{ === + === }
[4 years ago]
Nino and Jaffar, sitting in a tree, resting after trying to kill the Baby King Bee.
Following their foiled assassination attempt on Prince Zephiel, the two retreated along with Eliwood's group to their camp away from the Prince's mansion.
Following the "normal" timeline, they avoid offing Ursula (the stage boss) because their Mark is never as good as the Player.
Nino, a fourteen year old little girl, despite her rearing as an assassin, definitely doesn't have the constitution to stay awake throughout the entire night after fighting for her life. As such, she basically finds the closest unoccupied tent and collapse into unconsciousness.
"Looks like our latest recruit's all tuckered out." Lord Hector chuckles towards Nino's tent. "She did pretty good back there, didn't she?"
Nino fought a single Monk.
"She's a little girl." Lady Lyndis sighs. "And that assassin…"
"Ah…right." Hector's eyes darken. "Him."
"Play nice, Hector." Lord Eliwood consoles him. "If nothing else…"
"Yeah, yeah, he's playing on our side." Hector dismisses Eliwood's warning. "Doesn't mean I have to like him, though." He scoffs.
"I know." Eliwood claps his friend on the shoulder. "Just be willing to tolerate him. For that little girl's sake."
…
Urusla, with the remainder of her personal unit of Black Fang units, retreat from the Prince's mansion.
"Lady, should we leave the two of them alone?" One of her underlings asks her.
"The damn traitor angel and Sonja's bastard daughter." Ursula seethes. "They spit upon Lady Sonja's benevolence. You two." She gestures to her cavaliers.
"Yes, your ladyship." They salute.
"Ride fast to the Water Sanctuary." Ursula commands. "And deliver the message to our Lady Sonja that Jaffar, the Angel of Death, and Nino, her bitch of a daughter, have turned traitor."
"Yes!" They salute and remount. "At once!"
They turn their horse and make way down a side path. They go about twenty steps before a dark aura engulfs and kills them dead.
Ursula, hearing their cries of pain, instantly readies her Elfire.
Whatever magic she was about to attempt was then instantly distracted by a ludicrously powerful magical blast from somewhere north of the mansion.
"What in the hells?" Ursula snaps to attention at the blast of insane magical power.
The killer of the cavaliers takes notice of the blast of magic as well. "An incredible magical power." A golden-eyed woman by the name of Limstella, says tonelessly. "I will need to report back to master."
She emerges soundlessly from her cover behind a copse of trees and vanish into the night.
…
As for the Good Guys, they of course noticed a massive blast of magical power originating literally inside their base.
The blast of magic shattered Nino's tent and torched what was left to the ground.
"What the hell?!" Hector yells in shock while Jaffar bolts forward into the burning remains. The Lord, catching himself, is then instantly on the Assassin's heels in their charge to pull the 14-year old girl from the fire.
But of course, the girl isn't there. As the healers treat Jaffar and Hector's burns, the rest of the party goes into analysis mode.
"I don't know how, or what…" Count Pent, the most senior and learned sage of the party, says after the remains of the fire is put out. "…but the magic that was Nino's has completely vanished."
Jaffar was unhappy with that answer. "What do you mean, vanished?!" His growl carries his threat plainly for all to see.
Pent could care less. "I am not sure." He replies calmly. "But I have heard of a theory: occasionally, doors across reality have a chance to open at random, and when it happens, some unforeseen or unusual effects may occur in the general area."
"A 'door across reality'?" Eliwood ponders on this. "And one of these doors opened for little Nino?"
"Whether if it opened for her or if it was a coincidence is unknown." Pent replies with a shake of his head. "But the end result is still the same."
Jaffar is pissed. With neither the psychological training (read: normal people skills) or the mental stability to deal with his problems, he deigns to unleash his rage on the closest target, also known as Pent. Thus, he makes threatening moves towards Pent.
Pent's wife, Claire, nocks an arrow and aims it straight at Jaffar's heart. "Not a step closer." She warns him with vehemence.
Jaffar, surprisingly, does in fact stop.
Claire's tone softens. "I understand that you are enraged, but do not act in anger."
Jaffar goes "tch" and pulls back. Tellingly, he never drew his knife.
Pent was about to respond, before two blips on his senses drew his attention. "Hm?" He arms himself.
Seeing this, the rest of the party does the same.
To their immense surprise, two beings warp into their camp: the Venerable Archsage Athos, and the Designated Bad Guy Nergal.
"It appears that we had the same thought, old friend." Nergal says loftily upon seeing Athos facing him. "Though judging by your late entry, it would seem that the source of that magic was not from you."
"Indeed." Archsage Athos replies levelly. "I feared the worst."
"If it isn't the big man himself." Hector raises his axe. "Coming here so we can end your sorry life early?" He growls at Nergal.
"Don't kid yourself, brat of Ostia." Nergal could have cared less. "I'm here for the magic that's far beyond your comprehension." His gaze falls upon the burned tent. "Pah."
"Children of light, retreat from here." Athos warns the main group. "This situation has changed beyond expectations."
"Retreat?" Hector smirks. "I don't know the meaning of the-ow."
