Fire Emblem: The Unifying War
IkeandMia
Disclaimer: I in no way shape or form own Fire Emblem, Intelligent Systems, or Nintendo. So Please Don't sue me!
Also, sorry about the lame format. All I have is wordpad...:(
Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter
The day had started normal enough. Kratos had eaten breakfast, checked in at the local Guild office to see if he could pick up a new contract, (Much to his dismay, there weren't any avaliable) and then he had set off to the next territory. Of course, being in a country as peaceful as Lycia he should have known better than there to be much in the way of work for a mercenary...
At any rate he'd decided that he should probably go to Araphen next. It being the second biggest city in Lycia surely SOMEONE would be willing to hire him. It was then that he noticed the large knot of crimson clad soldiers ahead on the road. Generally Kratos made it a point to deal with official military as little as possible. The contracts usually paid well, but the military viewed mercenaries as expendable, usually sending them difficult and usually fatal assignments. All the pay in the world wouldn't matter if he was dead...
"Hey, you!" A voice snapped him out of his daydream.
"Me...?" Kratos answered.
"Is there anyone else here?" the owner of the voice, one of the soldiers snapped back. "Why are you armed?"
"Well, I'm a mercenary. I was just passing through when..."
"Enough! That's all I need to hear. You!" the soldier gestured to two of his comrades. "Sieze and disarm him! We're taking him back with us!" The two men, obviously subordinates, hefted their lances and started towards him.
"What in the name of..." Kratos muttered. "Listen! I mean you no harm! I merely wish to be on my way!"
"Really? As if I care. Keep it up and we may just kill you here," the soldier captain threatened.
"Is that so?" Kratos replied, drawing his sword. He wasn't about to be accosted for no real reason. "Well then, I suppose I may have to be uncooperative after all."
"Fool. Forget capturing him, cut him down!" The two enemies closed with him quickly, lances held at the ready. The first man thrust his lance forward, attempting a skewering strike. Kratos stepped aside and forward, into striking distance. His sword stroke opened the man's throat, sending a stream of blood spiraling down as the man fell limp. The second combatant came at him, swinging his lance laterally in an attempt to disembowel Kratos. Kratos stepped backwards, measuring his attacker. If he could time it right he could catch the lance with his sword and...
The thought was cut short as Kratos' foot caught a rut in the path and he fell backwards.
His foe, sensing opporitunity, run forward and stabbed his lance downward in a strike that would have pinned Kratos to the ground. He barely managed to roll out of the way, although the lance scored a grazing hit on his shoulder. Fortune hadn't entirely abadoned Kratos, however, as his opponent's lance became stuck in the soft earth. Kratos siezed the opporitndunity, running his sword through the unfortunate soldier's chest. He withdrew his blade swiftly, internally smirking at the enemies. "That's what you get for underestimating me," he thought smugly.
HIs celebration was very short lived however, as two archers strode forward and readied their bows. "Curses, there's no way I'll dodge both of them. I guess this might be it..." He began to ready himself to try anyway when a loud shout came from the back of the formation.
"Look out! She's loose! She's..." the cry was adbruptly trunjicated into a gurgle. The two archers gazes shifted to see the source of the commotion. This was all the opporitunity Kratos needed. He closed the gap between them quickly, cutting down the first one before he knew what happened. The second archer tried to correct his error, but in his panic the hastily fired shot missed wide right. He prepared to ready another arrow, but Kratos wasn't about to give him the opporitunity. His sword strike cut a nasty gash from his right shoulder to the left side of his abdomen.
Kratos gave the situation a quick evaluation. The source of the disturbance was staring down the three remaining members of the soldier group. Their captain lay dead along with two more of his troop. She was clad in orange, her long purple hair held back by a white headband. She held her sword in a two handed grip down at her waist. Her emerald eyes were afire with gritty determination.
"Alright, who dies next?" She taunted. One of them rushed forward, sword held outward. She dodged his strike as if he were a child swinging around a stick. She flipped her sword around
quickly and plunged her blade into his back. She gave it a quick twist and withdrew it, sending the poor man to a quick and painful death. It was then she acknoledged him for the first time. "Hey! Let's say we put an end to this?"
"Gladly," Kratos replied. The two remaining soldiers, both axemen, turned to face ttheir respective opponents. But their weapons were slow and clumsy, and the two swordsmen made short work of their opposition.
"Wow," the woman said as Kratos wiped the blood from his sword. "That was unexpected, to say the least. You're pretty good with a sword."
"I could say the same," he answered, sheathing his blade. "Any idea who these guys were?"
"They said they were from Bern. They just grabbed me off the street with no explanation and drug me off. I don't know what they were after." She glanced at his sholder. "You hurt?"
"I've had worse," Kratos replied, pulling a bandage out of his pack and applying it. "I'm Kratos by the way, a Guild mercenary. I was on my way to Araphen to look for work when I ran into these guys."
"The name's Mia," she told him. "I was just there for pretty much the same reason, and let me tell you, things have gotten pretty intense. They say Bern's invading Lycia."
"What?' Kratos was taken aback. Relations between the two countries had never been anything but friendly. For Bern to suddenly attack its neighbor without warning was an unexpected move to say the least. Then again, the best time to strike was always when the enemy least expected it. "So what's happening?"
"So far Lycia is getting trounced." This wasn't unexpected. Bern's military was far superior to Lycia's, and coupled with the fact that there had been no provocation Lycia really hadn't had much chance. "According to what I heard a few of the lords escaped to Renais, but that's all I really know."
"Wow, I really had no idea. An invasion..." The thought of open war was something he really hadn't been prepared for. Everything had been so peaceful, and all of a sudden Bern decided to fan the flames of war? Although wars almost certainly meant more work for a mercenary. "Well, we should probably get as far away from here as we can. We don't need another troop coming after us."
"Sounds like as good a plan as any. So where to, Boss?" she said.
"Boss?" he thought."What do you mean?"
"Well, you gave me the distraction I needed to escape. I figure I owe you for saving me. Plus, it'd probably be a lot safer traveling together than alone. Those guys seemed determined to capture us just for being armed and I doubt they'll listen any more later than they did a minute ago."
"Well..." Kratos found himself conflicted. Generally he preferred working alone, although he wasn't diametrically opposed to working with others. And she did have a point..."Alright. I guess it wouldn't hurt, anyways."
"Great! So, where to?" she repeated.
"Hmm...I'd say that the best route would probably be back to Caelin. From there we can head northeast towards Renais. That's most likely the best place for us to be, there's a strong Guild presence there plus they're allies with Lycia."
"Then lead on, Boss!" Mia said cheerfully.
"What have I gotten myself into? Boss...?"
And there you have it. This is the first fic I've actually had the courage to submit. R & R would be appreciated. Don't tear me apart too bad. I'll be updating frequently.:)