Fighters of Kniana

An Etrian Odyssey II Fanfic

by Super Smasher

Disclaimer: You know what goes here. Don't own anything.


It was a fierce wind, blowing off the ocean and through the blond hair of a young woman as she crouched, covered by the wall of wooden crates. A guard passed, casually taking a look around. She waited, until the light from his torch had vanished before making her move. Scrambling across the stone foundation, the girl flung herself noiselessly behind a pile of sandbags as another guard made a round of inspection. She chanced a peek over the stack, her hard blue eyes staring at the distinct shape of a ship in the moonlight. She was waiting for the signal.

Quickly, she checked her gun. The weapon was full of ammunition, not a shell out of place. The girl sighed in relief as she readjusted her dress, feeling the tweed vest underneath. It may have been uncomfortable at first, but it marked her class as a Gunner. Peering over the sandbags again, she looked again at the ship. Where was he? He should have been done ages ago...

Flash.

Almost too faint to make out, the Gunner noticed a glint of steel reflecting the waning moon. It flashed at her position again, then once more, a total of three times. She knew the time had come.

Keeping her head low, the young woman scuttled along the dock, nearly in the water, her blue clothes helping her blend in with the ocean behind her. As she drew nearer to the ship, she slowed, scrutinizing her surroundings. After making sure the coast was clear, she darted for the ship's gangplank, shimmying up it with only a few thuds of her leather-booted feet. Once on the Agincourt's deck, she gazed around for a moment, and once no danger could be ascertained, slumped down along the railing, breathing heavily but silently.

Suddenly, she was aware of a shadow sweeping across the deck. She quickly turned her head, seeking its origin and saw a dark figure striding towards her. Instinctively, she reached for her gun and pointed it at the figure's head.

"Hey, easy there, Catelyn. It's me."

Relief flooded through her body as she recognized Derek's figure moving towards her, his plate mail slightly clanking in the night.

"Don't scare a girl like that!" Catelyn whined as her brother took a seat next to her on the deck. "Can't you do something about that armor? The reflection was useful for the signal, but it can just as easily give us away."

Derek laughed quietly, his identical blue eyes filled with mirth. The moon emerged from behind a cloud and highlighted his orange-tinted mop of hair. "It's so I can defend you. That's a Protector's job."

"I guess..."

Derek smiled again, looking at his older sister as she set her gun down beside her and stared at the crescent hanging in the sky. He fingered his dagger, feeling the hilt of the small weapon in his belt. He leaned over, nudging Catelyn. "We better head down. I cleared a space for us in the cargo hold. I looked, though. There are so many adventurers on this ship, they're never going to notice us."

The girl stood up, leaning over the railing and looking back at the shore, at their island. "I can't believe we're really going. I'm going to miss Kniana so much..." She sniffled a bit, telling herself not to become emotional.

"I know." Derek said, still sitting. "So many memories. Mom, Dad, Andrew, Kyle, Jenn. I wish we could take them all with us."

"I don't know how many times I've wanted the same thing." Catelyn muttered, gazing absentmindedly at the Lighthouse. Cover was no longer needed, in the dark and from this distance, even a keen-eyed guard would find it nearly impossible to notice the tiny figures on the boat's stern.

"Hey, sis." Derek asked after a couple seconds of silence had passed. "What do you think we should do once we get to Lagaard?"

Catelyn thought for a minute before replying. "Well, we head for Central City, of course."

"I meant once we get there."

"Oh."

Another silence.

"Well, we'll see if any guilds are recruiting. If worst comes to worst, we'll make our own."

"Ah. I suppose you'll be leading, then?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

"I could never. Become the ruler of the free world perhaps, but not the leader of a guild."

The girl could not help but let out a small giggle at her little brother's dream. With his Chemistry talent, he could have easily been a Medic, but his sense of justice would just get in his way of helping his sister. For some reason, even though Catelyn repeatedly said he should be a War Magus, Derek still refused.

"Say, do you ever think about fate?"

Derek looked up at Catelyn, thrown off guard by the sudden query. "You mean like destiny? Why do you ask?"

"It's just...nah, you'll laugh." the Gunner replied, turning around and jumping slightly to rest in a sitting position on the railing.

"I promise."

"Fine. It's just that when I look at the stars and I see the constellations, I get an incredible feeling of minuteness. Like no matter what I do, I won't accomplish anything noteworthy in the end. Just another of the thousands of facts compiled into one statement. 'Many explorers flocked to try their hand at the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.' They won't recognize us. Just whoever conquers it. Not the little people who helped them out to get there."

Derek sat stunned. "That's...deep."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm glad." she began to swing her legs back and forth as she sat. "I don't want anyone to judge me for something like that."

"I'll protect you."

She looked down at him. "Thanks, little bro."

Derek stared at the sky for a couple seconds longer, drinking in what his sibling had just imparted. Then he stood up, moving his head from side to side to get a crick out of his neck. "We better get downstairs. We leave at dawn."

Catelyn nodded, and hopped down from her position. Unknowingly, she struck her gun with her foot, sending it flying across the deck and towards the other side of the boat. She let out a small squeak as she saw the firearm appear on the edge of the ship, teeter widly, then slowly, as if suspended in water, tip over and fall into the sea. Dropping to her knees. She let out a wail.

"That...my...no...nonononono..."

Derek sighed. Those weeks of her scrimping had gone to waste after all. Unclipping his extra dagger from his belt, he handed it to her. "Must be fate at work."

She looked back at him with angry, watery eyes for a second before resignedly accepting the knife.

"Here."

Derek slid open a small door to reveal the ship's cargo bay. Catelyn took one step inside and instantly wished she'd worn pants instead of just leggings. The hold was FREEZING. Stumbling in the darkness, she tripped on a munitions barrel and took a tumble onto something soft and warm. Feeling around, she gasped in realization of what she'd landed on.

"Derek! I found a blanket!"

The young Protector sauntered over, he had waited for his eyes to adjust to the dim conditions before proceeding. He nodded as Catelyn scrambled under it, and, situating herself in the center, beckoned for him to lay down. "This thing is huge!"

The boy sighed. He turned around and groped for a clasp on his back. With a muffled clang, his armor clattered to the ground. Stretching, Derek adjusted his grey underclothes and crawled under the proffered piece of cloth and closed his eyes. He was almost at the edge of the blanket. After a while, he heard her breathing slow, and he tugged for more blanket. He was surprised when the cloth refused to budge. Thinking naught of it, he rolled over on his side as sleep overtook him.

On Catelyn's other side, a pair of red eyes groggily opened, blinked, then closed as their owner reclaimed slumber.