Lyndis bops him on the head. "Come on, Hector, no grandstanding."
Nevermind Nergal, the group could hear the footsteps of the approaching Bern garrison. Knowing that their options if found were less than pleasant, they, despite their reservations, retreat.
Athos and Nergal glare at each other for a little bit longer, then both simultaneously teleport away without another word, leaving the Mansion garrison to find just the burned out remains of a tent.
…
"Archsage, what was that tremendous magical power I felt?" Pent asks him as the group reconvenes the next day. "It was nothing like I've ever experienced before."
"This type of magic is new to me as well." Athos admits. "While I have heard of these types of magic before, this is the first case where such magical strength is so overtly displayed."
"What does this mean for Bern, Archsage?" Eliwood asks. "Lycia too."
"Shouldn't you be asking about Lycia first?" Hector verbally nudges him.
"I am unsure." Athos replies gravely. "This is an event that is far beyond my expectations...and by the looks of it, Nergal's as well."
"It's even against Nergal's expectations…" Eliwood mulls it over. "It was some kind of gate, right? Was it similar to the Dragon's Gate?"
"It could be." Athos nods slowly. "Certainly, the magic involved does seem similar. In any event, I advise caution."
"Caution…" Eliwood repeats softly.
With their chance to persuade the queen lost (read: right after the assassination) Eliwood's party was thus unable to quickly and easily progress to their intended target area.
Instead, they spent a week in Bern to covertly observe the situation.
To put it bluntly: things bode ill.
The spike of magical power split Bern's opinion in half. The Queen (without Louise to talk her down) trumpeted the spike as the result of Zephiel's divine guidance and decree to rule, with the King's faction being less than amused at the propaganda.
The queen then doubled down on the claim and declared that the cause of Zephiel's magical reaction was in defense to an attempted assassination. Though she pointedly avoided saying who, most people had a reasonable guess since the bad blood between the Queen and the King were easy to see (again, the Queen's fault).
So, by the time the week is up, the queen and king factions among Bern were starting to break out into small conflicts among the streets.
To put the nail in the proverbial coffin, the leadership of the allied party—Lord Eliwood of Pherae, Lord Hector of Ostia, and Lady Lyndis of Caelin—received near simultaneous reports in unrest within their holdings due to that spike of magical power. Something about the 'end of mankind' or other tripe.
Though nobody in Lycia knew why, the sudden spike of unrest is actually due to Nergal's influence. While he was responsible for manipulating two of Lycia's lords, he also had scattered his spies and manipulators like the wind into the country, and they all collectively gained the ears of a not insignificant amount of people unhappy with their leadership for some reason or other (for example, a small but vocal minority in Pharae, Eliwood's holding, dislike how he's the head of state and yet isn't doing his job). The spike of magic power convinced them that it was Nergal's doing and that he would support their bid for their agenda, and thus accelerated their plans. Nergal's henchmen asking him or his subordinate Ephidel received no response, so they're adopting a wait-and-see tactic.
Plus Lord Uther, Hector's brother, took ill. It's a coincidence, but at the moment literally nobody believes that.
This last message would have been intercepted by Oswin, Hector's loyal knight and retainer, but the circumstances changed pretty hard.
And just in case the nail wasn't hammered in deep enough, Athos informed the group that, in light of current circumstance (read: sudden burst of absurd magical power) Nergal has withdrawn to his base in the Dread Isle and has fortified his defenses, and all actions on the continent seemed to have stagnated.
"That's convenient." Hector had commented.
Thus, with no leads and no way to proceed further into Bern without coming into conflict with the now riled up Bern army, the three lords retreated back to Lycia to govern their own nations for the time being.
…
[4 Years Later, Aka Present Day]
…
The White Wolf, Lloyd Reed, lies barely sleeping in a small village in Bern.
For the past four years, he's been spending his spare time to search for his little sister across the entirety of the continent. Between his job as a Black Fang and the incessant travel, he was certainly quite short on sleep. Of course, the current political climate didn't help much.
The Black Fang was being tasked with making sure that dissenting elements within Bern were being eliminated to stave off a costly and painful civil war.
Or at least that's the line they were fed. Lloyd agreed and went with it, but he, like his father, knew that the situation was not that tenuous. Yes, Bern was having a bit of a succession dispute, but no, it was definitely not devolving into open warfare.
That said, actions between feuding lords and factional generals meant that Bern was now in a weakened state. Increased taxes in preparation for a "civil-war" both drew in money for the aristocracy and the expected ire of the people paying said taxes, causing an increase in banditry.
Lloyd frowns at being told to leave the bandits alone. It goes against his belief as a Black Fang to leave the commoners to fend for themselves, but he had his orders…and more importantly, he's already going against the command of his father by continuing this search for much longer than the year he was previously allotted.
"Yo." Linus Reed greets him from the doorway of his room. "You up?"
Lloyd gives his brother a wane smile. "Yes, I am. How do you feel today?"
Linus leans on his crutch. "Ain't nothing I can't handle." He grins.
At seeing his younger brother's crutch, Lloyd blood boils. That damn witch. He curses in his head.
