by Nikita Thorn
“I’m not—”
“Right, that’s what Umi said. Well, at first she was pretty sure and then not so sure anymore,” said Kisho. “But, you know...”
The ninja did not continue as a slight rustle of grass interrupted him. Yoshitsune of the West Defenders [Level 27] faded into existence on the ground next to the stone altar, his light armor torn from the shoulder down all the way to the hip, suggesting it had been quite a death blow. “Damn!” The ryoushi sat right up, shaking his head as the effect of death nausea hit him. “I almost got a Trap Shot off. Too many of my troops were dead. I was this close!”
Kisho let out a grunt in sympathy.
“Nobuki’s doing good, though,” Yoshitsune reported. “And Umi managed to get her Infinite Reflect set up, so we might pull it off.”
That obviously meant something to Ippei, who lifted an eyebrow in interest.
The ninja nodded, and everyone fell silent again as they all seemed to be keeping track of the mental map. Seiki did the same, although he could not quite see what extra information could be gleaned from it. The original Card only allowed them to spot enemies, and now the sole purple dot that denoted the Onryou was moving slightly left and right, and occasionally leapt ahead a little. Seiki guessed that was when it lashed out at the troops surrounding it. The West Defenders, perhaps being so used to their teammates’ abilities, could perhaps better guess from the limited clues what was going on.
A high-pitched cry broke the apprehensive silence as Sae of the West Defenders [Level 25] appeared on the grass. Her gray robe was torn in the same manner as the ryoushi’s had been earlier.
Both Yoshitsune and Kisho cursed at the same time. Ippei winced. Seiki knew enough to see why losing their healer was a big deal. Before anyone could say anything, however, another notification appeared.
Card in play: Carved Card of Swapped Spirits
Obake Card of the War Deck. Forge a connection with one of your party members, allowing you to swap locations with them even beyond death. The process also transfers all your current positive effects onto them and all their negative effects onto you.
“Ahh!” cried Sae again, this time more surprised than frustrated, as white smoke burst up around her and she vanished as quickly as she had appeared.
In her place was Endo of the West Defenders [Level 24], one of the samurai, who cursed and rolled over onto his stomach. “Bloody double death nausea,” he muttered as he buried his face in his arms.
“Oh, nice play, bro,” said the ninja Kisho.
“I hope it’s in time,” said Endo in a miserable groan. “It’s close. The boss has a nasty interrupt that freezes you straight up and that broke Umi’s reflect.”
The two other West Defenders cursed, and they all fell silent once more.
“Well, this is it. It’s everything we got,” muttered Kisho. “All five.”
Seiki realized he was talking about tano-shrines. His mental map confirmed that they had all been used and were now dim dots. The Onryou was currently stationary in the field next to the village ruins, but he had no idea what was going on with the players and the remaining troops.
A strange long hiss went up all around them. The red seals on the trees started to evaporate into white smoke, and at that moment everyone bolted straight up.
“No way, no way, no way!” Kisho sprung to his feet and was already halfway to the exit of the revive point, using his ninja speed to zip past the rest of the group.
Seiki felt death nausea dropping away and the world suddenly came into full clarity, and he could guess from the way everyone else scrambled to their feet what was happening.
“They’ve got it?” he said as he leapt up and started running after the group.
Ippei’s eyes shone as he glanced back. “Yeah.”
The obscuring mist that hid the area from the rest of the instance was fast dissipating, and Seiki rushed after the excited West Defenders through rows of pine trees, feeling a gentle cool passing over his skin as he crossed the boundary back into the main instance.
They emerged at the edge of the field, not too far from where he and Ippei had watched the action earlier. The atmosphere was somewhat different, however. The thick cloud canopy above the ruins was swirling as if being stirred by a giant ladle, even when there was no wind. Here and there, bleak sunlight broke through in straight lines, before disappearing again as the clouds moved in to block it.
Clearly visible in the middle of the field was the Onryou, four times the size of a man, still transparent and rapidly shifting between multiple appearances of the dead villagers, but it had stopped lashing out at the remaining troops.
