Originally posted: (7/16/2016)
Somewhere else..
"My lady, I failed you...the Ylissean tactician outplayed me..."
Validar and Aversa bowed before her in repentance, begging for mercy for their failures. In truth, she wasn't even the least bit perturbed by the unexpected change in developments; she always expected that her and Lucina's involvement in this realm would alter certain courses of events, trying to stick strictly to the path laid by fate was foolish. Indeed, killing Emmeryn and proving the inferiority of her hippocratic philosophies wasn't even the primary goal; merely a nice side benefit. Still, it was satisfying to see Validar reduced to such a humiliated state, at watching his prized pupil fail and that failure reflecting on himself; they fooled themselves into thinking she was angry, she didn't have to do anything, so they can figure out the truth on their own...
"Aversa knows that there can only be one penalty for failure..." Validar snarled and stood, without her permission, and drew a knife. Aversa, stupidly loyal to a fault, did not even shift when he held the knife toward her.
"Validar, either sit back down or cut out your own heart, whichever suits you." She sighed, "Both of you, bloodthirsty to the point of stupidity. Gangrel was the same way, to the point where he was actually more useful dead. On that point, you can stop prostrating yourself Aversa, the failure was Gangrel's. He was the one who chose to stand on ceremony rather than getting to the business at hand, and then he allowed the person he trapped to intimidate him into submission. Why do you think I had you kill him? As some form of punishment? I had him killed because he was more useful as a corpse to get the Plegians riled; if he had anything to offer, he would still be walking the planet strangling puppies. Remember that the next time the two of you try to toss aside a potentially useful resource."
Her dearest father should already know that lesson; she didn't keep him around out of gratitude for a happy childhood. And it wasn't because she saw any form of strength in him either. Even Gangrel was stronger than him, he at least believed in something to keep him going. This vermin wanted nothing in life other than to feed off the scraps left behind by a larger power. Even his pet believed in something, even if that belief was misplaced; he had a talent for creating things to eventually surpass him.
"What I don't understand," Validar grumbled, "Is why, after they subdued Gangrel, did you allow them opportunity to escape? You intentionally left a way open for them when you could have destroyed them in one fell swoop."
"Because unlike you, I play the long game. If you had any sense you would understand, but you're too distracted with trying to create bodycounts." Validar was too bloodhungry to see the true purpose behind her spending so much energy to raise the dead that littered Plegia. In his narrowminded view, he could only see it as a way to win the single battle; he didn't realize how draining the whole experience was. She had spent every last ounce of energy she had been saving for the past few months to raise that army, leaving her barely able to maintain form, and she wouldn't do something like that for a single battle.
No, the war between Ylisse and Plegia was a small matter, insignificant in the large scheme. All that really mattered was that tactician. Due to her own interference, this world's version was much different from herself, a miscalculation that could yet bear fruit; she saw in that moment the same kind of fury and ruthlessness that had driven her, that much couldn't go away with memories. But this new version still held too many attachments to the human realm, still believing that humans were a species worth saving. She still believed that humans were naturally good. But that could be remedied, with time; with the slow erosion of her will, and showing her the pain that comes with associating with those parasites, she could show her the truth that she had forgotten when her memories left her.
Of course, she had also needed to mitigate the damage done by Gangrel's weakness; after being so utterly defeated by the tactician, Plegia might have actually surrendered. Her power was returning too slowly; one would think leeching off all the pain in the world would never leave one wanting, but using her abilities required a lot of energy. It cost all her reserves to build the army, but the pain caused by a lengthy war would more than balance it out. The extra energy accelerating her ability to move forward. Her belief had always been that if a plan only accomplished one objective, it was a bad plan.
"Should we call the Risen off now that the Ylisseans have fled the field?" Said Aversa, ever the voice of reason between the two of them. Though admittingly that didn't say much...
"No, we'll need them to bolster the Plegian forces and keep them from getting defeated too quickly. Send a small force into the mountains, however; see if they can't pick off a few more of the tactician's teammates."
"They'll need someone to guide them through the mountains. Should I send a Plegian regiment with them?"
