Pebblekit: …So…I could probably say something, but I'm sure all of you are already balancing pitchforks over your shoulders with hate inducing glares. To be honest, I really have never been as sorry as I am now. I've been trying to catch up on easily over one-hundred pages of writing and I'm hoping this chapter will get rid of my depressive writer's block. It is a little shorter than the others, but it has two parts. I'm going out of town for a week tomorrow morning, so I figured I'd try to get this up now. As such, I didn't have much time to edit it, so I apologize for any stiff phrases, typos and such. Again, I'm extremely sorry and hope you can all forgive me.
Disclaimer: I'm sure that if I actually owned anything in the game, it wouldn't sell nearly as well as it does.
Prisoner in Reality
Chapter 38: Mortal Fate (Part 1)
38 Used to be known as the Year of the Consulship of Iulianus and Asprenasc
(Triddon)
Triddon was coming, in some odd way, to like forests. They'd been walking through one for the better part of about a week and a half, in which he'd been able to pass on survival suggestions he'd picked up with his very brief stay with the Mercenaries. Though he'd never say such a thing out loud, for it would probably be some sort of a taboo for a nobleman, he really did like the feeling of wind on his face when it became trapped under the thick canopy above them. He also appreciated the feeling of dirt smoothly slipping under his boots when he walked over it, melding itself to his movements. When they settled down each night, he rather enjoyed sticking his toes into the dewy brown substance, being sure to wash it all off before either of his parents, Reed, or his brothers saw anything.
It was as though, out here, despite being so close to the family he'd come to find insufferable over the years, he could truly be free. He wondered absently if this sheer…bliss was the reason Astrid had run off to the military before she'd met Oscar. Sobering, he realized quickly that that small thought caused his good mood to diminish somewhat. After all, the object of his poor sister's affections wasn't wealthy, certainly had no status to his name, and killed people for a living.
Reed, on the other hand, was rich, very well-known, and hardly had to lift a finger in order to make even more money to add to the small hill of it he probably had hidden in a basement somewhere. All of the odds were stacked against Astrid being happy and, with her, Oscar. Triddon sighed quietly, hoping belatedly that no one had heard the sound. He glanced around at all of them and exhaled silently in relief when he saw that he'd failed to catch the attention of anyone.
Still, his thoughts were troubling him more and more every time he pondered over them. He couldn't help but wonder if his dad would truly give Oscar a chance or if this was just an elaborate plan to get Astrid to finally come home. Surely he wouldn't try something like that with his wife and Reed in tow, but at this point, Triddon didn't really know what to think of his own father. The man had an abysmal amount of cunning and would probably stop at nothing to make sure that all of his daughters, all of whom he loved with almost a frightful fervor, were provided for.
The only downside to this was that his father's definition of having a good life meant having a lot of money that one could spend. Astrid wouldn't have that with Oscar, and Triddon couldn't help but suspect that all hope for the couple had already been lost. No matter how many times he tried to stop this line of thinking, he failed. Judging by the few times he'd spoken to Nastor recently, his older brother agreed with him. It seemed as though the fight's victor had already been called before all of the competitors had been made aware of the challenge.
Triddon tried to fight the urge to drop his gaze wearily to his feet, which were probably caked with mud. Somehow, though this was his favorite pair of shoes, he couldn't find it in himself to care. After living such a pampered life for so long, for the first time, the nobleman was facing a harsher reality than any he'd ever been taught to deal with, and the prospect of such an existence almost scared him. He couldn't really imagine what it would be like to be in poverty, much less think about how it would feel to be born into it. However, despite his misgivings, he found it even harder to imagine Astrid returning from that way of living. Somehow, it seemed to fit her demeanor better.
His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when his father interrupted them. "It looks as though we've made it."
Triddon redirected his gaze upwards to find them standing at the top of a small hill, which overlooked that of a tiny town about twenty feet below. There was a small, well-worn footpath that ran down to the ground below, trodden by many feet over many years. All of them looked at the sight for a moment, marveling in the small field that the townspeople shared. "I don't understand," Asrial broke into the tranquil quiet. "How do they all support themselves on such a miniscule piece of field?"
"This town," their father responded, "is known for being a safe haven for retired knights and their families. They get a very small payment from the country every month that helps support them. To be honest, I'm not really sure how it works. We have nothing like this in Begnion."
"So…" Reed said, for once not sounding sarcastic or overly snooty, "we're not even in our own country anymore?"
"No, we passed the border a couple of hours back, though I'm not able to tell you where exactly. We actually walked through enemy land for a couple of hours, though, with Ashnard only focusing on fighting off the army Crimea's managed to put together, I doubt there was much danger in it at all. Daein and Crimean territory meet very close to here, so we're probably about a week and a half or two away from the castle."
"And what," Triddon almost couldn't stop himself from laughing at his mother's dry, crisp tone, as it seemed so out of place at the moment, "may I ask do you plan to do once we're there?"
"Apparently, Oscar used to be a knight. I find it hard to believe that there'd be no one there that remembered him or something of the sort. They might be able to tell us a little about him, or where he might return to after the war ends, assuming he lives. None of us know where the Greil Mercenary hideout is, you know."
Though none of them said anything, Triddon felt his ears turn slightly red at the realization that this was true and he was, in essence, supposed to be their guide of sorts. His father didn't seem to notice. Instead, he began a gentle trek down the steep hill to the village beyond. "We should retire for the night. I'll see if there's an inn of some sort here." Their mother made a disgusted sound at the very suggestion, but followed anyway, Reed, her sons, and their few guards behind her.
Before they'd even reached the stable ground at the end of the hill, their presence had already become known and several people from the town emerged from their small houses to come meet them. Triddon tried not to let the seemingly endless stares affect him as he looked around, taking in men and women almost all in their late thirties or older. That's odd, he thought, blinking after a moment, where are all of the children?
An older man stepped forward, probably being around forty. His face was lit up in a kind smile, the sides of his eyes crinkling with his mouth. His tawny hair fell around his cheeks and forehead, invaded here and there by a stubborn patch of gray. His skin was somewhat ruddy, darkened by an endless stream of sunlight that probably beat down on him all day in the field he helped till. When he reached forward to shake everyone's hands, except for their mother, whom he bowed deeply to, his fingers were so heavily calloused that they scratched against even Triddon's bow-hardened skin.
"Welcome," he said almost quietly, his voice lilting with a kind, light air. "You'll have to forgive our rudeness," he gestured to everyone behind him and they all looked hurriedly away, as though they'd been caught eavesdropping. It became quite apparent that some didn't really know how to react to people as they began whistling or tapping their feet on the ground, trying to appear less intrusive. "We don't get many guests out this way."
Triddon's father nodded slightly. "Of course, of course, we understand." His wife shifted slightly, showing that she thought the exact opposite, but Lord Daimell continued. "We were out traveling and we wanted to know if there was anywhere here that we could possibly stay for the night."
The village man just smiled wider. "Well, there's no inn or anything, but we could certainly find you somewhere, even if you have to split up." He turned to the people still milling around behind him, all of whom were giving the newcomers their rapt attention again. "Does anyone have enough room to house someone extra for a night or two?" Several people either nodded or raised their hands, to which the man nodded once more before turning back to the Lord. "We'll figure it out, so long as you're not from Daein. Although, judging from your crests, I'd say we probably share a mutual dislike for the country at the moment."
