Tales of the Sword

The Mistress

The smell of ashy smoke filled the air. The distant crackles of burning fire reminded Graydon of what was taking place.
His muscles pulsed. Breath felt ragged and exhausted from all the fighting. Even then, he gripped Judgement tight with both hands, its metal shining different shades of red.
Graydon raised that same blade in a flash as two other swords clanged off his violently. He had slain many people today, yet still more kept coming, like the two standing in front of him now.
He could see a Mirain tattoo just underneath one of their hooded cloaks.
He used to be Mirain, Graydon thought pitifully, and he launched forward.
"Imposters to her throne shall not last!" The other one cried in their clash with Graydon. Admittedly, the man's sword was not strong enough to withstand Graydon's, and he fell to the ground as the broken sword hit the floor.
To the terrace floor that was littered with bodies.
The shouts of rebellion still rang through Toride's streets as Graydon and the former Mirain just stared. His face was contorted with sweat, but something else... calm. Graydon waited to see what his opponent's next move would be.
Don't get yourself killed, Graydon hoped.
"Do you see now how you are nothing more than an imposter?" The man taunted, tongue spewing Tekian words.
Graydon angled Judgement in his direction, responding, "All I see is a brother wasting his last chance to stand down." In Tekian as well.
"Then you are looking in a mirror!" There was the slide of leather as the man stowed his weapon at his hip. "Only the strongest can inherit her throne."
"Is that why you destroy everything but me?" Graydon was beginning to feel that familiar boil deep inside him. "Because I am weak?"
"In more ways than one. And, when we meet again, you shall see exactly why."
And just like that, the cloaked man turned and ran. Graydon's right foot hesitated to pursue, but he stayed in place. The last words the man had said echoed in Graydon's head. ...when we meet again, you shall see exactly why.
Graydon thought for a moment what the man had meant by that. The man sounded so sure he would cross paths with Graydon again and that alone had him curious. And also skeptical. But these thoughts only lasted that long when his ears focused back on the distant fighting.
There was a swish of wind behind Graydon.
"Dric!" Asuka's voice was urgent. The body of Graydon's second-in-command was consumed in the chaos and effects of prolonged battle. Bloody cuts, torn cloth, and heavy breaths. "There has been more contact in the south!"
"I thought it had been secured." Graydon gruffed.
Asuka's eyes responded as they only looked up at Graydon. They were filled with urgency and expectancy. He waited for Graydon to make his next order. After a glance to the wet terrace he stood on, crumbled and desolate, but empty and safe his eyes met Asuka's, obscured by a heavy mask.
"The western canals are secure, round up all our bladesmen in the area you find and martial them to the south!" Graydon picked up into a run shouting back to Asuka, "I shall be there when you arrive!"
Graydon heard Asuka's voice respond, except he had already gained so much distance he couldn't tell what words were what. Instead, he looked forward, dashing across the numerous canals and down streets of toppled carts to Toride's southern reaches.
He never doubted becoming Gunji's next emperor would have had ill results for its people. After its last empress' tyranny, the land had nearly no say when Graydon was crowned.
"My tozoku," Unmei had said, "you are a very quiet man, but there are only few I know who are as keen as you." As much as those words had consoled him, he knew what she asked of him, and he knew how the land would react after a new ruler was forced upon it, removable only through a vote in the United Provinces no less.
And he didn't see that vote coming anytime soon.
Now, all that had come to pass. Gunji Teki was broken into a chaotic civil war. As it always turned out, loyalty of the thousands held more sway over wisdom of the one.
His feet came to a halt as he felt eyes on him. Down a nearby alley, he sensed a sinister pair looking his way. When Graydon glanced that direction, an unrecognizable figure ducked out of view in retreat.
It was obvious they were just another roaming rebel, and growing angry from his thoughts, he promised not to let this one run like the last had. Veering down the narrow shadowed path, Graydon gave pursuit.

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It was like it was planned the way the rebel fled. As Graydon followed, never once taking his eyes off them, he saw they never hesitated at any turn. They never looked back to see if their pursuer was no longer there.
It was like Graydon was being led.
Whether it was true or not, he decided it did not matter. Sooner or later, he would catch ground with his target and their show of speed would be over. He stopped for a second when they suddenly cut onto a one-way bridge leading deep into the river, next to the Tanyin Wheel. The bridge that led to the massive tower that powered that wheel, the Goncobin.
He looked upon it as the figure vanished inside. "You've cornered yourself." He muttered, for he knew the only way in or out was across this very bridge.
He glanced around for any bladesmen who could assist, but aside from the bloody sounds in the distance, it was like Graydon and that man were the only people in this world. And so, he steadied Judgement in both his hands, and in one breath, rushed across the bridge and into the Goncobin.
