Let me add, that I need reviews... badly. Seriously, where is everyone? I want to know if anything needs to change.
What is he doing here?
Apparently Jafray woke up as well, and is getting up.
Mustafa turned towards the guard with a stern, yet somehow kind look on his face.
"Your shift is over." he said to him, "Please allow me to guard this cell."
What is he doing? Seriously, what IS he doing?
"Yes, and thank you, general." the guard says.
Mustafa just waits there for a few seconds, before finally turning towards us.
"Ravel, is it?" he asks, "I have come down here to speak with you."
Wait a second, please don't tell me that he is going to pull out the torture device. Sure, that would be out of character, but things are welcome to change.
"Yes sir." I respond. I wouldn't have minded him coming later, if it meant finishing my conversation with... Jeremiah? That name sounds a bit familiar.
He looks around both directions before pulling out a key.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Jafray asks. My thoughts exactly, what IS he doing?
"I-I'm here to help you escape." he says. "I had heard stories about your grandfather, but I don't see a reason to blame it on you." He smiles before continuing. "You remind me of my son." I do? Huh, what a coincidence. Wait a second, didn't he say that Henry reminded him of his son? Maybe he meant that he was LIKE a son to him- Forget it, I have one more thing to say.
"Thank you, sir. But can you let out my friend and his sister too?" I ask, "They are innocent as well." I doubt they are really innocent, but they have to escape for story purposes.
He pauses for a few seconds, before submitting to my question.
"I suppose, but we will have to be careful." With that, he puts the key into the keyhole and unlocks the cage.
Well, it looks like the universe is finally starting to change things in my favo- "JAFRAY?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
As soon as the door opened, Jafray had immediately jumped up and tackled him to the ground. Is Mustafa even armed? If not, why the hell isn't he?
"It's a trap, Ravel!" Jafray yells. He begins to put Mustafa in an arm lock before finishing. "He's trying to trick you into putting your guard down. Then he's gonna stab you in the back." That would be a valid point... with any other man, but obviously Mustafa is different... I hope.
I jump up and run outside of the cell, jumping on top of him in hopes of calming him down.
"He's not going to hurt us, Jafray!" I do a scream-whisper. "If we are going to be executed tomorrow, than why would he go down here just to kill us? Why would he even bother? I know he is here to help. Just trust me."
Apparently that shut him up, sense he is starting to climb off of him. Good, we can finally get out of this dump.
"Please forgive him, sir." I say to Mustafa. "He can be a little... stiff." I turn around to see Jafray glaring at me. Yeah, I said stiff. What're you gonna do to me?
Mustafa seemed to not even think much about it, which is a bit strange. Seriously, he has to be the most patient person that I have ever met.
He went down the hall for a bit, with us in tow, until being interrupted by Jafray.
"She's in this cell, sir!"
Oh yeah, his sister, Calina. Who Ravel happens to marry- and have a future child with. Oh crap. I didn't think this through. I'm going to hope, JUST HOPE, that the universe has changed this too.
Mustafa then unlocks the cage, which sends Jafray running into the cell.
"Calina? Are you okay?" I hear him ask.
"Geez, don't worry, I'm fine!" I hear a female voice respond. Yup, that's her alright.
After overhearing a surprisingly long conversation in there, which soon evolved into an argument, they eventually climb out of the cell. I actually haven't been able to see either of them too well, but I assume that he has black hair and she has blonde hair. They should, unless the universe is screwing things up some more.
"Who are you?" she turns towards me. "Are you with the Plegian army?" she asks.
"Yes, I'm the mad king Gangrel." I use my terrible sarcasm. "No, I'm not with the Plegian army. I was a prisoner with your brother."
"And he's letting us go?" she points to Mustafa. As long as she isn't going to tackle him, I'm perfectly fine with this.
I nod, before leading us towards an exit. Wait, we are forgetting something.
"Wait a second, don't we need our belongings?" I ask him.
By the look on his face, I can assume that he gave himself a mind facepalm, but he seems to not care too much. I guess the most patient man in Ylisse is starting to lose his patience. I can actually assume that Emmeryn is more patient, but that's just pure assumption.
"Alright, but we will need to hide your things until we get out." With that, he leads us further down the halls.
