thought I said we weren’t.”

“You did, and then two days later Sayeh came up to me, puffed out her chest and said you were engaged.”

“And you believed her?”

Zuzu smiled. “I couldn’t exactly crush her dreams, could I?”

“…I guess not, but don’t believe what she says. She’s strong, she’s loyal and she’s got a good heart, but…she’s ignorant about a lot of things.”

“What a mean thing for her big brother to say.”

“…Don’t even joke about that, please.” Ari’s unusually solemn tone was enough to shut Zuzu up. Together, they awkwardly sat in silence, until Ari leapt up and said, “Goodnight, Zuzu. Hope you get a better night sleep than you have been.”

“…Yeah, goodnight, Ari.”

Later that night. in a quiet room in the deepest part of the basement, Zuzu silently practiced her spells.

Alone, she sat in the centre of the dusty store room, channelling mana into the Solar Crown, through her veins and into the air around her. With sweat dripping from her forehead, she winced and ground her teeth together, shutting her eyes to try and better focus on the task at hand.

The solar energy her Divine Artifact absorbed could be used for a variety of things, including healing and shielding her comrades.

However.

With a painful gasp, Zuzu snapped out of her trance-like focus, dropping face first onto the floor, wheezing. After a few agonising moments, she sat back up right and started the whole process again.

This time, her muscles screamed at her to stop while her blood vessels burnt at a boiling hot temperature.

She screamed and had no choice but to stop, her breathing was laboured and her back was drenched.

“It’s not enough,” she whispered. A determined look on her face, Zuzu slowly sat back upright and focused again. “I need to do better!”

***

Two days later, alarm bells rang out across the Dragon’s Mouth.

An undead horde, some twenty-thousand strong, had been sighted half a mile from the battlements.

Within minutes, soldiers were armed, the walls were manned and the summoned heroes were stood atop the main gate, nervously awaiting their first real fight.

They had battled a single monster before, but they hadn’t gone through the same experience as other groups like Duncan’s who fought against bandits.

“That’s…a lot,” Amen mumbled.

“Indeed.” Akane stepped forward, placing Ukonvasara against her shoulder. “I have fought many battles, but I was never a participant in one this grand.”

“Feng Li probably was,” Hajime said. “Shame he’s not here, I guess.”

“I don’t think Duncan would take too kindly to you stealing his teammate.”

“I know that, Amen! Still.” Hajime narrowed his gaze at the undead. “Why aren’t they moving?”

“They’re probably waiting for something,” Zhuge Xi interjected, before bowing to the heroes. “When the undead assault the Yan borders, they purposefully split their force in two, one to distract the castle’s defenders and the other to break through the unwatched pathways. It’d be impossible for them to reproduce that here, meaning-”

“Incoming!”

A volley of rocks pelted the walls, killing a few unfortunate souls and leaving dents in the stonework.

“Siege machines?”

“No, Colonel! It’s a giant!”

“What?!”

“A giant threw those rocks?” Amen asked.

“There are giants in this world?!” Hajime exclaimed.

While the others around her panicked and quickly spread the word, Akane’s gazes was locked solely on the distant figure behind the undead. It lent down, presumably to grab another boulder, before pulling its arm far back.

“Ari, Zuzu! There’s another shot coming. Try and intercept it!”

“O-okay!”

“No promises, but I’ll do my best!” Zuzu shouted.

The two pushed their palms out towards the enemy, just as the next onslaught of boulders emerged. The two unleashed balls of magical energy at the incoming projectiles, but they were unable to hit any.

“It’s just like that show,” Hajime muttered beneath his breath, a grim smile on his face. “It picks up the rocks, crushes it in its palms and throws it with the force of a canon. Zhuge Xi, how tall is that thing?!”

“The lookouts say it’s about thirteen metres tall.”

“Do you have anything that can shoot that far?”

“Not at all.” With a broad grin, Zhuge Xi patted Hajime on the back and said, “Don’t worry, Lord Heroes. I already have the vanguard assembling in the main courtyard, ready to charge and meet them on the field of battle.”

“If you guys can deal with the undead, we’ll take out the giant!”

“Hajime?”

“Akane, Amen, with me! Zuzu, Ari, Sayeh, head down the right side while we take the left. Whoever gets to the giant first, kills it!”

“Roger that!”

“Everyone, let’s go!”

***

“As two units?” Zuzu repeated.

Enthusiastically, Hajime nodded and thrust his finger at her. “Exactly! Unlike a lot of the other teams, we don’t have as good of a balance of ranged and melee capabilities. We don’t have an archer, leaving us with just Ari and his Tide Jewel Artifact to provide ranged cover. If we had someone like Yve on our team, I’d suggest that one unit stays in the rear to support the others but, given how there’s a weird imbalance in our team, I think it might work best if we have two frontline units with a support member in each group.

“While Akane and I are fighting, Amen can stay in the rear and cover us using Gleipnir. Likewise, Sayeh and Ari can be protected by Zuzu. What do you think?”

“It won’t work.”

“There’s no need to be that cruel, Sayeh!”

She shrugged, then said, “It won’t work, sorry.”

“That really doesn’t make it better.”

“I think it’s worth a shot,” Ari said.

“Then, let’s give it a go.”

“Quite a change in position, Sayeh,” Hajime grumbled.

Zuzu laughed. “Well, it’s worth a go, at the very least. Who knows, if we’re unlucky, we might even have a chance to try it in a real combat scenario rather than just a practice bout.”

***

“Curse me and my damn words!” Zuzu spread her arms before her, creating a golden wall of sunlight the undead smashed their rusty weapons against. “Why did I have to open my mouth?!”

“If you didn’t, eating and drinking would be much harder.”

