Disclaimer: Final Fantasy Tactics is copyrighted to Square Enix. Fate/Stay Night is copyrighted to Type Moon. Anything done here is for fun and creative liberties to mix the two fandoms together without worry of lawsuit. Also, the picture (minus the title added on via Paint) used for the cover is drawn by 00lin00 of the deviantart website, asked with permission to be used here.
Fate: FINAL
Third Campaign
There was a reason Dorter Trade City got its name, and it was for the sheer number of merchants drawn to it. Positioned nearly at the half-way point of all other regions, it was hard pressed not to find something worth buying. Dorter served as a good start for the Lionsguard and Shadow Company; they would spend half the day restocking on supplies, and then regroup and set off for Araguay Woods before nightfall.
"Are you sure you can walk alright, Fiona?" Agrias asked, evidently in concern for her third teammate.
Fiona, a knight no different from Alicia or Lavian save for her shorter hair, just smiled. There was a slight limp in her step but she took in stride quite easily enough. "I'm fine milady. I waited long enough in bed, and the princess isn't getting any closer if we keep licking our wounds."
"Yes, you're right," Agrias nodded. "Just don't be afraid to inform me of any sort of discomfort."
"Worry not, milady. This is nothing compared to my squire days."
"You always were the more physically engaged one, Fiona," Alicia chided from her left. "Probably too much exercise, if you could fall easily to a yin yang hex."
"There were hardly any oracles amongst the Nanten, Alicia," Lavian reasoned via right. "You shouldn't talk down on her, since you had the most trouble that fight. Why, if it weren't for the Shadow Company-"
"Don't encourage her, Lavian. If anything you're worse than her, thinking your muscles will solve everything."
Her sister huffed. "It helps to get a stronger sword swing and have enough vitality to survive a magic attack. Granted, you're too busy reading books to last as long as Fiona and I."
"We're all training under Lady Agrias to be holy knights, are we not?" Alicia countered. "It requires not just a devout faith to the church, but an understanding of both sword techniques and holy magic. Since you two are focused solely on the sword aspect, I am focusing towards the magic aspect first; mostly for your sake as well as my training."
"More like you need your older sister to play bodyguard while you practice with spells," Lavian smirked.
Sensing a rising tension between the two, Fiona tried to intervene. "Actually, I've been practicing with Protect and Shell spells, as well as Esuna-"
"Splendid!" Alicia beamed, clasping her hands onto Fiona's own. "You're off to a great start then; sorry I ever doubted you, Fiona! But you must continue your studies and learn Raise and at least Cure-"
"-After you finish the physical routine!" Lavian cut in, tugging her right arm. "It wouldn't look good if you stopped now just when you were learning to break your opponent's strength!"
Fiona looked between the two of them, slightly exasperated. "Can't I just balance both-?"
"No!" both sisters snapped.
"Finish one," Alicia explained.
"Then the other!" Lavian added.
Agrias, having listened to the whole argument, reached her limits as the townspeople watched them. No doubt they would gossip about three knights bickering about the best route in becoming her equal. So, she turned back to them and barked down their squabbling on the spot. "Will you three stop behaving like children?! This is not becoming of the name of the Lionsguard, let alone the Church of Glabados!"
"Yes, milady," the three knights said, bowing their heads in response.
"Good," the orange haired woman nodded, and resumed walking. "Now, let's see about getting some su-OOF!"
Having not watched where she was going, Agrias bumped into an unsuspecting rushing man. Regardless of the circumstance, she was quick to be chivalrous and polite. "Please excuse me sir, I did not mean to-AHH?!"
The holy knight had attempted to step back from the man, but she quickly found herself firmly in place when a hand actually went up behind her blue coattails and latched on a verypersonal spot under her leather pants. For several seconds she could do nothing but gasp in shock, blush, and stand stiff as the man continued to rub her rear. But then the realization kicked in and she forcefully pushed the man aside for the sake of her dignity.
"You shameless pervert!" Agrias snarled; her face red through humiliation and rage. "How dare you sexually assault a knight of the royal family!"
The man with the green turban said nothing and dashed ahead of her, latching onto Alicia and Fiona at once. Both girls, still shocked of seeing their leader subdued in such a manner, didn't even register the man groping them until the deed was being done.
"Let go!" Lavian yelled, pulling back a punch to hit the man's face. At the last moment, he ducked, retreated, and trailed his hands around her sides… finishing with a pert spank at her bottom.
"Why you-!" Agrias charged ahead, ready to draw her sword and cleave the man in two for such perverted actions. Alicia, Lavian, and Fiona followed suit, noting how the green-clad was just beyond their reach…
But it was merely his intention. No sooner did the Lionsguard run several paces from their spot did their armor, capes, and sword sheathes slip off from their bodies, leaving them clad in only their tunics and leather guards. As they stood and stare in shock, the green man whistled cheerfully as he pocketed each piece of equipment in a bag. When the last item was put away, the man smirked, no doubt proving his profession as one of the most dishonest yet profitable of all of Ivalice.
"You four certainly look appealing for knights, my fair ladies," the thief jested. "Though I must say, you might be able to catch me… if there wasn't so much weight bearing on your legs. Not that it's a bad thing, mind you! I mean, it certainly more than makes up for your flat chests."
At that point, Agrias only saw red. Her fellow knights saw her hand slap the thief so many times on a single instant that they could have sworn that Agrias had learned the Monk's Repeating Fist technique.
Meanwhile, Shadow Company was resting down at the bottom of the hill close to the path the Lionsguard had taken. Between Rad's inexperience, Gafgarion's old age, and Ramza being out of practice, the mercenaries struggled not to lose sight of them before the city. They were now taking this opportunity to recuperate
"I never thought knights could move so fast!" Rad panted, being just a few steps behind his lord.
"They don't," Gafgarion scowled. "Though considering the circumstances, these particular knights are very desperate."
