ASLEEP
Chapter Twenty-Five – Collapse/Clash
"Well." Gaius grumbled as he bit into a random pastry that he'd stolen from the kitchens earlier. "Do you ever get the feeling that we're missing out on something ludicrously awesome?"
"You mean the raid?" I shrug. "Eh, I'd like it if we could at least be on the walls and watch from there, but we've got a job to do."
"True, true." Gaius swallowed the pastry and immediately began rifling through his bag for more. "On the bright side, at least we're safer."
"For the love of god, Gaius." I groaned. "There's rules about saying that kind of thing – NEVER say 'we're safer', 'we lost him' and never, EVER say 'How hard can it be'. All three of those sayings just lead to unnecessary pain."
Gaius rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Lucky."
"Just stay frosty." Stay frosty, Mimura. Ah, crap, now I'm depressed. Stupid Battle Royale memories. "They could be back any second."
Gaius tilted his head and glanced down the tunnels. "Yeah, I see 'em. Looks like Lon'qu's party."
"Not Chrom and the rest?" I frowned as the clacking of the floorboards we put down yesterday let even me with my crappy night vision know they were coming. "That's slightly concerning."
"Plan probably changed on the fly. I'll check the other tunnel." Gaius turned and ran across to the team we'd placed at the other tunnel. We'd only brought him down because of his stupid good eyesight, what with being a thief and all. We kept Virion outside in case they tried to do some bullshit with their Wyverns, but then again we've not seen any for a while. Still, doesn't hurt to be careful.
Universe, please take pity on me and just have them having mixed up the tunnels, don't make us go out there to rescue them.
"We're good, they're coming!" Gaius called back. Universe, I owe you one.
"ALRIGHT, EVERYBODY, ROPES!" I yelled, wrapping my hands around one. Everyone else tensed up as well, ready to pull. Lon'qu dived through the hole, panting and covered with small scratches and – okay, he's got an arrow in his shoulder. Oh, gods, it goes all the way through. That's disgusting.
"Right behind us. Is it ready?" He growled, his men clambering out from behind him – he left with five, came back with two. Okay, so not a perfect success.
"What happened?" I asked, tilting my head around the corner. Okay, that's a lot of guys. "Brace!"
"They knew about the tunnels. Just get ready." He hissed as he sank against a wall, clutching his shoulder. That does look really bad.
Okay, they're close. Are Chrom and the others back? Yes, yes they are. Stahl and Sully are moving slower than they should be, and also at an odd angle, so they're probably carrying Kellam – yes, yes they are. Okay, let's hope he's alive. Chrom appeared to do a quick recount to make sure all of them were there before turning around and settling into a fighting stance in front of his tunnel.
"Brace...brace..." I hissed. We need to hit as many of them as possible, and we need to pull at the same time. They're thirty paces away, twenty-five. Twenty. Fifteen. Ten.
"PULL!"
"PULL!" The rest of the room roared in unison, pulling back on their ropes. A bare second of tension and creaking – five paces away now – and then a series of harsh snaps, and we all fell backwards. Then the room got filled with dust, mud, water and none of us could hear anything. I staggered to my feet, rubbing my eyes, and...holy crap, that was effective. How many did we get?
"Did it work?" A moaning Feroxi soldier asked as he rose to his feet, shaking his head.
"Yeah, mate...it worked." I grinned. "Robin's a frigging genius."
Wow, for once a plan didn't go pear-shaped on me. Probably because it wasn't me that came up with it. I need to stop trying to think and let other people do that.
"I, uh..." Robin rubbed his head awkwardly as he looked out over what used to be a nice rolling field covered in snow and was now a mess of upturned earth and half-buried soldiers. "Might have underestimated what removing the ground from your opponent's feet might do."
"No kidding." I muttered, impressed. "How many did we get?"
"Good question." Robin nodded, narrowing his eyes and looking out, moving his lips silently. "I'd say...average of ten per square meter before, new average of three...we got about three hundred and fifty men with that tactic."
"Holy-" Julian's eyes widened. "Thats, what, 70 percent casualties?"
Robin nodded in confirmation, a little shellshocked by what he'd done. "One blow...one blow, and such damage dealt."
Yeah, Robin, that's nothing compared to the warship one you pull against Valm. Trust me, it's really nothing like it.
I think you take out a few thousand with that, at the very least. Robin's eyes narrowed as he caught some shifting movement towards the front as the enemy forces massed together.
