Chapter 11: Fated Encounter; Battle at Wrulz Mountain
Expedition in Etherthien Arc
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, this is just a Fanfiction.
Featured Music: "Behind the Clouds" – Black Lagoon OST. Chapter Briefing.
"Sneak Attack" – Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail OST. Scene 1 (First Half).
"Crisis in the North" – Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood OST. Scene 1 (Second Half).
"The Reluctant Heroes" – Attack on Titan OST. Scene 2 (First Half).
"Anxious Hearts" – Final Fantasy VII OST. Scene 2 (Second Half).
"The Black Knight" – Fire Emblem IX: Path of Radiance OST. Scene 3 (First Half).
"Against the Black Knight" – Fire Emblem IX: Path of Radiance OST. Scene 3 (Second Half).
Having interrogated the driver of the former supply convoy that Selthris' small Aselian force had earlier raided, King Alaric of Etherthien has passed down some new orders to the foreigners; with the knowledge of yet another supply convoy on its way to relieve the Rebel Alliance's forces, he requests his borrowed Aselian forces to once again halt the flow of sustenance and put further pressure on his enemy.
However, in an undisclosed location, the leader of the rebellion; Gallarus Cinnario meets with his comrades and soldiers in an attempt to put a lid on the rising pressure they are feeling from Etherthien's military. Cadil Agares, a mysterious man borne of strategy and knowledge, opts to simply run yet another supply convoy, knowing of King Alaric's intentions to halt their supply. He orders that Gallarus place an ambush force worthy enough to expel the small Aselian force, seemingly very knowledgeable on the royal Aselian family.
Meanwhile in Naerith, King Alpheus watches over his greatest military asset, the Renegade Saints in their practice – a challenging duel between its leader, the mysterious Masked Man and the previous loser of the earlier duel with Aselia's very own Sathryon Vikeruce – General Cain. King Alpheus asserts his authority over his soldiers and sends out orders to pursue the fleeing Vikeruce junior; Sathryon's only son, Selthris Vikeruce. He hands this mission down to the Masked Man in a strange test of loyalty, confusing everyone else around them.
With their orders however, Selthris and his Aselian force lie in wait in the high Wrulz mountains for their prey; the next supply convoy…
Scene 1
"So cold…," Leo muttered as he shook from the breezy weather, snow dropping as he spoke. "Urgh I ain't used to this climate…" The Mercenary grudgingly admitted as he sneezed once shaking his head as if to relieve himself of the temperature.
"I don't like it anymore than you do…," Selthris admitted next to him as he hunched down, silver eyes prowling down at the snowy road below. "But this is exactly where we were told they'd be turning up."
"Are we sure we aren't being… setup?" Leo pointed out suspiciously. Ordinarily Selthris would simply have turned the notion away but turning to find the look on his close companion's face made him second guess his notion.
"What do you mean?" He questioned, raising a curious silver eyebrow upwards.
"Well, think about it," the intelligent young man began before turning his own eyes to the road below them. "The Rebel Alliance already know how we're going to react, given last time," he pointed out with a light tilt of his head and raise of both his eyebrows. "With that in mind they could easily have hidden forces here for an ambush or something else-"
"We simply have to take that chance," Selthris interrupted lightly as he narrowed his eyes down. Leo gasped and 'rounded his surprised frown on the younger boy. "Our country's future depends on it."
"I get that but…," Leo began in reply before finally shaking his head and replacing his smile on his face. "Hey, whatever happens, happens," the Mercenary admitted in his happy-go-lucky smile. Selthris, perhaps surprised, turned to face his close companion with a wide-eyed frown and received a grin from him in response. "Wherever you go I'll follow; just don't run us into a wall all right?" The youth grinned, drawing a surprised chuckle from the boy.
He always knew how to make him laugh.
Almost as if to interrupt the pair however, movement below their position made them turn their heads. On the road, as expected, were yet another horse and cart followed by a small group of four soldiers same as before.
"This can't be it…," Leo muttered aloud as he shook his head upon watching the scene before him. "It's just too easy."
"You think there are other forces out here?" Selthris asked, turning his eye on the unsure Mercenary. He shook his head again in response.
"Well… it's just like you say," he admitted. "Can't turn back now."
Selthris nodded gravely, turning his silver eyes back down to watch the slow approaching supply convoy.
Just as before, he thought.
Even as they approached the Rebel Alliance's supply convoy, Selthris' growing foreboding feeling got even stronger; especially when he managed to surround his forces around the small, clumsy Etherthien military. Selthris exchanged worried looks with Leo as he approached the driver of the horse and cart, hoping perhaps to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed. As he took his second step however, black boot crunching against the snow, the Aegir in his body twitched and he gasped. Swivelling around, he quickly found other Etherthien soldiers, all presumably in hiding.
"What the hell?!" Sabine's shout came from the back. "They're everywhere!" He exclaimed concernedly.
"I was afraid of this…," Leo murmured, gritting his teeth together as he unsheathed his iron sword, swirling it around in his right hand. His eyes darted between the approaching and seemingly grinning faced soldiers. "Sel! Orders!" He called out loudly.
Sweat struck Selthris' sullen disposition and he narrowed his silver eyes. "K-Keep a tight formation!" He called back in response; Edgar, Kay, George, Ulric, Sabine, Gerard, Leo and Gorlin all joined him, edging their position closer. The supply convoy's soldiers merely glared back at them, grins on their faces as if knowing of the strategy being employed.
"We're fucked!" Sabine cursed under his breath, his teeth also grit in fear and frustration. "What are we gonna do?!"
"Shut up!" Kay admonished angrily as she twirled her iron sword around before gripping it with both hands. "We're not gonna die here!"
"Be quiet!" George hissed, his steel sword held tightly in both his hands. "We need to think of a strategy or something-"
"Maybe Sabine's right," Gerard gasped, shaking lightly as his eyes darted between each approaching soldier. His iron lance and shield shook terribly in his tenuous grip. "Maybe… maybe we'll…"
"Of course I'm right; look at where we are you idiot!" The Archer spat back in an angry hiss, snapping his head over to the Armour Knight's location. "I should've left back then…" The young man spoke quietly, his words whispered.