"Funny that she acts concerned for her friend yet keeps pushing ahead," Rad noted.
"Oaks is a kind of woman I hate; feigns goodwill and comradeship to those she deems worthy as friends or the high nobility for appearance. Anyone else she reveals her true self; which so happens to be a vile harpy, and even then she considers it an honour to grace anyone with her appeal." Gafgarion chuckled at his own jest, with Rad joining in. Ramza was silent, and didn't appear to be aware of the conversation.
"Sounds the exact opposite of you, my lord," the squire smiled.
"No joke," the dark knight smirked. "Why bother to act chivalrous when it is merely a fallacy in the end, and a means to achieve rank? To be a holy knight is to preach of the ways of light and act as a shining example to kiss up to nobility. A dark knight is much more honest; you resort to obtaining power through your own means and no false promises. As long as it even ails your health one day, it is worth it, and it is no one else's but your own."
"Wow, that's really something," Rad said. "Say, Ramza," he turned to his comrade. "Do you think we'll be dark knights someday?"
Ramza blinked out of his thoughts as Rad shook his shoulder. "Huh? What?"
"Well, I don't know about Ramza here," Gaff smirked. "But if anyone can learn to be a dark knight, it's you, Rad. You're making good progress so far, and have already reaped the spoils of your crystallized foes."
While Rad beamed at the praise, the wording really unsettled Ramza. While he didn't ignore the policy of using the enemy's strength against them, he didn't like the idea of ending their lives prematurely for power. He probably wouldn't be a dark knight himself ever, if one of the qualifications was to crystallize others. In a way, it was a harder prerequisite to swallow than declaring royalty to the church as a holy knight. And then there were his earlier worries of Delita and the failed summoning last night…
Gafgarion noticed Ramza's silence, and was disappointed. The boy was a hell of a wizard, and he could tell he spent his earlier years as a knight. Knowing his full story, he wondered if it was his 'family' pride of preserving life, or that nagging failure that was holding him down. Even if he didn't ever want to become a dark knight, the behavior he was recently expressing was bothering him, like he had actually let Agrias Oaks remind him of his last unpleasant battles.
It would not do the morale of Shadow Company any good if his men fell out of line. Luckily it seemed the Lionsguard wasn't going anywhere, since they were conversing with a man getting dangerously close to their assets… brave fool if there ever was one.
"And another aspect of your training starts now," he 'instructed' Rad, who was already hanging on his every word after his confidence boost.
"Anything, sir!" he all but cheered.
"Now take this," he handed a bag of gil in his hand. "Go to the item shop, and pick up some potions." When Rad didn't move and stared oddly at the bag, Gaffgarion added "That's an order."
"Y-yes sir!" he hurried off without another look.
"And be sure to fetch plenty of phoenix down feathers!" Gaff shouted. "We're fresh out!"
And it would be bad for everyone if they couldn't recuperate in a vital battle. Fortunately Rad got the memo as he expressed a thumbs-up during his dash. Good; two birds with one stone.
"Now then…" the dark knight sighed, turning to the remaining mercenary. "What's eating you, boy?"
"I don't know what you mean, my lord," Ramza answered quickly.
"Balderdash," he snapped. "You've been like this ever since we left the monastery." Gaff took a quick look around to see if anyone was hearing (satisfied that everyone in the street was just out of earshot) before continuing. "Are you still upset about Fort Ziekden?"
Ramza's dark eyes hardened slightly. The dark knight was the only one aware of his true connections; it was part of the reason he sought him out for his faction. As such, he knew of his important battles against the Death Corps, including their last known confrontation in Ziekden. Rather, it was when Ramza's Hokuten squad went rogue attacking Zalbag's unit, led by Algus Sadalfas of Limberry.
"If anything you should be relieved to see your friend survived." Gaff pressed. "Although I should tell you this now; by contract he's our enemy for kidnapping the princess. There's no need to continue this job if we'll end up fighting and killing your friend."
"Everyone else is still gone," Ramza muttered, recalling Teta and his fallen comrades.
The dark knight's eyes hardened. "Oh yes, your finest hour; what would you have me do? Reset your life to before Ziekden so you could have stopped whoever shot the hostage? Or perhaps give you better instructions and the foreknowledge to make an otherwise death-trap into a cakewalk of an encounter. At least that way the casualties aren't from your own troops."
Ramza's glared back, offended at Gafgarion's sarcasm. "Don't mock their lives like they were bounties. None of them deserved to die. Not the Death Corps, nor the Hokuten, and certainly not Teta!"
"People die in war," Gaff snapped. "That's a universal truth of the world. Doesn't matter if you're a soldier, a pedestrian, or a hostage; everything is fair game. The Death Corps knew that, and regardless fought against the nobles for spoils. They were merely lucky enough in the war to not die while everyone else did, including their own men. Of course, it was all for naught when they came up against better suited knights."
"That doesn't make it right!" the apprentice summoner cried. "People shouldn't die unconditionally just for what is most convenient for others!"
"The world's view of 'right' has always been the same for years, even before you were conceived in your home of aristocracy. As long as the thirst of power persists, there will always be conflicts and death. To do things the 'right' way means to lose power, or even share it. You might be willing to part with power, but any sensible man wanting a noteworthy position would sooner cut their own arm off before accepting a compromise. Why do you think Larg and Goltana fight so hard to earn their place near the crown?"
"But-!"
"As such, you're still a child; a child who does not see the world for what it is. A man does not turn his back on truth. A man accepts it, and walks the path he must. As for what defines truth…" Gafgarion shrugged. "Well, no one has absolute domain over it."
"…is there a point in telling me all this?" Ramza bitterly asked.
"You have to bury the hatchet about what happened," the dark knight answered. "Delita and your other comrades have moved on, yet here you are, still upset. At least consider this; the men and women you've slain or have seen die have died for a cause… with notable exception of that one girl."
