Soul of the Wyvern Lord
by the Legendary Armor
A/N: This story has been in progress for a while, and could end up being a little lengthy. It is based on Eirika's campaign. So here is the first chapter; I hope you enjoy it, and please review to tell me what you think.
Chapter One: Fire Blood
"Our time is running out…"
"Glen! Glen!"
Cormag's voice rang out across the field as he ran to his older brother, spear in hand and smile on his face. "Glen! They gave me a wyvern! I'm a real knight now, too!"
The older boy, in his late teens, smiled. "I told you that you'd be a knight soon, too. See? Both of us can ride together now. I knew you could do it." He tousled Cormag's hair, who pushed Glen's hand away.
"Come on, let's go! I want to show you…"
It was as brothers that they made their way up in the ranks of the Grado army, renowned wyvern riders of amazing skill. Glen always had a foot up on his younger brother, but Cormag didn't mind; after all, they were all each other had in a way.
The only family that remained for either after being in the army for several years…
And of course, being so close to his brother, Cormag became irrationally angry whenever it seemed he was in danger, or even threatened. Yet every time, Glen calmed him down. It was his voice that Cormag followed and trusted; not as an underling, just as a brother… just as a friend. Even once Glen became one of the legendary Imperial Three, the renowned Sunstone, he stayed close by Cormag's side, his soothing voice always supportive.
Once the invasion of Renais started, they stuck together even more than before. They knew something strange was going on, yet they could do nothing. Glen could only tell his brother that something was wrong with the emperor, that the man was completely different from the one that had recruited him. The Sunstone was worried, and this made his brother nervous and more rash than he usually was…
But still, it was Glen that always kept him laughing even amongst this chaos and even before it, when everyone else in their world of the army felt distant and strange. It was Glen that always led the way for his younger brother, showing him the rational way of doing things, and giving him something to believe in.
And then, so suddenly, it was Glen who came back to him as a corpse…
The body rested there on the cold marble floors, dark eyes staring lifeless at nothing… Blood mingled with sweat and dirt, as if he'd fallen off his wyvern. An enormous puncture in the chest armor—surely a lance wound, for no sword was such a size—was what had brought him down…
As Cormag stared into those lifeless eyes, all rational thought flew from his mind, all of Glen's calm reminders to keep his cool… the only thing he knew now was that he was alone…
And all he wanted now was revenge.
Valter knew this, and thus he used it to his own ends, his own sick humor fed by Cormag's rage and despair, by Eirika's imminent danger. He looked at Cormag and lied without batting an eye, swearing that it was the Princess of Renais who destroyed his brother… who left him alone in this world.
As he stormed off to meet Genarog, his wyvern, those terrible words kept echoing through his mind, taunting, mocking, and reminding him of what he'd forever lost… of what he could never possibly have again.
"Not a pretty sight, eh? You'll be hard-pressed to prepare that for a proper burial."
"…to witness the final blow myself… I watched Eirika run her blade right through his chest and then flee."
"…watched Eirika run her blade right through his chest…"
"…Eirika…"
There was nothing but dark, black rage within him.
"Where is she?" Cormag shouted as he flew through the mountains of Carcino, searching for any signs of the princess. "Where is she? I will avenge my brother!" The two other wyvern riders that accompanied him did not respond, but only glanced at him warily. One pointed ahead, and sure enough, Cormag saw signs of battle.
Was that her? Was that the woman? That long aqua hair, those matching eyes… Surely it was. Ha, and of her allies, the closest was an orange-haired bishop, a blonde mercenary, and a flame-haired paladin… but they were busy fighting off reinforcements from Carcino, there to bolster the forces of Aias. Eirika seemed to be watching their backs for any more reinforcements, to avoid being snuck up on…
He flew towards her, Killer Lance in hand, smiling with no trace of humor… only grim determination. She turned at the sound of beating wings, amazement and fear on her face. Without letting her shock register completely, he said quietly, with a steel edge to his voice, "You're Eirika, aren't you?"
She looked at him warily, a mix of fear and suspicion in her eyes; but it was backed by a fierce determination. "And you're…"
He did not even smile coldly, but tightened the grip on his lance as he replied. "You don't know me, but you know my brother well enough. I'm Cormag." The hatred in his eyes was making her uneasy, but he was unrelenting. "I'm the brother of Glen, general of the Grado army, whom you killed."
She looked stunned. "What?"
She must not have thought Glen had a brother to avenge him… that mistake will cost her. "This is no longer war, and this is not a battlefield. This is a duel, and I fight to avenge my brother. He died in combat, and I'll not foul his name by murdering you unarmed. But I will have vengeance."
