The Red Hand

"MEW MA MEW MEW MEW!" Akagi happily mewed in Halifax's arms as the two sat on the floor of the audience room, Catkagi happily snuggled up to the Sword. They'd both been up early in the morning and were currently enjoying themselves before the day got started, each happy to play with the other and enjoy themselves in their respective company.

"Who's a good kitty? Who's a good kitty?" Halifax said as she tickled the Catkagi with belly rubs. This may technically have been the Sword paying off her debt to Akagi for saving Amakusa, but she was still going to enjoy herself. Especially since she would've done this anyway.

"MEW! MEW! MEW! MEW!" Catkagi mewed back happily as she was relentlessly rubbed and tickled, her tail swishing back and forth as she was happily spoiled.

"Is it you? Is it you?" Halifax laughed as the Catkagi tried to grab at her fingers. "It is! You're the goodest widdle kitty! Oh, you're just so cute! I could just eat you up!" She laughed as she squeezed the kitty like a hug pillow. “Nom! Nom! Nom!”

“MEW!”

"A-Are we just supposed to stand here and watch this?" Amakusa deadpanned as she slowly turned to Nima. They'd been ordered to assemble in the audience hall so that Akagi could discuss their next moves and arrived just as the Catkagi shenanigans had started.

{The fuck did I get out of bed for?!? Is this more torture?!? Am I being forced to watch her get spoiled just for her sick kicks?!?} (Amakusa)

"Interrupt Lady Akagi's fun and I'll remove your head so fast you won't even have time to comprehend your own death." Nima glared at her, daring the Heroine to do something.

{Scary!} (Amakusa)

"Listen cat, I wouldn't dream of getting in between that idiot and pets, I'm just... You know what? Never mind." Amakusa sighed, deciding that simply dropping the point was in her best interest.

{I just thought that just MAYBE the fucking leader shouldn't be getting spoiled like a child during a serious moment, but I guess I'M the fucking weird one here!} (Amakusa)

"I say that my little snuggle baby should take the day off workies and play with me!" Halifax giggled as she sat the Catkagi down in front of her. "How does that sound? I can even get you some pudding!" She knew just how much Akagi liked it and figured it would be a good way of coaxing her.

"MEW!" Akagi mewed with a smile but shook her head.

"How is Yumi not going crazy over this?" Amakusa wondered aloud. “I would've figured that Priestess would burst into the room like a certain character and tear the cat away before trying to kill Halifax over something like this.”

"I spoiled her enough yesterday, and besides she's still asleep." Akagi answered. “What she donts knows won't hurts mees!” She said while pointing to her head as if she'd come up with some kind of big brained full proof plan.

{You forgot to say mew by the way...} (Amakusa)

"Ah, so you're hiding your infidelity from her." Amakusa snickered. “Maybe I should go and tell her?”

"Hey, pet do me a favor and go defenstrate yourself." Akagi commanded the Heroine to perform a hilarious and dangerous act.

"Defen what now?" Amakusa didn't understand the word but her body quickly turned and ran upstairs. A moment later screams could be heard as Amakusa crashed into the ground outside a nearby window.

"Pff." Halifax laughed at the stupid sight of Amakusa hitting the ground with a hard thud. "That wasn't very good kitty of you. Its not nice to make people toss themselves out windows like that." She said, lightly bopping Akagi on the nose.

"But she deserveded it!" Akagi said with a fake cry and pout. "Am good kitty! I woods never betrays Yumis! My petting harem is completely platonic, I assures yooos!"

{I hate that you call it that, and I hate its completely accurate...} (Halifax)

"Yes, Yes. Don't cry, kitty. I'll go hit her for you if you'd like." Halifax said as she pat the Catkagi on the head. “I know you are a dedicated and loyal kitty. She's just jealous is all.”

"Will you give her what for?" Akagi asked, pleading for the Heroine to face justice.

"Oh, don't worry, kitty, I'll give her more than that if you'd like." Halifax said as she flashed wicked smile, before cackling which was joined in by the evil goodest cat.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" Amakusa yelled as she stormed into the room, grass scattered all over her clothing and hair. "THAT'S what defenestrate means?!? Throwing yourself out a fucking WINDOW?!?"

{WHY IS THERE A FUCKING WORD FOR THAT?!? WHY WOULD YOU NEED THAT?!? WHO THE HELL MADE IT?!?} (Amakusa)

"Darn, she lived." Halifax clicked her tongue.

"A fall from that height won't do anything to me!" Amakusa hissed, not apprecaiting the Divine Blade's enjoyment of her misery. “And don't wish for my death!”

"Hmm, I wonder how high I have to drop you or you to die?" Akagi asked with a tilted head.

"We can stack those empty boxes you have in base until it's high enough to kill her." Halifax came up with an idea for the leftover items. They'd been bringing in a large number of supplies into base and had plenty of extra boxes from transport.

"Sadly air resistance means that you don't fall faster after a certain height." Akagi replied, cursing the laws of physics. "So if it doesn't kill her after a 1,500ft fall it never will."

{Why do you just know that information off the top of your head?!? Have you done that before?!?} (Amakusa)

"That is unfortunate." Halifax said as she pat the Catkagi on the head to console her. "Poor kitty can't use gravity to kill her foe. A pity."

"MEW!" Akagi meowed in agreement.

"Why do I have the feeling you're enjoying yourself?" Amakusa asked as she rolled her eyes.

"Me? No! I would never enjoy the kitty's schemes." Halifax put her hand on her heart to swear her innocence. "I could never have fun tormenting a person responsible for all kinds of horrific acts of violence and terror!" She smiled.