"Yes, whoever is in the area will do, but under no circumstances is the tactician to be seriously harmed. Now leave me, I'll be going dormant for the rest of the war; I need to focus on siphoning power from the battles, so I'm giving command of the Risen to Aversa. I trust you'll be able to handle the war while I am absent. In the meantime, I want you to locate Lucina, but do not engage her under any circumstances. I have an idea of how she can help…"
The Midmire
Robin
Robin shivered, from the relentless cold of the rain falling down on them that showed no signs of letting up even hours later. Whatever that Plegian witch had done to summon that army, it was clear that it wouldn't be going away any time soon.
"R-Robin..." She felt a tug on the back of her sleeve, and Robin looked back. Olivia looked up at her with fearful eyes and pointed to Lon'qu and Lissa, "We need to stop..."
"We can't, there's too much..." Robin hesitated when she took a closer look at Lissa, who was looking paler by the second, "...Very well. Find us a cave to wait in."
Gaius tried to get Miriel to light a fire, but both she and Robin shot down that idea immediately. No matter the circumstances, they were still in enemy territory. "We can't wait for long; just long enough for..." Even she wasn't cold enough to finish that sentence in front of Lissa, "We'll move out within the hour."
Lon'qu set Lissa down as gently as a man with one working arm could. Olivia knelt with him, raising a bottle of water to Lissa's lips. "Here…"
Lissa barely reacted and continued to stare off into the distance, her breathing becoming more raspy and strained with each intake, little different than the Risen that shot her. Lon'qu continued to stay near her, his face frozen in stoicism, as if he had become dead to everything around him.
"Miriel, Gaius; could you two keep watch?"
"Sure thing, boss..." Said Gaius
When Robin looked over Lon'qu and Olivia's shoulders, she could see Lissa trying to whisper something. At first Robin thought she was trying to leave some last message for Chrom, before she realized that Lissa was reaching for Lon'qu. Olivia seemed to realize soon after, and got up; hesitatingly tugging Robin's sleeve as she went for the entrance of the cave.
Outside, the sky reflected the mood perfectly. Gaius and Miriel put up the facade of keeping watch, but she knew that they weren't; none of them were really focusing on their jobs. Too busy envisioning what was happening in that cave.
Robin sighed, "What am I going to tell Chrom..."
"I imagine the truth," said Miriel, "Lissa performed commendably. It was poor circumstance that preceded her passing."
A few moments later, Lon'qu walked out of the cave with his head hanged low. "It's done…"
The Midmire
Virion
"Did I ever tell you about back home? No, of course not; ah, Rossanne, such a beautiful land. Bountiful orchards, and women, all prosperous under a land of constant spring. I think you would have liked it; it suited your temperament. You probably haven't heard of it, it's on the far western side of the Valmese continent. We've fallen on some hard times, true, but I have some plans in motion..."
He talked mainly to fill up space. Virion hated silence, and he hated melancholy; it was difficult to retain a civil demeanor when carrying a fallen friend over harsh inclines and slippery rocks, but that was the reason it was so important. After all, what are we without civility?
Well, it was a short moment later when the answer to that question walked out from behind a rock, "Merde..."
The Risen snarled upon seeing him and charged; Virion ran further up the mountain slopes, trying to buy himself enough time to find a place to set his friend to rest while he dealt with the vermin.
"Do not fear, peche; I shall return." He whispered, then unholstered his bow
Before he could loose an arrow, however, he saw two more Risen appear from the sides; "Well...could be worse, I suppose. I am not entirely sure how, but it could."
He fired an arrow through the skull of one, but that was made moot as two more took his place. Cursing, Virion reached back and discovered, to his dismay, that he was a bit short on ammunition, "How bothersome..."
When a Risen came forward, attempting a downward slash with his sword, Virion immediately put up his bow to absorb the impact; the bow was strong enough to stop the sword, but he still needed to act quickly. He kicked the Risen in the chest, knocking it backwards, then jabbed the edge of the bow into his wrist to make him drop the sword. Virion then threw the bow aside and lunged forward while the monstrosity was still recovering, grabbed the sword, and lopped off its head.
"Hold!" Just before the next wave of Risen came, a large man in plegian armor came out from behind the rocks, "You poor creatures were put in my charge, were you not? Stand down!" The man stepped forward and looked at Virion, "Well, you don't look Yllesean."
"And you don't look Risen."
"Heh, I suppose we both picked a side we don't belong on," He looked at Sumia, "Is the lass alright?"