"So, you and your brother were both thieves?" I ask Calina. Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not jumping up-and-down at the thought of shipping myself with her, I'm just trying to get to know her, even if I kind of already do. Seriously, I ask a lot of questions. Actually, I think that I annoy people with my large amount of questions. Maybe that explains my lack of friends.
"Yeah." she mutters, though a bit sheepishly. "Our parents died when I was younger."
"We're almost to the supply room." Mustafa announces. "We're lucky to have not run into any other men." I was questioning that myself. Where is everyone? You would expect people to actually GUARD their prisons in case someone escapes. Wait a minute, we're in a desert. Where the hell would they go if they escaped? My fanfiction logic seems to not exist. I mean, a firewood merchant, on a wood cart? I don't even know who would think that is a good idea. Er, a SMART idea.
"About time. I can finally get my stuff and get away from this dump." I hear Jafray say.
"You said it, I feel like I've been locked in here forever." obviously Calina.
I'm glad that we are getting out of here, we can go do something that is actually useful. It's as if this prison break is taking far longer than it should. Actually, every prison break that I have ever imagined involved spotlights, dogs, and gunshot. That explains the lack of excitement.
Getting there actually took longer than it was supposed to, since we ended up seeing a guard and had to detour across the other side of the prison. Unfortunately, this happens to be the side of the prison where hygiene doesn't exist, not that it did on the side that we were on before. I thought that our cell was filthy, but I ended up stepping in something... and I have no idea what it was, though it's burning my foot. Wait a second, it's burning my foot. OWOWOWOW! That is actually hurting a lot less than before.
"What's wrong?" I hear Calina ask. "You look like you're in pain."
"Look? You can't even see my fa-"
"I can read people." Okay, Stahl. Maybe I should join the Shepherds and ship these two. Hell, the universe might not actually be against that idea.
She eventually pulls out a small vial, and hands it to me.
"What is thi-"
"Vulnerary." That explains it, but quit interrupting me. Not that she'll actually hear my thoughts.
I can hear your thoughts. What the hell? Who said that? Please don't tell me that she can actually read my mind.
It's me, Jeremiah. Don't you remember me? Oh, it's you. Are you the person who sent me here?
Yes. Oh, and watch ou- Oof!
Why am I on the ground? Wait a second, I hit a wall, didn't I?
Yes, yes you did. Just shut up, you can go talk to me when I'm asleep.
"You need some help?" Jafray asks. Finally, I can hear someone who isn't Jeremiah.
I reach for his hand- again, and he helps me up.
"Why did you fall anyways?" he asks.
"Oh, I just tripped." I lie. Actually, I do tend to act like Sumia- without the protective nature, looks, Pegasus, or ability to clean and cook. I don't have a lot of self-confidence, either, but I'm not as bad as her.
"Once again, we are almost at the supply room." Mustafa announces... again.
The pain is starting to wear off, but I may as well go ahead and take the Vulnerary anyways.
Let's see... Let me take off the cap and- OH DAMN THAT IS STRONG!
I hope this doesn't taste that bad... Just one sip.
You know, this isn't that- PPFFFFFTTTTT!
THAT IS THE WORST AFTERTASTE EVER!
Wait a second, Calina was in front of me, wasn't she?
"Ugh, Ravel! Why the hell did you do that?!" she says.
"Sorry, never actually had one of these before." I respond. I swear that the Vulnerary is making my tongue swell.
"Fine, I'm okay with it- this time." she glares at me. What? I probably won't do it again. If I do, I'll make sure to turn towards Jafray.
I'm trying to say 'I won't do it again." but the only thing coming out is a bunch of unknown noises. Wait a second, my tongue is swollen, isn't it? Perfect.
We walk into the supply room, not seeing any soldiers. It is actually pretty bright in here, compared to the other part of the prison.
"The prisoners' supplies should be in here." Mustafa says.
All three of us walk up to the chest and begin to dig into it.
Let's see-
Here's my Myrmidon cloak,
Also a sheath.
And most importantly, Draiotoll.
All Jafray and Calina had brought were their thief cloaks and weapons. Except Calina, she has some sort of pendent.
"Huh, that's a cool sword, Ravel." Jafray says.
I end up making a bunch of strange noises. I guess I must be allergic to Vulneraries, which is going to be a pain later on.
