Content Warning

-Racism

-strong language

-violence and gore

[It was raining out.  The rain was cold enough to burn. Setsune laid against a stone wall, her body thin, bruised, and bloodied. Tears flowed from her eyes, the painting of her family squeezed within her grasp.

“Are you able to stand, my child?” a voice of near infinite metronomes, all slightly off, called out].

Setsune awoke in that disgrace of a sick bay. Her skin was bathed in cold sweat. Her throat was dry, her stomach was heavy, and her hands were shaking.

She was alone.

The occupants were running around, clamouring against the walls and stairs. The stairs were covered by a large metal plate. In the middle of the floor was a corpse.

The body was deteriorating into a black sludge that decomposed and fused with the floor. The people were yelling, begging for them to be let out, but Setsune couldn’t tell why.

Then.

THUNDER!

There were thunderous explosions outside the ship. The guards above were rushing around more than usual, yelling as well. It was so loud that Setsune couldn’t hear anything.

The ship switched to the Colour Realm. She placed her hand on her broach.

The black sludge quickly took on a crystular form.

Chapter IV

An Unfortunate Threesome

A tall, elderly woman wandered to the bridge. She was quite muscular, with purple eyes, long curly grey hair, and brown skin. She wore a dark green cape with the symbol of a snapping mountain and a headband of the same. Beneath her cape were baggy pants and bandages. 

The bridge featured many wires carrying yellow energy. Around the bridge were desks with a few metres to keep track of things, and devices like telegraphs with purple-blue crystular fragments attached. Many guards ran to and fro, checking the metres, pressing buttons, and using the telegraphs. 

At the centre, kept in a fence, was a tiny globe with a tinge of red as the steering wheel. This wheel was manned by Lena’s captain.

“How are we looking captain?” the buff woman asked, cracking her neck.

“Mede, I told you to be on standby,” The Captain responded with disdain.

“The name’s Jidenna, and I can’t do my job for your birds{Aeternum}-,”

“And I can’t help but wonder why The Twelve Owls hired a non-Daimyese monk for this job?” The Captain glared.

“Can’t help that they were impressed,” Jidenna shrugged.

“WE GOT AN ENEMY SHIP APPROACHING FROM BELOW!” one of the guards called out.

“SHIT!” The Captain exclaimed. “MEDE, GO KEEP AN EYE TO MAKE SURE THE SLUDGE RATS DON’T GET OUT! WE HAVE ENOUGH PROBLEMS AS IS, DON’T BE ONE OF THEM!”

Jidenna groaned at the captain, then went on her way. She walked down the stairs, heading towards the observation deck. Guards were rushing around, on high alert, people, families, were hiding in their cabins, huddled together. 

The ship slowly began to turn downwards. The guards attached wires to the ground to prevent themselves from being thrown around, while Jidenna placed her hands on her Xiphoid Process, breathed, and walked normally.

In the corner of her eye, she saw someone else walking normally as well. She looked their way, but they were already gone. She narrowed her eyes, but shrugged.

The ship shook briefly. The Colour Realm had adapted to their direction and the gravity had returned to a more comfortable position.

She looked outside the window of the observation deck. It was partially sealed, but one could still get a small view of the action. 

BOOM! A ship was destroyed in a strike of lightning and ice.

“(What do they think they’re doing, those Northern knobs will disturb the water),” she muttered to herself.

When she reached the staircase to the ‘sick bay’ the metal plate placed over it was clawed through. She took a step back.

The other guards froze.

“Corrupted Beasts!” they exclaimed, readying their weapons.

“WAIT!” Jidenna ordered, raising a hand and readying a fist.

Ursa climbed the stairs, her eyes and claws sharpened. Everyone dropped their weapons.

“Shadow Velvet Ursa…,” Jidenna exclaimed, her mouth practically falling off of her head.

Ursa blinked, “Your a follower of Sine fine Cursor,” she exclaimed, pointing at Jidenna.

“That’s right,” Jidenna responded, trying to sound cool, but still in surprise of what she was seeing. “I do as the Mountain Mover did,”

“May I ask why a worshipper of a Signa Mortis is working with Aeternum Inquisition then?” Ursa asked, a bit of concern and judgement in her voice.

Jidenna sighed and looked the other way, “That contradiction in your voice, you are as the legends say,”

“Please?” Ursa insisted, placing a claw on the left of her chest and her other behind her back.

“Why aren’t you fighting anymore yourself?” Jidenna asked, taking a deep breath, anxiety and excitement in her voice.

Ursa gave a nod, “I understand. I’m very sorry for what has befallen you,”

“KILL THE TRAITOR!” One of the guards exclaimed, raising their rifle as they shook in their boots.

