Hero and a Priestess
I'm sorry that I've been absent for so long. I really am. I've just been busy with my life and have been short on time. Anyways, the point is that I've got another chapter up! Hope you guys enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing.
Micaiah ran down the many hallways of Nox Castle, the sound of her boots reverberating off of the stone walls. She was searching for Sothe, hoping that she could explain herself to him and salvage the close relationship they once shared. She checked every place she could think of. She searched in the fort's mess hall, armory, library and training grounds. The silver haired girl asked soldiers and any member of the Dawn Brigade she came across if they had seen Sothe, but most told Micaiah that they either had not seen him that day or hadn't seen him since breakfast in the early morning. Micaiah was getting disheartened. She didn't want there to be any bad blood between her and Sothe or, even worse, animosity between Sothe and Ike. Micaiah knew that Sothe was already after Ike, her only hope was to quell some of the anger that the rogue harbored towards his old friend.
"Lady Micaiah, ma'am!" a soldier called as he approached the small girl. He held a small stack of papers in one hand. "Here is the total count of our soldiers and supplies as well as detailed maps of this castle and the surrounding areas. It appears that we have an excess number of cavalry units. They will prove to be nearly useless if they are forced to fight within the walls of this castle, but they won't be very effective in general because of the coming winter storms. The general consensus from the officers is that a portion of the cavalry be retrained as ground forces while the rest of them are kept in wait in case the opportunity for a counter charge arises."
"That- that sounds like a fine plan. Go back and let the other officers know that I approve of their plan," Micaiah was about to turn to leave when the soldier handed her the papers he was carrying. She took them and gave the man a sheepish smile for nearly forgetting to take the reports. "Thank you. I will look these over right away. Was there anything else?"
"Yes Ma'am. General Tauroneo authorized several scouting parties to depart from the castle."
Micaiah dismissed the soldier and let out a sigh. She desperately wished she could simply surrender. In fact, she would gladly lend the Apostle and her army the aid of the Daein forces if the blood pact that Pelleas accidently signed wouldn't slowly kill her entire country. Right now though, she felt like running away to a far away place where all these problems wouldn't find her. Micaiah knew she couldn't do that; it wouldn't be fair to her friends, her country and all the people that placed their faith in her. Slowly, the young Daein general made her way to the fort's library. She needed a quiet place to focus.
Upon arriving at her destination, Micaiah sat down at one of the many long wooden tables. She placed the stack of papers she had been given earlier down next to her and began looking them over. The first few were simply head counts and inventory, but as Micaiah began reading more of the reports about the army's recent activity she noticed that the majority of the orders had been made by either Sothe or General Tauroneo. The silver haired girl read more in depth into the issued orders and noticed that most of them involved troop movements, mission assignments and the later parts of the rescue mission. Micaiah wondered who devised the plan to get her out of captivity in the first place. Was it Sothe or Tauroneo? Micaiah wasn't sure she really wanted to know the answer or the reasons. She folded her arms on the table and rested her head on them. Again, she wished for this complicated mess to just be over and done with. Micaiah closed her eyes and before long she was dozing peacefully.
Ike sat with his back resting against a tree. A large number of laguz around him were sleeping or resting. A few warriors stood watch. The cluster of trees they were hiding in was one of the few disturbances on an otherwise barren plane. Ike closed his eyes hoping to get some sleep before it was time to move out again. Tonight was the infiltration mission and tomorrow was going to be the assault on Nox Castle. He needed to rest but for some reason he just couldn't sleep. He looked around and noticed that most of the laguz, who at first glance appeared to be resting peacefully, were in fact twitching and growling in their sleep. The Chaos was getting to them and even though Ike couldn't feel it in the same way they could, he knew it was affecting him too. Compared to the laguz his symptoms were far less noticeable, but he knew what was going on inside his mind and body.
"Hey Ike, can't sleep?" a familiar voice called from up in the tree. The mercenary looked up to see Ranulf looking down at him from a branch up the tree. "Me neither. And I think I speak for every laguz when I say that this atmosphere is far too uncomfortable to rest in. Well, there isn't much any of us can do about that since we are in a war. Speaking of Chaos, I wonder how the herons are doing maintaining the seal on the medallion."
