Uh… hi?
*Dodges thrown glass bottle*
Okay let me explain the absence of new chapters. Put simply, I lost my drive. Not just for writing, but for pretty much everything. I had trouble just getting out of bed in the morning, and when I did attempt to write, it was crap. I've gotten through it, clearly. But yeah, that's basically it, I didn't want to force myself to write crap and serve it to you all on a silver platter.
All that being said, I would like to explain my new plan: As of this chapters posting, Chapter 9 is already written, and has been sent to my beta, Clutch. And I am In the process of writing chapter 10. I am going to try to make this the norm.
This means that the next chapter won't be posted, until I have sent Chapter 10 to Clutch. This way if This whole thing happens again, I should have an extra chapter to fall back on.
Let me also say this: I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS STORY!
This story may have started out as practice for me, but your guys support made it more then that. I'm not going to leave you guys hanging, there is nothing worse then reading a story you like, and then finding out it hasn't been updated in five years. I wont let that happen to this.
Hopefully you understand the why this chapter was late. I do apologize.
And now a question from CallmeCrazylol, they ask: How is Kail sparkles?
I'm probably going to mention this in the story eventually but it's not spoilers or anything so I'll tell you. The first thing Gaius sees when he met Kail, is his jewel-like eyes glowing in the dark, and then him punching the assassin in the gut with a glowing arm. So basically, the first thing Gaius thought about him was this: "This dude is sparkly as shit." Hence; Sparkles
Any who, enjoy!
I must have been exhausted.
That was the thought running through my groggy mind as I stirred from my slumber, realizing that I had fallen asleep in the grove. Lucina had left in a hurry last night, eager to find her missing friends. I had decided to rest a bit in the grove after she left and must have dozed off. Exhaustion is a good substitute for sleeping potions apparently.
My pillow that seemed to consist of dirt and leaves, was actually quite comfortable. I was conscious, but not awake. I was in that in between that we all love and hate at the same time. It is loved because it's at this point that we're the most comfortable, but its hated because we know that comfort will end soon. Bittersweet, that's what this is. But apparently the bitter must overpower the sweet, because someone is trying to wake me up by shaking me.
"…Five more minutes…" I muttered in desperation, hoping that my request would be followed.
"No." A low voice responded. "I'm not leaving without you, the young blonde one will kill me if I have to hear her high pitched whining any longer."
My brow furrowed. "Panne?" I asked as I cracked my eyes open, which I wish I didn't do. Why the hell is she so close?
"Wake up Man-Spawn, your pack is worried." She said as she leaned away and stood up.
"Do I have to…?" I groaned.
I was answered with a swift kick to the ribs.
"Okay, okay, I'm awake! No need to resort to violence."
Panne frowned as I stood up. "Violence seems to be the only thing you humans understand."
Now it was my turn to frown. "The majority of humanity… yeah, I can agree with that. But not all of us think with our fists."
Panne's brow furrowed. "Who are you Man-Spawn?"
"What do you mean?" I asked, "I'm Kail."
"I am asking where you are from."
I quirked an eyebrow in confusion. Where is this going? Panne didn't really show much interest in humans in the game, or at least not this quickly. But whatever the case, I guess I'm gonna have to say I'm from Clom again. Gods, why did I have to say Clom?
"Far. I'm from a-"
"Farther than you let on." Panne interrupted.
I froze for a moment before I regained my composure. "What do you mean?" I asked.
Panne stepped forward into my personal space, and stared me down as our eyes were less than six inches apart.
"You look, act, and talk like any other Man-Spawn. But you smell different." She looked me up and down. "Different than every other human in this city, different than any I have met."
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Panne can be pretty scary it seems. "So what?" I asked.
The Taguel gave me a glare and looked me in the eye before looking up and down my frame yet again. Her glare vanished as she reached her hand up and… started brushing off my shoulder? What?
When she finished 'grooming' me she placed her hand on my chest. Some might find that action romantic, but it didn't feel like it. It felt like a doctor checking my heart rate.
"You don't smell human."
…
"Beg pardon?"
"My thoughts exactly." She began, looking at her hand that still rested on my chest she continued. "Because despite that you ARE human. You don't have a trace of foreign blood."
"Is that why you're touching my chest? Because I'm not exactly comfortable with that."
She gave a scoff and shoved me away. "I'll ask again, who are you?"
I frowned in thought, this was certainly and interesting development. I guess my Outrealm origins is showing through my scent? Jeez, everyone is finding out all of a sudden. I can't go parading this around. I need a lie… Or maybe I can just bend the truth.
"Someone that lost everything he knew, and is trying to find his place in this world."
Her glare returned as she looked me over. "You intrigue me Man-Spawn. This will not be the last we speak of this."
I nodded and she kept her gaze on me a second longer before turning on her heel.
"Come. I fear the Exalt's sister will scream my ears off if we linger any longer."
I chuckled. "Yeah that sounds like her."
Panne threw a look at me. "Your mate was worrying for you as well."
I frowned. "I don't have a mate, or are you referring to Maribelle? Because she was telling the truth, we aren't a thing."
"No, I was speaking of the one that cannot walk on her own feet."
"Sumia? She's not my mate either. I don't think she'd even- Wait. Why do you keep assuming I have a mate?"
Panne stopped and gave me another glance over. "You're alone then?"
I snorted. "Yeah, I am." I gave a smirk. "Why, you interested?"
She gave me another look over and glared at me for a moment, before turning and resuming her walk. I lagged behind. What was that…?
"Wait… Holy shit, are you actually interested?"
She didn't answer.
Nor did she speak nearly the entire journey back to the barracks, despite my attempts to annoy her. Either she has thick skin, or I'm not as annoying as I thought. Either way, neither of us spoke as we entered the gates. Obviously Panne didn't seem to know about the shortcut through the wall. Or maybe she did and just wanted to make me walk. If I'm being honest, I have no idea if she hates me or not. She always looks angry, of course I'm not one to talk since I have a resting bitch face too. But unlike Panne, if someone hears me talk about anything they'll know that I in fact don't hate everyone and everything. But for the Taguel it's very hard to tell if she actually hates the universe, though I wouldn't blame her if she did.
I took in the crowd of people going about their daily business as we entered the gate and promptly frowned. Once again I was assaulted with a horde of sweaty peasants living their lives. I can't blame them obviously, while pluming existed in this world, it was reserved to the wealthy or noble. And because of that, if a peasant wanted to bathe they had to draw water from the well or go to a bathhouse which could be quite far away. Not to mention soap was kinda expensive here.
…
Basically almost everyone that's not noble or has no connections to nobility was smelly here and it wasn't their fault. And clearly they didn't mind it, no doubt their noses got used to the hodgepodge of body odor they were exposed to daily. Me on the other hand, I lived in a world where nearly everyone bathed daily or at least every few days. And then I was dropped into the shepherds, and we're basically treated like high ranking Knights. So I am without a doubt not used to it.
I turned to Panne, and realized her scowl has grown even larger. It's probably a hundred times worse for her. "I smell it too, though it's probably much worse for you." I said with a sigh. Her scowl deepened as if she seemed to remember I was present. "I apologize for the rank stench of humanity."
Her scowl devolved into a frown. "The Man-Spawn in the castle are not as foul smelling as these scum."
"Does that include me?" I ask sarcastically.
"When you are not covered in foul blood, yes."
I couldn't stop the flinch that came from that statement. Images of the bloody pile that used to be an assassin flash in my mind and a lump forms in my throat. Panne seemed to notice this.
"Why does it trouble you so? It is in the past, what's done is done." She stated.
I look to her and our eyes meet. "Because I didn't want to do that, I lost control. I don't want it to happen again."
Panne scoffed. " Then do not let it."
My brow furrowed. "I don't think it's that simple…"
Panne sped up for a moment before turning around to face me.
"It is actually. It is your mind and body, and it does not belong to any scars you may have."
Panne leaned into my personal space again, which seems to be a reoccurring theme. "You ripped that female apart." I flinched. "Though you did not want to."
Her face seemed to soften, yet she didn't lose her perpetual glare. "Do not listen to your mind or its scars." She lifted her hand and placed her pointer finger to my chest. "Listen to this."