“I’LL GET THE CAPTAIN!” Another yelled, running off.

Ursa turned to the stairs. She tugged at some cloth.

“Stay down there for a bit, it’s going to be okay,” she urged, a warm smile on her face.

Tetora and her family slowly peered upstairs. Behind them were many others. Jidenna sighed and then smiled, cracking her neck.

“Sorry, Ursa. That lot can’t come up here,” she ordered, readying her bulky arms to punch and her legs to stand her ground.

“And what gives you the right to leave them to die down there?” Ursa asked, sharply turning towards her, her eyes sharpened again.

“By fucking Omnes, it’s really her….!?” The Captain exclaimed, rushing down onto the scene. “DON’T LET THAT BEAST OR THOSE SLUDGE RATS UP HERE!”

“You heard the cunt,” Jidenna responded, gesturing her chin towards The Captain and charging her limbs with green. 

“FOR THE TWELVE OWLS!” The Captain roared.

Ursa began building yellow wind within her cloth, her claws at the ready. All the guards were ready to charge. Jidenna was ready for a party. The sick hid below the stairs.

There was a massive crash.

The guards were sent sprawling about, deploying wires to keep themselves in place. Ursa and Jidenna stood their ground. They looked towards the windows.

An orange tipped spear shot through the window. A man appeared, holding it in his left hand. He immediately beheaded multiple guards in a swift cut.

He was dressed in blue-green tiled armour similar to that of a terracotta warrior, with a tattered, ice blue cape. He had dark yellow skin, short black hair, and silver eyes. He carried a purple-blue translucent billhook sword and the orange tipped spear. He saw Ursa, his eyes sharpened, and he pointed his blade at her.

“Shadow Velvet Ursa, my name is Dan Xiao! You’ll bathe in our blood, but we will drown you in time!” He announced.

On queue, many northern warriors broke through the windows, attacking the guards. 

A group of Warriors charged Jidenna. Jidenna held steady, her feet practically fused to the ground. She PUNCHED! 

Fists of green energy shot off her arms, rocketing through multiple warriors. Their bodies shattering, blood burst everywhere. The energy arms returned back to Jidenna’s body as she pulled her fists back.

Xiao swooped in, cutting at Jidenna. His sword seemingly passing through the energy around her legs, she jumped back, only getting a scratch. Northern Warriors with Green gauntlets jumped in, taking the reins from Xiao.

Jidenna weaved, dodging out of the way and punching one warrior through the throat, before elbowing another through their face and into their brain. Despite her superiority, they simply needed to keep her distracted and keep her from retaking her punching stance.

Xiao threw his spear Ursa’s way.

---

Ursa created a gust of yellow wind with her claws. She sent many warriors and guards sprawling away.

“I’m sorry, it’s not safe right now,” she apologised, shaking her head.

The sick gave nods as they sank back down into the sick bay. She released her red dress and wrapped it into a binding around the railings and entrance to the staircase.

She took a deep breath, manipulating the cloth, hardening it on a molecular level. She gave it a light scratch. Strong as steel.

“Surrender Ursa!” warriors and guards called out, attacking from behind.

Purple. They stumbled, but pressed on.

 She quickly clawed through the arms of a puncher before kicking through their chest. Three swordsmen and two riflemen attacked her.

Blue. She quickly forged weak, extra cloth, blocking the yellow shots. The blue blades were simply caught in the black cloth around her body.

She twisted body around, breaking the swords and SMASHING through her enemy’s throats with them. At the same time, she SHOT two strands of cloth that ripped the rifles out of the riflemens’ hands.

They ran off. Xiao immediately appeared above Ursa, cutting down on her.

He left a LARGE wound in her shoulder as she JUMPED back. It was fine of course, as her shoulder stitched itself with red.

Xiao stood atop the Cloth binding, pointing his sword at her. She glared at him as she used blue to try and regenerate her red cloth.

“Leave this place, and return to the North,”

“You may as well ask us to return to the Corrupted Realm, Beast,” Dan stated with disdain. “You know of our circumstances, yes? Surrender and we will return to the North, and with what we gain from you, we will rebuild Daqun,”

“I’m sorry, that’s impossible,”

“Says she who liberated Rem from the birds!” He scoffed.

She shook  her head, looking down, “I wish that was what happened,”

“Enough of this, I will bring your head to Tempestas!” Xiao exclaimed.

He cut at her(subtly throwing his spear behind her). She dodged the strike and elbowed him from behind. His armour took little damage as he was pushed back, throwing his spear again.