"I'd assume that they're doing fine since the dark god hasn't awakened yet and this conflict has gone on longer then the Mad King's War did," Ike reasoned. "Well not this fight specifically, but the uprising in Daein, the rebellion in Crimea, the war against Begnion and now this conflict with the Senate and Daein. Anyways, quiet down and try to sleep. You have a mission tonight too you know."
"Yeah I know. I have to help coordinate the initial offensive move and direct the reserve forces into a defensive position so as to not allow Daein to escape. In other words, I'm the most vital part to ending this war. Yeah, no pressure."
"Good to know that you understand, now get some sleep."
"Sir, yes sir," Ranulf responded in a mocking tone as he rolled over onto his back.
Ike closed his eyes once more, and after some time, drifted off to sleep. Before he knew it, someone was shaking him awake. Dark clouds covered the sky and a violent wind rushed across the plane. The day was not yet up, but with the sun swallowed up by the coming storm it might as well be night. Ike got to his feet and grabbed Ragnell off the ground. He slung the sheath over his back. The mercenary scanned the branch above to see if his feline friend was still hanging around. However, there was no sign of Ranulf so Ike set off to find him. Ike didn't have to look far to find the laguz captain and with him were ten other warriors, all of them cats.
"So this is tonight's attack team?"
"That's correct," Ranulf chirped. He then leaned in and added in a whisper, "They are all very talented at being unseen and silent but are less reliable in a fight than some of the other warriors might be. Just thought you should know ahead of time."
"That's why I'm going," Ike whispered back. "I'm the fighter. Besides, we aren't trying to get into a fight. We want to get in there without any of the Daein patrols being aware of our presence."
"Then this should be perfect!" the cat exclaimed as he clapped Ike on the back. "You had better get going then. It's dark enough now. Plus if you wait too long it's going to start snowing hard. Make as much progress as you can before the storm hits, this one feels like it's going to be a nasty one. It's going to be tough moving forward even for us laguz."
Ike thanked the cat for the advice and acted on it. He ordered his men into a single file line with three feet between them. With his team assembled and ready, the group headed in the direction of Nox. They moved at a brisk pace across the frozen landscape, the wind blowing in their faces. They had only just begun their long trek when snow started falling from the sky; in small white flurries at first which quickly turned into near blizzard conditions. The entire group was having an incredibly difficult time fighting against the wind that was trying to push them back two steps for every one they took. The snow piled up quickly, making travel even harder and slower. The visibility dropped considerably, everything beyond a few feet looked like a white and black blur. Still, by some incredible will, the group managed to inch forward towards their goal.
The laguz behind Ike grabbed the mercenary's shoulder and warned him of the smell of beorc on the wind. Ike pressed on with the knowledge that there were potential Daein patrols outside of the fort. The group traveled for a long while before even Ike could smell the smoke from a torch blowing towards them. Soon an orange orb appeared in the darkness. Ike motioned for all his soldiers to get down. Everyone dropped into the snow and lay in wait. A foot patrol of five men walked within feet of Ike's team, completely oblivious that an enemy was lying on the ground next to them. Before the last man could pass Ike got up, placed him in a choke hold and dragged him to the ground. The four remaining Daein soldiers, who weren't even aware that one of their comrades was being suffocated, didn't stand a chance as the ten laguz took them out from behind. After a short struggle, Ike and his men continued onwards leaving the five bodies behind.
The group traveled for hours taking occasional breaks when fighting the wind and snow had worn them out. When the storm began to die down though, Ike pushed his team to make better time towards Nox. Before long, the Daein castle came into view on the horizon, a shining beacon in an otherwise dark land. The well lit fortress marked the beginning of the more difficult part of that night's mission. Ike called for a quick break so that they could rest up before the final sprint towards the castle wall. After some time had passed, he got the laguz up and moving again. The group charged straight across the frozen, snow covered field as best they could. Still partially concealed by the swirling snowfall, Ike and his team made it to the base of the wall without detection.
"Alright, let's go over this once more so we don't have any mistakes," Ike whispered to the laguz around him. "We need to get up and over this wall, avoid alerting the guards of our presence and open the gates so that our army can march into the castle. If you run into an enemy, take him our silently! That means no transforming while we're inside the castle either. Your transformations give off light. Light makes us easy to detect. Now, I don't know how much time has gone by tonight, but I've got a feeling that dawn is fast approaching. Our armies should already be on the move which means we need to be ready to give them the signal at first light. Let's go!"