With her point made she turned and walked away without a word. I hung back for a moment, thinking over what she said. I never understood what people in movies and such meant by 'follow your heart' and if I'm being honest, I still don't think I do. But I think after that talk I might be getting an idea.
I hear a call that snapped me out of my musing, and I realize that Panne is waiting for me a ways away. I smirk and jog up to her quickly. "I wasn't aware you enjoyed my company so much that you'd wait for me." My smirk turns into a shit-eating grin. "If you want a date just ask."
…
…
"You are one of the most annoying humans I have ever had the displeasure of meeting."
My grin grows and I puff out my chest. "Thank you." I say proudly.
Panne pinches the bridge of her nose and turns back around to head towards the barracks.
"You know, you never denied being interested in me."
Again, she didn't answer.
"YOU IDIOT!"
I flinched at the volume of Lissa's screech, from my left I could hear Panne grunt in pain as she made her escape. Traitor. I thought while I watched her go.
"It's okay Pup, I Just took a nap is all."
"YOU-" Lissa was cut off when Sumia stepped in and grabbed the princess' shoulders.
"Kail." She began. "We were worried, this isn't the first time you vanished, only to turn up asleep somewhere strange."
I made to speak but was interrupted by Lissa, as she broke free from Sumia's grasp and shoved a finger in my face. "And obviously this is going to become a common theme with you, so that's not why I'm mad!"
At least she isn't yelling anymore.
"The reason I'm mad." She growled, "Is because you decided to do this right after a fricken' assassination attempt! And then that bunny girl told us you were stabbed! What the hell Kail!? Are you trying to give us a heart attack!?"
…
…
"Since when did you start saying fricken?"
"…I give up." Lissa sighed. "You're hopeless…"
I looked to Sumia only to be met with a rather icy glare, one that had me worried to be honest.
I let out my own sigh. "Look, I didn't mean to make you all worry… It's just…" I hesitated for a moment. "I had a bad experience with that wyvern and… I had what I can only describe as a flashback…"
I looked away and rubbed the back of my neck. "…I just didn't want anyone to see me like that."
Lissa's shoulders sagged as she let out a groan. "Kaaaail, why do you have to make me feel like the bad guy?"
"I was just explaining myself." I scratched my cheek awkwardly. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad, sorry."
"Even if that's the case." Sumia stepped in. "You don't have to run, I- we… we want to help you with this Kail."
I felt horrible. Why am I forced to lie to these people. I know you want to help, but I just can't bring myself to accept it. Some might say it's because of pride or to keep my secrets, but they couldn't be farther from the truth. The reason I can't accept it is because I don't deserve it. Why me? This is a question that I think will haunt me for the rest of my life. Why am I the one that was thrown into this world, and why am I the one that must save it? I've never been important… so why should I suddenly be so vital to, well, everything? The answer is that I shouldn't be. I will still do everything in my power to save this world, my conscious wouldn't accept otherwise. But I'm not going to let these wonderful people have to deal with my negativity…
"Yeah… Okay, I'll try to remember that. Thanks Sue."
Maybe I should have left with Lucy…
It looked like Lissa was about to say more when a new voice called from the distance. "Kail."
I turn and smile at the welcome distraction. "Freddy! My dude! Long time no see!"
"Refer to me like that again and you will lose the ability to speak." Frederick snarled as he walked up to our group.
"Oh, so you still hate me, got it." I muttered, before forcing a large grin on my face. "So what do you need, Major Knight Sir Captain Man?"
Sumia and Lissa giggled while Frederick growled out his response. "Milord requests your presence."
"Chrom? What for?"
"He wishes to speak to you about the Exalt's relocation to the eastern palace."
I frowned.
That's… strange. What could he possible need me for? If I recall correctly, Emmeryn requests for the shepherds to accompany her until she arrives. And it goes south when they're ambushed on that cliffside. But as of right now… there shouldn't be any problems, so why does he need me?
"Alright, lead the way."
Frederick promptly turns to the direction of the castle and begins walking. Before I begin to follow, I turn to the two girls. "I'll talk to you two later, sorry again."
They both nod with looks of confusion on their faces, I guess I'm not the only one that finds this strange.
"So, what do you think?"
I blink a few times. "Let me answer that question with a question. You're the tactician, so why does my opinion matter?"
Robin gave a loud sigh while Chrom snickered. I seriously don't know why he's asking me if I think Emmeryn's relocation is a smart move. I have like zero knowledge on tactics.
"Your opinion matters, because you are one of the most tactically defensive people I know… despite your crazy fighting style."
"How could you possibly know that? You've never asked me for strategy tips before."
"Our chess match."
I frowned. "Are you serious?" I ask. "There is no way you can gleam something like that from a chess game that I lost."
Robin looked at me like I grew a second head. "Yes… you did lose… after a four hour game… not to mention I actually had to get assistance from Virion."
…
"…So what?"
"So what…? Wha- what do you-" Robin stuttered out, while Chrom let out a booming laugh.
"Kail… It took both me and Virion, two of the Shepherds most tactically skilled minds, to break your defenses."
"Okay maybe I'm good at defense, but I suck at offence. If I remember our match correctly I lost almost as soon as I tried to attack."
Robin chuckled. "You're right, when it comes to defense you're a genius. With offence however, you're a moron."
I let out a sigh as Chrom laughed with Robin. I can't be mad because they aren't wrong. Whenever I played strategy war games I'm always defensive. I remember one of the first times I played Risk, I placed nearly all of my troops on my capital. By the time the board was conquered by someone, they were left with my absurdly defended capital that destroyed nearly their entire army. And then there's my chess matches with both my old chess enthusiast friend, Jager and also Robin. Both commented on how defensive I played. But if I'm now just going to be an advisor for defensive actions, I'm going to be pretty annoyed.
"So why does my opinion matter then? You're the better strategist."
Robin wiped away the small amount of tears that gathered on the corner of his eyes. Was calling me a moron really that funny to him?
"Because your defense is flawless, and this relocation is a purely defensive move. So I'd like your opinion on if it's a good idea."
I let out a big sigh. "You know when Freddy called for me, he said that it was Chrom that wanted to talk, not you."
"Disappointed?"
No Robin, not disappointed, I'm stressed. Thanks for putting more pressure on me. I really hope this isn't going to be a regular thing. But if they want my opinion I'll give it to them. Emmeryn will never relent in leaving Ylisse, she's not going to Ferox no matter what we do. So either way she'll still end up back in Ylisstol, but if we don't head over to the east, Cordelia might not make it and the border is lost. So the canon option is the best choice.
"We won't be able to convince her to go to Ferox, and I'm willing to bet the Plegians know that. Her relocation is probably our best bet. Ironically this is kind of like castling in chess."
Robin gave a chuckle. "It kind of is, thank you for your perspective."
I shrugged and Chrom gave a sigh. "Great, now I have two people to remind me how tactically inept I am."
Remembering their laughter and insult earlier I saw an opportunity and took it. "It's not our fault you have muscle instead of a brain."
"Well the brain could be called a muscle." Robin defended.
"Yeah, but Chrom's is in the shape of a bicep." I japed.
Robin let out a snort and Chrom growled. I looked him in the eye and said. "Do you need some Aloe for that burn, Your Highness?"
"Aloe?" Robin wondered.
"Say Kail." Chrom started. "We haven't trained together in a while, let's go see if you're getting rusty."
Robin placed his hand on my shoulder. "I'll pray for you."
I let out a sigh. "Thanks Robin, I guess he can dish it out but he can't take it."
"Yeah, he's royalty, he's probably not used to losing in a teasing battle with anyone besides his sisters."
"It's called roasting, not teasing. And you're probably right."
"You two know I'm still here right?" Chrom interrupted.
Both me and Robin looked to the prince and spoke in perfect unity. "We know."
"I hate you both." He muttered.
"Yet you keep us around…" Robin remarked.
"Not a very smart thing to do if he actually hates us."
"Well keep in mind he has a bicep for a brain."
"Oh, yeah…"
"You two will be the death of me."
Well one of us will be.
I hissed in pain as I lowered myself to the ground, Chrom really doesn't hold back, even in training. My entire body felt like a bruise, though thankfully he seemed to avoid my 'wyvern shoulder,' which I was thankful for. But the pain definitely made this a lot harder.