Instead, its head was bent as it fixed its gaze on the sole player in front of it. The clan leader Nobuki, now on his black horse, appeared tiny next to the Spirit. In his hand were several items. Seiki recognized the broken Demonic Clan spear, which still exuded a faint trail of dark purple mist.
The rest of the West Defenders, some on their horses and some still on foot, were standing to the side, their weapons lowered as they watched the unfolding scene. Those who just emerged from the revive point stopped dead in their tracks, unwilling to intrude into this standstill.
It was the Onryou who first spoke, its voice whispering directly into their minds.
Show me proof it was not you who committed this heinous crime against our village.
The Onryou waved its arm, and a faint circle of light appeared on the ground in front of it.
Nobuki dismounted and carefully dropped the broken evidence onto the indicated area.
The Onryou bent down toward the items as if to study them, before letting out a long tormented screech. Then with a violent lunge, it raised its arms and smashed downward. The rest of the clan gasped as the Demonic weapons shattered into specs of purple dust. Seiki had to give Nobuki credit for not even flinching.
The Onryou then let out a wail, a long, sorrowful note.
Avenge us, you who have witnessed the atrocity of the Demonic Clan.
The Spirit let out another sound, perhaps a sigh, this time, before stretching upward as if reaching toward the sky above. Growing thinner and thinner, its transparent form started to unravel into a stream of mist, twisting as it continued to rise up until it merged into the clouds, then it lifted, like a whirlwind withdrawing from the face of the earth.
The sky continued to part and bit by bit the gloom over the village slowly dispersed. When Seiki looked up again, the clouds had completely disappeared, leaving a soft light blue sky watching over the peaceful village ruins.
A notification must have appeared then for the West Defenders, as they instantaneously burst into cheers. Kisho, Endo and Yoshitsune sprinted off to join their clan mates in the middle of the field, laughing and cursing and shouting.
Seiki watched them try to talk all at once. Sae leapt off her horse to give Umiko a hug, and the rest of them clapped Endo on the back, most likely because it was his Jade Card that had brought their healer back into action during the last critical moments. Then suddenly they all paused as if hit by a stun spell.
“Oh, this is when they get their personal loot notification,” Ippei said in a mixture of amusement and jealousy.
One of the ryoushi broke the silence with an excited cry, and Ippei let out a wistful chuckle. “Probably a Jade upgrade.”
Being on the Civil Officer’s Seal, he and Seiki were not eligible for any of the personal rewards. Neither did the success count towards their war progression.
At that moment, however, Seiki did not mind. The level of joy was simply delightful to witness and he found himself grinning as he watched the clan celebrate, somehow wondering why it felt like his favorite sports team had won the championship.
The ryoushi had taken to shooting flaming arrows into the sky as they galloped in circles. Nobuki appeared to be discussing something with the two senior members of the group, while Umiko directed her surviving troops to go into the ruins, perhaps to look for addit
ional treasure.
Now that the sky had cleared, the village ruins appeared almost pastoral, like a surviving ancient settlement that would be just interesting enough to make its way onto the bottom of a tourist’s list. The grass was still yellowish green and dry, but was now dotted with tiny wildflowers that Seiki was rather sure had not been there before.
The place was nearly unrecognizable. The only thing that remained in its original state was the hill where the Hitsu Temple itself sat, which was still shrouded by a strange ominous mist. The rest was now a pleasant countryside in the gentle afternoon sun. Seiki wondered if this was what it felt like, pushing deeper into the Demonic Clan’s territory. Stage by stage, players forged their way forward, bringing light where darkness lay.
Seiki exhaled deeply. His experience so far had been catching up with everyone else. To suddenly be at the very edge of available knowledge was still difficult to believe. What mattered even more, perhaps, was that he had been a key part in it. Whether big or small, his contribution had been real, not something that had been given to him for the sake of occupying his time. Somehow, even when he was not sure exactly what he had done, it felt significant.
