~ Chapter 9 ~
Severa was the first to react, immediately pushing past the rest of her companions to stand before Morgan, bracing her lance defensively. "More phantoms," she griped. "Couldn't the Redeemers have come up with something a little more creative?"
As if in answer to her complaint, the phantoms suddenly straightened. Golden flames erupted from the seams of their armor, spreading to shroud the constructs entirely. Each suit of armor then stretched and swelled until it stood half again as tall as it had been initially. The golden flames then dwindled, though they did not fade entirely. Instead, the phantoms remained covered with a thin layer of gleaming, translucent flames.
"It looks like they did," Morgan offered mildly. She drew Eternity, guessing that these unusual phantoms would be more powerful than any they had battled previously, and knowing that, more than ever, she would need her sword's divinely inspired magic. The blessed weapon obliged her, wreathing its glimmering silver edge in azure flames, seeming cognizant of the otherworldly presences drawing closer.
But before Severa or Morgan, or any of their companions, could move to strike, four searing darts of flame soared out through the castle's archway. One caught each of the two sisters standing at the front of their force, and two more soared past them, finding Kurth and Nasir just as the two dragons were beginning to transform.
Morgan stumbled away, shaken by the blistering spell, but robes had defeated the worst of the magical ambush. She began to turn, instinctively checking on her allies, but as she looked up, she noticed the four phantoms standing within the castle preparing to fire again. "Look out!" she cried out, diving to the ground just in time to avoid another barrage of potent fire magic.
Then a torrent of magical flames flowed past Morgan, soaring in the opposite direction as Yashiro retaliated with a fiery invocation of his own.
The emperor's roaring inferno seemed to swallow two of the phantoms whole, but the unflinching constructs simply stepped through the flames, apparently unharmed. More short bursts of golden flames poured out through the archway, forcing Begnion's emperor aside.
Mere moments later, the eight phantoms stationed outside the castle reached their enemies with their own blades readied. One charged directly at Morgan, towering over her and raising its sword high. Soren hurled a vicious gust forward to intercept the phantom. Unfazed, the deadly construct pushed through the magical wind, only to find Severa standing between it and its target.
The bold lancer didn't wait for the phantom to readjust itself. She swept her lance outwards in a wide, slashing motion, knocking the phantom's sword aside, before retracting her weapon and thrusting it into the phantom's chest with as much force as she could muster. But to her surprise, her lance deflected uselessly off the phantom's burning breastplate, leaving only slight dent that was barely visible. The phantom countered quickly, and Severa had no choice but to back away, blocking the phantom's counterattacks and hoping that her pilfered darksteel shield would hold.
Behind Severa, Morgan got to her feet, hardly noticing the snow as it clung to her robes. As soon as she found her footing, she sprinted towards the phantom, too, weaving around her sister as she went. The phantom turned to meet her, and Eternity's flame-wrapped silver edge glistened as it clashed against the phantom's fine darksteel blade.
A painful shock ran up Morgan's arm, and she nearly lost her grip on her sword. The phantom lifted its free gauntlet, threatening to break their stalemate with a quick spell, but the young tactician retreated quickly, twirling away and swiping Eternity upwards. Though the awkward angle left her unable to slice through the phantom's armored wrist, her blow left a deep gouge, and the gathering magical energy spilled out erratically, brutally stinging both combatants.
Morgan backed away from the spinning golden flames, sliding Alondite free of its sheath as she did. She sent a powerful shockwave burst forth, throwing the phantom to the ground, prone. Knowing that her advantage would be fleeting at best, Morgan charged again, leaving a haunting trail of sapphire flames in her wake as she lashed out repeatedly at her vulnerable foe with both of her weapons.
"Morgan, look out!" Lucina called.
Heeding her friend's warning, Morgan brought her dance to an abrupt halt, rolling past the phantom as another barrage of flaming darts soared overhead. She turned as she came out of roll, pivoting powerfully and slamming both her swords into the phantom's damaged leggings in quick succession. Again, she found that she couldn't quite cut through, but the impact was enough to trip her resilient adversary, and when it next rose, it could no longer walk steadily.
