[i][h3]The Capitol of Barcea[/h3][/i]
The day passed, and the next one came. To begin with, it would seem like it would be another quiet day where rest could be gained... But that didn't last very long.

A messenger arrived from the border, with a panicked look in his eyes. He was very tired, having clearly ridden nonstop for several hours. When he entered the castle Cyril spotted him, and the eyes of the Prince narrowed. A chill went down his back as he immediately realized this meant trouble. Quickly he gave orders to nearby servants, gathering those in the castle under his wing, which meant Ayano followed her way along as well. They were called so that they could arrive just in time for the messenger to almost collapse into a kneeling position in front of the Queen, who began to rise from her throne even before he began to speak.

[b]"Your Highness! H'kela is gathering in force at the border, at the Great Cracks! Gartian is there himself! He says that if you do not meet him there within the day, he will overrun the border!"[/b] The words from the messenger came out in a tumble, even as he gasped for air. He was caked in mud and dirt, drenched with sweat.

The Queen was silent for a moment, having settled back into her throne. Slowly Kori closed her eyes, before she sighed gently and began to stand. [b]"Then I suppose I don't have a choice. I will go to the border, and meet with Gartian. I must try to resolve this peacefully."

"No, Kori!"[/b] Cyril stepped forward then, throwing his hand out to the side. [b]"It’s clearly a trap! Gartian means to draw you out and kill you!"[/b]

Kori gave her brother a gentle smile, slowly nodding. [b]"I know this, Cyril... And yet, as I said, I have no choice. I cannot abandon the border to such a terrible fate; not the soldiers, not the people who live there, and not your Sentinels. I must go."[/b]

Cyril's hand clenched, as did his teeth. After a moment of relaxing himself, he said, [b]"Then I have no choice but to come with you. We'll meet the Sentinels beforehand, and go to the meeting together."[/b]

Kori gave another nod. [b]"Very well then, Cyril. Please, quickly get ready; we don't have much time."[/b]

Preparations were quickly completed; after all, they barely had any time to actually make it to the border before Gartian would carry out his threat. The group gathered, mounted up, and with both Kori and Cyril at the lead began to make their way out of the Capitol. As much as Etsuko didn't like seeing the Queen herself being put in a dangerous position, there wasn't much she could do about it. She turned to Calypso and gave her a slightly strained smile, as she told her tall friend that she should go with them.

[b]"You'll do more good with them than with me. I'll be alright, I promise."[/b]

At first Calypso had blinked at what Etsuko said, as if not quite understanding her. Her eyes then widened slightly, even if her smile didn't fade in the slightest, and then she tilted her head curiously to the side.

[b]"Are you sure...~?"[/b]

Etsuko nodded, her strained smile growing ever so slightly.

[b]"I'm sure."[/b]

For a moment, Calypso was silent before she nodded, giving a slight bounce as she did so. [b]"Alright then, if you say so...~"[/b]

Ayano was left behind for this trip, so she made sure they could hear her farewells, well wishes, and good lucks almost all the way to the inner wall. Etsuko accompanied Ayano and said her goodbyes and good lucks as well, making a point to hug Calypso tightly and tell her quietly, [b]"Come back safely, okay?"[/b]

Once more Calypso was surprised by the hug even if she shouldn't have been, actually jumping slightly and giving a slight gasp, as if Etsuko had squeezed the breath out of her. Smiling more, the tall girl simply gave the Diviner a few pats on the head, beaming down at her.

[b]"You just don't get in any trouble while I'm gone...~"[/b]

When the group passed through the city and it was apparent to the citizens that the Queen was out again, the people quickly gathered, but for once Kori paid little attention to her citizens as the group pushed through. This fact, combined with the realization that the Queen was leaving the Capitol entirely, meant that the usually smiling faces of the people were instead concerned and fearful. The Queen could do little to try and dissuade these concerns, the most she had the time to do being waving before the actually exited through the outer walls.

[i][h3]The Barcean-H’kelan Border – The Great Cracks[/h3][/i]
It took almost the entire day to actually reach the border between Barcea and H'kela, the sun beginning to set in front of them as they approached the region. Known as the Great Cracks, the land here was physically broken with sudden upheavals and splits, as if an axe of a size beyond true comprehension had fallen from above to cleave the land multiple times, leaving a shattered mess behind.

On the Barcea side of the Great Cracks several forts had been erected long ago for the previous wars with their neighbor, and the greatest of these they passed through and found the Sentinels. Waiting and ready on their horses already, they simply joined the train with the rest of them, Alasa going to ride directly beside Cyril for a few moments as he spoke directly to the Prince and the Queen:

[b]"Gartian is still waiting, but we don't have much time. I've got forces stationed on the side of the Cracks, but if he surges through then we won't last long."

