With the Ashen Wolves complete at this point and little over a month before the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, I felt like I was in a good spot. My house was dysfunctional and diverse in its hay day, but we managed just the same. While the other houses bore heirs to the three empires of Fodlan, we represented the outcasts of Fodlan. We stood for the underground machinations of society that many choose to ignore. We were the Abyss.
Opening the doors to the Ashen Wolves classroom, I notice that everyone is already seated and waiting for me. I'm late due to being held up by Seteth suggesting I take on a short mission to help the Wolves practice camaraderie, so we have a mission set up in about 5 days with some knights from house Fraldarius. It's a good idea considering my group has been together the least amount of time since officially becoming a house. Nothing quite like cramming before the big exam.
I look across the room and see everyone grouped up amongst like-minded people. The front of the class has Lysithea, Constance, and Monica. The middle consists of Balthus, Yuri, and Felix, though Felix has a few spaces between him and the other guys. And in the back of the class, I notice Hapi who is currently catching up on sleep.
I snap my fingers together announcing, "Attention Ashen Wolves! As you might notice, we have some new faces here today. They will be joining us for the remainder of the year, so treat them as one of our own. Onto the lesson," I make my way to the podium at the front of the classroom and continue, "Now, we have our work cut out for us. Everyone has had more time to work with their classmates, so I've scheduled us to assist in Fraldarius territory to handle some bandits. Take it you know what I'm talking about, Felix?"
"I do," Felix grunts back as he crosses his arms over his chest.
I nod to his little sentiment and add, "Good. So we will be needing to discuss open battle tactics, positioning, and how best to cover up our strengths and weaknesses. I know that we've been lacking in front line martial fighters, and I know Felix has skill with a blade. Monica, what would you say you excel in?"
Monica grins and replies, "Well, I'm good in close quarters with a shortsword or dagger. I'm pretty sneaky and quick."
"Can you use a bow?" I inquire as having someone capable of ranged combat without reliance on magic would be a huge boon to our group.
Monica snorts in a very unladylike manner replying, "Of course I can. Give me a light weapon of any kind and I'm a force, but I'm best when I get the jump on someone."
"Great, then you can be our sniper. We need to have a non-magical ranged threat. Do you ride horseback or pegasi?"
Monica shrugs dismissively, "Animals don't really like me. Won't ride unless I have to."
I nod, "Very well. So what I have so far is our front line will be Balthus, Yuri, and Felix. Beyond that, we will have Constance on pegasi and Hapi on horseback to be our left and right mobility flanks, and then backline will be Lysithea and I. Monica will act as a floater and support whoever needs help. That's my rough estimate right now, any questions?"
Yuri raises his hand asking, "Yes, professor. You do know that this won't work for every situation. I presume you have back up formations?"
"I do, but this will be our core. Depending on terrain or situation we will change accordingly. Next question?"
Felix now raises his hand and I nod for him to go ahead, "Are we going to be sparring today?"
I smile and reply, "Yes. After this lecture on terrain tactics, I'll have us all go to the training grounds up in Garreg Mach. The hike out of Abyss should be a good enough warm-up."
"Professor, with your magical ability you could simply teleport us all up to the surface-" Constance debates but I wave my hand to cut her off.
"That would be a frivolous use of magic and we could all use a good walk. Besides, I think I saw Balthus turn a bit green at the mentioning of 'teleportation'."
Constance quickly turns around to look at Balthus who is grimacing at the thought of being sent by magic. Constance looks to Lysithea for support, but the young girl shrugs and shakes her head. Defeated, Constance returns to facing forward with a disappointed pout on her face.
"Great. Also, Hapi if you don't wake up in three seconds I'm going to set you on fire," I loudly proclaim which I hear Hapi mumble something unintelligible as she slowly raises her head and wipes drool from her face.
Good, looks like everyone is ready for the lesson. Hopefully, when we get to sparring it will be a good way the students can communicate and blow off some steam. Also, it'll give me a chance to work on my Levin sword practice as well.