He cut horizontally from the front. She laid back like she were playing a game of limbo, dodging the strike.

He spun his sword, cutting at her belly. She bent her entire body down to her heels.

She KICKED him in the leg, before CLAWING him in the torso. His armour stood strong, but he was pushed back. 

Ursa got to her feet. Her red cloth was only partially regenerating at that point, only covering a bit of her waist.

“I heard you were the Runt of the Year of Fools,” Xiao exclaimed in disbelief.

“Haven’t heard that one in a while,” she sighed, a bit of nostalgia and annoyance in her voice.

“Did you think I wouldn’t last?!” Jidenna exclaimed. “Battle is my religion and challenge is my spirit!”

Her arms wrapped around herself, she parried multiple enemy strikes. The enemies practically smashed to pieces around her. 

She took her stance.

“Way of the Mountain Mover,” Ursa sighed, though her smile was rather nostalgic.

“Bugger all,” Xiao groaned, readying his spear.

Jidenna rapid punched multiple tiny shots like she were a turret. Xiao threw his spear to another room, Ursa dropped to the ground.

Jidenna placed her fists together, holding her punches before switching stances and delivering a FORCE of a kick across the ground.

Ursa’s eyes widened. The strike was too fast to dodge in her current state.

It would’ve hit Ursa’s head if she hadn’t blocked, only getting hit in the right arm and torso. She was FLUNG backwards. 

Xiao appeared next to Jidenna and cut at her. She dodged out of the way and brought her multiple punches back to her. 

Xiao’s armour received heavy cracks as he was sent flying. He reappeared next to and below Jidenna, cutting upwards. Ursa CLAWED at Jidenna from the other side.

Jidenna stepped back against the wall. She nearly elbowed Xiao in the face and grabbed Ursa by the wrist.

Xiao stepped back while Ursa flipped around her forearm, onto her shoulder. Jidenna punched Xiao, cracking his armour MORE and sending him FLYING out the ship(though he dropped his spear).

She did the same with her other arm, sending Ursa flying back with the green. Ursa sprawled across the floor, sinking her claws in to stop herself.

Before Xiao could reappear, Jidenna launched HERSELF from the green in her legs. She was ready to smash down on Ursa.

Ursa could dodge, but she knew the sick were below her. Instead she leapt at Jidenna, JABBING her in the throat.

Jidenna fell to the ground, wrapping her arms around herself as both Ursa and Xiao struck at her. She received a deep cut in the torso from Xiao, but she parried both of them.

Xiao’s armour shattered, sending him back. Ursa’s bones basically all cracked.

Jidenna coughed up blood. That strike had pierced her lunges.

The battle went silent. All sides were seemingly falling apart. The warriors, the guards, and the sick watched or listened anxiously.

The three stood up.

Jidenna’s back was to the guards. Xiao’s back was to his ship. Ursa’s back was to nothing.

“They can treat you, give up,” Ursa urged them both as her chin returned to its place. “And you can still go home,”

Jidenna laughed, “I’ve got nothing left, barely even any pride as Follower of Sine fine Cursor. If I go out here, it ain’t so bad,”

Xiao grit his teeth, his weapons at the ready, “The Birds have taken everything, what more do I have to lose,”

Ursa regenerated her red dress, “You still have your lives, you don’t need to step on this stage,”

“Are you a hypocrite?” Xiao asked, giving himself some distance.

“Or are you…*cough* a Fool?” Jidenna asked, wiping blood from her mouth.

“Yes,” 

Green. As Xiao threw his spear, she clawed right through his face and crushed his brain.

Jidenna jumped back and readied herself like an olympic runner.

Jidenna ROCKETED all the energy encasing her body at Ursa! The air around it reverberated. The distance between the two was small enough that Ursa couldn’t possibly dodge. Ursa could easily dodge with Orange, but whole she was being watched she knew that she needed to go above and beyond to CEASE this battle!

Ursa poked it with two blackened nails.

A great, bloodless hole was made in Jidenna’s torso. She crashed to the ground. The force was so strong that the blood dried mid-air and she passed away instantly.

Ursa used her pointer finger to make an upside-down ‘Y’ on her face. She approached her enemies with purple.

“I am the Runt of the Year of Fools. I am a runt, and you should run. Flee this battlefield and return home. Do what you can to protect yourselves, and make whatever life you can find,” She ordered, reaching out her claw.

No one moved. She approached the staircase again and opened it.

“Come on, you don’t belong down there,”

“Other people are dying you know,” The Captain commented.

Ursa looked down, “I can’t-,”

BOOM! In an explosion of ice and lightning, the ship was destroyed.

To Be Continued………