Content Warnings

-Strong Language

-Blood and gore

-Intense imagery

-reference to suicide

A chunk of ice charged with lightning smashed through a Daimyese ship. The ship scattered pieces, falling into either the abyss or the dead waters.

The battle was small, but vicious. There were around 20 remaining Northern ships, all looking thrown together using scraps and gum. This was opposed to the remaining 16 Daimyese ships that were well done, forged from scratch by cheap craftsmen.

The Northern Ships would attempt to charge and board the Daimyese ships, while the Daimyese ships attempted to hang back, firing at their enemies from a distance. Despite their numbers, the Northern Ships didn’t appear like they would win. Their enemy was just too smart.

Tempestas glared at the battle from its ship. It was basically three airships tied together by a knot and extra balloons. On top of said balloons was a massive platform with the bottom of a fourth airship attached. It was quite unnecessary, but it left a presence(and a target).

“Damn it!” Tempestas exclaimed, reaching into nearby water.

It pulled out a large chunk of black ice and shot it out with a hit of the hammer. The chunk became engulfed in black myst, a streak of lightning flying behind it.

It missed its target and crashed into a cloud of water. (That cloud then froze).

“Would you like to turn the board in our favour?” the masked one asked, appearing from the silence.

“You’re lucky I don’t crush you to death for sneaking up like that,” It growled, glancing her way.

“Answer the question,” she repeated, her voice cold as dry ice, her hands placed behind her back like a businessman. 

“Do you have some secret? Do you have the might of a Signa Mortis on your side?” It asked, reaching for another chunk.

The masked one sat on the rail of the ship overlooking the battlefield, “Have you ever heard of a nation called ‘Japan’?”

“Sounds Daimyese?” It shrugged.

“They were quite similar, yes. They were once in a war with a superpower, just like you. It was not an easy or sensible war, but they fought on. When their backs were against the wall, they resorted to kamikaze attacks,” she explained.

“Like what the Verdin Inquisition does?” It asked, launching another chunk of ice.

“Very similar, though they lacked the same numbers,” She stated

“Did it work?” It questioned, glancing her way.

“Not in the slightest. Inefficient, inaccurate, and a general waste of resources,”

“So you’re suggesting I use a strategy that only works for the Verdin hoards?” It scoffed, fully turning to her.

“But it can clearly work in the right hands. They were much less competent. Are you incompetent as well?”

“Do you think-,”

“Are you a competent leader, Tempestas?” she asked, hunching over and placing her hands together.

“Yes-”

“The Shadow Velvet will escape if you continue to waste time, *Tempestas*,”

It sighed, looking back out at the battlefield, “We’ll do it,”

Chapter V

Where Hypocrisy is Revealed

[It was raining out again. Setsune laid down on top of an ash stained building. Lightning struck in the distance].

Her eyes slowly opened, as though she were a zombie rising from the dead.

The ship had been destroyed. It’s people and pieces falling into the abyss. Surrounding them all were clouds of black water. Above her was the Northern ship, completely intact.

She took a deep breath.

She launched multiple strands of cloth below her, grabbing multiple people. She threw them upwards, saving a few from the water.

The rubble killed a few, but she tred on. She used orange to teleport up above the falling people and sent them up higher and higher.

 She went back down and grabbed a few more. She quickly tried to gather and keep as many people, whether they be Tetora or The Captain, from falling to their definitive deaths.

There were too many to save.

She got a good handful of people up the ship, but there were many that disappeared into the darkness, or worse. She saw Tetora’s Mother falling into the black water.

Eyes shrunk, she teleported over to her. She reached out.

Her head was barely sticking out of the water. It was like the water was trying to devour her.

She clawed Ursa’s claw out of the way. Her arm had already taken on a thin, crystular form. 

Her face sunk beneath the water. Red glowing slits stared out at Ursa, like a cat warning her not to get close.

………

“DAMN IT!” The Captain exclaimed, ripping off her helmet.

Like Lena, she had a shaved head with horns tattooed on. One of her eyes was made of glass, the other was orange. Her face was wrinkled and covered with scars.

“Will we be okay?” Tetora asked The Captain.

“Of course n-,”

“Of course we will,” Ursa stated, appearing aboard the ship. “Captain, can you fly this thing-?”

“Where are we going to go?” The Captain responded, glaring at her.

Ursa placed her finger on her chin and tilted her head.