Ramza blinked in surprise. "A cause?"
"The Hokuten and Nanten fight to keep the peace of their regions, and together managed to drive Ordallia away in the 50 Year War. The Death Corps fought in that same war for pay, and fought again in vain when denied their share. And I fight to earn myself and my company decent pay, one job at a time. You even fought pretty strongly for your beliefs a year ago, disillusioned as they were."
"They were for the wrong reasons," Ramza admitted. "Reasons I never would have agreed to if I had known the truth before."
"But you believed in them. You got as far as you did because of that reason. The problem is you haven't bothered to find a new one when Delita has already. I don't care what cause you fight for; be it for gil, or to win the graces of your brothers again, or even to live the lives of those that perished. Just be a man and walk the path you so choose."
Seeing Rad rush back over with two bags at hand, Gafgarion spared Ramza one last glance. "Think about it." Judging from the blonde's now analytical expression and loss of frowning, the dark knight felt satisfied to have gone through that hurdle.
"Here you are, my lord," Rad announced, before reading the receipt. "A dozen potions, half-a-dozen of hi-potions, three vials of ether, and ten plumes of phoenix down; all with a few hundred gil to spare."
"Good work, my boy," Gafgarion smiled, reaching over to accept the bag-
Until a green blur bumped behind Rad, causing him to drop and spill the contents. Nearly all the vials shattered on the ground, mixing the liquids together and making them together. To top it off, the gil bag in Rad's other hand also dropped, and golden bits scattered along the dropped potions.
"Oh Ajora, no!" Rad cried, quickly scampering to the ground any non-broken potion. "This can't be happening!"
"Search for the plumes first!" Gaff ordered, as he joined and focused picking up the gil. "At least they're salvageable!"
"A thousand apologies milord," the green dressed man stressed, having been the one to bump into Rad. He kept bowing, as if an attempt to hide the large red hand-shaped mark on his face. "A thousand a thousand apologies, even! I just didn't see where I was going, and was trying to get away from the angry women over there-"
"Granted how you felt them, I'd say the retribution is well justified," Gaff scoffed to the man, while still looking through the debris of gil and potion mixture.
"At least let me make it up to you, milord!" the man said, leaning close to Gaff's side. "Allow me to-"
A fuchsia jagged dagger was pointed to his jugular vein an instant later. "Don't move."
Gaff and Rad paused in their search. Looking up, to their surprise, they saw Ramza glaring at the shocked man looming over the dark knight's shoulder, pointing one of his knives threateningly close to the man's neck.
"Ramza, what are you doing?" Gafgarion asked, feeling an odd mixture of pride, frustration, and humility.
"He was planning to steal your sword, my lord," Ramza answered, his eyes not leaving the thief. Gaff took a quick look to his side to see the man's hands very close to his sword's sheath and buckle.
"He has also stolen Rad's sword the moment he bumped into him, and stored it within his cloth while you both were distracted by the bags dropping." Surprised, Rad turned to his side and saw his sword missing.
"I would further assume that, given his abnormal bulk and previous encounter with the knights, he had confiscated not only their weapons but their armor as well. I could only guess he is meant to leave us defenseless and then run off. Which, at that point, we would be ambushed by his men hiding at various corners of this street; such as the archer up at that rooftop or the wizard to the right pretending to be a merchant. Nice slap mark, by the way."
The Shadow Company's attention was fully on the thief now, who was visibly paling and sweating. They didn't need to look around to know that Ramza was telling the truth; the man's reaction, especially to his 'slap mark', was answer enough.
The thief side-glanced towards the blond wizard, cracking a voice akin between anger and fear and demanded, "H-h-how did you-?!"
"I've trained at the Gariland Academy and know all the basics of how thieves work on the battlefield," Ramza smirked. "It certainly helps that I led command of one in my earlier days."
"Well, the joke's on you," the thief managed to smirk. "You try anything and my team will get the jump you and your female friends over there easy."
"Funny that they haven't done anything with you in our grasp," Gafgarion remarked. "Not much of a team if they're willing to make acceptable losses."
"At this point it's the calm before the storm. You let me go, I'll strike. You attack me, my team strikes. Just because you found me out doesn't mean you'll get out of this alive."
Ramza, Gaff, and Rad all exchanged knowing glances, wordlessly trusting the other to a specific target, as well as Ramza's subtle nudges to where the archer and wizard were. Then they all simultaneously struck.
Ramza threw his left hand to the air, releasing an Aero spell. The archer, aiming for Rad, didn't know what happened before she was blown off from the rooftops and away from the battlefield all together.
Gafgarion, seeing the wizard prepare to retaliate with a spell, drew his sword and struck the ground. Moments later a dark blade struck from behind him, depleting his mana and rendering his spell useless.
The thief, in a desperate retaliation toward the wizard holding him, drew his own dagger and attempted to stab him while he was casting. He didn't count on the squire, being weaponless, to let out a battle-cry and tackle him to the ground. It didn't help matters that all his acquired weapons and armor, and even a few bits of gil and phoenix downs, scattered out of his 'bulky' build.
"Damn it!" the thief cried, in hopes to alert his other comrades. "We've been found out!"
Agrias was beyond livid. Never mind the fact that some male lecher groped her and each of her knights through their armor, and mock their figures. Even when they realized they've been had, the shameless thief had slipped their pursuit within the crowd. Their chase was in vain, and only earned the Lionsguard one too many stares towards their slight state of undress.
In her knight's arms, she had a thief, judging by his greenish clothes of profession. But he kept insisting he knew nothing of the man they were looking for. She was very tempted to interrogate the man for she knew he was hiding something, but she also didn't want to give the wrong impression of herself like with Ramza. Losing her temper again wouldn't do anyone any good, least of all the princess.
"I'm telling you knight-wits, I didn't do a thing!" the thief cried, struggling in vein between Alicia and Lavian's grip on his arms.
