Chapter One: A Girl from the Plains
Rain flew down in a torrent from the sky as the Fox parried the slash from above, diving to the side as he did so. Staring at the men in front of him the Fox carefully weighed his options. Running was futile, that much he knew. The Angel would catch up to him, one way or another. Fighting them head on was out of the question as well, considering how two of men in front of him trained him in combat. They knew his every move, where he would strike first with his blade, and how he would counteract. The Wolf and the Dog were not to be trifled with, not in that department. Which meant he only had one option left.
Removing his hand from the handle while holding the sheathed sword by his side with his other hand, the Fox took a moment to reach inside his pocket, his fingers fumbling around for the hidden ball. Seeing the Fox about to make his move, the Angel blurred before appearing in front of the Fox, his curved blades swinging down in an X-formation. Knowing his options were limited, the Fox opted to take hit, a muffled scream leaving his clenched mouth as his blood flew through the air. Forcing himself to stay on his feet, the Fox withdrew his hand and threw his clutched object at the ground. The sphere exploded sending smoke around the four combatants.
"Tch. Such tricks..." the Wolf said before swinging his silver blade, clearing the smoke in front of him. However, the smoke only revealed the Angel and no one else. "Damn..."
"Should we track him down?" the Dog asked.
"There is no need..." Angel spoke. "My cuts were deep and even if he manages to stop the bleeding, the poison on my blades will end his life. It is simply a matter of time."
The Wolf nodded, sheathing his sword while the Angel slid his daggers into their holsters and the Dog hefted his axe upon his soldiers. As one, the trio turned around and began to leave. A flash of lighting light up the night and when it faded, no one was present. The only signs of a struggle came from the blood on the ground which would soon be washed away.
For the price of treachery is death.
(Several hours later)
Lyndis, daughter of Hassar and Madelyn, stood in the field near her hut in the plains of Sacae, staring at the sun as it set over the lush green fields of homeland. To her back were the mighty mountains of Bern, which separated the Kingdom of Bern from the people of Sacae. Lyndis would often stand at this place, staring at the setting sun, reminiscing on simpler times when her family and her tribe were whole. When she wasn't all alone in the world.
Sighing to herself and shaking her head to rid it of the sentimentality, Lyndis began to move back to her hut. Moving quickly to reach it by nightfall, Lyn almost missed a quiet snapping sound that came from behind her. Spinning rapidly while simultaneously drawing her blade, Lyn turned to the potential threat...and stopped moving when she saw a man limping towards her. Said man was bare chested – except for a large amount of blood leaking bandages crossed in an X from the top of each shoulder to slightly above the man's abdominal muscles. Around his waist was a sash, below which were baggy pants, dyed a dark black with splashed of purple streaks down the sides. On his feet, the man wore a seat of basic leather boots, also dyed black, with red stripes down towards the toe.
The man was also holding onto what seemed to be a bundle of clothing, along with a sword, similar in type and design to her own, with his left hand. His right was desperately clutching the bandages on his chest. Lyndis looked up into the man's eyes – his dark, dark brown eyes – and saw an intense fear, strangely coupled alongside a powerful will to live.
Removing his hand from his chest, the man reached out to Lyndis. His mouth opened, his lips moving, yet no words came out. Instead, a cough erupted from his mouth, small flecks of blood flying out. The man gave a few more coughs before collapsing in front of her. Lyndis sprang into action, moving quickly, while flipping the man from his stomach to his back. Grunting with effort, Lyndis picked the man up in her arms, before moving as carefully and quickly back to her hut.
(Several Days Later)
The Fox moaned as light began to flood through his eyelids. Raising his hands, he rubbed his closed eyes before opening them. Above him was ceiling, made from some type of white cloth. The Fox attempted to lift himself up, however a searing pain in his chest warned him not to try.
"Damn it all." The Fox hissed clutching at the white bandages...wait white bandages?
"Oh, you're awake."