"What does that mean?" Kay asked almost rhetorically as she 'rounded her dirty-blonde head on the wide-eyed Archer. "You wanna turn tail and run on us?"
"Both of you; that's enough!" Ulric demanded loudly, 'rounding a hard look on the pair. "Things are bad enough as they are; don't exacerbate them!"
"We gotta do somethin' kid…," Gorlin murmured quietly as he held one of his long katana blades, his eyes watching the hungry approaching forces. "They ain't just here for sightseeing."
"I know…," Selthris muttered back before narrowing his eyes at the soldiers angrily. "I know!" He exclaimed this time before re-opening his eyes and gripping his iron sword with both hands.
"Above you!" Edgar's ringing call suddenly came from the side; Selthris instinctively snapped his head upwards to find a descending Axe Fighter, steel axe drawn.
Thanks to his companion's call however, Selthris managed to react in time with a swift step to his left; the Axe Fighter's weapon struck the icy ground beneath him and stuck him fast. Selthris used the opportunity to turn his iron sword backwards and step similarly backwards in a defensive stab attack. The Axe Fighter yelled in pain as the iron sword was pulled from his back, dropping to the snowy ground without another word; Selthris twirled his iron sword around once without breaking formation however, perhaps emboldened by their ally's earlier attack, the rest of the Etherthien rebel forces leapt to the offence in his stead, their war cries echoing across the mountain.
A lean Swordfighter stabbed at Gorlin's position clumsily; the large man easily evaded the attack by swerving his body before spinning around and counterattacking with a rotating slash. The attack found its mark and struck the long-haired assailant across the neck; he dropped to the ground with his ally, his sword clanging to the ground.
Sabine shot an arrow up at a leaping Warrior; the arrow struck a vital spot and left him limp and grunting once before dropping noisily to the ground. Sabine let loose a breath of relief however gasped once more when he clocked a fast approaching Soldier, steel lance drawn. Kay's iron sword caught his undefended side however and he grunted once before falling as she yanked the blade out, twirling it around once. Sabine exchanged his shocked look with the hard, annoyed glare from the blonde Social Knight.
Two Swordfighters rushed the narrow-eyed Leo simultaneously; one in the air and one below. He first narrowed his eyes before tossing his own iron sword upwards; it spun ostentatiously and struck the defenceless aerial Swordfighter in place. Leo leapt high in the air to catch his sword and spun multiple times with it before suddenly bringing his enemy down with him as he descended downwards. The second Swordfighter raised up his head and his sword in an attempt to block the plunging Mercenary, but it was too late; Leo crashed into his position hard and sent him howling across the snowy field.
"There's too many of 'em!" Leo called over his shoulder as he raised himself up and backed a few steps to keep the group's formation. "We're not gonna win like this!"
"Don't let them through!" Ulric called from the side as he plunged his steel lance into a leaping Brigand's chest. He roughly threw the man's body away from his weapon, the blood shining in the snow. "Do not break the formation!"
"Rgh!" Gerard grunted loudly as he blocked an approaching Halberdier's steel great-lance with his shield. The two struggled for another couple of moments before he finally managed to push the wide-eyed soldier off of his defence. Using the opportunity, he shot his iron lance forward and caught the gasping man's defence before yanking his weapon out and kicking his opponent's lifeless body away. "They're strong!" He warned, sweating beneath his heavy armour.
An arrow shot out, presumably from the mountainous regions, and struck the grunting Gorlin's right leg. He growled angrily from the pain. "Dammit!" He exclaimed, annoyed. An approaching knight atop a flying horse – a Pegasus – twirled around her iron lance and flew forward, shooting it downward. Gorlin managed to block the initial strike by raising his katana up diagonally and defensively however, the knight followed up her attack by horizontally slashing. Gorlin gasped as his defence was breached and though he managed to hold onto his weapon, he was simply opened up.
"No!" Selthris exclaimed, widened eyes. Using his Aegir, he blasted his feet against the snow and managed to leap high and diagonally to his right. The Pegasus Knight only caught him approaching at the end of her attack; Selthris spun his body around and slashed as he approached, catching the woman off guard. She yelped in pain as she was sent sailing off her Pegasus; Selthris landed with an effort filled gasp as he spun across the snowy ground. He turned his head around to view the results of his intervention and smiled when he spied the knowing smirk on Gorlin's face. He quickly lost his satisfied smile however when he caught Gorlin's sudden switch to a wide-eyed frown. He rose his finger up to point and shouted something at him; time seemed to slow down for the boy and he could barely hear what he was being told. Instead, he simply traced the man's intended direction and found a charging Swordfighter, her destination clearly fixed. Selthris' silver eyes widened, and his defence was open, unable to respond.
Shouldn't have broken the formation, he thought to himself.
Just as he attempted to raise his iron sword in defence anyway however, he was quickly surprised by yet another intervention.
2
Before the Swordfighter could finish her attack, a sword quickly flew into her gut, cleanly flying through her and landing in the snowy ground with an audible crunch. The young woman grunted aloud, eyes widening as she dropped to one of her knees. Selthris, though previously defenceless was left flabbergasted.
Who could've…?
His question however was quickly answered when a flipping figure descended suddenly from the sky; he effortlessly grabbed the katana-like blade as he landed. Selthris exchanged a look with the man and got a brief glimpse of him. He was definitely older than he was, perhaps an adult in his later years. He wore a robe, almost like an ancient Swordmaster's however his muscles clearly bulged from behind it. His white hair seemed to be shortened for a reason, perhaps for combat and, finally, he wore a dark eye-patch across his left eye. Selthris and the mysterious swordsman exchanged stares before, suddenly, the man's only visible eye darted to his right.