A stream of crushing frozen spheres rained down on the limping phantom from above. Its moment of weakness was the only opening that Nah needed, and she fell upon it in a fury, forcing the beaten monstrosity to its knees. Not yet finished, the Manakete then dropped atop the phantom, smashing it into the ground. The beaten phantom shuddered in her clutches and slowly ground to a halt, releasing wisps of golden vapor from the many cracks in its armor.
Though Morgan had scrambled aside when Nah joined the fray, she remained nearby, watching the battle until she was confident that her Manakete friend had the situation in hand. She then turned her attention to more pressing matters, for her allies were struggling against seven more of the fiendish constructs while four more waited within the castle, continuing their relentless magical onslaught.
Just as Morgan was considering storming the castle courtyard herself, a shadow fell over her, alerting her to the mighty black dragon soaring overhead. A sense of dread fell over her. "Wait!" she cried out, remembering all too clearly the time when three of the deadly phantoms had gotten the best of Goldoa's mighty king. Fearing that Kurth would not hear or obey her, Morgan gritted her teeth and sprinted for the archway, determined to at least fight by his side.
A storm of fireballs stopped her in her tracks, forcing her to angle herself behind the walls for cover. Then a strong wind buffeted her, nearly knocking her off her feet. Leaning against the wall, she looked up to find Kurth towering over her. "What is it?" the Laguz king growled in his draconic, yet strangely mellow voice.
Morgan scanned the battlefield quickly before gesturing emphatically towards where the hawk Laguz and Caelia appeared to be struggling with a pair of the deadly phantoms. "Prince Valent needs your help," she explained quickly. "Leave the ones inside the castle to me!"
Kurth eyed her curiously, but to her relief, he obeyed without question, leaving Morgan standing alone by the castle archway. Morgan wasn't left alone for long, though, for as she tried to slip through the castle perimeter once more, Severa saw her intent and rushed to her side. Again, a wave of volatile flames forced them aside.
"We won't make it through like this!" Severa warned, shouting to be heard over the din of battle.
Morgan knew that her sister was right, and began searching for another way through. "Wait a second, where's Catria?" she demanded, suddenly realizing that their Pegasus was missing.
"I told her to pull back. She can't keep up with these blasted things, remember?" Severa explained. She pointed upwards, leading Morgan's gaze to where their loyal Pegasus awaited them, drifting just beyond the battlefield's edge.
Knowing that they wouldn't have enough time to summon Catria back to their side, Morgan began searching for her mother, unwilling to surrender the idea of flying over the walls. But when she spotted Soren and Yashiro standing nearby, doing their best to help Felicia with the phantom she was battling, another idea presented itself.
"Soren! Emperor Yashiro!" Morgan yelled. Both mages turned to her, and once she had their attention, she gestured at the archway. "Cover us!"
Soren seemed to understand at once, and sent his next spell soaring through the archway even as Yashiro stared at the castle, uncomprehending. Yashiro caught on quickly, though, and followed Soren's conjured tornado with a large wave of fire.
At the same time, Morgan unleashed her own spell towards the phantom Felicia was battling, blasting it to the ground. Then, with the phantoms inside the castle temporarily blinded by Soren and Yashiro's spells, Morgan rushed through the archway, keeping her head low. Severa followed her closely, and both breached the castle's perimeter before the four phantoms noticed their approach.
Even with Soren and Yashiro doing their best to help, Felicia found herself unable to gain any sort of advantage over her durable opponent. The deadly phantom nearly matched her speed, and shrugged off each of their attacks with seeming impunity.
Then, without warning, both mages behind her ceased attacking. Felicia backed away in alarm, suspecting that without their support, her position had just become far more tenuous.
The phantom moved to pursue her right as Morgan's spell struck home. Evidently unprepared for an attack from behind, the phantom toppled forward.
With a gleeful shout, Felicia surged forward, slashing wildly. The phantom recovered gracefully enough, springing back to its feet, but Felicia pressed it back relentlessly, doing her best to keep it from regaining its advantage. Soren and Yashiro began casting again, too, driving the phantom back even further.
Their attacks continued to prove ineffectual, but before the phantom could fully recover from its apparent disadvantage, a large darksteel ring moved to hover over it, lying parallel to the ground. At Harmony's command, Relic's halo dipped low, looping around the phantom's torso before tugging the ensnared victim towards her. The phantom tried to hold its ground, but Relic's halo proved stronger, knocking it over once more. The halo then split into four, leaving only the ring glowing with blue sigils hovering above the phantom. Water gushed forth furiously, pinning the phantom in place as Harmony attempted to quench the golden flames. Whether because she feared to push her powers too far or because her spell was simply not strong enough, the phantom's flames only burned brighter, hissing angrily in protest.