"Then surely you'll help us in our search," Agrias suggested, staring at him. Regardless of whether he was telling the truth, it was still a vile profession, second only to the dark knights. As such, Agrias had little reason to give him leeway like last time.
"Oh, just because you got the wrong guy means that you have the right to coerce him to help your problems? And here I thought all members of clergy allowed its people freedom of their own choices."
Agrias opened her mouth but whatever she was about to say was interrupted as a gale of wind brushed over head, particularly around the roofs of the houses. Moments later, she caught Gafgarion let out a sword art and Rad tackling another thief.
The one with all their equipment.
"Damn it! We've been found out!"
Hearing the shrill cry of the lead thief, the other proved Agrias' suspicions when slipped out of the knight's grasp flawlessly and stabbed both with drawn daggers.
The female holy knight stood aghast as your two comrades fell unconscious. "Alicia! Lavian!"
"You knight types are all the same," the thief grinned, a sudden turnaround to his 'innocence'. "You swing those swords around breaking hard-earned weapons and armor, when you can barely manage to fight when your own weapon is gone. Turnabout's a bitch, huh?"
A moment later, the man's smirk, and jaw, was broken as a well-timed punch cracked the side of his mouth. Trying to retaliate, he was kneed in the abdomen as follow-up, and slumped to the ground panting.
Fiona loomed over him, clenching her gauntlet-covered hands together. "No one backstabs my friends."
Agrias would recall on a later date to ask of Fiona's physical capabilities, especially after her brief respite back at the monastery, but for now, they had an ambush to survive. Spotting a flash on the roof-tops, she quickly pulled Fiona away where an arrow would have struck her back, and hid against the building itself. The fisticuff knight, however, was just heating up for battle, and had already climbed the roof tops to attack the sniper.
The holy knight settled with staying in place and casting white magic to revive her fellow knights. She was midway to the chant before a wizard sneaked out and chanted a spell. Agrias kept chanting, confident in her own fortitude that she could shrug his black magic off and raise her knights, or even cast Raise faster than he could cast Fire or Fire II.
Except it wasn't black magic he was casting. It was yin yang. And he, as it turned out, wasthe faster caster. "Paralyze."
Immediately Agrias felt her muscles constrict, from her toes to her fingers. The somehow static sensation of Paralyze had caught her off guard and forced her to stop. Try as she might, she couldn't finish the incantation, let alone focus her arms long enough to hold it.
"And my colleagues said that training three years as an Oracle was a waste of time," The wizard sneered, most likely smirking under his over-sized hat. His hands moved in rhythm again, mana circling in center. "Now what should I cast this time? Turn you into a stone statue? Watch you flail in a mad frenzy with no use of your arms? Or maybe harness my current vocation and turn you to a frog… so I can step on you."
The holy knight never felt so vulnerable in all her life. Her sword and armor were stolen, leaving her unable to perform her holy sword arts. Even if she did, she was paralyzed that she couldn't make any sort of counterattack, or even retreat in time before his next spell is cast. Two of her knights were knocked out while the third pursue an archer, and Shadow Company was preoccupied themselves with the other half of the ambush.
But despite all that, she held her stance and glared the wizard down, intent to fight off his next mental attack. She couldn't give up now, not like this. Not when Princess Ovelia was in danger!
"Oh ho, determined? You're definitely something else. I almost feel bad that I have to do this." The yellow eyes narrowed slightly as the mana grew larger. "Almost."
"Lady Agrias, get down!"
She didn't know the who, when, how, or why, but the holy knight obeyed the voice. Already weak on her knees, she allowed herself to fall forward to the ground, nearly breaking it with her arms out forward. Moments later, a flurry of daggers shot forth and embedded on the wizard's chest.
At first, Agrias thought the man to be dead, for the five blades were dangerously close to his heart. Apparently the wizard did too, as he stared at the knife handles in awe. Then he noticed the mana around him was completely depleted. Alarmed, he hurriedly spun his arms for magic chanting, but to no avail.
"...!" The wizard gasped for sound, but couldn't say anything. He then hesitantly plucked a dagger from his body, slightly wincing from the blood it drew. He stared intently between the wound and the dagger, bewildered by its purple etched design. His face dawned in realization. They weren't aimed to kill, but to silence him.
"Mage mashers are quite humbling, aren't they?" Ramza explained, now standing across the stunned wizard. His hands were pulled back cupped together, harnessing an aria much faster than the spellcaster across from him. "By the way, Water."
With a thrust of his palms, a jet-stream geyser shot forth towards the enemy wizard. With not enough time to even guard, the stream effortlessly pushed him away and slamming into a house wall. When the water resided, the wizard slumped down to the ground into a silent coughing fit.
Ramza quickly knelt to the holy knight, helping her in an upright sitting position. "Are you alright?"
"Paralyzed," she croaked. "Help… my knights."
A quick glance over saw Alicia and Lavian slumped over. A barely conscious thief was moving over to end their lives quickly for their life source. He didn't get far before a bloody blade struck from beneath him, draining his remaining life away.
"Are you alright, milady!?" Her third knight came rushing back, in her arms a wounded archer that had been attacking her and Agrias earlier. Aside from a few knick marks from arrowheads, she looked better off than her captain.
"Help..." Agrias asked Ramza again. "Alicia… Lavian."
"Paralysis," Ramza answered for Fiona. "A wizard let it off on her just a while ago. Can you heal her?"
"I'll try. Esuna was something I was learning next, but only Alicia knows Raise, and…"
"Not to worry," Ramza smiled. "I have on me a few phoenix down feathers. Milord and Rad are just finishing up rounding the others, and they should have your equipment back in a few minutes."
Both knights let out a sigh of relief, and smiled to the wizard. In no time he mended both sisters with the blessed items, and Fiona quickly chanted the recovery spell. Ramza, having just finished his first aid, caught sight of her chant and the magic that followed after.