“And you know what the crazy thing is?” said Ippei. “As long as you clear a stage with at least one member alive, you can continue onto the next, which means our Civil Seals still work.”
Seiki blinked. He had been so focused on doing his best not to embarrass his friend in front of the West Defenders that he had not really thought beyond the task.
“Which means we will probably see the next stage, as soon as the West Defenders finish sorting stuff out,” Ippei finally translated for him, probably deriving quite a bit of satisfaction in seeing Seiki’s eyes widen.
“Oh, uh… wow.” The implication of what they had just achieved was starting to dawn on Seiki. He glanced once again at the looming temple ruins on top the hill and secretly shook off inexplicable shivers.
“So, three more stages, or bosses, before the final one of the instance,” Ippei added.
War Instances followed a predictable pattern with increasing number of stages. The first two instances, Muraki Woods and Togatsu Village, were introductory, single-stage events, with only one boss to defeat. This was where Seiki’s personal experience with War Games ended, although, from the amount Ippei talked about them, he had a pretty good idea of what the rest were.
Beyond Togatsu, players could choose to progress to either the Battle of Kehara or Kitane Keep, each with two stages. They could clear either one first, but had to complete both before being allowed into further events. The same went for the remaining instances. Each tier consisted of two events that could be explored in any order, with three and four stages respectively. The instances featured different scenarios, and players went through battles and sieges across different terrain, playing both defense and offense against the Demonic Clan.
The latest event before Hitsu Temple was called Kakoku Fields, with five bosses, and was allegedly a full-blown large-scale battle, where players fought five Demonic Clan captains and their troops.
This made it safe to guess that Hitsu Temple also had five stages, the first of which had just been cleared for the first time in the current version of the game.
Letting out a deep breath, Seiki turned toward the misty hill further away. Climbing that height and going into the next Stage in front of the temple’s front gate would mean that they had finally caught up with where Beta had left off.
“We’re not going to beat it or anything.” Ippei chuckled. “But… it will be a glimpse of what to come.”
As exhausted as Seiki was feeling, that thought instantly cleared any doubt from his mind. “Okay, I’m ready.”
From the looks of the West Defenders, they were all in the same mood, as could be seen by their jovial laughter as they rode back toward Seiki and Ippei. One of them, the ryoushi labeled Aki of the West Defenders [Level 26] broke away toward the edge of the instance.
“See you!” he shouted to his clan mates, then turned to wave at Seiki and Ippei as he galloped past. “Good job, guys.”
“Bye, Aki. Thanks for doing this!” Sae, the houshi, called out after him.
Nobuki dismounted as he reached Seiki and Ippei, and the rest of his clan mates followed suit, still talking excitedly among themselves.
“Aki has a clan event to manage,” Nobuki explained. “So he has volunteered to miss the next bit.”
“He means ‘volunteered’.” Sae wiggled two fingers on each hand and winked.
Ippei chuckled. “You run a tight ship.”
Nobuki smiled. “Well, that was awesome. Well done, both of you. Since you’re the only one who has seen the next stage, it would be helpful if you could clue us in on what to expect.”
“Oh, give them a break, Nobuki.” Umiko laughed as she beckoned her troops forward. “At least wait until after this.”
The West Defenders behind her parted way, letting through four of Umiko’s troop members, who carried in a heavy wooden chest. It was slightly bigger than what Seiki had as his main storage in his private room, and its content jangled as it hit the ground.
Sae let out a whistle. “Oooh, copper band,” she said, nodding toward the chest. Indeed, across the middle of its height ran a thick strip of copper reinforcement.
“Metal-banded chests usually have better rewards,” explained Ippei.
Yoshitsune threw them a questioning glance as if to ask why the explanation was needed, and Ippei added. “Seiki just started last week.”
The ryoushi blinked. “Like, for real?”
“Seems much longer than that,” said Seiki.
Umiko turned toward her clanmate Kisho and smirked. “See? I told you. There’s no way Reiji is that good of an actor.”
