...
-= 07: Storm =-
'The turning point of the war began with Hoshido's counterattack in the south.
To contextualize the situation, one must first understand that the stalemate at the Bottomless Canyons greatly favored the Hoshidans. In narrow chokepoints, the mobility advantage of Nohr's cavalry was largely negated. And the Hoshidans were skilled in defensive warfare, having fended off Faceless incursions for the greater part of two decades before the war began. In contrast, the Nohrian army had no real combat experience since the Great Barrier was erected. It is true that they protected the realm against bandits and the occasional uprising against King Garon, but the newest generation of Nohrian knights had no real experience in large-scale warfare. Thus, Hoshido had many times the number of combat-capable veterans than the Nohrians did.
To add to this, after three months of prolonged combat and rising losses, King Garon was rapidly losing the support of his people. Though he promised a more prosperous future should they succeed in the conquest of Hoshido, the lack of progress and the grim correspondence from the front line sapped the Nohrian people of their will to fight.
It was beyond most predictions of Nohrian tacticians that Hoshido would even consider launching an attack of their own given such advantages in the sustained standoff. The fearsome reputation of the Nohrian armored regiments, the rapid mobilization of cavalry and wyverns to react to any such attack - surely the Hoshidans would be content with a defensive stalemate rather than risk it all on a gambit that played into the strengths of Nohr's army.
High Prince Ryouma thought otherwise.'
- Kiragi, on the Battle of Dia in "Major Battles from the War"
Port Dia
Camilla
Princess Camilla exulted in the thrill of battle, as the world narrowed into her beloved Marzia and the burning sky.
Marzia was an obsidian missile of claws and fangs and fury as she launched forward into the clustered mass of sinewy and feathery bodies of pegasi. Camilla swung an axe with one hand, launching a fireball with another to deter an attacker as princess and wyvern crashed through yet another pegasi formation.
She noted that it seemed that the wyvern knights of Nohr were more than a match for the sky knights of Hoshido, even through the din of battle. In their desperate attempts to reach the siege weapons currently battering away at their vast armada, the pegasi knights could not use their vaunted swiftness to its fullest extent, denied the aerial mobility they needed to outpace the hardened scales and fangs of Nohr's wyverns. Great gouts of flame launched from the spelltowers, ballistas launching bolt after bolt of hull-piercing steel, and catapults launching crushingly heavy ordinance - though Hoshido had assaulted them with a vast armada, few frigates were able to brave the fierce fortifications that the Nohrian army was able to set up.
A brief look down as Beruka cleared the airspace around her to see Selena, still looking proud and inspirational as she rallied the defenses around the pier, a bulwark of steel against the few Hoshidans that had managed to disembark onto the docks. The battle on the ground was going just as well so far.
Camilla had no illusions that their battlefield supremacy would last, but there was no quenching the immense satisfaction that arose from repelling the Hoshidan invasion so resoundingly thus far. Only five light frigates had made it past the scuttled blockade, of which only two were able to unload their cargo of infantry before being sunk. The rest was repelled by the barrage of withering spellfire, ballista bolts, and catapult missiles forming a steel curtain of certain death around the entrances to the port.
The defenses held. And if she had anything to say about it, they would continue to hold.
Camilla turned Marzia's vengeful fangs onto yet another ill-fated sky knight.
"Our scouts are estimating that they outnumber us at least four to one. Most likely more, if they can fit more infantry into their galleons than we can. And they're supported by several wings of pegasus knights. They'll be here within two days."
Princess Camilla was not happy.
The lavender-haired princess of Nohr had been on edge ever since Elise had failed to arrive in Dia on time. Visions of what might have happened, nightmares of bandits… it was all Beruka and Selena could do to restrain her from sending out entire platoons to scour the countryside for her missing sister.
And now, she glanced disdainfully at the anxious scout in front of her, they were proven to be wise in their caution. Hoshido was launching an all-out assault, a vast armada of ships packed to the brim with infantry, supported by wings and wings of pegasi knights.
And, if reports were to believed, one Princess Hinoka of Hoshido leading the charge personally. The warrior princess had finally deigned to show herself.
They were outnumbered, on a scale of at least four to one if initial estimates were accurate. The Nohrian armored corps had much to take pride in, but even the most fervent of patriots would balk at such odds.