After taking a seat on the grass, I took a deep breath and held out my hand. A casting of a simple spell that I learned earlier today, and I had a baseball sized flame floating above my palm. I stared at the burning oxygen and wondered what my next step should be. Perhaps fanning it? I imagined small fan blades beneath the flame and began to spin them, using the smallest amount of wind. The flame grew slightly bigger, but also much hotter.
I smirked, good but not enough. I need more heat… much more. I spread out the fingers of my flame holding hand and curled them slightly, I mimicked this position with my other hand and moved it above the flame. I then used every ounce of mana control I had and charged my free hand with the magical energy, one quick hand gesture later yellow lightning was coating my hand. I could instantly feel the effects of using three spells at once, but I powered through it.
The oxygen is burning, that's the flame.
The wind is spinning, that's more fuel.
The lightning is sparking, that's the heat.
But it's not enough, it needs more heat, but how? Movement, kinetic energy equals heat. I flexed my arms and began vibrating my hands as fast as possible. Not enough, move the lightning? The six arcs of continuous electricity that effectively caged the now blue flame began rotating around it.
"Come on…" I muttered as I rotated the lightning faster. The blue fire seemed to be losing size as well as color. In fact, it looked like it was shifting to white, or maybe yellow? Plasma made from O2 had a yellowish color, right? I think I remember reading that… It was times like this that I was really glad I was a nerd back on earth. I focused a little more mana into the flame and lightning, hoping that it would turn into the small glowing orb that I was envisioning.
Just as I was about to give up, I heard something…
A hum.
A hum not from the wind, not from the lightning, it was from the flame. The flame that seemed to be slowing in its flickering. A grin started growing on my face, I'm close, I'm so close! Just some more heat, annnnd..
"Hey! Sir Kail!"
Concentration: lost.
Lightning containment: Failed.
Control of absurd amounts of heat and flame: Lost.
Result: Explosion.
I was launched several feet back at the sudden rush of heat and pressure that I didn't know I had been containing. Luckily, magical fire doesn't burn the caster. But I certainly felt the impact.
"Uhhhggg…" I groaned as I laid on my back before letting out several coughs. I slowly sat up and directed my gaze to the voice that was the cause of my current discomfort, and was met with the sight of Donnel's face in an expression of pure horror at what happened.
"Oh no! Are ya alright Sir Kail!?" he shouted as he rushed up to aid me.
"I'm fine, Donny. And again, I'm not a Sir."
"Ah, that's right. Sorry bout' that." He apologized.
After accepting his outstretched hand and rising to my feet. I started dusting off my coat and stretched my now even more sore muscles. "And sorry for Distractin ya…" he said.
"Don't worry about it, I doubt this is the first time a spell will explode in my face." I responded in kind. I took a moment to take in the ex-farmers appearance. He seemed taller, how old is he anyway?
"How's your training going?" I asked.
From what I know, Donnel hasn't been in actual battle since the he took the axe wound that I had to cauterize. But he did begin a training regime. I believe Vaike was his instructor… I prayed for him the first time I heard that.
Donnel scratched the back of his head, his pot moving slightly with the motion. "That's actually why I started looking for ya."
I raised an eyebrow. Please don't tell me he wants to be my student or anything, I have enough on my plate as it is. Not to mention I would be a terrible teacher. Okay calm down, maybe he just wants some tips or something. Wait, if Vaike is training him wouldn't he be using an axe? I don't know the first thing about axes. I sighed internally.
"What's up Darko?"
I don't know why I suddenly started nicknaming everyone, but meh, it's fun. And no one seems to mind so far.
"I would like to learn- err, that is if you're willing to." He stuttered, did the nickname throw him off?
The hero in the making took a deep breath. "I want to learn magic."
…
I sighed.
"Donnel, let me be straight with you… You can't."
His face fell. "What? Why?"
"Maybe I should have worded it better. You can learn, but it wouldn't be optimal right now." I clarified.
Seeing his still confused face I decided to elaborate.
"Look Darko, there are two types of people when it comes to magic: the gifted and the scholars. The gifted are naturally inclined to mana control and that makes learning spells easy. Me and Robin would be good examples of this. The scholars, are ones that could become a mage, but only after years of practice. Miriel is a prime example of a scholar mage.
"And I can sense that you're not a gifted, your mana level is too low. So yeah, I could teach you. But the war would be over twice before you could cast a simple fire spell. Not to mention your brain is already taking in axe combat. You'd just overwork yourself if you took up magic now... And trust me the last thing you want to do is overwork yourself."
I took a breath after my long explanation. It's not like I'm saying this just to get out of teaching him. Everything I said is true, teaching him would take too long and that would cost us both good practice time. Maybe if he asked after the war I'd be more inclined to teach, but right now, it would just be a time waster unfortunately.
"I… understand, I guess..." Donnel said quietly.
I frowned. "Why do you want to learn magic anyway?"
Donnel locked eyes with me and shifted his weight, "I dunno… I guess the axe just don't feel right, it's like I'm throwing my whole body around with every swing. And that don't feel… safe or effective at all."
I let out a sigh, damn it Vaike. You call yourself Teach yet you can't see that he has like one percent of your muscle mass. He can't fight like you… come to think of it he shouldn't be using an axe at all. Why did they drop him with Vaike of all people. If you just look at Donnel's arms you'd realize he isn't going to be swinging an axe anytime soon.
I mean in the game he could reclass into a fighter and then into a warrior… But this isn't a game, he can't just hold a Second Seal and suddenly get buff as all hell. I always reclassed him into a Mercenary anyway. It always felt good when the villager eventually became a hero… Wait…
My eyes narrowed and I looked Donnel up and down. He could definitely use a sword, no doubt about that, but maybe…
"Go find Chrom, tell him how you feel and ask if you can try a sword and shield."
Donnel looked at the ground for a second. "You think I'd be good at it?"
My mind flashed to an armor-clad 3D Donnel game sprite taking out five Paladins as he drained their health with the power of Sol.
"Donnel." I began and then uncharacteristically placed a hand on his shoulder. "Even if you aren't at first, I have no doubt in my mind that you could become one of the strongest among us."
The ex-farmer let out a large smile at my words. "Now get going, the sooner you practice the better, we leave tomorrow. Maybe if you're good enough Chrom will take you with us this time."
His eyes shone at the prospect and he quickly took off in a run. Guys got energy that's for sure. He could give Lissa a run for her money…
Actually he and Lissa are kind similar….
Have they spoke before? I mean, she did heal him that one time, but maybe I should properly introduce them, she was kind of too busy yelling at me to talk to him. And it could possibly get Lissa off my back, they may even-
…
"Oh no…"
I fell to my knees as I realized something frightening.
"…I ship it…"
I've thought this a lot since arriving in this world, but… I'm an idiot.
I scolded myself as I sat upon Epona's back, we were currently marching to the east and should be arriving at the palace within two days time. Although now that I look; this terrain is looking awfully familiar right now, the ambush might happen soon. I make a note to pay attention to my Mana Sense and go back to my previous line of thought.
After several failed attempts to make plasma magic, I sought out Miriel, and asked if anyone had combined two different spell types before…
She had laughed.
And this was such a rare occurrence that Stahl looked at me in what seemed to be awe as he walked past us.
That event aside, she explained, in a very confusing and verbose manner, that while the combination of two different spell types hasn't been done, the combination of two spells from the same element has. She used Chain Lightning as an example. It was a combination of Thoron and Arcthunder, the result was a single bolt of lightning that 'arced' from body to body.
When I asked how this was done, she explained that they took key hand movements from both spells and made them into the new spell. That was the revelation I was currently thinking on. I'm stupid for working with magic like this, it's not The Force, you don't learn by feeling. You learn through text and knowledge gained.
I was trying to bend plasma like I bend wind.
I was trying to force it.
Deadlifting instead of using a lever.
I shouldn't have been trying to combine the spells in my hand, I should be trying to merge them before they are given physical form. But therein lies the problem, no one has ever merged two different elemental spells before, and I think I know the reason for that… Each spell type begins with one basic hand movement, to put it simply, the first movement in each spell signaled the element being cast. All fire spells begin with the same movement, the same is true for wind and lightning… So in theory, to get plasma or ice…
I need to make new movements.