A Halberdier rushed at the warrior from his seemingly undefended right side; the Swordmaster twirled his katana around his left hand before turning his head to face the yelling man. In an instant, the super-fast Swordmaster disappeared from common view, reappearing behind the suddenly halting Halberdier. The lance wielding fighter dropped to one of his knees, coughing out blood from the now visible slash that the mysterious Swordmaster had delivered to his throat. The man relaxed his stance by twirling his katana 'round his left hand and stood up straight, turning his head and body around to face the dumbstruck Aselian force.
"Help him!" Selthris suddenly called aloud as he scrambled to his feet, intending to seize the opportunity the nameless Swordmaster had created for them. Perhaps listening to his words, their unknown ally seemed receptive; he turned his katana on another couple of approaching Swordfighters and Axe Fighters. Selthris grunted as he backed away as quickly as he could to reform the formation the Aselian force contained within themselves. Their morale increased greatly from the sudden assistance they received, and their blind sides handled by the mysterious invader, they turned their sights on simply defending.
"Who is that?" Gorlin grumbled out lowly as he used his dual katanas to block a running Axe Fighter's easily telegraphed overhead. He countered with a horizontal slash to open up the man's defence before finishing in a simple stab with his right arm. The katana stuck deep, and the Axe Fighter grunted in pain; Gorlin growled as he used one of his feet to push the ambushing soldier's body from his weapon, sending him sprawling to the ground. "I don't like it."
"Just focus on surviving!" Selthris called out loud enough for the rest of the small force to hear. A low scowl grew on his face as he suddenly blocked an approaching Swordfighter's desperate stab in a diagonal block; he grunted once as he spun his iron sword around to horizontally slash the man, sending him rolling and yelping across the snowy ground. "Don't give up!" The young Lord exclaimed out roughly as he turned his gaze around for the next approaching enemy. "We can do t-" He began however halted his words almost immediately when he double took in the horizontal gliding of his eyes. Not too high up on a mountain, presumably watching him and the rest of his defending force stood a figure; a figure he recognised almost instantly.
Naerith's Masked Man.
"What the…?" Selthris murmured out lowly and to himself, his silver eyes caught and stuck on the form he spied above him. He quickly convinced himself it was somehow a mirage or a hallucination.
But his eyes did not lie.
His father's killer stood on the small mountain, arms folded and watched him as much as he watched him.
Another scowl, this one a hateful one, grew on his face as he exchanged glares with the masked general. He was about to open his mouth when he received a rough jab in his ribs from the Coremondian swordsman on his right.
"Kid, wake up!"
His warning was too late however; a rushing Soldier wielding an iron lance managed to get through his wide-eyed defence with a grinning stab attack. His clumsy, though effective, attack was met with success and the lance stuck through his left side. Selthris gasped, blood catching in his throat and running down his injured side.
"No!" He managed to hear Leo's worried call from behind his position; he dropped to his knees and could barely hear the Soldier fall to an attack, presumably from the rushing nameless Swordmaster that assisted them earlier. He shakily rose his head up regardless to glare up at the folded armed Masked Man, quietly watching him in response. Finally, Selthris coughed out blood before dropping to his front, unconscious.
"You're pathetic; you're no warrior!"
"You're far too soft to be one of us."
"It's time to end this charade…"
Selthris gasped as he forced his body upward, his eyes widened. Sweat dripped down from his forehead and the worried Lord brought his arms down to his side; feeling bandages and wincing from the ache it left, he sighed loudly before dropping down back to his pillow, eyes lidden and frowning.
Yet another nightmare.
His silver eyes shut as he groaned and brought his left hand to pinch the skin between his eyes in a clear show of frustration and exasperation.
Whose voice was that?
It was so familiar; he knew he recognised, yet every time he nearly pinned it down with a name it escaped his grasp.
"Was wonderin' when you'd be up."
The youth's eyes widened once more, and he raised his body up, turning his head and body to find the smiling Leo laying back in a chair next to the bed he lay on. The Mercenary's hands were joined together in his lap as he leant back in his smile, clearly having slept himself.
"L-Leo…," Selthris greeted, his surprise wearing off. He groaned once more, a headache pervading him as he scrunched his eyes shut. "How long have I been asleep?"
"I dunno, few hours maybe?" The jovial Mercenary replied back in his light smile. "You were pretty out of it."
"Y-Yeah I um…," the Lord mumbled, events coming back to him as he narrowed his eyes downward in thought. "I was… distracted."
"Must've been pretty damn important to get you nearly killed…," Leo replied, raising a curious eyebrow upward. He tilted his head as he waited before continuing. "What was it you saw?"
Selthris turned his eyes over to face his best friend and winced lightly, watching him a second or two as if afraid to speak.
"You can tell me," the older boy offered in his unusually serious frown. "I'll believe you."
Selthris' wandering eyes finally raised back up to face his companion before he finally continued. "It was… my father's killer."
Leo sat up in his chair, eyebrows raising in surprise. "Say what?"
"The man I told you about?" Selthris tried, raising his own silver eyebrow; Leo nodded, eliciting the boy to continue. "I saw him, perched up on a mountain."
Leo narrowed his eyes, as if to verify the story. "W-What was he doing…?"
"Just… just watching us," Selthris answered as he turned his own eyes downward. "I know how it sounds… but it wasn't a hallucination," he claimed, his eyes narrowing at the quilt covers in his hands. His eyes raised back up, fury in them. "It was definitely him."
"Just as well he didn't intervene then huh…," Leo murmured, lowering his own eyes in thought. Selthris put on a wan smile of his own in response. "Anyway, listen," he began again as he stood back up and walked toward the room's door, turning to face the younger boy. "I'll send in Ivan to see you; he's the one that carried you back."
"I-Ivan?" Selthris parroted, blinking unsurely.
"The guy that helped us earlier," Leo chuckled in his earlier smile, eliciting a wide-eyed surprised frown from the Lord. "I'll let him make his intro but he's gonna check on you anyway okay?"