But the phantom offered no further resistance as Felicia and Harmony both closed in upon it, stabbing at it repeatedly until finally they pierced its armor and stilled its wild thrashing.
"You're a tough one, aren't you?" Valent remarked, panting slightly as he drew back. He hid his dismay as the phantom turned to leer at him; shockingly, his razor-sharp talons were proving woefully inadequate against his seemingly indestructible foe, leaving only minor scratches that the phantom had yet to acknowledge.
Unsurprisingly, the phantom answered not with words, but with its blade. The construct's fine longsword darted forward, driving Valent further back. Then the phantom followed its sword with a burst of fire magic. The hawk prince performed an evasive midair roll, but the seething flames scorched several of his feathers as they soared past him.
One of his friends, a large, heavyset male hawk, took the opportunity to tackle the phantom from behind. Even that forceful blow seemed to be an effort in futility, for the phantom only flinched momentarily before spinning about and slicing a deep wound in the offending attacker's wing.
Valent dove towards the phantom, desperately hoping to save his friend. He slammed into the phantom, and felt as if he had instead slammed into a thick brick wall. Dazed, Valent briefly wondered how the phantom could have held its ground so stubbornly. He pressed on anyways, seizing the phantom's arms in his talons and dragging it up into the air.
Only then did he realize that someone else was also tugging at the phantom. Across from him, Celt had grasped the phantom's other arm. When he realized that he and Celt had unintentionally pinned the phantom between them, he let out a victorious shriek, a battle cry that Celt eagerly echoed. The two spun in a coordinated circle before releasing their captive prey.
The flailing phantom plummeted thirty feet before crashing unceremoniously to the ground. Then, before either of the two hawks could celebrate their victory, the phantom leapt back to its feet, apparently unharmed. A spurt of fire shot up into the sky, catching Valent squarely in the chest.
A smaller hawk glided by the phantom, and Caelia leapt from Kyrie's back, plunging her dagger directly into the phantom's neck. She retracted her diminutive weapon and stabbed again, then slashed sideways. Her blade caught in the seam between the phantom's helm and breastplate, slicing through the phantom's neck on one side and tilting its helm sidewise.
The phantom hardly slowed as it brought its sword sweeping inward, then thrusting it outward towards Caelia. The silver-haired princess, rather than backing away, dove at the phantom's legs instead. At the same time, Kyrie slammed into the phantom's torso from behind, and the two of them combined were able to upset the phantom's balance again, sending Caelia's dagger tumbling free from the phantom's torn neck. Caelia retrieved her dagger and spun, this time slicing through and decapitating the phantom.
To her horror, the phantom fought on, even without its head. The mutilated construct flailed wildly with its sword, and continued firing off blasts of fire randomly. Kyrie dropped to the ground, inadvertently plunging herself into a deep snow-drift as the phantom raised its burning gauntlet high. A numbing chill ran through her wings as the snow melted and soaked her feathers, but she fared better than the rest of her Laguz companions, who were desperately weaving to avoid the searing flames.
Only Valent was daring enough to dive through the erratic firestorm. Seizing the phantom's extended arm, he dragged the construct brutally to the ground. He then raked his talons against his enemy's back for good measure. "Just die!" he roared in frustration, as the phantom made to rise yet again.
A jet of roiling black mist blew past, sweeping the damaged phantom aside as Kurth joined the fray. Kurth then turned and struck at the other nearby phantom with his tail, launching it into the air.
The phantom crashed loudly into the castle's walls, leaving an ominous crack. As it fell, it twisted to land evenly on both of its armored greaves, then slung a fiery blast at the dragon king.
Though Kurth keenly felt the sting of the blistering spell, he shook it off easily enough, squaring off against the phantom as the hawk Laguz began to circle them both. The phantom charged anyways, despite being so grossly outnumbered. Like its fallen kin, the unnatural creature proved impossibly resilient, shrugging off vicious blows one after another.