"Sorry, I guess that Vulnerary was rotten." Calina says. "Then again, I did find it in the prison cell- Ooooooh. Maybe that wasn't a good idea. Here, I have one that isn't expired."
First off, Vulneraries can rot? Second off, that was a terrible idea. I may as well take this next one, if It stops the swelling.
Alright, I take the cap off, and- Okay, that isn't as strong as the first, but it is still pretty strong.
Just one little sip, and...
That isn't actually too bad, but it doesn't taste good either.
Wow, I can feel my tongue shrinking already. This stuff is great!
"General!" Who was that?
Turn around, and- great, we're busted.
"What are you doing? Why are you setting these prisoners free?" a soldier asks. If you want to know why, it's because we're important. You are just a red unit. We are- Actually, aren't we technically green units?
"Simon, I know that Gangrel, would be against this, but I feel that they did nothing wrong." I hope this works. I really really really really REALLY hope that this works.
"I... Why would I tell him, general? You have done no wrongs." the man responds.
"That's a good boy." Mustafa says. "Now go, prepare for battle. I shall be there soon." Wow, he must treat his men well.
Alright, let's hope we are about to go. Wait, my tongue is no longer swollen. That's a relief.
"So, will we be leaving soon?" I ask. Yeah, I can be impatient, sometimes.
"Yeah, I'm starting to smell, I'll be more than glad to leave." Jafray added. Actually, they have both already put on their thief cloaks, so what am I waiting for?
Ugh, I'm just going to have to put my myrmidon outfit over these rags, so I guess I'll have to take them off later.
Huh? They are gone already?! Why don't they wait up?!
I can actually run DISTANCES, now. I could run fast before, though with very low stamina. My stamina seems to have increased, but not too much. I may as well assume that my HP growths are going to be low- Am I seriously asking about my own stats? Maybe I should ask Jeremiah later.
Ah, there they are! I was waiting to catch up to-
"Can't you come with us, Mustafa?" Yeah, Calina is begging. I can tell by her tone of voice.
"I'm sorry, but I cannot." he responds. "Gangrel would murder my wife and child to set an example." Funny, I could have sworn that he said that EXACT thing in chapter ten. Wait, he did. "There is a stable nearby the prison. Get some horses from over there, and then follow the trail out of the desert. For now, I bid goodbye." Sniff... Wait, am I crying? I never cry. Well, I guess that USED to be true.
"Well, c'mon guys." I tell Jafray and Calina.
"Alright, then." they say that at the same time. Creepy.
The entrance- or, exit to the prison it right up ahead.
Finally, I'm free! OWOWOWOW! MY EYES ARE KILLING ME! That sun is BRIGHT, even if it is the sun!
Finally, I'm starting to adjust.
"Who are you?" I hear a familiar voice ask.
Huh? Oh, hello there, Lucina. Wait, Lucina? Hold on a second.
... We're on top of a cliff, obviously, but the scenery here looks familiar.
Wait a second, this is the Chapter 9 battlefield. Ooooh. THAT'S why Lucina- er, 'Marth' is here.
"I said, who are you?" she asks. I turn towards her, giving the most obvious hint ever that she is supposed to recognize me. Yeah, remember that future child I mentioned? If the universe hasn't wiped him/her from existence, then Lucina should recognize me. If not- Well, I'm not going to think about that.
Yeah, I can tell by the look on her face that she gets it, but I just want to watch the battle, for now.
"Why don't you hurry up, Ravel?" Jafray asks. "I thought you wanted to leave." Ugh, be patient, I'm watching the battle.
Lucina has stopped paying attention to us, and just instead walked away. I'll explain the future child thing when it happens, alright?
Also...
"I'm watching this battle, okay? Is there anything bad about that?"
He shuts up, again. I thought that he would be able to make a few comebacks, but perhaps he's decided to watch as well.
Unlike the game, there are A LOT more enemies, and all of the Shepherds are in battle.
I may as well assume the pairings, based on who is paired up with whom.
Let's see... I see Chrom and Sumia, not surprising at all. I also see Robin and Lissa, which I don't mind at all.
Nobody else really sticks out, actually.
"Those the Shepherds?" Calina asks.
"Yeah, they're all pretty good at battle, good against numbers." I respond.