Port Dia must not fall, lest all of southern Nohr be opened to Hoshidan incursion.
"Dismissed. Inform the other commanders of what you've told me." The scout saluted, before rushing out of the room that served as her temporary office.
Beruka had a severe frown on her face. "These odds are looking bad." Camilla concurred. An understatement, if anything.
"If we can stop them from actually landing, we may be able to keep their numbers manageable?" Selena posed questioningly.
That was true. The port was certainly not defenseless - there were more than a few siege weapons available that they could use to prevent the enemy ships from disembarking their troops. If they could keep the enemy pegasi knights off their siege weapons, perhaps they could deter the enemies from landing - or at the very least, grievously cost them for doing so.
She was not Leo, but she did have the foresight to bring siege engineers from the capital.
"Very well. Selena, dear, please gather the other commanders and lead them to the command room. Beruka, would you get all the engineers to get the siege weapons set up?"
Marzia's shriek was the only warning she had before something barreled into her.
Fast!
A spear very nearly impaled Camilla, but she deflected it at an odd angle at the last moment, receiving a long scratch on her arm for her troubles. Warbling, Marzia tumbled in midair from the impact of a trampling pegasi crashing into her, righting herself just in time to prevent Camilla from falling to an untimely death below.
Camilla of Nohr turned to see the familiar sight of Princess Hinoka of Hoshido dueling a trio of wyvern knights including dear Beruka and winning. Truly, the Warrior Princess of Hoshido was a force to be reckoned with…!
She watched as Hinoka neatly dismounted two of the wyvern knights, sending them plummeting below. Beruka's wyvern attempted to charge the Hoshidan princess's mount and received a puncturing blow to a wing for his efforts.
It was impressive. Beautiful even. Hoshido's Warrior Princess was truly a masterpiece in action. As a fellow royal, she could respect a frontline general with such grace and skill even if they were on opposing sides.
Beruka was sent into a spiraling corkscrew downwards. Camilla could catch a glimpse of frustration in her retainer as they descended. Hinoka turned to face her.
"Princess Camilla. Will you challenge me after what I just did to your three knights?!"
So rash. So confident. Was she expecting Camilla to be disconcerted? With a teasing lilt, she responded, "My dear knights can take care of themselves, I believe. But impressive work nonetheless, dear Hinoka!'
Even through the howling wind, Camilla thought she could see Hinoka blink before the pegasus knight commander looked downward. Camilla already knew what she would see, but indulged in the same.
The two wyvern knights that Hinoka had dismounted earlier had hurled themselves into the harbor, and could be seen paddling to the shore while Nohrian archers provided covering fire from the opportunistic sky knights. As for Beruka and her wounded wyvern…
Camilla was pleased to see Hinoka's mouth widen in sheer surprise as Beruka seemed to encourage her wyvern to actually increase the speed of the haphazard corkscrew, a wyvern turned makeshift drill from the heavens.
The princess of Nohr certainly couldn't hear it, but she relished in the horrified shouts of warning that the Hoshidan shock troopers undoubtedly were screaming.
A small black figure somersaulted off, axe gleaming in the morning sun as she spun through the air like a raging tornado. The hapless lancer beneath her stood no chance - split in two and used as a landing pad for Beruka who proceeded to use her momentum to leap off of as she hurled herself into a mass of surprised Hoshidan lancers who had not expected the likes of her Beruka to descend upon them from the sky. Beruka's wyvern slowly gliding on wounded wings back to the safety of camp.
She didn't need to watch the rest - she had full faith in her Beruka. Her fellow wyvern knights could fend for themselves, and Beruka had never gave her reason for doubt.
When she returned her gaze to her immediate enemy, a gobsmacked Hoshidan princess met her amused eyes. "Beruka's quite proficient at leaping off of absurd heights and landing gracefully. She used to be an assassin, you know?"
"Where did this wyvern even come from?!"
"I bought it."
"You bought it? Since when did you learn how to ride a wyvern?"
"I learn fast. Now I can protect you even when you fly."
Indeed, Beruka didn't let anything as trivial as the sky to separate master and retainer, and insisted on learning how to ride a wyvern in order to protect her even in the skies. It was always interesting to see how Beruka would apply her past learnings even to wyvern combat.