Only a few feet away, Caelia turned away from the battle and raced to Kyrie's side just as the hawk was pulling herself free of the snow. Caelia quickly brushed the last of the clinging snow from her partner's wings, then glanced back towards where Kurth and the other hawks were battling the remaining phantom. "This is getting to be a bit ridiculous," she admitted quietly.
Kyrie said nothing, but nudged Caelia's shoulder in a gentle, yet insistent manner. Understanding at once, Caelia climbed astride her partner's back. Then, though her dampened wings remained uncomfortably numb, the small hawk Laguz took to the skies once more.
"Wait, Kyrie," Caelia called, realizing that something was amiss. "Where are we going?"
In answer, Kyrie jerked her head upward, drawing Caelia's attention to a lone Pegasus rider above them who appeared to be approaching the castle's walls by herself.
"She's going after the ones inside by herself? Is she mad?" Caelia gasped.
Carina was no stranger to hesitation and confusion. As a former steward to the throne of Gallia, descended from a long line of former stewards, she knew all too well the pressure to find a way when none was apparent and to make a decision when no option seemed quite right. She had been as surprised as any when her king passed away without an apparent heir, designating her his successor, but never once did she shy away from the responsibility.
Yet at heart, she was much like the rest of her kind. There was something pure about the thrill of combat that resonated with her, the same simple urges that resonated with all of her kind. It was so much simpler, so much easier, to face challenges head-on, fangs bared.
And so the young queen of Gallia was at a complete loss when she found her strength somehow lacking. The deadly adversary that she faced now was far beyond any foe she had battled before, even the phantoms she had destroyed at Pearlsand Pass or in the streets of Melior. Her attacks could barely scratch the stalwart phantom, and it was all she could do to keep from being eviscerated.
Bereft of a better course of action, Carina fell back upon one of the oldest truisms of Laguz warfare: when striking at an enemy wasn't enough, simply strike at it again. Maintaining her shapeshift, she danced agilely around the phantom's blade, lunging at any opening she could find.
Slipping beneath the phantom's outstretched blade, Carina dug her claws into the phantom's legs with all her strength, savagely tearing at them. The metallic plates screeched in protest, and the phantom's left greave seemed to cave in, ever so slightly. Carina then flipped herself upward, slamming her body against the phantom's head.
But the staunch and relentless phantom was incapable of feeling any sort of pain. It took a step back, digging its wounded greave into the hard soil beneath the snow and bracing itself. The feline Laguz simply bounced off of her unyielding foe. As she fell, the phantom struck, driving its blade deep into her hind leg.
Carina instinctively twisted away, inadvertently widening the wound as she did. She ignored the burning sensation shooting through her thigh, and pounced again, seizing the phantom's sword gauntlet in her jaw. She bit down hard, crushing the metal with her fangs. The phantom raised its arm and swung it from side to side, trying to dislodge her, but she only bit down harder and began to flail at the construct with her claws, scuffing the phantom's torso and visor.
Even over the horrific noise, her sensitive ears picked up the sound of hurried footsteps against the snow, the sound of a pair of lightly armored Beorc approaching. Then the softer footsteps stopped as the heavier footfalls of another phantom cut them off. Far from discouraged, the sound of her reinforcements being cut off only reminded Carina that she had allies in similarly dire straits, and she only thrashed more violently.
Then she found herself soaring through the air, having torn the phantom's sword gauntlet straight off. The gauntlet's fingers went slack, and the sword slid loose, falling to the ground. Carina righted herself gracefully and prepared to finish off her disarmed foe.
Only the phantom wasn't curled up on the ground as any Beorc foe would have been. Instead, it stood straight, facing her with its remaining gauntlet extended. Sizzling flames shot forth, engulfing Carina before she could react.
The beast Laguz were notoriously vulnerable to fire magic, and even their queen was no exception. Carina let out a pained shriek, writhing in agony, as the sizzling golden flames took hold of her fur. She only barely maintained the presence of mind to roll aside as a second fiery blast sailed her way.
Not far away, Lucina, who had been battling another of the phantoms beside Owain, saw the Laguz queen's predicament. Trusting in her cousin to hold his own against the phantom, Lucina broke away, protectively sweeping her cape out in front of her as she intercepted the one-armed phantom's third spell. She pushed through the magical heat, pausing only to unclip a healing elixir from her belt and flip it towards the fallen Laguz queen.
