A Summoner's Journey

Paralogue 2: Sibling Bonds

Team for this chapter: Seliph, Jeorge, Sharena and Maria

Heroes gained last chapter: None

I woke up to the sound of fighting outside. Loud sounds of swords and lances clashing rang throughout the entire castle. I dragged myself out of bed and looked out my window. Emblian soldiers were engaging with Askrian guards in the courtyard. Heroes from other worlds popped in out of nowhere, easily getting behind our lines and backstabbing the guards. My heroes were already awake and were defending the entrance from those same rogue heroes. I quickly got dressed and hurried downstairs, where the lobby was utter chaos. Heroes enslaved by Embla were brawling with mine. I spotted Palla attacking Jeorge, but the archer rolled away and launched an arrow at her, defeating Palla instantly. A Cecilia blasted a cloud of green ravens towards Robin, but Lon'qu leaped towards her from a staircase and dove his sword straight into her back, killing her. I found Anna amidst the chaos, fighting off numerous Emblian Lance Knights and Axe Fighters.

"Anna, is everything alright?", I asked.

"Not good Lucian. Embla has gathered a large mass of heroes from all realms to attack Askr", Anna explained as she Night Sky'ed another Axe Fighter, "They even managed to capture legendaries deities like the Empress of Begnion, Sanaki, the Thunder's Fist Reinhardt and the Lionheart Eldigan!".

"Are the three of them leading this force?", I inquired, "If they are, where are they?".

"Sanaki is leading her forces in the West at an old Askr fortress", Anna said as she slashed down a Lance Knight, "Reinhardt is down by the Northern river and Eldigan is coming in through the forest in the east".

"Okay, I'm going to take Jeorge, Sharena, Seliph and Maria to the enemy bases to take them down. Hold the castle for as long as you possibly can!", I said, then ran off to find my heroes.

I found Jeorge sniping more fliers down and asked him to join me, saying that Virion and Niles can take over for flier duty. I found Sharena and Alfonse on the front lines, taking down any heroes or Emblians that snuck past the line of Askrian knights. I took Sharena with me and put a hero we picked up in the Special Maps, Donnel, in her place with his Steel Lance. I also had Subaki, another special map pickup, stand behind in case Donnel got too injured. Seliph was in the left side of the castle lobby, fighting a Hinata nearby the quest fountain. Seliph overpowered Hinata's defense with his powerful sword and hit him so hard, Hinata went flying and smashed into the wall. I took him along and went to find Maria. Maria was with Serra in the backlines, surrounded by Askrian knights and archers. I told Maria to come with me and she obliged, healing up the knight next to her with her staff and then following me towards the mess hall. The mess hall had a backdoor towards the garden where we grew fresh produce and could only be opened from the inside, so then intruders couldn't enter from behind. I took my heroes around the castle and to the west fortress first, where Empress Sanaki and her forces were waiting.

Arriving at the Askrian fort, we found a young girl with long blue hair and wearing a regal red cloak and headband. In her hand was a unfamiliar magic tome that was pulsing with orange flames. The other two troops in the fort were regular Emblian soldiers, but there was an archer in the middle with short blond hair, a fancy purple uniform and a long blue arrow quiver strapped to his back. In his hand was a Brave Bow.

"Let me get this straight: we're all here to prove which sibling is the most talented?", the archer asked.

The girl shrugged, "That's what Veronica told us. This realm looks to be our battlefield".

"But you aren't my sister", the archer replied.

"Nor are you my brother but…", the mage said, "I am Sanaki, Empress of Begnion! The Apostle! The voice of the goddess Ashera! And what's more, I refuse to let any other little sister prove herself of greater standing than me. So, to battle!".

The archer looked at her, dumbfounded, "To what battle? No enemies are here".

"There are", Sanaki closed her eyes, "Five of them are here, Askrian heroes. They are beyond this wall".

"Why did you introduce yourself then?", the archer asked.

"Klein, you know it's polite to introduce yourself to new adversities before a fight like this", Sanaki said, "Anyhow, to battle! Emblian soldiers, attack the Askrians!".

Klein sighed, nocking an arrow into his Brave Bow, "What have I gotten myself into this time…?".

Two Emblian soldiers came rushing out from the fort, a green mage and an archer.