"Their general survived." He said sourly, standing up from his seat. "Man the walls, they'll attack soon. By soon I mean now."
Time to get down from this belltower, then. Julian nodded in agreement and whistled, bringing Kylar up next to us. "Anyone want a lift down?"
"I'll take that offer." I grimace. As much as I hate flying, I'm pretty sure I hate stairs more, especially if I have to fight afterwards. After a few seconds searching the skies, Chrom lets out a slight sigh and accepts Julian's hand up as well.
"Arright, then..."
Thankfully, the flight was short and steady, and not that fast. Possibly because three men was more than Kylar was really meant to carry, but either way I'm not complaining.
Mustafa and his men somehow manged to scavenge a pair of ladders, but Robin saw them too and ordered mass saturation of firepower around them. Javelins and hand axes from the Feroxi garrison bolstered Virion's arrows – the guy is actually a serious badass, not gonna lie – and our own magic. I wish I could use magic, that would be useful. So, they're probably not going to be able to scale the walls. What's their plan b?
Also, where is Phila and her pegasus knights? With their numbers reduced so badly, we might actually be able to sortie and win if she would hurry up and get here.
"Yo, Cam." Julian asked after a couple of seconds. "...we did remember to garrison the main gate when we got back, right?"
Oh. Oh.
"FUCK!" That's where they're going. "ON ME!"
How the hell did we overlook that? Okay, so the main gate is double-layered and basically a death trap if you get caught in the center part, but if they get through we're still outnumbered. Also, we, ah, might have not pulled the secondary portcullis down and just reinforced the main door.
Chrom blinked as I dashed past him, followed by about six Feroxi warriors who just decided to tag along.
"Why are you-"
Sorry, can't wait to explain! There we are!
Main gate. They're already breaking in, they must have axes for this or something, kinda like how some shotguns can blow off locks. That's an odd comparison, stop thinking about it that way.
"Julian, get the second gate down, I'll hold them back!"
"That's a stupid plan!"
A) That's Robin's line, B) Welcome to my fucking life.
Doing it anyway.
There's stairs, but fuck those they take too long. Let's just jump down – I've jumped off of higher, after all – nice landing, okay. And the gates down, and here come the men.
Evening, Mustafa.
"...you're the one that saved the Exalt." He murmured at the sight of me. Okay, that's like twenty guys behind him. I might have to manipulate his sense of honor. "Did she know you were going to do that?"
"In all honest? No, that was a spur-of-the-moment thing." I shrugged. "I'm pretty sure she intended to die. Wasn't gonna let her do that to her siblings, though."
"Mm." Mustafa nodded casually. "I had a feeling that might have been your motivation. Do you have family?"
Yes. No. Sort of? "...not anymore." Oh, bugger, the rest of his army's caught onto the plan. The sudden slam behind me at least confirmed they'd dropped the portcullis.
"Ah." Mustafa scowled. "What happened?"
"...It's not possible to see them again, that's all." I said after a few seconds. I really need to sit down and just deal with that at some point.
"Then you know what it would be like to lose your family, don't you pup?" Mustafa grunted, raising his axe. "If I fail here, Gangrel will murder mine."
"If I fail here, your men will kill the closest thing I've got left." I shot back with a glare. You don't get sympathy for dragging my family into this. Mustafa's own eyes softened.
"Sorry, lad. Listen here...Men! If I lose this fight, surrender! That's an order!"
Well...bugger.
"YES, GENERAL!"
"Now, lad...will you offer me the same courtesy?" He growled. "Will your me surrender if you fall?"
"Not my men, not my orders, not going to fall anyway." I smirked, feeling more than a little cocky. "Sorry, but they feel a little too strongly about this war to surrender just 'cause I lost."
"A pity. Do you accept the challenge, however?"
Okay, Cameron, think about this logically. He's a second-tier unit, you're still first-tier and not that good either. Just because Lucien believes you've improved a lot doesn't make you good. Still, you do have the weapon triangle advantage, and this shield does make up for a lot...
"If you're honestly going to offer such incredibly one-sided victory conditions, I'd have to be an idiot." I commented, tilting my head to the side. This is going to suck.
"CAMERON, THAT'S AN EVEN MORE STUPID PLAN!" Julian yelled from up top.
"What is?"
"Well, y'see Chrom, the idiot has agreed to honorable duel with the enemy general, a man who's been fighting for much longer and is probably much better at it, because for some reason Cameron has come down with a serious case of RETARDED!"