The phantom lifted its intact arm defensively, but Lucina simply lowered her aim slightly, stabbing beneath the meager defense and into the phantom's lower abdomen. Falchion sheared through the phantom's chest plate before lodging itself deep within the phantom's torso.
A light weight pressed down on Lucina's shoulders. She looked up just in time to see Carina leaping over her to land atop the phantom. This time, the phantom crumbled beneath the savage onslaught, and shreds of black metal flew through the air as the enraged Laguz began tearing the animated suit of armor into pieces.
Lucina then turned back to Owain, only to find him scrambling to stay out of the way. The phantom they had been battling together was now pinned to the ground by a white dragon. The phantom struggled against the dragon's heavy claw to no avail as an obscuring white mist pooled around it. Nearby, a second white dragon battled another of the phantoms, with Harmony and Felicia skirting around it, waiting their turn to strike.
The Ylissean princess then glanced toward each of the remaining four phantoms in turn, trying to determine which of her allies needed her help the most. When she saw the open castle archway, she saw that the phantoms within were no longer joining in the attack. A jolt of fear shot through her when she realized that neither Severa nor Morgan were anywhere to be seen.
Without a word to her other companions, she sprinted straight for the castle itself, hoping desperately that she wasn't already too late.
Severa and Morgan each dove to one side as they crossed through the castle threshold, avoiding the magical flames soaring overhead. The four phantoms shuffled aside, separating into two pairs as they moved out of Soren and Yashiro's line of fire.
"Was there a second part to this plan!?" Severa yelled, promptly charging to engage two of the phantoms.
Morgan didn't have an answer for her sister, and only drew her swords. Unlike Severa, she waited patiently for her two opponents to come to her, moving only at the last possible second. She avoided the first phantom's thrust, then began pacing it, taking care to keep it between her and her second opponent.
Though Morgan was able to keep the second phantom at a safe distance, the closer phantom quickly reminded her of its superior strength and speed. Morgan knew that the phantom would eventually overpower her, especially with half her attention diverted in keeping the second phantom out of arm's reach, and began studying her surroundings, searching for something she could use to her advantage.
But the courtyard was very nearly barren, and the stone bricks lining it were almost perfectly even. The castle's open doorway loomed ahead in a dreadfully uninviting manner, and try as she might, Morgan could not see another solution.
Abruptly, the second phantom sprang aside, looping around Morgan's immediate foe. The closer phantom took a step back at the same time, sliding in the opposite direction.
Morgan was ready for them, and before the two phantoms could pin her, she charged at her new opponent. Eternity and Alondite shot up, forming a perfect cross to catch the phantom's blade as it descended. The stubborn contract refused to release its weapon, and with all her strength, Morgan was able to drag it back into the path of the first phantom.
Outmaneuvered, the phantom toppled to the ground, but as it fell, it twisted and fired a jet of golden flames upward. Morgan made no move to avoid the attack and allowed the spell to connect, allowing her robes to bear the brunt of the spell and leaving herself free to punish the prone phantom. A sheet of golden flames burst angrily from the phantom's chest as Eternity tore into it. The azure flames coating the silver sword began to spread, clinging to the deep gash in the phantom's breastplate.
The unwounded phantom ruthlessly tossed its damage companion aside as it charged, attacking furiously and sending Morgan back on her heels. She backed away, parrying desperately with both of her weapons. Though she knew she was losing ground quickly, she was far from disheartened, for at the very least, she was no longer outnumbered.
But even as that thought crossed her mind, the fallen phantom leapt back to its feet, seemingly oblivious to the massive wound it had sustained. "That's impossible," Morgan whispered feebly, watching in horror as the damaged phantom began advancing towards her once more.
Once Severa found herself within striking distance of the two nearby phantoms, she began regretting her brash move. The two agile and impossibly strong phantoms nearly overcame her immediately, and though she remained slightly faster, she could only barely keep ahead of them, using the longer reach of her lance to slow her enemies' approach.
Like Morgan, Severa quickly understood that she could not hope to hold out against her powerful enemies for long. She was desperate to find even the slightest advantage, and when her next parry forced one phantom's sword aside, she lifted her shield in a feeble, half-hearted defense, practically disregarding the other phantom as she tried to finish off the first.
