Starla: Brigesto!
Princess!
Princess! Princess Faliyah!
Brigesto: Ack!
Who lit their smoking pipe in here?
Starla: Princess!
Brigesto: Rookie?
Oh! Princess Faliyah!
Kid? Where's Princess Faliyah?
Starla: I saw someone in the smoke.
Where does that breach lead?
Brigesto: That window doesn't lead to anything.
It's just a narrow ledge.
Hold on!
Who in the world are you, new kid?
Starla: Me?!
Who the hell are you?!
Brigesto: I have little reason to trust that you are on our side.
All I know is that something happened
as soon as you joined our ranks.
I am Elite Guard Brigesto,
and no enemies of the crown will slip be me unnoticed.
Yatto jiyuu! Hajimeru jikan da!
(Free at last! Time to begin!)
Shoumi de natsuin. Konkai ha katsu zo!
(Signed and sealed. This time we will win!)
I am Elite Guard Brigesto,
and no enemies of the crown will slip be me unnoticed.
Starla: Don't be an idiot, Brigesto!
Lower your weapon!
Brigesto: I could very well have an agent of the enemy in my grasp.
What do you know, Starla?
Starla: All I know is that you were supposed to stay
right on Princess Faliyah,
yet someone managed to capture her while under your guard.
Besides it's almost too convenient, don't you think?
As soon as I'm promoted
someone makes an aggressive move right under your nose.
As if to implicate me in some nefarious plot.
Which you’ve just done, Brigo.
Brigesto: Sounds like you know more than you're letting on.
Sarinya: Peace!
What are you two doing?
Starla: Get behind me, love!
I don't know if we can trust Brigesto here.
Brigesto: So your girl was spying on us?
Is that it?
Sarinya: I need both of you to stop being stupid!
What's going on?!
What's happened that's got you at each other's throats!?
Brigesto: You had their flank, Slistrela.
You should've apprehended them there and then.
Starla: We're wasting time, Brigesto!
Sheath your sword so we can start tracking the princess down
and get her to safety!
Brigesto: Rookie fell asleep while on duty, Slistrela.
Can you believe this?
Slistrela: Brigesto, go now and advise the castle guards.
Order them to remain sharp in defensive formations.
I'll handle things here.
Brigesto: Understood.
Sarinya: Keep calm, Star.
I don't think getting on Brigo's bad side will do anyone any favors.
That was scary.
Starla: Love,
what was that?
What just happened?
One minute he's ready to kill me,
the next he's leaving as if nothing happened?
Sarinya: You're both tense.
I'm just glad you're not hurt.
Starla: I'm glad he didn't hurt you too.
Next time we're in a dangerous situation
just stay by my side.
Is there a way for you to read whether or not
he was afflicted by some spell?
Did Slis... do someth--
Sarinya: Slis is fine.
Why is everyone levying accusations?
Starla: Nothing.
Maybe I'm just being overly cautious.
Sarinya: I'll ask my teacher if there's a way to detect spells.
I should go check on the advisers
and see if anyone's injured.
Starla: Thank you, little one.
Be careful and stay safe.
Here. Take one of my daggers,
you might need to use it at some point.
Come find me if you run into trouble.
Sarinya: Of course! I'll keep it hidden.
Don't get into anymore fights, Star!
I mean it!
Narrator: Taking refuge from the chaos,
Starla found a quiet balcony and watched the horizon.
Slistrela: Star. What happened?
Starla: There was an explosion.
The room filled with smoke.
I think someone in the smoke captured Princess Faliyah.
Do you know any magic, Slis?
Maybe we can investigate the breach for residue.
Slistrela: I don't know anything too advanced.
See anything else?
Starla: No.
Slistrela: Anything comes to mind let me know.
Starla: Absolutely.
Where's Brigo?
Slistrela: I think I managed to speak some sense into him.
But keep an eye on him, just in case.
I need to adjust some patrols.
Keep watch for now, Star.
Starla: Damn it.
Can I trust her?
Or was that shaman just toying with me?
Huh.
Damn it, damn it!
Can I trust her or not?
Sarinya: Star?
Starla: Elite Guard.
Where is Princess Faliyah?
Narrator: The red druid approached Starla.
Starla: Huh?
Narrator: Suddenly, Starla froze.
Starla: Damn it. Move!
Narrator: The druid continued steadily while
Starla stood motionless.
Starla: Come on!
Come on! Move, you pathetic coward!
Narrator: Her body was unable to listen to her command,
and there she remained,
as if she were wrapped and shackled in place by some wicked spell.
A sudden flash blinded Starla,
and a heavy presence dominated over her.
Then spoke a voice from the light.
Spirit: O brave youth...
Narrator: With all her willpower Starla attempted to utter words,
but none arose.
With all her courage she wished to look into the light,
but her body, constricted in the grasp of some powerful force,
remained paralyzed,
bowing, kneeling before something greater than herself.
Spirit: Long have I sought you, hero.
The world weeps.
It is draped in a noxious agony and distrust,
and mischief runs amok.
Within you rests tremendous power and virtue.
Use your efforts, noble knight,
to cleanse those who would stand in your way.
And now I say unto thee that you are Machi.
And with this shield and sword, forged of my essence,
I house in you my nature.
Look upon your awakened form,
and know that the gates of hell shall not prevail over you.
Now imbued in you,
I have untangled and unleashed your potential.
Secure our pact in secrecy, for none shall be trusted.
Go forth, fierce Machi,
use your strength in my service.
Go now, my daughter,
and face the aether.
SRT by Sophia "Zies" Knight
https://ziesgg.com/machi
Taken by force but they kept it with pride
And now we can't breath in the world they describe
Where silence is golden, resistance is numb
We scream our hope straight into the sun
Broken is the world they refuse to see
We won't bow down to a word remembered as liberty
They are preaching on how their time is yet to come
How long before we make them undone?
In the name of believing, in the name of us all
We sing to tell you the stories untold
Can you hear our mourning? They've taken our rights
Don't let the truth out of your sight