I give the lecture for about 40 minutes covering all the types of terrain in Fodlan and even a few like desert and seafaring as you may never know where you might be fighting. Everyone pays attention, though only about half the students take notes or ask any questions. Monica and Constance seem to be competing for who can make more solid points or conjectures, while Yuri and Felix only pipe up when they have something to ask or want to be clarified, with Felix being the more practical one and Yuri wanting to create absurd circumstances. The rest of the lecture is smooth as I end it with a few final comments on what to prepare for with a brief explanation of Gronder field and Fraldarius territory, with a few comments and corrections from Felix on the latter.
"Alright, that's all I have for academics today. Meet you up at the training grounds in about 4 hours. That should be ample time to make it up there and then grab a bite to eat, go to the restroom, or take a quick nap. You get the idea," I explain to the class as they begin to stand up and leave.
I crouch down to begin putting my reference notes and books away back into my travel sack as I hear someone approaching my spot and Monica's cheery voice request, "Oh, professor! Mind if I accompany on our way to the surface?"
"I figured most of you would walk together," I dryly respond as I watch Felix leave the room by himself. The rest of the Wolves seem to be stretching a bit and grouping up to prepare for leaving as I return my attention to Monica and add, "But you're welcome to join me if you can keep up."
"What do you mean?" Monica curiously asks.
"Observe," I nonchalantly reply as I duck behind the podium and channel a power Warp spell onto myself. I hear some of Monica's voice fade out as I reappear next to the entrance to the Abyss on the surface. A nearby guard nearly falls over as he turns and notices me right behind him, but I just wave and carry on like nothing unusual happened.
Constance was right that it would be a frivolous use of magic, at least for the students. I have other people I need to talk to and I figure the Ashen Wolves could use the time to bond without their professor hovering above them. They'll be stuck with me on missions for the foreseeable future, so they might as well learn to tolerate each other without me there. Plus, if things do go sour I can chalk it up to an impromptu team-building exercise.
I chuckle to myself as I begin to make my way to the dining hall, "Jeez, I think I'm beginning to like this a little too much."
With my newfound free time, I spent it in the dining hall enjoying some spicy salmon by myself. After traveling so long with the students and dealing with the heightened state of alert the monastery, I just wanted a peaceful breakfast alone. The only person of note I saw there was Alois who waved to me as it seemed he was busy with his duties. After a pleasant and quiet hour in the dining hall, I made my way to the training grounds and began procuring the necessary weapons for training. With Jeritza gone, the training hall feels a bit more empty with nobody besides a few rotational guards standing near the entrance.
My little teleportation stunt was poorly received by my students, but I think it's just mild jealousy that I didn't take the hike out of Abyss with them. Only Hapi and Felix were indifferent to my choice, while nearly everyone else complained and added their two cents on the matter. That just encouraged me to have us train longer, which again earned me some points from my new student, Felix, but everyone else dragged their feet a bit at the notion. I still think it was hilarious and a good time for them to bond, so their opinions here are irrelevant to me.
The martial training ended with me splitting people up into partnered groups. Constance and Hapi worked on lance skills, Lysithea and Balthus on hand to hand combat, Monica and Felix on swords, and Yuri and I worked on brushing up my sword skills. We worked hard for about 2 hours or so as that's where I'm trying to establish a routine that we finish around 1 pm so I can give people time in the evening for independent study and time to work one-on-one with me.
"That's it, everyone. I think that's good for today. Don't forget to hydrate and stretch. I don't need anyone pulling a muscle. Remember, I fix wounds, not stupidity," I announce to my class who is about as drenched in sweat as I am. We worked hard with only two ten minute breaks in the meantime, only Yuri looking fairly chipper. Even Balthus got a good cardio workout in by dodging fireballs from Lysithea when her physical limit peaked about at an hour in.
My students bid me farewell as they begin to leave the training ground and mutter amongst themselves about either eating or bathing. The only other people in the arena during our training was Ferdinand and Caspar for about a half-hour into our training session, where they took up a corner in the arena to work on lance and ax sparring, and from the looks of them, they probably started a good hour or two before we arrived.
I walk back to the weapon rack to make sure that all the weapons have been placed back neatly and sheath up my Levin sword before stowing it on my lower back. Yuri was nice enough to get me that as well, which he swears was just a way of him thanking me for saving his skin, but I'm secretly beginning to think he's a bit of a softie under the crime lord persona he puts on.
Having a little difficulty putting the lances back with one arm I hear a stern voice behind me, "Not easy dealing with a handicap like that, is it?"
