Person's Unknown
An unknown stranger has been following the camp for some time . . . and somehow always manages to evade capture! I will be doing this from several peoples P.O.V, and this is the first. Enjoy!
The first three chapters take place in between 16 (Eliwood's) and 16X (Side Quest).
P.S Until the intruders name is revealed, I'll use the letter 'X' to describe its name.
Prologue: A Sparring Accident
The whish and clang of swords filled the afternoon air. Marcus was training with Lowen . . . again. Lowen looked up briefly from his sparring match, and gazed into the trees. That peculiar itching feeling again, like there was something wrong, or someone watching . . .
"LOWEN! What have I told you!" bellowed Marcus angrily, gripping his own sword tightly. "You take your eyes off your opponent for even one second, and it will kill you! Do not let your inexperience be the downfall of an army, boy!" Lowen jerked in surprise.
"Y-yes, General M-Marcus!" Lowen whirled his sword again. No time to be daydreaming, he told himself irritably. Not on the battlefield. Lowen paused, once again deep in thought. Hadn't someone said that before? Maybe one of the Sacaen's . . .
Lowen received a rude awakening when the flat of Marcus' steel sword smashed into his temple, and floored him in one move. He didn't even feel himself crash to the grass, or hear his sword clatter on his faded yellow armour as it bounced off him and thudded on the field.
"If a light blow like that is enough to knock you over, then you're going to be absolutely useless as a knight!" Lowen did not get up. Marcus rolled his eyes. "Get up, Lowen!" Still no response from the Swift Knight.
Marcus bit his lip, stabbed his sword into the dirt and rushed over. Placing a gauntleted hand to Lowen's neck, he shook his head. The boy was out like a light. Well, Marcus scolded himself. You did let your temper get the better of you, and even though the gruffness was all part of the training, the poor knight would have a splitting headache when he came to. Marcus turned and looked at the spot Lowen was staring at earlier. Nothing but tree branches and leaves. The general snorted and turned back to his protégé.
Behind him, a camoflauged shape moved swiftly out of its hiding spot in the tree, dropped to the ground, and snuck away through the bushes.
Chapter I : Fevers And Bad Luck
Eliwood was, at that moment, enjoying a rather succulent baked pudding- made by Merlinus, of all people! Marcus had suggested them, after tasting them himself. Finishing off the treat, he frowned. "Remind me that I need to see Lowen in the infirmary." he spoke to the wind.
"O-okay . . ." came a voice from right behind the Lord's back. Eliwood leapt high in the air, whipping out his rapier and turning hard. "Yaaa-aaaahh!" he cried. He paused when he saw just who had crept up behind him, and reddened to the colour of his hair in sheer embarrassment.
Florina was crouched behind him, crying softly. Her soft purple hair hid her face, but there was no doubting the uniform and colour of Florina's hair to give away her identity.
"Florina! I'm so sorry! Please . . ." Florina curled up into a tighter ball at his approach, and Eliwood felt even worse.
"I'm sorry. I know how you're timid around men. If you'll accept my apologies, I'll leave you be." Feeling about as low as the mud, the Pheraen turned to leave, his cape fluttering slightly from the breeze that came in through his tent. He should have known by her voice! No-one else in the army was that shy, and- He froze in horror. Lyndis. She was not going to be happy with him after scaring her like that.
"L-lord Eliwood . . .?" said Florina, slowly uncurling. "I . . . I'm s-s-sorry I scared you. It's just . . ." Eliwood turned around, happy that he might escape the vengeful wrath of his Sacaen friend. Florina slowly stood up, and brushed her hair away from her face. For the first time, Eliwood could see into her eyes, and the teal colour seemed vivid through unshed tears.
"I'm . . . Its that, well . . ." she stammered. Eliwood slowly approached her, almost as though she were a frightened rabbit. "It's alright," he said soothingly. "I don't blame you. I was just a little surprised- I thought I was alone." Florina placed her head against his chest, and wrapped her arms around him lovingly. Eliwood froze. This was an unusually affectionate gesture towards Eliwood. It was when Florina placed a soft kiss on his lips that he noticed two things: Goosebumps had lined her arms and, though Eliwood couldn't see it, probably her legs, and-
There was a large cut on her face, near her temple. Eliwood focused on it, wincing at the sight. It was as long as his index finger, and bright yellow with infection. He quickly drew her close and pressed a hand to her forehead. It was burning hot to the touch, but Florina took this as a signal, and so snuggled further into his chest, making herself comfortable. But at the same time . . .
"Florina!" he barked. "You're feverish! Burning up!" Florina smiled softly.
"I'm so cold, though . . . Lord Eli- . . ." Her eyelids fluttered, and she collapsed to the floor.
"Florina!" he shouted, crouching down. She didn't respond. Eliwood threw off his gloves and checked her pulse, just as Marcus had taught him to do so long ago. It was rapid- far too rapid. He scooped her up gently, her soft hair dangling over his arm. She was so light, and so small- almost like a doll. Without hesitating, he charged outside and headed for the healer's tent.