Selthris smiled in a nod, leaving the Mercenary to exit the room wordlessly. The silver haired youth sighed through his nose in a growing worried frown.
Was it a hallucination?
Even Leo didn't seem convinced, he thought.
This was perhaps the only time he truly felt alone.
An idea began to niggle at his head, however before he could finish it, the door to his room opened once more and a robed man walked through, carrying a tray.
There he was, right enough Selthris thought; their force's previous saviour.
The man never spoke a word as he strode into the room, shutting the door behind him and walking over to him. He placed the tray down on a table conveniently located next to the boy's resting place. Selthris raised his eyes over to the tray and found a beverage and a plate of soup. He turned his surprised eyes over to the hard-frowning man, presumably Ivan, pulling a seat out with an audible screech across the floor. He sat down in it and folded his arms and crossed his legs together as he frowned over at the boy. Selthris smiled awkwardly back.
"S-So you must be sir Ivan?" Selthris began as he sat up in his awkward smile, outstretching his right hand to be shook in introduction. "I'm… Selthris." The boy finished with a low murmur; the eye-patch wearing swordsman merely stared back at him wordlessly. Selthris lowered his eyes uncomfortably and pulled back his arm gradually, unsure what to make of the man. "Y-You really helped us out back there," the young Lord claimed boldly as he re-raised his silver head in another awkward smile. "Thank you so much." The boy thanked once more however, it looked as though the silent man would merely continue his stony silence. Selthris began to give up and lowered his eyes with a pained wince.
"Are you truly the son of Sathryon Vikeruce?"
Selthris' eyes widened in shock and he swivelled his head 'round to face the warrior once more.
He almost couldn't believe words came out of the man's mouth.
"Y-Yes," Selthris finally answered in an uncomfortable chuckle and smile, nodding. "Y-You know my father?"
"I know of his reputation," Ivan finally answered him, his stance unchanging in his hard frown. He tilted his head this time however as he continued and narrowed his eyes at the boy. "Fighting is all he lived for; people still debate whether he was our continent's greatest warrior."
"So I keep hearing," Selthris chuckled uncomfortably once more as he lowered his head and eyes in melancholic thought. "I guess I've never really… enjoyed fighting."
"It was hard to believe," Ivan answered in a low tone, this time standing back up from his chair. The chair gave a squeak as he did so; with his arms folded he strode across the room as confidently as he had done before and walked towards the window, perhaps watching the snow outside. "You've got a lot of look-a-like traits but that's about it," the Swordmaster claimed as he turned his one good eye on the boy, eliciting a light wince from him in response. "I asked your military commander why you're out here."
"Y-You know we're Aselians?"
Ivan turned again in his ever-hard frown. "Hard not to spot the colours," he admitted, eliciting an uncomfortable chuckle from the boy. "You should be careful about putting your foot into other country's affairs."
"We have no choice," Selthris shot back, this time with confidence of his own. He gripped the quilt below him and narrowed his silver eyes up at the man. "Our country has been pillaged by Naerith; we need military assistance."
"Hrm," Ivan merely answered, turning his eye back on the window, perhaps thinking. "So Naerith are moving again after all these years…" He seemingly thought aloud, narrowing his one eye forward.
"You are-" Selthris began as he moved his legs to leave his bed however stopped almost immediately as his feet touched the ground, his old wound aching. Ivan snapped his head 'round, cat-like reflexes as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the boy. The stabbing pain finally subsided to a dull ache as he re-raised his head to face the older man. "Y-You are an accomplished swordsman, yes?"
Ivan opted to stay silent, staring at the boy for a second or two before turning his one good eye back on the window.
"I need… your help," Selthris continued bravely as he forced himself up on his feet, growling from the pain rearing its head once more. "I know you can help me; I saw you fight out there," the boy admitted as he attempted to walk towards the man. Ivan turned his half-lidden eye on the boy before striding toward him and pushed him lightly. Selthris gasped, perhaps unready for the light blow, falling to the bed on his back. "Agh!"
"You've got a good hand on your Aegir…," Ivan began as he loomed over the boy, folding his arms once more. "But that's about it," he continued, narrowing his eye down at the little Lord. "Why should I teach you?"
"T-There's a man…," Selthris began in response, sitting back up as quickly as he could huffing in exertion as he did so. "A general in the Naerith army; he turned his blade on my father." The Lord explained briefly, narrowing his silver eyes up at the older male. That seemed to get his attention; his one good eye widened in surprise.
"I had heard Sathryon Vikeruce was deceased but…," he answered in response, re-narrowing his eye. "What is it then, revenge?"
"I won't lie; there's no altruism in this," Selthris admitted, an old fire re-igniting his eyes as he spoke. "I need to do this; he left me without a father. I have to avenge him."
"Huh…," the Swordmaster murmured, tilting his head thoughtfully down at the boy. "Those aren't the words I expected to hear from you," he admitted, drawing a temporary light grin from the youth. "But the answer is no." He finished, folding his arms decisively as he did so.
Selthris cursed lowly under his breath and growled up at the man. "W-Why not?" He requested. "I know you can help-"
"I don't feel comfortable making decisions for a child," Ivan merely answered before turning, presumably to leave. Selthris' eyes widened and he gasped. He opened the door, presumably to the living room and turned once more to face the boy. "Get some rest." He merely requested before leaving, shutting the door behind him. Selthris' scowl grew worse as he listened and he growled in anger.
What am I going to do now, he thought.
"All you can do anymore." His mind answered for him. He turned his eyes on the beverage supplied to him and downed it before forcing himself up; he cringed in pain but dealt with it.
He had gone through worse.
He spied his equipment hanging on the wall to his right. He rolled his arms around, perhaps to bring feeling back to them, one at a time before he plucked his equipment from the wall.
It was a longshot… but perhaps the Masked Man was still out there.
If that man wouldn't help him then he'd do it himself.
Live or die.
Turning his eyes on the room door he instead snapped his eyes over to the window in his room.