Ike placed his fingers within the grooves between the massive slabs of stone that made up the outer wall. Immediately, all of the warmth rapidly drained from his hands. The mercenary began to climb and the laguz followed his lead. It was tiresome work, groping for tiny hand and foot holds in the dark with clumsy, numb hands while the wind tried to rip them off the face of the wall. Ike climbed; hand over hand, until he finally pulled himself over the top and onto the walkway atop the outer wall. The mercenary quickly looked around to gather in his surroundings. There were a few sentries patrolling the grounds, one man stationed to every door leading into the castle, and hardly anyone manning the wall. There was a sizable bit of open ground immediately followed by a higher level with stairs on the eastern and western walls. After that, there was a flight of stairs in the center leading to a second level. There was a third beyond that as well before the main entrance to Nox. Four heavy weapons, two on the first level and two on the second level, faced the gate. The defenses were light, even if Daein didn't have a large force, this was pitiful.
None of the guards had noticed the intruders as the last of the laguz was helped up to join the rest of the team. Ike quickly moved everyone down off the wall and into the shadows at its base. He let them warm their numb limbs from the climb as he thought of the best course of action. Opening the main gate would be easy with the number of men patrolling the grounds; taking out the heavy weapons would be slightly more difficult. In the end, Ike decided against it. The gate was the priority, anything else was just asking for trouble. The mercenary and his men waited in the shadows, watching as shifts for one patrol ended and another began. The new sentries did not appear to be any more alert than their predecessors. Eventually, the skies began to brighten. Dawn was upon them.
"It's time," Ike whispered as he emerged from the shadows and began to make his way towards the gate.
The mercenary stayed low and hugged the wall as he moved a line of laguz at his back. They slipped under the archway that encased the great wooden doors. Ike nodded to his men and they began to remove the thick wooden beams that kept the doors shut. There were three in total. The first came off without issue, as did the second, but the third one fell from their hands and crashed on top of the other two. The sound of wood smacking wood echoed all throughout the grounds followed immediately by the blowing of a horn and shouts from the guards. Ike slammed all his weight against those doors and they burst open.
"Do it! Now!" the mercenary shouted to his companions. "Give the signal!"
Several of the laguz shifted into their cat forms and let out a shrill roar. Ike spun around back towards the castle just as the first Daein soldier charged at him. The mercenary grabbed hold of one of the doors and shut it violently on the soldier. The man collided with the thick wood and went stumbling backwards. Ike yanked the door back open, drew Ragnell, and was on the man in an instant driving the golden blade through armor and flesh. He had to quickly pull back as another soldier tried to skewer him with a spear. A second soldier slashed at the mercenary's side with an ax while several more men with spears thrust at him from behind the first two. One of the cats pounced on the man with the ax, taking him down to the ground in a tangle of limbs. Ike used the opening to move forward as two of the laguz dragged down the first man with the lance. The remaining seven cats easily brought down the few men who had originally spotted them. However, Daein soldiers began pouring out of the castle. At first they came in small groups, but they soon started to attack in larger numbers.
The ten cats slowly inched further and further into the courtyard as they fanned out to deal with the enemy coming from all sides. Ike called for them to fall back to defend the gate and to make sure that they did not become isolated from each other. Laguz were not good defensive fighters and are worse at following orders while in the heat of battle. Ike did all he could to hold the entrance and protect his team but they kept advancing and Daein soldiers moved in behind them from the gap they had opened by the walls. The cats were suddenly swallowed up in a sea of ebon armor and with a swift rise and fall of weapons followed by a few pained shrieks Ike was alone. Spears, swords and axes dyed red with blood all turned towards him at that point. The mercenary raised Ragnell and cursed the lateness of his army and the stupidity of his men.
A loud roar shook the chill morning air, distant but still deafeningly loud. It was followed by thousands of lesser calls that seemed to come from all directions. The Daein men hesitated momentarily as they listened to the dying echoes of the lion's roar that signaled the approach of the Laguz Alliance. Ike did not waste his opportunity and quickly cleaved several men nearly in half in a single stroke from Ragnell. He felled another before the rest of the soldiers remembered the enemy before them. Ike had to retreat a step as numerous blades and spear points were thrust at him. A wall of sharpened steel kept pushing him back. The Daein's pushed him beyond the gate and managed to close one of the giant wooden doors, but Ike refused to let the second door be shut. With the number of people able to attack him cut in half, Ike held his ground. One soldier followed another, and he was followed by another, and another followed him. Ike could not count how many men he felled, but a small mound was beginning to form at his feet.