Six hours later, during the night.
Kent woke suddenly, sweat dripping from his brow.
"Just a dream." he whispered to the dark. "It was just a dream." The Crimson Shield flopped on his back, and sighed. "Just a dream." Kent closed his eyes for a moment. Sain, meanwhile, was snoring loudly. Kent jerked, and sat up.
"Sain," he uttered. The only reply was snoring. "Sain." he said louder. Snore. Kent crawled over to his companion and shook him. "SAIN!" he shouted, then winced. That may have woken someone else up. Sain flinched, and opened his eyes.
"Whaat? Kent! Oh, come on!" Kent was already up and strapping on his armour.
"It's our watch, remember?" reminded Kent, pulling on his gauntlet. "I tried not to." moaned Sain, rolling over. Kent rolled his eyes and kicked his friend.
"Ow!" Sain whispered. "You have your armour on, Kent!" Kent glanced at his feet, and saw the red armour on. "Sain, get up." he said unrepentedly. "And I want you in full armour. If your not out here in ten minutes, I'm coming in after you." Sain rolled over and let out a muffled groan.
"Unbelievable,"
muttered Kent as he strode to the armoury tent. "Sometimes I
wonder how on earth Lady Lyndis puts up with him . . ." Wordlessly
he took a pack of javelins and slipped it onto his back. After
pausing to shift the weight of the missiles to a more comfortable
position, he walked calmly to the watchers post.
"I've
come to relieve the watch." said Kent to the two dark figures.
Wil and Rebecca turned to him.
"Where's your part-part-part-partner?" said Wil, unable to stifle a yawn. Kent offered him a rare smile and ruffled the Pheraen's hair.
"He's coming. Or at least, he should be." he said, looking behind him and frowning. There was no sign of the Green Lance. Kent ground his teeth. "I'm here, though. You two can go off to bed." Rebecca gave him a sleepy smile and got to her feet.
"C'mon,
Wil." she whispered, walking past Kent. Wil followed suite, and
Kent was soon alone on the ridge.
"Where is that
incorrigible-" but he soon stopped, as he saw a green figure
striding up the path towards him, a lance balanced on his shoulder.
Sain ran his fingers through his bangs and sat on the hill next to
his partner, sighing.
"Nice night." he said, pointing at the twinkling stars. Kent gave him a strange look; it wasn't often that Sain commented on nature. "Too bad we can't spend it asleep!" finished the knight, glaring at Kent. He rolled his eyes. "Lady Lyndis gave us our orders, and as knights of Caelin we are sworn to carry out those- what was that?" Kent's hand shot to his pack of javelin. Sain smirked. "Quit trying to freak me out, Kent. It won't work." Kent was in no joking mood, however, staring like a hawk at a place about halfway up a tree which stood out near the bottom of the hill. Slowly removing a missile from his pack, he readied it, never taking his eyes from his supposed target.
"Wake Lady Lyndis." he told his friend in a stern voice. "And then get back here as fast as you can. Quickly, Sain!" Sain took one look at his friend and shot back towards the camp, headed for the tent of his lady and liege. There was no joking with Kent when he got like that; in fact, there usually wasn't much joking with him anyway, thought Sain irritably.
X watched a red-armoured knight come up to the twin archers, and, after a short conversation, the two archers trundled down the opposite side of the hill, out of sight. X grinned. Perfect. No ranged attacks. Slowly, the watcher began to climb down the tree he was hiding in, when a twig snapped against his ribs, making him gasp audibly. He froze instantly. Had he been heard? Worse, had he been seen? He stood stock still, his gaze never leaving the red knight, or his green-armoured companion that had joined him. X breathed a sigh of relief. He could assume, for the most part, that he was undetected. He resumed his climb back down the tree, when his camoflaged cloak got snagged on a branch. X cursed. He was no longer hidden! He could be seen!
Kent smiled. "Gotcha." he whispered, and he launched the javelin with all his might, imediately pulling out a spare.
X saw the javelin shoot towards him. He sighed, annoyed.
"Really, really not a good time!" he whispered fiercely, ripping at the cloak with strength born of desperation. The combined force of his pulling and the javelin Kent had thrown was enough to shred the valuable cloak and send X plummeting to the ground. He landed hard at the bottom of the hill, winded.
"Yes!" hissed Kent, throwing another javelin at the much closer and more prominent target. "Where are you, Sain? And where's Lady Lyndis?" The intruder was getting up; Kent decided there was no time left.
X got to his feet, and saw the red-armoured knight charging down the hill towards him. He smirked. The knights bravery was admirable; overall: Stupid, but very noble. Turning heel, X ran into the dark forest, dimly aware of the hiss and thunk of javelins around him and the growing clamour and lights behind him.