"What fools they are, rushing out despite being ranged fighters", Jeorge shot an arrow towards the Bow Fighter, making him stagger back, "Seliph! Engage the mage!".

"Got it!", Seliph dodged a Rexcalibur shot from the mage and slammed his Tyrfing into the mage's face, defeating him in one hit. The archer took cover behind a wall and fired arrows towards us, but Jeorge counterattacked and took out the bowman with a well-shot arrow to the head.

"Wait for it… now!", Sanaki called and Klein came out from the wall, landing two arrows onto Sharena's chest. Sharena barreled through the attack and stabbed Klein hard through the stomach. While he staggered back, Sharena was about to finish him, but Sanaki summoned a gigantic fireball with her tome.

"Cymbeline!", Sanaki shouted and the meteor-sized fireball rocketed towards Sharena, destroying parts of the old fort in a huge explosion. Sharena rose her shield to defend herself, but the magic was so powerful that it smashed Sharena to the ground and she faded away, defeated.

"Jeorge and Seliph! Take this opportunity to attack!", I commanded. The two split ways, with Seliph charging through the hall Klein came from and Jeorge breaking down a cracked wall to attack from the other side. Seliph easily defeated Klein with a slice to the neck and before Sanaki could summon another fireball, an arrow from Jeorge's Silver Bow punctured her leg and she collapsed on the ground. Another arrow came flying over the wall and it landed in the empress's chest, causing her to fade into light. We checked the rest of the fort, but it was clear of enemies. Before we could leave, Sanaki reappeared in a flash of light without her tome.

"You...you...beat us? Well, I suppose it's the right thing to do to concede defeat", Sanaki bowed with respect, "After all, it's not every day that someone gets the best of me... Sanaki, Empress of Begnion!", and the mage left the fortress. Next, we were going to engage the Thunder's Fist Reinhardt's forces in the Northern river. We decided not to go back to the castle and grab someone to replace Sharena as it'll waste time and give the Emblians more time to potentially seize Askr.

"Every soldier matters in a battle Lucian. Are you sure us three can handle it?", Jeorge asked as we trekked through a forest leading towards the river.

"It's only two of us", Seliph corrected, "Maria can't fight".

"Hey, I can fight!", Maria showed Seliph her staff, "Lucian got me an Assault staff a few days ago so then I can attack stuff!".

"Yeah, but you're a cleric", Seliph replied, "Your role is to stay in the back and heal us front line fighter, not BE the front line fighter".

"Well don't count me out just because I'm a cleric", Maria said, "I can still at least hurt the enemy".

Seliph sighed, "Fine. At least try to stay out of trouble however. You ARE still a frail little cleric".

"I'm not frail!".

"Maria, you're like 13 and you don't have the least bit of armor on".

"Oh, I'm going to-"

"Shut up guys, we're about to get to the northern river", I said and we crawled out of the woods, arriving at a quartz brick bridge spanning over a large rushing river. Three cavaliers were on the other side along with a red mage.

"Olwen, please retreat. I intend to keep you safe, Sister. Our opponents here are quite skilled, worthy of being called Heroes as I heard. Should the worst occur, I may not be able to protect you", the mage cavalier with dark black hair said.

"I refuse, Reinhardt. I will stay right here where I can be of use. All I've ever wanted is to fight at your side", the female mage cavalier, Olwen replied, "So command me all you like, I will still obey my heart".

"You've grown into quite the formidable woman, sister", Reinhardt acknowledged, "You've chosen to go your own path at last and yet, you still choose to ride alongside me. Very well. To battle".

Reinhardt gestured to the Axe Cavalier beside him, "Go and intercept the defenders in front of us. Olwen will accompany you to the front line. Retreat if you are injured and we'll swap places".

The Axe Cavalier nodded without a word and charged towards us, with Olwen behind him.

"Seliph, meet the Axe Cavalier with your sword, but watch out for Olwen! Jeorge, distract Olwen so then she doesn't blast Seliph. Go!", I commanded and my hero duo rushed towards the incoming foe. Seliph clashed with the Axe Cavalier, Killer Axe to Tyrfing while Jeorge launched arrows at Olwen. Olwen countered with a extreme bolt of lightning from her Thoron, but Jeorge darted out of the way and managed to hit Olwen with an arrow from his Silver Bow, leaving her waist wounded. Meanwhile, Seliph knocked the Axe Cavalier back with his sword and leaped to finish him when a blue bolt of lightning came flying out of the sky and knocked Seliph hard to the ground.