Julian, shut the fuck up, I'm trying to concentrate here.
"I mean good god, why do I even try to be his friend? WHY? What do I get out of it these days? Jesus christ...if he dies, I'm not the one telling Anna, I'm saying it right now."
"Is your friend done?" Mustafa asked with a raised eyebrow.
"NO!" Julian yelled. "I AM NOT DONE VENTING!"
"TOUGH!" I shouted back, rolling my eyes. "I'M GETTING THIS OVER WITH!"
I turned back the the general, sighing. "Sorry about that. So, first blood, or..."
"To the death." Mustafa said, narrowing his eyes. "Or surrender, whichever comes first."
"Very well then." I nodded, settling down into my usual stance – god, I've only just realized how much like the zelda stance it is. That's kinda sad. Also surprising that it actually works, so hey, either way.
"Commence." The general growled, his red axe looking actually kind of terrifying. Then he moved. He's...not that fast, actually. Is he holding back?
Whatever. Block it – OH MY GOD THE STRENGTH. Right, he's a berserker, they've got kind of a monopoly on that stat. Ugh, at least the bone didn't break, but direct blocking is a bad idea apparently. Not to mention I got forced back a few steps through the mud and the snow. Yeah, it's that kind of force. Okay, here comes his second swing – use the shield to bat it aside rather than block.
Blocking is a bad idea. Well, with that much strength even if I'm faster than him I'm forced into a reactive role.
"CAMERON WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
Oh, shit.
"...Anna, sweetheart, I'm a LITTLE BUSY HERE!" I yelled up at the pissed redhead. Mustafa glanced from me to her a few times.
"Wife?"
"Fiance. Long story."
"Ah." Mustafa nodded sagely. Julian and Cordelia both had to grab onto Anna to prevent her from diving into the gate-slash-temporary arena and probably...either help me or actively try to throttle me. "Now...where were we?"
Oh bugger.
Duck under his next swing, bounce away on the back of your feet. Keep away from the walls, if you get boxed in you're doomed. Here he comes again, deflect with shield – no direct blocks, direct blocks are stupid – and back through his right side to avoid the backswing. Is this an opening? Yes, yes it is. Lash out.
He backs off, but he's got a shallow cut along the side of his gut now. Shoulda worn armor, General. He seems kind of...disappointed? I don't recall him being a death seeker of any kind. Either way, he came forwards again, slashing down over his head. Only just manage to dodge by stepping slightly to the side, and – holy crap is that my hair? That was too close for comfort. Oh, right, he's open now. Slash at his back, and that's him wounded and bleeding properly.
"Better." He grunted, standing up straight. I...must have hit muscles and no organs, then. I thought I'd hit the spinal cord on that slash as well, at the very least scratching it, but no such luck. Shame.
Since when was I so talkative with myself in fights? Get a grip, this is serious.
Here he comes. He's got an attack pattern. Right swing, backswing, overhead swing. That's incredibly easy to abuse – he's changed it. FUCK. Okay. He's ambidextrous, that's interesting, or at the very least he's trained himself to use both hands equally.
Still, that could be dangerous. Let's just keep moving, you're more agile than him, use that to your advantage. Okay, he's gonna charge – now!
Duck underneath the swing, stretch yourself out sword first. Impale through...chest. Did I get the heart? Gods, please, let me hit the heart. I don't think I could have kept that up for much longer, I'm sweating like a pig.
"...please." Mustafa choked into my ear. "Spare my men. Look after your new family, pup."
Oh lordy he's heavy, shove him off – there. He's gone. Take a look up, Cameron, see if his guys are going to do as he said – and they're all dropping their weapons. Good.
...why can't I feel my shield arm? Oh, come on, not again. So that's where he hit me when he swapped hands the first time. Okay. Uh, I can see bone. That's not good.
Don't pass out, you pass out fucking enough as-is.
"YOU IMBECILE!"
"Anna, gods, careful with the arm -AAAAGH!"
THAT'S NOT CAREFUL, THAT'S RAMMING THE BONE BACK INSIDE THE FLESH AND CRACKING IT TOGETHER! Thank you for the healing staff – wait, they hurt even more than the injury don't they OH GOD YES THEY DO. Ow. Ugh. Well, my left arm's stiff. Anna shifted it back and forth for a second before nodding.