Kent charged after his quarry; not even waiting for his lady or the two archers whom he had previously released. Lyn skidded to a halt at the bottom of the hill.
"Kent!" she called, but the cavalier was either out of earshot or ignoring her. Turning behind her, she saw the knight's companion barely three paces behind her.
"Sain!" she said, grabbing his arm as he ran past. Unfortunately, this action swung Sain around, and he crashed into Lyn. The Green Lance stumbled a few steps, but Lyn flew backwards and landed on her chest on the hillside. Sain ran over, unconsciously admiring his employer's curvy form.
"Milady, are you okay?" he said concernedly. Lyn jumped up, unsheathing her sword.
"C'mon! We've got to catch up to Kent!" Sain nodded, watching Lyn's sleek blue form make its way through the dark wood, the famed Mani Katti, Sword of Spirits, glowing as she ran.
X ran hard through the forest, panting already. For a cavalier, this one had near inexhaustible stamina- it would be a shame to kill him.
Kent put on a burst of speed, the javelin in his hand dropping to the ground unconsciously. Kent judged the distance . . . now! He propelled himself off a log and into a flying tackle, catching his opponent around the head.
X fell to the ground, the red knight on top of him. Utilizing some of his more complex escaping skills, he wriggled out from under the pursuer and crouched for a second- just as Lyn and Sain flew over him as they hurdled the log.
Both skidded to a stop and advanced, along with Kent, using his javelin as a small lance. Grimly, X bit his lip. This would be difficult, but he could probably take them all on. Unsheathing a dirk, he leapt to attack, thrusting hard at the Sacaen woman in blue.
Lyn swung her sword, parrying gracefully as Sain and Kent lunged at his side, weapons at the fore. X turned the parry into an opportunity, grabbing her wrist and using it as a lever to cleanly somersault over her. In a one in a hundred chance, the tips of each of the cavalier's weapons collided, splintering and snapping. X grunted as a sliver slashed him beneath his eye, and grabbed Lyn and swung his sword to her throat. Kent froze, watching the assailant keep the blade close to her throat, while the other hand swiftly found a pressure point on her hand and squeezed hard. The Sacaen gasped in pain, and the Mani Katti fell from her hands as easily as though she had dropped it.
"Keep back." X said warily, watching the two knights try to circle around him. "Admittedly, I do have some qualms about slaying the Noblewoman of Caelin, but I probably won't hesitate to do it." Sain peered at X's face, which pased briefly out of the shadows as he manouvered backwards.
"Hey, you're just a kid! Probably no older than Wil!" X frowned. "Who's Wil?" Kent took advantage of the distraction from the conversation to twirl his javelin and hurl it. It smashed into X's face butt first, and clattered to the ground. Blood streamed down his face and dripped onto Lyn's shoulder, but he did not move. As the javelin hit his face, Sain charged forward, the spilintered tip of his lance closing fast. X took a chance and stomped on the hilt of the Mani Katti. The blade flipped up and cut deep into the side of Sain's face. He screamed, dropping the lance and retreating a few steps while holding a badly bleeding face. During this action, no reaction came whatsoever from the hostage taker. Instead, he grinned.
"Good throw, Kent. It a-a-achoo! (He sneezed from the blood that was bubbling around and up his nose.) Caught me off guard, that's for sure. And Sain, you were good too. Although I probably should confess something: When I flipped the sword up and it hit you in the face, that was just plain luck- nothing more." Sain looked darkly at X, who still had the sword to Lyn's throat. X sighed. "Ah well." He turned to his captive.
"Lyndis, I don't want to harm you. So I won't. Bye." The next part happened almost too fast to see. X scruffed Lyn and threw her into Sain, who caught her deftly. Unfortunately, the momentum forced Sain to topple backwards, and Lyn landed rather uncomfortably on the log. Throwing the dagger both hard and accurately at Kent, X turned heel and vanished into the night. The dagger stuck fast into Kent's breastplate, and he stood there and stared at it.
"Wait!" cried Lyn, getting up from the log. The shadow froze, and the darkness spoke. "Yes?" Compassion was written all over her face, as well as curiosity. "Are you Black Fang? Or even in the employ of Bern or Laus? Please, why did you spare my life?" X paused.
"No. I am not Black Fang, or with Bern or Laus." Lyn called out in desperation. "Then who are you? Kent," She warned, watching him stalk the enemy. "Don't!" The knight reluctantly withdrew. Lyn quickly looked back to where her assailant had been. There was nothing, but a soft voice echoed from the trees around them.
"You will know shortly."
And he vanished without a trace.
Okay, this might seem like a short chapter, but there's going to be about fifteen or twenty of these- go figure. So what did you think? R&R, please. It really helps. Next Chapter: Serra and Lucius meet, and a 'battle of the sexes' occurs. Rebecca meets Raven, Priscilla makes Erk go to sleep, and X reappears . . . and kills someone! (I won't say who. Evil laugh echoes. )