"Heavenly wind, carry us to fountain of power! Esuna!"
A silver blue wind spiraled around Agrias' body, engulfing her in its brilliant light. The moment passed just as soon as it came, and the holy knight regained feeling in her body again.
"Thank you, Fiona," she smiled to her knight, who beamed in return. "And… thank you too, Ramza." She added, the smile faltering a bit. In hindsight, she felt bad for ever doubting him at the church.
The blond mercenary also smiled. "Let's save her highness and we can call it even."
"Very well," Agrias agreed, somewhat relieved.
The slight peace between the groups ended abruptly. Fiona gasped suddenly as a sharp pain pierced her body. Looking down, she saw an arrow stuck deeply into her chest, armor absent. Before the event fully registered to any one, a second bolt followed through just as close to her body, nearly killing her on the spot. The archer she was holding on to slipped out of her grasp and backed up against a wall, before making a break for it herself. No deal from the church was worth this.
Agrias was quick to her friend's side, checking her pulse, removing the arrowhead, and quickly reciting the Cure lyrics. Ramza merely stood and stared in shock, before turning to where the direction of the arrow came from. What he saw made him feel a mixed sensation of apprehension and confusion.
Marching into view was an assembly of four knights and two archers, all male, clad in green tunic and capes. They all gathered in front of Ramza and the Lionsguard in half-circle formation, closing off any escape. The leader of the group, a proud lancer downed in golden dragon armor and holding a flag of the Nanten insignia, a black lion on a red shield, rode atop a chocobo with proud deliberate steps. It stopped just far enough for the man's lance to point towards the holy knight's face… should he chose to do so.
"You were the holy knight assigned by the royal family to watch over the princess, correct?" the lancer asked through his open-face helmet.
Disturbed by this sudden questioning and interrupting in her spell chanting, Agrias slowly nodded.
"I've heard that she was escorted by her knight just yesterday, and had left en route for Igros this morning. But if you're still here, then the princess must be as well."
"What are you talking about?" the holy knight glared. "You dare mock us knowing the princess is halfway to your fortress?"
The Nanten blinked in confusion and exchanged nervous glances. "I believe I don't follow," the captain admitted.
"One of your own knights infiltrated the monastery and kidnapped her during the battle!" she snapped. "The fact you would feign ignorance speaks volumes if Goltana thinks so lowly of his soldiers!"
"Tell me," Ramza stepped in before tensions got any worse. "Where is Delita?"
Again the men were confused. "Delita? As in Delita Hyral?"
"He's joined the enemy?"
"I thought he died at-"
"Quiet!" the captain yelled, visibly tense. He turned his direction back to the blond. "Listen, the reasons for Delita's actions are his alone. Last I heard he was… serving under some lord before that night."
The apprentice summoner blinked in confusion. "You sound as if you don't know him. Surely he would be recognized under your faction as a holy knight, a title most would work years to obtain?"
"A holy knight you say?" An archer smirked. "Guess the Beoulve's dog found a new noble family to work under for some pity lessons. Shame the same can't be said for that tramp of a sister, what with Ziekden and all."
A part of Ramza grew very cold, recognizing the startling familiarity of the comment. "How do you know all that?" he asked evenly, suddenly devoid of emotion.
At once the 'Nanten' froze, realizing the slip of tongue they carelessly made. The lancer summed their thoughts in a single word: "Shit."
"Quake!"
Ramza's reaction was instantaneous, summoning a wide-spread fissure to the knights in front. They all tripped, slightly disoriented from the sudden attack, save for the chocobo that was quick to jump back in time.
"Ramza!" Agrias cried, but her voice was drowned out by the tailwind erupting behind him. The apprentice wizard may have trained the last year or so as a blue mage, but he had his whole childhood devoted to the sword and combat tactics. He knew he could handle most odds as he had always done when fighting for the Hokuten.
However, the fact he was fighting the Hokuten themselves, as opposed to the tired and poorly prepared Death Corps, made the outcome slightly less favorable. Not to mention his normally acute reason and battle tactics were muddled to his blind rage.
He focused first on the knights, dancing away from their blades with his anti-magic daggers while chanting spell lyrics like a second nature. The knights felt a sense of fear at the slight glow of his eyes and the drone monotonous tone he made while fighting them at once. Two of them that tried to gank him were immediately swept away by a surge of aqua pouring down on them like the Zirekile Falls.
Agrias did her best to assist him, retrieving a sword and shield from one of the momentarily unconscious knights his magic hit. They were of cheaper quality then her own, but she could still harness her sword arts through an iron sword. She was satisfied to strike an archer and knight at once through her attack, and divert some of the attention away from the wizard.
However, their momentum eventually died out because of the overwhelming odds of seven to two (eight if including the chocobo mount), and soldier's knowledge of items and chemistry. Before long, both Ramza and Agrias found themselves pinned to the floor face first, blades dangerously close to their necks (including the re-confiscated sword Agrias had used).
The lancer, still atop his chocobo, took careful looks between both captives. "A shame such a lass is so devoted to the 'royal family'," he sneered at Agrias. "Perhaps then you could have at least lived under Duke Larg's service."
"May not even Germonique have mercy for your soul," the holy knight cursed through her scrunched lips.
"Not that the mercy of a traitor to Saint Ajora matters," the lancer shrugged, before turning to Ramza, having recognized him during the fight. "And speaking of traitors... how long has it been again, Ramza?"
"A year," the apprentice summoner said automatically, feeling a sense of déjà vu. Not that it would matter now if Agrias knew of his past origins…
"A year," the lancer repeated. "Since you disappeared after the massacre of Fort Ziekden, where while Wiegraf and the remnants of the Death Corps faced off with General Zalbag, your brother, your own troop came from behind and killed every one of his back-up units before blowing the place to kingdom come? Yes… that sound about right doesn't it?"