"Okay, it'll be fine. Don't use it for a few days." She let out a sigh of relief. "Gods, you scared me."
"I know, I know. Sorry." I winced, flexing my arm. Ow – why would you slap it?
"I just said not to move it? Gods, do I need to tie it to you or something?" She groaned, rolling her eyes. "Come on."
She helped me up the stairs, where...oh lordy, they're all impressed.
Help me.
"You truly have improved." Frederick nodded in satisfaction. "If only you participated in - "
"I'm sure he'd rather have recovery time, Frederick." Robin cut him off hastily. "Either way...good work. We, ah, might have to explain to Phila it's your fault she doesn't get to fight. She was looking forward to it."
"She doesn't strike me as the bloodthirsty type." Libra commented with a frown. Chrom rolled his shoulders and let out a deep groan.
"She appears to have developed a complex about not not being able to protect Emm." He grumbled. "At this rate, she might just try to replace herself with Cameron and Julian."
"Hey, no." Julian raised his hands. "I get by on brains, skill, and having a giant bird. Cameron gets by on pure fucking dumb luck."
I really want to argue against him there, but I can't. Robin chuckled.
"He does seem to rely on that, doesn't he. I also can't help but notice that every time he falls from a high place, we win the battle."
Oh come on, I didn't fall from a high place this time!
...
Wait, I jumped off the wall didn't I. Oh, come on!
"Robin." I said calmly. "I don't care how much of a good luck charm it is, I'm not jumping off a cliff at some point in every battle, got it?"
Robin raised his hands in surrender, smirking. "Oh, I'm sure I'll find a way to make it happen."
"...arrogant dick." I grumbled. Still, with the army milling about, it's as good a time as any to check up on something. "Has Chrom talked to Cordelia yet?"
"Not yet." Robin rolled his eyes. "He said he'd get around to it."
"She's literally right there." I pointed to about five paces behind Chrom, making the prince turn around. Thankfully she was looking the other way and talking animatedly with Sumia. Chrom coughed into his hand, flushing.
"Maybe after a battle isn't the best time to broach the subject...?" He said weakly.
"NOW, Chrom." Robin growled. Chrom's eyes widened at the sudden ferocity and hastily turned to talk to her.
"Er, Cordelia?"
"Oh, Captain!" Cordelia straightened up even further, flushing. "Do you wish to talk to Sumia? I can leave if you want-"
Yeah, she wants to get the hell out of there as soon as possible.
"It's, ah, you I wanted to talk to."
Holy crap that's a deep shade of red.
"God, she's not going to faint is she?" Julian muttered from next to me. Anna's eyes lit up.
"Ten gold says she faints."
"Nobody's going to take that bet, dear." I sigh. Anna rolled her eyes.
"Fine, geez, just trying to lighten the mood a little."
"M-me? Why would you want to talk to me?" Cordelia managed to strangle out of her throat after a good ten seconds of just standing there. Chrom rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"I, ah, thought you might want to join me for dinner in the next village?"
...aaaaaand she's gone.
"CORDELIA!"
Well, we're all crowded around the fainted pegasus knight now. Better than before, where we were just watching with morbid interest.
"About time you made a move, Chrom." Vaike muttered. Chrom shot him a glare before glancing to me, panicking.
"Did I come on too strong?"
"No, that's just...ah...that was just Cordelia. You were fine." I said after a few seconds. Chrom let out a brief sigh of relief.
"I think we have smelling salts in the infirmary, I'll take her there." He grunted, scooping her up in his arms.
"She's gonna faint again as soon as she hears about this part." Julian snarked as they walked away. "Bet?"
"No bet, Julian. Definitely no bet."
A/N: I can't sleep when I'm ill, apparently. Also long conversations with other authors (Or just one) tends to keep your juices flowing. Seriously, blame/thank lambentLodestar for the update speed. THERE, I BROKE THE SYNCHRONIZATION, YOU HAPPY NOW?!
You can blame/thank her by reading Daydreams and Nightmares.
Also, to someguy1 who says s/he's about to start shipping authors, check with her first not me. So, yeah, here's another update, three in three days.
If that doesn't make up for the hiatus nothing will. Anyway, 25 chapters in and holy shit we still haven't finished Plegia.
...
I may have underestimated how long this fic is going to be. Anyway, I'd do a POV thing at the end like I normally do for a milestone, but instead I've put a poll up on the profile asking for what people would rather see as a one-shot (1000-2500 word range). Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go collapse.