Once again, her lance deflected harmlessly off her victim's durable plating, and the lancer realized immediately that she had overextended herself. She withdrew, flinging her shield up as she did. The desperate ploy worked, turning the other phantom's sword aside, though the leaf-shaped barrier tumbled uselessly to the ground afterward, coming to a rest just out of her reach.
The two phantoms advanced cautiously, offering Severa surprising respect as neither rushed to press their advantage. Instead, they split up, moving to stand across from each other and trap their opponent between them. As they did, they left an apparent opening between Severa and her fallen shield.
Recognizing that they were baiting her into trying to retrieve her shield, Severa ignored it and barreled towards the phantom on her left, leading with her lance. The phantom lifted its sword to parry, but Passion slipped past it, stabbing deep into the phantom's skull-like visor. Severa retracted her weapon quickly, swinging the butt of her lance backward to slow the second phantom, then slid past the first, keeping her distance from its sword arm. Magical flames shot from the phantom's free gauntlet as she passed, splashing ineffectually against Severa's armor.
Once safely away from both phantoms' swords, Severa spun her lance, angling the shaft downward. It slammed into the nearest phantom's leg from behind, upsetting its balance ever so slightly. Then she stabbed the phantom again, throwing her weight behind the powerful thrust and driving the point of her lance deep into the phantom's back and exploding through the front of its chest.
With an impatient kick, Severa toppled her beaten foe, forcefully tugging her lance free. But the fight was far from over, and the phantom managed to catch itself as it fell, swiftly pulling itself back to its feet.
Severa let out a long, frustrated sigh as once again, she found herself standing between her two deadly adversaries.
Knowing that she didn't have long before her previously downed opponent rejoined the battle, Morgan rushed her immediate foe. Once again, she did not bother swerving aside when the phantom raised its free gauntlet to cast again. The magical flames caught Morgan squarely in the face, blinding her, but Alondite swept through the sizzling curtains, slamming into the phantom's visor, momentarily stunning the construct. Morgan then swung Eternity blindly, cutting a wide arc before burying the weapon's silver blade in her opponent's chest.
But even as the flames began to clear, the phantom Morgan had previously wounded moved to engage her once more. With growing desperation, Morgan lunged at the phantom, hoping to land the first strike. She stabbed both blades into the phantom's earlier chest wound, cutting through the back of the phantom's breastplate. She then snapped both blades outward, and her fine blades tore through the phantom's side, breaking the phantom in half.
Simultaneously, the phantom's sword dropped down, narrowly missing her head before slicing neatly through her protective garment.
Biting back a scream, Morgan scrambled backward. Alondite slipped from her hand, and she let Eternity fall to the floor a split second later as she clutched at her wounded shoulder. The remaining phantom, sensing victory, marched towards her, its greaves falling heavily against the brick-lined path.
Realizing that she could not hope to retrieve her swords in time, Morgan reached for her tome instead, unintentionally smearing the clothbound cover with her blood. A meager fireball sailed forth, failing to even slow the approaching phantom. Retreating further still, Morgan glanced pleadingly towards her sister for help, only to find that Severa was fully caught between her two foes, and only just keeping up with them.
A javelin spiraled down from above, striking one of Severa's opponents in the face and embedding itself in the phantom's visor. Cordelia then swept past the two phantoms, her Pegasus diving dangerously close to the ground and brutally kicking that phantom aside, before charging towards Morgan. The veteran knight pressed herself tightly against her Pegasus's back as they sped up and carefully aligned her lance. Her lance caught the phantom just below its arm, lifting it into the air.
Finding the phantom far heavier than she had expected, Cordelia was forced to lower her lance a second later, dropping the phantom back to the ground. She then banked hard and flung her lance at the downed phantom. The lance was far too unwieldy to be thrown accurately, but clipped the phantom's helm regardless, disorienting it further.
Morgan rushed for her fallen swords, despite her grievous wound. Even as her steadier hand closed around Eternity's hilt, she felt the warmth of healing magic course through her other shoulder, lessening the pain. She quickly retrieved Alondite as well, then descended upon the remaining phantom as it began to rise once more.
The phantom struck first, aiming not at Morgan, but for the now-distant Pegasus knight. A conjured blast of fire shot across the courtyard, catching Cordelia by the arm as she tried to invoke her healing staff a second time, knocking the staff from her grasp. The phantom then spun and braced itself just before Alondite's shockwave connected, defeating the attack easily, but allowing Morgan to close the remaining distance between them.
