Author's notes:Welp, school's out, so I can hopefully open more often now. I honestly should have been able to get this one out sooner, sorry.
Answers:
Cormag: That one was fun to write. I'm guessing Shanan. Rath is the closest to canon because of Sue, although Hector is hinted as well at some points so eh. Ideen is the wiki translation, so I went with it, I'll fix Ninian eventually. I'm still not all that good in my opinion, but I'm much better.
Ace:Yep, time for rainbows and butterflies. Yeah, it was basically filler… kinda pointless.
Pyro: One ore arc woo!
Disclaimer: Fire Emblem belongs to Intelligent Systems.
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Joel pov
"You really want me to take her on without using my beaststone?" Yarne questioned incredulously. Judging from the vibrations in the air, it seemed that he was pointing frantically at Kjelle, who I had brought in to help me break Yarne of his cowardice. The three of us were standing in a small knoll in the woods near the camp, where we could practice in peace and leave our stones on the ground without the risk of theft. "I'd have issues fighting her with my stone, let alone without it!"
"And that line of thinking is exactly why he brought me, I'd assume." Kjelle said in a rather bored tone, probably assuming that Yarne would wimp out and put up a weak fight. I honestly didn't blame her.
I nodded "That's right. We need you to break this 'sole survivor' schtick. I know you grew up hearing it, but you aren't the last taguel, as you found out the day you met me. In fact, once we take our parents and the little versions of us, there are six." Eight, actually, but I neglected to mention him. It hurts to dredge up the past.
"That's still not many. Nowhere near enough to say it's fine to throw our lives on the line."
"Pegasus dung, as if our lives are going to be on the lines with this many of us. Those risen may be powerful, but it's monsters like us that have been the foundation of nightmares for eons. Our species' population has never been larger than a small village, and yet it took massive armies to defeat us. You shouldn't fear them, they should be the ones running in terror of you."
"And what exactly does this have to do with me not being allowed to use my beaststone?"
"To show you of just how powerful our race is: if you are formidable without the boost the stone gives you, just imagine what you are capable of with it. I believe that part of your fear comes from underestimating yourself."
"Are you done rambling?" Kjelle said as she rubbed her lance rather loudly. I couldn't see her face, but I could tell that she was losing her patience.
"Sure. Show her what you've got, Yarne. Remember that you're a hare, not a rat."
Yarne hunched down into a ball-like position before springing towards Kjelle. As Yarne had no training with weapons, I decided that he would be better going off of his instincts. Using a blade was something a taguel had to be taught, but the body was a weapon that even most newborns were able to use.
The next sound I heard was Yarne's fist slamming against Kjelle's shield, and a gust of air as the shield clattered to the ground. She was probably caught off guard by his speed and strength, beyond that of the average human even without the aid of a stone. Taguels were born with most of their physical and sensory capabilities enhanced, at the cost of having thinner bones that were less durable.
Yarne then proceeded to flip up into the air and aim a kick that Kjell barely managed to block with her lance, the dirt crackling as she was pushed back a few feet.
Kjelle finally managed to prepare an attack as Yarne landed on the ground. The boy immediately flinched back, afraid of even a training weapon without the extra mass of his rabbit form protecting him. It was a shame, but it was a step forward, at least.
"Okay, it's my turn. You can take a break for now, then you'll go up against her again." I said as I sat my beaststone down and pulled out the Vague Katti.
"Oh, you're going to train with me as well?" Kjelle asked.
"Of course. I need to be teaching by example, don't I?"
"Very well then."
I held myi with the hilt leveled with my chin. The stance was vastly different from my old two bladed style, but it was necessary for me to adjust to it if I wished to use the Vague Katti properly.
I quickly lunged forward, spinning as I launched a hefty strike aimed at her shoulder. She deflected the attack with the shaft of her lance.
As soon as I felt my blade rebound off of her lance, I spun around and struck from the opposite direction. I heard a loud, hollow clank as my blade hit Kjelle's armor. Wait, that didn't seem right. She should have been able to block that, it wasn't a difficult task for one of her skill.
I proceeded to launch a barrage of attacks at her, most hitting while she deflected a small number of the strikes. This didn't seem right.
I placed my blade against her throat "I guess that's the match." I said as I tried to hide my disappointment. She had been holding back on me the whole time, but i would be best if Yarne didn't know that.
"Your turn again, Yarne. We'll do another five cycles of this." Yarne let out a loud groan as I said this, dreading the rest of the training session.
We kept training in the same manner, with Kjelle holding back during my matches with her while Yarne gradually gained more and more confidence in his abilities.
"Now that's how a taguel fights!" I said as Yarne leapt over Kjelles head and attacked from behind. He then proceeded to leap onto her back before kicking off with all of his might.
Kjelle fell stomach first, the force combined with her armor's weight bringing her crashing to the ground. That was going to hurt in the morning, and probably the rest of the week as well.
"I think that's enough for today, Yarne. Let's meet again for something like this in a few days, I'll try to get a set day and time for you tomorrow." I said, and Yarne immediately walked off the premise.
