Chapter LXXI: While You Were Leaping

The stench of death clung to the air as casualties mounted before Leviathan's Gate. In the time since the fighting had begun, thousands had laid down their lives. The merciless advance of the Dynamis horde had left a trail of bodies in their wake. Mutilated corpses were strewn across Windurstian ground. Severed limbs, twisted horribly by steel or spell, writhed as they spilled gore and bile into the streets. Broken bodies of the Kindred lay lifeless by the score, pools of black blood forming beneath their shredded forms. The wounded were left behind, trampled over when no longer able to fight by their companions. Shattered bones, splintered horns, cracked shells, and burning wings were everywhere. However, all too frequently amidst the carnage were tattered cloaks and torn uniforms, hands reaching out for help which would never come. The hordes of Dynamis could spare such monstrous casualties. The Federation of Windurst could not.

Any army though, regardless of size, is given pause when faced with the sheer unthinkable quantity of their dead. Thus the advance of the Dynamis forces had stalled just outside the Chocobo Stables of Windurst Woods. Stacked like cordwood, gathered together by dark magic and melded into a grotesque barrier, was a wall of their fallen comrades. Arms torn or cut from their sockets, torsos broken open and oozing entrails, fractured skulls leaking brain matter; these formed the foundation of a gruesome battlement. The sight was staggering, the smell overpowering. The advance of Dynamis forces had come to a complete halt at the sight of the construct, bound together with blood and guts. Kindred stared balefully, wings flapping, as Vanguard and Nightmare monsters gnashed their teeth and brandished both deadly weapons and fearsome fangs at the object.

Even the Behemoth had paused, the army massed around it impeding its advance. It swung its massive head from side to side, streams of saliva dribbling from the corners of its gaping mouth.

From his place atop the wall, Yasuchika could clearly make out the cold, infuriated face of the man in white.

The Captain of the Capricornian War Warlocks stood poised atop the pile of the slain. Spread out on both sides of him were his Combat Casters, each one holding forth a stave already illuminated with eldritch force. The demonic assemblage opposite them brandished their weapons, howling and screaming. The man in white remained still, a single hand grasping the enormous reins which held the Behemoth in check. Its breath steamed as it shot from its nostrils, and soulless white eyes gazed hungrily towards the defenders of Windurst. Riding on its back, the man in white’s visage was at least as fearsome if not more.

Two armies stood with less than fifty feet between them. The darkened skies overhead roiled and twisted as the sinister pall of Dynamis grew deeper. Yashchika stood resolute with his soldiers, brown eyes locking onto the icy blue stare of the man in white.

The tiny Tarutaru’s voice rose above the din of warfare, driven by magical amplification. “I am Yasuchika, Captain of the Capricornian War Warlocks.” Howls of derision and anger greeted him. “You are trespassing on Federation soil.” Yasuchika stood his ground defiantly. The Combat Casters at his flanks assumed defensive positions, preparing for the coming onslaught. “You are not welcome here.”

Then, shockingly, the entire horde fell silent. Some few growls and guttural snarls tapered off as, in a wave, every monster and fiend in the assemblage grew still.

The man in white had raised his hand, quieting his army with a mere gesture.

“I am Secure,” his voice was thick with a Far Eastern accent, and laced with venom. “Your words mean nothing,” the pristine-armored commander continued. “You are already dead.”

Yasuchika’s staff flared with concentrated magical fury ready to unleash. Atop the Behemoth, Secure drew out his sword. The horde began shrieking once more. Their attack would begin at his signal.

The Captain braced himself, so focused on the danger in front of him that he remained oblivious to the real threat behind.


Ajido-Marujido had proven far more elusive than Cullen had bargained for. She had caught sight of him once, only to lose him again in a clutch of Windurstian soldiers. That momentary frustration had faded quickly when she caught sight of the wall of dead. The creatures of Dynamis were of no concern to her. Secure had explained they were but means to an end, the destruction they brought with them a necessary component of the glorious strategy he had composed. That they were all so revoltingly grouped together was a disturbing sight, but not what gave the Red Mage pause.

Perched atop that wall, using the head of a Vanguard Yagudo burned down to the skull as a stand, was the Capricornian Captain, Yasuchika. One of her prime targets had his back to her, unaware of her presence or intent.