"Then we simply can't let him move forward through the Cracks."[/b] The Queen said rather calmly despite the situation. [b]"If he is still waiting for us, then I will meet him there. Keep the soldiers where they are to keep an escape route open, but we'll try to settle this in the narrower pass than in our fields."[/b]

With the orders given, they proceeded into the Great Cracks. The valley they entered from zig-zagged back and forth on its path towards the largest center split, the official border between the two nations. Several canyons and valleys led to this split, and all were quiet as they made their slow, cautious approach...

When they entered the split they could see just how long of a space it was, with half of the entrances and exits on the Barcean side and half on the H'kelan side. They could also see just how many people were waiting for them; dozens of soldiers dressed in yellow were waiting on the H'kelan side just within the split itself, with no telling how many were behind them beyond the Great Cracks.

There were two who stood at the top of the lip of the split up above. One of them was female. She was dressed in very dark robes and had a black mask that covered the lower half of her face (from her nose down), with vibrantly pale eyes and blonde hair. She didn't appear to be carrying a weapon, but her presence was extremely powerful, those sensitive to magic and the unnatural able to sense it easier; like a cold looming dark, a gaping set of jaws waiting to snap just out of sight.

The man on the other hand was dressed in obvious royal clothes and armor of silver and yellow, with a golden crown upon his head. His hair was a deep red with his skin tanned and smooth, and on his face was a look of pure contempt with a terrible gleam of manic glee in his eyes, pulled together with a wicked smirk on his face. As the Sentinels came to a stop, he spoke, his voice loud and piercing:

[b]"What's this then? The Queen of Barcea herself actually came, in all her glory? And look at this, she brings some of her so-called elite soldiers with her! What a terrible threat, I'm positively quivering in my boots, bwahahahahahahah!"[/b]

Kori ignored the abrasive laugh, the blatant hypocrisy, and the clear taunting as she remained calm, expression neutral as she said, [b]"King Gartian, I've come for the truth of this unfortunate incident between us, and to resolve it peacefully."

"The truth? Well that is a simple matter."[/b] This was the woman, whose voice cut through the air despite how 'gentle' it seemed. As she spoke, one hand and arm came up, sort of drawn across the front of her mask.

[b]"Perhaps we might know who you are, first?"

"You may simply refer to me as the Advisor."

"I see..."[/b] The Queen said quietly. [b]"So then, as you were saying?"

"Mmm, yes. We're here to demand payment for the lives of King Gartian's men taken by the Barceans a few days ago. After all, it's terrible manners to kill friendly soldiers trying to help villages beset by the worst bandit attack seen in years..."[/b] Everyone knew that what the Advisor said was a lie, even if she spoke in complete confidence. Even Queen Kori straightened in her seat slightly, but it was the Prince who responded directly to that statement, and he did so loudly as he threw his hand out to the side.

[b]"That's a bald-faced lie! H'kela attacked multiple Barcean villages and razed them to the ground! I saw the aftermath myself, and was attacked by your soldiers that laid in wait!"

"Oh my, is that what you think?"[/b] As the Advisor spoke the hand in front of her face turned to cover her mouth, in mock shock. [b]"How rude of you, Prince. Such bold accusations…"

The Mad King sneered. "Such a violent temper speaks to your guilt, pup! This will call for a weighty punishment. My dear Danmun! It would take an act of CONSIDERABLE good faith to make up for this slight, hah! But even with such tensions between us, I'll be unable to keep myself from weeping openly about your poor people, hah! What a terrible way to go, burned alive!"[/b]

Cyril snarled, about to shout something else, but he immediately stopped when Kori brought her hand up, gently placing it on his shoulder. [b]"Peace, Cyril. King Gartian, surely we can sort this out without such unpleasantness, and such loud displays of force."

"Without even a little, itty bitty sorry? Then why the hell would I meet with you at all? I'm within my rights to have the heads of those who killed our soldiers this instant and be on my way home with time to have them cleaned to drink from!"

"You bastard!"[/b] Cyril snarled-

[b]"Really, my dear Queen, control your puppy before someone gets hurt. I’m not against kicking them."[/b] In response to the taunt by the King, Cyril ground his teeth, but Gartian continued on without paying the Prince any mind, focused on Kori. [b]"Now then, you royal blueness, perhaps we can arrange a trade? You give me the Gift, and I let you all leave without anyone getting hurt, that sound fair?"[/b] If the air wasn't tense before, upon the mention of the Gift things became so much worse as Kori slowly inhaled, and out of the corner of his eye Damon looked over to her.

