Chester-Prologue: Proving Grounds-Castle Krakenberg
My top hat was falling off when I arrived in the courtyard of Castle Krakenberg. My long, black coat, flailing in the wind, I stepped forward. In front of me was a table of provisions. Pocketing my supplies and gearing up, I quickly aimed my bow to test it out.
The wind wasn't very strong up here, so my only concern was being labeled an enemy of the kingdom by Nohrian soldiers. That's when I heard a slight noise of foot against stone behind me. I turned, bow at the ready.
Noticing a Hoshidan ninja slinking along towards my position, I let loose my bow. Luckily, my arrow struck true, striking him down. I quickly ran over to confirm he had been wounded but not slain, "What the hell are you doing here?"
The person I had shot was my friend Piff, dressed as a ninja. The arrow had struck his shoulder, but he wasn't bleeding too badly, "Oh, hey, Chester!" Typical Piff. Not even letting getting shot drag him down.
"Piff, what are you doing here?" I yelled, worried that I'd wounded him. I handed him one of my vulneraries, annoyed I had to use one so early. Damn, I needed a healer.
Piff tried to swallow the disgusting medicine and choked on it before replying, "I was sent here to be your retainer. Whatever that is."
Bandaging up Piff's shoulder with some rope and gauze, I sighed as I sat back down, "Seriously? He tells me this after?"
Piff laughed, "No worries, Chester. I intend to do everything I can to help."
"As do I," I looked up to see Jakob stepping towards us, his glorious and soft-looking white hair, his regal and sophisticated stance. I nearly fangirled for the slightest of moments.
Piff added, "He's your other retainer. Got fired by Garon, after Corrinus? Corrina? Whoever left."
Jakob rolled his eyes, "Brilliant, friendly fire in the first meeting. Your incompetence is impressive. I'd say you nearly match Felicia in the amount of disservice I have seen, but that would be presuming you also have some positive quality."
I smiled to myself in my head that he was as expected, "Yeah, I try my best. Anyways, we need to talk to the king. I need to get in good with him, and quick."
"Hope you can put a protractor up there and turn," Jakob slyly commented, though I forget where I first heard that joke.
With that, Jakob, Piff, and I quickly hurried to the throne room, seeking an audience with King Garon. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's a fuck. Garon and Iago, though, they could be funny.
"Milord, is it wise to join Nohr straight away? They may ask for a test of faith," Jakob commented, "You haven't even done anything to impress me, let alone a dictator."
I ignored him for the moment, walking past the royal guards and stepping inside. I looked around at the hanging tapestries, disregarding their pristine condition. I knew that the path I chose would be taxing, but I had to handle it. I could minimize casualties long enough for Garon to get overthrown; I could keep this family alive and together, Corrin or no.
The only problem? Mother-ducking Iago. That sick, slimy, arrogant prick would hassle me the entire way, and I knew it. My blood was already boiling; the second he opened his mouth, I'd have to resist the urge to cut him down where he stands.
Piff must have sensed my tension, "Are you alright, Chester? You seem angry."
"I'm not mad. Just concerned that someone we'll meet soon will be-" I was cut off by an unwanted but familiar voice.
A man behind us, his stupid mask adorning his prick face, chuckled, "If it isn't the mystery man, waltzing into the castle unannounced. King Garon wishes to speak with you three, post haste. Hurry along now, or I'll be forced to... Encourage you to hurry."
With that, Iago stalked us the entire way into the large throne room. Atop the throne sat Garon, who was of course bursting out into obviously maniacal laughter. The fact no one had yet realized he has replaced by a blatant psychopath, I couldn't understand. I refused to.
Garon waved his arms to welcome us in. Piff, Jakob, and I stood all in a line before him, "Sneaking into my royal castle without getting caught? A Hoshidan ninja amongst you, no less. Can you profess a single reason for me not to kill you all right now?"
Piff introduced them, "I'm Piff. I don't know anything about a...Hoshido? I just like ninjas."
Jakob concurred, "As for myself, you know me. Chester here, my new lord, is a bit of a bumbling buffoon. He is no threat to you, I assure. Much too incompetent."
I used my knowledge of the game to secure my safety, "I am an outsider of this world, King Garon. I can sneak into Hoshido to perform stealth missions. Queen Mikoto's barrier does not affect me."