“Well, I guess that explains the stepper.” Yoshitsune laughed.
That remark caught Seiki by surprise. “What’s wrong with my horse?”
Yoshitsune turned to Umiko. “You’re right, Umi. No way in hell he’s Reiji. Well, I’ve got nothing against steppers, but they can’t take a damn hit. No offense. I mean, if you insist on using a two-slot Mystical or something I would kinda see the point.”
“Apparently, they don’t offer ronin the war horse quest now until you clear Kehara,” said Ippei, half to Yoshitsune and perhaps half to Seiki. “That’s what I’ve heard, anyway. I hope it’s true, since they can’t expect you to just wait for a drop.”
“Uh… right,” said Seiki. That information was entirely new and there were simply too many assumptions he had to make to understand that exchange that he decided to just nod and save questions for later, partly to avoid more remarks about Reiji’s acting skills. That said, he somehow appreciated the total lack of handicap he was given at the moment.
He found Umiko looking at him. “And you’ve got to show me that thing when you combined the Spirits,” said the samurai. “What was that?”
“What was what?” Sae nudged her way forward from the back of the group.
“That ronin combo,” said Yoshitsune. “Like, I don’t know where you found these guys, Umi.”
Umiko smiled. “More like they found us, right?” she said, looking at Ippei with an expression Seiki had no idea how to interpret.
“Okay, do we want to see our loot or do we just stand here for the rest of eternity?” said Renna.
Nobuki looked around. “Where’s Endo?”
Yoshitsune nodded toward his clan mate, who was waiting on his horse quite a distance away from the group.
Sae frowned. “What is he doing over there?”
Yoshitsune laughed. “He said if his dual wield Charm dropped and these guys took it, he would kill himself. So he doesn’t even want to know.”
Sae blinked. “Isn’t that a bit extreme?”
Ippei turned to look at Umiko. The implication of Yoshitsune’s casual statement was too obvious to miss. “What does that mean?” he said carefully.
A
smile crept up over the West Defender samurai’s lips and her eyebrows lifted almost innocently. “Well, didn’t you ask for first pick of loot?”
Seiki nearly choked. Ippei’s eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered and returned the smile. “Glad you remembered.”
Whatever agreement the West Defenders had reached regarding loot, no one seemed surprised, and they shuffled out of the way to give their guests space around the treasure chest.
“Why don’t you do the honors, Seiki?” said Yoshitsune. “Get some beginners’ luck for us right now. You know the first time Umi joined us she got us four Jades.”
“Yeah, go ahead,” said Ippei.
Seiki crouched down next to the chest. There was nothing complicated about the process, but this being his first War Chest, he could not help his disproportionate level of excitement. The wooden lid felt heavy in his hand, and lifting it open immediately let loose a thick cloud of white smoke as the container evaporated away, leaving in its place a large pile of items.
A hushed silence fell as the group inspected the loot. Letting his notification do the work, Seiki slowly sorted the items into a tidy row.
Four-looped Shakujo. Main Weapon Slot. +47 attack. + 27 defense. Effect: sounding the rings on the staff shortens the duration of disadvantageous effects on the user and allies within 30 feet by 3 seconds, usable once every 20 seconds.
Ishihitsuji Armor. Chest Slot. +27 defense. +1 Charm Slot. Effect: reduces the energy requirement for your abilities by 5%.
Order: Ishihitsuji Armor. Unit Equipment. Chest Slot. +25 defense. Effect: when you receive healing from any source, all your unit members also receive 20% of the percentage of healing you receive. Present this order to a War Officer to equip your unit with this piece of armor.
Ishihitsuji Wool Brush. Secondary Weapon Slot. +30% Precision on Painting endeavors below Level 25. +10% chance to proc the discovery of a new Painting Element.
Shichifukujin Seal - Fukurokuju. War Seal. Adds 2% chance to dodge to all unit members and a small chance for War Card upgrades. Requires an available Utility Slot.