Linus got his ass kicked by the Eliwood party during a part of their journey into Bern, and was subsequently attacked (more) by an unusual sage by the name of Limstella…though Lloyd wasn't aware of her name. As far as he knew, Linus was attacked by some lady with bright, yellow eyes and flowing black hair.
Lloyd knew exactly one person in his life that matched that description, and he, despite his own understanding to the contrary, could not factor out the possibility that his own mother was the orchestrator of the attack.
Either way, Linus the Mad Dog was attacked by a black-haired lady and left for dead, leaving Lloyd to find his brother slowly bleeding out in the proverbial ditches. By a great stroke of fortune, Nino had given him a small vial of Vulnerary prior to Linus's fight with Eliwood, and the vial had cracked in his fight with Limstella, allowing Linus to remain barely alive thanks to the dripping medicine, saving him just enough for Lloyd to get to him.
The town would then be woken up by Lloyd screaming at the top of his lungs for a healer. After copious uses of Recover and Restore staves, Linus was stable, though far from recovered. After another two years of rehabilitation, he regained the ability to walk (barely), which was the closest thing to a full recovery the healing staves could manage.
In game terms, basically all of his stats are quartered.
The Mad Dog has fallen far, though his optimistic personality hasn't changed any.
"Hey, brother. Are you listening?" Linus's voice pierces through Lloyd's internal conflicts.
"Ah, apologies." Lloyd wasn't listening. "What were you talking about?"
"You and your worries, brother." Linus laughs. "I was talking about the Mouth."
Lloyd wasn't too interested. "What about it?"
"Well, word around the street is that the port's seen some pretty interesting business as of late." Linus grins. "Something about a ship from beyond the oceans."
Lloyd was now rather interested...and worried. "Oh really?"
"It's not from beyond the isles, if that's what you're wondering." Linus's grin grows wider. "Apparently it's entirely metal."
Lloyd wasn't quite sure what to make of that info.
"It's worth looking into." He says after some consideration. "Maybe that ship will have some information on Nino."
Linus nods vigorously. "Yeah, and since we felt that weird magical thing last year, there's a good sign Nino's on some other continent we've never been to."
Lloyd could see his brother's quivering excitement. "Be sure to behave yourself." He says with a sigh.
Besides Nino… Lloyd glances at his brother's cane. We might find someone who can treat him, too.
…
A large river runs from the heart of Bern to the coastline. It flows north, then turns east and empties into the ocean, widening into what is basically the beating heart of Bern's trade. This eastern facing section of the river also acts as the border between Bern and Sacae, and various towns and villages dot the two shorelines to take advantage of the fishing and easy transportation.
Naturally, the two largest cities are the ones at the mouth of the river. Colloquially referred to as the "Mouth" by the residents of Bern and Sacae alike, these two cities held the enviable position of being the crossroads of the eastern coast, and the trade that follows such incredible traffic made the two cities, as its citizens might say if they had the lexicon, "fucking bullshit rich".
Between the fishing, the shipping, and the intercity ferries, the waterway between the two cities is also one of the busiest, beaten out by maybe Lycia's port of Badon which services the bulk of Lycia's population.
Fun fact about busy ports designed to service huge amounts of boats: they're pretty easy to attack by other guys who have boats.
Thus, as Lloyd and Linus's hired cart approached the Mouth on Bern's side, they noted the worrying plume of smoke slowly rising into the air.
"Is that metal ship an enemy?" Lloyd asks conversationally.
"I already told you I made that up." Linus mumbles. "What's going on? Driver, do you know?"
"I heard that the Mouth's attracting a lot of attention from those 'Jugdral' folk." The Driver replies lazily. "Damn shame if you ask me."
"Where's you sense of pride?" Linus demands. "Bern's being attacked by an enemy!"
"My pride went with my taxes." The Driver's reply was as steady as before. "Ain't much of a surprise."
Linus shakes his head…and shares a knowing glance with his brother. The two had decided to adopt a slightly patriotic tone to go with their curiosity in case any nobles they had crossed before happened to be at the Mouth. Bern's sense of national unity has always been high, so this newfound lack of respect for authority was worrying to them, if only because it made defense against these new recent intruders more difficult.
Jugdral was a continent discovered very recently in the form of marauding fleets of warships that supposedly hailed from the location. While no one on Elibe has laid eyes on it yet, most nobles, after tussling with the Jugdral ships, are convinced that the place can mean nothing good.
Still, if Jugdral ships have sailed from the isles down to here, then we have a problem. Lloyd muses. He knew that the most common access point between Jugdral and Elibe were the isles of Kafti and Caledonia, on the western edge of their map. Without knowing how much further Jugdral was, he couldn't estimate how long their supply line was or how effective their attacks would be, but he was impressed by their tenacity to sail around the entirety of the continent to strike at Bern.
As Lloyd would learn later, the idea that Jugdral was "beyond the isles" was a misnomer, in the sense that the first Jugdral ship sighted sailing around the isles only got there because the nation of Ilia was absolutely atrocious at patrolling its frosty coastline, relying more on the ice and cold rather than patrols and interdiction. Jugdral was, in actuality, east of Elibe, making Bern basically the first point of contact.