I look over my shoulder and see Felix standing there with his hand on his hip and his usual partial glare expression. He walks over and pulls the heavy lance from my hand explaining, "It's easier to put them back like this. Less likely they fall over."
I nod with a smile, "Appreciated. How are you liking your first day as an Ashen Wolf?"
"It's fine. You talk less then Hanneman and you keep things practical," Felix admits. While that may be a compliment on the surface, it's not really hard to talk less than the resident crest scholar.
"I try to keep things relevant to everyone for a battlefield situation," I pause and sigh, "But that isn't what I'm getting at. I'm curious as to why you are here and not still in the Blue Lions."
Felix crosses his arms and retorts, "It doesn't concern you. I'm here to learn and that's all that matters."
I bite my tongue and level my gaze at Felix, "Listen. Something went down, and as your professor, I'm obligated to be invested in your success, whether you like it or not. So either spill it, or I will find out because this has strange written all over it."
Felix shakes his head, "Are you always this persistent and troublesome? You have a sharper tongue than I would have imagined."
"Dealing with difficult patients is hardly a deviation from dealing with surly students. So tell me what happened and then I can help you with what you were going to ask me," I declare with a sternness that I usually reserve for my more argumentative patients.
Felix takes a moment to contemplate my offer before responding, "It's the Boar Prince. He's the reason I left. Watching him fight in the tomb the other day was the last straw. He's giving in to his ruthlessness more each day."
"Did you bring this up with your other classmates?" I inquire. I would hope that he didn't just up and leave, but I don't really know Felix that well. I'm hoping he at least talked to Hanneman about this scenario.
Felix snorts, "Of course I did. Sylvain is too much of a coward, Dedue and Ingrid are the obedient dogs to Dimitri's whims, Mercedes and Annette don't know him well enough, and Ashe is dead. Hanneman is too detached and wrapped in his books to notice at all as well. That suffice?"
Well, that would certainly explain a lot of his frustration, and I can somewhat empathize with him. Dimitri in battle is a loose cannon contrast to the well mannered noble prince he acts as outside of battle. I can also see the predicament with nobody else wanting to challenge Dimitri's authority, especially with Ingrid and Dedue playing such a devoted role in supporting their lord, but that still doesn't explain what happened in the tomb.
I scratch at my chin stubble and reply, "That makes sense, but it doesn't explain what happened in the tomb. What happened?"
"Dimitri lashed out. We were facing against the Death Knight and he nearly killed me. Himself, and Hilde with his outlandish orders and maneuvers. If it weren't for professor Eisner and Leonie dispatching the mages as quickly as they did we would have died. When the Death Knight retreated he blamed us for not following his lead. Naturally, I opposed his reckless and thoughtless behavior, and then he attacked me. Professor Eisner stepped in after that and knocked him out, but just barely."
So Dimitri is even attacking his friends in his lust for battle, but it still lacks motive. I look back to Felix and ask, "What's his motive?"
"Many things, but probably the Tragedy of Duscar. We all lost people we cared about, but some of us handle it better than others," Felix grunts out and I nod.
I finish putting the last weapon on the rack and respond, "Very well, that will do. Now, what did you want originally? More personalized training I presume? Also, how was sparring with Monica?"
Monica has been an anomaly since she was rescued, as she hasn't been clear about how long she was held captive. Physically she's fine, and from what Manuela suggested is it may be repressed PTSD in some form to help cope which is why she is so extroverted and outgoing. Looking at her previous student records it is apparent she was fairly average in most subjects and assessments, but it's been nearly a year since Manuela had her as a student.
"She's skilled. She lacks hesitation and doesn't hold back any punches. She was a suitable sparring partner," Felix informs me which I nod at his sentiment.
"Good. She's been out of the loop so I was thought you two would pair nicely together as sparring partners. What would you say are her biggest strengths and weaknesses?"
"Aren't you supposed to be doing the evaluating?" Felix remarks with a raised eyebrow and I teasingly respond, "Don't trust your own observational skills? You'll have to make assessments of your own troops someday, just so you know."
"...Fair," Felix grumbles as he pauses to organize his thoughts. "She is fast and precise. Speed is her biggest strength, as well as accuracy and unpredictability. She has a very unorthodox style."
