With their heads back in the ga, the three joined back up with the rest. "Finally! So," Daiyu imdiately turned back to the general upon seeing their return, "What’s the situation?"
The general looked to the soldier manning the transceiver. She spoke into the radio and glanced back up, "Uh, good morning to you all-"
"Skip to the point!" Fuko slamd the table.
"UH! Y-yes, there’s been a sighting of a magic user in the southern region, near the Trailonian camp. Company Four have been encroaching onto the base for the past few days, but w-were apparently halted and forced to move back.
They say winds started to pick up the bolted down tents and sandstorms caused lacerations to several soldiers who’re being transported her right now."
"Must be an elite," Fuko reiterated with a hand to her chin, "By the sounds of things-"
"The Encircling Gale-"
"Hey! I was getting to that!" Fuko swivelled back to Jotou. Jotou—now more put together—stuck her tongue out.
"If it’s the Encircling Gale..." Hotaru’s ears fell.
"The second most powerful," Fuko composed herself.
"I don’t care if he’s even the most powerful, we’re here exactly for this. Jotou?" Daiyu turned.
"Hm?" Jotou faced and the others all looked to the blonde. "Oh, plan, right, sorry; early plus a bit of a lousy sleep." Sunrays had barely pierced the horizon.
"So that’s why you look a bit cranky," Asobi tilted her head.
"Wouldn’t be the only reason-"
"Ahem," Hotaru cleared her throat over Fuko’s words. "You need so proper sleep, but for now, Rejuvenate," she raised the back of her hand and splashed onto Jotou.
Jotou pivoted her neck, her eyes waxed open wider. "Alrighty, tell the soldiers coming towards us to head back and stand in a position furthest away, but still level with the Trailonian Base.
Hotaru and Feyan will heal anyone injured while we’re there. As for Gale, I can only make a better plan once I actually see the situation."
Feyan nodded, "We have to move out right now then."
"I call one horse!" Daiyu raised her hand.
"Only you, the admiral and I know how to ride steeds I believe, we will have to each bring along another," Feyan looked to the odd number of them.
"Fus can just blink across the entire way."
"What and lose all my mana in the process?" Fuko squinted. "I’ll just get a horse of my own," she gave a smug grin.
"No," Jotou rolled her eyes. "Feyan and Asobi are the lightest, I’m sure Fuko can squeeze in. Co on, ti’s ticking."
_
"Tock-tock, tock-tock, tfff," The horses neighed to a halt. The plateaus had shifted from orange to yellowish-whites, the sand even where they stood picked up and swirled lightly.
The dawn had shown its colours and from the slope they had to descend, all seven of them revolved their heads to their right... And oh boy was it a sight...
Within the vast valley of sand, were countless cyclones, growing and shrinking constantly. Bits of sunlight speckled across the glittering typhoons of sands.
In the far distance, the light could only make out a shadow of a figure taking slow steps towards the east, their arms out. Every gust of wind circled from their wrists in a whitish-green hue; the sa hue that intertwined with the sand in the air.
The raging whirlwinds made quite the racquet, the entire playing field hard to oversee. "They should be right below us!" Daiyu shouted out, much to the dismay of the blonde right behind her.
"Let’s go already then!" Fuko poked Feyan in the side. As the horses picked up their pace, she was only squished in between him and Asobi, leading to a growl from the brunette.
Their hooves clopped down the incline and circled back into the chasm, now level with the incoming tempests as they spotted the tents being set up and being braced by their allies.
"It’s the princess!" one of them yelled, spotting their arrival in between the lightly drifting sand. They leapt of their horses and once the steeds were tended to, they spoke to the company’s captain.
"Where’re all the injured, we can heal them," Hotaru raised her hands which trickled with water.
"The tent furthest back to the right, they should be stable for now, the dics stationed can inform you of the more severe cases, thank you," the captain swivelled her attention to the rest of them.
Hotaru nodded to Feyan and they both rushed off in search of the location. "Don’t worry! We’re here to help!" Asobi cheered.
The captain frowned and turned to the princess, "With all due respect, I expected the orders would be to retreat. Do you really believe, we can compete with that?" she looked to the tornadoes.
"It picked up our soldiers and threw them across sands and rocks, even sucked them in and ripped them apart where we couldn’t even recover their bodies... We’re forty-seven n down."
Daiyu half-closed her right eye, "Where’s your resolve huh?"
The captain’s eyes widened, "I apologize princess, the situation just seems dire. No bullets can barely make contact and we only worry about firing a tank shell."
"Well that’s a good start, we can’t use range to our advantage," Fuko crossed her arms.
"Probably..." Jotou pondered before glancing up to the captain, "Hotaru and Feyan can heal your troops, aning more hands to aid in a retreat if it cos to it.
On the other hand, if you just retreated, you’ll have to co back here eventually and our enemy could shift and change the location, lay traps or even advance on the playing field towards us.