Inside, the interior was dark and the smell of fire smoke hung in the air. He noticed doused torches on several sconces as its source, no doubt very recently extinguished. The atrium stretched above him, he was sure, all the way to the roof, and he could still hear the low thrums of the magic stone that powered the Tanyin Wheel.
In the center of the main floor, Graydon stood, almost still as a statue, watching, listening. Waiting.
"The warrior followed his enemies even into darkness." A slender voice rung out behind him, but when he veered around, no one was there. Then it continued from high above him. "How poetic."
"Show yourself." Graydon called.
"Why should I?" The voice echoed back, this time in another direction. "Why, I'm sure you know the thrill of hiding all too well." Then it began to speak in multiple places at once. "That power knowing you have the element of surprise. That ectsasy you feel as the prey may as well be at your knees."
"Are you of the rebellion? Demon?"
"Demon? No." There was a breeze and the noise of wind behind Graydon. His eyes gravitated that way until they locked onto a man adorned in a deep purple coat, white scales briefly exposed beneath the hood. "We prefer dragon, actually."
"We?" Graydon grew more alert when he scanned the dark interior again. Sure enough, this time he barely saw two other figures, obviously cloaked in what was likely the same material as the one who stood in front of him now.
Graydon's eyes narrowed. His grip on his blade tightened. "What business do you have here, dragonborn?"
"Please, that name is too inconsiderate." The one in front complained. "Allow us an introduction." The second called from above. "We are the frost diviners, three in body, one in mind." The third from far behind Graydon finished.
"Excuse me if I do not care to try and comprehend that meaning."
"Many have tried anyway. You would be no different in the outcome." Graydon swung out at the diviner in front of him, but caught cold, wintery air as they abruptly vanished. The voice came from beside Graydon as the dragonborn reappeared.
"Such a primitive act." The diviners taunted in unison.
Graydon stood straight, eyes glaring and hand pulling tight against the scarf over his mouth. "What is your business here?" He demanded again.
"To reveal to you your fate." He heard the silent footsteps as the two other diviners stepped to the main floor near him. "And what this course has destined you for."
"Ah, is that why you lured me into the Goncobin alone?"
At the edge of Graydon's vision, they began to circle around him. "As I'm sure you know," they sang, "fate is a difficult thing to recount on to crowds. Especially a fighting one."
"Last I checked, it was just as easy to scream words in battle."
The air around Graydon began to grow cold, no doubt some sort of magic on their part. "You are like many people who forget. There is a difference between speaking words, and speaking the truth."
"Is this going to be a philosophy debate then?" Graydon's eyes were shifting every second from one diviner to the next.
"More a proclamation of your coming death." The dragonborn began to inch forward, and Graydon still held his ground. Turning inward, he felt the golden aura resting inside him. Knowing what was likely to come, he brought it closer to the surface, keeping it ready.
"If it is my unchangeable fate," Graydon spoke, "then surely you aren't needed."
"Well," one of them hissed, "sometimes fate can be expedited!" Graydon felt the three of them lunge for him. Their cold claws, he felt, were mere inches from his skin when he willed Judgement to glow with life, a dim but vibrant gold.
In this instant, he shouted one thing, "Sisters!"
The golden light exploded from himself and his blade. In a blinding flash, the diviners staggered a few steps back as they shielded their eyes. When it was gone, Graydon's heart warmed at the two spirits who now hovered on either side.
Their gleaming, transparent skin of gold emanated more light than surely all the torches inside could muster. In their hands, spiritual, almost divine lances. On their heads, he recognized the determined and loyal faces of his two sisters, Aileen and Sarah.
Together they looked back at Graydon, family love in their eyes. They ushered him a nod as the diviners picked themselves back up. And everyone charged.

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Judgement swung down against one of the diviners who rose an arm up to block. The blade collided into the arm, splitting a few scales but otherwise coming to a complete halt.
When Graydon pulled his blade away, he realized it took more effort than normal to do so, because it was as if Judgement had become frozen to that dragon's body. A clawed hand reached out to strike from the diviner's other arm, which Graydon attempted to fiercely bat away. But it clung to the scarf around his neck, numbingly cold energy seeping from the fingers. He could feel it beginning to burn against the skin beneath the scarf.
Suddenly, the diviner's grip was snatched away, the lance of Sarah plowing straight into the dragon's gut with such force that it tumbled many feet away into the base of a pillar.
"Thank you Sarah!" Graydon roared. A small symphony of melodic tones resonated from her in response.
A less than comforting chant of some kind rang out from high above the two. Graydon looked up just as the second diviner outstretched his hands toward them from the upper balcony. A wave of winter like a heavy blizzard erupted from his palms, cascading right in his and Sarah's direction.
