Quietly I Wait

[Hayate_Amatsukami]

Outside Hayate’s mind scape the towering presence of the Corpse King rattled the moral of the Brotherhood. This would have been the first time anyone other than Shinsou himself set eyes on the power the dwells deep within Hayate. The sheer heat emanating off the brazen red armor caused clouds of steam to drift in the wind. For a moment it appeared that the handful of soldiers lost their courage and chose flight over fight as two of them holstered their bows and took off in the opposite direction of the titan. But still others stayed, readied their arrows, and fired upon the lumbering giant assuming it to be the enemy. This was the greatest mistake any of them could have committed.

Without warning the Corpse King reacted to the arrows ricocheting of its ethereal plate armor by turning sharply and dragging its forearm across the walkway. Cobblestones and debris flew widely in all directions as the blood of the Brotherhood washed away their transgressions. The titan let out a great bone chilling howl as it leapt from the canal up to the surface streets above where it noticed a few of the soldiers still trying to get to their feet. They were terrified as were the hundreds of nameless grunts killed by the Corpse King before.

Suddenly something happened and a dark cloud soared through the sky and smashed against the helm of the titan knocking it off balance and staggering back into the side of a low hanging veranda. Whatever it was the attack had potency behind it and was strong enough to at least impact the beast. After a moment of recovery the titan returned to its upright position at its red eyes surveyed the direction that the magic attack had come from. By this time the soldier on the street had disappeared and all that was around Hayate and the Corpse King were empty streets.

Back with Hayate’s consciousness they two spirits fought vigorously causing flashes of red and black light to light up the desolate place. Hayate had always been confident but now was different, he wasn’t fighting an opponent. He was fighting a friend, one who literally trained him and was like a father to him. With every one of Yamato’s strike he felt like a disappointment to the only person Hayate had left he cared for.

“I’m sorry…” the words left his lips as the two clashed once more. Hayate grabbed Yamato’s ethereal blade with his titanium arm and forced the visage of his father to look him directly in the eyes. At spitting distance the two felt each other’s emotions and truly knew one another.

[Hayate_Amatsukami]

A while had passed since Hayate officially went AWOL abandoning his post at Tylermande and his rank as general of the Brotherhood and with the aid of his new friend he successfully slipped out without anyone being the wiser. It was a smart move promoting squirrel girl and leaving the port in her hands, even if they were Shinsou’s personal guard the Immortals and bolstering them even more would be foolish Hayate knew that Reina would remember what he had done for her in the past. No matter what happened he was sure that he would always have a strong ally in the Brotherhood, so long as Shinsou never finds out.

It was a strange feeling to be back on the run again and Hayate as well as Yamato, who had been very quiet again as of late, had felt any sense of freedom. It took a lot of work but through Yamato’s aggression Hayate realized the error of his way and decided to abstain from the fight for Radasanth. The shinobi, as if without anywhere better to be, fallowed the stranger for what seemed days as the two made their way north towards the capital. All the while avoiding the main roads and keeping their position away from both sides. During their travels Hayate had come to know this man as Ioder, the leader of an outfit of battlemages under contract with the Assembly. He along with his shields, fellow mages, was originally sent to Tylermande to capture or kill Hayate once the news of the port’s capture. But seeing his wild display and his almost eagerness to leave the military behind, voided their mission and took him into their custody secretively.

They were stationed fairly far apart but every few hours or so another of Ioder’s shields would appear and join the caravan as if they had pit stops planned out for their journey. By the end of the two day hike through the rolling hills Hayate was surrounded by a band of about fifteen highly trained and respectable warriors of the highest order. Though he was little more than a stranger, and a dangerous one at that, they treated him like a friend. Never once raising so much as an eyebrow questioning his actions or leading him to believe he was in danger. It was again strange but he in the span of only a few short days already felt more at home now than he ever did as a Castigar.