“We can’t desert and go back to Daimyo. Cavalier? I'd rather kill myself than seek their salvation, and any good Daimyese would agree. Oh, how about Adlernest. If we’re lucky the Mondgreif{wolf gryphon} will save some of the pretty women. Of course, the rest of us will just be turned to disaster mechs or worked to death. Adlernest is also JUST OVER THERE TOO! No need to worry about this bucket of bolts breaking on us! So how about it, I’m sure it’ll be a memorable experience!” The Captain ranted, getting up in Ursa’s face.

“...We could escape,” Ursa suggested, slightly annoyed.

“YOU could escape. (Or rather, YOU did once, because the Mondgreif had mercy on YOU and that Disaster Beast),” The Captain growled, pointing a finger. “(I have an idea, hypocrite. How about YOU surrender to our invaders. Because YOU saw them, they’re here for YOU. YOU wanted us to stop fighting, to save people, but they were here for YOU! And YOU chose to fucking fight. Are YOU willing to be a hypocrite now?! Now that there are consequences for YOUR hypocrisy, BEAST?!),”

Ursa looked out at the battlefield, she sighed, “I understand. Our ship can blend in with the enemy. You can take me to their head. Drop me off there and I’ll have a talk with their leader,”

The Captain sighed, “Fine, that’s at least *a* plan. If negotiations turn sour, we'll just all kill you together and hope for the best,”

The Captain took whoever she could find, and went to the bridge of the Northern ship. Ursa sat at the open window, next to Tetora, overlooking the entire battle.

---

The Captain stood aboard the bridge. Instead of the conventional bridge that she had, it was a complete dump. It smelled like one too. 

Everything was bumpy and thrown together, not even the floor was smooth. The wheel was a cracked ovoid that had very stiff movements, and could barely stay in place. The telegraphs were overloaded with static, with barely a crystular structure in sight, and instead of wires, they used piping hot pipes that let out steam.

“How far away are we from the head ship?” she asked a Northern Warrior.

“Not too far. It’ll take…maybe 10 minutes to get through the battlefield,” the warrior shrugged.

“Going through the middle is a stupid idea, Northern Knob. We could get caught in the crossfire and die. How about the safer route around?” she criticised.

The warrior growled beneath their breath, “(Thirty minutes maybe),”

“Around it is,”

---

Ursa watched Tetora calmly, a sad look in her eyes, her hands together on her lap. She said nothing. It was not the time for apologies. The most she could offer was a supportive presence. 

Tetora didn't look at her. She sat there silently, looking down and playing with her hands.

There was a crashing sound from the battlefield. Ursa looked forward.

---

“We’re getting a transmission,” one of the warriors called out.

“Finally, let’s get this battle over with-,”

“This is Tempestas Glacies! We have the enemy on the run!  But the Shadow Velvet still eludes us! She cowers amongst the enemy, using them as shields. We can only dig her out by going through THEM! I want everyone to crash their ships into the enemy, full speed! Before she escapes! Dig her out! Dig her out!” Tempestas ordered.

The transmission ended.

“URSA!” The Captain called out, running from the bridge.

---

Ursa saw a Northern ship crash right into a Daimyese ship. Both were destroyed in a fiery explosion.

The people within the ships either died in the fire or fell to the darkness.

More Northern ships were ready to follow them. Ursa’s eyes widened.

She heard heavy footsteps running her way, but she ignored them. She leapt up onto the balloon of the airship.

“URSA!”

She climbed to the top of the ship and switched to green. She sped up, with a running start, she became a streak of green that LEAPT off of their ship, HURLING herself towards one of the ships attempting to kamikaze themselves.

She switched back to basic and swung down through the ship’s windows. To green again, she charged through the ship. She made it to the bridge, avoiding all enemies that tried to have at her.

She SPUN the wheel, changing the ship's course.

The Captain attempted to strike her with a big green hammer. She dodged and broke out the window. Back to basic again, she climbed atop that ship and leapt to another one.

It was too far away, so she latched onto it with a strand of cloth and crashed her way in.

---

“What’s that!?” Tempestas questioned, leaning its head over the railing.

“Care to make a gamble?” the masked one questioned, an almost smug tone in her voice.

---

“Where’d she go!” The Captain exclaimed, looking left and right.

Tetora shook her head.

“Hey, Daimyese Captain, yer gonna wanna hear this!” A warrior called out.

“What is it?!” she questioned, running back to the bridge.

“THIS IS TEMPESTAS GLACIES! THE SHADOW VELVET IS ON THE MOVE, ATTACKING SHIP TO SHIP! KEEP AN EYE OUT, AND PREPARE!”

