Chapter 12: Swan Song of a Tyrant
Dust filled the desert air as Tharja gazed at the well-prepared enemy force before her, with Cordelia and Frederick at her side. Chrom, Gaius, and Lon'qu snuck around a nearby oasis, carefully disguising their presence.
"Count down from ten…." Tharja whispered through the wind at her diversion force. The knight lifted her delicate hand towards the sky, tome in hand.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven…" Cordelia gazed on in confusion, but allowed Tharja to continue uninterrupted. A subtle chill spread down Frederick's spine.
"Six, five four, three, two…." The others took a fearful step back as a dark energy engulfed Tharja, swarming like a cyclone around her form. The purple aura emitted an intense heat. The enemy force noticed.
"Well…they decided to show up…fools." Gangrel lifted his crooked blade at the invaders who stood a mere hundred meters away. A warm wind struck his face. A realization came to his mind.
"Take cover!" he shouted over the ranks, but it came too late. Tharja opened her eyes, aiming her hand towards the camp.
"One…."
Super condensed magic raced towards the king's men, parting the sands like an ocean. Then…boom.
"Mire…" The desert shook under Tharja's feet, as she gazed on in horror at her own power. The sky seemed to darken from the intensity of the blast as it lifted flames into the atmosphere, exploding with the force of two tons of TNT.
"Where did that come from…?" The knight felt an odd energy consume her. Tharja's body temperature surged high enough to cause her to collapse to the sand. Frederick and Cordelia looked at each other, both seeming curious. Lon'qu, Gaius, and Chrom used the massive blast to their advantage, silently slaughtering dazed Plegian archers at the edge of the camp.
"She is stronger now…how many has she defeated?" Gangrel thought to himself as he rushed towards a tent, scanning his surroundings. Lon'qu spotted the king. The assassin darted towards the tent, but was halted by enemy myrmidons.
"Be careful with this one men!" The leader of the myrmidons exploded. He knew of Lon'qu's expertise, and how unusual the assassin was. The speedsters readied their killing edges. Lon'qu signaled for Chrom and Gaius to pursue the mad king. The commander ordered a force of five to stop them.
"Their numbers are small! I will fight this one, all of you must stop the infiltrators!" The leader urged his comrades on. Chrom and Gaius vanished from site as the myrmidons gave chase. As for the leader, he stood face to face with Lon'qu.
"So…we meet again, sensei." The commander bowed in respect to Lon'qu, who sneered.
"I must have been a horrible teacher. You must never take your eyes off of your opponent, Achilles…but I can forgive." Lon'qu bowed as well, then drew two killing edges from his sides. Achilles did the same.
"Shall I show you what I have learned, teacher?" Achilles vanished from site. Lon'qu smiled a genuine smile.
Achilles reappeared behind Lon'qu, readying a killing strike, but it was deflected by a lightning-fast countermove. The student swung his second blade at Lon'qu's throat.
"Far too slow…" Lon'qu bent backwards, dodging the blade while checking the student's other weapon into the sand. The assassin then shattered the second killing edge with a mighty strike. The outmatched Achilles stepped back, kneeling against a cactus.
"I was a fool to believe I could stand against you, Master Lon'qu…you truly aren't human anymore, are you? Ever since her?" Lon'qu's eyes grew wide at the words, but quickly subsided into a melancholy gaze. He sheathed one of his blades.
"The golden rule in this world, my student, do you remember it?" Lon'qu turned his eyes to the clear blue sky as he waited for a response.
"Yes Master…the weak die, and the strong survive…" Achilles quietly answered.
"Exactly. Humanity is weak…I had to shed the chains of weakness to survive, and attain my goal. I am no longer weak…and by definition, no longer human. This is my final lesson." The student rose to his feet.
"Master Lon'qu…I refuse to live without my humanity. This king has ordered my men and I to do atrocious things…but through it all…I did what I thought was right. That what your very first lesson was, remember? Have you turned your back on those beliefs?" Achilles lifted his blade even with Lon'qu's.
"I do what is necessary, my student, and what is necessary may not seem to be the righteous way…but it must be done." Lon'qu flashed towards Achilles at Mach speed, driving the blade through vital flesh.
"One day…Lon'qu…someone will teach you the right way…I pray…" Achilles' eyes dulled as Lon'qu retrieved his weapon. He slung blood into the burning sand. Meanwhile, Gaius and Chrom destroyed the force sent after them, and drew close to the mad king as Tharja edged near the center of the battlefield. The Shepherds had the upper hand. Without archers, the Plegians were defenseless against Cordelia's might. Tharja slaughtered dozens of mages, seeming to gain immense power from every kill. Frederick surged through the enemy lines like a galloping ghost as Donnel rushed like a gladiator with his sword and shield.
"We will win this day!" Chrom roared as he slashed through the encampment, searching for Gangrel. Gaius thinned out the enemy with arrows to the back. The Plegian force panicked at the thought of being surrounded. The diminishing force retreated to the edge of the camp, almost into the most baron parts of the desert. Gangrel stepped out of a large tent. Both forces ceased the fighting.
"Hahahaha!" Gangrel held in his grasp the tactician, Robin. A small blade was pushed into his throat. Chrom gasped at the scene.
"It seems I hold the ace! If you want your friend to survive, you will retreat!" The small Plegian force of axe-wielders and mages fortified themselves. Tharja held her head in thought. The combatants were a mere 20 steps away from each other, while Chrom and Gaius had inched their way to killing distance of Gangrel, behind enemy lines. Both sides were too petrified to fight, with the king's and Robin's lives hanging in the balance. A new type of focus sharpened Tharja's senses.
"This power…how…?" The knight analyzed the battlefield. The grains of sand in the wind, the breaths of the soldiers, and the voices of the kings…everything was in slow motion. Clouds rushed over the battle, lightning crashed into the cacti. Even Lon'qu took notice of the strange power.
"What's this…?" Gangrel became nervous, along with every other soul in the vicinity. Tharja's eyes began to glow a soft crimson.
"Ah…I see…she has slaughtered dozens today…her power has eclipsed my own..." Gangrel whispered as Robin listened.
"What are you talking about?" Robin's voice, now rough, questioned the king. Gangrel laughed sadly.
"It's her bloodlines….hahaha…." a lightning bolt cracked into Gangrel's spine, tossing Robin several feet away. Chrom retrieved his friend and ran towards the rest of the shepherds, along with Gaius. Gangrel, barely alive, fell to his knees.
"Step aside…" An immense shockwave annihilated the remainder of the Plegian force, pitching them deep into the desert. Gangrel stabbed his sword into the Earth to avoid that fate, though it might have been a mistake. He tried to stand, but the mad king's legs no longer functioned.
"It's funny…I was always taught that you were like a god…needless to say…I am disappointed. I do have a question, however." Gangrel could not look up at the knight.
"What really happened to my mother? If she had this same power…you could never defeat her." The king remained silent, save for a trademark laugh. Tharja's eyes glowed brighter. She drew a tome from her side.
"Very well…I will find out for myself. It hasn't been a pleasure, my king…" The knight raised her palm and aimed at the king. The laughter stopped.
"Return to the Earth from which you came…" A bright flash engulfed the area, and when it cleared, Tharja, Gangrel, and the Plegians had vanished.