Hinoka's face tightened, a rictus of anger. Oh, Hinoka's expression was just adorable! It was so similar to Corrin's!
"You're insane! I shouldn't have expected anything more from the one who stole my brother away from me!"
And Camilla's amused expression vanished. And just moments ago, she was thinking of the similarities to beloved Corrin.
"How presumptuous of you. Corrin is my brother, not yours." Marzia shrieked in outrage, sensing her rider's wrath. "I would hate to make him sad, but I'm sure he would forgive me if you end up a bit bruised."
"Just try it!"
The pegasi and wyvern knights fighting around them had formed a haphazard arena around them, making sure to steer clear of the two princesses.
Good. More witnesses.
"Marzia, dear. Let's teach my counterpart some respect, shall we?"
Princess Camilla of Nohr hadn't been pushed this hard in a truly long time.
Oh sure, she was no match for the likes of Xander. Her brother was a juggernaut in battle, and with the legendary Siegfried at his side, she suspected only Ryouma of Hoshido would even pose a threat.
But to be challenged in the skies, the domain in which she ruled supreme amongst her family…
Camilla grinned as she finally scored a hit on the elusive Hoshidan princess, shrugging off the swift flurry of spear strikes that sent rivulets of blood flying. She wasn't aiming to kill, but surely dearest Corrin would forgive her for bruising her?
The Nohrian royal might not be able to hit the crimson sky rider every time they exchanged blows, but Princess Camilla of Nohr was confident that she and Marzia could outlast anybody in the air.
Well, maybe except for that woman from Cheve. Her wyvern was older than Marzia's and had seen battle. But these Hoshidan pegasi couldn't hold a candle to Nohr's wyverns!
Even as they were wheeling around for yet another clash, even through in the raging winds of battle, the exhilarating thrill of aerial combat against Corrin's "sister..."
One statement cut clearly through the din of battle, proclaimed in an all-too familiar voice that made her blood run cold.
"In the name of Princess Camilla, I, Selena of Nohr, challenge you to a duel!"
Camilla looked down and saw nightmare turned reality. Her Selena was standing amidst ruined and broken bodies, in the middle of a clearing that the other combatants had inadvertently made. And across from her, clad in crimson armor...
Prince Ryouma of Hoshido. The Peerless Samurai. Hoshido's finest swordmaster. And the wielder of the legendary blade of lightning, Raijinto. And apparently, the one responsible for single-handedly carving a path to the port defenses and disabling a third of their artillery already.
Princess Hinoka wasn't the only royal here.
No! How?!
Their ground defenses had been scattered. The mages manning the spelltowers had fallen to ninjas that had breached the lines from… behind them? The engineers that manned the ballista, half already lay dead as scores of samurai appeared seemingly out of thin air, the other half desperately fighting for their lives even as their guards tried to reach them.
And she could see that the firm bulwark that Selena had formed around the artillery had been sundered - assaulted on both sides, somehow flanked despite all their efforts. Could see the gaps in the formation where brave armor knights had fallen to Hoshidan spears. The artillery was almost wide-open, and Selena and a few swordsmen were all that stood in the enemy's direct path.
Camilla knew Selena well enough to know what her retainer was doing, and she hated it, hated it, hated it. From the scene of carnage down there, the Hoshidan prince had torn through the Nohrian ranks and was single-handedly forcing the pier defenders back. Selena was challenging him on the basis of a warrior's pride, hoping to stem the bleeding, to distract Ryouma from rampaging through the rest of the defenders, to buy time for the rest of the defenders to regroup and solidify.
Stem, slow, distract - but not win.
"They will not pass through us, Lady Camilla. I swear it."
"I know. I trust in you, Selena. Be careful out there, okay?"
Marzia sensed her rider's anguish, screeching as she made to dive back down towards the battlefield. Toward Selena. But before the wyvern could complete a turning dive, she was forced to jolt upwards in order to dodge a charging pegasi knight. That was not Hinoka.
Her eyes narrowed as a blast of lightning incinerated the offending attacker. The sky knights had broken the informal ring and was converging on her. She could sense some of her wyvern knights closing in to assist.
They wouldn't reach her in time.
That was alright.
