Italics=character's thought/ dreams
Chapter fourteen: The Mila tree
General POV
As the group continued their march to the Mila tree, they noticed that the land they were traveling was becoming more green and lush. Soon they spotted a massive tree and hurried towards it.
"Whoa...I don't think I've ever felt this small…" Lissa said in wonder.
"I can't even see the top of it." Basilio said.
"So a shrine...is all the way up...in the branches?" Blake asked.
"How are we going to get everyone up there? Will the fliers have to ferry everybody up?" Cordelia, a red haired pegasus rider asked.
"Aye Miss Blake, the shrine is among its mighty branches and do not worry, a great staircase in its trunk leads straight to it." Say'ri reassured "However, the Empire has closed off the only route to the steps."
"Then we'll just have to break through. Come everyone!" Chrom yelled.
The group charged forward towards the tree.
Blake's POV
As the group positioned themselves around the roots of the tree, Blake flew up and looked at the battlefield. There was a large number of fighters and warriors with pegasus riders at the side. At a large opening at the base of the tree stood a heavily armoured man yelling at a soldier before barking orders Blake couldn't hear properly, although she thought she heard say something about a beard. The soldiers began to mobilise and Blake flew back down to the Shepherds.
"Okay everyone, get ready. Nowi, Panne and Tharja, attack the left side. Anna, Cordelia and Virion, attack the right side. Lissa and Maribelle, stay in the back and be ready to heal, Kellem, guard them. Myself, Chrom, Say'ri and Blake go up the middle and make for their commander! Everyone got that?" Robin ordered.
"Yes!" everyone yelled.
Say'ri jumped onto Blake's wyvern and Blake charged ahead over the water as the group split up. They closed in on a warrior and as they approached, Say'ri jumped off did a downward thrust and skewered the warrior through the chest. Blake flew over to a fighter who was going to help the other fighter and delivered a swift slash with her steel axe. The fighter yelled as blood erupted from his shoulder as Blake pulled the axe out and drove it into his stomach, killing him. Blake then flew over to another fighter and beheaded him with a single swing. An arrow flew by Blake then and as she faced her attacker Say'ri ran up to the warrior and severed his arm and finished him with a stab through the chest. Say'ri jumped back on Blake's wyvern and they flew toward the next group.
Anna's POV
Anna slashed repeatedly at a warrior before he fell and looked to her side. Virion was firing arrow after arrow trying to clear the skies as Cordelia attacked and stabbed multiple fighters. Anna took out her levan sword and began to fire at and attack some of the fighters. Each bolt left a fighter die and every slash caused the fighters to flinch, letting Virion or Cordelia finish them. As she fired another lightning bolt, the levan sword began to spark before exploding, leaving a broken hilt behind.
Ohhh...not now you stupid thing! Anna shouted internally.
"Ahhh!" Anna heard a scream.
She turned and saw that Kellem was being overrun with a large number of pegasi and fighters that had showed up as reinforcements and Lissa and Maribelle weren't able to keep up and defeat them all. Anna looked around and saw that only a fighter was left so she broke away from Cordelia and Virion and ran over to the other group. As a fighter was about to hit Lissa, Anna ran him though from behind. Pulling out her sword, she quickly ran to a pegasus and did a jumping slash and cut off one of it's wings, making it crash. The rider fell out of her saddle and into the water and began to sink and drown, her armour stopping her from swimming. Anna did a spinning low cut to a nearby fighter, cutting off his legs. Kellem attacked one of the fighters, stabbing him in the neck, killing him. Lissa and Maribelle, with the pressure off them, began to fire fire and thunder spells, burning the feather like hair off the pegasi and killing their riders. They all sighed.
"Thanks Anna." Lissa said.
"No problem." Anna said smiling.
Blake's POV
As Chrom and Robin fought off another warrior, Say'ri and Blake reached the armoured general. Say'ri hopped off the wyvern and walked up to him.
"...Eh wot?! It can't be! Say'ri, my mortal enemy." he said in a shocked tone.
"General Cervantes...your reputation…" Say'ri glances down "And your gut, precedes you." Say'ri insulted.
"But we have met in battle before girl! Have you forgotten?! I had nearly won the battle when you showed up and challenged me to duel. If you had not appeared fro-" Say'ri interrupted him.
"Your beard? Again you spout nonsense about it? Can you think of nothing else you imperial pig." Say'ri said.
"AP-PEARED! I said appeared you deaf woman...oh never mind!" Cervantes yelled.
Say'ri ran at him and began to slash at him with her katana. The blade scraped and sparked off the armour, only leaving scratches on it. Seeing this, Blake drew her hammer and flew toward Cervantes. He saw this and shield bashed Say'ri away and threw his tomahawk, which was attached to a chain, at Blake. Blake pulled up and avoided the tomahawk to which then Cervantes yanked the chain and pulled it back to him. Say'ri tried to find a weak point while he was distracted but he quickly returned his attention to her. Blake flew at him again and managed to get in close to him and swung her hammer at him. Cervantes turned and lifted his shield up and blocked the hammer blow, the shield denting from the force. Blake pulled back a bit.
"Bah! Stay outta this girl!" he shouted.
He threw his tomahawk again, but this time it hit Blake in the shoulder. As she screamed and blue blood seeped from the wound, he pulled the chain, bringing Blake with it. Blake was drag towards Cervantes who punched her in the face, sending her flying back and ripping the axe from her shoulder. He stomped over to the lying Blake and was about to bring his tomahawk down when Blake's wyvern jumped on him and started clawing at him.
"Grak! G-Get off me you big lizard! You'll rip off some of my whiskers!" he yelled, struggling to get the wyvern off.
Blake stood up and drew her bolt naginata. Cervantes grabbed Blake's wyvern and threw it off as Blake ran at him. She delivered several quick strikes to his body, each releasing a pulse of electricity into his armour. Blake finished with a powerful jab to the stomach, which fired a large bolt of lightning, and sent him staggering back. The blast left the armour cracked. Seeing an opportunity, Say'ri ran up to him and attacked the weakened armour. It gave way and Say'ri stabbed him deep in the stomach. He let out a low growl.
"Nngah! H-How could this be?! My invincible mustache! M-Must retreat…, and revise my theory…" He said weakly.
He took out a crystal and dropped it on the ground. Magic symbols that appear when rescue is used appeared and Cervantes warped away.
Blake walked over to her wyvern and mounted it. She took out a concoction from a back saddle pocket and drank it. Her wound closed itself. Everyone ran up to the two of them.
"Marry! What fighting! I almost pity the enemies of Ylisse." Say'ri said cheerily.
"Say'ri, do you know your way up to the shrine?" Chrom asked.
"Aye sir. It is through here, it leads straight to the temple." Say'ri said walking into the opening.
Inside was a set of spiral stairs that ran around the inside of the trunk up to the top.
"I am...not walking up another...near-endless staircase...I am going to fly up...and check there are...no enemies up there…" Blake said.
"Okay, but don't go alone. Hmm...who should go with you." Chrom wondered.
"I will go." Lucina said, stepping forward.
"Okay, is that fine?" Chrom asked.
"Yes…" Blake answered.
Lucina got on Blake's wyvern and they both flew up the center of the tree as everyone else started climbing.
AN: As much as some people don't like this tree, I never really minded it, it was never too hard. Good old Mila tree.
Anyway, enjoy.