Garon must have been amused by that answer, "Ah, yes. Without Corrin, it will be much harder to me to eradicate the land of Hoshido with just the Faceless," Garon considered my point, "Iago, your advice?"
Iago smirked, "Of course, King Garon. Test them in a battle to see their mettle. Confirm their faith, and I have no qualms sending them to their dea-to their first mission."
I grumbled as softly as possible, calling him a dirty whore, "I'd be willing to prove myself," I proclaimed, "I want to be loyal to the Nohrian Kingdom, if not the Empire, as it should be."
Garon, hand to his chin, considered it for a moment, "Perhaps it's worth it to try. Iago, call in Silas. You three- to the training grounds."
Jakob, Piff, and I walked out towards the training grounds, but we marveled at the beautiful architecture of Windmire. To stand here and see it in the stone was awe-inspiring.
Before long, we were greeted by four Nohrian scrublords and Silas, their leader. He greeted us with a smile, "Hey. Chester, Jakob, and Piff, right? My soldiers and I have been commissioned to test you. No hard feelings if I win, right?"
I shook his hand, "Of course not."
Silas had a cavalier, a myrmidon, an archer, and a dark mage on his side. With just Piff and Jakob, it seemed against my favor. Despite knowing Iago likely set this up so I'd lose, I had to overcome this trial. I could hit the broadside of a barn with this bow, and I had to.
Noticing the cavalier and dark mage were closer, I nodded to Jakob, "Strike him with your dagger from afar. Piff, immediately after, you are to double shuriken him if you can. Then I'll move in and finish him off if need be." The other two nodded, and Jakob seemed surprised at how strategic I was.
I wasn't leaving anything to chance. This was classic mode, and I would die if I failed.
Jakob threw a dagger towards the cavalier, piercing his leg. In an attempt to dislodge it, he lowered his shield. Piff took careful aim and slashed his shoulder before leading up with a second shuriken to his horse's neck.
As the beast panicked, it bucked his rider to the hard ground. I quickly brought up my arrow. Moving closer, I shot my arrow into the cavalier's exposed face, ending his life.
Piff high fived me, "Great teamwork!" Jakob sighed in exasperation. The dark mage took advantage of this and lit Piff on fire, "Ow!"
Jakob threw a dagger towards the mage, who jumped back, his mask pierced off, "Can you please not celebrate until the fight is won?"
Piff hastened his pace towards the mage as he whipped a shuriken from his right hand. The blade was accurate enough, cutting the mage in the chest. The mage sent a fireball towards Piff, who used his momentum to chuck his second shuriken through it. The shuriken caught flames and, like a knife through butter, went through the mage's neck, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Piff fell to the ground and coughed a bit, his face slightly charred from the fire that paved a burning path near his face.
Jakob and I move towards the myrmidon and archer, "Piff!" I yell to him, "Take another vulnerary to heal!"
"But Chester, it's nasty!" Piff complained in an adorably whiny voice.
I looked back at him, "Damn it, Piff! You need the heals!"
Piff frowned, "Fine..." he downed a second vulnerary for the day, the burn marks on his face clearing up quickly, "Oh, but that's nasty!"
The myrmidon smiled wider than I'd seen, "My name is Chilled, and I'm here to rock your world!" He jumped towards us with a smile.
Jakob came right out of nowhere and threw two daggers into each of Chilled's legs, causing him to look down and scream as he soon passed out from blood loss, "What a joke... I couldn't sully my hands with his blood."
"That's my man!" The archer, an angry woman, moved forward, "I, Martha, will avenge him!"
The archer took aim at Jakob, shooting off an arrow. Jakob took the tip across his face, slashing his cheek. Annoyed, he chucked two more daggers deep into the archer's chest, "You won't survive this, however."
We noticed Silas had been observing us fight, and we nodded, "Final assault. Piff, you head in with me. We'll double attack after Jakob distracts him, understood? And no fatal wounds; we might need him alive."
Jakob slipped forward, "I must do as a butler does, and... tidy up." With a deft swish of his wrist, two daggers flew at Silas with high speed and accuracy.
