Birthright

As Kordelle stepped outside of Tamura Tower, the list of Masks lingered in his mind. Why was Envoy keeping the 10th mask a secret? It didn't make sense, those with access to The Den have access to the most sensitive information. Kordelle passed once again by the statue of Renji Tamura outside of Tamura Tower. "Is Westbrook truly carrying Renji's will?" Kordelle muttered to himself.

"Probably not." a feminine voice behind him answered. Surprised, Kordelle turned around to find a familiar white and red fox mask. Vixen. "You got a minute to talk?" she asked him.

The two of them headed towards an alley nearby where they wouldn't attract too much attention, before Kordelle asked her "So what exactly did you want to talk about?"

"No small talk for the big bad devil huh? Ok then I'll get straight to business. Tell me, Morningstar, what's the difference between us and Phantom?" Vixen asked.

"Uh, is this a trick question? Phantom has the most experience so Envoy shares information with him." Kordelle answered.

"Damn, and I thought Oni was slow. No, dumbass, the difference is that Phantom is a yes man. He does whatever Envoy asks without the slightest question, whereas the two of us like to think for ourselves. Look, the point of me saying all of this is… I found something out that I'm sure Phantom knows and we don't. Something that we NEED to know." Vixen said.

"And is this in regards to the secret mask? Because I'm sure Envoy has his reasons for not telling us about him." Kordelle replied in a condescending tone.

"Hm… I'm not sure how to answer that. Yes, it's about a secret mask. But not the 10th mask. It's about the 11th one." Vixen said.

Kordelle narrowed his eyes at Vixen behind his mask. 11th mask? "The Ten Masks" is a title known to the entire city, how the hell could there be another one that nobody knows about? With more than a hint of doubt, Kordelle answered her by saying "Ok, and who is this fairy tale mask? I'm guessing you're gonna say he's invisible? You do know spreading this kind of lie is treason, right Vixen?"

Vixen sighed before saying "Damn, you're a real hardass. No wonder you have no friends. Anyways, the guy I'm talking about doesn't live in Nexdria. He's outside. Haven't you ever wondered how the people outside are always so organized when they fight us? Or did Envoy not give you permission to think for yourself? Maybe I was wrong about you?"

"If he's outside Nexdria, how is he relevant?" Kordelle asked, ignoring her verbal jabs. "And how is he one of the Masks if he isn't even HERE? Did you call me out here just to waste my time?"

Vixen stared at Kordelle for a few seconds before saying "You're a sharp one huh?" In an obnoxiously sarcastic tone. "Let me break this down for you, since you clearly lack critical thinking skills. There is a man outside of Nexdria, he calls himself 'Samurai'. He wears an ancient Japanese samurai mask and he's the one who calls the shots out there. And before you ask, I can't tell you how I know this. The reason I'm telling you, though, is because I imagine he may be connected to the reason Envoy is hiding the 10th from us. Envoy doesn't seem to know anything more than I do about Samurai, but trust me when I say that he's dangerous."

Kordelle took a moment to think. If Vixen is right about this, the threat of humans outside of the walls is only just beginning. If there is some sort of ringleader forming an army, full-scale war would be inevitable. "Okay, let's pretend for a moment that I believe you, Vixen. If your intel is correct, why share it with me? Moreover, why would Envoy feel the need to hide this? If Samurai were a serious threat, wouldn't he just send us to deal with it?"

"Well honestly, I'm short on allies and you tend to have a bit more pull than I do with all this political stuff." Vixen said, taking a more serious tone. "I know for a fact that my information regarding this is correct, and it's only a matter of time before Samurai strikes. I could use your help and connections with taking care of this threat before the entire city is at risk. I could live with myself if one or two of us assholes in masks died because of this, but civilians? Our whole purpose is to protect them, and it seems to me like Envoy isn't doing that right now. As far as why, your guess is as good as mine, but it's clear that he isn't taking action."

Kordelle put his hand on Vixen's shoulder, before saying "Vixen, we've been friends for a while now. I would love to have your back on this but you know I would never move against Envoy." She begins stammering in protest before Kordelle says "But, with that being said, if you're right about Samurai it's our duty to deal with him. Talk to me when you're ready to make a move and I'll see how I can help, okay? Is that good enough?"