The Captain sighed, “Perhaps this situation will solve itself,”

---

A Daimyese ship was being pulled into a water cloud. The ship was tilted. The people held on for dear life to prevent themselves from falling into the water.

One of them fell.

Ursa broke through the window and grabbed them by the wrist. Her grip was so strong that she left scratches on their arm and may have broken it.

She took slow steady breaths. Below her was the watery abyss.

[The abyss devoured rivers of blood].

Ursa extended cloth to the people so that they might be able to hold on. The people, the soldiers, the enemies, scared and shaking, held on for dear life. They looked at her in terror and reverence, their lives in her claws.

What a scary concept, to have your safety in someone else's hands. It's almost contradictory as well, to be afraid of what protects you and to have your life effectively belong to someone else. 

She took another deep breath and dropped down into the water. 

The people watched with great anxiety. Within the water they saw small lights of varying colours. There were other silhouettes, Corrupted Beasts down below. There were no sounds coming from the water, but the water itself kept shaking.

Drip-drip-drip. 

Swish-swish-swish. 

Splash-splash-splash.

The-ship-shook.

It stabilised and pulled away from the water. The people took a sigh of relief. Tears even flowed from their eyes.

Ursa stepped out from the bridge. A warm smile was on her face. Traitor and hypocrite she was, she believed in herself.

Crash.

---

Tempestas watched closely. Three other Northern ships were near the wreckage.

“The battlefield is the cruellest gamble,” the Masked One commented.

---

[Ursa stood upon a plane of green and blue light. Before her were endless waves of warriors in white cloaks with gold, pointed hoods and masks. She stood amongst many burnt corpses, some soldiers and civilians]. Her eyes sharpened, she wrapped her red back around herself.

---

“It is a land where humans see themselves at their worst and realise a truth they can only accept,”

---

[She charged forwards. She took on the first wave.

She clawed through them, leaving herself open. She dodged the next wave of strikes, teleporting back. 

She clawed through the next wave. The army attempted to encircle her].

---

“War reveals humanities hypocrisy. In that chaos, you see all the contradictions and compromises you make to fulfil your goals, your ideals,”

--

[She unleashed Yellow, pushing, throwing, and disorienting the white cloaks. Many pushed through her winds, however.

She focused small blasts of wind and cut through their weak spots in multiple quick jabs. Their eyes to their brains.

She was open for a wave to come in from behind her].

---

“People that wish to take wealth to better their lives ruin the lives of others. While people who only want peace use violence to defend themselves. The former could probably find another way, or doesn’t need the wealth. While the ladder isn’t interested in surrendering or running away,”

---

[She released her red as a spinning wall, pushing the waves back. She leapt over it, clawing through waves after wave after wave, wound after wound after wound, before pulling her red back and repeating].

---

“Of course these are not equivalent, and neither will change direction upon this revelation. They don’t have the time, and must keep making the same hypocrisies. They charge to their deaths so that they may survive. They do whatever it takes to survive, they have accepted their hypocrisy, and they push on,”

---

[The white cloaks broke through. Many of them tackled her, creating an opening for their fellows to attack through them.

She twisted her claws around, snapping her enemies’ bones and clawing through them.

More enemies charged in, grabbing onto her arms and trying to force her open to an attack at the torso. She twisted her claws around to slice off their hands. 

They kept pushing and grabbing. And she kept clawing and kicking, even resorting to biting through throats and spitting out the blood].

---

“You see the same thing at home. People will be blind to their contradictions and hypocrisies, either accepting it or believing it be necessary towards their goals. Both are fine, depending upon the circumstances. I find it mesmerising, beautiful, how flawed the human condition is. I embrace hypocrisy. Except there is one more, circumstantial hypocrite,”

---

[Ursa charged her claws with black.

Like butter, they flowed through the blood and gore of her enemies.

She motioned to-].

---

The Masked One clapped her claws together, “The ones whose circumstances were most despicable, the ones responsible for the war, who have more than they’ll ever need, but only want more and more. The Aeternum,”

“Do you ever shut the fuck up?” Tempestas asked, turning to her.

“Talking is fun,”

“So is murdering arrogant shits,” Tempestas exclaimed, pointing its hammer.

She rolled something behind her back, “How very repetitive. The world is neverending with those. If your going to play, it should be with someone perfect,”

“THIS IS NOT A GA-!” Tempestas exclaimed.

“Gay incoming,” she responded, stepping away, into the silence.

There was a crash upon the bridge. Ursa landed on the platform of Tempestas’s ship, bathed in blood, and rage in her bestial eyes.

To Be Continued………