Graydon shielded and steeled himself against what would come, but felt a heavy pulse in front of him as his body only caught the fragments of a gentle breeze. He looked up and saw Aileen's spirit right in front of him, celestial energy pooled out like a barrier which halted the diviner's cold attack.
But Graydon grew worried. The attack poured on as the diviner roared out in the way a dragon would, and he saw Aileen's barrier beginning to crack. The third diviner was also sneaking up from her side, an icy dagger aimed straight for her.
"Rah!" Graydon cried out in anger, sprinting shoulder first into the dragon. The momentum sent the diviner onto his back, the dagger clattering across the floor into a darkened corner. He didn't waste a breath in sinking Judgement into the leg of that monster seconds after, with so much force it sank below the scales, and it let out a pained screech.
But Graydon still felt that breeze, and turned to look back at Aileen.
"Aileen!" He caught the barest glimpse of her just before the barrier shattered completely. The blizzard completely engulfed Aileen, that golden aura being overtaken by the blueish color of that diviner's winter. Finally the attack ended as the dragon ducked behind a pillar, and Aileen was gone.
But something was off. Graydon had never known how he had gotten these powers, but he was always able to feel his sister's spirits and call upon them when he needed.
This wasn't the case. Graydon didn't feel Aileen at all anymore. His body clenched as tense as it could, mind focused as hard as it would allow. But there was nothing. Aileen didn't return.
"NO!" It felt like watching Aileen die all over again. Graydon couldn't stop the tears that suddenly poured from his eyes. His breath came in ragged and choppy. And his eyes darted in every direction like he'd find her if he just looked hard enough.
The diviner Graydon had punctured picked himself up with a limp, the one on the balcony laughed malignantly, and the third one had stood up and now circled from a distance behind. Suddenly Graydon's vision felt like it filled with red shades. The golden hues Sarah gave off were gone, all replaced with bloody colors.
It was like a volcano erupted. Judgement swung over Graydon's head, released in an overhead throw toward the dragon high above. It arced with intense speed, and the dragon had to leap off the balcony to the floor to avoid the throw. Graydon's now free hands lashed out at the grounded diviner, hands clasping around the neck as Sarah met blow for blow against the other two.
"What did you do to her!?" Graydon boomed.
His hands strangled the throat of his quarry, for in this moment, Graydon truly didn't care what the answer was. He only felt the unadulterated rage that wanted justice for his sister. Even still, the diviner managed a croaked laugh.
"Exactly what shall be done to everyone else if you stand in the mistress' way." A flash of light and Graydon was forced to duck out of the way of razor sharp icicles that shot from the diviner's body, who now coughed and scrambled to his feet.
Mistress? Who was the mistress? Truthfully, Graydon didn't care in this moment. His rage only wanted to end the lives of these devious villains. Judgement was far above Graydon, out of his reach, but he knew he didn't need it.
The two other diviners appeared at the coughing one's side in a cloud of ice, a line of blood coursing down their bodies. At that same time, Graydon felt Sarah hover beside him, the point of her lance barely visible out of the corner of his eye.
His hand gripped tight to his scarf, Aileen's scarf, around his face. That rage still coursed through him as the diviners both spoke in a weaker unison.
"The death of thousands shall rest on your hands Dric!" Their hands rose and fell, fingers preparing some sort of magic. Graydon's feet pressed into the ground, ready to fight back against whatever they brought. "Concede the power you hold! You are not welcome in her throne!" They warned.
"No." Graydon's only response. The three cried out in stress as their magic was unleashed. Graydon braced against it, but felt nothing. The magic shot from their hands like a beam of winter, but it was not aimed in his or Sarah's direction. They were aiming up.
The beam tore into the interior frames of the Goncobin, shredding the walls and turning the pillars into splintered sticks. The beam decimated everything inside. Graydon grew confused as to their intentions, but Sarah dashed all around him in fright. Then, it clicked.
They were destroying the Tanyin Wheel. Just as the realization dawned on Graydon, the diviners' magic stopped and without a word, they disappeared in a similar cloud of ice. Rumbling vibrations filled Graydon's feet and the atmosphere as he knew more than the tower was about to collapse.
It was too late to do anything, the damage had already been done.
"Sarah, blink!" In an instant, Sarah vanished, and Graydon made a break for the archway out of the collapsing tower. Everything came down around him as he narrowly escaped across the bridge, before that too crumbled into the water.
An even deeper rumble filled the entire land as Graydon kept running higher, and higher, and higher.
"There's nothing I can do to stop this." He muttered between breaths as guilt filled him. The Tanyin Wheel powered many of the canals, and it also controlled the flow of the water.
Graydon could only watch from a higher point as the river rose at great speed. Its waves crashed down into Toride's streets as the entire city began to flood.