Triddon looked at his chest, suddenly very aware of the mark of his country emblazoned there before looking up again as his father continued speaking. "No, we are from Begnion. We're trying to catch up with the Greil Mercenaries at the moment."
The man blinked. "The Greil Mercenaries…You do realize that, as of late, that group is going by the name "The Crimean Liberation Army", do you not?"
"I…was unaware of that development. Thank you for enlightening me."
The man's nose wrinkled at the polite tone before he responded. "Now, now, there's no use for that noble talk here. We are but poor farm hands. You have nothing to pay us, no impression to make."
"I was under the impression that you were all retired knights. In that case, I do owe you some respect."
"That, my friend, is all in the past, at least for most of us. We'd rather forget about that." Triddon noticed that, with those odd words, the man's face seemed to draw a slight shadow, as did everyone else's behind him. Judging from the way Nastor shifted slightly and Asrial coughed quietly, he'd bet he wasn't the only one to notice. However, before anyone could say anything, the queer expression disappeared from the man's face. "Never you mind that. Come now. My name is Tate. We'll find you a place to stay, a nice, cozy place. Come this way." With that, he turned and headed further into the town, the small crowd of people parting to let him through.
For a moment, the Begnions stayed their ground, but after a little while, they all followed, not really sure what else to do.
(Shinon)
Though they had been through many battles together at this point, Shinon couldn't help but admit to himself that the steely gaze in Ike's eyes did nothing but frighten him. He'd never seen the small pup look so…angry wasn't the right word…almost demonic perhaps. The sniper tried to force that thought down as quickly as it came, finding it terribly difficult to believe even as he realized it was true. They'd heard from one of their scouts that it was possible the Black Knight of Daein was within the fortress ahead of them. Ike had told them many times that this was the man that had killed his father, but though he'd come to accept this fact, Shinon had never actually considered what it meant.
Mist stood nearby, and the sniper couldn't help but respond to his urge of looking towards her, taking in the near-vacant expression that had come over her face. The girl, once she'd heard about their enemy, had done nothing but go silent, as though in a respectful vigil for her father. This behavior was quite unnerving to say the least, considering how noisy she usually was. Even Rolf, who'd been avoiding Mist like some dreadful disease recently, had taken notice of her odd demeanor and was standing slightly closer to her. If Shinon wasn't mistaken, he could have sworn he'd seen the boy whisper a few words of encouragement here and there, if only to take Mist's mind off of the reality standing clearly in front of her.
The wind blew around the Mercenaries, heralding a slight chill that was entirely out of place in the new-found spring of the land. Winter had finally come to an end and flowers splotched the landscape every few feet or so, their colors fusing into a rather confusing jumble of aromas and sights. Shinon couldn't help but look at them, mesmerized by their brightness after the dull gray of Daein he'd been subjected to for the past several months. Even after he'd rejoined his old comrades, he'd been stuck traveling through that dreadful country, and, for what seemed like the first time in a long while, the sniper came to the realization that he'd actually missed home while he'd been away.
That thought was actually helping to fuel his resolve at that moment to continue fighting in the war, for now that he'd seen Crimea once more, he remembered exactly what he was fighting for. Somehow, seeing trees in his home country that he'd never encountered before, and pretending that they'd been part of his old haunts around the old Mercenary fort had given Shinon the ability to picture all of the things and people important to their group. It had been a long while since he'd been able to imagine such a thing, for the glum of the battlefield had been preoccupying the majority of his thoughts, along with the happenings of Astrid, Rolf, Mist, and several other members of their relatively small band.
Somehow, just being home had reminded the war-worn man what he'd seen as important sometime back when Commander Greil had been alive. Those images had somehow managed to pass beyond his capability to retrieve them in the past year or so, but now they were once again coming to the surface. Shinon sighed, trying to pay attention to anything but these thoughts at the moment. Ahead of them, Ike shifted slightly in the undergrowth. Whether the small movement was from soreness of muscles or agitation was anyone's guess, but Shinon was fairly convinced that it was probably a mixture of both.
Everyone remained silent for several minutes, watching the building in front of them, waiting for any sign of movement, any hint of enemy forces being afoot. They eventually got it when an arrow whizzed by Mia so close that it nicked her ear, causing her to bleed the slightest bit.
Ike turned to Titania hurriedly, dodging behind a tree from a random hand ax thrown his way. "Can you cover us?" he asked urgently.
"How many are you taking?" the paladin retorted, peaking through the newly grown leaves of a brush to insure that no one was moving any closer to their position. All of the other Mercenaries scrambled to get their bodies out of view from the castle.
"Not many, maybe a dozen? I'm not sure what we'll find once we get in there. I was planning to scout it out, but now that I think about it, we might run into more than we could handle."
"No, I think a small party would be preferable," Soren stated, but cut himself off as he chanted to flash a wind spell at a sword master that was getting too close. After making sure the man wasn't going to stand back up, he continued. "There'd be less chance of us being discovered that way. Pick people that can move quickly and some that have good defenses in case of an emergency."
Ike nodded and looked out at the group of people in front of him, picking his assault team. "Right…I need Soren, Oscar, and Astrid…" he went quiet once more apparently thinking again. Shinon saw the oldest of the three brothers shift slightly, trying to calm his infernal white horse that had been spooked by a near miss with an arrow. It seemed that, though he'd never say it, the Commander was loath to leave him and Astrid out of sight ever since the incident in Duke Tanas's villa.
Titania nodded in response. "In that case, I'll need Gatrie and Brom. Is that alright?"
"Sure. I know that archers would be useful to you, but I'd really like to have Rolf and Shinon with me. Will you be okay with Geoffrey?"
"Of course."
Shinon dipped his head to Ike, showing he'd heard his orders as Rolf uttered a small affirmative.
"Could I also have Mia, Boyd, and Volke?" the Lord questioned, glancing back at the building as it seemed that the Daeins had stopped their attack once they'd realized that they couldn't hit anyone through the trees and plants.
"If you leave me Lucia, Sothe, and perhaps Ilyana or Nephenee, I think we could manage."
"Right," Ike turned his attention back to his teammates. "You can also have all of the flying units. I have the feeling we'll run into some tight corners in there."
"That would be helpful, but perhaps you should take Janaff. He works well with Oscar and he could draw enemy fire." The Laguz in question shrugged in response, obviously just waiting to be told what to do.
"Sounds good. I also need-"
"Me," a small voice spoke up. Everyone turned to look at Mist, but the small girl simply stared at Ike, determination in her expression.
Ike blinked. "What?" he asked after working his mouth for a moment, seemingly not sure what to say.
"That man killed my father too, Ike. I think I deserve to be there when we fight him. I don't want to get stuck out here in case of enemy reinforcements, so I want to go inside with you." Her horse, Maple, whom Oscar had passed on to her, looked at the small Valkyrie, and then snorted at Ike, as though to agree.
The Lord was silent for a moment, staring at his little sister, before nodding. "Is that okay?" he asked, turning to Titania.