It's not just one plus one equals two, this isn't math. This is a new field that I need to learn, and that is why I have my nose buried in a book about the origin of these hand movements, or Sigils, as I just found out they're called. I was reading this in hopes that if I found out how the base elemental Sigils were made, it could lead me on to the path for me to make my own Sigil. So far I've been having no luck, but it was still interesting and I have nothing better to do right now. Besides…
This is the history of Magic, maybe I'm just a nerd but I'd jump at the opportunity to learn about that.
"I knew you were a Magician, but I didn't take you for a bookworm."
I glanced away from my book at the voice that was practically dripping in sarcasm, and saw Gaius looking at me in a deadpan. My eyes narrowed slightly as I rode my steed beside him.
"And I knew you were a thief, but I didn't take you for a hoarder." I said, glancing at his breast pocket that was bulging out at absurd levels.
Gaius followed my gaze and quickly reached into said pocket and pulled out a chocolate and tossed it into his mouth.
"Don't be jealous that I brought snacks and you didn't." He said while noisily chewing his candy.
I ignored his quip and responded with a question, "How are those not melted yet? The sun is brutal today."
He looked up at me and smirked, "You have your magic and I have mine."
I returned his smirk and shook my head, chuckling slightly as I did.
"Did you come over here for any particular reason, Wonka? Or do you just enjoy my company?"
"A little of both actually, but I did want to thank you for getting me a job."
I let out a snort, "Doesn't seem to have changed much, your hair is still greaser than a fat man's stomach, you stink worse than a pig's rear end, and you look like you have less gold then before. Did you spend all your allowance on candy?"
…
…
"That's cold, Sparkles."
"Not cold enough apparently, I'm still sweating my ass off."
Gaius looked me in the eyes and grabbed another piece of chocolate and handed it to me. "I think we'll get along well, Mr. Sparkles."
I gave a genuine smile and accepted the offered chocolate, "I believe we will, Mr. Wonka."
"I don't know what a Wonka, is but I like the sound of it."
"You would." I snorted.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means suck it."
"Already am."
My brow furrowed and my head twisted to look at him faster than I've ever moved and promptly laughed when I saw that he now had a lollipop in his mouth. He joined my laughter with a few chuckles of his own.
"So," Gaius began after the laughter died down, "Any particular reason the bunny chick glares at you every thirty seconds?"
"Is she glaring?"
"Yeah that's another reason why I came over, asking her just made her aim the glares at me."
"Hmm…" I hummed in thought, "She might be upset that I insinuated that she wanted to be my 'mate.'"
Gaius raised his eyebrow and looked at me before turning back to look at Panne that was just out of hearing distance… Well, human hearing distance. Knowing her, she can probably hear every word.
Gaius turned back forwards and looked up in thought for a moment.
"I wouldn't be mad if she wanted to be my mate."
My eyebrows shot up and I slowly leaned down to Gaius, "Re-heh-heh-ally…?" I said in a Jim Carrey impression while raising my hand to my chin.
Gaius looked amused, even if he didn't get the reference.
"Uh, yeah… I mean, have you looked at her?" He said in a tone that said it should have been obvious.
I tried to discreetly look back at Panne, and was met with one of the most intense glares I've ever seen. Yeah, she could definitely hear us. Despite turning away almost instantly I could see what he meant. She wasn't the most attractive in the Shepherds, if I'm honest that's a tie between Sumia and Cordelia, but Panne still held a unique beauty, elegant but strong. It was a beauty that you wouldn't see unless you try and look for it, and once you did it would scream louder than a banshee.
"She's attractive, yeah. Not my type though." I responded.
"…So you don't have dibs?"
I let out something like a cross of a snort and a chuckle, "Dude, if you're ready for more glares than you can imagine. Go for it."
"Alright, wish me luck."
My eyes widened as I watched Gaius make his way to the taguel, how the hell can he have that much confidence? I might be more outgoing now, but I know for a fact if I tried to chat up one of the female Shepherds, I'd be shaking in my boots.
"Go get her Wonka…" I said with a disbelieving chuckle.
I turned back to my book and resumed reading. It began talking about how humanity discovered the power of Anima Magic and when they began tracing the constellations with their fingers. Does this mean Mana is Celestial in nature? Is there some Cosmic Being that blessed the people with a piece of its power?
…
I was being sarcastic but I honestly wouldn't put it past this world.
Nevertheless it was interesting, and the rest of the chapter was much the same. The title of the very next chapter however, captured my interest instantaneously.
The birth of the Light and Dark Magic.
This was definitely going to be interesting, I don't even know anything about either of these schools of magic I wonder-
…
They have illustrations of their base sigils….
Light Magic's sigil was a flat vertical palm, splayed fingers with the ring and middle fingers pressed together. And Dark's was the thumb, pointer and middle finger pressed together, and the ring and pinky fingers pressed together, away from the others…
Wait… I wonder if anyone has ever combined two different schools-
What the hell is that?
My mind was instantly pulled from my brainstorming when I sensed something large and powerful. There were many of them too, was this the ambush? But what the hell are those things? I closed my eyes and tried to remember everything I could about this mission in the game. We recruit Cordelia. She shows up in the rear because…
…
Oh…
That's right… this is wyvern central here… I need to warn Robin, quickly.
I spur Epona in the direction of the tactician, hoping against hope that I got there in time. The surplus of other mounted soldiers in formation made my advance much slower than I would have liked. Come on, where is that snow-haired devil… Oh wow, he is technically a devil isn't he… or he will be, or he was… never mind. I just have to find him.
"Yo, Sparkles! Where you running to?"
I turned back to the increasingly familiar voice, and furrowed my brow. He caught up to me remarkably fast… I guess his thief skills can start coming in handy now.
"Gaius! I need you to find Robin."
Gaius' smirk vanished as he heard my usage of his real name, all traces of humor gone from his face.
"What's wrong?" he asked seriously.
"We're going to be ambushed, easily a hundred men, a fairly even mix of infantrymen and cavalry. And about ten wyvern riders." I explained. "Find Robin and tell him they have the high ground to our left and they're covering our advance. "
"Got it." he said with a nod, "Anything else?"
I was about to say no, when a thought came to my head.
"Tell him I'm going to meet up with Sumia, and that I need to stick close to either her, or Lissa and Maribelle, just in case of a relapse."
Gaius frowned, "In case of a what now?"
I shook my head, "It doesn't matter right now, he'll understand. Now go!"
He didn't need to be told twice, he moved faster than I thought possible. He seemed to meld into the shadows of the horses he was crouching under. How he could move that fast while hunched over like that was beyond me.
I shook my head of lingering wonder and made my way over to the Pegasus Unit. Hopefully Sumia doesn't have to sing to me during battle… That would just be embarrassing.
I furrowed my brow in thought, If I remember correctly, there should be around twelve wyverns in total. Shouldn't be that hard to avoid them…
I sighed.
I know I made a mistake with the whole 'wind magic will kill them instantaneously' thing, but I did get one thing right…
Magic is the only thing that can hurt them. I did a little research and found that out, magic is the best counter to wyverns. The beasts scales can be penetrated with enough force, usually with the force of a speeding pegasus or horse. But they're more maneuverable and could easily avoid the charge. So chipping away at the overgrown lizards with magic was the best bet. And therein lays the problem.
We are magically lacking.
Me and Miriel are half of our magic force at the moment… Yeah, apparently Magic is a rare skill. It makes sense since it's so much more powerful than in the game. But unfortunately, this means that I'm one of the few people that could take a wyvern down.
I should help with that, I know I should but how could I? I'd just get in the way… But I know in my heart that I need to-
Wait… in my heart?
Is… is this what Panne was talking about?
But this is… a bad idea… a colossally bad idea. But…
No… No I'm not making a stupid decision like the first wyvern again…
Okay, I won't go looking for one, but if they call my aid or one is near me I'll… I'll engage.
…
Gods help me.
"Kail? Are you okay?"
A voice that sounded like some divine being answering my plea, made me look up to the owner.
The concern on Sumia's face was clear as I made my approach to her unit. I don't know why, but I felt my heart twist in a sort of phantom pain when I saw her caring eyes upon my own… weird.
"Why did you break formation…? You… you look like you've seen a ghost, what's wrong?"