Could it be opened?
He'd rather avoid involving anyone else, even Leo if he could.
Approaching the window he grunted as he pulled at the window roughly. Eventually it gave way and he grinned as he successfully opened it. Finding himself small enough to fit through the crevice he bent his body to crouch through it, wincing through the stabbing pain his old wound offered to him. Finally out in the howling wind and the raging snowstorm he narrowed his eyes around the area, searching madly for the Masked Man. He turned to give his room a final apologetic look before turning and leaving, eyes narrowed forward.
The door to his room opened however, unbeknownst to the boy.
"Yo, Sel," a voice behind the door intoned. The door opened to reveal the lightly smiling Leo, stepping in. "Just wanted to check in on-" The young Mercenary spoke before halting and raising his two eyebrows upward in surprise as he saw the room's contents. Selthris' tray of food lay uneaten and his equipment previously hung on the wall had been taken down. "What the…?" Leo muttered, narrowing his eyes; a snowflake flittered into the room, catching his attention. He snapped his head around and caught the open window to his right. His eyes widened and he gasped, quickly adding it all up. He turned his head around and watched the rest of his companions smiling and sharing stories by the fire in the living room. He clicked his tongue, annoyed before shutting the door quietly so no-one else would hear him. He walked towards the window and crouched through to pursue.
3
Even as he walked through the growing blizzard, Selthris' silver eyes narrowed forward and upward; just as before during the supply convoy exchange, Naerith's Masked Man stood on the same mountain he had done before.
It wasn't a hallucination then.
The two stood in the harsh blizzard, one high in the mountains, one lower simply glaring at one another for what felt like hours. Finally however, the Masked Man suddenly disappeared and Selthris' eyes widened, temporarily surprised by his sudden speed. Nevertheless his target quickly re-appeared at equal standing; the pair glared at one another. Selthris watched the figure through the harsh white blizzard.
He wore black robes laced with red outline, perhaps to suit to Naerith's military colour scheme. Underneath he wore a simple tabard, similar to Selthris' own clothing. He spied the short sword hanging on his side inside its scabbard before also noticing the longsword hiding on his back, the hilt barely visible. The mask he wore, of course, protected his face from any kind of view; a very simple ebony shaded mask with no particular design. His hard silver eyes glared back at the watching Lord; the Masked Man leant his body to the side in his low lidden glare before finally breaking the ice.
"Finally, the son of Sathryon," the man spoke, his voice a light tenor. Even through the rigid storm, Selthris' ears easily picked up his voice, perhaps listening hard for it. "I've been waiting for you." He claimed oddly, watching him quietly through his mask ominously.
"And I, you," Selthris finally responded, opening his mouth. His hard frown quickly devolved to a hateful scowl as he spoke, twitching in pure anger. He attempted to steady the fierce heartbeat that threatened to burst from his body; every fibre of his being screaming at him to charge the Naerithian general. "I've waited for this day."
"I imagine you have," the Masked Man merely responded with as he looked the boy up and down, presumably as if to analyse him. "Hmph…," he muttered under his breath disappointedly. Selthris raised an initially curious eyebrow and listened. "You cannot hope to match me as you are now."
Selthris' scowl quickly returned and in full fervour. "How would you know?" He accused before using his thumb to poke out the hilt of his iron sword hanging at his left hip. The Masked Man's eyes were immediately drawn down to the blade and narrowed at it. "I will show you...," Selthris began again before he pulled his sword from his hip with his right hand, twirling it around in practice as he glared forward. "Just how wrong you are!" The youth suddenly roared before shooting forward, using the Aegir in his feet to vault his form quickly. The Masked Man deftly pulled his short sword from his side and brought it up diagonally to block the boy's fairly direct strike. For a fleeting time, the two swordsmen glared at one another; the Masked Man resolute in his iron stance and Selthris levitating in mid-air, iron sword held with both hands in a downward stance.
"Sel!"
The boy gasped, his head snapping 'round to his right in the direction where the voice came from; the Masked Man used this opportunity to intensify the Aegir around his sword arm. Selthris gasped for the second time, his attention begrudgingly returned to the engagement however it was too late; the Masked Man expelled a force of his own Aegir, surprising the wide-eyed youth. Selthris yelled in sudden shock; the sheer strength of the Quintessence sent him sailing backward. The Lord used his own Quintessence to backflip in recovery however, skidding across the snowy ground as he landed. The teenager quickly checked himself for any wounds but much to his astonishment, he had suffered no injury. Just as he expected however the running Leo rushed toward their position from the cabin he had just come from, his own iron sword drawn. Selthris' bright eyes stretched in growing dread and he opened his mouth to address the older male.
"Leo!" He called over loudly, swiping at the white infested air angrily. "Leave me! That's an order!"
"No!" The Mercenary denied in his own show of anger, shaking his head in emphasis. "You're not gonna do this alone! Not again!"
Selthris grit his teeth and growled angrily as he swerved his head over to his opponent. The Masked Man glared over at the approached Leo, seemingly raising an eyebrow behind his disguise.
"The rats are gathering." He spoke aloud, seemingly giving voice to his thoughts.
"Hey! I'm your opponent now!" The young Mercenary warned brashly, raising his head up briefly as he spoke, as if to pull the Naerithian soldier's attention. "Come on!"
Selthris' eyes widened in abject horror as he watched. "Leo!" He screamed hopelessly before immediately taking off after the pair. Leo tossed his iron sword spinning into the air before leaping up after it; he caught it and spun with it as he descended. The Masked Man watched him hungrily, waiting eagerly. Finally Leo plummeted downward for a fairly easily telegraphed attack; just as before, the Masked Man easily blocked the attack, his short sword hung diagonally in defence. Leo's eyes widened in shock at the fortitude his new opponent offered, watching the wind pick up from the masked general's feet as if to emphasise the power difference between the pair. Finally allowed to counter, the Masked Man's bright silver eyes shone hungrily in the moonlight and even while his left hand was occupied, the hilt on the man's back ghosted up from its sheath.