The Paladin nodded once more, smiling slightly at Mist. "Yes, I'll have Rhys and Elincia. I believe we'll be fine." Ike gave a small sound of acknowledgement, then shot everyone a look that clearly said they were all about to move out. Shinon slipped into a sprinting position, tensing his legs in anticipation of the small run he'd have to perform to get to the door of the castle. Shoes scuffed the ground as others did the same or climbed onto their mounts as silently as possible, so as not to tip the enemy off.
For once, the battle began silently, with no battle call or announcement. Ike began forwards toward a dark side doorway leading into the fortress about eighty feet from him.
His selected team followed right along after him, arrows raining down on them as they hunched over in order to run faster. Shinon glanced up and saw several bow men standing behind a short wall on top of the building and quickly pulled out his own weapon, taking the time to see Rolf, Astrid, Boyd, and Oscar all doing the same. Five bows were knocked within seconds and five arrows soon brought five men in black Daein armor tumbling to the hard ground, one of them twitching and another clutching his stomach in pain. Mia, who ended up running right next to where he'd fallen, quickly ended his suffering, her lips moving silently in a short prayer for his life.
All of the Mercenaries behind them covered them with return fire, succeeding in drawing most of the Daeins' attention.
Moments later, everyone gathered inside the walls of the fortress, Boyd, Ike, and Soren struggling to get the thick, stone door closed behind them in order to prevent any sneak attacks from behind. Once Oscar, Shinon, Volke, and Mia helped with the effort, the room grew almost pitch black as the sunlight from outside was almost completely blocked. Shinon strained his eyes, trying to see something, but also focused on listening to all of the movements around them as carefully as he could. Before too long, there was a muffled incantation from Soren about two feet to his left and a torch lit that the sage had probably pulled from a nearby wall.
The flickering light washed over them all, causing shadows to move in such fashions that made the atmosphere seem much more sinister than it actually was. Ike looked around at them all before he finally spoke for the first time in several minutes. "Is anybody missing?" he asked. After a little while, in which no one responded, the ranger nodded to himself. "Good. In that case, we need to keep moving forward."
"Wait, Ike." Everyone turned to Volke, who'd practically disappeared into the wall by the door leading to outside. Shinon felt Rolf stir slightly next to him, seemingly uncomfortable with all of them being caught in such close quarters. Privately, Shinon agreed with his pupil's dislike for their present situation. After all, it was less then ideal when, in the middle of the war, a group of fighters was caught in a place that wouldn't be easy to fight in. Volke, seasoned as he was, seemed to think the same thing as he shiftily looked around all sides before continuing. "If you listen carefully, there are odd clinking sounds coming from my right."
Shinon, along with everyone else, started to try and hear what the assassin was speaking of. The room grew eerily quiet as everyone regulated their breathing in order to make the least amount of noise possible. Sure enough, after a few seconds, Shinon was able to make out a very faint creak that reminded him of someone stringing their bow. Mia was the one to break the sudden silence, taking it upon herself to speak everyone's latent thoughts. "I hear it. Is it enemy soldiers, do you think?"
Volke nodded curtly. "Quite possibly. It seems that there's a doorway both that way and to the left. Needless to say, I think we might should split into two teams- one to go in each direction. Would this not seem to be more prudent than our current formation?"
Ike looked to the ground for a moment before speaking back. "Alright, we'll split into two parties. However, if anyone comes across the Black Knight, don't engage him. Only I have the ability to beat him."
"Um…Ike? As much as I appreciate and understand your feelings, don't you think you might be taking this revenge stuff too far?" Despite himself, Shinon winced slightly at Mia's bluntness, but didn't say anything.
The tone, however, didn't seem to affect Ike at all. "I know it may seem that way," he began, patting the sword at his side, "but I was being serious. This sword, Ragnell, is the only thing that can pierce his armor. Both are blessed by the goddess, so ordinary weapons won't work against him."
"Oh…but…it's a sword, right? Why couldn't any of us use it?" Mia sounded slightly hesitant now, obviously having picked up on the unusual coarseness in her normally kindhearted Commander.
"I'd prefer you didn't," the ranger responded, his voice as sour as a lemon at that point. "This was my dad's, so…"
The room, once again, fell silent until Boyd cleared his throat loudly, obviously trying to dispel the negative feelings whirling around. "Hey, Ike, um…not to upset you or anything," the warrior began, uncharacteristically hesitant, especially once the blue-haired Lord turned to face him. Boyd seemed to swallow shallowly before continuing. "Right…well, I could be wrong, but there's also a path up the center of the building too. Seeing as we know nothing of our enemies' movements because it's so dark, perhaps we should send some people up that way too. I'd rather not have anyone come down from there and sneak up behind us later on."
"I agree," Soren nodded. "Although…I never expected to say that to Boyd."
"If we're having issues with the darkness, it's probably safe to assume that the Daeins will as well once we start fighting. I'll bet my entire annual pay, which, I assure you, is no meager amount, that they only darkened this area to throw us off. Once we get closer to where they all are, we'll more than likely also find torchlight."
"Right," Ike acknowledged, looking around at them all in thought. "So, first we need to split into three groups. Soren, you and Volke are with me. We'll go up the center." He waited for the two to respond before continuing. "Let's see…Boyd, you lead the second group to the left." The warrior, along with many others, seemed to blanch. Shinon was quite happy his eyes had adjusted enough to see the expression of utter disbelief cross the other mercenary's face, for he wasn't sure the middle brother had ever made it before and it was quite hilarious.
"What, me? Are you serious? What about Oscar and Shinon? They're the senior officers here."
"That's my fault, Boyd," Oscar responded, sounding a little sheepish. "It appears that I may have caught a small cold. I've been coughing off and on for the last week or so. I don't really trust myself to lead a group right now." Boyd blinked at him and opened his mouth to say something, but Soren beat him to it.
"Excuse me, but we're about to start a battle in the middle of a war. Can we not discuss such trivial issues later?"
As much as the two had patched up their…encounter when Shinon had returned to the Greil Mercenaries (and by 'patched up', Shinon meant that they studiously ignored each other's existence as often as possible), the sniper couldn't stop his sudden itch to throttle the little sage. Considering Oscar's recent condition and near-death experiences, a cough could, for all they knew, be a sign of some impending disease or something. He was about to point out that maybe the green haired man should sit the battle out, but then remembered all of the enemy soldiers outside that probably had the building surrounded.
Without almost any thought, he sent a quick prayer up to Ashera that Titania and the others would be able to hold all of the Daeins off.
Ike made a scuffing sound with his foot at that moment, drawing everyone's attention back to him. "Anyway, Boyd's in charge of the left group. Since we don't know what we're up against, we should probably vary the class types of people in each. So, Boyd, choose three more people to go with you, including one of the snipers."
Shinon, despite himself, felt his heart sink a little at that and noticed that Rolf looked slightly upset as well. Even though he'd known, logically, that they wouldn't always be partnered together, the older man had yet to actually fight a battle in the war without his apprentice since he'd rejoined his old team. Suddenly, he found himself wondering if he'd taught Rolf everything he'd need to know, if they'd gone over certain strategies as many times as possible, and, frankly, if he'd done everything he could to ensure that the kid would come out of this alive.
