Chapter 2: The King's Plot
"Greetings my loyal subjects!" Gangrel's voice boomed throughout the Master Barracks. He himself was a very skilled magician and swordsman, along-side his right hand woman, Aversa.
Veteran knights, sorcerers, and berserkers lined the royal hall, along with the green Tharja and Henry. The seasoned fighters gazed at the newcomers with mutual respect.
"The reason I have summoned you fine warriors to my illustrious home…is the coming of war, war with Ylisse!"
Subtle grumbling spread like a wave throughout the hall. Chuckling could be heard from the Sorcerer ranks.
"War you say?" Henry questioned through all the noise. "Why now?"
"Why not?! Hahahaha!" Gangrel's laugh filled the air. He was truly a mad king.
"It makes no difference to me. Training is training. Even if it is against weaklings." Tharja boldly stated, earning proud smiles from the other dark knights.
"Hahahaha! So enthusiastic! Don't worry my dear, your time will come! And with the sudden appearance of the strange creatures across the land, the Shepherds will already have their hands full. I will declare war…soon. So be prepared."
The sorcerers and knights chattered among the ranks, speaking of future glory on the battlefield. Tharja followed her platoon of dark knights to the barracks, as did Henry with his. New training would be undertaken to prepare.
"Strength and conditioning training will now begin, so get into groups of three!" The head dark knight barked. He then gazed over at Tharja. "You will spar with the best, and me. Since you have already mastered horsemanship and magic, I will test you in the art of the sword."
Tharja slightly gasped at the idea. Maybe she was in over her head. Still, the extra training would be useful.
"We will now focus on long distance warfare; in other words, the Mire technique."
Henry's face lit up with excitement at the new power. Close range combat was fun and all, but a little messy. Killing an enemy without them even knowing who did it could be entertaining in its own right.
"We will also focus on meditation. This will vastly improve magic efficiency and the sheer amount a person can use. The more a sorcerer is able to focus in the heat of battle, the deadlier he becomes."
"Soooo….what's with the cave guys?" the confectionary swordsman brazenly asked.
"We can't very well have a secret meeting in the town square, now can we?" replied another assassin in the platoon.
"I guess that's a good point, but still, no refreshments?"
"That will have to wait rookie." the greasy old bowman responded.
A dark presence then entered the cave, an ancient one. This was the magic of a follower of Grima. A tall lanky figure articulated in front of the assassins.
"I am Validar, your commander for this…special mission. I see the king has provided me with the finest assassins he could muster." The shady assassin stated sarcastically, staring at Gaius, with a sucker in hand. Validar raised his hand, only to be cut off by a nimble Gaius who appeared behind him.
"Don't underestimate me sucker!"
"…impressive. You will do just fine boy." Validar said with a smirk.
"Just tell us the assignment details so I can get on with my day…"
"Very well, noble assassin. Your mission…is to eliminate Ylisse's exalt, the kind Emmeryn!"
The group collectively gasped, why would anyone, even the king, want to kill the exalt, a harbinger of peace?
"Eh. What's in it for us exactly?" asked a hesitant Gaius.
"You will have your chance to bring glory to yourself and your king!"
"That's all well and good, but won't the exalt be guarded by the finest warriors?"
Another smirk crossed the dark magician's face. "Normally yes, but your king has a plan for that as well, a diversion if you will. Chrom and his Shepherds will be engaged in battle far away from the exalt when we strike. So you have no reason to worry. Orton will take care of that particular nuisance."
"I see…so kill the exalt, and skedaddle right out of the Ylissian capital undetected? Sounds like a good time." Gaius said, still uneasy about the mission, and the dark presence in front of him.
"Your king enlisted you for just that reason. You are the best of the best in terms of silence and lethality. This mission will be somewhat of a test, to measure all you men have learned in training. This war will be different. Without the exalt to give people hope, the enemy's moral will shatter along with their battle spirit. The shock troops will swoop in and destroy the Ylissian military, and the Shepherds! Even with his new tactician, Chrom is useless without hope, his men will betray the effort soon enough! Now, go off and train! Our mission begins 22 days from now, be ready for bloodshed…" Validar vanished into thin air, leaving the platoon speechless.
"What have I gotten myself into now…I need a drink..." Gaius swiftly exited the dark and dreary cave and headed towards the smoothie shop in town.