"And for weaknesses?"
Felix shrugs, "She's overconfident. Prideful to a fault with every strike she throws. She underestimated me a few times and ended up disarmed cause of it."
That's good to know, but a bit strange for someone that has been in captivity to have such a prideful quality. She could perhaps be overcompensating for her perceived weakness, but that also doesn't explain why her skills are as sharp as they are. I'd think an extended period of time out of practice would take a week or two to knock off the rust.
"Hmmm. I'll keep that under consideration, so thank you. Now, what did you want?"
"Reason magic training. I want to be able to incorporate that with my blade skills," Felix explains and I nod my head and rest my hand underneath my chin.
"We can work on that. I have just the practice for you," I point to the center of the arena, "Stand over there. And bring your practice sword."
Felix follows my instruction as I tail behind him. Felix turns around once in the middle and asks, "What now?"
"You can cast Fire, correct?" I ask and Felix nods so I continue, "Good. Cast and hold the Fire spell. I want you to shape it into a fireball above your head."
I can sense Felix channeling his focus into the spell as a fireball appears above his head. A little unsteady, but workable. I return my gaze to Felix with a smile, "Good. Now go through your stances and sword techniques. I want you to keep that fireball steady as you do. If I see it even flicker for a second, we start over from the beginning. Ready?"
Felix doesn't reply, but his slight smirk tells me he's excited about the activity. I take a seat and focus my senses on Felix's magical aura to detect any fluxations that may occur. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, "Begin."
"Professor, what are you doing?" I hear Edelgard ask me as I'm sitting on the ground of the training arena watching Felix continue through his reason and sword drills.
"Teaching, what's it look like?" I respond as I throw another pebble at Felix.
He's managed to keep his focus for the past 30 minutes with me throwing rocks at him while trying to keep up his motions and fireball steady. He was mad at first, but after some coaxing, he saw it my way. If a pebble can distract you, then there is no point in using both magic and martial techniques at the same time on the battlefield. Complete control of one's focus and awareness of the surrounding area is essential. Plus, it's a great way for me to annoy Felix without any repercussions.
I turn my head to see Edelgard watching the training display with heavy skepticism and judgment before she shakes her head asking, "Do you have a moment to speak?"
"Felix, go get cleaned up. I think we've done enough today."
Felix drenched in sweat and minor marks from rocks hitting him in the face nods and wordlessly walks back to the weapons rack and places his sword back. Edelgard and him exchange a look that I can't get a feel for as it seems like a mixture of respect and disapproval. Both Edelgard and I watch Felix exit the arena until Edelgard steps closer to me, "Santos, I'd like you to join me for lunch. I'd like to speak on some matters."
No doubt about my progress with the church, which has been poor at best and counterproductive at worst. I sigh, "Very well. Where will we be going?"
Edelgard hums, "Hubert has set up a spot outside the monastery. We shouldn't be bothered out there."
So a secret meeting in the woods it is. I really hope Edelgard isn't expecting some kind of miracle from me to change the church. If that be the case she's severely overestimating me and downplaying the fact that the Agarthan's feud with the world is what is to be feared.
I force a smile and reply, "Certainly. Meet in an hour?"
"I figured we could walk together unless you have other duties to attend to," Edelgard counters with a forced and pleasant smile of her own.
I pause to consider before I concede, 'I suppose I don't. Lead the way."
I follow Edelgard out of the training grounds just as I see Raphael and Leonie of the Golden Deer entering the area. As we exit I can hear excited voices up near the sauna area and someone to our left calls out, "Edie!"
Edelgard and I both look to see Dorothea approaching us, "There you are! Ah, Dr. Capetillo. Or should I call you professor Capetillo?" Dorothea's bright expression instantly sours at the sight of me, but I disregard it. I can't help it if people buy into the propaganda or are put off by me.
"Either one works," I quickly reply as Edelgard shifts her attention to Dorothea.
"What's going on Dorothea?" Edelgard asks politely, but I can see in her face straining to keep a sociable outlook. It seems that she is rather impatient about the talk she wants to have with me.
Dorothea hesitates a bit with a sour face before shaking out of her funk and jovially responding, "Oh, it's nothing that can't wait till later! I'll catch up with you in a bit. Bye!"