Looking beyond, she could not help but see the Behemoth looming amidst a swelling wave of Dynamis forces. Secure would be on its back, staring down an enemy leader and his army without fear. He would have a front row seat to the reaction of the Windurstians when their leader was cut down before their very eyes. No doubt he would choose that exact moment to charge through and shatter an entire Windurstian division in one fell swoop.

She felt her invisibility spell wash away as she gathered a deadly bolt of electric energy. Her hand crackled with the instrument of Yasuchika’s demise. Not a single eye was on her. Without hesitation, she readied her spell to cut the Tarutaru down.

And then Ajido-Marujido reappeared.


“Enough talk,” Secure’s knife-edged voice was as sharp as his sword. “Kill.”

The platinum-plated armor he wore shimmered with an unnatural aura as he swept his blade forward. With a great, rumbling howl, his army surged forward like a dam giving way.

Knuckles white as they grasped their staves, the Combat Casters facing down Secure’s division watched their enemies close the gap between them. Fifty feet became forty. Then thirty. Then ten.

And then they were right on top of them.

Yasuchika couldn’t suppress a wicked smirk as the Orastery Minister gave him the signal. The Dynamis horde reared back in momentary surprise as he cast his staff towards the sky, emitting a blinding flash which burned like a newborn star. Magic carried his voice across the battlefield, booming in the ears of all the foes of Windurst.

“Not so fast, Secure!” The Capricornian Captain shouted. “You’ve activated my Trap Card!”

Then the ground, the buildings, the very air itself quivered and shook. From all sides, a layer of Windurst itself peeled back. Rising and shifting, snapping into place, from every building and cliff and even the earth below, a new batallion took the field. Artiificial limbs folded out from their place of concealment, and wooden hands ejected compressed staves which shot out to full length and locked into position. Monsters and Vanguard shrieked as a new wall rose up directly between where their advance and the Capricornian War Warlocks.

Ajido-Marujido shot Yasuchika a perturbed glare. "I've toldaru you already," the Minister complained, "they're called Trap Cardians."

The Cardians, Windurst's automaton soldiers, sprung forth from concealment. Each one had been carefully camoflauged. Dirt, grass, and paint melted from their flat forms as they emerged in a semi-circle around the Dynamis forces. Confused and surprised, the wild charge of the Vanguard faltered and broke. A wail of dismay rose from their ranks as a new army took the field against them.

"Phase One of the plan is complete," Ajido-Marujido intoned, staring intently out onto the battlefield. "Obfuscate."

Staves a constantly-spinning blur in their mechanical hands, the Cardians came at their targets relentlessly. Creations of wood and cloth, propelled by the miraculous properties of the fruit from the Great Star Tree, they were devices dedicated to the defense of Windurst through whatever means necessary. Their tri-wheeled base gave them complete mobility to react to threats from all sides, and the magical energies which powered them provided the means to deal with them. Incandescent balls of arcane fire rained down upon the Dynamis horde, sowing chaos and confusion in their ranks. Kindred and Vanguard ran through their own allies, engulfed in flame. The beasts counterattacked, but with frightening results. Cardians with limbs removed or parts broken would continue fighting, shattering limbs with the force of their mechanized strikes.

Divided in the order of cards, so to were they arranged on the battlefield. Spades, designed to operate like Paladins, pushed forward with implacable single-mindedness. Diamonds encircled the flanks of Secure’s Vanguard, balancing combat and magic with the skill of a Red Mage. The Hearts remained behind as the rest of their mechanized brethren charged into combat, opting instead to rain down black magic upon the Kindred in the air. Finally, a Club balanced out the units, repairing their damaged kin as a White Mage would a person. The air was electric with the release of so much eldritch force, and the howls of the horde were deafening to hear.

“Capricornians,” Yasuchika beckoned, magic carrying his voice to the ears of his every soldier, “don’t let those puffed-up gear-heads do all the work! Get in there and show them how a battle is won!”

A shout filled the air. The War Warlocks raised their staves high, diving down from their positions atop the corpse wall. Magic rippled through the ground, and a ripple of destructive force preceeded the unleashing of their devastating fury. Then, within the Cardian circle, the wind turned to steel and the ground to spikes. Contained by the advancing automatons, the horde was decimated by the Capricornian deluge.

Yet still they came. Fresh soldiers charged over the still-burning bodies of the others. The shock of the Cardian’s arrival had quickly worn off. Now a frenzied army of the Vanguard was cleaving its way through their mechanical foes. The Cardians gave back as much as they got, an animated barricade refusing to buckle. Casualties quickly mounted as the horde crashed relentlessly against the trap of Ajido-Marujido’s making.