The Fox was able to turn his head to his left in order to look at the speaker. Said speaker was a young woman, maybe as old as he was, maybe a little younger. She wore a light blue Sacaen battle dress – similar to the ones he had seen on Sacaen mercenaries – and had green hair, which matched her green, gemlike eyes. The woman bent over to grab a container, before walking back over to him and kneeling near his head. Worming her hand underneath his head, the woman tilted it up while also tilting the container to meet his mouth. Opening his mouth, the Fox sipped the liquid that flowed out, recognizing the healing herbs and minor magic that made up the contents of a Vulnerary. Immediately, the pain in his chest subsided and his head cleared from the fog of pain.
"There we go." Slowly putting his head back down, the women also set the Vulnerary down, easily within hands reach. "You're looking much better now."
"Where am I? And who are you?" The Fox said while nodding in appreciation.
"Oh. My name is Lyndis, of the Lorca tribe. And this is...was the camp of the Lorca." The woman – Lyndis told him. "I found you a few yards away from here, stumbling around clutching that wound on your chest. I couldn't very well let you die there, so I took you back to my hut and patched you up the best I could. There were...complications however."
The Fox nodded. "You mean the poison in the wound."
"Yes. I went to elder of the nearest tribe and asked him to come and have a look. He did and said that the chances of you pulling through were very slim, but still gave me enough Vulneraries to help sustain you until you awoke."
"Vulneraries can't cure poison." The Fox said, more of a statement than a question.
"Indeed. You would need a Cure Staff for that, as well as a competent mage. Unfortunately, the closest place you would be able to find either is in the mainland of Bern or one of the wealthier members of the Lycian League."
"Good grief." The Fox mumbled before silence engulfed the hut. Said silence was soon broken by the sound of men yelling.
Lyndis cocked her head to the side and listened intently, using the skills her father had taught her to listen. "Sounds like...bandits. They must have come down from the Bern mountains." She said, her features turning from serene to angered. Standing and walking over to an ornate chest, Lyndis opened it and retrieved a sword made of common iron, held in a blue sheath. "If they decide to pillage the neighboring tribe then their deaths will be on my head for not stopping them."
As he watched Lyndis fix her sheath to the sash around her waist, the Fox could tell that the reason given was not the only one for her actions. 'Her sense of justice seems legitimate, but also...there's a deep pain and hatred in her eyes.' Throwing that thought away, the Fox closed his eyes and concentrated on the reservoir of magic his body contained. Manipulating the magic towards his chest, the Fox felt a sense of cool relief wash over him. 'Hmmm. With things being the way there are now, I won't be able to fight at my full power. I'd say the most I can do is 45%. Pure swordsmanship only. Not that bad, certainly enough to deal with the average bandit. Besides, the sword isn't my first weapon of choice anyway.'
Lyndis's eyes widened at seeing the injured man stand and crack the bones in his neck and shoulders, wincing at the slight pain it caused. "What are you doing? Your injuries are too severe, and any sort of strenuous activity can aggravate the poison and - "
"Lyndis." The Fox said in a cheerful tone. "With the Vulnerary I took plus a little skill I picked up, I should be able to aid you in taking out a couple of bandits. Besides," the Fox said as he grinned in a manner resembling his namesake. "it's been awhile since I've seen a Sacaen swordsperson in action, and I would be quite annoyed if I missed the beautiful song your sword sang as it cut those men to ribbons."
Lyndis just stared for a while before nodding. "Very well...but please try to be careful."
The Fox simply grinned while waiving his hand. "Yeah yeah, now where's my sword."
Lyndis opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by a gruff voice coming from outside. "Oui Batta look at this sword! Bet it'll sell nicely at a market!"
The Fox's grin fell as he looked at Lyndis, who was blushing and looking away. Sighing, the Fox walked out of the hut, closely followed by a still blushing Lyndis. Looking around at the green fields of Sacae, Fox quickly found the bandits. Three of them in total each wearing rags around their scarred bodies, evidence of their rough lifestyle. The tallest one had blonde hair and wore dented armor plating around his shoulders and chest and carried a large, one sided axe. The axe was chipped and dirty but could still probably cut a human or animal. Said man was also holding the Fox's sword in his other hand, looking over the steel of the blade, while examining the discarded sheath on the ground before him.
