Chapter 168 - Vol. 3 - 41

Kaori

"Is that it then?" Eliza asked. "You don't need anything? We could give you a small squadron to help you get through to wherever you need to go." 

"Nah, they'd only slow us down," Ash shook her head. "Which one should we do again?" 

"The southern portal is the most convenient one to close," a commanding officer replied. "With two breached walls, defending them both from a horde of demons isn't feasible. Having at least one of them not be a factor would certainly help. As for why the southern one specifically, well, that one is the farthest from the Grey Chamber." 

"What does that matter?" Ash asked. Kaori simply sat next to her and took steady breaths, trying her hardest not to panic. 

"Should the battle go poorly, the Grey Chamber is where we will all retreat.. Like with all of the other cities, there is an escape route that goes through the palace in case of a siege. If the fight doesn't go our way, we'd like to be as close to the palace, and that escape route, as possible." Eliza replied. 

"Gotcha." 

"If that's it then, you are dismissed. We need to continue our preparations," Eliza said, glancing at her officers. 

"Cool," Ash replied. She, Satsuhiro, Keiko, and Kaori all stood up as the nobles and officers walked away, leaving them alone. 

"So, will you be training then?" Satsuhiro asked. 

"Yeah, may as well loosen up a bit before we head out there," Ash stated. Kaori's eyes were kept low. She could see the dark streets of Onyx right now, in front of her eyes as everyone spoke around her. The demons, snarling and growling as they tore soldiers and civilians apart. The ones she'd failed to protect, bleeding out as she watched. 

"Kaori?" Ash asked. She shook her head. 

"Hm?" 

"I asked if that was okay with you," Ash told her. 

"Oh, yeah," Kaori nodded, not knowing what she was asking about. She just didn't want to disappoint Ash, so she agreed. 

"Alright. We'll be heading out at night then," Ash told Satsuhiro. 

"Huh?" Kaori tilted her head. "Why?" 

"Hm? I just explained it," Ash said, meaning no offense but simply pointing it out. "The demons are probably going to fight today too. In that case, we could sneak in behind them and go into the portal that way, so that there are fewer demons to deal with on the other side. Plus," Ash continued, "it gives that power of yours time to get going." 

"Oh, right," Kaori nodded. 

Ash was referring of course to Kaori's  Mark of Love spell, which increased Kaori's stats over the course of a day as long as she stayed close to the person she'd marked, which was of course the half-demon herself. 

Doing some basic math, it was currently noon, which meant that if they went to the portal at around midnight, which was when the fighting started last night, Kaori's attributes, every single one except for her Luck, which was unchangeable, would be increased by around 12. Because they were planning out when specifically they'd be fighting, it made using this ability more reliable. 

On top of that, if the two of them met an opponent that neither of them could defeat, Kaori could use her  Encourage power to siphon attribute points into Ash, turning her stronger. She guessed she'd probably need to do this at some point during this trip. 

"If that's all, then I'm heading back to the inn. The carriage should still be waiting outside. Good luck," Satsuhiro said. 

"Thanks," Ash replied and the three girls parted ways with their teacher. 

With all that planning out of the way, they walked over to Yumi's training room. On the way, many soldiers passed them by carrying different objects, from boxes labeled "Weapons" to some strange machines that resembled catapults that the soldiers were dragging across the palace. Every now and then, one of them would say something in a hushed whisper about some demons but Kaori couldn't hear the details. 

She was mostly spaced out, in her own mind, throughout this walk. That didn't change as they entered the balcony-like room with the open side, where Yumi was standing over the railing, looking out to where Kaori could see that now-familiar beautiful landscape. There was something oddly stunning about Yumi that remained even now as they'd gotten to know her more. As the sun shone down on her, she turned towards them, without her fox mask on and with her hair tied into a ponytail, and tilted her head. 

"It seems the demons won't be allowing me to get my answers," Yumi said with some disappointment in her tone. 

Right.  Kaori thought.  We never checked what happened to her shrine and her handlers. 