Ike fought fiercely to keep his position as Daein soldiers opened the door they had originally closed and attacked him with redoubled effort. The mercenary spun past one soldier as he lunged forward with his sword. Ike grabbed hold of the soldier's arm and threw him into the blades of his companions. He knocked a man's spear aside as he rammed into him sending the enemy, and several others, reeling backwards. The mercenary quickly pivoted and released a powerful blast from Ragnell as soldiers came up from behind. Ebon clad soldiers were quickly surrounding him when a loud roar drowned out every other sound. Skrimir bowled through a large number of Daeins and gave another ferocious roar that got man more to back off. Ike stole a quick glance back to see that the Laguz Alliance thundering across the frozen plains. The mercenary let out a triumphant shout as Skrimir roared again causing the Daein soldiers to retreat in fear. However, that feeling of victory was short lived. Daein's heavily armored knights had taken up positions at the top of the stairs, archers manned the heavy weapons and walls, and a few flame mages dotted the ranks. It would not be an easy fight even with their overwhelming numbers.
Ike quickly moved to one side as hundreds of laguz came pouring through the entrance. Hawks screeched overhead as they cleared the wall and charged towards the rear ranks to harass the officers and weaker units. Skrimir bounded off to join the battle at another part of the castle leaving the mercenary commander to head this battlefield. Ike did his best to direct his incoming soldiers as he tried to send them towards the stairs. Something was wrong though. They did not heed his orders and instead charged directly into the horseshoe shaped area where the courtyard was surrounded on three sides by the raised level. Laguz tried to leap right up to the second level but were easily repelled by the infantry that guarded that portion of the wall. Ike shouted for his men to avoid that area and to attack the stairs instead. A few obeyed but most laguz were to blinded and crazed by the chaos of battle to notice.
"Ike, what's going on?" Soren shouted as he rapidly approached his long-time friend. "Pull them back before they are all killed! They'll get slaughtered if they attack that position!"
"They won't listen!" Ike shot back angrily. He yelled as loud as his body would allow him to yet his orders went unheeded again. "All the Chaos in the air has made them go berserk. It's like they're feral. They don't seem to mind pain or death!"
Ike could do nothing but watch as volley after volley was launched from archers, mages and the heavy weapons onto his men leaving nothing but a pile of bodies. The battle had barely begun and already it was not going favorably. More laguz poured through the gates and this time Ike physically placed himself in their path and forced them to go to one side or the other, he cared not, just as long as they did not try to charge the middle. This worked for a while, but when the Daein lines held on the stairs and the laguz no longer had a way to move forward they started to attack the center horseshoe again. Just as before, the laguz were easy prey for enemy mages and archers. Ike was powerless to stop them. He could feel his anger rising at that fact. He began shouting for Skrimir. If anyone could get these warriors in line, it would be him. However, the lion was off fighting his own battle as was Tibarn. Ike grit his teeth and kept shouting commands to anyone who would listen.
"Ike," Ranulf called as he came to investigate how the battle was faring. The cat's mouth dropped when he saw the carnage. He looked to Soren and then to Ike, whose commands still fell on deaf ears. "Ike! You've got to do something! Hurry! Before we take any more casualties from this insanity!"
"To me!" the mercenary roared as he raised Ragnell high above his head. "Laguz warriors, to me! Follow my lead!"
To the dismay of both Soren and Ranulf, Ike charged straight into the massacre that was happening in the horseshoe. They both call after him yet the mercenary did not listen. He ran over fallen bodies and dying laguz in both their human and shifted forms. Ike did not break stride or slow down as another volley of arrows rained down upon him and the laguz warriors that followed him. Many grazed him yet not a single one pierced him. He climbed the mound of bodies and leapt onto the next level. The Daein soldiers barely had time to react as Ike hacked two of them in half with one fell swing of his sword. Before the third could pull his shield up to guard Ragnell was buried up to the hilt in his chest. The laguz surged up behind the hole that had been opened up by their commander and broke through the heart of the Daein defenses.