Ignoring the incredulous look the holy knight was giving him, Ramza settled with glaring darkly at the man. "He ordered her to die."
It took the captain lancer a moment to understand the message, but it bothered him no more than a mosquito. "It was an acceptable loss, Ramza. Teta was a beautiful young woman, no doubt, but with her sacrifice the Death Corps are wiped out from the face of Ivalice. Not many commoners can attest to that. Further, you played your part well in the key battles, especially in facing Wiegraf yourself at one point, and have no doubt brought pride to the Beoulve name. Why if Balbanes were here today-"
"If my father was alive, he would've never stood for this!" Ramza roared, nearly breaking from the knight's hold. "He accepted Delita and Teta into the Beoulve family as his own children! He would sooner die himself than to sacrifice one of his own!"
A knight punched him in the eye to shut him up, while the captain sighed. "Clearly you were coddled too much in your household. Still, Lord Dycedarg wouldn't forgive me if I killed you on the spot just because of bad circumstances."
"Ramza, what's going on?" Agrias finally asked, slightly unnerved of the whole situation. "I thought you were only familiar with the Hokuten."
"I am," he explained, eyes never leaving the captain. "These men are Hokuten soldiers, disguised as Nanten. If I had to hazard a guess, only Delita is truly working for Goltana… and he knew Dycedarg was planning to kill the princess just like he did his sister." If any good came out of this, it was at least he knew Delita had pure intentions as always.
Agrias' eyes widened. "Then… that means you're-"
"Ramza Beoulve, illegitimately the third child of the late lord Balbanes Beoulve," the captain finished for Agrias. "You may have shamed the Hokuten back at Ziekden, but the House of Beoulve will welcome you clearly with open arms again after you help us on this mission."
"To kill the princess?"
"Prince Orianas and Duke Larg are the only ones fit to rule Ivalice. To kill her early will is the act of Lord Dycedarg's benevolent mercy."
"Of course, mercy," the Beoulve bitterly remarked. "The same he gave to Teta Hyral?"
"Ramza, think about this," the captain pleaded. "We all make mistakes in our lives, but we also learn from them. Your brothers had to make difficult decisions as well to get where they are today. What do you hope to gain for fighting under no flag? No banner? Think about what you're fighting for! Think about your family honor! Think about your family!"
The Beoulve was silent. Everyone's attention as keenly on him, for his decision would put his life on the line, either for the Hokuten again or against them. He couldn't imagine himself fighting Dycedarg or Zalbag, and especially not his sister Alma. But he knew in his heart that what happened to Teta and what will happen to Ovelia was wrong. Could he maybe change their methods if under the good grace of Lord Larg and the Beoulve household again?
In his wandering eye, he caught sight of the sky; clear and blue, along with a few clouds floating about, and the shining glare of the sun. Funny how so much was happening on a beautiful day like this one.
"How nice it would be… to see an azure blue sky… over a peaceful Ivalice…"
Yes... the sky his mother dreamed so much. She would have loved to have seen it after the end of the 50 Year War, as fleeting as that peace was. Curse the late King. Curse the dukes. Curse the Holy Grail.
"-the risk of their life, of death, all for the pursuit of a magical artifact that can grant a single wish. Do you not have any cause towards that, Ramza?"
He had no such cause... at least not the one Larg and Dycedarg seek.
"A man does not turn his back on truth. A man accepts it, and walks the path he must."
He couldn't forget the truth even if he wanted to. No man could, once exposed to it... but rarely does a man fight for the sake of truth.
"Hear me, Ramza… For generations, the Beoulve family has served the royal family. We all bear the soul of a knight. Become a knight worthy of your name. Tolerate no injustice. Stray not from the true path. You will know the path you must walk. A Beoulve can... walk no other..."
A Beoulve fights with the soul of a knight. A Beoulve walks the path of truth. A Beoulve would tolerate no injustice.
And yet...
"You're the one who's going too far, just to meet their expectations. You're born a Beoulve, but that name doesn't have to restrict your life. Don't lose sight of yourself, Ramza."
Alma always knew him so well, much like their mother. She would have said the same thing were she still alive. At the time he laughed at how much she sounded like mother, and ignored her well-meaning advice, but now...
He was a Beoulve, yes, but he was also Ramza. He had let the pursuit of fame and glory for his family name blind him and it had cost him someone close to a sister.
He wasn't going to forget that. Not anymore.
"I refuse," he said with finality. Agrias looked shocked and relieved, while the Nanten masqueraders were startled.
"Ramza, be reasonable," the captain tried again. "Think this through-"
"I have," he interrupted, starring him with a bright gleam in his brown eyes. "And I will not see another life senselessly sacrificed for the benefit of others. It's not justice… it's never justice. And everyone is a fool thinking that these actions will always justify something. I've stood by the sidelines for too long, but no longer. I shall continue to honor my father's wish, even if the name Beoulve means little to me. I'll end this damn cycle of corruption and greed. I'll save Ovelia, save Delita, and stop all this senseless fighting! It is for those reasons I will win the Holy Grail!"
Through Ramza renewed conviction, a burst of blue pushed away all knights crowding over himself and Agrias, and blinded nearly everyone in the area. Ramza, the only one not affected, dug into his pack to reveal the source of the light in the form of a familiar tear-shaped stone. It surprised him to see it overflowing with so much mana, just waiting to be released.
Agrias, having walked towards the light, was also surprised to see Virgo, but for different reasons. "Is that…?"
"My will…" Ramza spoke to himself. "Which has reached out to my servant…" He turned to Agrias. "I apologize for this, Lady Agrias, but I will need to borrow Princess Ovelia's birthright."
Agrias didn't know what was going on, but he implied that the stone in his hands could be used a magic catalyst of sorts. She was wary that he was really a Beoulve, but from the discussion she just heard, he had honorable reasons to leave, and he all but promised to help her find Ovelia. Against his old army, even. If Simon could trust him, then she could too. "Just save the princess and we'll be even."
