This is chapter is possibly the most action-packed chapter I've written so far, but I'm not sure if i pitched the action too much, too quickly. Also, I'm aware that the flying knife is definitely NOT part of the FE game mechanics, but hey it works.
Methinks also that i may get raked over hot coals a little for condensing what could have been two chapters of character development into a dozen lines of newspaper-style reporting at the beginning of this chapter. I tried, honestly, i did. But it either sounded too cheesy or ended up going towards something kinda sleazy. So i just kept it as is. There'll be plenty of other chapters up ahead of character development anyways.
Those of you who have played HHM (or normal maybe- i can't remember) should know that the residence/mansion here is the same one where you fight Teodor was the place where Nergal once studied (based off the storyline around it). I don't remember if he owned the place, but I figured it would be fair to assume that he would have written a thesis (or hundred) while he studied there.
Anyways, please R&R!
Disclaimer: I like the mansion they're fighting in (despite the pain it would be to maintain), but I don't own it. Or any other part of Fire Emblem.
On paper, the plan was simple. Spend three weeks in a creepy forest filled with morphs, kill as many as possible and take out Limstella without either of them getting killed. Either she'd be hiding in Dragon's Gate, or that weird residence where they'd found Teodor, or the little hideout where they finally fought Kishuna and slew him. Four weeks to search out three places that had taken them a week and a bit all up last time he was here. Even if they had to move together and cover most ground twice (once for scouting, once for moving things to a new campsite), they'd still make it, right?
Wrong. Rain had stopped them from going anywhere for the first week. After making limited progress towards their destinations an eerie fog decided to settle over the island, hampering progress for another few days. It was good because he was able to rest up, but it meant they'd lost almost a third of their time to search the ruins.
Even though it was a few days' hike to Teodor's residence, being closer than the other two, it was a good place as any to start.
Again, how wrong he was.
Another arrow whizzed by his head. As he ducked to avoid it, Matthew had to admit that of all the possibilities that they'd thought of, this was probably the most stupid.
He blamed it on Brenya's military training. Stupid military types and their stupid military logic. "No matter what the odds, an attempt to neutralise this threat must be made," or so she had said. "If we don't, there could be dire ramifications for the continent." It wasn't wrong, just to someone like him, it bordered on suicidal.
Scratch that, it was suicidal. Two people fighting ten morphs in an open hall, no obstacles whatsoever. Not to mention doors on all four sides. They'd already fought off one group of six in another hallway and another group of nine around a dining table. Morphs were the sort of opponents that would never give up, and Matthew assumed could telepathically communicate, given how fast they were closing in on the two of them.
Matthew twisted aside, to avoid the berserker's axe from splitting him into two down the middle. At the same time he delivered a nasty cut to the morph's left arm to ensure he wouldn't be lifting anything for a while. Another slash to the side of his neck and the giant of a man toppled. Matthew twisted again, only to have to duck to avoid the silver flash of a sword that had he been but a split second slower, would have cleaved his head off his shoulders. Ramming the hero in the chest with his elbow, he followed up with a wicked upward slash that laid the morph's innards bare. He barely had time to catch his breath before being forced to do a backward flip to avoid the unmistakable glow of exploding light magic. His flip had placed him near the sniper, so he tackled the man to the ground, slashing open the morph's face in the process. Matthew spun around to come face to face with yet another berserker who tried a sideways chop, only to have the assassin slide under his axe and delivering a doubled legged kick to his right leg, putting him off balance. The man fell over as Matthew jumped back up, stabbing both his daggers into the man's chest.
Matthew turned to see Brenya spin around, creating a whirl of flame and simultaneously setting two generals alight. A short distance away, near the front door was a charred corpse and a curved sword, all that remained of the first morph to burst into the room. Matthew saw that the bishop was preparing to launch another blast of light, this time at Brenya. Knowing that he couldn't close the distance in time, he threw the knife in his left hand at the bishop. It buried itself into the morph's casting arm, causing the bishop's said blast to explode in his own face. Matthew turned to see another swordmaster leap at him, but it was too late. There was no way he could block in time with a just a single blade.
A small silver blur flew past the assassin and hit the swordmaster squarely in the chest. Matthew could only watch in amazement as the morph crashed into the ground and slid about half a metre past him. The knife Matthew had thrown at the bishop had been flung backwards by the blast and taken out the swordmaster. Quickly retrieving his dagger he whirled around to see Brenya finish of the last morph, a druid struggling to fight off the flames on his cloak as Brenya threw another fireball at him.
The unmistakable sound of running footsteps from the left signified the entrance of fresh reinforcements.
Matthew simply took off for the right doorway at a run. Brenya quickly followed suit after lobbing a fireball into the left hallway.
"We can't keep this up," Brenya panted. "That's the third lot we've come across here, and they're getting better at hemming us in."
Matthew nodded. "There's a secret exit in the library," he gasped, "I found it while we were exploring here." Silently, he thanked Canas' insistence on taking a day out to survey the place after Nergal's defeat.
He banked and did a sharp right, glancing back quickly to make sure Brenya had followed suit.
"Matthew! Watch out!"
Matthew turned back to see nothing but flames in front of him. A wall of ice exploded in front of him and Matthew felt Brenya tackle him from behind, pushing him down to stop him from being impaled on the spikes of ice. Matthew appreciated the move, even if it turned out to be unnecessary as the combination of fire and ice had produced a mist that surrounded them.
Matthew quickly flipped Brenya over and whirled around, daggers at the ready. Brenya jumped up, and the two of them were back to back, ready to meet the new threat.
"Cease and desist. Resistance is futile." The voice echoed throughout the room, yet to Matthew it was strangely familiar.
He'd heard that voice before. It was the same calm, collected, icy voice of the wom… no, creature that supposedly died at his hands.
"Who are you! Show yourself!" Brenya called out.
A magic circle appeared in front of Matthew. Brenya sensed the magic and spun around with a surprised look on her face. "A warp circle," she whispered. "That sort of circle is only…"
"Possible for magic users of the highest caliber, no?" completed the woman who had materialized from the said circle. She turned her gaze to Matthew. "Wonderful. Truly wonderful. Your quintessence has matured beyond far beyond my expectations. Leila will be overjoyed when you join us."
"I have no intention of joining you," Matthew retorted.
"As I have explained, resistance is futile. However, your insistence will prove to be a difficult obstacle. Perhaps you need a bit of convincing. For instance, if we have your companion join us, perhaps you would be more inclined? Although Leila will not be pleased, I must have you. You are a fine specimen indeed. Your skill has surpassed even Jaffar, whom Lord Nergal held in high regard."
"How did you survive?"
"I can only hazard a guess, as I do not truly understand myself. However, after studying Lord Nergal's works in the library around us," she gestured to the shelves surrounding her, "I have come to the conclusion that the death of a being releases the quintessence stored inside them. Although most of Lord Nergal's quintessence was consumed in the calling of the dragon which you slew, I was able to scavenge enough to heal the lethal injuries which were slowly draining me of my own quintessence."
Matthew did his best to hide the shock on his face.
This is Lord Nergal's... residence?
So how was it?
Again, please R&R!