"Dire Thunder!", Reinhardt called and a second bolt of lightning came streaking down towards Seliph, but he rolled away at the last second and got healed by Maria.

"We can kill the Axe Cavalier first, then use Maria to block the enemy's attacks, as all of them are mages", I said to myself, "Jeorge! Hurry and finish off Olwen! Seliph can't approach with Reinhardt in the way!".

"I'm trying my best!", Jeorge rolled to dodge another Thoron bolt and shot his arrow at her, which was ignited in a bright orange flame.

"Rising Flame!", Jeorge shouted and upon contact with Olwen, the arrow exploded into a horizontal row of fire, taking down Olwen and weakening Reinhardt and the Axe Cavalier.

"Magic is everything!", Reinhardt declared and his tome blazed with yellow lightning. He galloped straight towards Seliph, "Blazing Thunder!".

Reinhardt's tome burst in a vertical line of red lightning, knocking Maria and Seliph to their knees, their bodies covered with leftover discharge. Reinhardt pointed his gloved finger to Seliph to launch another attack, but Jeorge shot an arrow at the mage's chest and pierced his heart, killing him instantly. The remaining red mage ran forth, pulling out his Bolganone tome. Seliph got healed by Maria, then he Rally Speed-ed Jeorge. Jeorge jumped to dodge the first Bolganone shot, then took down the mage with two arrows from his bow. The mage fell to the ground and faded away. The battle was over.

"Phew, that was really close", I said as everyone sat on the bridge to rest, "You did an amazing job there Jeorge".

"Heh, glad to be of service", Jeorge laid down his Silver Bow and leaned back against the bridge fence, "Let's rest and heal before we continue on. All of us are beat".

We rested for a few minutes while Maria topped everyone off with her staff. Then, we moved to towards the forest in the east to meet with Eldigan's forces.

When we arrived in the forest clearing, we found three armed cavaliers and a healer. Two of the cavaliers were Emblian soldiers, one wielding a Silver Lance and the other a Silver Axe. The third looked to be a unique hero, with a long red coat, medium-length blond hair and a sharp sword in his hand. The cleric looked similar, with longer blond hair and was wearing a orange dress instead. In her hand was a Physic staff.

"Ah, there you are, those Askrians everyone keeps talking about", the cleric began, "Well, the winner of this fight is clear. My brother, Eldigan, has already won the day by virtue of his good looks alone".

"Lachesis, you're embarrassing me and yourself", Eldigan replied, "Can we cut this short and move to the fight?".

"Hold on, I'm not finished", Lachesis cleared her throat, "He sets the standard for older brothers. Yes, I say! Raise high the banner for Eldigan! Alright, now let's settle this matter once and for all".

Eldigan slapped his forehead, "You're never going to get over your excessive clinging. Fine then, let's get to the fight. I hope you are ready to meet my Mystletainn, Askrians".

Eldigan turned to the cavaliers next to him, "Do not move until they enter our range. Stay together and don't get separated. Understood?". The cavaliers nodded and the fight begun.

The cavaliers didn't move when I sent Seliph forward with Jeorge behind him.

"Try to bait them out one at a time! Don't get surrounded!", I commanded. My heroes obeyed and Seliph came into the range of the Silver Lance cavalier. The cavalier spotted him and charged, brandishing his spear. Seliph held his sword in a defensive stance in front of him and the cavalier crashed headon, pushing Seliph a far distance away.

"Jeorge! Strike the cavalier from behind!", I called and Jeorge launched an arrow at the back of the cavalier, piercing his chest. The cavalier faltered when the arrow struck and Seliph slashed at his neck with his sword, killing the cavalier.