Dorothea makes her way to the sauna, and as Edelgard and I continue on our path I whisper to her, "Do you mind telling me why she hates me?"
"She's scared of you. Believe this or not, but many of those who don't know you fear you. Think about it this way, The church is harboring one of the most dangerous mages in all of Fodlan and they are giving him free rein to act as he pleases. To most civilians, that's a terrifying notion," Edelgard explains.
"But you don't seem at all frightened," I comment as we pass through the outdoor student housing area.
Edelgard gives me a quizzical look, "I am heir to be emperor and I know your capabilities," I look at her confused, so I motion with my hand for her to elaborate more and she proclaims, "I haven't suffered my normal nightmares since you enacted that spell on me."
"I'm glad I can be of service, but you should be warier of me," I cryptically reply. As one of the few people walking around with active knowledge of Soul magic, she should at least treat me with a little distance. If I knew another active caster I would avoid them like the plague. Mostly because they would probably know more about the obscure magic than I.
Edelgard frowns, "Is that a threat?"
"Not at all. Just a friendly warning. In the medical field, you should never underestimate a circumstance no matter how minor. Pride is a larger killer in medicine than someone might realize."
Edelgard clears her throat but doesn't respond to me and proceeds to pick up her walking pace slightly. She may be the future leader of the Empire, but she's still young and still a kid in my eyes, and I don't count myself as an ally of hers. Blackmail is hardly grounds for a long-lasting alliance, let alone a nice one.
Arriving in the meadow with Edelgard, I see Hubert has set up a large picnic basket set on a tree stump with circular stones pushed up beside the stump to act as chairs. He's probably the most efficient and detail-oriented person in the entirety of Garreg Mach not including Seteth. His attention to detail is only overshadowed by his blind devotion to his liege.
"Hubert, I take it you've set up lunch?" Edelgard asks to her retainer who bows and motions us to take a seat.
"It is my lord. I see you've brought professor Capetillo. Excellent. We can begin."
We take our seats on the rocks and Hubert begins to open up the contents of the picnic basket. A collection of wrapped sweet buns and peppered jerky looks to be the contents of the basket as each of us are provided a serving of each by Hubert. The whole spread looks delicious and I can feel my stomach grumble in excitement.
"Looks good. Did you cook this?" I ask and Hubert nods as he begins to give us a sampling of each of the rations.
Edelgard takes a small bite from her sweet bun and wipes her face before addressing us, "Now that we are here, I'd like an update on how you are dealing with the church, Santos."
I hold a piece of jerky in my hand and sigh, "It could be better. Rhea isn't one easily persuaded."
"So you can't convince her?" Edelgard assumes as she narrows her eyes at me.
I put up my hand defensively replying, "Not what I said. I said it is hard, and we have a potentially more pressing problem. Sothal."
"The spirit of the dead god? It was under our assumption you had that handled," Hubert muses with a scathing look, "But perhaps we were mistaken."
I frown, "Not true. I'm just saying that it may be a bigger problem than the church if left alone. I've been doing some digging and there isn't a plethora of answers, but I do know defeating them in their inevitable return will be tricky since they can't be killed, technically speaking."
Hubert and Edelgard exchange a glance before Edelgard starts, "But you don't have an answer yet on how to defeat them, I presume."
I bite off a chunk of jerky, "Not in the slightest, but it's a work in progress considering I have very little existing material to help me. This has never been done successfully before."
"It was apart of our agreement, Santos. Are you saying you can't convince the church and you don't have a plan to deal with this..." Edelgard pauses as she begins to bumble over her words, "Spirit of sorts? I'm only being so patient with you because I witnessed its power for myself."
I can feel my frustration building in the pit of my gut as I stomach a sweet bun and wipe my mouth. These kids are trying to play dictator and just see this as an end to their means. After seeing people band together to fight Aelfric, being placed in Abyss and seeing how people subsist down there, and how I've come to owe the church for the opportunities I've been granted I feel caught. Betraying them would immediately out me to the church as a heretic withholding information not to mention get me executed, and working with them feels rotten too as I don't agree with conducting an anti-crusade across Fodlan. I firmly believe the real threat is the Agarthans and Sothal, yet I feel like these two are dismissing them as some pawn to deal with later.