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Graydon couldn't remember when the flooding finally ended. Or when he had finally sat down and allowed a moment to collect his thoughts. Or when Asuka had showed up by his side. It was all a haze for him, because all he could think about was his home as a child.
Attacked and demolished. Everyone killed, including his parents. It was all coming back to him in a rush, and the weight of it all made him feel like he was drowning.
"Emperor." Asuka's muffled voice cut through Graydon's thoughts, "you still here?"
Graydon's eyes looked over to Asuka. He still wore his mask, though Graydon could only assume Asuka's face was worried. But behind him, Graydon could see all of it.
The aftermath.
He and Asuka currently rested on a high-up clearing outside Toride. Its vantage gave a perfectly full view of the city. Before, it may have been a beautiful spot to be. But now, it only reminded Graydon of the damage his actions had brought.
Not one building was free from the grip of the over-flowing river. Graydon could only see the very top roofs of some houses. Even those with more than one story did not fare well, for many had collapsed and been swept away into the water.
Worst of all, the bodies. Masses were being carried down the Tanyin, lifeless and gone.
"Yes." Graydon barely croaked. "I'm still here."
A hand rose to grab for Judgement, to hold it tight. But it was gone. He'd lost it in the Goncobin and didn't have time to grab it. Who knew where it was now?
"Did... anyone," Graydon asked, "make it out?" His eyes looked over Asuka, whose head shook in heartbroken denial.
"Some Yuu scouts are still looking, but we haven't found anyone who's survived. Not since the flood started..."
"And our enemy?" Graydon added.
"As I said, we haven't found any survivors. Some are even among the bodies."
Everything hurt inside Graydon. All those loyal to him, dead in the water. All those innocent civilians who came to a sudden end. And he even felt regret for those enemies, who were now mere results of collateral damage to whoever they served.
It reminded him of his past. Of losing his home. Losing his sisters. Losing his home again. And now he had lost one of his sisters again too. A couple times, Graydon retreated to that feeling inside of him, that warmth Sarah gave off just to make sure she hadn't gone away too.
"The United Provinces will need to be told of this." Asuka clarified.
There was a long few seconds. Seconds Graydon spent not answering his second-in-command, because in all honesty, Graydon wanted nothing more than to shrink away and cry somewhere. It was all so much stress.
"Yes. I'll have you handle the messengers." Graydon forced himself to speak. "Be sure Mikato Unmei knows to cut off all travel from the river into Gunji as well."
"Of course." Asuka obeyed. In quick movement, he turned to dash off and fulfill those orders, but Graydon caught him by the sleeve.
"One more thing." Asuka turned back towards Graydon. He could tell Asuka was intent to hear, especially after he removed his mask in this moment. Saw the scarred and cut face beneath it. "I ran into dragonborns today."
"Allies?" Graydon shook his head, no. His finger pointed out to the catastrophe that was Toride, and Asuka's response caught the point of it. "So, they were more enemies then. Why would Lanteng have any business out here?"
"I don't know." Graydon growled. "But they spoke of someone they served. They referred to her as their mistress. Does that ring a bell at all?"
"Mm-mm, no." Asuka glanced around, Graydon assumed to make sure they weren't being watched. "But whoever she is, I'm sure she's quite well behind all this. I'll see about forming a team together to deal with that-"
Graydon's hand rose in front of Asuka's face, cutting him off. "No. I don't want anyone else getting involved right now. They made it clear everything that happened today happened because of me."
"Well... do you believe that?" Asuka's question echoed in Graydon for moment. If he hadn't taken the throne. If he hadn't fought so hard against Gunji when that woman, Uso Tsuki, was still reigning. Perhaps none of this would have happened. Maybe all these people would still be alive.
"Yes. And I don't want to risk any more lives than have already been taken."
Asuka stood for a moment, giving a solemn nod as he conceded to Graydon's assessment. His hands rose to rest on both the emperor's shoulders.
"Well, just know you have masses willing to lay down their lives for you. Including me."
Graydon's hands clasped onto Asuka's shoulders as well. "I know."
They stood, exchanging a bitter-sweet smile before Asuka broke away. He grabbed his mask, placing it back over his face as he vanished and reappeared up high in the branches a second after.
"Hey," he called, "whatever you plan on doing, go talk to Akimoto. He's helped you longer than I have. And you know he'll go as far as you do to fix all..." He gestured to the entire world. "This."
Graydon would consider it. Akimoto was quite the old friend back when Graydon fought against the people he now led, and to him, Graydon was his inspiration to fight too.
Akimoto would go wherever Graydon went. But did he really want to put his old friend in danger? It would need time to debate, but right now, Graydon wished to sit in silence. In reflection.
He said nothing as Asuka dashed off like the ninja he was. He did nothing as his mind thought about the horrible past he had just experienced. Now was a time for grieving.
So Graydon grieved until it was time to do something else.

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