Fire Emblem: The Unifying War
Chapter 8 Ambushed!
Author's Note: Sorry about the lack of plot development the past few chapters. I've been distracted with the whole KratosxMia thing. I'll get back to the story now. (Don't expect me to stop writing about that however.:p)
The corridor in the dungeon of Bern Keep was dank and moist, smelling of mildew and decay. A feeling of hopelessness and despair permeated the walls, having borne witness to countless unspeakable horrors. Riev drew a sort of comfort from it, knowing that here he could operate with impugnity. Even the King Desmond himself rarely if ever ventured down here. Any sane individual would have tried to flee from this place of evil as soon as possible. For Riev, it was home.
His experiments had gone even better than he had planned. The power contained within the two sacred weapons they had plundered from Lycia was enormous. With this power, he was able to perform a feat that only one had accomplished before him. He had brought a soul back from the dead.
It had been a fleeting thing, of course. Such was the way of necromency; no matter how much power one had, sustaining a link permanent to a departed soul was all but impossible. However, he had managed to raise contact with several different spirits before the links had faded. It had been stronger and longer lasting with each subsequent attempt, however. And with new tools due to be delivered to him soon, he knew there was no where for his research to go but forward.
He smiled, although it didn't bring with it the warm, positive look most associate with it. It was the smile of a predator that had caught his quarry anawares. "People are so easy to manipulate," he thought. All he had had to do to achieve his status was appear before the King and spin him a wonderful tale about using the Sacred Weapons to forge a supreme, unstoppable force, which had been true, in a sense. Greed was a powerful ally, one he could use to play different factions off one another whilst always driving towards his own ends. Or rather, his master's ends.
"Soon," he gloated. "Once the Sacred Weapons have been collected and their power is mine, I will have more than enough power to resurrect you, my master." He thought about their next target, Renais. Oh, how wonderful it would be to see those sniveling twins brought low! Once their lands were in flames, their people dying, he would reveal himself to them, and end them personally. How delicious it would be to end those who had done him such wrongs...
OOO
Serra had alawys been one to indulge in all the latest gossip. During her travels, she had always been in the know about who was fond of who, who was angry at who, things of that nature. So when she had noticed how Kratos had been acting towards Mia, she knew she had to investigate.
It had been three days since she had noticed, the first time being in the masion of Count Reglay. She had noticed how Kratos got very nervous when speaking to her, how he laughed uneccessarily at her jokes. Fortunately for him (or perhaps not), Mia hadn't seemed to notice a thing. The only thing she seemed to care about was swordsmanship. "That won't do!" she cried internally. Such naiveity couldn't be wholly blamed on her, though. She had known plenty of people who wouldn't have realized another cared for them if they hadn't had it completely spelled out for them. But Kratos seemed far too shy, or stubborn, to admit his feelings to her directly. Serra knew that is was up to her if anything was to come of it.
OOO
"It sure is great being able to travel again without having to constantly look over my shoulder," Kratos commented, streching as he looked up into the cloudless sky. "Things are certainly much easier without having to constantly be on alert for an attack."
"I agree," Kent said, striding alongside him. "Without a Bern presence to be wary of, we are making excellent time. I'd say we'd reach the Renais border by tomorrow at our current pace."
"It's been a little dissapointing though," Mia added, joining them.
"What makes you say that," Kratos asked, surprised.
"Well, now that we're in the clear essentially, we aren't getting to teach those guys any more lessons. I didn't like getting caught by them, but showing 'em who was boss every now and then was fun." Kratos paused for a moment, reflecting on what she had said. While he certainly hadn't looked forward to fighting Bern, he did have to admit to himself that he had drawn a degree of satisfaction from defeating them time after time. Again, he was troubled. "She must be rubbing off on you," that voice that had been pestering him for the past few days said.
"I was expecting Count Reglay to send us some reinforcements," Edward said, adding to the conversation.
"He had to prepare the defense of his homeland," Leonardo answered. "That's the reason why we're here; once we've contacted Renais and he's finished preparations, we'll link up with him and drive Bern back."