Either way, as the two of them crested a hill, they were able to see the Mouth of Bern in all its glory.
To put it lightly: it ain't pretty.
Jugdral ships were sturdy, fast, and built for the sake of warfare.
The Mouth ships were…uh, not.
The river was choked with burning ships, to the point where it seemed that the entire waterway was on fire. Lloyd couldn't see any fighting going on due to the distance and the burning, but he figured that if there was fighting going on, Bern was likely not on the winning end.
In the sky, he could see Bern's famed Wyvern Knights joining into the mix. Sadly, they're not too good at fighting in areas without Bern's famed mountains that usually hid the famed Knights, and so their performance was at best lackluster.
Fortunately, since the Jugdral ships were primarily warships or raiders, the cities themselves were spared…except for the parts that were on fire because things just randomly catch on fire in situations like this.
"Let's go take a look, brother." Lloyd says.
"Yeah." Linus sets some quivers by his side. "Driver, go for it."
…
The two of them enter the Mouth of Bern and help putting out some fires. That's about it.
Linus's reaction to all this was a simple "boring."
Since it's a naval battle and the two have no naval combat experience, they spend the rest of the day watching the battle from the city's ramparts.
…
"What do you think, brother?" Linus asks as the Jugdral ships escape north along the Sacaean coast.
"They'll be back." Lloyd sighs.
Lloyd's assessment is based on the fact that, after this day of combat, what was left of the two city's navy were either all sunk or were in too bad of a shape to continue battle. While he wasn't sure what the Jugdral ships were up to, he knew that giving them uncontested access upriver would result in nothing good. The Mouth of Bern and Sacae had strong walls and a tough garrison, but the same is definitely not true for the towns deeper in.
At least they're not going to mount a ground attack. Lloyd reassures himself. So we can avoid a true siege.
Bern's wyvern knights and Sacaean horse archers have a tendency to shut down sieges before they begin. While the ships from Jugdral may not have known this, they should, he reasons, be aware of the difference in manpower.
Thus, the two retires to an inn to discuss their next course of action. Now that they were here and there was a battle to be had, they couldn't just leave.
…
The next day brought a surprise.
We all know what this is…kinda.
Lloyd found Linus already perched on the city walls. He was tapping the stonework with his cane and looking outwards with a pensive and confused expression.
"Brother?" Lloyd asks.
"What do you reckon they're doing?" Linus gestures towards the ocean with his cane. "They're all facing the wrong way."
Lloyd went up to look. As Linus said, the Jugdral ships were facing outwards against something too far for him to see.
"So a third party has arrived." Lloyd muses. "Who's riding to our rescue? Lycia?"
"It doesn't look like it." A guard standing beside them replies nervously. "What is that thing?" He adds.
Lloyd notes that the man has a spyglass to his eye and was staring intently at some spot on the horizon.
"It looks like a ship, but its silhouette is all wrong." The guard continues to say. "It's still quite far off, but…"
"It's a single ship?" Lloyd notes with worry.
"Looks like it." The guard nods.
Given their lack of options, they opt to continue observing the situation. As they watch, the Jugdral fleet of roughly twenty ships or so suddenly hoist sails and retreat along the coastline again.
"I saw some Pegasus knights, so I guess they had some kind of agreement." The guard explains when Linus asked for clarification. "Even if it's a third party, it's a third party that's made an agreement with Jugdral." The man grits his teeth. "It can mean nothing good for us." He moves to report to his immediate superior.
Without any better options, the two cities sent out all of their two combat-capable ships (one ballistae each) to form a possible last minute defense against the incoming ship.
Said incoming ship was, comparatively speaking, huge.
"Let's get over there." Linus says suddenly and hobble to his feet.
Like before, a Pegasus knight was sent from the mysterious ship, who, after some parleying with a Wyvern Knight sent from the Bern side of the Mouth, convinced the towns that, no, they were not out to bring the apocalypse onto the ports. While the Mouth had their reservations, this was a ship that decided to talk rather than shoot first, so they erred on the side of friendliness to prevent making more enemies.
Thus, the ship was allowed to dock on the Sacaean side, as an additional precaution against an actual possible land intrusion.
The Reed brothers, now curious, take a now very busy ferry across the river.
When they round the corner to the deep-sea docks, they could see that the hull of the ship was entirely metal. The ship also took up the entirety of the deep-sea docks with its length, making it—Lloyd estimates—about 150 meters long. He also estimates, based on his current position and the highest point of the ship, that it's at most 10 meters high, not counting whatever may be underwater.
I've never seen a ship with the raised structure placed squarely in the middle. Lloyd muses, not exactly having a word to describe the design in front of him.
"I was joking." Linus mutters. "I could've sworn I was joking."
The two of them see the letters "CPA-CA-01" emblazoned on the side of the hull, and briefly wondered what it meant.
"Look at that." Linus, like many other people, point to the trio of small pipe-like things attached to boxes mounted on the front of the ship. "What type of weapons do you think those are?" He asks excitedly.
Lloyd could see at that two of the larger pipe-things were actually an installation of multiple pipes tied together. "Your guess is as good as mine, brother."