The tables had turned. At first it had been a massacre of the Laguz Alliance but now it was Daein soldiers who were being slaughtered. Ike charge up to the second level, cutting down any enemy who dared opposed him. The mercenary clambered up the wall to the third level before anyone could stop him and there he stood alone against a host of Daein soldiers. Behind them stood the one person he both sought after and at the same time wished was anywhere but here, Micaiah. He couldn't help the grin that tugged at his lips when he saw his cape draped around her slender shoulders. Ike had little time to gaze upon the silver haired beauty as men rushed forward to take him on. He dodged past the first man, a heavily armored knight, and slashed the back of his legs. The knight stumbled and fell head first over the ledge to land in a heap of steel and broken flesh. The mercenary felled the next man by plunging Ragnell through the visor in the knight's helm. Several more heavily armored knights came rushing forward. They were all slow and clumsy. Ike had no trouble disposing of them as well. As he turned to face his next opponent something slammed into his gut knocking the wind from his lungs. A lightly armored foot soldier had tried to tackle him. The mercenary brought his knee up into the soldier's stomach, causing the man to double over, and then gave him a fierce kick to the side of the head with his boot. The man's helm crunched from the impact and blood gushed out from under it as he collapsed in a heap.
Ike swung his sword in anticipation of an attack coming from his side and caught a dagger. A shaky rogue clutched the hilt. Sothe had a fire in his eyes but his skin was pale and his body visibly weak. Had the green haired young man been the only one Ike had to contend with he would not have had a problem, but before the mercenary could launch his own attack three swords and a lance stabbed at him. The mercenary evaded, if only barely. He was once again faced with Daein's Dawn Brigade. He had barely survived the last battle. This time would be different though. Before him was Sothe, Zihark, Brom's daughter, the young swordsman with light brown hair and a golden sword, and a soldier with sea green hair. It pained Ike to do it, but he knew Brom's daughter to be the weakest from their last encounter. He moved quickly, slashing upwards at her sword arm. She tried to deflect Ragnell but Ike was far more powerful and the golden blade buried itself a ways into her chest. She let out a startled gasp before collapsing. Ike would have to admit to this later and face Brom's fury and grief, but for the time being he had to focus. He kept moving and made sure that Dawn Brigade members were always between him and their blond archer, who was a very good shot from what he remembered. The young swordsman was the next to fall. He over extended himself and Ike brought Ragnell down hard. Somehow the boy guarded against the attack, but it was nowhere good enough. Ike's sword tore through the flesh and bone of the boy's left shoulder and he was down.
Micaiah was crying and screaming for the two sides to stop. She was ignored as Ike threw Zihark onto the lance of the green haired soldier and shoved both of them over the ledge. The mercenary felt a hand touch his back and had just enough time to block Sothe's attack. The rogue struggled to break free but Ike had Sothe's wrist held secure in his hand. The mercenary took the dagger out of his old friend's hand and stabbed it into the younger man's side before throwing him to the ground. Ike felt it was time to move again and not a moment too soon as an arrow whizzed past his ear. The next foe was quickly upon him, an older man with well-trimmed goatee and an ax. He had not taken part in the last fight so Ike was unsure of his abilities. They exchanged blows and the mercenary could immediately tell that this man was strong and experienced but not nearly talented enough. Ike grabbed hold of the shaft of the ax as it was being swung down and bashed its owner in the face with Ragnell's hilt. A large gash spurted blood from the man's head just above his eyebrows as he fell unconscious. Ike now had a clear shot at the archer and he did not waste a second. He brought his sword down and a burst of blue energy shot forth and opened the blonde archer's stomach.
No one now stood between him and Micaiah save a young girl garbed in white robes with short brown hair. She trembled like a leaf in Ike's shadow and immediately laid down her tome of light magic. The blue haired man strode forward confidently. He had won the battle and would have Micaiah once again. The silver haired girl was on her knees, tears running down her face as she kept mumbling "I saw this coming. This was my vision. How did I not see it?" Ike knelt down in front of Micaiah and set Ragnell aside. He was about to embrace her when something slammed into his side and sent him to the ground. He barely got an arm up to defend himself before razor sharp fangs sank deep into his arm. The giant wolf growled in his throat as it brought up a massive paw and shredded Ike's boiled leather jerkin, shirt and flesh was terribly long claws. Blood pooled out from the wounds as the mercenary struggled to rid himself of the wolf.