I can see Tharja mixed in with the Plegian soldiers, and Libra is busy fighting off some other men. Wait a second- Who is THAT? There seems to be a Pegasus rider flying near Libra, and it isn't Cordelia or Sumia, by the looks of it. I'm tempted to take a closer look, but I don't think I can find a way down, from here.
I could go run over to Emmeryn and save her, like the original Mary-Sue beta Ravel did. Did I mention that his name used to be Razel? Yeah, I did that because the spell check got aggravating, and Ravel doesn't count as an error. I should have just ignored it, but Ravel has grown on me, and not just because I now go by that name.
Well, watch and do nothing, it is.
Hell, this has been going on forever. Calina and Jafray have both fallen asleep, and I think that I see some storm clouds rolling in.
If Divine Decree wasn't supposed to play here, than I would call that a successful pun.
That was terrible, not successful. Seriously, Jeremiah? I told you to stop bothering me. Also, I'm aware that my jokes are terrible.
Fine, I was just trying to help. I just hope that you aren't going to be doing this a lot.
WAIT! WAIT! I ALMOST FORGOT!
What is it? I want you to tell me my stats, or growths, or anything.
Fine, I'll go ahead then. Good, then.
Due to the fact that I may mess up, I'm just going to say that your Strength and Speed are high, with your Magic and Defense being average.
Hold on, my magic is AVERAGE? My magic should be low, since I don't use it. I mean, I'm a myrmidon.
Tell that to the universe. Goodbye. Hey, this isn't over! WAIT!
Well, at least I got the answer. The Shepherds have already recruited Tharja and Libra, and seem to be discussing further battle plans, or something else. I can't hear from all of the way up here.
And- There goes that Pegasus Knight, straight towards the general. Who the hell is she? I can't get a good view from up here, so I can't tell what she looks like. I just see a sort of blonde-ish hair.
Whoa. Did she just strike him down in one hit? Just... Wow. That is one overpowered unit. I can safely assume that she just joined them, as well.
Auuuuuunnnnnd, I can barely see Gangrel throwing a childish tantrum.
Serves him right.
...
Wait a second- he's laughing.
No idea how to react to that.
Wait, is this when-
Here come the Pegasus Knights, so that answers it.
Whelp, this isn't going to end well.
Gah, there goes Philia.
And the other two Pegasus knights...
That other Pegasus Knight seems to be prepared to fly out, but I'm not sure if she is going to go through with it.
No, she isn't. Shame, I was hoping that someone would interfere. If she did, it hopefully wouldn't turn out too bad.
"No, wait!" ... Emmeryn?
"SILENCE!" Okay, that was Gangrel, I can tell. I'm surprised that I can hear them from all of the way over here.
"King Gangrel, is there no hope that you will listen to reason?" Of course not, he's mad.
...
No, something tells me that I shouldn't be joking around right now. Just be respectful... Just try.
"You mean listen to more of your sanctimonious babble?! I think not." Gangrel replies. "No, all I want to hear is the THUNK of the arrows, and a SPLAT as you hit the ground. Take one, last look from your perch. You do so enjoy looking down on people... Then prepare to meet the ground, and your maker! That it... Unless you want to give me the Emblem... NOW!" Just shut up. I'm growing tired of your voice. It's weird that these words are stirring my emotions, especially since I have heard these words so much. (Yeah, I've played through Awakening more than a couple of times)
As for Emmeryn, she's stopped talking, which I'm going to guess means that she is about to jump.
"ALL RIGHT!" Uh-oh... "All right... Emm, I know you won't approve, but this is my final decision." Don't do it, Chrom. "MAYBE someday we'll face a crisis where MAYBE the Emblem would have helped... But I know for a fact that Ylisse needs you, today! The people need their exalt... And we need our sister. If those dark days will come, we'll face them together." ...
"Chrom," Emmeryn is starting to cry, and I swear that I'm starting to tear up as well. "Th-thank you. I know now what I must do..."
Don't do it Emm...
"Emm, what are you-"
"Plegians, I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance. Do what you must... As I will do. See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!"
"Emm, no! No!" Don't do it. Don't do it.
Agh, there goes Chrom. Obviously the Risen archers aren't doing anything. It's almost like they know what's happening. They arguably do, to some extent.