Unable to see anything else of immediate interest (or understanding), the two watch as the ship drop anchor and extend a gangplank from the fore and aft of the ship's hull.
"Would water rush in like that?" Linus wonders upon seeing the two openings.
"Not if they trust their design enough to make those entrances in the first place." Lloyd notes. "Look, they're descending."
…
The brothers, like everybody else, were at first surprised by the newcomers.
The reason? The first three to descend the gangplank were very much so children. Said children would have kicked ass and took names if they heard themselves being described as such, since they were already 16 years old, but that's neither here nor there.
Lloyd could see that the girls were clad in some kind of armored dyed pure white, wearing gear that seemed to be shattered in various ways. Before he could get any further in his interpretation…
The lead girl stretch, sighs contently, and exclaim in a clear, crisp voice. "Finally! Land at last!" Lloyd notes that she had long, purple hair and had about her an air of immaturity wrapped around an incredible ego.
"We could have disembarked at Jugdral." The second girl notes. "But the captain chose not to." She had white hair and was surrounded by a sense of quiet dignity.
"Good decision too." The third girl nods in agreement. "Jugdral gave me the creeps." Her hair was chestnut brown, and Lloyd got the feeling that she was probably a Good Girl™.
"Welcome to the Mouth of Sacae, strangers." A guard captain announces clearly while a ring of militia circled the docks. "What brings you here?"
"Business!" Purple hair announces cheerily. "We're from a long ways away and we could stand to spend a little coin." She unhooks a small square leather box (a kinda-wallet) from her waist and tosses it at the captain.
The captain gives the wallet a test toss and his eyes widen slightly.
"Also, please deliver a message that our captain would like to meet with your mayor. It is a matter of grave urgency." White hair adds politely.
"This doesn't appear to be a trading ship." The guard captain notes.
"She isn't." Brown hair nods. "The trading ship is waiting at a safe distance. You won't regret letting it through, promise!" She smiles sweetly.
She's like Nino. Lloyd blinks rapidly at the realization.
"Very well, I will, erm…" the captain wasn't too familiar with foreign dignitary protocol, since the only foreign folk he ever received were basically neighbors from across the river. "Please follow me." He leads the girls away and to the mayor's villa.
As the girls leave, Lloyd notes that the gangplanks were quickly retracted…but he saw no one doing the work.
…
[At the Mayor's Villa]
…
The three girls are led into a well decorated room, where the mayor sat behind a rather imposing looking table. Flanking him are two guards, and all look rather polite, if surprised at this sudden request for a very formal meeting from children.
"As the mayor of the Mouth of Sacae, I welcome you to our fair city." The mayor says as an introduction. "I'm afraid our current position leaves us with little time for pleasantries, so forgive us for our sparse courtesy."
"Not at all." Brown hair bows politely. "I thank you for receiving us on short notice."
To be honest, the mayor didn't consider these girls to be worth his time, as he had a naval battle that was a bigger and more immediate problem for him. "To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?" He asks politely, but a bit mechanically.
The three girls introduce themselves in turn.
"I am Akatsuki." Purple hair says first, puffing her chest our proudly. "Stars One."
"Hibiki, Stars number two." White hair nods hello.
"Inazuma, Stars four." Brown hair was by far the most professional of the batch.
"Stars?" The mayor muses. He's never heard of the term used in a non-astrological fashion. "If I may ask, what is this 'Stars'?"
"The Stars unit is the team of strongest battle mages within the Phoenix Company." Akatsuki replies, her inflating ego threatening to lift her off her feet. "Each one of us is as good as an army, so don't look down on us just because we're young."
They're about sixteen years old and look a touch younger. Understandably, the mayor barely resisted rolling his eyes. The guards too were smirking under their masks.
"It was too much to ask you to be professional, wasn't it?" Inazuma sighs. "Anyways, mister mayor, we're here to negotiate for the ability to establish a permanent presence on these shores."
Permanent presence? The mayor frowns, but changes gears first. "My guards have told me that you negotiated with the attackers of my city."
"Yes." Inazuma replies. "We convinced them to retreat for the day."
"It's totally a trap though." Akatsuki laughs. "They're gonna be back so fast."
"A trap?" The mayor was confused by Akatsuki's sudden tone shift.
"They're hoping to trap us within the docks." Hibiki says simply. "Shame."
The girls' total lack of tension in addressing this trap worried the mayor.
"The two of you have quite the faith in your ship." He says. "Solo as it may be."
"Our ship's the first prototype heavy cruiser, after all." Akatsuki smirks. "It takes way more than just some flimsy fleet to make us care."
"That 'flimsy fleet' has sunk all of our ships." The mayor says with a raised eyebrow. "I hesitate to think your one ship would make that much of a difference."
"You would." The three girls say (and sigh) in unison. "Our warship will prove itself in time." Inazuma adds. "So allay your fears; we're here to talk about business."
"And so we are." The mayor isn't convinced, but is at least intrigued by their utter dismissal of what he saw as one of the biggest threats to the Mouth since some time.