"Not so fast!", Eldigan didn't stay put and charged towards Jeorge, striking a hard blow at the archer's waist. Jeorge toppled to the ground and rolled the get away, drawing an arrow in the process. He got up quickly and shot the arrow, but Eldigan simply raised his shield and the arrow bounced off. Eldigan charged again and brought his Mystletainn down onto Jeorge. The archer jumped out of the way, with Eldigan's sword slicing the grass beneath him. Seliph jumped to land a jumping strike onto Eldigan, but the Axe Cavalier caught the lord in the waist and he collapsed onto the ground, wounded but alive. Jeorge slowly walked back towards me and Maria, letting his arrows loose at the two cavaliers in order to distract them. Maria healed Jeorge while he was doing this and managed to heal all his wounds before Eldigan attacked again. While the Axe Cavalier fended off Seliph, Eldigan rose his sword, the blade glowing with bright white light. He rushed towards Jeorge and shouted, "Growing Light", before swinging his sword. Jeorge dodged, but the moment it touched the ground, Mystletainn exploded in a burst of light, knocking me and Maria to the ground.

"You like playing the area splash game? Well, I'll join in too. Rising Flame!", Jeorge shot an arrow lit ablaze and once it made contract with Eldigan's body, it blew up into a line of fire, forcing him back with his clothes charred and a huge burnt hole in his waist. Lachesis came out of the woods to heal him, but Seliph ran behind her and cut her down in one swing. The Axe Cavalier galloped towards Seliph quickly however and landed a powerful blow onto the lord's head. Seliph collapsed onto the ground and faded away.

"Jeorge, it's all you now. Fall back towards Maria and take down Eldigan quickly!", I called. The sniper launched an arrow at the Axe Cavalier, taking him down and then took aim towards Eldigan. The knight was still in pain from the Rising Flame shot, but managed to hold up his sword and charge. He brought his blade down onto Jeorge and the archer dodged as usual, but Eldigan swung in a circle, slashing his sword across Maria's face. The cleric fell in a pool of blood and disappeared.

"Oh ****", I cursed, but Jeorge wasted no time after Maria's defeat and sniped Eldigan in the head with his bow. The knight fell off his horse and onto the ground, his sword and himself fading into light. The hard battle was done.

As always, the heroes we fought reappeared in a flash of light after the fight was done.

"We lost? And yet losing… has never felt like such a relief", Lachesis said, "I feel like a strange weight has lifted from my shoulders. Just being here with my brother is all I could ever want". Lachesis looked at Eldigan with a warm smile.

"You have all shown your strength. And so I lower my sword, a bitter moment for a true knight", Eldigan said, "Duty is my code, so though you broke the contract that binds us… I find it as disheartening as losing a liege. What am I to do with myself now?".

Lachesis tapped her brother's shoulder playfully, "Eldie... Let us return to our home. After all, you once promised to return to our castle one day".

Eldigan let out a short laugh, "Heh, I suppose I did. So, perhaps that will be my next destination. Travelers, you have my thanks. Next we meet, I hope to raise my sword in service to you", and the two disappeared into the Askrian woods. When we arrived back at the castle, the attack from Embla seemed to be over. No soldiers were fighting at the entrance and the portals looked normal like nothing happened. We came in through the entrance and everyone in the lobby exploded with cheer.

"Incredible job out there Lucian. You saved Askr from Embla", Alfonse congratulated.

"We were so worried when Maria, Sharena and Seliph appeared wounded in the lobby", Anna said, "But it looks like Jeorge got it all done. Well done, you two!".

"Thanks Anna. So what happened after Embla's attack?", I asked.

"We routed the Emblian soldiers and their enslaved heroes", Alfonse confirmed, "The spies report that most were defeated or they fell back. Half of the Emblian army is dead".

"So we don't need to worry about attacks from Embla anymore!", Sharena cheered, "Until they can rebuild their army, we're free to sit back, train and make ourselves stronger to be more prepared for them".

"That's reassuring", I said, "Is there anything else the spies mentioned?".

"The report says that Emblia is currently battling heroes in the World of Awakening to enslave them again", Anna said, "But we're sending Askrian knights to rout the soldier out, so you don't need to get involved".

"Good to hear" I said, "Alright, I'm going to eat, take a shower and rest. I'm beat".

"Ha ha, we all are", Alfonse smiled, "Meet you in the mess hall".

"I'll see you there", I nodded.

To be continued...

Next part: Return to Awakening

So since the Choose Your Legends heroes came out, I want to know what you guys picked as your free hero. I personally picked Lyn because nobody wants to go through colourless hell, but I'm curious what you guys picked. Let me know in the review section!