Morgan found her rhythm quickly, and her swords remained in constant motion as she whirled and danced around the phantom, slashing at it relentlessly from every angle she could find. She felt a slight sting in her side as the phantom managed to jab its sword through her wild flurry, but refused to stop, or even slow, taking the opportunity to smash both of her weapons into the phantom's exposed arm. Reversing her momentum, she timed her next attack perfectly, a backhanded swing that sheared off the phantom's sword gauntlet as it tried to retreat.
Abruptly, the young tactician then spun away from her battered foe, swiping Alondite in her sister's direction instead. "Severa!" she cried out.
Severa instinctively dropped to the ground, and the shockwave soared over her, slamming into one of the two phantoms she had been battling, dislodging Cordelia's javelin from its head. The phantom crumpled to the ground, and Severa somersaulted over it, twisting to bring her lance stabbing downward through its torso.
The impaled phantom only flipped itself back onto its feet, tearing Passion from Severa's grasp. "You can't be serious," she groaned. Resisting the temptation to immediately reclaim her lance, she dodged away as the phantom lunged at her, and scrambled to retrieve her shield and her mother's fallen javelin, posturing the two defensively as the phantom approached. This time, her adversary didn't bother trying to find a way past her defenses, and simply slashed its sword downward against her salvaged javelin, snapping the shaft cleanly in two.
Mindful of the other phantom, Severa glanced over to where it was readying a spell. Thankfully, Cordelia had already retrieved her own weapon and was quick to run down the phantom before it could finish its spell. Now safe to concentrate fully on the opponent in front of her, Severa raised her shield high, catching the phantom's next strike. With a forceful shove, she sent the phantom's sword spinning wide, then seized the quivering shaft of her lance. With a short hop, she threw herself downward against the end of precious lance, silently praying that it wouldn't simply fold under the added weight.
Passion held fast, and like a lever, it lifted the phantom off of its feet and falling forward to collapse over Severa's crouching form. She rolled past it, tugging her lance to drag the construct along as she narrowly avoided a sizzling bolt of fire. With one final tug, she pulled her lance free, spinning it over her head before slamming it into the phantom's back. The phantom struggled to stand once more, but Severa only smashed it again, and then a third time, caving in the construct's sturdy breastplate. The beaten phantom quivered ominously, then became perfectly still.
Severa rounded upon the other phantom to find her mother soaring overhead, carefully avoiding a stream of fireballs and unable to close in safely. But before she could join in the attack, a brown and silver blur shot past her. The phantom spun to face its new attacker, but Kyrie struck first, seizing the phantom by the legs before attempting to glide upward. Though she wasn't quite strong enough to lift the phantom off the ground, she managed to drag the phantom's legs out from under it, dropping it on its head.
Caelia dropped down beside the phantom, plunging her dagger into seam above the phantom's knee. She managed to stab it twice more before scampering away, mere inches ahead of the phantom's sword.
Though Caelia had not truly damaged the phantom, her attacks had successfully held the construct's attention, giving Severa time to approach it from behind. Passion pierced through the phantom's neck, tearing its helm off entirely. Extending her lance carefully, Severa caught the phantom's falling helm, then swung it inwards to slam into the phantom's chest.
"Ouch. Beaten to death by its own head," Caelia remarked lightly, watching as the ruined phantom keeled over.
Severa only smirked at her, before turning towards her sister and the remaining phantom.
Morgan was no longer fighting alone, either, for Lucina had found her way to Morgan's side. The two of them circled the disarmed phantom carefully, taking turns striking at it as they stayed clear of its magical counterattacks. With each new wound, the phantom slowed, and its movements seemed less fluid. Before long, the flames enveloping its gauntlet flickered and died, and it, too, collapsed lifelessly to the cold ground.
Morgan sighed in relief, sheathing both of her swords before rubbing at her sore shoulder. "Thanks, Lucina," she said gratefully.
"You're welcome. Someone had to keep you and Severa from biting off more than you can chew," Lucina replied playfully.
"No kidding," Caelia agreed, seeming rather giddy as she and the others approached them. "You know, Morgan… when Val told me you were the one leading this little army of ours, I thought it sounded a bit unusual. It makes sense now, though. You fight just like a Laguz leader."