He quickly shook the thought away, tempted to laugh at himself for his seemingly mother-hen tendencies. However, he somehow failed to remove the uncomfortable feeling that had settled itself in his stomach at the thought of the small kid flying solo from him for the first time since they'd been together on a battlefield not counting when Rolf and Mist had been kidnapped by bandits before the start of the war.
"Uh…well, I'm pretty used to fighting with Mia by now, so…yeah…" Boyd stammered, scratching the back of his head as he was making it painfully obvious to everyone how uncomfortable he was to be placed so suddenly in the leadership position. "And I suppose I'll take Rolf so Shinon can lead the other team… Sorry Janaff, but I don't really know your fighting style well enough to be with you in close quarters like this, so…" the warrior looked uncomfortably at the hawk, who simply grinned in response.
"Don't worry about that, Boyd! I know how much of a handful I can be."
Boyd gave him an odd look before continuing. "Right…Well, Oscar does well with you, so I'll leave him to that team as long as it's okay with Shinon. In that case, could I possibly have Astrid? That leaves Mist with a fast, experienced sniper and two people with relatively high defense."
Soren looked surprised at Boyd's reasoning, mirroring how everyone else felt on his face. "I approve," he said after a moment, sounding almost in awe. "That actually makes sense."
Ike smiled at Boyd encouragingly before clapping him on the shoulder. "Great, so Shinon will lead the second group to the right with Oscar, Janaff, and Mist. Is that alright with you?"
The sniper nodded in response, running through possible scenarios in his head. The team he'd been left with was certainly well rounded and he'd be lying if he said he didn't want a healer on his team.
Ike seemed to read his mind as he continued. "Give any extra healing products you may have on you to Boyd's team. Mine should be fine because Soren can use staves now."
There was a moment of rustling as people traded supplies back and forth but they'd all quieted down and gotten into position relatively quickly. Ike nodded to all of them one last time as he turned to the central corridor, his cape swishing around him with the movement. "Greil Mercenaries," he said, his voice falling to just above a whisper, "move out, and be careful about it. We don't know what could be right around the corner."
Nobody said anything, but it was understood that they all were going to follow the orders, if only to protect their lives. Shinon moved to the right from the door they'd all entered through, glancing back to ensure that his team was right behind him. Janaff, still in human form at the moment, was drifting slightly above the ground, his toes brushing the coarse, stone floor with every beat of his large wings. His eyes shifted from side to side as they slowly continued in, trying to take in everything that was before them.
Mist was coaxing Maple forward with soft noises, but Shinon could tell that the small girl was not nearly as comfortable with her mount as Oscar had been. After all, she'd only been a Valkyrie for a little while and still had much to learn. But thankfully, Maple seemed to remember many of her adventures with her old owner, for she was moving slowly and carefully through the hallway, even if she was quite big for Mist. Oscar himself was having a little more trouble. Sycamore, whom Ike still insisted he use even though it was quite obvious the horse hated his guts, was doing precisely the opposite of what his rider was directing him to do.
Shinon resisted the urge to sigh as the Paladin tugged left on his reigns only to have the animal go right instead, bumping quite suddenly against Janaff. The hawk, who'd had his attention focused on the doorway ahead of them, let out a surprisingly loud squawk at the action and dove about a foot to the side. Oscar shot Shinon a sheepish glance that was almost unnoticeable in the dark gloom they were standing in now that Soren had taken the only lit torch with him and Ike's team.
"Sorry," the man whispered as quietly as possible, but making sure that he was heard. "He really doesn't like men much…I'm still trying to get him to trust me."
The sniper simply shrugged in response as Janaff huffed, trying to gain back his breath from the fright he'd just suffered. They'd all seen Oscar's horse in action during the training cycles at their recent camps and almost everyone knew just how much trouble he caused. The fact that such a gentle person, who'd been working with the same horse, Maple, for so many years had to give her up in order to be a 'proper Paladin' as Soren had put it when he and Ike had presented Sycamore to the man not too overly long ago, was just sad.
The thing was so badly tempered that not even Kieran could find it in himself to tease Oscar about it.
It really didn't help matters that Oscar really had tried everything to get the horse to accept him, but nothing seemed to work. Mist, of course, had been caught in the middle of this ever since the Paladin had passed Maple on to her, not able to simply sell his companion. The girl had often mentioned to Ike that the two could just switch mounts, but the Lord had stubbornly refused to allow it.
As Shinon watched Sycamore try to buck Oscar off his back for seemingly no reason, the sniper wondered why. It wasn't as if Ike cared about appearances that much, so what did it matter if one of their paladins rode a brown horse? It's because we quite literally represent Crimea to Begnion, Daein, and the Laguz countries, he realized.
All of them were so distracted by Oscar's unfortunate plight that none of them realized the quick movements about twelve feet in front of them until Janaff sucked in a huge breath of air and suddenly lunged at Mist, frightening Maple into moving a couple of steps back from him. An arrow whizzed past between the human and Laguz, and Shinon felt both relief and anxiety crash into him at once.
He whipped an arrow out of his bundle and spun around so fast to face the doorway that he nearly fell over from momentum. It took him about two seconds to spot a blurry shape moving in on his right side and he drew his bow silently, hoping his limited vision wasn't playing tricks on him as he let the arrow fly. He heard a whistling sound not too far from him and assumed that Oscar had done the same. Janaff let out a mighty screech and transformed, startling a few enemies into moving and giving up their positions in the shadows. Mist, whom Shinon saw out of his peripheral vision, rode past, sword raised. The sniper made sure that he'd succeeded in bringing down his first enemy, then turned to follow the Valkyrie, who was now hacking haphazardly at someone in black armor. The room, however, was so dark that Shinon couldn't be sure whether it was a sage or a sword master.
He could barely make out Janaff, only recognizing him by his flapping wings, and Oscar, who'd seemed to bring Sycamore under some semblance of control as he jabbed at another blob in the darkness. Shinon took note of all of this and within a few seconds had set another arrow and aimed it at an enemy. As he released it, he felt the rough wood brush almost gently against his fingers as it passed and almost relished in the familiar feeling that, strangely enough, was one of the only comforts he felt in the unfamiliar battlefield.
Instinct, experience, and a little bit of luck allowed the four to fight their way to the doorway at last, where they slipped through an almost invisible wooden door into a hallway. Thankfully, there were torches here, but Shinon found himself unable to celebrate this fact for long as, immediately, a few Daeins began to run toward them from all down the path. Oscar and Janaff automatically positioned themselves in front of Mist and Shinon, protecting them as they all slowly moved towards the advancing enemies.
The sniper felt the blood rush in his ears. He was unused to fighting inside for, though he'd done it before, it was a much less common occurrence than the Mercenaries waging battle outside. He was finding it harder to focus in such a small area, what with a closed door now to his left, a wall behind and to his right, and his path forward blocked by his own teammates. Though he knew this was for his, and Mist's, own safety, he found himself immensely uncomfortable, as most long-ranged fighters usually did with no where to run to. Vaguely, he wondered if Rolf, on the opposite side of the building, felt the same way.