Slowly, Kori's hand came up to her own chest, where it stopped just above her breasts, fingers curled in so they lightly rested on where her sternum was. [b]"... Never."[/b] For once, she spoke with authority unsullied by gentleness. With that, she looked up to Gartian. [b]"You would ask for Barcea's royal treasure? But why?"

"Because I know the tale my dear! I know where it came from! A Gift from the Divines themselves, one that changes to suits the user's needs! I have desired it for years, you know. YEARS! And yet, every year, my birthday and even holidays come and go with nothing from Barcea. You even stopped sending the bloodshed as of late your father made a tradition of, and that's all I looked forward to, heh heh..."[/b]

[b]"The Gift's power is not meant for petty acts, King Gartian. It is meant to be used for the greatest of responsibilities. Do you have even the slightest of noble wishes to use it for?"

"I want what every good, patriotic H'kelan wants, my dear... A GRISLY END FOR EVERY LAST BARCEAN, AND THEIR ROYAL FAMILY’S HEADS ON PIKES. WHAT COULD BE NOBLER THAN THAT?!”[/b] As Gartian’s voice rose, flecks of saliva flew freely as he snarled. [b]“Surely you have not forgotten what the last Barcean King did to our people? Your father named us heathens, demanded we worship Ambrosia instead of Danmun! His 'crusade' across H'kelan butchered countless of my subjects and my kin, brought suffering to our people and exhausted our resources!"[/b]

For a moment Kori was silent as she looked down, but soon enough she looked back up to the King of H'kela. [b]"... I have never denied Barcea's past wrongdoings. There were many, and we all know that. But I have sworn to never repeat those mistakes. Ours is now a realm of peace."

"YOURS IS NOW A HAVEN OF PRIDEFUL HYPOCRISY, AND YOU'RE AN EYESORE AND A SOURCE OF A PERPETUAL MIGRAINE! NOW GIVE ME THE GIFT!"

"I refuse, Gartian. It is not yours to have-"

"Uuuuuugh.... Taaaaalk talk-talk-talk-talk-TALK! Fine, if you’re going to be so stubborn!”[/b] Gartian thrust his hand forwards, the insane gleam in his eyes brightening. [b]“It’s time to return to your home, Ambassador Cade! I’m afraid that it will be no longer safe in Barcea any longer for you, and your family would be absolutely distraught if I let you go now to your death, they might just die!”[/b]

Ennis lowered his head as eyes began to turn to him. A braver yet more foolish man would have called out the mad King, martyring himself for what he believed to be right. Ennis, however, knew Gartian enough to be able to visual the consequences that would befall his kin if he began showing his backbone now. Likewise, if he showed his hand now his plans of recruiting his father's men to his cause would be blown away like dust in the wind. He knew he didn't really have an option (not until he had words with his father, at the very least), but still the idea of jumping at Gartian's call like a lap dog did not sit well with him. After a few quiet seconds the Ambassador nodded, gave a knowing smile to Kori, and began heading towards the other side. All in all, it wasn't quite the escort he wanted, but it would do the trick.

Something hit him in the back of the knee and he stumbled to his knees, a strong arm wrapping around his body as something cold pricked against his neck. An angered voice growled into his ears as the knife threatened to slice his jugular: [b]"Now where the fuck do you think you're going?"

"Vesta, I think it would be best if you just—"[/b]

She locked her knife arm around his neck, cutting off his ability to speak.

[b]"No, I think it'd be best if we no longer hear what you have to say,"[/b] she said, taking her knife in her other hand and waving it in front of his face. Her voice whispered hot on his ear. [b]"If that bastard wants to kill us all, I see no reason why we should act any differently. The Queen would be too busy to read any postmortem letters from an enemy, anyway."

"Cyril,"[/b] said Vesta, jerking her body so that she could look back at the Prince with hard, gray eyes. Her voice was hushed and low so that only those close to her could hear. [b]"This man knows too much about the state of our forces. If we let him cross the border he will surely feed any information we have to that bastard. All of our advantages will be lost. It'd be better for us if he was a bargaining chip,"[/b] she said, [b]"or a corpse."[/b]

[i]This damn woman is going to ruin everything,[/i] thought Ennis as he grunted in pain, his eyes darting around for some sign of help.