"Dead."
"...I see." He sighed, "My sympathies..."
"If you truly want to repent, what say we cancel the whole war and go home, no?"
"Ha, I'd die a happy man if I could just get away from all this...but no, you know what it's like being a soldier..."
"I picked it up recently. It's been a struggle..."
"So, I'm assuming you figured it out by now that there's no way for you to fight your way out of this one."
"I'm sure I'll figure something out at the last second."
"Are you willing to bet your life on that?"
"Tis wouldn't be the first time."
"Fair enough..but I doubt you're willing to just leave her here...listen, if you surrender, I can't guarantee your life; but I can guarantee that when this is all over and done with she'll be sent back home, for an Yllesean burial."
"What guarantee do I have?"
"My word, as a soldier."
"...Very well," he sighed, dropping the sword, "You win.."
The Midmire
Robin
"Boss! We have company!"
They had barely been walking for an hour when Gaius called from the back of the column. Robin turned and ran as fast as her tired legs could carry her to his side, and looked down the rocky path at the approaching party.
They were a mix of Plegians and Risen, and at the forefront a massive bear of a man looked up at them. "You are the Yllesean tactician, correct?" He greeted them
"Yes...and who might you be?"
"I'm General Mustafa, ma'am...I'm here to take you back to the castle for trial."
"Take us back? Not kill us?"
"Aye, you heard me right. I found one of your allies on the way here; he was wounded, but is being treated to and will make it back to the castle unharmed. Surrender, and any of yours can expect the same."
"One?" said Gaius, "We left two back there..."
"...Aye, one. There was another but...she did not survive."
"You tell us that, and expect us to go quietly?" said Robin
"It wasn't by our hand!" He responded, then looked back, "Bring the man up..."
Virion was brought to the front. His arm was bandaged and hands unbound, "Robin...tis good to see you again..."
"What happened, Virion?" said Gaius
"...It was a Risen, at the battle. Not by this man, or any of his...he's been honorable," Virion looked at Gaius, "It was quick, through the heart...I'm sorry, Gaius."
Gaius didn't move, didn't make any expression; he looked as if he hadn't even heard Virion speaking. Instead, he turned around and limped back out of sight.
"He's wounded," said Mustafa, "I can't imagine the rest of yours are faring any better. Surrender, and we can have you treated."
"How honorable...but you surely know what awaits us should we ever return to that castle, don't you? Tell me, general; what would you do in my situation?"
"...I understand; I'm sorry we had to meet this way, but I am under orders."
"As am I." Robin turned away from him and returned to her group; Mustafa had been right, none of them were in top shape. Everyone had a wound on them of some description; arrows, slashes, cuts, and no healer to look after them. Not anymore. Damn it...what am I supposed to do with this? He had two dozen men with him! She looked around at their surroundings. They had the benefit of terrain, but that could only give them so much of an advantage. Come on...there's always something, some last ditch trick to pull, I just need to find it...it doesn't matter if the odds are 1 in a 100, that still leaves 1 scenario in which we get out of this alive; I just need to find it!
"Run. Now, as fast as you can." It was the only option they had
"But...what about Virion?" Said Olivia, "We can't just..."
"I am saving who I can!" She hadn't meant to shout. Why did she shout? It was such an innocent question...Robin felt her composure slipping away. It had been the same on the execution platform..except now, she didn't have a trump card. "We can't do anything about the dead...there's nothing we can do for Sumia, or Lissa...or Ricken, or Vaike, or Stahl, and now there's nothing we can do for Virion! But I will be damned if I let one of the people I can still save die for a pointless cause! You will do as I command, and you will not die on me too!"
The Midmire
Virion
By the time they reached the top of the incline, the others had already gotten ground on them. In their place, they found a body that was too small to be found on a battlefield...
They stopped when they found her. Mustafa stood over it with a solemn look on his face, "One of yours?"
"...Yes."
"So young…" Mustafa sighed, reaching down to close her eyelids, "So...that's what side I'm on…"
"We rarely pick our rolls, general.."
"I suppose not...what was her name?"
"...Lissa."
Mustafa got up and ordered the nearest man, "We're taking her with us too. She'll go back with the other one..."