I caught up with her unit and fell in line beside her before answering in a whisper, "We're going to be ambushed… there're wyverns…"
"…Will you be okay…?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper.
"I think so… I'm not going to go looking for a fight with them, but if they show up near me, I can't just run and hide. Especially when I'm one of our few mages."
The leather of her pegasus' reins creaked as she clenched her fists around them.
"I… I won't stop you, but…" She seemed to be lost for words for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"Just be careful. Don't get buried again, I don't think I could take seeing something like that again… Especially now that I…" she looked down as she trailed off.
…
"That you, what…?" I questioned.
Her eyes seemed to widen for a fraction of a second before she shook her head, "Never mind, just promise you'll be careful."
I was confused at her strange forgotten words. She obviously wanted to say something, I just can't fathom what they would be. Lost in thought, I nodded quietly in answer
She gave a smile at my silent acceptance, "Thank you." She said.
"You don't need to thank me. Besides, I'll have you to look after me."
She let out a small giggle that gave me a smile.
Our company came to a sudden halt, I guess it's starting… or perhaps Robin is issuing commands to change formation.
"So what are you going to do about Epona?" Sumia asked.
She's right, I still have no idea how to fight upon horseback… This is getting frustrating.
"Uh…"
Sumia shook her head and let out a sigh at my words, or lack thereof. "You're hopeless…"
I let out a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of my head, "Well I think better on the fly…"
"Then what are you going to do?"
…
…
"…Well?"
"…Shut up."
Sumia laughed, before turning towards the rest of the pegasus unit.
"Hey, Ophelia?" she asked to the knight on the other side of her.
I only just now realized that about ten other people had heard our conversation, I shifted in my saddle in embarrassment.
"Yes Sumia?" the brown-haired knight asked with amusement in her voice.
"Could you take Kail's horse back to the stablemaster?"
Oh right… Stablemaster is a thing…
"Weeell…" Ophelia drawled out slowly, "I suppose I can. After all, I wouldn't want to upset the Wonderful Kail."
"Ophelia!" Sumia scolded.
"What is happening here?" I asked.
"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Sumia yelped.
…
"…Uh… Okay..."
"…So are you gonna dismount or did you want me to take you to the Stablemaster too?"
My eyes darted over to Ophelia and I saw the amused expression on her face.
"Oh, uh, right." I muttered as I dismounted and passed the reins to the still mounted Pegasus Knight.
She accepted them with a smile before looking back to Sumia and throwing her a wink. Sumia's cheeks turned pink before she hushed her and made a shooing motion with her hand. Ophelia laughed and when on her way.
I watched Sumia as she gave her fellow knight an admittedly adorable pout, before she noticed my gaze and locked eyes with me.
"What?" she asked.
"So… Wonderful?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Is that right?"
"Yes."
"Because to me it seems like you think highly of me and decided to tell others how great I am."
"You're imagining things."
"Oh am I?"
"You are."
"I see… so you weren't gushing about me then?"
"Of course not, I'm not a child."
"Yes, you're a knight. A knight that likes fairy tales and baking, not to mention flower fortunes."
Sumia looked at me in surprise, "How do you know about my fortunes? I never told you that."
"Because I'm from another dimension where you're a storybook character, so I know everything about you."
…
"…Fine don't tell me."
I couldn't stop my laughter. I've always wanted a moment like that and now I've had one. And now no one can say I never told anyone.
"…Hey, Kail?"
After wiping my tears of laughter away, I looked back at her and gave her a smile. "What's up, Sue?"
Her shoulders hunched as she thought over what she wanted to say, "So… you told me about the Dragonborn."
"Los hi Dovahkiin?" Are you Dragonborn?
She looked at me in confusion for a moment before she remembered the phrase I taught her.
"Zu'u nunt dovah sil." I bare a dragons soul.
I smiled at the foreign language, I don't know much Dovahzul at all, but I know a bit, and I'm glad I shared that knowledge with her.
"Well…" Sumia paused for a moment, "I was wondering if you'll tell me about the Hero of Time now?"
A smile grew on my face as soon as she asked.
"To know the story of the Hero of Time, one must first know of the birth of the Kingdom of Hyrule. A realm where the power of the gods was said to slumber."
Sumia's face that was previously hopeful was now something that could be described as ecstatic, her excitement made my smile grow even larger. But before I could continue a shout was heard from ahead.
"Change of formation!"
I frowned slightly and looked up to Sumia, "I guess you'll hear that story after we finish this."
She looked back at me with a frown at mirrored my own and nodded.
"Kail, I don't think you should be fighting."
I should have expected this.
After all, why would Robin keep a pegasus on the ground with me when we can have air support. And now I'm stuck with a blonde princess that thinks I should be kept in a box and tucked away from the world.
"I have to Lissa, it's my job." I explained.
"But there're wyverns!" she exclaimed.
"So what?"
"You know what!"
I let out a sigh, honestly I would have preferred being paired with Maribelle. She would have the same concerns yes, but she wouldn't be so vocal about them… or at least, not like Lissa is. But alas, I'm marching next to Lissa. The only saving grace is that we won't be marching for long. The wyverns, and by extension the rest of the ambush party isn't even a three minute walk away.
"I'm paired with you for a reason Pup, you know that calming spell now right?"
Lissa frowned and looked to her staff and shifted uneasily in her gait. "I do but…"
She looked back to me before continuing, "It's not exactly reliable. It just kinda pushes fear or terror to the side, and if my staffs connection to you is lost…"
I look at Lissa as she lowers her head and I'm hit with a realization. She's technically been made responsible for my life. She must think that if she messes up, my death could be on her hands… Now I definitely would prefer to be paired with Maribelle. Lissa is young, younger than most. She couldn't have been older than sixteen. She doesn't deserve this kind of pressure.
I reach over and lightly place my hand on her shoulder. I give it a small squeeze as I lean my head down so our eyes are level, "I'll be fine, I promise."
She looks at me for a moment before sighing as her stiff posture relaxes a bit, "You better be."
I smiled and was about to say something witty in response, but I was interrupted by a loud sound that echoed against the canyon walls. It was something of a mix between an elephant's trumpet and a lion's roar. But its pitch was much higher than either of these things. Like nails on a chalkboard, or a knife cutting into a plate. Its vibrations shook my entire body, and it made my teeth rattle. I knew what it was, what it has to be. I had never heard it before, but what else could something like that be.
The roar of a wyvern.
The panic came and went quickly, much like when I realized that I had to fight the beasts today. I patted myself down making sure I had all my things. Sword? Check. New dagger? Check. Wind tome that I never look at in battle? Check. Pendant ocarina? Check, on my neck and tucked under my shirt.
I drew my sword and gave it a small twirl, this will be the first battle where I use Chrom's gift. Let's see how it does. I look back to Lissa and tell her to get behind me, she complies without complaint. I take note of our position and wonder why Robin stationed us here. Me and Lissa were along the edge of the canyon. A couple steps to my right and I'd be in freefall. It took me only a second to realize that I'm here because I'm a mage and this abyss is probably exactly where a wyvern rider would attack. It's the flank, it's in the air. They could roast us without having to worry about a counter attack from anyone but the Pegasus Knights. That means that Robin thinks I can fight them. He believes in me… I'll be damned if I let him down.
I make a quick mental note to keep my eyes on the skies to the right and look forward. I was in the middle of our company, so I couldn't see Chrom and Robin. Why Robin thinks putting the Prince and lead tactician on the front lines is a good idea was beyond me. But despite this, I could hear clashing steel from their direction, so I know the fight has started.
I rolled my shoulders in preparation, unused to the presence of thick leather on my left side. I had told Chrom of my flashback in the hall and he suggested I wear armor over my left shoulder so as to prevent that from happening again. The hide was stained a dark blue, close to black, and covered my shoulder and part of my bicep. Had it not been dyed the color it is, it would have denoted a military ranking, but the dark navy blue made it blend in with the black of my coat. were it not for its steel trimming, you probably couldn't even see it.
It didn't take long for enemy soldiers to start showing up, most of our army was taking them out before they got to me though. Unfortunately, not everyone can survive war, and the line was broken. Two axe wielders headed towards me as others behind me tensed. Time to test out a new idea I had earlier.