"Don't worry, Edward," Lute soothed. "Should we get in any sticky situations, you needn't be concerned. My power will be more than enough to deal with any situation that may present itself."
"I am superior, after all," Kratos recited the conclusion to this particular speech in perfect unison with her. He chuckled slightly, having recalled how annoyed he'd first been by the diminuative mage. Now, he looked forward to her little speeches. They were a vast improvement over Serra's monologues. Speaking of which, he had noticed that she had been uncharcteristically quiet (At least by her standards) ever since they had left the Count's estate. Perhaps the divinities had decided his trial was over. Although he only entertained that thought for a moment. He knew the instant he allowed himself to believe so his fate would become twice as bleak as it had been before.
OOO
After proceeding towards Renais as far as they could that day, the group settled down and prepared their camp for the night. Kratos stared at the flickering light of the campfire, his mind not really focused on much of anything. He then heard footsteps approaching him from behind. His combat reflexes kicked in, prompting him to draw his sword and point it towards the throat of the offending party. A shrill scream rang out as the unkown person stumbled backwards, waking a few of the others. He sheathed his sword immediately as he realized who it was.
"Oh, Serra," he said, reaching out his hand to help the frightened cleric to her feet. "I apologize if I startled you."
"Startled?! STARTLED?!" she cried, slapping his hand away as she pulled herself up. "You nearly kill me and all you say is you STARTLED me?!" The others, now aware of what was going on, had rolled back over, attempting to reclaim their rest.
"Listen, if you wish to yell at me, could we do it elsewhere? The others need their sleep..."
"Hmph...very well," she conceded. The two proceeded a few dozen feet away from the camp.
"Again, I apologize. It's merely years of reflex that prompted me to attack you in such a way. I don't know what else to say."
"After that little display, I've half a mind to go ahead and do what I was going to do anyway." she said, although she seemed a bit less angry than before. That was something at least.
What she had actually said then struck Kratos. "What are you talking about?" he asked, confused. "What were you planning to do?"
"Don't play dumb with me," Serra answered. "I've seen the way you've been acting around her."
"I...don't know what you mean."
"Oh please, Kratos. You've got eyes for Mia," she chided. "Don't worry, there's nothing to be ashamed of. I think it's rather cute." Kratos froze, not knowing what to say. If he admitted it to her, he'd have to finally admit it to himself. On the other hand, flatly denying it would probably just make her mad, causing her to go and blab to Mia.
"Let's say what you claim is true," he said, finally collecting himself. "Why do you care? Is there any reason for this little confrontation?"
"Of course there's a reason," she replied. "I want to help you out." This was quite shocking. Serra, wanting to help someone?
"And how exactly would you go about doing that?"
"Well, I'd start by nosing around and finding out how she feels about you," Serra explained. "I know you haven't the courage to say anything yourself, otherwise you would have." he tried to protest but came up short. He couldn't argue with her.
"Alright, perhaps I'm interested," Kratos said, trying to be as noncommital as possible. "What do you want in return?"
"Nothing really," she answered. "Just your gratitude...and perhaps you to remember this should I ever need a favor." Translation: she hadn't made up her mind yet what she wanted.
"Hmm...very well," he agreed. "But you must make it clear you're not asking on my behalf."
"Of course," she replied. "Discretion is my specialty." He cringed internally, knowing exactly just how "discreet" Serra could be. He was snapped out of this daydream by an arrow that suddenly whizzed by, sticking in the ground no more than a foot to his left. "What in...?" he said sharply, another arrow landing to his right. "Curses! An ambush!" He yelled, grabbing Serra by the arm and running to wake the others. He had no idea who this unkown enemy was, but he knew that he and his companions were at a distinct disadvantage. This wasn't good...
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ZOMG CLIFFHANGERS!! I decided to more clearly illustrate scene transitions as even I was having a slight ammount of difficulty detecting them myself. Anyways, reviews are, as always, appreciated!