[b]"Another snapping dog?! My Danmun, and I'm the one who is supposed to be rabid!"[/b] King Gartian cackled, finding nothing more than delight in what was happening below. On the other hand Cyril grit his teeth, eyes narrowing. What Vesta said made sense, so if he said anything against it then it would be too obvious-

Kori was the one who came to the rescue, bringing up her hand and holding it out to the side, across Cyril's chest, as if to keep him from speaking. Her gaze was firm, looking into Vesta's eyes without the slightest tremor. [b]"Just because it is their way does not mean it is our way, Vesta. Not anymore. Let him go, and return to his family. I will not be responsible for murder, even if it may lead to war."

"Gah, how boring!"[/b] Gartian groaned loudly.

Vesta's eyes narrowed. Whatever the woman was actually thinking was impossible to read as she looked from Cyril to Kori, but it was clear enough from her hesitation that Vesta was at least considering her options. The knife did not move from Ennis's neck. However, after a few seconds that felt like all of eternity the former Captain's glare softened into a seemingly sad, almost pained look. 

[b]"Of course, Your Majesty,"[/b] said Vesta with slumped shoulders. 

Biting her lip, Vesta let go of Ennis and pushed him forward with a light, almost gentle shove. The ambassador sputtered out another cough before regaining his composure and smoothing his clothes that had been roughed up. Vesta watched with a sour look on her face as the man began to amble towards the horde of H'kelan soldiers. Crossing her arms, Vesta stepped back towards Kori and lowered her voice. 

[b]"I fear we may one day end up regretting that decision,"[/b] she said. [b]"Assuming we even make it that long."

"I understand, Vesta."[/b] The Queen responded quietly, giving a nod. [b]"If that be the case, then you have every right to point out my mistake."[/b] Ahead, the H'kelan soldiers parted slightly as the ambassador approached... And then, suddenly, Gartian gave a sharp wave of his hand. Several soldiers suddenly collapsed on Ennis, grabbing him by the arms and rushing him away speedily, the sudden movements making Cyril snarl in anticipation and Kori inhale sharply as she looked back up to Gartian.

[b]“Now then, it's time to speak louder than words! This negotiation is over, your royal sapphireness! I'll have the Gift if I have to pry it from your dead hands!"[/b] With another snap of his fingers, the Rabid King's men moved forwards quickly, and more swarmed from where they had been hiding out of sight, among the splits and cracks. At the forefront of this swarm were archers, and even as Cyril yelled in alarm a hail of arrows were sent forwards, direct at them and the horses, with most of them aimed for the Queen and Prince themselves.

In that split second, many moved. Even as Sampson brought up his shield to protect Diane, there were those who had the ability to protect larger portions of the group all at once. Joachim was one of those, suddenly running from left to right across the front of half the group. In that movement he drew his blade in one swing, and across the front of that portion of the group a deeply purple and black flare burst into existence; the arrows that struck it dissolved away into nothing as he came to a stop, sheathing his blade once again.

On the other side, one of the louder yells came from Christopher, but rather than being one of fear it was one of action. He leapt from his horse, and as he came down onto the ground he brought his fists down onto it with an earth shattering blow. Electricity crackled and exploded down, and the very earth itself trembled as a shower of rock and dirty flew high up into the air, his horse skittering back and away in fear. Though this method wasn’t full proof to block every arrow, unlike Joachim’s, it was enough to thin the swarm so that those defending actually had a chance to survive. It allowed individuals like Alasa a chance to actually duck out of the way, or Calypso to use her knives in deft movements to deflect arrows away.

The two major moves of defense against the volley did not cover the Queen or Prince, but that was because the Divine Paladin had already been moving to in front of them. Throwing his arms out to the side in front of them, the Paladin was able to use his own body to shield both of the royals; every arrow meant for them, he took instead. His body shook with each impact, well over a dozen arrows piercing him. They filled his chest, covered his arms, and even stuck through his head, his dark robes being stained with blood even as he stood there.

For a moment, he remained standing, and then he fell to his knees. Slowly his head tilted upwards, and then his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he crumbled backwards, falling back onto his own legs as his arms splayed out. Up above, Gartian began to laugh wildly, pointing as he did so and holding his gut.

[b]“LOOK AT THAT! SEEMS THE DIVINES NO LONGER SMILE UPON THAT SOLDIER-“[/b]

He then went silent as the massive man suddenly lunged upwards, back to his feet. Even full of arrows the Divine Paladin grinned, holding his hands out to either side. Slowly but surely, the arrows snapped from his body, before the heads were pushed out by his very flesh as it stitched itself back together. Looking upwards once again, Damon Dubois proclaimed loudly, [b]“Praise be to the Divines in their infinite wisdom. Pray to whichever one ye like for mercy, be it Danmun or otherwise, for I will give none.”[/b]

Gartian then continued roaring with laughter, clapping as he did so. Even as he laughed he turned, beginning to walk out of sight as the Advisor turned to follow.