There’s always a chance, there’s always a weakness. We just need to find it," Jotou looked to the hurricanes and sandstorms, slowly approaching... ’Slowly...?’
"If their goal was to end this company’s stay here as soon as possible then they would’ve done it already," Jotou relayed.
"You’re saying there’s an ulterior motive?" the captain queried.
"Or this is as fast as they can go," Fuko guessed.
"No reason for an ulterior motive," Jotou continued. "I’d also guess that what happened to our soldiers would likely happen to theirs if they step too close."
"So, no backup’s behind it," Fuko finished off.
"If Gale can control the wind, can’t they also not make it hurt their own people?" Asobi poked a wand to her chin.
"If I had to guess, it’s a manipulation affinity. How hard is it to do that?" Jotou faced the two that could.
Arabella thought for a second and moved her hand, shifting the sand up in a crescent.
"She’s right," Daiyu replied. "That’s freaking wind, it’s not the sa as sothing that barely budges."
"Which ans that earth would have more order to it," Fuko theorized.
"So wind’s chaotic, maybe making it harder to control. Alright, that doesn’t really matter, different train of thought then," Jotou scoured her mind for options.
"Whether or not they have backup is pointless, the main target is there. The winds will try and harm us regardless. But why isn’t it reaching here?"
"It must have a range," Fuko joined in on the blonde’s process. "The further away you are, the harder to control the elents?"
"That tracks," Daiyu sided.
"Range will be redirected," Jotou went back to plotting.
"Getting close’ll tear us apart."
"Slowly approaching with wind."
"Sand’s the main issue, we can take a little wind."
Jotou and Fuko spoke back and forth. The soldiers around seed in a panic and even so awestruck to stand and stare for a second at the Undying Princess’s and the Thundering Blade’s presence.
The captain waited patiently while Jotou went silent. "Detective?"
"I could," Fuko winced.
"You’ll need a distraction."
"Hey, for the rest of us who can’t read minds?" Daiyu leaned forward.
"Do you have a plan Jotou?" Asobi tilted her head, "Sothing with making a distraction?"
"Kinda forming one and not exactly," Jotou took a deep breath and faced them. "Our first priority would be resistance. Retreating cannot be an option, they’re banking on either that or wiping us out.
aning all these soldiers need to be protected, none of them can be useful in fighting Gale. Daiyu, I know you’re not gonna like this, but," Jotou scrunched her face, "You’re not gonna fight today."
"Dammit!"
"You need to use your Stone Surge spell and make a giant barricade from the front. Try to make it curve upwards to get sothing more aerodynamic to push the wind and sand away."
"To protect this company?" Daiyu bobbed her head from side to side, "Yeah I can do that."
"Great. Asobi, you’re not the distraction, that’s and Arabella."
Arabella’s eyes waxed open at first, but they narrowed and she nodded firmly without hesitation.
"Then what do you need to do?" Asobi stared.
"I’ve seen you do it once before. Make illusions co to life on a grand scale and sear through the enemy."
"I... don’t know if can do that much..."
Jotou smiled and shook her head, "No need to, I’m just saying you’re capable. Your illusions won’t at all be affected by the wind or the sand, but I assu you’ll need to see the target to cast any illusions around him."
"Mhm!"
"Invisibility is pointless in the sandstorm, but if you can get to a good vantage point back the way we ca, you can send multiple illusions in. Whatever they may be, put on a show for the soldiers below I guess."
"Can do!" Asobi saluted.
"Once the sand starts dying down, send in your illusions and manifest the one closest to him to attack him if need be; get as close as you can, but if the winds start hurting you or pushing you away too much, back off."
"Understood."
"Asobi’s getting the kill?" Daiyu questioned.
"No, that honour shall go to yours truly," the smug-smirked brunette laid a hand on her chest.
"Keep being cocky detective. Fuko will blink forwards till she can take him out; after we deal with the sand. Arabella can control the sands from hurting us, moving it away.
Which ans as long as and her can push through the wind, we can make it close enough to cause a distraction. Arabella can shift the sand beneath, I can do other things.
Whatever happens, we’ll do enough that Gale’s attention goes to the both of us. If he ignores us, the more things we do till he has no choice, but to redirect so of the wind towards us.
Once that opening is there and the winds beco less violent to the sides of the chasm, Fuko can stick to the walls and blink far and fast enough to make quick work of Gale.
I’m gambling on the fact that there’s only so much wind Gale can control. Otherwise the sandstorms would’ve reached us by now. It’s down to Asobi’s illusion range or Fuko’s speed.
We don’t know what armour this person has, no clue what their full potential is and there’s no way to find it out right now. Our best bet, is a quick and surprising kill," the blonde finished.
"Thank you. I’ll relay this to our n then," the captain bowed her head before rushing off.
"Well, we have a plan. Let’s throw them hell," Daiyu stretched.
Jotou smiled, "And if things go south, we fight till we win."
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