Yasuchika turned to the Cardian’s controller. The stench of blood and death was rapidly permeating the air. "How long will they hold out?"

"Not long," the blue-robed minister admitted. "The Cardians weren't meant to stand up against something like this. When that Behemoth enters the fight . . . "

Ajido-Marujido’s fear became reality before he could even finish expressing it.

Secure took hold of the Behemoth's reins, jerking them upward fiercely. The beast gave a shocking roar, rearing upwards on its gnarled hind legs. Lightning crackled down the length of its black horns. For just a moment, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze in anticipation of what would happen next.

Yasuchika tried to shout out a warning, but his voice was lost in the sudden wind.

The corpse wall broke apart. Severed limbs and decaying flesh burst, spraying visceral fluid and offal to form a dark pink cloud. As the Behemoth forcefully stomped the ground at Secure's urging, an upending shockwave tore through the soil. The blast of wind which accompanied it sent Windurstian and Vanguard alike hurtling, Fault lines shot forward where there had been none before, accompanied by a surging electric torrent. Cardians burst into flames, sparks of magical energy erupting from their bodies as they were overwhelmed by the Behemoth's might. Yasuchika stood, watching the wave of destruction barrel towards him. With a cry of defiance, an aura of flame burst up around him, and he focused all his might into deflecting the Behemoth's blow.

"Get back!" The Capricornian shouted to Ajido-Marujido. He pushed the Orastery Minister behind the fragmenting wall. The wind overtook him, black cloak flaring outward as the pointed hat he wore spiraled off into the distance. The tip of his staff burst into radiant light. He thrust the jeweled scepter outwards, preparing to turn back the Behemoth's attack on his own.

"Captain, LOOK OUT!"

He only had a moment to cry out when a blast of arcane lightning struck him from behind.

The Captain could feel his skin sizzle, felt his muscles go numb and his bones shake. His magical defenses were shredded like wet paper. He would have died then and there if not for one thing.

The shockwave from the Behemoth's attack struck Yasuchika like a hurricane. Everything went black.


Cullen could have cried in consternation.

Quickly, she hid herself with an incantation of invisiblity. The chaos around her was such that she doubted she would have been seen, but she was taking no chances. Frustration welled up inside of her. The thunder spell she had launched at the Capricornian Captain had struck him dead on. He was as good as dead, until the Behemoth's attack had torn him free from her own fatal strike. She had injured him at the very least, but from her vantage point atop the Auction House of Windurst Woods, she could tell he had survived. Even now his soldiers swarmed to his side, making another shot impossible. She wrung her fingers helplessly.

Reluctantly, she began climbing down from her perch. She knew there would be one more chance to do this right. All she had to do was wait.

Yasuchika would still die this day.


“Captain!”

Yasuchika heard a voice from beyond the dark veil enveloping him.

“Captain!” It came again, more urgent this time. Yasuchika tried to respond, but no words would come out.

“Stand aside,” a new voice said, and suddenly the Capricornian felt as if someone had dunked him in a barrel of ice water.

He gasped, bolting upright. His eyes shot open, and immediately there were two faces hovering over his. The first he immediately recognized, the second he knew by sight if not name. Ajido-Marujido, plumes of restorative magic still tracing away from his hands, leaned away from Yasuchika. The other Tarutaru, bearing the robes and insignia of a Capricornian, remained where he was, concern creasing his brow.

“Captain, are you alright?” The Tarutaru asked, taking hold of Yasuchika’s arm. “We saw you get hit, and the Behemoth was attacking, and there’s Cardians and so many monsters and – “

“Stop!” The Combat Caster went still at Yasuchika’s demand. He coughed, and his throat felt dryer than the Altepa Desert. White-hot pain stabbed up his spine, and the burning smell of both his robes and skin assailed him. He almost passed out again, but fought through the encroaching darkness with a gasp. Desperately, Yasuchika grabbed hold of the startled Capricornian standing over him, struggling to make himself speak.

“Ajido-Marujido,” the words felt like daggers in his charred throat, “your plan – it had two parts?”

The Minister nodded. “I cannotaru enact it without reunitaruing with my sister. Captain, you mustn’t speak, you need – “

Yashchika waved off Ajido-Marujido’s warnings. “You there,” he choked, “what’s your name, soldier?”