"Tonight," Keiko said, walking up to her. "I'll ask someone to help me write that letter to the Compound. Hopefully, along with that help, they'll also have answers. I never got to it because... Well," Keiko's face flushed red. "Reasons." 

"Hehe," Yumi chuckled, "do not concern yourself too heavily with me..." Yumi looked back out onto the land outside of Onyx. "Being here, so close to the outside world yet so far, has made me realize that there is a lot I have been missing out on. I would like my answers," she said, "but... If I do not get them, I will still attempt to move on."

She turned back to them. 

"That said, what of your demon situation? I haven't spent too much time roaming these halls, but I have heard a few concerning things." 

"Oh... So you've heard about the invasion?" 

"Indeed. I had wondered how powerful the demons had become after my... encounter with them, but this? It seems like the problem has escalated far beyond what I thought to be possible. If they continue to press against this city though," Yumi said, a frown appearing on her face. "They will find a vengeful shrine maiden waiting for them behind these walls. Regardless, that's neither here nor there for the moment. You've come for training, right?" 

All three of them nodded. 

"Very well. Let's get to it then." 

And so, they continued attempting to hone their skills with the new weapons they'd gained. Thanks to the buffed Quick Learner, Ash gained proficiency 5 on her gauntlets, which indicated that she was now an experienced user of those weapons. Keiko remained at her 7 with the sword, while all Kaori had to go off of when it came to improvement was her comfort with her arm, as her proficiency was already a 10. And, on that note, she did feel just a little bit better about that large metal thing that had been planted into her torso. 

All in all, the training session lasted until a little after 4 pm. Yumi smiled at them and the group left the Grey Chamber, now waiting until the night came to decide what to do next. If Niven attacked, then it would mean Ash and Kaori would revisit that strange mirror realm, just as they'd done back when a portal appeared outside of Satsuhiro's farm. If Niven's forces did not attack, then Kaori could allow her heart to rest for the remainder of the day. 

They settled on heading back to the inn and waiting to see what happened. 

The inn was practically empty when they walked in, with only their group, a few customers, Ayami and Jino, and the employees still there.  Most people have probably left to either go to their families or seek some shelter, Kaori assumed as she and the others had dinner and waited downstairs. 

One hour turned to two and then to three, all the while Kaori could only hope that she and Ash wouldn't have to go to the portal. Unfortunately, before long, a soldier came into the inn, probably knowing that Saviors were staying there, and announced that more of those demons had arrived at the same points as before. 

Kaori's heart just about froze at that. Ash, Keiko, and Kaori all stood up and walked outside at that point. Once they were on the street, with the cries of citizens and the sounds of fighting ringing out in the distance, they spoke to one another. 

"I wish I could go with you," Keiko muttered to the both of them.  I don't. I'd hate to see something happen,  Kaori thought. "Be careful." 

"We'll be alright," Ash replied. Kaori remained silent as she tried not to let the images in her head of ravenous demons and blood pouring out of their victims' bodies get to her. 

"I know, I'm just... Well, you know," Keiko replied. 

"Stay safe out there," Ash said while Kaori thought of just how many ways her life could come to an end in the following few hours. "If the fight looks too bad, just leave. Don't sacrifice yourself for the sake of these people, they aren't worth it." 

"That's a callous way to put it, but I understand." 

"Just being honest," Ash responded. Then, she took a deep breath and looked back at Kaori, which meant they were about to go. Kaori nodded, basically saying she was ready and on that note, Ash walked up to Keiko. 

In that slightly awkward but caring way of hers, she put her hands on the shorter girl's shoulders and leaned down to place a small kiss on her lips. Kaori took a deep breath, walked up, and did the same. 

"Take care," Keiko said and with that, she walked away, towards the nearby gates. 

"Let's go," Ash said, adjusting her bag which was carrying a bit of what they'd need for this trip. Kaori adjusted her own. 

"... Right behind you," Kaori replied.