{I... You know, its not fair when you put it like that!} (Amakusa)

"Hey, Halifax." Akagi said, tugging on the Sword's shirt.

"Yes, kitty? What can I do for you?" Halifax asked with a smile. “Do you need more huggies?”

"Do you want to see her do it again?" Akagi asked, tilting her head as her lips curled into a wicked smile of her own.

"Only if we can put something fun out for her to land on." Halifax snickered with Akagi following suit a moment later. “I'm thinking a bed of spikes?”

“Maybe a giant bathtub filled with plugged in toasters!” Akagi said with a happy smile.

{WHY ME?!?} (Amakusa)

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<??? POV>

"RETREAT! FALL BACK THROUGH THE GATE!" A red-beared dwarf in heavy armor screamed as cannons fired relentlessly into a pitch-black cave. At the same time, dozens of other Dwarves all in similarly heavy gear slowly fell back through a single massive metal gate, all the while screams and ungodly roars echoed through the darkness.

"Commander Bogram, they're getting closer! We need to close the gate now or those creatures will get inside the fortress!" A Dwarf in a yellow and black officer's uniform said to the commander, his entire body shaking both from running and fear.

"We still have men out there! If we close the gate they'll be slaughtered!" Another Dwarf yelled back, furious at the thought of abandoning any Dwarf to such a fate. "Have you no shame?!? Is that beard on your face just for show?!?" His outfit looked more like a priestly robe and identified him as a magical artificer representing the guild.

"Those men know what they got into when they came down here!" The officer yelled back. "Commander, please! Your orders?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Commander Bogram closed his eyes and ran his hand through his slightly gray beard before giving his command. "Close the gate now. Seal it! We cannot allow these things the opportunity to take another Hold!"

{May the ancestors guide their spirits to their side and may they forgive me what what I must do.} (Bogram)

"YOU HEARD THE COMMANDER! CLOSE THE GATE! ACTIVATE THE RUNESHIELDS!" The officer bellowed into a magical horn that amplified his voice tenfold.

"GET YOUR ASSES IN HERE IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!" A higher-ranking soldier yelled as alarms began to go off indicating that the gate was going to be closed and sealed. The noise was deafening and, seeing what was happening, every single Dwarf that could began running as fast as they could toward the slowly closing gate, even going so far as to drop any equipment they could.

*CLANG* *CLANG*

“MOVE! NOW!” The Dwarves yelled as they helped whoever they could get inside the fortress gates as the massive cogs turned, slowly closing the gates, all the while the screams and roars got closer.

"Come, on. Come on." Commander Bogram muttered to himself as he watched soldiers continue to run through the closing door while a few of their vehicles zoomed in behind them. "Just a bit more. Come on damn you! Close!" He said, slamming his fist on the small railing in front of him.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAOW!" As the gate slowly sealed a deafening roar echoed through the darkness as a mangled Dwarven body flew into the area where the Dwarves were gatheringl, smashing into the floor and turning into a bloody mess.

"We're not gonna make it! They'll reach the gate before it closes!" The artificer trembled as he imagined what would happen if these creatures got past this point. "The Hold will fall! We're all going to die! Just like in Kel Ursa!"

"No! I won't allow it!" Commander Bogram yelled as he leaped over the railing and ran toward the gate, pulling his massive hammer from his back. It shimmered and glowed with rune energy and its black-as-night head seemed to reflect the world around it like a mirror. "Everyone get back! Move your Dwarven legs if you want to live to drink another day!"

As Commander Bogram stood in front of the partially opened door he caught a glimpse of something in the darkness. It was a creature that appeared to be made of pure shadow with bat-like wings protruding from its back, and its eyes roared with a flame so bright and hot that it made even the best Dwarven furnaces seem like little more than warm candles.

"By the Ancestors, you shall not enter my home! This is not a place for creatures like you and I will not allow you to taint it with your vile existence!" Bogram lifted his hammer into the air, the runes activating and lighting his hammer with a bright blue shine before he slammed it down with enough force to shake the entire cavern and warp the earth below into a tidal wave that screamed forward into the darkness and cast the creature and its ilk, as well as any unfortunate Dwarves unfortunate enough to still be in its way, back and buying just enough time for the gate to close and for the runes on it to activate, sealing it. "May you find peace with the Ancestors." He said, closing his eyes and offering a prayer for the fallen. "For I know that I will not..."

"Commander!" The officer who'd been by his side moments prior ran up to him, out of breath. "You... We did it!" He said through wheezes. “The seals have activated. Those monsters have been halted!”

"We've merely delayed those creatures." Bogram said as heavy thuds came from the gate, indicating attempts to break it down. "They will search for other passages, and even the guild doesn't know the full extent of the Under's labyrinthine layout. We've dealt with this same situation before, and we need to be ready for the next attack."

{The main highway to the Capital is heavily guarded, but I suspect it will be the next path they'll take. I need to return and request additional forces. At this rate...} (Bogram)

"What should we do?" The officer asked and it took a moment for Bogram to answer as he honestly didn't know what to tell him.

"I shall speak to the Council. If we are to survive we must seek aid from the surface." Commander Bogram said as he put his hammer on his back. “Without outside assistance I'm afraid we may very well have to abandon these mountains.”

"But the Council will never request Imperial assistance! The price they'd demand would be too high!" The officer exclaimed. On paper at least, the Dwarves and Empire had a defensive alliance, but in reality, it was heavily slanted in the Empire's favor.

“Imperial, Divine, Northwind I don't care who they are.” Bogram said as he began heading back to their local headquarters, ready to take a cart to the Capital. “All I know is that we need help, and we need it fast.”