…
[Back at the Docks]
…
Lloyd and Linus continue to watch the ship. While the three girls were out negotiating, more and more city folk have gathered to marvel at this monstrosity of a ship sitting in their docks. They couldn't get close due to the militia guarding the ship…but the militia themselves were more interested than worried, so the cordon was pretty lacking.
"Dad!" One small child says while jumping around excitedly. "It's a huge metal ship!"
"That it is, son." The dad replies while controlling himself from jumping around excitedly. "That it is."
Boys will be boys, we love our toys.
He listens in to some more banter between curious onlookers and then loses himself in his own thoughts, namely, thoughts about how effective this ship will be at sailing the high seas.
He briefly drifted off into fantasy about seeing strange new lands, and stayed with a slight smile on his face until the sound of the town bell brought him back to the present. The whistling of a flare into the air alerted him of what he had suspected.
With the warning of an attack in the air, the townspeople hurriedly shuffled themselves to any tall vantage points they could find, as long as it gave them a view of the ocean. With the presence of this awesome-looking new ship, what little fear they had against a possible ground attack was long gone.
The array of wall-mounted ballistae around the city probably helped on that too.
"So it's going to get busy here." Linus grins. "Finally."
Then, to everyone's surprise, the ship hums to life with a noise that nobody was used to. On the front and back side of the ships, two sets of boxes with long sticks sticking out of them rotated to point towards the general direction of the Jugdral ships.
Oh, they're weapons? Lloyd realizes.
The sticks then separate into four slightly thinner sticks, and then begin to glow with crackling electricity.
"Are those ballistae of some kind?" Linus wonders.
"Don't matter if they are." A guard nearby laughs. "The Jugdral ships are so far out there's no way they'd hit." The ships in question were mere dots on the horizon, which is also why nobody was worried…and why their two combat ships were still being prepped for battle.
As the townspeople continued to watch, a Pegasus Knight deploys from the metal ship. She takes to the air trailing two streaks of green particles. Lloyd, having some training in reading magical arts, could tell that the particles were magical in some way…but couldn't discern more beyond that.
The Pegasus Knight, after climbing and levelling, turns toward the incoming Jugdral ships. She then shoots forward at a pace much faster than Pegasus Knight should be allowed to take, the green particles radiating behind her.
…
And now they wait, which is always a bit of a bonerkill. Lloyd notes that the Pegasus Knight sent from the metal ship has apparently vanished from sight.
"This is why I dislike formal warfare." Linus huffs. "Too much waiting."
With the time that has passed, the Jugdral ships have grown from small dots to ship-shaped dots with visible sail shapes. They were still far from ballistae range, but people were now beginning to worry about the possibility of a naval-based bombardment attack. Though their wall-mounted ballistae are easy to replace despite damage, fire is still a big deal.
Lloyd notes a small, important looking entourage climbing up to the walls along with those three girls from the ship.
"So this is your ship." The mayor of the town appraises. "It's very…strange. How does it move?"
"Trade secret, can't tell ya." Akatsuki grins. "Just know that it's the best ship you'll ever see, ok?"
The mayor wasn't convinced. "Right." He says slowly. "So…about those Jugdral ships out there."
Hibiki smiles slightly. "We're getting around to it." She promises.
"Well, you better get around to it a little faster or you're ship is going to be in trouble." The mayor huffs. "I don't know if you realized, but of all the things floating in the water, yours is the biggest target around."
"Oh, we know." Akatsuki grins, and then taps something hidden behind her ear. "Dawn to Peter, we're here, you can go ahead and take us all on a trip now."
Understandably, the mayor was confused as all hell and certainly did not hear the response from this 'Peter' person.
However, he did see the strange stick-like things on the ship begin to rotate.
As the sticks slowly turned like a lethargic windmill, everyone watching jumped as a plume of blue fire erupted from the tube accompanied by an ear-deafening roar. Everyone including the girls.
"Scares me every time I see it." Inazuma mumbles.
The mayor, like most people, still had no idea what just happened beyond the ship apparently catching on fire somehow.
The soldiery understood that they were looking at some kind of weapon, and their eyes darted between the four tubes belching strange fire and the Jugdral ships in the distance.
Soon enough, they saw what they were looking for.
The Jugdral ships were suddenly and inexplicably surrounded by a forest of unending water plumes. This strange phenomenon lasted for the better part of two minutes. After the water subsided, the soldiers noticed only woodchips where the ships used to be.
"That was a little excessive, don't you think?" Akatsuki sighs to herself before tapping her ear again. "Good shots, Peter." She reports.
The mayor watches, politely dumbstruck, as the sticks stop rotating and close back into the bigger stick they started as.
They then watched in slightly less dumbstruck silence as the Pegasus Knight trailing green particles returned to the ship.
…
With that little display of overwhelming firepower, the mayor was suddenly very agreeable in allowing the trade ship to dock, despite never having seen it.
As the trading ship appeared on the horizon, the mayor noted that it was certainly as large as the biggest ship his city was used to dealing with, and felt briefly crestfallen. A few seconds later, he realized that the ship was in fact still growing…and it didn't seem to be stopping.