"You look a bit tense professor, is the jerky not to your liking, or is it perhaps something else?" Hubert snobbishly ponders as Edelgard watches me with rapt curiosity.
I look to Hubert, "Just realizing you still are adamant on your conquering plan. That's all. I'm averse to pointless violence, but I shall hold up my end of the deal. How much time are you giving me?"
My honest hope is I can find a way to wriggle myself out of this deal, and having a timeline would certainly be helpful. It'll help determine what level of panic I should be having right about now.
Edelgard looks to Hubert and nods before looking back to me, "Alright. You have three months. Convince the Archbishop to step down. I can control the Agarthans in the meanwhile."
Edelgard faces me with a serious and determined face, though I can't help but doubt her abilities. While she may be impressive, the Agarthans have proven to be powerful foes in my encounters and not to be taken lightly. I won out against Sevihn by pure luck, and if they have access or knowledge of Soul magic then I have a hard time believing it'll be the 17-year-old heiress holding all the cards when things go down eventually. I need a contingency plan badly and within 3 months.
I shrug, "If you say so. I'll do what I can."
"I pray that you do so," Hubert remarks as he takes another bite of the jerky, "You must. For Fodlan's safety and future to be rid of such tyrants. Look no further than Aelfric and the chalice to see what monsters they are."
"Yes, I-" I pause as I can feel someone approaching slowly through the trees. A strong magical presence surrounds them, yet I can't quite pin down who they are. "We have company. Treeline to our Northwest."
Hubert closes his eyes remarking, "It appears you are correct, professor. An unwanted guest. Shall I dispose of them, Lady Edelgard?"
Edelgard shakes her head, "Not yet. They could be a student from the monastery wandering around. Hubert, go investigate."
Hubert stands up and bows before marching off towards the direction of the relatively strong magical aura. Being outside the monastery walls makes it much easier to notice other mages. The more alone you are, the more sensitive to spikes you become since there are fewer distractions and if it's strong enough from a competent mage you'll feel it like a sour-tasting wind blowing by.
"Do you think you can really win?" I ask Edelgard as we watch Hubert in the distance look around the trees.
She turns to me confessing, "I don't have any other choice, so I must. This is the path that I'm carving out for myself and everyone else. I can't consider failure. Not when I've come so far."
I nod my head and scratch at my beard, "I see." I stand up as I see and hear Hubert arguing with someone in the trees. I look down to Edelgard. "Just be careful. Fate always has unexpected plans for us."
"That's why I'm making my own destiny and not waiting on others. You'd be blind not to see the potential in a Fodlan free of such machinations and creatures of old."
"Oh I do, I just hope that after your schemes that there is a Fodlan left for people to enjoy. I fear you may succeed a bit too well. Make your own destiny or whatever you want, but know that you never have all the answers. That's being human, so try not to lose that part of yourself in your conquest."
I walk away towards Hubert to let my words sink into Edelgard as I can spot a student hopping out of the large tree. I can strangely feel my stomach twist as I see Hubert threatening Monica, who isn't phased at all by his intimidating presence. Instead, I can see she is quite insincerely apologizing and once she spots me her face brightens up as I hear her shout, "Professor! There you are!"
I roll my neck and relent, "Monica...why were you in the trees?"
"Oh I was looking for you, and then I saw you head off with Edie so I decided to tag along and practice my sneaking and reconnaissance skills. You did say that the afternoon was for individual practice, and I heard how you helped Felix so I figured you could do the same for me!" Monica cheerily replies.
Hubert crosses his arms and scoffs, "Privacy is something most people with common sense understand. Skulking about in the trees like some bandit is no way to act."
Monica playfully slaps Hubert on the arm laughing, "Oh, Hubert. You've got to lighten up! Besides, you wouldn't be hiding anything, would you?" Monica pauses as Hubert's face becomes red with anger, "A class representative with another house professor? Could be seen as sketchy."
"We were talking general battle tactics. It's well known I was part of the only successful invasion on the Empire in the past century, so she wanted to hear more about my take on the matter," I explain in hopes to satiate Monica's deep curiosity.
Luckily, she takes to it as she snaps her fingers and excitedly replies, "Yeah, that's right! I remember reading about that recently. Fodlan's Fangs right? I hear that the invaders appeared on the shore through the fog," Monica grasps my hand and pleads, "You have got to tell me that story sometime!"