I started to lift myself off the ground with mana, levitation was tricky at first, but my mana manipulation seems to be getting better. My weight was nothing compared to those boulders I was lifting a few weeks back. And now that I was about six inches above the ground, I acted. I tilted my feet so my soles were at an angle to the ground and launched some wind. The speed at which I was racing towards the Plegians was more than they could handle. I flourished my blade and sliced one's throat as I sped past them.
My momentum continued as I turned around and slid back before launching myself yet again, this one seemed to predict it and dodged my blow and tried to counter my attack. Another blast of wind had me speeding away from his arcing axe and knocking him off balance as well. I capitalized on his unbalanced state and quickly dropped myself back to the ground and fired an Elwind. The blade of wind sliced open his stomach and launched him onto his back. He didn't get up. A small smirk came to my face, that worked better than I thought It would. I was getting better. I took the two of them down faster then I normally would have a few weeks ago.
I started looking for a new foe and was puzzled when I didn't see any making an approach. The battle was still happening, that much was clear. But it was as if they were avoiding us. Why would they do this. It only took me a second to remember the other threat our position provided. I quickly turned to the abyss only to be met with empty skies. A frown adorned my face as tried to figure out what was happening.
"Kail! Look out!"
Lissa's scream echoed in my ears and I acted instantly. I wind-launched myself back over to her and faced forwards again. For a split second I didn't see anything and was confused as to why she warned me. But then my mana sense kicked in. The large amount of mana that I hadn't noticed, quickly descended in front of me.
I expected to be filled with terror at the scaled monstrosity in front of me, instead I was blessed with a soothing chill against my back. Instead of thoughts of fire and teeth, I saw laughter and joy on the faces of my friends. I was confused until I saw my shadow being cast on the wyvern and its rider looking behind me. The gentle hum was even more reassurance, Lissa was using the calming spell. The smile that had been growing on my face quickly vanished when I saw that the rider was no longer looking at me.
He was looking at Lissa.
"Crapbaskets." I muttered.
"Kail?" Lissa asked from behind me.
"Lissa, you need to run."
"What? But the spell-"
"Yeah, I know, I need it." I interrupted, "But this guy clearly knows that as well. He's not going after me anymore."
I felt the spell waver and my focus slip slightly, before I returned strengthened anew.
"I'm not leaving you!"
I was going to growl out a response before the universe beat me to it. The wyvern let out its ear shattering roar and looked above us. The rider followed his mount's line of sight and his eyes widened before he pulled his reins hard to his right and made the lizard jump with a powerful flap of its wings. A pegasus sped into the ground where the rider just was, the ground shaking all the while as both the thousand pound beasts jumped and stomped at high speeds.
The fight was chaotic, the ground was only something to jump off of for them as they floated around with blades, fire and wind. I needed to help, that wasn't just any Pegasus Knight, it was Sumia. Her spear was like a twirling flower of death as she fought. I thought it funny that the timid girl could look so frightening.
I waited for an opening as I began to lift myself off the ground, the fight soon led itself over to the edge of the abyss. The rider was the problem, he was the one doing the maneuvering. Sumia seemed to think the same as she was aiming for him and not his beast. If I could take him out, the fight is over.
I just need an opening.
The wyvern was beating his wings, blasting Sumia with large amounts of air that was actually pushing her and her mount back. It wouldn't be long before he pushed her over the edge of the abyss. That was my opening. He was stationary as he pushed her back.
I put myself in a running man starting position, and held my sword in a reverse grip. I launched as much wind as I could muster and headed directly to the rider. My eyes closed as soon as the intense wind hit them. I cursed myself for my lack of foresight and began focusing on my mana sense. I swung my sword and felt slight resistance, before it gave way and I felt warm blood splash onto my sword hand. I opened my eyes and launched some wind above me to push myself back onto the ground before I flew off the edge. I slid across the ground until I wasn't even a foot from the ledge. I quickly stood up to full height and turned around. My blood ran cold when I realized Lissa was looking towards me in horror.
Her calming spell lost connection.
A blast of hot air hit my face and I realized that the wyvern was staring directly at me. My heart started racing painfully and my shoulder throbbed.
And then it roared.
The sound was aimed directly at me, it felt as if my ears were bleeding. As saliva sprayed onto me, my panic increased and I reacted on instinct, throwing myself backwards. Expecting to land on ground, I felt an intense feeling of vertigo when I felt air and rushing wind instead. I wasn't even aware I was falling, my mind was still reeling from the roar of the beast. My thoughts were of teeth and fire breath.
The blur of movement was lost on me as I continued to fall without my knowledge. My panic from both the wyvern and my inability to save myself from my accelerating descent caused nausea. Luckily I didn't lose my lunch but all of these things together made my vision start to black out. Just as I began to close my eyes and accept my fate, a blur of white and red assaulted my vision.
"Gotcha!"
The voice was foreign yet not unfamiliar. I knew I was no longer falling, but my panic had not yet ceased. The grip on my shoulder didn't help all that much. Just as I was going to lash out at the one holding me, I felt a small pressure against my chest. The sword that was about to slice my savior, instead halted. My free hand clutched the small object pressing against my sternum.
In my clouded mind I realized it was my ocarina, and that music is what takes me out of my frenzied state. Being unable to play or sing when I'm like this, I just started muttering the lyrics to the ballad. It was working albeit slowly. I regained enough awareness to look at my position. I was sitting in front of my rescuer, resting sidesaddle on the flying horse.
I looked to the face of my current companion and was met with a mane of red hair. The long crimson locks were tied into a ponytail flying in the wind. The next thing I noticed was the worried eyes of the same color looking down at me.
"Ch-cherry?" I stuttered out.
The worry in her gaze quickly changed into relief. My mind was becoming clearer as I recognized I was with a fellow shepherd on her steed. However, fear returned when I saw another wyvern giving chase behind us. Still clutching my ocarina, I kept enough composure to yell out a warning.
"Look out!"
Cordelia turned her head quickly and reacted in an instant. She pushed her reins forward and to the left, the pegasus followed the command and dived while spiraling to the left. The sudden drop and spin gave me a rush of adrenalin. I squeezed the small instrument tighter and said the lyrics yet again. The second we evened out and Cordelia's grip lessened, I sheathed my sword and reached up, grabbing her shoulder and strengthened the grip with some mana. A quick pull had me swinging around behind her and landing on her pegasus in a proper straddle.
"Hold on!" she yells, I answered by tightening the grip I now have on her waist.
She quickly turns to the right and begins heading straight for the cliff wall. I thought she was crazy for just a moment before I believed I recognized her plan. The wyvern's presence behind us hadn't left, seeing the creature with my mana sense luckily didn't seem to affect my soundness of mind.
Just before we collided with the rocky wall, Cordelia pulled up on her reins and proved that I had guessed her plan correctly.
The pegasus quickly flung its entire body backwards until it was level with the wall. The sound of hooves hitting stone was relieving, the sudden stop of momentum was not. The magical creature kicked off the wall and spiraled back to a normal horizontal position, and sped directly towards the wyvern.
One spinning thrust of Cordelia's spear later and the beast was dead, impaled in the eye. It happened so quick that I didn't even panic, it felt like we were going at the speed of sound. This must be the talent Cordelia is known for. A quick kick of her legs and the pegasus flapped its wings hard, assisting the knight in dislodging her spear from the beast's eye.
Relief and gratitude flowed through me, and I was just about to comment on her actions before yet another wyvern roar sounded from above us. We both looked up, ignoring the descending corpse of the dead wyvern and it's still screaming rider. Fortune smiled upon us and we weren't being attacked, but our other soldiers were. The problem was that I couldn't see any other pegasus fighting them back.
"Where are the other pegasus knights?" I asked.
"From what I saw the enemy put their archers along the edge of the cliff, any pegasus that gets close to them gets shot down." Cordelia pointed to the bottom of the abyss we were hovering over, and I saw several white dots along the rocky surface.
"The only reason I'm out here is because I approached from the back." Cordelia clarified.
I clenched my teeth and looked back up to the horde of wyverns. Images flashed in my head, but it was different this time. Instead of fire and teeth I saw the mistake itself, I had grounded it with wind. My brow furrowed, I looked back down to the bottom of the abyss. My eyes locked onto the one black dot on the ground, my eyes widened.