When the ship actually came into port and began to slow, it was nothing short of colossal. The previously sizable battleship already docked was dwarfed next to the gigantic steel monstrosity besides it.
And all this is just for trade. Lloyd muses with a raised eyebrow. Seems unlikely.
"No sails on this guy either." A noble (let's call him Noble A) mutters. "However they're moving, it's definitely under the water."
"I would have never guessed." Noble B says sarcastically. "Maybe you'll point out that the ship is made of iron next."
Noble B missed the second part of the sarcasm. "I would say its steel." He says seriously. "But obviously, I can't fathom the resources required to make this ship in the first place."
"One wonders why." Noble A quips.
The ship stops a fair distance from the docks and drops a pair of massive anchors.
"It's rather far from the dock." Noble A observes. "It's sitting pretty low, I suppose?"
"A ship that size? I would imagine so." Noble B agrees.
The city's docks are deep enough to service the biggest ships Elibe has to offer, but Elibe's largest ships are pretty small compared to the steel warship, much less this floating steel cube.
Thus, this trading ship has dropped anchor at a good fifty feet distance from dry land.
"So…how are they going to get ashore?" The mayor wonders. "Should we get rafts?"
They didn't need to get rafts. The front of the giant steel tub opens to reveal collection of mechanisms and one very sizable-looking steel plate held upright. As the onlookers pondered on the strange mechanisms held above the plate, the plate itself gave a loud groan and began to descend.
When the plate stopped, it lay parallel to the docks and extended a pathetic fifteen feet, dangling rather uselessly in the air.
"So…" Noble A says slowly. "How was it moving like that?" He didn't see any chains or whatever.
The plate then gave a rather odd hiss, and began to grow longer.
Lloyd, Linus, and many other keen onlookers noticed that the underbelly of the plate had a slight tinge of green as it extended to the full fifty feet length with a little extra. Then, with a dull thud, the plate's head drops and latches onto the dock, becoming a lengthy ramp wide enough to fit four cars side by side.
Everyone then noticed a group of rather important looking individuals exit the gaping maw that was previously covered by the plate.
"About time they got here." Akatsuki sighs. "I was getting tired of waiting." She says with a local fruit in hand.
Lloyd has an idle thought. Did she pay for that? He then blinks. How could she have the gold to pay for it if they just got here?
While he ponders on the possibility that the little girl is in fact a little thief, a party of about a dozen important-looking people descends from the ramp.
Seeing the visual cues of the three girls saluting the party, the mayor readies himself to receive these likely very important people.
One of the lead people, a young lady with short, bright green hair, descends the ramp, returns the salute from the three girls (and eyes the fruit with a raised brow), and moves to begin to engage with the mayor about important things.
Then she sees Lloyd and freezes.
Lloyd was then pulled out of his reverie by said green-haired girl running at him at a full pelt with a happy squeal. He was then forcefully pushed into a nearby pile of flour bags by the girl, who seemed to be trying her level best to crush his ribs into smithereens.
"Uh." Was Linus's only reaction before the girl (who is Nino) broke into excitedly happy babbling.
"Well, this has gone off on an odd foot." A man with rather disheveled black hair sighs. "Ok, while she's doing that…" He turns to face the Mayor, who had the graces to stop look staring at the girl and turn his attention to the contextually more professional man before him. "Hello, I believe our Stars have told you the reason for our intrusion."
"That they have." The mayor bows. "I humbly welcome you to our fine city, and give you our thanks for assisting with our defensive effort."
"Think nothing of it." The man waves him off. "It is in our interest to establish safe lanes for the ships of our partners."
Aren't you the sly one. The mayor inwardly rolls his eyes. "I thank you for your generosity." He says instead. "Now then…with whom am I discussing the fine art of business?"
The man grins. "I am Ash, the leader of this operation." His smile then turns a little wry. "And that over there is Nino, the leader of the fleet."
Now that the initial shock is wearing off, Linus and Lloyd are both joining in Nino's excited babbling—though it's mostly between Nino and Linus.
…
[Some Hours Later]
…
With the initial maniacal jubilance mellowing into mere euphoria, Nino, accompanied by Lloyd and Linus, bounce into the mayor's house with a beaming smile that could have actual Wattage.
"Looks like you're having fun." Ash can't help but grin at Nino's mood.
"Mhm!" Nino nods enthusiastically. "Sorry I wasn't here for the initial meeting." She adds. "I uh…"
"Hey, I don't mind the slightest." Ash waves off her apology.
"I take it you're responsible for escorting our beloved sister home." Lloyd says formally with a deep bow to Ash (Linus mimics the best he can). "I cannot put into words how much this reunion has been desired."
"I…don't mind the slightest?" Ash's grin goes a little confused. "It was a promise to Nino that I would get her home. We're a touch late, things happened…but she's home."
"Things…happened." Lloyd repeats, sensing some kind of backstory. "What happened?"
"Oh, nothing much." Ash waves it off airily. "Just a minor case of the apocalypse." He gives the two of them an appraising eye as Lloyd blinks in confusion. "So I take it you're the White and Mad wolves."
"That's the 'Mad Dog', thank you very much." Linus mutters. The two brothers were otherwise not all that surprised until Nino spoke up.