"You held back on me,didn't you?" I said once Yarne was out of earshot "You know, the main reason I chose you for this training was that I hoped you wouldn't do that. I can normally trust William or Soren to go all out with me, but they're both already occupied." I continued as I let out a loud sigh.
"Sorry,it's just… you know, hard not to take it easy on someone who's-"
"Blind? Yeah, I get that, but I also have more than good enough hearing to make up for it."
"With your beaststone maybe, but without it? I doubt you could-"
"Watch out, there's a spider coming down from right under you. It would probably suck if that thing got stuck in your armor or something." I had heard the thing several moments ago and deemed it to be insignificant, but it was good for proving a point.
"Oh now you're just- ack!" Kjelle said as she looked up and saw the creature. She immediately leapt back, an action that was remarkable given the weight of her armor. "Point taken"
I immediately broke into a fit of laughter "So much for our resident tough girl!"
"Oh come on, everyone's afraid of those things!"
"Beorcs, maybe. Out of the four taguel I've ever met, Yarne is the only one I've known to be afraid of a creature smaller than himself."
"Wait, you've met four laguz? Aside from you, I thought that Yarne, Panne, and your father were the only Taguel alive."
"Well, that is technically correct. Including myself, there are four taguel, but there used to be a fifth. I had an older brother named Troy, but he is no longer with us."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Anyway, is it okay if I help you and Yarne with your training again next time? I'll make sure to go all out against you this time." Kjelle said, not wanting to pry.
"Sure, that sounds fine with me.I'll tell Yarne. When are you free?"
"Any day's fine, I train every day anyway. Just don't set a time that gets between me and my food, my father and I always make sure to get thirds."
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Soleil pov
"And you want to wrestle with Minerva for what reason?" Gerome asked me with a skeptical gaze.
"There's an old tale about how the great Hector of Ostia once fought off a pack of wyverns when he forgot his weapon. Since it was two of his descendants who founded Ferox, it has been a coming of age tradition for the children of khans to have to wrestle a wyvern ever since." I said excitedly, I had been waiting to do this for years, since I had never gotten the chance in the future.
"So your coming of age ceremony is based around bare handed combat with a wyvern? I would say that you were just making things up if it didn't explain why Minerva starts looking uneasy any time your mother is within twenty meters of her." Gerome said as he petted his wyvern "And what is this about Ferox being founded by Hector's descendants?"
"Oh, right, I suppose most people don't know much about us aside from our love for fighting. The nation was founded around one thousand five hundred years ago by the great grandchildren of Hector . Two of them came to the feroxi shore, with a wielder of Durandal, my own blade, becoming the first East Khan while the wielder of Armads became the first West Khan. The two weapons have been passed down the lines ever since, but a wielder is only chosen once every century or so."
"That's quite interesting, actually. Anyway, go ahead." Grome said as he nudged Minerva forward.
"I'm honestly surprised that you said yes."
"Well, Minerva could use the exercise, so we both get something out of this. Besides, just because I said you could wrestle her doesn't mean I think you'll actually win." Gerome said with a cocky tone.
"Is that a challenge?" I said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep. Go get her, Minerva." Gerome said, and the beast immediately leapt towards me.
I rolled out of the way and grabbed at Minerva's hind leg, however, her strength proved to be too much for me as she kicked free and scored a few small cuts on my arm.
Minerva attempted to leap over my head in order to get a better position, and I responded by grabbing the beast in midair and throwing her to the ground. I attempted to pin her down and Gerome began counting, a signal which most trained wyverns were familiar with. However, before I made it to three, Minerva threw me off, sending my flying onto my back.
Minerva rushed towards me, getting ready to pin me. However, I slid forward and grabbed her tail. I rolled with her tail in my hands, using all my strength to flip the beast over. With her tail in my hands, pinning her became a much simpler task.
"One, two, and three." Gerome said, signalling the end of the match.
"Well, that was fun." I said as I got off minerva "Harder than I expected, but fun."
"Well, she's the best wyvern out there, of course it was hard." Gerome said as Minerva padded up to him"And it looks like Minerva had fun as well." Gerome leaned over towards his wyvern "What's that, Minerva? You want to do it again some time? Well, maybe if Soleil wants to…"
"Sure, I'll be free in a few days. You'll have to work around my training sessions with Mom, though."
"That sounds fine. Thursday?"
"I'm good then. I'll see you then."
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William pov
"What did you bring me over here for?" Lena asked, holding onto my arm as I guided her into the forest clearing. "You said there was something important I needed to see, but all I see is-"
"Hello William, Lena." Nox said waving towards us from on top of a small stump that he was using for a chair.
"Why yes, Nox is what I wanted you to see." I said as I found a seat for Lena and I. "He is my teacher, after all."
"Wait, I thought that your teacher was a servant of Grima… and a woman. I suppose the small stature fits considering what you told me about her ability." Lena said in a confused tone.
"I suppose I should reiterate: he is a version of my teacher from another outrealm."