The thought of the kid he'd spent so much time with allowed the man to brush of his worries and lift his weapon. He hardly noticed as he managed to bring a halberdier down with a single shot to the throat, only to aim at a sage soon after. An odd image came to him as he did this, one of Boyd's team being cut off with no way of escape and no reinforcements, as all of the Greil Mercenaries were engaged elsewhere. This…morbid imagining made Shinon take shots faster than he normally preferred to. As such, he ended up flubbing some of his aims, hitting people in the shoulder and thigh rather than the neck and stomach.
Oscar was curiously clumsy as well for a moment, perhaps thinking the same way. After all, Shinon realized with some amusement and sympathy, the man's brothers and the woman he loved could be trapped somewhere at any moment. According to Mia and Rolf, who'd apparently seen the actual scene in Duke Tanas's villa play out, no one knew better than the paladin how it felt to be stuck somewhere dangerous with no chance of escape. The sniper blinked and, realizing that allowing himself to think about all of this during a battle was probably not the best idea in the world, pushed his mind back entirely into the battle.
He heard someone giving orders and it took him a moment to realize it was him, telling the other three to stay calm and take their time with the enemy. The Daeins were actually forced into the same position as them, only able to send a few people forward at once to attack, so there was really no use in charging them. Shinon shot at a sword master standing behind a warrior that Janaff was scratching at viciously with his claws, ignoring the way his heart was thumping almost painfully with fear. Oscar took down a priest that was chanting up a light spell as Mist nudged Maple forward enough to stab an enemy sniper.
Within minutes, the entire Daein troop was decimated, leaving four mercenaries that were all breathing hard with pent up worry. They were each horrifically alert, listening for any sign of anymore people heading their way. After a few seconds of silence, Shinon stood upright, unsure when he'd fallen into a crouch. "Okay," he said, forcing his voice to remain steady even as it echoed hollowly throughout the long hallway, "I think we should move forward now, but be careful and don't make any sudden movements. The last thing we need is someone popping out at us from a side door or something."
The other three nodded in response and Janaff started to lead the way towards the end of the hallway with Oscar trying his best to lead Sycamore next to him. Mist had much more luck with Maple, taking up a steady pace that Shinon matched step for step. The entire area was deserted and, though there were no threats around, the tension in the group increased more with each foot traveled.
The hallway stretched on forever until the flat ground turned into a staircase. Mist and Oscar dismounted and gently led their horses up the shallow steps, careful not to let the animals slip. Shinon, at this point, snuck past the two, padding forward to ensure that no surprise attacks would be launched at them while they were distracted. Janaff flapped alongside him, his beady eyes once more jolting in every direction. Shinon noticed a demi-band encircling the hawk's ankle and blinked. Maybe Maurim gave it to him or something…
About a minute and a half later, after creeping alongside as quietly as possible, the four had nearly reached the top of the staircase when a Daein sage randomly leapt out from around the corner, fire spell flaring out from his hand. Shinon cursed loudly, diving out of the way as best he could on the uneven ground. Sycamore neighed behind him as Oscar hurriedly made him back up. Thankfully, it was a relatively small attack, so Mist and Janaff hardly had to move at all. The hawk recovered quickly and darted forward, claws glinting in the torch light. Within moments, he'd engaged the enemy.
Shinon stood from where he'd leapt to and notched another arrow, aiming below his teammate's wing at a halberdier charging forward from behind the sage. Apparently, the staircase hit a room or hall that had enough space to hide a couple of people. The sniper allowed his attack to fly, reloading even before the man fell to his knees, tugging desperately at his stomach. Shinon ended his suffering just as Oscar gained a semblance of steady footing as he hefted his own bow and fired at a priest that had appeared around the corner.
After that, no one else came out and Shinon twitched forward, reaching the flat landing at the top of the stairs and seeing a small area that had another staircase jutting off of it going up. Shinon peeked around and saw a solitary soldier at the top of the second the set of steps, looking back down and supposedly trying to see what happened to the three men that had just been taken down. The two caught sight of each other at almost exactly the same moment, but Shinon was faster with his bow than the other man with his javelin and soon the path was clear.
He gestured to his teammates and they all jostled forward, Mist and Oscar still having some difficulty with their horses. Shinon jogged as softly as he could to the top of this staircase, which was about half as long as the prior one. His footfalls were as quiet as he could possibly make them and, as he ascended, the torches along the walls became sparser, leaving more dark space through which the slightest simple shadow could be a threat waiting for someone to walk into a trap. Janaff rustled along behind him, his wings causing small drafts of wind to be sent across the back of Shinon's neck.
Curiously, the sensation was actually slightly comforting, rather than creepy or unwanted. The Laguz got closer to him, silently giving him backup should the need arise. Once they reached the top, there were a few steps of even ground before the wall beside the hall ended, so Shinon snuck up to it and peeked around the corner. It was almost impossible to tell what was more than ten feet ahead, but he could see some slight movements that sent his heart beating slightly faster. There was an odd clopping noise as both Oscar and Mist reached the top of the stairs and calmed their mounts. Maple, who had been doing stuff like this for awhile, was much better off than Sycamore, who obviously hated what they'd just gone through. The horse was snorting disapprovingly, regardless of Oscar's frantic, calming motions. After a few more unhappy sounds that were steadily growing louder, Shinon cursed in his head and looked around the corner again, feeling a lump form in his throat as he realized that the shapes he'd spotted earlier were getting closer.
He felt rather than saw or heard Janaff fly over him to glance around as well. The hawk's eyes were much sharper and he tapped Shinon's head gently with a curved claw in warning. The sniper nodded in response and shot a look at Mist and Oscar. The Valkyrie had gotten off of Maple and was trying to assist Oscar, who had backed off from his mount and was standing next to Maple, petting her absent mindedly as she bumped his shoulder affectionately with her snout.
Shinon blinked in what seemed like sudden burst of genius, but honestly, he couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of it before. "Hey, you two…Ike's not here, so maybe you could switch or something until we meet back up with him?" he asked, trying to whisper as quietly as possible. Janaff tapped him again, probably telling him that the enemies were getting closer. Oscar and Mist looked at each other and almost immediately nodded. Sycamore seemed much happier with a female rider, though he was slightly big for Mist. Maple seemed ecstatic to have her old owner back and Shinon had the impression that she would be neighing if she didn't have an idea of the danger the group was in.
Oscar was ready to fight within a matter of moments, much more comfortable and Mist drew her sword carefully, trying not to frighten Sycamore. Shinon turned back to the hallway, satisfied that that issue had been solved, at least for the moment, and searched for the figures in the dark again. He spotted a movement and readied an arrow, aiming carefully. He didn't want to give away their position prematurely, yet his fingers itched to let the shot fly. There was a creak as Oscar performed the same movements and Janaff drifted up to the ceiling.
The hawk silently flew forward, giving the sniper just enough time to wonder what he was doing before he dove, drawing a shout from someone underneath him. Shinon heard the sound and judged carefully where the enemy was, hearing a solid thump as his arrow met flesh. Janaff repeated his movement, giving Oscar a target. The Laguz then took down his own soldier and squawked back at them, moving his head to show that the path was clear. There was a small glow of light as Mist healed a wound on Oscar's shoulder from earlier that Shinon hadn't even noticed before they moved forward.