"Woah, what the…?" Leo murmured in a strange blend of amazement, shock and eventually, terror. Seemingly using his Aegir alone, the Masked Man lifted his unique sword from his back; he raised his right hand to meet with the blade's hilt, a ravenous look in his glowering eyes. Thankfully however, Selthris' speed proved sufficient and the young swordsman leapt in between the pair; he managed to push the grunting Leo out of the way of the incoming overhead and positioned his body so he could defend diagonally as he passed in mid-air. As the Naerithian general's weapon collided with his own inferior blade, Selthris' body jarred horribly; he had managed to block the attack successfully and save his only companion's life but the sword itself was so much stronger than his own that it broke through it entirely; the mysterious sword caught the gasping Lord across his right cheek as he spun around from and passed the wide-eyed swordsman.
As the boy landed, rolling across the harsh white roughly he grunted in pain before spinning his body into a recovering flip, landing on one knee. Blood dripped from the graze he had suffered earlier; the youth's eyes were drawn down to the drips of crimson that stained the colourless vista of snow below him. He turned his head to his left to find the gasping Leo kneeling next to him; the Mercenary turned to meet his concerned gaze and grinned sheepishly.
"S-Sorry," the older soldier apologised. "Thought I'd come help."
"Dammit Leo…," Selthris growled under his breath and through grit teeth before snapping his hateful expression over on the watching Masked Man mere yards away from him. "This is my problem," the Lord chastised through his grit teeth, glaring at his hated enemy. "I will not have anyone else interfere."
"You mean you don't wanna risk losin' me huh," Leo chuckled in spite of the situation, a light grin across his features. "I'm touched but, Sel…"
The young Lord turned his surprised frown on the smirking Mercenary.
"We're best friends," he shot back simply in his knowing smirk. Selthris merely blinked back at the male. "There ain't nothin' you can keep me from."
Selthris attempted a light smile, perhaps unable to manage one before 'rounding his hard look on the silent Masked Man.
"You're also of the Aselian military aren't you," the nameless Masked Man questioned curiously as he turned his body on the pair before seemingly chuckling behind his guise. "Yes, I recognise you."
"Who are you?" Leo suddenly demanded loudly, calling above the din of the snowstorm.
"I am not at liberty to even speak to you," the Masked Man merely shot back, glaring down at the youth with a haughty glower. "Lowly commoner."
"For an unknown knight to have bested Lord Sathryon…," Leo established as he began to rise, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at their mysterious opponent. "It's just unheard of."
"He got what he deserved," the Masked Man spoke intimately, glaring down at the brown haired Mercenary. "He was weak. Much like his son," the Naerithian knight spoke, this time directing his words to the wide-eyed and listening Selthris. The young Lord raised himself to his feet, raising the broken iron sword he now wielded. His hard frown twitched in annoyance as he regarded it before tossing the weapon away, crunching lightly in the snow. The Masked Man seemed to raise his eyebrow in amusement behind his mask. "Is this truly your answer? You will fight me bare handed?" He questioned incredulously. Selthris opted not to answer however; he let his callous glare speak for him, leaning his head downward in his glower as he clenched his two fists at his side.
"Sel," Leo murmured next to the boy, gripping his own iron sword with both hands. His eyes moved to his right to regard the solid scowl adorned on his companion's expression. "We can't fight like this."
"I don't care," Selthris spat back angrily, his ire clearly directed at the similarly glowering masked general. "I'm going to kill him-"
"You can't fight like this!" The Mercenary warned angrily as he swerved his sweating head on the hard-glowering Selthris. "If you go at him now you'll only die!" He hissed continually, a hard look of his own on his face. Selthris' odious scowl simply shone in response to the older boy's words. The Masked Man merely monopolised his opponent with a lingering glare of his own. "I know this is important; believe me, I do," Leo continued, quietly encouraged by his companion's silence. "But fighting him now is like trying to fight smoke!" The youth hissed onward in his brief explanation. "There's no way we're gettin' out of that alive!"
"Hmph…," the Masked Man finally spoke, his words echoing and carried by the white wind. Selthris' eyebrows rose suddenly as he caught the warrior's words and movement; the Field Marshal raised his robed arm into the air and, like magic, a portal appeared. Presumably created through his massive use of Aegir, a weapon appeared; a sword and sheath. Finally, the masked general used his portal drawing hand to grasp at the unique looking weapon before suddenly tossing it forward harmlessly. It landed with a noisy crunch in front of the wide-eyed Selthris. The young Lord's silver eyes darted down at the fallen weapon before snapping back up to glare in narrowed eyes at his opponent. "A weapon fit for your clan, oh mighty Vikeruce." The Field Marshal finished finally, his words seemingly echoing with a grin to his lips hidden behind the mask. Selthris growled lowly before lowering his eyes to the sheathed sword in question. His eyes widened once more however.
He recognised this blade.
Bending down to pick it up, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously down at the blade, pulling it out of its sheath with a loud shift. The blade shone in the moonlight as he stared down at his reflection.
Perfectly well kept.
Didn't his father own this sword?
Selthris' eyes slowly ascended to rest on the mysterious masked general before him. "Leo," the Lord simply began with, eliciting a wide-eyed frown from the listening Mercenary. "Leave us."
"W-Wha-?" The youth gasped in response, blinking in pure shock. "N-No, no I'm not gonna leave you to fight here alone!"
The silver haired youth yanked his new weapon out of its sheath, dropping the protective clothing to the ground before twirling it around the air. "This is my fight," Selthris hissed angrily. "Let me do this."
"Rgh!" Leo merely grunted back, his concerned scowl twitching in annoyance at the situation; he did as he was ordered however and stepped backwards, perhaps to allow the pair some room.
The wind howled roughly and intensely between the similarly glaring pair; an unnatural amount of hatred building between the pair. As Selthris affixed his stance; his feet kept apart, and his new weapon held far to his right, presumably for attack or defence, he scowled firmly at the watching Masked Man.