Vixen gave Kordelle a hug. "Thank you, Morningstar, that's all I could ever ask. You have a good heart my friend. Never let that change." And with that, the two went their separate ways. The next time they see each other, would they still be calling each other "friend"?

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The sun just barely peaked over the horizon, the sky over the dimly lit woods turning a beautiful mix of orange and pink. Astoria stared in awe at the magnificent sight above her as she walked alongside Matt and One towards the wall of Nexdria. It had been quite a long time since she felt such a sense of peace. She was well aware that more fighting and sorrow awaited her, but at this moment she was alone with the only two people she trusted and a beautiful sky. She began to wonder if she had ever felt such a sense of peace in her entire life when Matt's words cut off her train of thought.

"About another thirty minutes and we'll reach the wall." Matt said. He then turned his gaze to Astoria. "Astoria, I know it's been a scary couple of days, and honestly, we have more scary days coming. But I want you to know that you're not alone anymore. No matter what happens, One and I are going to protect you. Once our plan succeeds, there's gonna be a whole city that's safe for you! You'll get to make friends your age and never worry about things like the cold or starving ever again! We just have to hold on for a few more days, okay?"

"What a happy little family you guys make!" a feminine voice said somewhere in front of them. Matt immediately drew his rifle and aimed it towards the voice, as One stepped in front of Astoria. Matt's eyes darted from side to side but he saw nothing but trees.

"Who said that?!" Matt yelled in the general direction of the voice.

"The only friend you've got" said the voice in return, as a woman stepped out from behind a tree about twenty feet away. Matt narrowed his eyes, trying to get a glimpse of her face. Questions raced across his mind as he wondered who could possibly be calling themselves a friend. It clearly wasn't Emily, but he had definitely heard this voice before. "Don't worry, I don't have a gun. Just my sword."

As she took a step closer, Matt immediately realized where he knew her voice from. Before he could even say anything, One yelled out the answer.

"ONI! Is that you?"

Oni, one of the Ten Masks. Known throughout all of Nexdria as the most proficient swordsman in history. With her Nano, "Blindspot", she was able to see everything around her without a single blind spot. At this close distance, she was possibly the most dangerous person in the world.

"Oh, it's you." Matt said without lowering his rifle. "I'd honestly feel safer if you did have a gun, your skill with that sword is no joke. Do you mind dropping it?"

"Very well. I do hope you can trust me" Oni said, slowly lowering her blade to the ground before letting it go and stepping forward. "Like I said, I came here hoping to make friends. A little birdie with a fox mask told me that you guys were fugitives because you had saved a little girl. I couldn't believe it without seeing it myself but I could never be your enemy if saving innocent people is your ambition."

Astoria peeked out from behind One, and the masked woman in front of them gave her a small wave. "I would love to trust that you would be on our side, Oni, but you know we have to be careful with Envoy and Phantom. It isn't beyond them to manipulate someone like you to gather information, is there any way you can think of to show your intent?" One asked her.

"Yeah, I didn't expect that you would trust me right off the bat, so I came with a proposal for you three. I have an extremely valuable secret. Something that nobody in the world knows besides myself and Vixen. Even Envoy has no clue. If I share this information with you, would you help me do one small thing?" she asked them.

"It depends on what that thing is, but if your information is truly valuable and you share it with us, I would have no reason not to trust you." Matt says. "One, Astoria, do you agree?" he continues. One and Astoria both nodded, and Matt slowly lowered his gun.

"I guess I'll have to just come out and show you then." Oni said, her stomach fluttering with anxiety about revealing her deepest secret. She took a step forward, so they could all see her clearly, and removed her mask. Behind her mask was a beautiful face. Her black hair was tied into a bun atop her head, and her face was very clearly of Japanese descent.

"My name is Kazane Tamura. I am the one and only daughter of Renji Tamura. I am the true heir of Nexdria, and I ask that you help me kill the fictitious president that had my father murdered: Anthony Westbrook. It isn't power that I seek, just the peace that my father strived for. If you help me kill this man, I will do whatever you ask."

A cold, wintery wind blew around them, and that was the only sound in the woods as the trio absorbed this information. Matt looked at One, and they shared a glance before simultaneously removing their own masks. "My name is Matt, and this is Astoria."