“Are you ready from what comes next?” Ioder once asked him, early on their travels. Hayate wondered what that meant, he wondered what was next. As far as this man knew Hayate was just a time bomb ready to go at any moment. He avoided telling specific details about the Corpse King but with what information he did divulge Ioder must have thought he stumbled upon the answer to his troubles. But whatever his troubles were Hayate knew they were nothing compared to the overwhelming force about to descend on Radasanth.

[Hayate_Amatsukami]

“We will set up here for the night, come dawn we make our move.” Ioder said as he and the others stopped in the basin of the Growth. This great ravine separated the southern border of the capital with the fertile green fields of the farmlands. From here there would only be a few hours walk before the party would reach the main gates of Radasanth. But why in the world were these men hired by the assembly be putting in so much effort to stay out of sight? Hayate tried not to impose as much as he could but needed to know exactly what he was about to get himself caught up in this time. As the rest of the shields made a makeshift camp Hayate for the first time in days spoke up.

“Ioder before I can go any further I need to have a chat with you.” Hayate said as he walked past the cloaked man and made his way towards a small patch of trees just further ahead. Ioder fallowed without saying a word. The two stood side by side looking off into the distance neither uttering a word letting the sounds of whipping wind fill their ears.

“I need to know a few things before I can travel any further with you,” Hayate started turning to face the cloaked man. “Who are you and why didn’t you complete your mission in Tylermande?” Ioder sighed unveiling his face for the first time showing his young appearance, crimson hair, and pointed ears.

“Ioder Belle Horvat and these are the Shields of Alore,” he said with a bow. “And it may be hard to believe but in the moment I came across you I saw the potential you had. I witnessed you lashing out at the brotherhood as if they were ants. I felt an overwhelming power lingering in you that would put those in my outfit feel like mere children in comparison. Honestly the world needs a symbol to stand behind in the days to come. And as a member of the Assembly myself I’d like to offer you a unique position.”

Hayate didn’t say anything for a while instead he turned his back. These were the same words Shinsou used those long years ago to sway Hayate into fallowing him blindly. Would he let himself fall prey to flattery again and piss of Yamato?

“I’m not interested in fighting other people’s wars.”

[Hayate_Amatsukami]

“I’m not asking you to fight, I’m asking you to stand strong and be the hero we need. There is more to this life than battling and waging war for one own ideals. I’m asking you to be the one who endures for the sake of peace. What happened in Tylermande will forever stain your reputation but will also show that when forced to make a decision you, Hayate, are going to stand up for those who can stand for themselves. Don’t think that your history in Akashima has alluded me, I know that you fought to protect your clan.”

“How do you know all this?” Hayate said refusing to look Ioder in the eye. How had this elf become privy to such delicate information?

“The Shields of Alor have eyes in many places…”

“I have my own goals; I’m not willing to get caught up in this fight any more than I have already. Even if you’re suggesting I’ll stay out of conflict I don’t want to be associated with the outcome of this war. The Brotherhood is strong, stronger than you or the Assembly could know and within the month Radasanth will fall.”

“You’re so sure that the might of two estranged wizards is stronger than that of an entire nation, yet have you even considered who was able to stop you from completely destroying Tylermande.” Ioder said as he raised his fist to his chest before conjuring a dark nebula within his hand. “I may have praised your strength and uniqueness but don’t mistake that for fear.” The magic he harnessed swirled briefly before disappearing.

“All I want is to avenge my clan,” he said turning to meet Ioder’s gaze. “To see the light fade from Hiruzen’s eyes as he watches my daggers pierce his chest. Anything that stands in my way will be turned to rot, including you and the entire country if you so choose.”

“Hayate, think for a moment about what you are saying. If you turn the entire world against you then who will be left?” Ioder said as he turned to walk back to the others. “I have no intention of stopping you and you’re free to leave whenever you wish; So long as you refrain from fighting on the side of Shinsou then the Shields will not take arms against you. But consider this, have you ever searched for your family. Our eyes have…”