"So he's Koto, except from another outrealm and another gender entirely." Lena reaffirmed.
"Well, not quite, but we do share the same genetics." Nox said calmly before continuing "Basically, in my outrealm they captured me instead of killed me. Afterwards, L- er, Aquilla, used a form of dark magic akin to that of the legendary Manfroy, and used me as a puppet so that he could keep all of his firepower in line. I've done much that I do not wish to say, but I will say this to you, Lena: thank you for taking care of my student when no one else would."
"No, I wasn't the only one who-" Lena began, flustered, before Nox cut her off.
"I know that some at least trusted him and one or two became his friends, but you were the one who gave him what no one else was willing to: love. For that, I must thank you. I'm glad to know that even if something befalls me, there will be someone her to be his anchor." And with that, Nox vanished.
"Well, when he asked me to bring you here I thought he'd talk for a lot longer than that." William said as he pulled out a basket "I even prepared lunch."
"Well, it's nice over here, and I wouldn't want to let that food go to waste, maybe we could stay here for a while." Lena said, her cheeks flushed "We haven't really gotten the chance to be alone much recently, have we?"
"It has been a while." I said thoughtfully "Alright then, let's eat."
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? pov
"Hey Dad, let me take this job on by myself, okay?" I asked as I prepped up my crossbows and made sure everything was ready. The dual crossbows were specially made, with the entirety of the weapons being made of orhicalcum, the same material used in the weapons wielded by dragons and those of holy blood. In addition, both had a complex locking system designed to allow me to carry a magazine of bolts attached to the bow and fire in rapid succession.
"Are you sure, Troy? This guy took down the last few squads that we sent in." My father, Conner, asked me. The two of us were currently outside of the house of a wealthy businessman who had been evading taxes for several months.
"Please, this is nothing compared to some of the assignments Lord Grima gave me when I was younger, by the time I was fifteen I was on the frontlines kicking some Ylissean ass. Besides, you have the younger versions of me and Joel, right? You all need to be together when Grima rises this time, I don't want my younger self to have to deal with what I have, or what I will be facing in the coming year."
"Fair enough. Good luck."
I put on my mask, a plain black thing with the mark of Grima emblazoned on it. Combined with my black cloak and hood, the mask made my appearance one that many likened to death.
"The fang of Grima doesn't need luck to get the job done right." I said as I kicked the door to the building down.
When I entered the building, I was greeted by a large space that was mostly open but with several pillars and other hiding spots. I could see a man hiding behind a pillar to the right and the tip of what looked to be a bow in one of the windows, they were more than well enough hidden to evade the eyes of most, but after spending nearly a decade of my life serving Grima, I knew exactly where I needed to look. However, I decided to ignore them for now in favor of the target, who was lounging calmly in his chair.
"Mister Rigel, you have been evading your taxes for a year now, and it's long past time to collect your payment. Now we can do this one of two ways: either you give me twenty percent of your year's income, a hefty five billion gold, or I can kill you and simply take it myself."
"How about option three? I kill you and get off scot free."
The sniper in the window prepared his bow, but I was already preparing my aim. My bolt left my crossbow a second before his arrow, and spit the arrow in half before it could travel any more than five feet. The bolt made its way to the snipers heart, and he fell to the ground with loud thud.
The man behind the pillar leapt out towards me. Turned out the man was a swordmaster, judging from his speed. The swordmaster attacked me with his katana, but I deflected the blow with the crossbow in my right hand before taking the one in my left hand and bashing his head. The man crumpled to the ground quickly.
Rigel reached towards a set of knives under his chair, and I fired a bolt into his hand, eliciting a loud shriek. I then proceeded to point a crossbow towards his head "I'll ask you again, the money or your life?"
"Can I at least take off five million to make up for those mercenaries? They were the best on the market." Wow, apparently sellswords are of much lower skill here than they were in the future. I supposed that made sense.
"One: Personal expenditures don't have any effect on taxes, it's your own loss. Two: you have some balls, trying to negotiate when you're in such a position, I like that. Now, give me the damned cash!" I lifted my free crossbow and fired a bot at the ceiling for emphasis.
"Okay, I'll pay, I'll pay!" Rigel lead me towards his personal safe. I pulled out a leather bag, and Rigel began unloading gems into it until he had payed the fee."
"Pleasure doing business with you." I said as I pulled the bag over my shoulder and began to walk towards the door.
"What's with the raise in tax for the wealthy, anyway?"
"Well, if you haven't noticed, we just got out of a war a few years ago. We still need to pay for some repairs, and we need to do our best to take care of those orphaned by the war. That takes up half the taxes. The other half goes towards the military, since we may very well be entering another war soon." Grima himself had forced the policy of recovery onto Validar, who had intended to keep it solely for military purposes. The country was already looking nicer than it was in my early years, although it still wasn't as nice as it was when I first returned at the age of twelve.
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Not my best chapter, but it got through some much needed development. We finally sorta know what's going on with Nox, and we have another new character now. Troy belongs to Pyrojack25.