"Are you ready now?" The Masked Man finally spoke up, his words echoed as before, carried by the frigid wind of Etherthien. "Son of Sathryon?" He finished in a low toned spit, clearly of hatred. Selthris merely wordlessly glared back at the man, perhaps readying the rest of his nerves for his first, real attempt on his long-awaited revenge.
Using his vast speed and, presumably, his only real advantage, Selthris leapt up into the blizzard air before descending in a spiral slash attack. The Masked Man didn't seem to move, even as he clearly spied the fast approaching swordsman; it was only when the youth clashed with the mysterious warrior did he even seem to react. The Masked Man's own sword, now a new unique one similar in design, clashed noisily and jarringly with Selthris' own; the pair stared at one another viciously, the snowstorm raging around them. The Masked Man seemed to surprise the youth however; with a deft spin of his body he executed a number of quick slashes, forcing the boy to use his Aegir in an attempt to spin his own body around in mid-air defensively. Selthris successfully managed to block the surprisingly swift disguised swordsman's swipes however almost as if he was holding back, a slash got through and grazed the wide-eyed boy's cheek; this allowed the Masked Man to press up his attack with a spin into a slam. Using the hilt of his blade he crashed the sword's hilt roughly into his young opponent's chest; Selthris gave a gasping cough before spinning sideways in recovery, skidding across the snowy ground as he landed. He shot the low stance Masked Man an angry and hateful glare as he skidded before suddenly disappearing once more.
The Masked Man merely stared on after his adversary before slowly relaxing his stance by standing up straight. Suddenly however, and all at once, the Naerithian general shot his sword diagonally backward, easily blocking the super-fast Selthris' stab attempt. Though Selthris growled in disappointed annoyance he swiftly shot onwards to continue his bait and switch technique. Seemingly unfazed however, the Masked Man shot his weapon to his right this time and in a diagonal fashion; the reappeared Selthris shot on by the narrow-eyed Field Marshal, his sword giving a loud and audible clang as they clashed together. Again, he shot his sword diagonally in defence, this time to his left, easily blocking the cursing Selthris' attempted strike. Just as before however, Selthris reappeared above the masked general, sword held overhead; the Masked Man bulleted his sword upwards to defend; the two swords clashed as Selthris cursed again, this time loudly. The Masked Man used this time to use his free hand; he shot it upwards along with his sword, seemingly glowing with charged Aegir. Selthris stared down at the technique with growing concern, perhaps unsure; when he was pulled forward defencelessly however it was too late. The Naerithian knight grabbed the young Aselian sword fighter by the scruff of his neck and brought him downward, eliciting a wide-eyed yell from the boy.
Selthris crashed to the ground roughly, snow and ice flying upward from his descent. As the snow and blizzard settled, Selthris was found laying on the ground in a defensive pose, eyes narrowed and teeth grit angrily. The Masked Man glared down at his adversary, still gripping the boy by his clothing, his sword's stab attack blocked by Selthris' own raised weapon; diagonally held, the pair could do little more than glare at one another in hatred as their arms shook from the strain they were causing each other. Through his sweat and worry however, Selthris growled as he snapped his eyes downward and used his legs to catch the now gasping masked general's legs off guard, tripping him up successfully. Using the situation to his advantage, Selthris allowed his adrenaline to overtake him and leapt to his feet before spin-slashing the grunting Masked Man across the face, sending him sailing across the air. The young Lord gave pursuit in a bound forward, his Aegir boosting his speed from his feet; gripping his new sword with both hands he spun around in mid-air as he reached the careering masked general, yelling as he did so. The young sword fighter let out a gradual war cry as he spun his body around hastily in his attack, presumably hoping to end the fight as quickly as possible. Even as the Masked Man suffered his opponent's super-fast slices, Selthris' fear and concern grew as continued his relentless attack.
Surely it couldn't be this easy?
Regardless he finished his assault by channelling Quintessence to his new sword; lightning chirped and flashed noisily as he spun around one final time. He yelled loudly to go along with the deafening sound the lightning gave off, sending the shut-eyed and sizzling Masked Man rocketing into the snowy mountain he once stood on. Selthris gasped as he landed to one knee, the frigid howl of the snowstorm still ever present. He watched the snow drop almost instantaneously as his opponent smashed into the mountain's rough wall, the large snow flumping down to meet him. Though Leo made to walk forward, perhaps unsure as to whether the fight was over, he stopped as he watched the snow explode in a fiery show of white fluff. It joined the raging snowstorm of Wrulz Mountain and behind the burning aura of Quintessence he generated stood the narrow-eyed Masked Man. Selthris spat a small drop of blood to his left in his hard and half-disappointed scowl.
He knew it wouldn't have been as simple as that.
"Impressive!" The Field Marshal called out loudly as he stepped forward, his intense aura of Aegir melting the very snow he walked down upon. "You are indeed worthy; the last surviving son of Sathryon!"
Selthris merely stared back wordlessly at the disguised general, twirling his new sword around his right arm, perhaps readying himself.
"But all it is, is hidden potential," the Masked Man spoke once more, this time his words a bare whisper. His Quintessence managed to carry his words over the raging snowstorm and Selthris' firm scowl twitched as he listened to them. "You will not even live long enough to realise it." The man's voice turned even lower; a barely audible hard hiss to spice the words. Selthris watched him intently, ready to defend and counter whatever was thrown at him. Even as that thought crossed his mind however the Masked Man immediately disappeared, seemingly using his speed once again. Selthris snapped his sweat-driven scowl on his right and leapt backwards into the air; the Masked Man gave pursuit, seemingly appearing as if from no-where.
Surely he wasn't that fast?
Was he holding back?