"I'm One, though with you being friends with Vixen I'm sure you already knew our names." One said. "I trust you, Kazane. Your father was a great man, and Westbrook is a monster. I have your back."

Astoria finally steps out from behind One, and says "Kazane is a pretty name! I don't know who these 'Westbrook' and 'Renji' people are, but I like you!" she says.

Kazane chuckles before saying "You're calling my name pretty? Astoria is a wonderful name."

Matt sighs, studying Kazane's face. Trusting anybody is difficult, especially a Mask, but right now they need allies. On top of that, Kazane seems to be very close to Vixen, the woman who has more intel than anyone in the world. She's the queen of information, and would be an extremely valuable ally. The only problem is that Vixen is part of Envoy's "Den", and would always be at risk of selling them out. Matt decided that was a problem for another day, and finally spoke up to Kazane.

"Ok, if you're going to help us you'll need to know our intentions. Long story short, we're going to liberate Sector D. The people there have been treated unfairly since its inception, and we're going to create a new country to rival Nexdria. In order to do this, I'm planning on using Anthony Westbrook as a hostage. Do you mind waiting until we've secured the city to kill him? I know it'll be tough, but we're going to need him alive for a little bit to get legitimacy as a new nation."

Kazane's eyes shifted to the ground. Would their plan work? The people of Sector D have every reason to secede from Nexdria, but will they have the manpower to win a civil war? As it stands, they would have the men and women from the labor camp, as well as whatever civilians are able-bodied, plus three of the Ten Masks. Taking Westbrook hostage would ensure that they aren't reduced to rubble immediately, but what leverage do they have beyond that? She pressed her brain for anything that can give them a long term advantage. Suddenly, she had an idea.

That's it! There's a way to make this work!

"Matt, you have my word that I won't harm Westbrook until the time comes to do so. I fully support this plan, but I have an idea of how to improve it if you don't mind my overstepping."

"Of course," Matt said. "Nobody is in charge here, we're just a bunch of traitors looking for peace. What's your idea?"

"I spend a lot of time outside of Nexdria, usually gathering information for Vixen or Envoy. I've seen a lot of the world outside. The reason I'm telling you this, is because there's a man out there who is the key to our survival after we win the Battle for Sector D. He's known as the 'Eleventh Mask', and goes by the name 'Samurai'. Samurai leads a massive army of humans, some say an army ten times the size of Nexdria's. He is a good man by all accounts, and truly seeks nothing more than a world of peace and equality. After we've taken Sector D, we should get his support in an alliance in order to be able to challenge Nexdria."

Matt and One stared in astonishment at Kazane, in disbelief. An army that large? An eleventh Mask? It all seemed too good to be true.

"Oh! Samurai! Yeah I know him!" Astoria said, to everyone's surprise. "When Matt and the mean guy ran into me, I was on my way to him. I used to stay with him a while ago, but we got separated and I was going back. I could show you guys where he lives!"

This proved that Kazane was telling the truth, and it made Matt realize that they truly could become an entirely new country if they played their cards correctly. Goosebumps ran up and down Matt's body as he thought about how close they were to freedom. Kazane may be the key to everything! Between her relation to Renji, her friendship with Vixen, and her knowledge of Samurai, she was a friend that they could never afford to lose.

"Kazane… I don't know how to thank you. This information will bring equality! You joining us will truly give us a chance at creating a peaceful world…Thank you so much." Matt said, extending his hand to Kazane for a handshake.

"You can thank me by making this happen. I want nothing more than to create the world my father desired. We have a ton of work to do, and I have no doubt that we will see a ton of bloodshed. Let's just make sure that Astoria and the millions of kids just like her grow up in a better world than we did." Kazane said, shaking Matt's hand.

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At the top of Tamura Tower, inside the President's Office, Westbrook sat across from a man wearing a gas mask, standing in the middle of the office. "The others don't know that you exist. Rainblazer. You, the Tenth Mask, will be making your debut by killing Plague and Gladiator tomorrow. Are you prepared for that?" Westbrook asked him.

Rainblazer looked at Westbrook curiously and said "You know I've been waiting for this moment for years, why ask me now if I'm prepared, father?"

To be continued in Chapter 5, coming July 24th.