"Very well," he smiled softly at the ironic use of words.
With that decided, he focused once again on the stone, once more with a clear mind. According to Simon, the aria was already set, and would respond to a strong will of whoever held it. His will to protect others, recalling the memories of his sisters Alma and Teta, as well as his late parents, was enough.
All he wished the servant he called would be like his late father Balbanes, or the strangely familiar woman he had been seeing in his dreams.
"Come to my aid! Oh valiant champion! SABER!"
Before their eyes, Virgo floated out of his hand and radiated a brief yet bright flash of its hue. Energy and mana started to flow into the stone, drawn in like a magnet. Ramza felt some of his spirit drawn towards the stone, and a burning sensation across his right hand. He barely registered those feelings as he stared at the light and how it started to take shape. Anyone could have sworn it looked like an angel.
Virgo made its unique resonance in center of the shining white figure once before vanishing within the light. Color and form started to dissipate the all-shrouding light from the feet up. The figure's silver metal greaves were first revealed. The edge of a bright yellow skirt appeared just above the shins, alluding to how far the greaves climbed. Hands wearing slightly loose green gloves were shown next, armed with a white shield in one hand and a brilliant blade of bluish silver in the other. The sword was complete with a black guard and gold-coated sheath tied at the body's hip. The arms up to the shoulders were bare and small… almost feminine. The skirt met up to the torso and continued to climb forming a dress, flowing yet firm. The head finally came to view, showing a young face, eyes closed, and blond hair tied up behind in a dark yellow ribbon.
Ramza was simply captivated. The figure before him was a young woman. She was possibly no taller than Alma herself. She had a seemingly delicate body frame, but… she held herself so strong and proud, not unlike how he saw his father when he was younger. The woman's eyes opened, revealing her bright green eyes as she stared at him… the man who summoned her. The man who bore red tattoo marks now glowing on his hand. But most of all, her master.
Before she could speak, the Hokuten surrounding them gaped in surprise, drawing her attention to them. "Damn it, him too?!" an archer cringed.
"He must have spent the last year training for this!" another cowered.
"You guys are over-reacting," a knight smirked. "So what if she's a servant? She looks no different from a common farm girl."
The servant's expression darkened slightly, but Ramza felt disturbingly shocked how the knights recognized her as a servant. Do they know about the Holy Grail War?
"Careful, men," the captain spoke, having the chocobo take a few cautious steps back. "She's no eidolon. And she looks like she's of the Saber class."
"A weak Saber, if you ask me," the confident knight scoffed. "Besides, if we just kill Ramza here, she'll disappear in no time."
With that he charged at the startled Beoulve, having the advantage of attacking his exposed side while he could still barely stand. His Servant couldn't stop him in time even if she tried-
…was the last thought that crossed his mind before he was completely bisected with a single stroke of her sword. The moment happened too soon for anyone to notice, but she seemingly flickered from her spot and leaned forward next to the charging knight, making a clean sweeping motion in one strike. The flawless attack of her blade cleaving the man in two bloody halves was akin to a hot knife through butter: no resistance.
"Oh Saint Ajora…" Agrias whispered, both appalled at the act and in awe at the swordswoman.
"This is..." Ramza breathed, just as surprised at the display."The power of a servant?"
Saber calmly stood back upright, glaring at the remaining soldiers. None of them dared to approach her. Instead, they turned towards their now nervous captain, barely keeping his chocobo and himself in place.
"Well?" he barked suddenly. "What are you all waiting for? KILL HER!"
As one, the remaining knights charged while the archers fired arrows at the servant. She deflected them easily with her sword swinging upward like a baton before intercepting a sword thrust with a shield parry. With gaining momentum, she spun around the knights and their constant sword strikes while timing a few of them at their open guards. Compared to Ramza and Agrias before her, she was not at all overwhelmed; the situation was reversed to her favor. The angry struggles of swords and arrows missing was evident.
"She's too good with her arms!" one knight said, referring to her sword and shield.
"Then let's just break them!" another replied, and all three rallied their battle skills.
"Weapon Break!"
"Shield Break!"
"Power Break!"
Three swords joined together in three different angled positions; sword at her right, shield at her left, power at her backside. Saber was not worried, and reacted quickly and accordingly. Before anyone could blink she switched positions of her sword and shield, her right hand gripping the shield and her left holding the sword, and then extended both arms outward to repel the intercepting attacks. To further prove her ambidexterity, she quickly spun counterclockwise around to force the attacker behind her to abandon the attack and parry away.
It was an impressive display of planning and foresight of her reaction to their tactics. The battle skills of a knight were deadly and could cripple any well trained soldier if not careful, but each specific break technique only work towards the necessary targets. For example, Sword Break can only break a sword, because of where the point it aims to shatter the weapon and using enough power to not be parried or dodged if going to slow. However, it wouldn't strike the right weak point for a helmet, would be easily parried by a shield, and would lack the force to break a suit of armor.
Her simple sword-and-shield switch ruined their plan on the spot. That wasn't to say she also gave the archers trouble.
"Hit her, damn it!" the captain ordered his archers.
"We're trying!" one cried. Having just fired an arrow, it looked like he got her good at her backside… until she sidestepped and it hit one of their knights.
"You missed!"
"We won't this time!" another assured. He too fired a bolt at her backside, and this too slipped past her and towards a knight; this time at his head, which resulted in a bloody K.O.
"Oops," the archers both winced at a very bad case of friendly fire as their captain groaned.
The two remaining knights kept striking her, annoyed of how effortlessly she was parrying their attacks. The sword was especially a problem; it looked regal and powerful, probably as rare as T.G. Cid's Excalibur. They agreed her weapon must have some sort of powerful runes to grant the user powers, and it needed to be destroyed.
"Try and dodge this one!" They both cried, before swinging their swords overhead simultaneously.