Was that a flash of anger in her eyes? "Hold!" she yelled, as if she had some command over him. "What is the meaning of this? Glen… Are you telling me General Glen is dead?"
The rage Cormag had managed to keep hidden from his voice burst forth. "Do not play me for a fool!" The temptation to run her through right there became obvious in the way his lance arm twitched. "You will not… Your lies do nothing but stain your honor. Nothing more."
But the stupid woman kept speaking, swearing Cormag had made a mistake, and even when the wyvern rider accused her of lies, she unbalanced him by saying that Glen spoke certain words to her… and indeed, they were almost exactly what he'd said back at Grado's capital.
Confusion washed some of the anger from his features. "But then who? Who benefits from—…Ah! …Valter!" He closed his eyes for a moment, making a decision that he knew would forever tear him from the past.
"What is it?" the princess asked, pity clear on that pale face.
"…Princess Eirika of Renais. I would be your ally."
"What?"
Cormag's dark eyes burned with hatred, but it was not hatred for her. "I don't care why you're fighting. I've no interest in your goals. I want nothing but revenge, and I will have it." Once again, he clenched his hand around the deadly lance in his grip. "If I can kill Valter with these two hands, what care I if Grado brands me traitor?"
Eirika nodded, and suddenly whistled shrilly, making some sort of signal in the air with her hand, pointing towards Cormag. "Ally!" she shouted.
The other wyvern riders balked in astonished outrage at this betrayal and readied their lances, eyes on Cormag and the princess. The blond brother of the Sunstone turned and, without hesitation, picked up his steel-made lance and speared one of the riders through the throat. He heard the other's wyvern shriek suddenly, and he saw it falling from the sky, a ballista bolt protruding from its belly.
Eirika was off, then, beside the mercenary and bishop. The flame-haired paladin rode up, and hastily said, "Come, then. Let us take to the front lines—Aias is pressing us greatly, and if the Rausten reinforcements don't reach us soon, we'll need to eliminate him to ensure safety."
Cormag had never believed in seeing someone's heart reflected in their eyes; after all, if that were true, shouldn't he have trusted Eirika immediately? But maybe this was just something he saw now that he wasn't quite so blinded by a murderous rage. Then again, perhaps he was just imagining things. But those eyes… those vivid red eyes… reflected no malice, only kindness, loyalty and bravery. If nothing else, he was sure this man would not lance him in the back.
They made their way to the front lines, assisting more members of the army along the way, including one thief that almost got in over his head attempting to steal a gem from one of the Carcino priests. Soon enough, Pablo's reinforcements rode in, the wiry little sage smiling in wicked glee. The call went up through Eirika's army to swiftly surround Aias and take his head.
A young cavalier with short blond hair and green eyes gripped his lance tightly and struck the great knight first, slashing through a seam in the armor on his forearm—the retaliation with his short spear stung the young teenager in the side. Almost as soon as this happened, a slender man with long, flame-colored hair similar to the paladin's appeared, slicing into Aias' other arm—the great knight swung his short spear, but the slow, heavy strike missed the agile swordmaster completely as he turned, almost dancing as he struck again, hitting the same spot as before.
This time, a man in heavy, dull-colored robes with lavender hair dashed behind the swordmaster, clutching a book and chanting. Two fiery bolts collided with the enemy general's armor, scorching him badly; his revenge sung true as he hurled one of his deadly spears through the air, striking the man in the shoulder and almost pinning him to the ground with its force.
And now, the flame-haired paladin, that man with those astonishing eyes, rushed forward on his steed, hurling a javelin at the armored foe. It struck him in the seam of the shoulder armor, but the returning short spear struck him harder, making him gasp as it lodged in his left leg.
Aias was nearly down, yet all the soldiers in this army were gathering strength for a second attack. Cormag's chance to act was now.
His wyvern, Genarog, soared forward, over the paladin's head, diving in with his steel lance striking out in a hopeful attack. He had nothing against any of Eirika's army; he did not particularly care for them, as he did not know them, but he had no intention of seeing any of them die—and someone would if Aias did not fall at that moment.
Who would be the target? Not that swordmaster, whose agility was unmatched, who smiled and delivered stinging blows without fear of return injury. Perhaps that young cavalier, who bled heavily from the wound in his side. Perhaps that lavender-haired man who kneeled on the ground, breathing heavily as his shoulder bled freely.
Or maybe even that paladin with the striking eyes.
