Into the Fire

Active Heart

"Okay, so... Once again, from the top," Tori told Olmine. They had dragged the poor woman into the ruins so they could tie her up and question her some more. She looked harmless enough, but you could never be too sure.

"We call 'Drifters' every 'person' who was sent here from other worlds, like you. Likewise, we call 'Ends' every 'evil being who forsook their humanity' and was sent here from other worlds," Olmine explained for the umpteenth time with a sigh. Why did that Toyohisa guy have to be so thick? "The goal of our Octobrist organization is to locate, watch, and gather the Drifters to fight against the Ends. Uh... and could you untie me, please?" she asked, chagrined.

"Of course not," Toyohisa replied bluntly. "I can't understand a thing you are saying."

"I think she's trying to say we're supposed to be the good guys, and even though we were all brought here against our will, they want us to fight their battle against the bad guys for them..." Tori explained for his benefit, sweat-dropping.

"Hah hah hah! My dear Olmine, you are getting it totally wrong," Nobunaga said, laughing darkly, as he grabbed a billowing cloak and struck a dynamic pose. "For I am the Devil Lord of the Sixth Heaven! You think I am a good man? Then you are wrong! I am pure evil!!" he declared dramatically.

"You still doing such ludicrous performances? Don't you feel ashamed?" Toyohisa asked.

"Of course not," Nobunaga replied with a straight face.

"You really got some balls," Toyohisa said, sweat-dropping. "I forgot that you liked flashy stuff since you were a kid."

"No, I don't think you are Ends," Olmine said, watching them.

"Why?" Yoichi asked curiously.

"Those who come here as Ends can't be called 'human beings' anymore," she replied seriously. "They never make such jokes like you."

'Who's joking?' Tori thought, arching an eyebrow. Those were their real personalities.

"They nourish only an utter hatred towards this world," Olmine continued. "I don't know what happened to them in your world, but surely they hate everything in this world. And hate drives them to destroy everything they see. There are only two things that Ends do when they come here: devastation and carnage. They gathered in the north, subjugated the monsters that lived there, and started marching south. If we let them be, they will reduce this world to nothing. That's why we ask you, Drifters, to help us!!"

"... How many soldiers have you got?" Tori asked.

"Eh?" Olmine asked, taken aback.

"We know nothing about monsters, but now we know that they have a large army," Nobunaga said. "Just how many soldiers have you got to fight them?"

"Uh... well... our organization is a society of magicians, so..." Olmine said nervously.

"So, no soldiers at all?" Tori asked, furrowing her brow. How was that supposed to work? "Don't you guys know any combat spells or stuff like that?"

"We are a peaceful organization! Our goal is to gather all Drifters, and... well, our plan is to appeal to the kings and lords of each country to provide armed forces, and the Drifters would lead them against..."

"Fool! Fool! Fool!" Nobunaga snapped, pointing at Olmine. "This may be a different world, but some things are just the same. Every country here has a lord, who has command over his army, which in turn is a proof of his power. Nobody is idiot enough to hand his country over to a bunch of unknown guys, you fool! It doesn't matter how strong or powerful those so called 'Ends' are. The lords will never surrender their armies to you. They will cling to their military power till their last man is killed and their last stronghold falls to hands of that 'army to destroy the world'. That's what a 'lord' is! Why do you think the Mohists disappeared after the Warring States period!? You may come up with whatever theory you like, but facts are facts."