"Weapon Break!"
Saber raised her silver sword to guard the attack, much to the confidence of the knights… and then much to their shocked despair when their swords broke a moment after touching hers.
"What in the…?" Agrias gaped as she and Ramza stared in amazement.
"Impossible!" the lancer bellowed, portraying his men's shared feeling.
The servant let out a small chuckle, and spoke for the first time; a charming soft voice that betrayed how vicious she looked and acted. "You honestly believed your sword tricks could break a Noble Phantasm?"
Without waiting for a reply, she spun around once and cut through both their bodies, much like the first time. She then turned her attention to the lancer rider and his two archers. Both of which had lost their arrows and confidence in shooting her down.
"So you say your sword is a Noble Phantam?" the captain spoke, steadying the chocobo ready for a joust if needed. "Then tell me; what exactly can it do?"
"This," she said, before swinging her sword in a wide arc. To everyone's surprise, a silver crescent of mana whipped through the air from where the sword was swung, and flew forward to the remaining Hokuten like an arrow.
"Shit!" the lancer cried before abandoning his chocobo and jumping to the sky. The archers and mount weren't as lucky as the blast hit their chests hard and nearly cleaved them in half. The force, however, was enough to knock them out to near death status only a phoenix down or Raise spell could hope to fix.
"Only one left," the servant said to herself, turning her attention to the sky above. She stood stationary, with her sword arm lowered and her breath even. Ramza and Agrias, long forgotten in the battle, could only watch in anticipation as to what the extraordinary swordswoman was going to do.
Gafgarion and Rad, having just finished their own fight, had rushed over as soon as they saw the summoning light from atop the hill. By the time they arrived, they only saw a massacre of South Sky troops littered around a swordswoman in a dress. "What the hell happened?" the dark knight demanded, sounding slightly dismayed.
"Quiet," Agrias spoke, her eyes not leaving the servant.
Gaff turned to her, offended. "Who are you to order me-?"
"Just watch," Ramza said quickly, also intent on the woman. The dark knight and squire exchanged glances and did as they were told.
The servant's concentration was steadfast yet perplexed. She slowly turned her head and lowered it down as if following a trajectory, and gasped. She found herself starring at a barely recovering Fiona helping Alicia and Lavian back on their feet.
"Get back!" she suddenly cried rushing over to them. Fiona and the others were confused as she pushed them aside, and how she quickly tried to align herself with the sky.
"He wouldn't," Agrias gasped.
"He would," Ramza grimaced.
A few moments later, the lancer shot down from the heavens, lance armed and ready to pierce through one of the Lionsguard woman directly below him, even if the servant woman were to stand before him. At the last moment his weapon extended for the strike… only for the Servant to shift her body aside at the slightest of inches, so it would tear a part of her dress and graze her skin, and continue on until only a few inches away from the recovering Alicia's neck.
Saber's sword followed through with her movements. She pierced the man's insides with more luck than his lance did. In fact, her bloodied blade was what was keeping him suspended, and stopped the man's jump fall completely, and save the knight behind her.
"Your technique is good, but very flawed, and very underhanded," the woman noted grimly. "You don't deserve to be the class of 'Lancer'."
"D-damn… yoooou…" he cursed one last time, before succumbing to injuries and dying. Without another thought the servant tossed his body aside and sheathed her sword, ignoring the slight sighs of relief Fiona and Agrias let out.
"Impressive," Gafgarion said. "That's the first time I've seen anyone intercept a jump attack like that."
"Who is she, Lady Agrias?" Rad asked her. "Another holy knight?"
The orange haired woman shook her head. "I don't know. But… all I know is that she was summoned by Ramza."
The other two Shadow Company mercenaries exchanged confused glances again, before looking at their team wizard, oddly in a trance of his own.
Ramza walked slowly towards the dress-wearing knight, subtly aware this is whom he called for; a strong fighter, a savior for the weak. Everything he wanted, needed, and so much more; even if he wasn't consciously aware of it.
"Are you the servant of the sword, Saber?" he asked her.
"I am," she answered. "And I ask of you in return; are you my master?"
A/N: It's amazing how much I actually add in when it comes down to it. This other 'third' of Second Campaign is now the second longest chapter in this story ATM. I guess it's fitting, because it showcases Saber with a bang (something I actually tried to get across last chapter but a lot of info came up just leading to it). I thought a nice cliffhanger would be the memorable, if not cliched, statement we recall Saber saying to Shirou in Fate/Stay Night.
So yeah, turns out the Hokuten were trying to kidnap/kill Ovelia the whole time, because an adviser of Goltana's was conspiring against him for Larg's favor. This reveal came via through a slip of tongue, since the soldiers gossiped of the Beoulve's third son Ramza and their pet commoner Delita round-up a good deal of the Death Corps and would know quite a bit about them both. This sort of ruins Gafgarion's contract (having been revealed around Zirekile Falls in the game that he was hired by Dycedarg to kill her as well) without him knowing it, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him yet. And of course, Ramza's true lineage is revealed a bit early. I plan to deviate a bit from canon but also throw in some fun twists here and there.
EDIT: I forgot to mention this and I just want to be clear unless there's some confusion to other readers. Fiona is, technically, the injured nameless knight that was seen in the first battle at Orbonne Monastery warning of the Nanten attack. Originally it was implied she just died, and thought she was also of the Lionsguard, making them one short. So I decided to give an otherwise easily forgotten generic a chance and serve as a third for the duo of Alicia and Lavian. In battle prowess, I picture the iconic knight duo as sisters focusing on either end of faith and bravery respectively. Fiona, on the other hand, would moderate between both, but not insanely skilled in white magic or swordplay (which I picture to be part of the requisite for holy knights).
Next chapter will introduce more of FINAL Saber, and maybe have a misadventure at Araugay Woods. Until next time,
-Vegeta the 3rd