Down below, the Barcean side exploded into movement. Even as Alasa rushed forwards to escort the Queen back and out of harm’s way, Cyril drew his blade and thrust it forwards, shouting, [b]“CHARGE! DON’T LET THE ARCHERS FIRE AGAIN!”[/b]

Joachim was the fastest, closing the distance with the H'kelans in a flash. Though many of the heavier armored soldiers attempted to form a defensive line in front of the archers, he slipped through the closing gap and was upon the archers. Drawing his blade with one fluid motion, he spun back and forth, no one safe as he continued dashing back and forth. Soldiers began to scream as they were cut and knocked back, but their screams never stopped as not a life was taken, even as more soldiers threw themselves at him only to be cut back again.

The sparing of life was ended as the Direwolf was the second to close the gap, leaping from his horse and to the ground. In the time it took for him to draw his blade and take his stance, those at the front of the H'kelan line were able to close the gap and have their heavy shields raised. It was enough to make Alsius smirk, and the smirk remained even as he charged forwards, thrust, and simply stabbed through the first shield in front of him, sending cracks blossoming through it before it simply shattered and his blade struck true into the soldier's heart. From there, he continued on forwards into the thick of them, shattering the line.

Even as the H'kelans struggled to deal with the both Joachim and Alsius, others surged past them to begin closing the distance with the rest of the Barceans in return. However, Damon was already stepping forwards, and in between his fingers he held long, thin knives which he flung forwards, each finding their mark in some sort of gap in armor. His hands then went down, and from his sleeves two heavy hammers dropped into his grip. The one in his right was black, while the one in his left was right, and he brought them both up and out to the side as the soldiers fell upon him.

[b]"PRAISE THE DIVINES IN YER DYING BREATH, SO THAT THEY MAY LOOK UPON YE IN FAVOR AFTER LIFE."[/b] The moment he had finished shouting this, the black hammer crashed down upon the first head, crushing it and the armor around it with ease. The white one was then swung to the side, crashing into one man to fling him into another, sending both crumpling. Even as Damon landed these hits, other H'kelans carved into him with their weapons, the Paladin's blood flying freely, but the man only grinned and laughed as he continued on his culling.

Though these three may have had the ability to move separately from the others, the Sentinels stuck together and worked as a unit. Sampson and Gortul led the way, both riding on horseback for as long as they could and using the advantage of height against their enemies before they were finally able to leap from their mounts and send them retreating back down the split. Sampson took the lead, his shield up and blocking blows as he simply crashed through, often using his shield to bash as much as his sword to cut. Gortul was right with him, swinging his axe back and forth to cut down those who still stood after Sampson cleared the path. Diane remained behind as the healer, but she was still active, often shouting to both Sampson and Gortul, who listened even through the battle for her warnings.

With his horse long gone, Christopher swore once before he ran forwards as well, fists at the ready. Using his forearms to block against the first blade swung against him, the sword bouncing from his gauntlets with nasty sparks of electricity, he then brought his fist into the stomach of the man who had attacked him, crumpling the armor and sending electricity crackling through the man, which was more than enough to cause him to drop. From there he moved to the next, actually ducking to the side to avoid the overhead blow from the war hammer before striking out, both shattering the handle of the weapon being used against him and several of the man's ribs.

As Christopher proceeded forwards with his clunky crushing, Calypso was almost the opposite. She leapt down from Sir Mauls-a-lot, rolling against the ground before springing up and dashing forwards. With her two largest knives drawn she spun into the thickest group of H'kelans near her, and soon ribbons of blood were spinning through the air as she carved into whatever flesh she could find. Even as more than a little bit of her victims splattered over her the strange woman continued to smile, and though it seemed calm being matched with the blood began to make it seem utterly manic.

The Prince was not one to be left behind, but he remained on his horse as he approached the H'kelans, and even as he began to hack away at them. Though he was more than focused on what was immediately going on around him, especially as he quickly reacted to nearby threats, but he also had his mind turned to the battle as a whole. He knew that Gartian had forces waiting beyond the Cracks, and if they surged into the canyons they wouldn't survive for long... So, his intent was to break the H'kelans in front of them and send them retreating, so that the Prince could lead his own forces to his waiting armies.

The next few minutes would be what mattered the most.