Suddenly, they heard a scream from behind one of the rocks, far to the back of the column. One of the Plegians. Mustafa picked up his ax and quickly ran in the direction of the bone-chilling sound, and suddenly the shadows seemed to stretch a lot further...
When they reached the destination, they found a man lying on the ground. No visible wounds on his person; save for the paleness in his skin and horrified expression left frozen onto his face, as if all life had been sucked out of him.
Mustafa knelt down, and looked at all the surroundings, but it was too dark for them to see anything. "Nosferatu...nothing else leaves a man looking so drained...but who on earth would be using dark magic on us, only Plegians know that style…" He became visibly distressed at this newest revelation. He was about to speak to his soldiers, when they heard another cry from the other side of the column.
Again, by the time the reached the scene, it was too late. Virion recognized what the tactic almost immediately, "He's picking off the isolated ones, where he won't be caught by the others...and then using the screams to get you moving to one side, so that you leave more isolated...this dark mage is quite the predator…"
"Not one of yours, I assume, if you're telling me all this."
"As you say, sir; only Plegians know dark magic."
"But that doesn't make any sense..." Mustafa said to himself, "The king is dead, bodies are rising from the grave, Plegians are fighting Plegians. By Grima, the whole world is going mad…"
The Midmire
Chrom
"You're from the army, then?" Chrom questioned the priestess
Libra nodded, "Yes, my lord. About a day ago, Frederick sent me and a small team up ahead to aid your rescue attempt."
"A small team..." Emmeryn sighed, "What of the others?"
"Risen appeared a few hours ago; an entire horde, charging straight for our army. My team was between them. I was the only survivor." Libra's voice hardly even cracked
"I'm so sorry," said Emmeryn
"You live, which means their deaths were not in vain. They died happily for you, your grace."
"I would have rather they lived happily for me…"
"We all knew the risks, your grace." said Libra
"You're a brave woman." said Chrom, earning him a dull look from both of them, "...What?"
"Chrom...Libra is a man…"
"Oh...well, I suppose that makes sense...Libra is a very masculine name…"
"Please do not inconvenience yourself on my account, my lord." Said Libra, "We do have more urgent business at hand, after all."
"Right, of course," said Chrom, "You said they sent an army a few hours ago?"
"Yes, my lord." Sh- He replied
Chrom and Emmeryn exchanged a look, "That army was created in an attempt to halt our escape...it seems they changed their priorities once they realized that was no longer possible."
"Is our exit still secure?" said Chrom
Libra nodded, "We cannot go back the same way I came, but the army should still be there. Even if they cannot beat the Risen they do have the force to hold the line."
"Robin needs to know this, or she'll lead the rescue team into a horde." said Emmeryn
"Agreed; Libra, could you please..."
They were interrupted when a disturbance in the mountains knocked rocks down to them. Libra and Chrom readied their weapons for an ambush, but instead saw Robin's rescue party. Half of them limping and relying on the other half to carry them forward using broken limbs and slashed bodies. Robin was wearing a face he had never seen on her before; sheer desperation.
The mask of stoicism she had on constantly was dropped, and behind it he saw concern. Concern and fear. She numbly walked forward, supporting Gaius as he struggled down a steep slope. When they finally reached the bottom and she saw him, there was nothing but shock on her face. She dropped his arm and slowly walked forward, not quite believing what she was seeing, "You're...supposed to be with Frederick... "
"Robin! Gods, what happened to you-" Chrom stepped forward to support her
Robin grabbed him by the collar, "What the hell are you still doing here?! You and Emmeryn were supposed to be gone hours ago!"
She had only ever talked to him like this once before… "Robin, what happened?"
Robin's grip became numb and she almost fell back and began mumbling, "...She needed help...if we had gone ahead, Emm could have healed her, I knew that...but I decided that giving you time to escape was more important…I decided, that if staying to hold the line meant both of you made it back to Ylisstol unharmed, it was worth it..." She laughed bitterly, "But...here you are! It was...it was completely pointless!"
"Robin, what happened?"
"...Lissa is dead."
Memorial
Kellum (The Longfort): Still unnoticed...
Vaike (Border Pass): Died as he lived
Stahl (Border Pass): The last to laugh
Ricken (Border Pass): In war, it is the children who suffer most
Sumia (Plegia Castle Courtyard): It's time to go home
Lissa (The Midmire): And one more light was snuffed out