Silas blocked one with his shield, "Not today, friend," The other, dipped in paralyzing substances ala Jakob's secret herbal stores, cut through his left leg and shocked his entire body, "Ah! What sorcery...? Poisoned daggers. You're a sly one, butler." Silas pulled out a javelin and chucked it at Jakob, who managed to duck underneath it just in time.
"As expected of someone of high caliber such as I," Jakob replied with a confident smile.
I nodded to Piff and fired an arrow at Silas, who took the tip in his right side, just piercing his armor there. Two shurikens flew from Piff's hands, cutting through his javelin at the bottom before slicing into his stomach and knocking him off of his horse.
Garon, who had been watching our battle, nodded, "Excellent. End the fight; Iago, have our soldiers tended to. The bodies, disposed of."
"Of course, sire," Iago nodded.
Garon turned to us, "Rest in the soldier's barracks for an hour. Once there, we shall discuss your future employment."
Soon after, Piff, Jakob, and I were sitting in the barracks, eating some delicious meat courtesy of a kind maid who worked here, "See, Jakob? I know how to handle myself!"
Jakob nodded, "Your ability with a bow is not yet fatal, but it was enough. Our next battle will be much more serious, though, and I worry you cannot handle the scale of difficulty."
"What does that mean?" Piff asked.
"Silas was holding back. Had he used his full power, I fear we would have lost," Jakob honestly answered, "The two of you need training. I am willing to offer my expertise."
Piff shook Jakob's hand, who rolled his eyes but accepted the gesture, "Thanks, Jakob. I'm glad you have faith in me. I had a lot of fun. I mean, not to say I liked killing that mage. We did great, though."
Jakob chomped a large chunk out of his bear meat and agreed, "We did work well together, didn't we?" He sighed after saying that, "I do miss Corrin, though." He picked up a napkin and promptly wiped his face clean.
I remembered how devoted Jakob was to Corrin, and how much he must be suffering, being separated from their place in the world, "If we come across him... I can try and bring him back with us, to Nohr."
Jakob immediately lit up when I said that, "R-really? You would risk your life for my sake?"
"Damn right, I would," I legitimately liked Jakob a lot, despite his occasional sharp tongue, "We can't just rush off to fight him, but later on, when we're able to, I'm willing to try."
Jakob hugged me, "Oh, thank you, milord! It means so much to me you would consider my feelings in this time of war!"
Piff just continued eating, watching as I tried to pry him off of me. Obsessive much?
Jakob let go and pondered for a moment, "Earlier, you said you wished to minimize casualties, yes? Then how come we slew three of Silas's allies?"
"Firstly... I forgot. The heat of the moment and all," I admitted begrudgingly, "Second, Garon wants us to be cold-blooded killers. The illusion, at least. Our brutal opening performance was necessary, but we should not make it a habit."
Piff shrugged, "We all killed one, anyways. Blood's equal." Piff stood up and went to wash his hands, since the blood from his medium rare bear was sticking to his gloves.
Jakob placed his hands under his chin, "I see," he inspected his gloves to ensure their cleanliness matched up to his former mentor's standards.
Within the hour, we were summoned to the throne room, where we entered, triumphantly. Garon, Iago, and Silas were all there to greet us.
Garon greeted us, "Welcome back. Iago and I discussed your combat readiness. We think it is time to grant you the right to join our army, on one last condition."
"Condition?" I didn't like the sound of that, or the eerie smile Iago was giving me.
Garon tried to play it down, "Oh, it's nothing. Just a loyalty test. Are you willing to kill whomever I ask you to? Under any circumstances?"
Damn. He probably intended to send me to kill Mikoto myself. I certainly didn't want to, but if he ordered it, I couldn't say no without Iago killing us all. If only I was stronger...
"Yes, sire," I reluctantly admitted, "I would be willing."
Iago laughed for a moment, "Excellent. To prove your loyalty, kill your retainer Piff."
"What!?" Piff, Jakob, and I sounded in unison.
Garon stood up, "A ninja in my castle? Certainly, he's a spy. Wherever he came from, he is no Nohrian. I only have use of one outsider, and that is you, Chester. Killing him will cement your place in my army. Otherwise..."
I had to argue, "But if I kill Piff, that would weaken our performance for your mission! Is it wise to lower our success rate as such? Anyone else, a townsman, a prisoner, I am willing to kill. Killing Piff would inhibit my abilities, my lord!"