"Good Volug," a familiar voice called out. "Keep him pinned!"
The owner of the voice soon came into Ike field of vision. The old man's white armor had been turned crimson by the blood that covered it but there was no doubt that it was Tauroneo. The general raised his lance up, took careful aim at the blue haired man at his feet, and brought the silver tipped weapon down with deadly force. Ike barely managed to redirect the attack with his free arm so that the lance struck hard stone instead of his body. The wolf called Volug released the arm he had in his mouth and moved in for the kill. Ike rolled away just as jaws snapped shut where his head used to be. He pushed himself to his feet and made for Ragnell, but Volug was faster. The wolf bit into Ike's calf and dragged the mercenary down. The hilt of his sword lay just out of reach. The mercenary saw Daein soldiers retreating back into the castle carrying wounded members of the Dawn Brigade on their backs. Micaiah was being lead inside the castle as well by one of the foot soldiers and Ike could feel victory slipping away. Angrily, the mercenary kicked Volug off of his leg, grabbed Ragnell and chased after the silver haired girl as she disappeared inside. His way was blocked by Tauroneo though. Ike did all he could to get by the old man but nothing he tried worked. In truth, the mercenary was feeling the fatigue of battle and a sleepless night. It quickly became apparent that he was unable to defeat the white armored general or the wolf. They too saw that it was time to retreat as the last of the Daein soldiers made it into the safety of the castle. Tauroneo bashed Ike with his great white shield, sending the exhausted mercenary tumbling to the ground, as he and Volug fled into the castle.
Ike lay motionless on the ground for a while and his burning muscles thanked him for the rest. He heard a loud roar, which was followed by the sound of something collapsing and a ton of panicking soldiers. It seemed an ill sign to the mercenary, but he was too tired to bother investigating at the moment. Someone would come to fetch him eventually and he would hear of how the battle faired. The first person to find him was one of the last people he expected to see. Boyd's large boots stormed angrily towards Ike. The green haired man extended his hand to his commander and friend. Ike gladly took it.
"I've got some news."
"I want to hear the good news first."
"I never said any of it was good Ike."
"Then give me the part that isn't so terrible before you deliver the worst of it."
"Well, the good news is that we won. Daein has fled Nox. Unfortunately we were unable to trap them like you had planned. They broke through our defenses and escaped."
"Is that all then?" Ike growled. Something like that should not have happened. The joint forces of Begnion and Crimea were more than enough to corral in the fleeing Daein army.
"No," Boyd continued and Ike knew that whatever came next was going to really upset him. "Crimea did not even march to battle. Queen Elincia showed up and ordered them not to take part in the battle. To make things even worse though is that the dragon tribes have got involved as well. They are demanding that we resolve this issue peacefully. Ike, if we don't follow their orders we lose Crimea's support and may end up having to battle the dragons as well as Daein and the Senate. That's simply a war we cannot win."
"I know!" Ike snapped more harshly than he had intended. "This is far from the victory that I had hoped for. Regardless, tell the men to occupy the castle. They will be glad to be out of the elements for a change."
Boyd nodded and ran off. Ike let out a heavy sigh. No Micaiah, Daein didn't surrender, and now he had to deal with the two worst groups to have on a war counsel. It did not help that he still had some bad memories from his time with Elincia. Ike slouched against the cold stone wall. This was not the victory he wanted, if it could be called a victory at all. They had suffered high casualties on his field of battle and had accomplished nearly zero of the goals he had set out for the army. In truth, he felt like a failure. With another heavy sigh Ike prepared himself for the upcoming unpleasant exchange he would have with the dragons of Goldoa and the queen of Crimea. He was still general of this army and had a duty to fulfill. Ike cleaned the blood off Ragnell's blade with the cloak of one of the dead Daein soldiers and sheathed his sword. He headed out of the fort in search of the cause of his misfortune.
So this ended up being a bit longer than some of my other chapters. Once again, I apologize for my long absence. Like I said, a lot has happened this year for me. I plan on getting back on track though, maybe get a chapter out every two or three weeks. As always, leave a comment about whatever you want. I love to hear feedback be they compliments, constructive criticism or anything in between.