This hallway was much wider, so there was even less light per square foot. The four moved slowly, keeping an eye out for any signs of danger. There was a doorway to the right, but they passed it with intent to return once they had checked the surrounding area. After several minutes, Shinon caught sight of something darting across at the end of the hall and he pulled his bow back up from where it had fallen slightly lax in his grip. Oscar did the same and Mist raised her sword in anticipation. However, Janaff flapped his wings in front of them and made an odd sound that seemed to be a protest of some sort. Shinon shot him a weird look, but understood as soon as he heard a voice from a little distance away.
"Janaff? Is that you?" Someone that could only be Mia stepped forward hesitatingly.
The hawk made a sound of agreement and Shinon lowered his arrow as the sword master came closer to them, followed by several other shapes that, once he really focused, Shinon could make out to be Astrid, Boyd, and Rolf. All four looked a little worse for wear, but there didn't seem to be too many injuries. Mist dismounted and set to work right away taking care of scratches that the group seemed to think too small to use one of their few vulneraries on.
Rolf looked at them and smiled slightly. "So you guys are okay?"
"Yeah," Mist answered as she sewed up Astrid's elbow. "We ran into a spot of trouble on the stairs, but that's about it. It was mainly because of Sycamore."
Astrid looked at the aforementioned horse and nodded in understanding. "Yes, I can see that being a problem. My horse used to hate going up uneven ground as well."
"Did you have to fight many enemy soldiers?" Boyd asked, putting his ax, which he'd been holding like a lifeline, away.
"Not too many," Oscar answered. "The darkness was mildly annoying though. Janaff helped us out quite a bit." The hawk made a small sound, but Shinon couldn't tell what he was saying.
"Was there another door back that way?" Rolf asked, pointing at the very same entrance that Shinon's group had passed up to go back to later. "Because we found one back there and it seems like this place is somewhat symmetrical."
"Yes, we did," Shinon found himself replying, trying to ignore how creepy Rolf looked with the fire causing his hair to look a few shades darker. "We wanted to clear out this area before we tried to go through it, though."
Boyd nodded. "That was the same idea we had. Thanks Mist," he turned his attention to the girl as she healed a small wound on his ribcage. "We were going to head back there once the coast was clear."
They spent the next few minutes checking on each other as Mist continued to heal little wounds. Shinon had apparently gotten a scrape on his cheek from an arrow or something and had failed to notice. It was eerily quiet, despite the company, and each person was caught awkwardly looking around more than once. After Mist had finished, they all began to part ways. The atmosphere was almost gloomy, even as Rolf hugged both of his brothers and wished them luck. Astrid did the same to Oscar, who Shinon was quite sure had blushed slightly at the words, and Mist had tried to do the same to her old friend.
Rolf, however, was acting rather oddly towards the Valkyrie. He wouldn't look her in the eye and what little response he gave her seemed stiff and uncomfortable. Shinon thought back to what Mist had said a couple of weeks prior and wondered if she had tried to talk with him about the kiss yet. Judging from the way they were acting, he'd say no, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe Rolf just felt overly uncomfortable with her or something. He wasn't really sure how the kid's mind worked at times.
After everyone had said their 'goodbyes' and 'good lucks', they all split back up into their two groups and headed back to the doors they had originally passed up. Shinon shifted up to it and put his ear to the thick wood, straining to hear something within. There was a small, almost imperceptible rustling sound, possibly confirming his suspicions that there were enemies within. "Watch out," he said, glancing back to his team and waiting for each of them to acknowledge the order before he began to pull the door open. Oscar dismounted and pulled out his bow.
Shinon stopped, leaving about a half foot of space that his teammate took advantage of by aiming an arrow over his shoulder at someone within. There was a shout and some chanting that was cut off as Oscar shot. He backed away from the entrance and suddenly braced it with his shoulder, slamming it almost shut. "Janaff," he said almost urgently, "help us. There are two-"
Before he could finish, something slammed into the other side of the door so hard that Shinon, even as he planted his feet in response to his friend's words, was forced back about a foot. Mist climbed down off of Sycamore and tried to help, but her small stature did nothing to stop the second impact that followed a few seconds later. Shinon and Oscar rushed to close the gap again, but weren't able to seal the last four inches before they were pushed back once more.
"Two tiger Laguz," Oscar finished, voice strained as he struggled once more to close the door.
At the next attack, Janaff flashed through the door over their heads, managing to pass through to the other side before they cut off his entrance. Shinon cursed at the squawk that followed, along with several growls. He and Oscar glanced at each other before they opened the door the whole way, the paladin quickly slipping into the front. Janaff had succeeded in drawing the attention of one of the ferals, but the other dove straight for Oscar, who barely managed to avoid having his hands bitten off by blocking with his lance. Mist reached past Shinon with her sword and managed to jab the creature in the side while the sniper pelted one of its eyes with an arrow, but all they managed to do was anger it.
As Oscar held it off with everything he had, Mist and Shinon pushed their way slightly further into the room, the girl leaving her horse behind for convenience. After a few more well-place shots and stabs, they managed to force the tiger back away from Oscar, who delivered the killing plow to the back of its neck. Once it had fallen, Shinon let out the breath of air that he hadn't realized he'd been holding and looked to see that Janaff had defeated his foe as well.
After a moment, both Oscar and Mist went back to pull their mounts through the doorway and Shinon knelt by the Sage's body to pick up some keys to a couple of chests in the room. He opened them and found a spear and a staff that he didn't recognize. Looking at the odd jewel on its top, he held it out to Mist, who had by then climbed back onto Sycamore. "What is this?" he asked in curiosity.
The Valkyrie blinked when she saw it, her eyes growing wide as she held out her hand in disbelief. "This is a Fortify staff," she answered, grabbing it and rubbing her fingers up and down the pole almost reverently. "This allows one to heal several people at the same time."
"What? Really?" Oscar asked, petting Maple's head absently as he pulled himself up into her saddle.
Mist nodded, unable to say anything more as she became absorbed in her new tool.
Shinon watched her for a moment before speaking. "We should probably move on," he said. "We've been here a little too long."
Janaff seemed to agree as he flew along the narrow room to a more open area at the end. Oscar coaxed his horse to follow and Mist, after she made sure to securely strap her…holy staff to her side. Once they'd reached the end, there was no exit door, but the wall to the left had a distinctive set of bricks that looked like they'd been recently laid. Shinon shared a look with his teammates, and then kicked at the stone gently, not wanting to hurt his foot, but trying to see if they were as stable as they should be.
When one or two wiggled slightly, he kicked harder, managing to knock one back a couple of inches. Oscar wedged his lance between two rows and shoved, managing to loosen a few more. Mist joined in with her sword and pretty soon, they succeeded in making a hole just big enough for all of them to fit through. However, before they could even think about it, an arrow embedded itself in the floor just inches from Shinon's foot. The enemy sniper soon came into view, another attack ready, but Oscar managed throw his javelin faster. Shinon loaded his own bow and aimed at an approaching sword master as Janaff flew out the hole at a halberdier.