The wyvern rider suddenly felt something—a flash of desperation?—as his lance struck downward towards the man's chest. If he dodged, then…
But he did not. Aias fell, whispering words of respect at defeating him. A Knight's Crest lay half-buried in the dirt near the fallen great knight, which the thief from earlier quickly grabbed.
It was then that the Rausten reinforcements arrived. Following them was desperate conversation—they had to head on to Jehanna immediately, for Queen Ismaire was in danger… for she was missing. Somehow this stung the swordmaster, when he heard the words, more than anyone else. Cormag saw the orange-haired bishop rest a hand on his shoulder to whisper words of comfort…
Eirika shook her head as she conversed with Princess L'Arachel. "Very well. First, before we head on, we need to backtrack—quickly—for more supplies. We are almost out of weapons and healing staves.
"I know that each moment is precious, but if we make it to Jehanna with no way to keep ourselves alive, all will have been for naught. Ide and Serafew's armories and shops are where we need to go—let's set out immediately. On the way, we'll take stock of what each individual member of the army needs, and then get some for the supply caravan as backup weapons. If we hurry and stay alert, we should make it there and back within two weeks. Let's go!"
The rush through the mountains, across the sea, was fueled by a general fear in the army. What fueled these people to fight a nation so powerful as Grado, led by a princess of a ruined country?
Cormag did not care to be around the others to hear the whispers, so he remained in the dark. But as they rushed by the Tower of Valni, the order to halt came forth.
"Colm has spotted monsters within the tower. We need to leave some people behind to stop them from attacking our flanks—hopefully, this will keep nearby settlements safe as well," Eirika announced. "We can spare a few. I've already discussed with most of you, so I've got the choices. Seth, you'll know what to do if something goes wrong, so you'll lead the way inside. The others will be Neimi, Franz, Forde, Colm, Tethys, Ewan, and Cormag."
In a rush of activity, the chosen soldiers separated from the rest of the army to stand outside the tower as everyone else hurried on to Ide and Serafew. And so now they stood there, eight soldiers… most of them inexperienced.
"The danger should not be too great, as long as we are careful, but I would like to gauge the danger before bringing anyone too at risk inside. It wouldn't hurt to have guards at the door anyway—the Sacred Stone might be destroyed, but you never know what could happen," Seth announced.
"So what are you going to do, handsome?" Tethys asked, a sarcastic smile on her crimson lips. "Go in all by yourself? A bit dramatic, if you ask me."
Seth chuckled a little. "No, no, I'll take Cormag with me. The rest of you work well in pairs, and I believe Cormag is in less danger than you are if whatever is inside does indeed turn out to be a threat. Besides, his lance will complement my sword. Is this fine with you?"
The last question was directed at Cormag himself. He nodded. "Sure."
The rest formed into a ring around the door as paladin and wyvern rider went through the dark stone archway, unsure of what exactly was inside. Cormag absently brushed his hand against the Elysian Whip that had rested on his belt since his last birthday, given to him by Glen. What had his words been? "You'll put this to good use soon, Cormag. I know you will. You'll know when the time comes."
Smiling a little at the fond memory, he followed Seth in the dark hallway as they neared another room loomed beyond the next archway, lit by eternally burning torches, light dimmed by an almost supernatural darkness.
The smile vanished as he felt a certain anxiety at this unknown place assault him. "What exactly did that thief say he spotted here?" he asked the paladin.
"Monsters. Revenants and bonewalkers. I realize it's hard to believe, but… you'll see. It's not quite as hard to understand since the Sacred Stone here has been crushed."
"Crushed?"
"Yes. It was destroyed recently by some general in the Grado army. We believe his name was Caellach… Please be careful in here. I'll be here beside you, but you never know what danger could lie in wait."
Besides the shock and disbelief in the back of his mind that the Sacred Stone of Frelia was destroyed—by Caellach, no less—something else surfaced. He was no amateur to combat. He did not need this man's advice. For him to even hint at it irritated Cormag a little. But as the passed beyond the next archway, into that wide open room, he found his irritation washed away in a tide of shock and horror at what greeted both his sight and smell.
Monsters. Decaying, unnatural beasts, whose eyes turned almost immediately to the pair of soldiers, the light of violence and bloodlust in their dead, evil eyes.
"What…" he whispered, holding the reins tightly in his hand as a shudder of anxiety passed through Genarog. Even his wyvern knew this was unnatural and terrible… something that they'd never dreamed possible. And they were alone, but for this man and his steed.
"Stay by my side," Seth said calmly, drawing an iron sword.
Cormag hefted his lance and nodded. He had no problem agreeing with Seth's request.
To be continued in Chapter Two