"I… I have a plan. But it's risky, we'd be going right into the jaws of the beast."
Cordelia turned her head to look back at me in worry and slight interest.
"First we need to get their attention… all of them."
Her eyes widened and she looked as if she was about to protest, but she was silent for a moment.
"…And how do you propose we do that?"
I thought her question over trying to find an answer, the only thing I could think of…
"We fly right past their noses, and I launch a large scale spell at the archers. Then we fly out of the archers' range."
She nodded slightly, "A flying mage would definitely get attention…"
I let out a sigh, "It's up to you, because if we do this…" I point up to the many wyvern spitting flames, "We'll have all of them nipping at our heels."
She followed my finger and watched the wyverns for a moment before gaining a determined look on her face.
"I've lost too many people today… If I can do something to put an end to this, then I'm going to do it!"
I frowned at the reminder of what she's been through today but nodded in agreement.
"Ready your spell Magic Boy!" she yelled as she spurred her steed back up to the height the rest of the army was.
"Nicknames aren't your strong suit are they?" I quipped as I held my hands out in preparation.
"Oh, shush!" she whined.
I ignored her and focused on the spell, or pseudo-spell really. I've made this… thing, several times. I've only fired it five times… it only didn't explode in my face once.
First a flame, then fuel it with wind, then heat it with lightning. Add kinetic energy.
The white hot ball of flame was now pressing against the palm of my hands. I could learn how to make and use plasma this way, but it was inefficient. I use up too much mana like this. That's a big reason I was looking elsewhere, again to put simply: I was deadlifting when I could have been using a lever. I could do it, but it would burn too much energy.
Luckily I hadn't used that much mana today.
"I can't hold this forever!"
Our speed increased, the world became like a blur around us. To our right I saw several black shapes; wyverns. I looked to the left and saw the soldiers of both sides battling, it only took a second more to see a line of archers readying their bows.
Our speed slowed, she's giving me time to aim. I thrust my hands to the archers like I was shooting a Kamehameha and made one finger movement with my hands. Luckily, it didn't explode in my face like so many times. Like the first time it worked, a large torrent of white flame-like energy blasted out of my hands, it was at least seven feet wide by the time it hit the soldiers. It lasted only for a second or two, but the results were there.
All that was left of those that got hit was ash.
The archers that had lived hesitated at seeing the destruction I brought, but I knew we couldn't stay. Not only would the archers regain their bearings, but I could sense the wyverns heading towards us.
I turned to Cordelia's awe-struck face and shook her slightly, "Mission accomplished, we're the center of attention. Now let's move like our lives depend on it."
She looks to me for a moment before her eyes widen at something behind me, the wyverns I assume.
"Oh wait, our lives do depend on it. For the love of gods, GO!"
With a quick shake of her head she kicked her heels into the sides of her pegasus and charged us forward even faster than before.
I used mana to anchor myself to the pegasus and pointed my palms backwards, I blasted some wind to give us some more speed. It was also effectively pushing the wyverns back and deflecting any flames they spat at us. I closed my eyes and looked at my mana sense, I was rejoiced when I saw that they were flying in an even formation, that'll make step two so much easier.
"We need to turn around and fly directly at the center of their formation!" I yelled over the wind.
"What!?" she yelled in disbelief.
"Trust me!" I responded as I got into position.
With slow deliberate movements I began to stand in a crouch on the pegasus' back. I anchored myself yet again and let go of Cordelia's shoulders.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" She asks quickly.
My mind flashes back to the promise I made to Sumia to be careful, this plan is anything but.
"Not really, but all the great plans are made by crazy people!"
"If you die, I'll kill you."
Before I could tell her that there would be a line she twisted her reins. The pegasus folded its wings and rotated quickly before it spread its feathered appendages and gave a hearty flap. I blasted some wind behind us too for extra speed.
"On my signal, dive as steep as you can."
"Got it!"
I looked at my targets, and quickly started repeating the lyrics. These words seem to have become some kind of mantra for me. I was still freaking out yes, but not so much that I lost my focus.
The wyverns all slowed down and began charging flames in their mouths.
"Kaaaail!" Cordelia yelled in worry.
"A little more!"
The flames started to drip out of their jaws, I drew my sword and my dagger.
"Kail!"
"NOW!"
I jumped and wind-launched myself off the pegasus as soon as it dived. I heard Cordelia scream in worry, but I ignored it and turned my body horizontal. I had jumped at the exact right time that the speed of the pegasus was preserved in me, that plus the power of my wind-jump turned me into a human rocket.
I channeled mana into my arms and bones to reinforce them, and extended them completely outwards. My blades pointed to either side, I began spinning as fast as I could.
From my sword and dagger, a storm of blade beams launched out like a tornado around me. The speed of my spiral didn't let me see the damage but I could hear the screams and roars of pain. I thought back to the first time I used the blade beam that fiery night. I had said I wouldn't do anymore attack names, but now that I'm here, about to do what I'm about to do… Screw it.
"Bladed whirlwind!"
I yelled it as loud as I could, I doubt anyone heard me but damnit it felt awesome. When I stopped seeing black and red blurs at my sides I stopped my spell, and turned my still flying body to look at the damage.
Their wings were shredded… all of them.
"Hell yeah!" I yelled in victory as they fell into the abyss below.
My joyous laughter soon ended when I realized that I began to fall as well. I started panicking before I sheathed my weapons and attempted to levitate myself. It was successful after putting much more mana into it than usual. Six inches is different from hundreds of meters after all.
I begin to feel slightly sick at the amount of mana I'm expending. I look at the two armies and realize that I'm not too far from solid ground. I try to move myself over to the cliff, but as soon as I make an effort to use my mana to move I begin falling again. I let out a short yell before I catch myself.
"Okay lets not try that." I mutter to myself.
I'm starting to get lightheaded, I was about to use wind to launch me over there when a voice calls out.
"Kail!"
I look up and see Cordelia making her way towards me. I smiled in relief and held my hand out towards her, only to pause when she ignored that and sped past me.
The sound of steel piercing flesh was heard very close to my ear. I turned to look at the source, and was met with the sight of a wyvern's open maw not six inches from my face. My face when white, I didn't notice that Cordelia had killed it, nor its empty saddle. In my mind I was almost eaten yet again. Unusually I didn't lose my composure.
I did however, lose consciousness.
I felt the familiar comfort of a cot when I woke up. I felt slightly sore but there wasn't much discomfort. I tried to remember what happened but my groggy head wouldn't cooperate. I slowly began to sit up, and as soon as I opened my eyes, the memory hit me like a ton of bricks and the image of an open wyvern jaw flashed in my head.
I scrambled on my cot in a panic and ended up falling out of the bed and hitting the ground with a thud. I let out a grunt of pain at the unexpected impact, fortunately the pain seemed to help me forget the image that was just in my head. I let out a groan as I sit up and lean back against the small end table next to the cot I was just on.
"Kail!"
My eyes opened at the voice, and I was met with the sight of Lissa, Cordelia, Sumia and Gaius. Lissa moved towards me before she halted and took a step back. I looked at her with a raised eyebrow for a moment.
"Hi?" I said in confusion.
Lissa seemed to relax at my greeting and began moving towards me again. I realized that she was probably worried that I would freak out again. She helped me get back up on to the cot, I reclined on it with another groan.
"So what's wrong with me this time Pup?"
Lissa let out a sigh, "Not much actually. Just mana exhaustion, torn bicep muscles, and light cuts that should be more irritating then painful."
I frowned, "Aren't torn muscles bad?"
"If you don't have access to a mend staff then yeah. But we do. Soo…"
"Why are you acting like this is normal?" Cordelia spoke in disbelief.
I looked to Lissa for a moment and she looked at me in kind.
"How many fights have I been in where I didn't need medical attention afterwards?" I asked.
"Once."
"That's right, Darko's village…"
I looked back to Cordelia who was looking at us as if we were crazy. "It kinda is normal then. The med tent might as well be my tent."
She began gaping like a fish while Sumia sighed and Lissa and Gaius chuckled.
"Well even if this is normal," Gaius began, "You're one crazy son of a bitch, you know that?"