I nod as Hubert announces, "Looks like we will call this meeting finished for now," Hubert glares at Monica and then looks back to me, "Looks like you have your hands full, professor."
Hubert marches back to the picnic where Edelgard is watching with rapt attention and I hear Monica whisper, "You know, I think he's just jealous."
I raise an eyebrow and look at the smirking redhead who's still gripping my hand. "Jealous? What do you mean by that?"
Monica lets go of my hand and sighs, "It's quite obvious he feels inadequate. Besides, I noticed it was you who found me out," Monica puts her hands on her hips and pouts, "And here I thought I was being really sneaky."
I chuckle, "If it weren't for your magic, I would have never known you were there."
"You can do that?" Monica replies with a shocked expression. I explain, "Yes, it's a fairly uncommon skill but most intermediate to expert mages can do it. It depends on your magical sensitivity and how strong the source is. Do you have a background in magic by chance?"
Monica shrugs, "I practiced when I was younger. Part of the noble routine, you know? Horse riding, magic study, tea parties. That sort of thing."
That would make sense since most noble children at Garreg Mach have some skill or knowledge of basic magic, even if it's not their preferred method of combat. Though the fact her magical resonance is so strong tells me she's had more than just some childhood training. Only a half dozen mages in the entirety of Garreg Mach have a similar kind of presence. Now I'm just kicking myself for not noticing just how strong it was earlier.
"If you say so, Monica. What training did you want me to go over with you?"
Monica looks up as she brings her hand up to her chin in a thinking pose. "Hmmm, maybe you could show me how to best deal with bandits? I want to be ready for the Fraldarius mission," Monica flashes me a sadistically gleeful look, "I can't wait to get back into the action."
I frown and exhale, "It's good to be eager, but I would perhaps tone down the wanton murder vibes."
"Oh! I didn't mean to unsettle you! Just, after being captured it's made me feel a bit...on edge lately. Yes, I think that's it," Monica rambles as she begins to invade my personal space bubble.
I put out my hand asserting, "Slow down, kiddo. I get it. You feel the need to get back at someone after feeling helpless. Just reel it in a bit, okay?"
My student smiles brightly and replies, "Oh, I knew you would understand. I shouldn't have expected anything less, really. I can't wait to get to work with you in the field. Shall we go back to the monastery together, professor?"
I nod, "Certainly, let's go," I look back to Edelgard and Hubert who are watching the two of us with intensity, though it is difficult to see what they are thinking from nearly 30 meters away.
I hear Monica's voice, "C'mon professor," I turn back around and see her waiting patiently for me, "Don't bother with those two. We have greater things to work on."
The mission into Fraldarius territory went fairly smoothly. The newbies of the group have meshed in well with everyone, though Monica tends to stick to me like glue. When we arrived in the northern territory Rodrigue Fraldarius, Felix's father, gave us the scoop. A roaming band of around 50 to 70 organized bandits, some ex-military had been terrorizing the northern provinces. With the Lord Regent Rufus Blaiddyd forcing the bulk of Fraldarius knights to guard the Duscar border, Rodrigue turned to the church.
I handled most of the negotiations alongside Felix, who showed his distaste for his father early on and often. Rodrigue was cordial with me, but I could feel the friendliness was a facade. The church knew of my reputation in Kingdom territory, but with the other houses already assigned different duties, it was just the luck of the draw. The only meaningful information Lord Fraldarius managed to provide was where their likely base of operations was located; an old imperial highway outpost.
Rodrigue offered to send some of his remaining knights with us, but Felix and I declined, albeit for different reasons. Felix strictly doesn't want handouts from his father, whereas I don't know how they'd fit into my current plan of attack. With the bandits outnumbering us nearly 8:1, we had a few distinct advantages over them.
Firstly, smaller groups are easier to coordinate, especially for ambushing. Second, is from the reports I was given is that they don't have a huge magical presence or cavalry. Mages are worth their weight in gold in military ranks and considering half the Ashen Wolves are dedicated casters, and when combined with no cavalry threat to close the distance quickly against our mages...well, that just means it'll be bad for them. And the last reason we have the advantage; they have no idea who is coming to hit them and when. They're not afraid to be attacked by soldiers since most have left, so odds are is they'll be lazy and off guard.