"I'll just have to teach you all a lesson!"
Blasts of flame, bolts of lightning - an enraged Camilla and Marzia tore through the ranks of the sky knights, only halted in their destructive rampage when Hinoka managed to briefly deflect their attention onto her. It didn't last long when her own knights attempted to rescue their commander
The rest of her wyvern knights reached her, and they now firmly had the advantage in the air with how many sky knights she had slew as they desperately tried to divert her attention from their commander.
She chanced a glance down.
The world narrowed.
Selena was fighting the Hoshidan high prince. It must have only been scant seconds since the duel started, brief moments of eternity as Camilla was locked in combat against pegasi knights and unable to help. Already, she was losing. Losing.
Blood, streaming like her hair. A cut. Another. Camilla knew that her Selena was good, one of the best swordfighters she knew, but Prince Ryouma was like a raging tempest, a nightmare turned whirlwind of steel as he cut and cut and cut and cut…!
Red. Selena's blood was as red as her hair...
Corrin's "sister" could damn well wait her turn. Selena couldn't.
Fighting these pegasi knights wasn't so exciting anymore. These pegasus knights… they were in her way.
Marzia and Camilla shrieked in synchronized rage, the wyvern pulling a tight turn as Camilla set the very air around her ablaze. Away. Away, away, away! She batted away onrushing lances, incinerated arrows, decapitated obstacles in her way of going to Selena's side. Hinoka shouted something. It didn't matter.
Selena attempted to deflect a storm of steel made lightning. The legendary blade of lightning thrust forward, arcing skyward as Ryouma lifted her guard.
She distantly noted that Princess Hinoka was charging her.
'Out of my way!'
Blasts of fierce lightning would do to deter her from entering lance range of the flaming meteor that Marzia became, Camilla thought darkly.
Arrows flew towards them. The corona of flame around Marzia incinerated most, her beloved wyvern streaking downwards like a blazing comet.
Not fast enough. Not fast enough!
Selena lost her footing. The sound of thunder as Raijinto shattered her retainer's sword. The flash of lightning, as the Hoshidan prince went for…!
Camilla's world became fire and lightning and shrieks and raging wyvern and blood and rage and wrath…!
Felicia
They heard it before they saw it.
The keening cry of rage, the clash of steel on steel. The sound of thunder. Felicia had never regretted wearing her maid dress more as she struggled to keep up with her lord, who was sprinting at this point.
Maybe Corrin had a point about going barefoot all the time.
Regardless, they dashed past blazing buildings, bloody corpses, terrified civilians. At least the Hoshidans didn't involve innocents.
As far as idle thoughts on the battlefield go, that was all that came to mind.
Then the need to think about trivial things ceased as they reached the city square.
Princess Camilla, normally known for her lavender raiments. Marzia, the princess's black wyvern.
If she didn't know better, she could have sworn they dyed themselves red as princess and wyvern screamed in feral rage, descending upon the lone crimson figure beneath them in a flurry of claws and steel and magic.
Prince Ryouma of Hoshido.
He made parrying a wyvern charge look easy. As if by routine, as if fighting off raging wyverns was some kind of relaxing pastime. A graceful backstep, the arc of lightning that was the legendary blade Raijinto. One lash, a second blow, a third thrust and Marzia flew back into the air, sporting yet another deep gash, limping back to the skies.
A whirlwind of lightning and steel, Felicia dazedly thought.
The wyvern knights had been scattered. There were still a few desperately fighting, forced to descend back to the ground without covering fire to aid the beleaguered defenders. There were still a few sky knights that would work with the grounded Hoshidans to pincer the knights, who could not retreat back into the sky or from their falling comrades.
Pockets of armor knights still remained, though it was clearly a losing battle. Most had dozens of shuriken embedded into them, Dusk only knows how many were delirious from the effects of poison.
The ruined wreckage of ballistas. The shattered orbs of mage towers.
Mages? Healers? None to be seen. Which would sort of explain the princess's condition.
And next to the shattered statue in the center, she thought she recognized… Oh. That was Beruka. She almost didn't recognize the stoic woman. The normally stonefaced assassin was actually snarling as her axe lashed out at the Hoshidans surrounding her. Beruka had a terrifying face as her axe parried another thrust by a relaxed-looking monk, only grunting as she received an arrow to the shoulder for her troubles.