The Fox gave a brief once-over of the other two bandits and their equipment – which appeared to be in the same shape as their bosses – before turning to Lyndis. "Three targets. All armed with basic axes, which are in terrible condition. None of them are holding them in any way that suggest true skill, and only the leader is using armor. With their attention on my sword, I would suggest a sneak attack to the necks of the two underlings before focusing on the boss. But you must be quick about it. The man is tall and imposing, and most likely has enough muscle to use his axe as more of a club. Dodge his blows before finding an opening and finish him quickly."
Lyndis nodded, looking more than a little surprised by the assessment. "You're a strategist?"
"Technically. My training is mainly in tactics, which only benefit me in battles. A strategist is more an expert on warfare. But I'm working on that."
"Very well. I'll use the tree's as a cover to attack from. Wait here." Lyndis said before moving towards the tree line near the bandits. In response, the Fox sat down cross legged to examine Lyndis's fighting style and observe the battle.
In a few short moments Lyndis had arrived near enough to the bandits to smell their unwashed bodies. Holding back the urge to gag, Lyndis silently drew her blade and said a quiet prayer to Mother Earth and Father Sky.
With the bandits' attention still on the blade in their leader's hand, Lyndis's movements went unnoticed. Moving quickly, the Sacaen emerged from the tree line, taking three rapid steps before leaping in between the two henchmen. With both hands, Lyndis swung her sword to right, feeling it cut into the neck of the men, causing him to let out a gurgled cry as he choked on his blood. Dislodging her blade, Lyndis twisted in a circular motion, her momentum carrying her blade around into the throat of the second bandit, who was able to let out a desperate cry to his boss before falling backwards, clutching at his throat.
The lead bandit dropped the sword in surprise at the new figure, before that surprise turned to anger at how quickly his men had be cut down. "You...you bitch! You killed my boys! Now you must pay!"
"Good grief, he talks like he came from one of the brat's fairy tales." The Fox mumbled as he heard the bandit's cries from his position. Standing and ignoring the slight pain in his chest, the Fox began to make his way across the plains to Lyndis.
"You fool!" The bandit leader continued as he readied his axe. "You think you can stand against Batta the Beast! I'll make you bleed like a stuck pig!" Roaring, Batta charged at Lyndis, who rolled to the left to avoid the overhead slash from the axe. Her eye's widened as the blow sent dirt and grass flying around the bandit leader, a credit to the man's strength.
'If I get hit head on, then I'm done for!' She thought as she steadied herself. 'I must end this now!'
Raising her blade parallel to her face with one hand, Lyndis focused her aim on the man's chest. Kicking off the ground, Lyndis flew through the air as the man raised his axe to intercept her blade.
Which was exactly what Lyndis wanted. Landing in a crouch in front of the taller man, Lyndis pirouetted under the man's axe, while swinging her sword upwards in an arc from his left hip to right pectoral. The man roared in pain as blood flew, before gasping as Lyndis took her sword with both hands and drove the blade into his chest, the tip of the sword emerging from his back.
"Ho-how?" Batta gurgled before Lyndis withdrew her blade and let the body collapse onto the ground. Cleaning her swords on the unstained grass, Lyndis sheathed it before turning to the approaching figure of her now clapping companion.
"Well done Lyndis, well done indeed." The Fox said while retrieving his sword and sheath.
"Lyn." The voice of his savior caused the Fox to turn around and look at the young Sacaen swordswomen. "We fought a battle together. And without you, I may not have fared so well. So please, call me Lyn."
Nodding and smiling the Fox nodded. "Very well. If that's the case, then I don't see why I can't give you my name as well."
The Fox walked up to Lyndis while extending his hand. "My name is Alexander. And I feel that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
Alright, first chapter done. This is my first FE fanfic, based off Fire Emblem 7, or the Blazing Blade. Let me know what you think of my take on the Nameless Strategist (or Mark) as well as the other parts of this.
TheSaintsFollower, signing off.