Emmeryn is raising her hand, and-
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" A large gasp from literally everyone, myself included. So much for no reaction, Emm-
Ugh... Is my head seriously... bothering me again...?
Seriously? Just, seriously?!
Jeremiah, why do I keep having these visions...
...
Jeremiah...?
...
What, NOW you don't answer me?! Ugh, you are simply aggravating.
So... What's going on here?
I'm back at the forge... I guess. Obviously this is another memory. I fail to understand why I am having these, even though the answer is probably right in front of me. Once again, Jeremiah will probably not tell me until I'm asleep. I do understand the logic as to why, but can he ONLY do it when I'm asleep.
Huh, there's father.
"I'm sorry about your mother, Ravel." No... DON'T SPEAK HER NAME!
... Seriously? Just- Seriously? If that was supposed to be a pun, than that wasn't funny.
"I- I miss her, Father." This is like torture. I don't know why so many emotions are stirring up in me, but I just want it to stop. This is just a pain.
Do I hear cheering? A bit ironic, is it not? Ah, well.
"Hm? Is that the Exalt?" Oh, THAT makes sense. So I go from having completely unrelated visions to visions that make sense?
I... You know what? I am tired of thinking. Perhaps I should just stop thinking for a bit.
We approach the outside of the forge to see- almost conveniently- Emmeryn walking along the road. Actually, I don't see any guards next to her either. Which is bit... risky. Then again, I assume that the crime rates in Ylisstol are a bit low, so perhaps it is fine? I don't know. I don't care.
She approaches the front of the forge and- ERMAGHERD YER NEVR GONR BELIEVE THIS- She turns towards us. ... Forgive me for that.
"I have heard about your wife's death." she says. "I am deeply sorry for your loss." What? How did she find that out?
"Me and my son... We're just sad about it... It just doesn't feel as lively without Gladys around." 'Father' says. Gladys, huh?
"Well, if it helps you, I brought a small gift from the Ylisstol vault." she pulls out a gold bar- WHAT? GOLD?! AKSIFUHFUDBVUSHFUAHEF- WHY?! Entirely pointless... or... or... CONSPIRACY MODE INITITIATED
"Emm, what's going on?!" That voice... Chrom...?
Indeed it is him. He rushes towards Emmeryn, out of breath. Running, I assume.
"Emm... Who are these people?" Chrom asks. "The hierarch doesn't advise that you leave the palace unattended."
"Chrom, I do not mean to worry you." Emmeryn smiles. That HAS to be the most sincere face that I have ever seen. "I was simply paying my respects to this man's wife. This man's name is Eustace." Okay, he isn't my father. That is NOT my father's name. Well, he TECHNICALLY is my father, but he isn't.
Ugh, the thoughts of universal travel is giving me a headache.
"And what is his name?" Chrom points to me.
"It's Ravel." I announce. This doesn't really sound like my current self, but then again, this is a flashback, that would explain it.
"Huh. Ravel. That name sounds a bit familiar. Well, I'll be sure to remember you, Ravel." Why is he leaving so soo-
Ugh, just UGH! This flashback is starting to end. Why does my head have to hurt every time.
Ugh... Morning already...? Ugh, I'm starting to get wet. It's raining, isn't it?
"Good morning sleepyhead." Jafray laughs. SHADDAP! I'm not in the mood.
"What happened while I was out?"
"Out?" he asks. "You weren't knocked out for ten seconds." ... Really?
"Yeah." Calina pipes up. "We both woke up to a scream, and when we got up, you were sound asleep." Really? Just... REALLY?
"So, should we get going, or what? I don't want to get struck by lightning or anything." Jafray adds.
"Sounds good to me." I respond. "The sooner we leave, the faster something good will happen." Maybe we will end up forming a mercenary group that travels the world. Eh, happened in my story, why can't it happen here?
A/N: FINALLY COMPLETED IT!
This chapter just felt far too long to me. Then again, it is the longest chapter as of right now. (4K words... Wow.) Not even mentioned how bored I was at around the first and last parts of it. Don't worry though, the other chapters will be a bit more fun from here. (Less pacing, a bit more character development.)
Oh, and for those who didn't check yet, I rewrote Chapter 1. Far better than it was before.