Why would Beruka not dodge that? She must have seen… Oh.
Bleeding out on the pavement, limbs splayed in a manner that couldn't have been comfortable. Felicia knew Selena liked red, but wasn't that a bit much to wear all red? And so much of her hair was on the ground, Selena always really liked her twintails, she would be so upset. Really now...
She distantly heard Corrin's shouted commands. Recognized the feel of Flora using healing magics even as Jakob dashed forward to aid Beruka.
Even Nyx had silently begun her deadly work, calling forth the might of the elements to leash destruction on a formation of lancers that charged Beruka's position.
Ah. She was panicking.
More enemies thundered towards Beruka's position.
No. That wasn't okay. She wasn't as close to Selena as she could have been, but Selena was a friend.
And Felicia was done with losing friends.
Breathe. Crystallize.
A blade of of ice formed in her hands. Knives weren't great for defending and she didn't want to exhaust herself forming projectiles yet.
Felicia stood in front of four burly oni clansmen. None of them were Rinkah.
That made it a lot easier to do what must come next.
Even as they bellowed, a wall of rippling muscles charging, Felicia stood her ground.
'Hey Rinkah, looks like your sword training was worth something.'
Flora
She strained herself, forcing her magics to reach across the battlefield. She didn't know how much longer the red-haired swordswoman had.
The faint stirrings of life greeted her ethereal touch. Alive then, if barely. She would trust in Jakob to provide immediate assistance, her friend already fighting aside Beruka.
She turned her attention towards the skies, where the bleeding form of Corrin's sister demanded immediate attention, a caricature of savagery and nobility all in one.
Prince Ryouma of Hoshido looked pristine. As if he hadn't been scratched once. Flora forced the sensation of bonechilling fear down. The princess needed her help.
Once again, she strained out with outstretched hands, gripping tightly onto her staff. She idly noted Nyx blasting down charging samurai, the child-sized mage delivering payloads of magic she would have thought impossible for someone of her stature.
And slowly, the princess's wounds began to heal, if slowly. Flora winced as the princess of Nohr charged back into the fray and her work was undone by the dancing lightning that was the Hoshidan general.
A distant part of her noted the scattered remnants of Nohrian knights, falling as they were encircled and systematically eliminated.
Some dark part of her almost reveled in that. But then she only had to turn guilty eyes towards the battered figure of Corrin's sister, the anguished face for whom they fought for before it was snuffed out by the demon of self-loathing.
Camilla wasn't fighting to win anymore. Though Flora somewhat doubted that she could have.
Shouting, so much shouting. The cascading din of the battlefield, a muffled haze. Couldn't hear it, as she strained to heal the ever accumulating wounds of the berserk princess. She closed her eyes, shut out the world. Just heal. Heal. Heal.
She heard it, even through the filter of concentrated magic. The sound of thunder. Raijinto. Flora opened her eyes to see the samurai prince going for the finishing blow on Camilla's mount.
The wounded wyvern was certainly in no shape to dodge lightning made steel.
The clang of steel. Corrin!
Her lord jumped into the fray, and Prince Ryoma's eyes widened considerably as he aborted the slash. One pegasi immediately broke off from the aerial battle, descending. Flora recognized the gallant figure of Princess Hinoka as she leapt down, spear in hand.
They were shouting something. Pointing weapons. Some of the voices must have been Ryouma and Hinoka's. She couldn't make out the conversation.
And then, she had no more time for thoughts, as they leapt into battle and she started shoving waves of healing energy towards the two Nohrian royals, staggering under the weight of her concentration.
Lord Corrin. Princess Camilla. Exhausted. Wounded.
Princess Hinoka. Prince Ryouma. Scratched. Pristine.
The only condolence was that the monk was fully distracted by Jakob's knives and Beruka's axe. She was the only one with the space and time to heal anyone.
It would have to be enough.
It wasn't enough.
A/N: Uh… yeah, end of the year is so not happening. Also, battle scenes are hard.
Everyone from the game will eventually show up, though Hoshido's going to get a bit less representation than Nohr. Incidentally, many familiar faces will show up in the next chapter.
Next chapter: Alight