The War Warlock snapped to attention. “Sir, Leeto-Eleeto, Combat Caster Second Class, sir!” He gave a salute as he replied, a reaction born of enough drills to make it a reflex.

Pushing aside a wave of dizziness, Yasuchika rose to his feet. Balance eluded him, but the Combat Caster caught him before he could fall over. On his second try, the Captain succeeded in standing, and it was all he could do to remain upright. “Listen soldier – Leeto –“ he coughed, “You have a mission. Get the Minister to Apururu. At once, do you understand?”

“But, Captain, I can’t leave – “

“Go!” Yasuchika tried to roar, but it came out a stifled wheeze. “This is more important. This is an order!”

Leeto gave a smart salute. Yasuchika got a good look at the soldier. He was scarcely more than a boy, dressed up for the work of men.

Yet here he was; the first by the side of his fallen Captain, and now the only person Yasuchika had to rely on.

“Get the two Ministers together, that’s how we win this,” the Captain said, quieter this time, “we’ll hold them off for you.”

Leeto looked torn. His gaze went from the battle raging just past the remains of the corpse wall, to the Orastery Minister, and then back to his Captain. Finally, visibly mustering up his resolve, the budding Black Mage moved quickly towards Ajido-Marujido.

“Come with me please, sir!” He shouted in a young, eager voice. “My orders are to escort you to Minister Apururu!”

Ajido-Marujido nodded, turning away from the battlefield. “Stay alive, Captain,” he requested. “That Behemoth will attack again at any moment.”

“Just go,” Yasuchika commanded, and with one final look at the battlefield, the Minister did just that. Leeto followed directly behind him, determined to ensure he reach his destination.

The Capricornian Captain waited only a moment before turning back to the fighting. He leaned down into the dirt, scraping his stave from the bloodied ground and clenching it between two gloved hands. Letting out a slow breath, he raised his eyes, now glowing with restrained power. The gem on the tip of his staff sent off sparks of loose mystic force. Pain began to fade. The Cardians and the Capricornians were reeling from the Behemoth’s assault, but the battle was far from over. Even at that moment, Yasuchika knew reinforcements would be arriving. The Pythons and the Cougars would rain down death from above. The Librans would meet them with steel and spell. And if they had to fight down to the last man, Captain Dieggo’s Ariesian War Warlocks would not let this battle be lost.

“You leave the Behemoth to us,” Yasuchika muttered out loud, “we have a plan of our own.”

He could see Secure atop the Behemoth in the distance, blood and death all around him. As he ran forward, he could make out the white-armored general preparing to make his mount attack again. Another direct frontal assault from the beast would tear the Capricornian defenses apart.

Yasuchika kept right on running. He knew Secure would never get the chance.


Secure grasped the reins of his colossal mount. The time to retreat was coming soon, he knew. The remnants of his army which had gone west as he attacked south were being taken apart. All of Windurst’s defenders would soon descend upon his flanks. It was no matter. He led but a fraction of the forces at his disposal. His only goal was to wear his enemy down, and sow the seeds of a much easier defeat at the hands of his main force. One more push was all he wanted now. With his Behemoth he would blow their flimsy automatons apart, as well as the ring of sorcerers they protected.

Once they were dead, he would have a clear path through to the city. With even a few minutes to run amok, the destruction he could wreak was untold.

The screams of battle rang in his Elvaan ears as he grimly prepared his Behemoth to deliver another thunderbolt into the growing carnage.

A fireball streaked through the haze. The Kindred circle guarding him had been depleted by combat, allowing the errant spell through. He ignored it as it fizzled overhead.

But in the brief moment of its existence, he became aware of the hulking shadow looming over him.

Secure tore his arm free of the reins at the same instant a broadsword crashed down onto them. He drew his steel in an instant, spinning to face his attacker. The Elvaan’s platinum-plated armor shook as his weapon collided with gleaming shield, easily deflecting it. Secure pulled his sword back, and stood face-to-face with the assailant.

His eyes blazed as he realized he knew who this man was. Cullen’s reports had described him well. There could be no mistaking the gargantuan Galka bearing down on him, steel in his hands and fury in his eyes.

Without a word, Secure attacked again. Again he was deflected, but he pressed onwards. He would still raze Windurst to the ground, but it would be made that much sweeter knowing their despair as he personally killed their revered Meowolf before their eyes.

The Behemoth roared as atop its back, the two Paladins entered a duel that was assuredly to the death.