"Charging straight into our most dangerous enemies just like that?" Kyrie teased, reverting to her human shape. "If you aren't careful, you're going to make Val jealous."
"That wasn't the best plan I've come up with," Morgan admitted, trying to hide her embarrassment. "And King Goldoa is leading us, not me."
"Really?" Caelia asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "I don't think he's given a single order since Kyrie and I joined up with you back in Begnion. He certainly wasn't the one leading the charge just now."
"Nor was he the one with the brilliant idea of rushing ahead to face four of these horrid things alone," Severa remarked dryly.
"This was his idea!" Morgan began to protest. "I had to stop him, and…" she began, though she nearly choked on her words as she realized what she had done. She glanced back towards the open archway, horrified.
"And ended up giving orders to Tellius's oldest and most powerful monarch in the process," Caelia finished wryly.
"I had to stop him," Morgan mumbled sheepishly. "It was too dangerous for him to charge in here by himself."
"And then you and your sister promptly charged into the same danger you were trying to keep him from," Cordelia summarized in an exasperated tone. "Honestly, what were you two thinking?" she scolded.
"That you and Lucy would catch up to us sooner?" Severa suggested impishly. "And we were holding our own, weren't we? Better than King Goldoa would have, anyways. Don't you remember what happened the last time he went up against three of these things at once?"
"There might still be a lot more than three of them outside," Morgan remained urgently, trying to steer the conversation away from herself. "We'd better go and see if the others need any help."
They assembled quickly and started for the archway, with Morgan's pressing reminder looming over them all. The continual sounds of the battle raging beyond the wall spurred them on, but just as they reached the castle's threshold, Morgan froze.
A familiar sensation coursed through her, one she immediately recognized as the summoning magic of a rescue staff. Someone was calling to her, inviting her magically to his side. At first, she thought it was Soren, reaching to her from beyond the castle's walls, but there was something inexplicably foreign about the presence behind the spell.
Morgan closed her eyes and tried to trace the magic. The call came again, more insistently, and this time, she was able to follow it to its source. She turned back and looked up, to the highest room of Castle Acheron's central spire.
"Morgan! Snap out of it!" Severa said.
With a jolt, Morgan turned to see her sister staring at her worriedly. The others, too, turned to look at her with concern. "Sorry," she apologized hastily. But even as she spoke aloud, she felt another presence around her, and a comforting voice rang out in her mind, saying only three words.
Go to him.
Strangely, Morgan thought the reassuring voice sounded exactly like her own. She looked up at Castle Acheron's lone spire again, wondering why she had a sudden, inexplicable urge to accept the magical summons. Then she made up her mind and reached out mentally, seeking the last wisps of magic from the attempted summoning.
Cordelia was the first to notice her daughter's distant look, and seemed to immediately recognize that something was wrong. "Morgan, what is it?" she asked urgently.
As she found the thread of magic she had been searching for, Morgan smiled reassuringly at her mother. "I'll be right back," she promised evasively.
"Morgan!" Cordelia cried.
"Wait!" Severa demanded.
Ignoring their protests, Morgan allowed the summons to take hold of her. The world began to spin, twist, and distort, until the white snow and dark stone bricks became little more than an insubstantial, spiraling grey blur.
The world came back into focus, and Morgan found herself standing in a large chamber, as barren as the castle's courtyard had been. The chamber's only entrance and exit, a staircase at the edge of the chamber's tiled floor, was obscured by a sheet of shimmering golden flames.
The room's only occupant stood across from her, waiting beside a tall window. His armor was decorated with a web-like pattern of jagged, icy-blue streaks, and three hauntingly inhuman eye slits adorned his menacing helm. A massive sword of pure darksteel, longer than Morgan was tall, waited within arm's reach, standing vertically where it had been plunged into the chamber's floor.
No longer interested in the courtyard below and the battle raging on outside, the intimidating figure slowly turned away from the window and rested his gaze upon Morgan, who suddenly felt very small.
A sinister laugh trickled through Charon's fearsome helmet, echoing discordantly around the chamber. "I find it flattering that you and your friends have come so far to see me in my moment of triumph," he greeted her cordially. "Welcome to Castle Acheron, Morgan."