“Shut up, Ari, and help me!”

“Sayeh.”

“On it.”

Appearing seemingly from Zuzu’s shadow, Sayeh summersaulted over the wall and into the thick of the group of fifteen undead, quickly dispatching them with just four swings of her blades.

“T-thank yo-”

Sayeh had already run off long before Zuzu had started speaking.

A large pillar of water rose from the icy ground and smashed into a nearby group of undead, exploding them and launching their bones in all directions.

“I think there’s one thing that Hajime didn’t take into account when he came up with this new plan,” Ari mused, conjuring a large ball of water in his hand.

“Which is?”

“That Sayeh only listens to me, and that’s only if she can hear me.”

***

Boulders continued to soar above their heads as the soldiers of the alliance battled the undead. It wasn’t a difficult fight, and their causalities were so minimal it barely felt like anyone had died or been wounded, but the more challenging part of the fight was eliminating the giant.

Roughly every ten to twelve seconds, the giant flung more rocks at the Dragon’s Mouth. While the walls were tall, sturdy and made of strong stone, they would eventually chip and break in places if the giant remained unchecked.

Even if this giant didn’t destroy the walls, all the Demon Emperor had to do was send five or six next time to finish the job and a pathway would open from the east into the west.

That was the scenario Zhuge Xi needed to prevent, regardless of his losses.

With Hajime, Akane and Amen on one side of the battlefield, leading the way through the enemy, and the others on the opposite side, the soldier’s morale was high and their excitement was higher still.

This is the power of a hero from another world!

Hajime’s spear cut through the undead’s armour like butter.

Akane’s hammer struck like lightning as each thump of Ukonvasara fell like thunder.

Amen’s chains pulled men from the brink of death and allowed those who struggled to defeat their foes.

Sayeh’s unmatched speed and prowess, going from skirmish to skirmish without so much as a scratch on her.

Not far behind her, Ari and Zuzu followed, protecting the soldiers with their powerful magics.

Truly, Zhuge Xi had never felt so alive until this moment.

The small flickering fire of hope that had nearly left his heart was reignited, and he eagerly chased after those gallant heroes, eager to do his part.

Today, we make history!

***

Akane, do you remember it?

Hajime dispatched three skeletons with a single sweep of his spear.

That first day we fought together against Lord Akechi?

Hajime blocked two slashes on his left, then parried the third and killed both skeletons with a counterattack.

We stumbled, fell over one another and you started to doubt me. You never said anything to my face, but I always knew.

Hajime thrust his spear forwards with a great roar, skewering five skeletons.

You doubted me, you doubted yourself, and we struggled to work alongside one another. Honestly, I’ll never know just how many times you thought about replacing me as the leader of this team.

He blocked a large battle axe with the shaft of his spear.

Truthfully, I thought about giving you the spot many times, but…then, you started to believe in me again.

Hajime felt himself being crushed by the weight of the undead’s weapon, Tonbokiri nearly slipping from his grasp.

But!

He grinned and tightened his fingers around the spear.

I’m not the same man I was back then!

Hajime moved his head to the side, allowing Akane a clear shot at the undead near him. She swung her hammer at the skeleton’s face, obliterating it, before striking several more on Hajime’s exposed flank. Then, as she spun around to deal with the threats behind her, so too did Hajime turn around to combat what lay at his back.

Together, they worked in unison, not perfectly for their movements often lacked speed and finesse, but it was an instinctive bit of teamwork that they had cultivated through many practices alongside one another, most often against Lord Akechi.

Once, they were unable to read each other’s intentions.

Now, they knew how the other thought to some extent and began to move as the other would want them to.

If Hajime was in a pinch, Akane would know and come to cover him.

If there was a particular foe Akane wanted dispatched, or a weakness exploited, Hajime would sense it and take that chance to act.

Ever since you started tutoring me one on one, I’ve figured out things about you, just like you did about me.

“Excuse me.” Amen’s cold voice cut through the battlefield as half a dozen skeletons were bound in chains at Hajime’s feet. “Please don’t forget that I’m here too, Akane, Hajime.”

“What do you mean?”

Amen sighed and recalled his chains to their gauntlet. “Your teamwork has improved so much since last I saw it, but that doesn’t mean you know where your blind spots are, Hajime.”

“I-I know that, dammit!”

Amen smiled wryly at them, before turning his attention back to the battlefield. “It looks like Sayeh will reach the giant first, but - Hajime, do you see that man in the blood-red armour?”

“…Yeah.”

“I think that’s the enemy commander. Shall we go and greet our esteemed guest?”

***

The Bloody Knight of the Beast Woods was not a known knight.

For why should he be, given that he didn’t exist until the Demon Emperor chose a skilled adventurer to become an Awoken and sent to the Dragon’s Spine Mountains in a suit of iron armour painted red.

However, like all of the Awoken, the Bloody Knight did not question his liege lord’s orders.

He was to lead the assault on the Mouth from the rear, then engage any heroes that came to kill the giant. Unfortunately for him, the heroes did not come as a group.

Three were already fighting the giant and the others were standing right before him, their Divine Artifacts in hand.

“So, you’ve come,” the Bloody Knight said. Slowly, it drew a giant claymore from its back and stabbed it into the ground. “Who dares stand before one of his majesty’s chosen swords?”

“He-he-he, remember it well, Bloody Knight. My name is Hajime Sakamoto! I! Am! Someone who has always wanted to be a hero, save the world, marry a princess and live happily ever after in another world. To achieve that dream.” He aimed Tonbokiri at the knight’s head. “I’m going to need to defeat you.”

“Defeat me?” The Bloody Knight chuckled, taking up its blade. “You’re a fool if you think you can best me. Come, heroes, and face me.”