There was a pretty thick crowd of Daeins on the other side of the wall and Shinon found himself having to twist around Maple and shoot under Oscar's arm to get at any of them. Mist had pulled out what appeared to be a sonic sword that Tanith had probably given her and was carefully shooting wind spurts around the paladin's other side. Janaff was diving erratically, trying to stay out of reach while still inflicting damage. However, there were many more enemies than the four of them and Oscar, after a couple of minutes, had to back up slightly to avoid being beheaded by a warrior at the same time that another sword master aimed at his gut. Shinon scooted to the side, trying not to tense his arm in anxiety at their situation in the case that he throw his aim off by accident. Mist was trying to stay out of range, but she had to dodge a couple of arrows and spells here and there.
As they were quickly chased away from the wall, both men did their best to keep Mist behind them, Janaff flying back to help them, but there were simply too many soldiers. Shinon would shoot a sniper down just to have two sages take his place. They'd almost been driven to the opposite wall of the room before hope appeared, and, despite himself, Shinon let out a poof of tension-filled air as Boyd appeared out of nowhere through the hole they'd formed. Mia was right behind him, then Astrid and finally Rolf with their weapons raised. The Daeins didn't seem to notice the mercenaries that had gathered behind them and were thus taken over by complete surprise when attacks started flying at them from two directions.
Shinon let some of the worry leave his body as he realized that they had pared down the enemy numbers relatively quickly, evening the playing field. Bodies fell everywhere until, finally, there were only two soldiers left- a general and a priest. Mia and Mist took care of them pretty fast, everyone breathing much more easily once they fell. Shinon and his team started to walk around the pile of carnage between them and their teammates, careful to avoid stepping on the fingers and feet of the dead. The stone floor was slick with blood, but the sniper tried his best to ignore it. Somehow, battles never seemed as messy when they were held outside.
Boyd nodded to him, gasps coming from his chest that showed he'd been fighting hard. "Are you guys okay?" he asked, letting his eyes settle on each of them in turn.
Oscar nodded. "Yes, we broke down the wall and weren't expecting so many enemies to be behind it."
"We knocked one down too," Mia responded, sheathing her sword after stealing a quick glance in every direction to make sure the coast was clear. "It took us slightly longer to get there, and once we realized you guys were in trouble, you'd already been driven back into this room."
"We apologize for our tardiness," Astrid said from her horse, continuing to hold her bow but re-packing the arrow she'd pulled out during the battle.
"It's okay," Shinon said, and he meant it. It would have been very bad if Boyd's group hadn't stopped in when they had. "Better late than never, right?"
"That was the Commander's elite guard," Rolf spoke finally, seeming to check everyone over for injuries as he did so. "I think he might be the only left at this point."
"So what are we waiting for?" Mia proclaimed, suddenly her normal, cheerful self. "Let's go get him!"
"Wait," Mist interrupted, looking worried. Shinon wondered why, but figured it out just before she spoke. "What about Ike and his team? What if they need backup?"
"Why would we?" a new voice sounded, causing everyone to jump. Shinon whipped his head around, hand flying to his back to grab an arrow, but stopped once he processed the sight of Volke leaning nonchalantly against the wall right next to the hole. No one seemed to have heard or seen him coming in. "We're all fine. There were a lot of enemies, but nothing we couldn't handle."
A second later, Ike's shock of blue hair appeared through the hole. "Sorry we didn't get here sooner. We tried to hurry when we heard the sounds of a fight. Is everyone okay?" Shinon nodded as Mist healed a small wound on Mia's thigh, but found nothing else to do afterwards. Frankly, the sniper was rather surprised the damage had been so small. If Boyd's group had been just a moment longer, it probably would have been. He found himself thanking Ashera for their run of good luck before speaking.
"Yeah, we got a little scraped up here and there, but we're okay. Thankfully, there's more light in this area than there was before," he added once he realized that the number of flickering torches had been increased in this room. Grudgingly, he wondered if they'd all walked into a trap of some kind and the enemy just hadn't anticipated another group coming from the other hole at exactly the same time.
He heard Oscar agree with his words. "Yes, it was quite dark in previous hallways."
Ike had stepped fully into the room at this point, with Soren standing next to him. "We did not run into such ordeals," the sage replied, his voice almost haughty and Shinon found himself struggling to hold back a punch. It wasn't exactly their fault they'd been sent down the side hallways, now was it?
However, he was able to hold himself back, which was more than Boyd, who snorted indignantly, could say. Soren ignored the annoyed sound and turned back to Ike. "The enemy Commander will be a tough foe," he stated. "I was observing him earlier when I was alone out there, and it appears that he has what seem to be both a spear and a brave lance. He will not be an easy opponent to take down."
Ike looked thoughtful for a moment before turning back to the group. "Do any of you have any longbows?" he asked.
Rolf nodded. "Yeah, but I think it'll only be good for another shot or two. It's got a huge crack in it."
"I also have one," Astrid added, putting her other bow away.
"Right, you two draw his fire. We'll get him to pull out his spear, then, we'll go in close. He'll probably switch to his brave lance- it's a lot lighter, so he'll be able to attack more frequently. However, it wasn't made to be thrown. Once he's armed himself with it, we'll send in the rest of our ranged units. Does that sound okay?"
Everyone stared at Ike, some with their mouths falling open. Soren looked beside himself. "First Boyd, then Ike? What is this world coming to? It's as if all of the idiots are suddenly making sense to the rest of us."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Boyd demanded, but never got his answer as Ike turned to the wall hole.
"Come on guys, let's finish this. I want to catch up to the Black Knight as quickly as possible."
No one knew how to answer, so they simply followed. The enemy Commander, despite being the only Daein left, had stood his ground right in front of the entryway to another room. Apparently, he'd been ordered to stand there no matter what. The center hallway that Ike's group had initially taken led right to this area, so Shinon now understood how they'd all come to meet up with the rest of them.
The black-armored halberdier, Hafedd if Shinon remembered correctly what one of the Begnion intelligence officers had told them earlier that day, was glaring at them all. Rolf and Astrid quickly ran to either of his flanks, making sure to stay out of his spear's range. Both readied their long bows and fired at the same time. The enemy dodged Rolf's, which seemed to be thrown off its aim a little by what Shinon recognized as a warp in the bow. The boy was right in that it wouldn't last much longer. Astrid's, however, hit true right in a soft spot of his armor around the hip.
Hafedd pulled out his spear, but before he could throw it, Mia and Ike darted in, both hitting and jabbing at him so fast he couldn't keep up with their movements. Volke joined in and, frustrated and just how the Ike had predicted, Hafedd pulled out his brave lance instead. As soon as the distanced threat was nullified, Shinon pulled out an arrow and aimed at the man's neck, knowing that the armor would probably be thinner there to allow for increased head movement.
Rolf, Astrid, Boyd, and Oscar all did the same, forming a semi circle with Soren around the Commander. Hafedd had time to widen his eyes in surprise before they all let their attacks fly. The wind spell, combined with five arrows and a stab from Ike were more than enough to overwhelm the halberdier and his breaths as he fell were so labored that Shinon couldn't even hear the final words he uttered. All of the mercenaries stood there for a minute, watching his body even after it had stopped moving up and down with signs of life.