"How did you know about their titles?" Nino asks inquiringly. "I never told you."
"It's been a few years and a few wars." Ash evades the question. "In any event, it's a pleasure to meet the heroes of the Black Fang."
Nino was now very sure she never told him anything about being a Black Fang, as being a part of an assassination organization meant that some discretion should be exercised. It's also been a few years, so her memory's a touch hazy. "As expected of the boss, I guess." She sighs.
"Boss?" Lloyd frowns.
"Ah, yeah." Nino nods. "Ash is the…erm." She stops short. "You know we're the Phoenix trading company, right?"
Lloyd did not know. "I do now."
"Ok!" Nino smiles. "Well, Ash is the head of the company."
"Technically speaking," Hibiki, walking by, snipes the conversation. "He's the Emperor."
"Yes, but it's too hard to take seriously." Nino says blithely. Lloyd is compelled to agree. He then makes eye contact with Ash, who was quite a few steps away.
Lloyd then realizes that he had suddenly drawn his blade by reflex.
"I…I'm sorry." Lloyd apologizes and sheathes. "I don't know what's come over me."
"Hey man, no worries." Ash replies with a grin. Lloyd notices for the first time an overwhelming aura behind him that was nothing short of incomprehensible, and that aura made his grin utterly terrifying.
Lloyd, making the logical (if wrong) leap that Nino may not be in the safest of spots, decided to play it safe. "I would like to formally apologize, your Highness, for any transgressions I may have caused in my haste."
"Like I said, no worries." Ash says cheerily, that aura behind him utterly gone. "That reaction of yours is pretty normal for me."
Linus was a lot less about subtlety. "Are you keeping our sister hostage?"
Nino had a scandalized look which pretty much answered his question.
"She's on our payroll, if that's what you're wondering." Ash replies airily. "Now, we're about to go into the land negotiations, and if the Reed family wants to sit in for some local representation, I'd love it."
"Payroll?" Linus asks as he limps along with the rest of them. "What do you do for him, Nino?"
"I'm currently a, uh…" Nino thinks on it for a bit. "'Advisor to the Elibe expedition'? Something like that?"
"Advisor?" Linus scoffs. "The hell kind of position is that?"
"If possible I want her to stay on as the regional head." Ash replies over his shoulder. "But if she's not into it, then the deal is for her to help our branch get on its feet before we part ways."
"What he said." Nino replies cheerily. "I don't know what I want, though." She adds.
Ash turns to face Nino. "I really want you to stay." He says while walking backwards. "You're too good for us to just give up like that."
"I want to be with my family too." Nino counters with a friendly tone. "So it's a bit tough to decide."
…
…
The conversation with the mayor lasts until the next morning, when the issue of construction is finally settled.
Turns out, Sacae as a region has no organized government and thus has no deciding rights on local territory. If you can defend it, it's yours.
Even so, Ash insisted that the Sacaean Mouth of the River agree to the contract, so as to allow citizens of the Phoenix free passage into the city and ships free port. In exchange, the Phoenix would foot the bill for defense of the sea lanes around the city from pirates and invaders alike, as well as the rights of agriculture of as much land as they pleased.
"Sacaean soil is not suited for farming, so do your best." The mayor shrugs.
With that settled, the trading company can move on to their first task: the construction of their trading post on a stretch of coast a bit north of the city. The area was rather deep, making it unsuitable for Elibe ships, but perfect for the far heavier Phoenix ships, of which there are two.
"So the docks come first, huh?" Nino muses to herself as she studies the base blueprints.
"Yeah." Ash nods. "We'll send a line ship in around three months' time, so make sure the main structure is ready by then."
"No problem, boss!" Akatsuki salutes smartly. "It'll be the best building we've ever built."
It's the first building you've ever built. Ash notes in his head. "I look forward to it."
Lloyd read between the lines. "Sir, how do you plan to get home? You mentioned that both the Cruiser and Carrier are staying here."
Ash grins. "That's none of your problem, Sir Lloyd. You just make sure your brother stays on his treatment."
"Yes, sir." Lloyd bows dutifully. While he didn't trust Ash, he knew at the very least when to appear servile, and when to strike if necessary…and besides, Nino seemed to like him, so he wasn't about to make his baby sister sad.
"Cool." Ash then addresses Nino. "I'll be heading out in a few. I'm assigning the Neverland to you for the foreseeable future, so use her as you see fit."
"Yes sir." Nino salutes, and Ash makes his exit.
"The Neverland?" Lloyd parrots.
"That's the Cruiser." Nino explains. "By him transferring it to me means he's giving me command…" She has a slightly faraway look on her face.
"So…" Lloyd reaches the logical conclusion. "That would make it your flagship?"
"I guess." Nino stretches. "Well, it's not like I'm going to get anything done by standing around." She gives Lloyd a beaming smile. "Can you help me, big brother Lloyd?"
…
On the Carrier's infirmary, Linus grumbles something about not getting enough screen time before being sedated.
.
.
.
{ === + === }
Author Notes: It's Nino's time to shine!...despite her not really doing anything...!
...well she is really just getting a ride home, no?