Yuri and I decided attacking during the early morning when they came back after a raid would be our best chance to eliminate them all in one fell swoop. I had Lysithea scout ahead with my careful supervision of using the Wander spell, and while she felt some of the after-effects of using the spell, she faired much better than me. On the night they returned it was like shooting fish in a barrel.
We had Hapi run down the highway sighing to summon beasts towards their camp, which they managed to dispatch after some light losses but nearly half of them injured or worse due to being exhausted from fighting the guards of a nearby village. With Constance riding her pegasus and Monica on board as a passenger, we had complete aerial superiority, raining down arrows and lightning upon them while Felix, Yuri, and Balthus led the charge to fight the weary bandits. Lysithea and Hapi boxed the bandits in from the north and south sides of the road while I played deep support for anybody in trouble. With constant healing support and blasting lightning out of my Levin sword at a few would-be foes, it was disturbingly easy.
We burned their stables to scare their horses away and left them with no escape. We swept through their camp in about 30 minutes with only 4 survivors and no witnesses. All the Ashen Wolves fight with a chip on their shoulder and without hesitation, unlike the other houses of the church. Just like our moniker, we're a bit underhanded but we get the job done.
Our only failing was unsuccessfully bringing the bandit chief in alive to Rodrigue. Balthus nearly had him pinned, and as he went to escape Monica delivered an arrow right between his eyes. There is no healing an injury like that. I wouldn't say we are savage in our fighting, but we are a bit ruthless.
We collected our reward, which I immediately put towards getting better equipment for everyone. They had earned it, and we celebrated in an Alliance tavern in Daphnel territory on our way back to Garreg Mach. I even let Balthus gamble, with a strict limit of course.
While we celebrated our first full class mission, I learned something about all of us by the way we celebrated and fought. We all have something in the world that deeply drives us. Whether that be Lysithea and Constance wanting to help their noble houses, Balthus trying to pay debts and not worry his family, Yuri looking out for his friends and making money, Hapi looking for a place to belong, Felix wanting to stray away from his families legacy and make his own, or Monica's pent up anger over being captured.
I understand them and relate to quite a few of them. I've found a group that feels like I belong, and has pushed me out of the comfort zone of being in a clinic. Slowly but surely, the Ashen Wolves has started to feel like home to me. Dysfunctional, erratic, and caring. We're a band of misfits with our own sob story, but together we are so much more.
We arrived back at Garreg Mach with two weeks to spare until the large mock battle between houses and after the Ashen Wolves' latest victory we felt hungry for more. Time to show the other houses and countries what a few outcasts and misfits can really do.
A/N: Alright, how are we all doing? Up next, Battle of the Eagle and Lion. The Ashen Wolves are complete and seem to be meshing pretty well, though the same cannot be said for Santos and Edelgard. Only time will tell where it will lead.
No other big news this week other than enjoying quarantine and writing like a mad lad. Thankfully I haven't hit any walls or plot contrivances so I hope to keep this train rolling until the very end! The only thing slowing me down is the editing process as I write a bunch and then have to fix everything my brain typed up. So as long as the edits are quick I might be able to do two chapters every other week. We'll see.
Review Response:
Rationalism: You ain't wrong there lol.
Sakura108645: Yes, the Wolves are complete and feeling nervous about Monica is probably the right feeling. More Lysithea and Santos fluff in the future as they work closely together in a master/apprentice type of relationship. Thanks for the support!
VGBlackwing: It will be sketchy with Monica around, and yes Santos has standards, albeit if he's a bit blunt about it. Also, Santos did agree to teach Lysithea about Soul magic, not against so...yeah. Many problems may arise out of that, but we shall see how it turns out, right? Thanks for reading and the support.
Guest: You're quick to catch on, I'll give you that! As for Jeralt's untimely demise in original 3H compared to this? We shall see :) but as for the additional fluff and stuff, I've considered doing some one-shots and stuff but I'll see what kind of time I have for that. That's one of the challenges of dealing with such a large cast, and why I haven't focused on some characters (even ones I'm particularly fond of) at all in this story.
There might be more later this weekend, but we shall see. Next week at the latest since I've had a plethora of free time.
Next Chapter: 4/12-4/19