Garon bellowed, "And do I care!? If you want to join my army, you must prove your loyalty! I have already had one child run loose from me!" Garon stomped towards me, "If you won't, I'll end you both here. Jakob can be a good slave for the fields, if he'd like."
I glared at Iago. I wanted him dead; I knew he put this idea in Garon's mind. I would kill him, I swore on it then and there. I slowly turned to Piff and raised my bow, nocking an arrow in it, "Piff, you know I'd never want to do this."
Piff looked me in the eyes, "I know you don't want to, but do you have to?"
I sighed, closing my eyes and steadying myself, standing upright. As I held in my breath and brought the bow back, Garon stopped me, "Enough."
I looked to him, confused, slowly lowering my bow, "What?"
"You have proven your loyalty," Garon nods, "What you were about to do is all I needed to see," He smirked that evil smirk again.
Iago turned to him, and Garon nodded. With a flick of his wrist, Iago laughed as Piff exploded into a raging inferno, knocking Jakob and I to the ground. The flames flew high, scorching the carpet beneath before dissipating slowly.
As soon as the flames died down, I ran to Piff's side, "Piff!"
Garon allowed me to clutch his body before talking, "I would never force you to do something so... cruel. Iago, grant them the supplies."
Iago walked over to Jakob, very intelligently giving him the Elixir and gold instead of me, since I would have tried to cut a bitch. I sobbed into Piff's still smoking chest.
His voice shocked me, "It's okay...Ches," I looked to Piff, who was smiling back at me, "You can say I died... in a blaze... of glory." Piff's eyes closed and he fell limp, his last words being a pun. A god dang pun.
I strained myself not to burst in tears, thinking of the many thousands of ways I'd torture Iago before I slowly killed him, excruciatingly and with great satisfaction.
As Jakob helped me to my feet, I turned to my new masters, "My mission?" I choked out.
Garon smiled, "You and Jakob are to head to Shirasagi Castle. Your mission is to do reconnaissance. If you should have an opportunity to assassinate Queen Mikoto, do so. Return when she is dead, or not at all."
I knew it, "As you command."
Iago added, "I'll be watching your progress. Reports came in of a lobster-like man leading an army in our lands. And for once, it wasn't Ryoma," Iago laughed to himself, as if he was being funny.
With that, I began to walk away before someone stopped me, "Wait!" Silas stretched his hand out, "My name is Silas, Cavalier and new recruit to your team, the 13th Nohrian Stealth Division."
"What?" I was clearly not informed of everything.
Silas explained, "I have been demoted due to my poor performance. Garon decided to send me to you. To repla-... Well, I can never replace him, but I'll do my best to protect you, Sir Chester."
A cavalier, huh? It would do for getting us further along in bigger fights. With his past, I could easily use him to lower Corrin's guard and infiltrate his castle. Jakob could help with that as well, "Agreed. Welcome to the team."
I shook Silas's hand and hoped Piff would be my only ally to die. Please, for once, don't screw me, life.
That reminded me, "Time to check out this," I pulled out my blue orb from my belongings and hoped it was what I thought it was. I dropped it down, and the three of us were whisked away to my castle.
"What in the Gods!?" Jakob couldn't hold in his surprise, "Where are we, now!?"
"This would be our castle, our headquarters," I explained, "We have a dairy, an emerald mine, our private quarters. Later, we should build some shops to use," I added.
Silas sighed, just giving in to the madness, "You're not an ordinary traveler, are you?"
I shrugged, "Rainbow Sage gave it to me." I walked over to my private quarters area, inspecting inside, "It's spacious in here! Who'd a thought?"
Silas nudged Jakob, "Any idea what we're in for?"
"Hey, come in! I want to see if I can touch you guys!" Damn, but that was in poor taste. Just my kind of joke.
Jakob just sat in the nearest stone chair, "Disappointment and death, I'd assume. Not that you're much more."
Silas groaned as I called him in again, "No complaining! Get in here!"
As Silas entered my room, he asked, "Is this going to be alright?"
I nodded, putting my hand on his shoulder to emphasize my point, "Of course it won't." He gave me a confused stare as I looked straight into his eyes before bursting out into nervous laughter, "Oh, we're screwed."