Selthris just barely managed to block the Field Marshal's aerial swipes; even as they landed, the Masked Man's Aegir aura blazed onward, cutting at the snow and easily evaporating it. Selthris let out a roar as he spun around in place, raising his sword diagonally upward as he did so in a defensive motion. It caught the Masked Man's diagonal hack and, as it did, the boy's own blue aura burst forth from his body. The Masked Man's eyes widened behind his visor and, as the two struggled with their attack, Selthris' fiery blue aura eventually crept to crash with his own blazing red one. The two swordsmen spent several seconds staring at one another, death glares attached to their expressions as their weapons drew audible and visible sparks to go with their impassioned fires. Finally, and all at once however, the table begun to shift; the masked Field Marshal let out a low chuckle as Selthris' strength began to fail him. The boy's aura similarly dropped, easily being overtaken and eaten by his opponent's, his body bending backward under the pressure the fierce swordsman offered. Eventually, as he dreaded, Selthris' defence was run through; the Masked Man let out an audible laugh as he sent the boy's new sword rolling across the snowy ground. Selthris merely gasped in horror as he watched his only hope to win the engagement fly off from his grip; he snapped his wide-eyed and sweat-stricken head upwards to find the Masked Man leaping forward in an obvious pursuing stab attack. As a last-ditch effort, Selthris brought up his two arms and crossed them together roughly, charging his Aegir to use as an obvious shield.
Leo cursed quietly as he watched before going for his weapon again and leaping off in pursuit to assist his falling friend however, noticing movement from the cabin he gasped and stopped almost immediately. With untold velocity, an unnatural wind blew from the cabin and slashed at the wide-eyed Masked Man, sending him retreating backward from his previous attack. Selthris gasped in similarly surprised widened eyes as he watched the wind give form to a person. A man, taller than him and wearing the same robes he remembered stood before him, his back to him. White hair, eyepatch across his left eye… it was definitely him.
It was his rescuer from before; Ivan.
A number of awkward, tense seconds passed between the small group of four as they watched; the newly re-introduced Ivan glared with his one good eye at the similarly firm eyed Masked Man.
"Hmph…," he intoned loudly, raising his head upward at the interruption with a superior sense to his speech. "You were lucky, son of Sathryon," he spoke lowly, his voice carried over once more by the wind. Selthris' spiky silver blew roughly in the snowstorm as he knelt down on one knee, staring forward in shock. "Pray we do not meet again." He finally echoed with a hard narrow of his eyes and, like magic, his fiery Aegir aura teleported away before his body did. Selthris only realised his great fatigue when the man left however and gasped continually in effort before growling in anger as he smashed a frustrated fist into the frost below him.
"Curse him!" The boy hissed, more to himself than to anyone else, his silver eyes scrunched shut. His eyes re-opened however as he watched the snow below him melt slowly from the now tepid Quintessence around his body. "Curse myself." He thought once more as he frowned down at the ground before shaking his head.
I wasn't strong enough, he thought firmly.
He was definitely holding back.
But how much?
It didn't feel like all that much… perhaps there was still a shot.
"Sel."
The youth in question turned his head, his affectionate nickname obvious to the one who spoke it; the frowning Leo stood over him, arm lowered to rest on his back comfortingly. He nodded his head in Ivan's retreating direction.
"Come on," he urged quietly. "Live today… fight tomorrow," the Mercenary spoke wisely before cracking a light grin at the frowning boy. "Right?"
Selthris couldn't help but grow a small, wan smile of his own in response before nodding and standing. "Yeah."
4
Selthris frowned down at the warm beverage in both his hands, sitting on his bed he had earlier slept in. Finally, the door to his room opened and the one-eyed Ivan walked through, shutting it behind him quietly. Selthris raised his silver head to face the much older man, waiting for him to open his mouth.
"They're settled down," the Swordmaster spoke as he walked over to the room's side, bringing with him a chair presumably to sit in. It screeched loudly as he placed it down and sat in it. "We left out details; your companion was most helpful."
"I'm… grateful," Selthris thanked once more, lowering his eyes shamefully. "That's twice you've saved me."
Ivan merely folded his arms and crossed his leg, leaning his head at the boy.
"S-So you… you saw him for yourself then," Selthris spoke once more, re-raising his head and frowning at the man. Ivan raised a curious eyebrow. "The Masked Man?"
"That Naerithian soldier?" The Swordmaster questioned curiously. Receiving a visible nod, he continued. "He was well skilled; I have not seen raw Aegir in person like that in ten years at least."
Selthris' eyes widened in shock.
Was the Masked Man truly that powerful?
"So… he murdered your father?" Ivan asked, raising another eyebrow. "Is this why you attacked him?"
Selthris' firm scowl returned to his face as he thought of the general in question. "I need power if I'm going to successfully stop him."
"All you're stopping is his life," Ivan interrupted, a hard and knowing frown to his lips. "Revenge is simply just another name for murder."
Selthris opened his mouth, as if to retort however he grunted and wandered his eyes away from his speaking partner's.
"Are you still looking for tutelage?"
The surprised Lord shot his head back up, shocked. "W-Wha-?"
Ivan stared back at him, as firmly as he had done before. "I watched you both fight… and…," he began lowly, lowering his eyes once before re-raising them to face the boy once more. "You certainly are hiding some of your potential; I'm not sure how much of this is but I have re-considered your request."
"Y-You mean…?" Selthris stammered, widened eyes, unable to believe it as he leaned forward.
Ivan nodded, his hard frown ever prevalent on his lips. "Yes. I will teach you."
A slow grin broke out over the boy's face and he opened his mouth to voice his joy. "So-"
"Though I have conditions," Ivan's deep voice interrupted the boy's surprising him with a frown. He raised one of his calloused fingers upward to signify a number; one. "You will not ask me anything of my past," he requested, drawing a visible nod from the boy. "You will use the forbidden techniques I teach you in your quest to avenge your father exclusively and only if you absolutely must," he finished, raising a second finger; two. "Are we agreed?"
Selthris nodded wordlessly, a gulping frown attached to his expression.
A small grin broke out on the man's face. "Then our training begins now."