I was about to respond but Lissa beat me to it, "It was super cool though! He was going so fast! And he was like; Bladed whirlwind!"
I cringed, if Lissa heard then I can only assume everyone did… I really am going to be responsible for Owain aren't I?
"It was foolish!" Cordelia interrupted, she walked up to me and flicked my forehead, "If I knew that was your plan I'd never have agreed to it. I thought you were just going to use some explosion magic or something."
I scratched the back of my head and started to speak before Gaius cut me off.
"Speaking of explosion magic, when were you planning on telling me you can shoot the flames of hell out of your hands?"
"Well I-"
My explanation halted abruptly when Sumia walked out without a word. My brow furrowed at the uncharacteristic action, before guilt flooded me. I had told her I wasn't going to look for a fight with the wyverns, that I'd be careful. What did I do instead?
I fought them all.
I frowned in shame. I did what Panne said and followed my heart, my morals, what I knew was right. But in doing so I didn't keep my promise.
"What's her problem?"
"Shut it, Gaius."
He turned to look at me quickly in surprise.
"Sorry…" I sighed, "I just… I need to talk to her." I said as I slowly stood up with Lissa's aid.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea." Cordelia warned, "She's been upset with you the entire time you've been unconscious."
"That's exactly why I have to speak with her."
I started walking to the exit, but froze in my tracks when Chrom came in. We made eye contact briefly before he looked to everyone else.
"I'd like a minute with Kail."
"Yes Captain." Cordelia spoke before anyone else, and made her way out. Gaius and Lissa soon followed.
I looked back to Chrom and couldn't quite read his expression but I had other worries.
"If you're here to scold me Chrom make it quick, I'm in a hurry."
"Why would I scold you?" he asked incredulously.
His reaction surprised me and I didn't really know how to respond. Chrom chuckled as he realized what I was getting at.
"Kail, this time was different then with the first wyvern. You didn't act rashly, you made a plan to take them out of the fight that didn't amount to 'hit it hard'" he chuckled at his summary of my old thought process.
"If I'm being honest I'm proud of you, you've clearly grown… though if what Cordelia said is true you could have thought out the recovery a little better."
I cringed, "Yeah that wasn't my best moment."
Chrom laughed, "No it wasn't."
I gave a small smile before furrowing my brow, "What is it you wanted then?"
Chrom's eyebrows lifted, "Ah, yes. I just wanted to give you an update and Robin wanted some input."
"And he couldn't ask himself?"
"He's quite busy as of now."
I gave a sigh and just nodded, "Well let's get this show on the road, I wasn't lying when I said I was in a hurry."
"Then I'll keep it brief; Emm is going back to Ylisstol while the Shepherds head to Ferox for more soldiers. Thoughts?"
"Foolish."
He nodded, "I thought so too. This attack was clearly another attempt on Emm's life. They'll just try it again." He looked down at his hands and clenched his fists.
"And if I'm not there to protect her…"
My heart lurched. I never had the best relationship with my sister, but I know if she died I'd feel horrible… but Chrom? He was close to her, they were so close. They had grown together, and despite the sins of their father they grew up kind, pure of heart. They were so kind. Emmeryn was so kind.
And I have to let her die.
But what hurt the most, was knowing that I could do something to stop it. I could find some way to prevent her death, and save my friend from grief, but… I shouldn't.
Should I?
No… I can't.
One other thing that just makes what I thought would be an amazing adventure, into a living hell.
I hesitantly reach out and grip Chrom's shoulder. He looks to me, his eyes clearly pleading for some alternative where he'll know she safe.
My heart fell.
"She's doing what she thinks is right. All we can do is help her."
Chrom looked at me for a moment, then nodded before looking back down at his hands with a sigh.
I'm sorry Chrom.
The Soldier trembled before his King, awaiting his punishment. The King did not take well to failure, and obviously fleeing from battle would be considered such. They should have won, they had the advantage of surprise and they had twelve members of the Wyvern Brigade. They should have been able to roast the whole army while his archers held off any would be heroes. But that changed when that mage interfered. He had never seen a mage as strong as that besides perhaps Lady Aversa.
The Soldier stiffened and strengthened his will when he heard his King take a deep breath. He was ready for anything.
King Gangrel's breaths became heavy when he heard the news, his hands curled into fists and his sharpened fingernails cut into his palms. He growled for a moment before yelling at the top of his lungs.
"YOU'RE A FAILURE CAPTAIN! A WASTE OF SKIN!" He reinforced this with a quick backhanded slap to the captain's face that sent him falling backwards, landing in a heap, "TELL ME WHY I SHOULDN'T CUT YOU DOWN WHERE YOU STAND!"
The Captain quickly wracked his brain for anything that could get him out of the Kings ire. He realized in horror that no excuse would be sufficient, he thought of his family and wished he could have told them he loved them one last time. With these thoughts he resigned to his fate, despite the cruelty of his King, he still bore loyalty to the crown. And he decided to explain what happened.
"I have no excuse My Lord. But please, allow me to warn you of the Soldier that turned the tide against us."
The King was silent for a moment before his eyes narrowed and he growled out a response, "You have ten seconds."
A slight panic rose for the Captain when the Kings hand went to rest on the grip of his Levin Sword.
"T-t-things were going well, our plan to use the wyverns to burn the army as the archers covered them was working." The Captain looked down slightly, "But then that Pegasus came out of nowhere, alongside its knight was a mage." He looked back up to his King before continuing.
"A powerful mage! He used some kind of white fire that turned half of our archers to ash! After that the wyverns gave chase, but he leapt from the pegasus into the middle of their formation and let loose hundreds of blades of wind. They shredded the wings of our wyverns and sent them falling to the bottom of the canyon!"
The Captain hesitated slightly before finishing.
"…The men are calling him Ventus personified…"
The King seemed to be getting angrier, and the Captain was getting more and more fearful.
"This mage… what did he look like." Gangrel growled out lowly.
"H-He was far from me My Lord, but I could pick out a black hooded coat. It might have had some white or silver on it too."
The King began growling louder, until his growl turned into a scream of pure rage. The Levin Sword at his side was drawn in a flash of lightning. The swing of the jagged lightning coated blade sounded like the chirping of birds, the sound only slightly muted as the blade cleaved through the captain's neck. A loud burst of electricity flashed through the body of the now decapitated Captain. The head disintegrated from the power, the singed body collapsed and began twitching violently as its muscles contracted in response to the electric charge.
The smell of burning blood filled the air as the King looked to his right at his advisor, "That damn Ylissean King Look-Alike…"
The white haired woman nodded without an inch of fear, " If he slew twelve wyverns on his own, then he has definitely become a problem."
"And they have the gall to call him Ventus!? He's no constellation of power, he's just an ant that needs to be stomped on in the most painful way possible!"
Aversa was silent for a moment, picking her words carefully, "Be that as it may My Lord, if the Soldiers are naming him after the Celestial Wind, then we'd be wise not to take him lightly."
The King looked at her an a rage, it took only a moment before he took a deep breath and nodded slowly, "Yes, I suppose you're right. Any suggestions then?"
The Witch smiled, "As a matter of fact, yes. There is a soldier that used to work with Plegia before he fled the army. When we found him we told him to answer to his crime, instead of pleading or attempting to flee. He spoke of a dark sorcerer that had invaded his mind… Or rather, we were able to glean such from his insane ramblings."
A deranged grin grew on the Kings face, "Go on."
"I was able to ascertain that this sorcerer was remarkably skilled in dark magic, mana transmogrification, and possessed the skill to control the very earth beneath our feet."
The King grew excited, "And you're suggesting we employ this sorcerer to torture the Look-Alike to death?"
Aversa smiled, "We'd have to find him first, but yes. I can send search parties out now if it would please you My Lord."
Gangrel nodded giddily, "Oh yes, please do! I knew I kept you around for a reason."
"I aim to please My Lord."
"What is this sorcerer called anyhow?"
"We don't know his name, but poor Blake gave him a title."
Gangrel raised an eyebrow, "And that is?"
Aversa gave a sultry smile.
"Grima's Shadow."
Hope you enjoyed! Like I said; Clutch has chapter 9 right now, so the wait won't be as long. Also this last bit with Gangrel was my first attempt at a third person POV, how'd i do?
-Gaijin