Ike's face was stony as he stood upright and sheathed his sword. Without a word, he stepped over the body and went to the path beyond, obviously determined to do similar damage to the one that had killed his father. An argument broke out as Soren rushed forward to join him, but was stopped by a voice from behind them all. Shinon spun around to see Titania, along with several others of their teammates, all breathing heavily with the fire of fight in their eyes. They had obviously fought off the troops outside and had come in as reinforcements. The female paladin stepped forward, leaving her horse behind. "No Soren, this is Ike's battle."
Of course, the sage argued back, even as their Commander paid no heed to what was happening and continued on out of their sights. Shinon watched him go, feeling a small knot form in his stomach once more, like it had before he'd left the Greil Mercenaries. If he could, he himself would go as well and demand Ike to let him take revenge too. Gawain Greil had been the closest the sniper had ever had to a father and he'd been so…angry when the man had died that he'd left the rest of his family behind to escape the knowledge that one of the most important people in his life was gone.
However, something held him back, some realization that, though he wanted it to be, this wasn't his fight. It was Ike's, and it wasn't his right to take that away from the Lord. Soren had fallen quiet again, obviously taken with what something Titania had told him, a gentle placating hand resting on his shoulder. The rest of the Mercenaries had gathered around, all worried about their leader but all determined that he face his demons alone. There was an almost peaceful silence for a moment, for they were all straining to hear something, anything.
Rolf was the one that broke the silence with a small, worried sound. "Um…guys? Where's Mist?"
Everyone was snapped back to reality and started looking around, first curiously, then frantically. Shinon was no exception as he looked every which way, but found no evidence of the Valkyrie. "Surely, she didn't…" he heard himself say, an uncomfortable feeling rising in his throat.
Greil had been Mist's dad too, so of course she'd want to get revenge as well, but… she was so… weak. Against the Black Knight, she'd stand no chance in a fight. Rolf seemed to figure this out as well as he suddenly pelted towards the doorway leading on. Oscar grabbed his arm, having to dive forward off of Maple to reach him in time. "Rolf, no. You heard Ike. Only his sword will work. You can't help in this."
"But, what about Mist? She could be killed!" Rolf was struggling against his older brother so hard that Boyd had to step in to help hold him back. "I'm not going to let that happen!"
"Believe me, peewee, Ike won't either!" the warrior said in a strained voice, Rolf still managing to almost wrestle himself away from his two brothers.
Shinon found himself moving forward before he was really even conscious of it. "Rolf, calm down," he said, trying to sound as mollifying as possible, even though his heart was racing at the thought of Mist being left to the mercy of the cruel Daein man. She didn't deserve a death like that. "We can't really do anything. If you go in there, you probably won't come out. That man will kill you too."
"But, I-"
"You'll just distract Ike," Shinon continued, now close enough to grab Rolf's flailing arm gently. "Mist can at least heal him during the battle. I doubt the Black Knight has as much interest in her as he does in Ike anyway. Chances are, she won't even be a target. Just calm down."
Miraculously, Rolf did for a moment. His movements stilled and he started muttering under his breath. After a little while, Oscar and Boyd were lulled into a false sense of security and their grips loosened the slightest bit. However, instead of launching himself at the doorway again, the little sniper turned and Shinon suddenly found his arms filled with the lime-green-haired midget. "W-what if something does happen to her? What if she dies?" the kid had started crying for the first time in a long while and Shinon, caught off guard by this change in action, awkwardly pulled him into a loose hug.
"She's not going to," he whispered, unsure what to do as he started rubbing soft circles into his apprentice's back. "Ike won't let her. He'll protect her, just like his dad protected him, okay?"
"B-but, what if s-something bad h-happens to Ike?" the boy could hardly get his words out, he was in such a state.
Shinon didn't know what to say. He was horrible with children and, knowing this full well, he shot a pleading look to Oscar over Rolf's head. The paladin nodded in acceptance as he stepped closer to the pair. "He'll be okay, Rolf. Ike is much stronger than we'd all like to think he is." There was such confidence in his tone that even Shinon felt somewhat better after he'd spoken. Rolf's tears slowed somewhat and he turned his head back to Oscar, though his arms stayed planted around Shinon's middle, squeezing so tightly the sniper was starting to feel the constriction almost painfully.
"But what if it's not enough?"
"Then you getting killed along with him and Mist won't solve anything. We all need to stay alive to fight the final battle. Ashnard, regardless of what happens here today, must be brought down. Okay, Rolf?" Oscar somehow always found a way to make sense without actually making sense and Shinon was immensely grateful for his presence at that moment.
The young boy in his arms hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, drawing in relieved sighs from all over the room. Apparently, everyone had been strung tightly, waiting for his reaction. The relatively peaceful moment didn't last, however, for there was suddenly a huge jarring noise throughout the castle. All of them looked at the doorway Ike had gone through, realizing the sound had come from there. A moment passed, and then another sound, like a groan, rebounded all around them.
"I…I think it's collapsing," Soren finally spoke, for once looking slightly worried.
Everyone took that in, and then there was mass mayhem. They all started running for the middle entrance that Ike and his team had taken to get this far, trying to all get out of the building as quickly as possible. Shinon forced his feet to move, grabbing Rolf in his haste. "Come on," he said, dragging the boy along with him. "We have to get out of here."
As soon as those words had left his mouth, a piece of the roof caved in, crumbling into the corner of the room. The snipers, along with Oscar, Boyd, and Maple right behind them, hurried after their teammates, glancing around to make sure that no one was left behind. The sound was now continuous, echoing all around them, even from above. The rumble that accompanied it was enough to pound into Shinon's brain almost painfully. As they all sprinted through the hallways, bricks in the walls fell out of their mortar as chunks from the ceiling crashed to the ground. Twice, Shinon had to stop suddenly in order to avoid being crushed and run around a piece of rubble.
Once they reached a staircase going downwards, Rolf had regained himself and was moving on his own now, but his hand clenched Shinon's so hard that the older man's fingers were numb. He couldn't find it within him to complain, however, when this connection managed to save the kid's life more than once as he tugged Rolf away from certain death that was too close for the child to avoid on his own. Oscar was apparently helping Boyd as Volke nimbly grabbed Mia's arm up ahead, pulling her up and over a rock that had cut her off momentarily.
The floor leveled out again and a light appeared ahead as the ones in the front of the charge reached the outside door, pushing it open as quickly as possible. Shinon, ignoring the fear crawling quickly up his chest, gritted his teeth and raced for it with everything he was worth, hoping to the goddess that Mist and Ike had found another way out.
Author's Note: Sorry that the ending was kind of sudden, but this was the best place for me to cut the chapter into two. Once I get back from my Mission Trip, I'll try to update the next part as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone that is actually still reading this. Regardless of my absence, I am still alive and I don't intend to ever leave you waiting so long again. For anyone that is reading my "Star Trek" story, I'm working on that one too, along with a couple of others mentioned in my profile. Thank you all so much for sticking with me!