War. With all its glory. And all its horror.
Chapter 117 – The Battle of Garreg Mach, Part 3
As Brigitte slammed her war hammer into another Imperial Knight's armor, caving it inwards and sending her foe to the ground, it crossed her mind that she probably should have listened to Alicia. This was nothing like the bar room brawls or street altercations she was used to. She was no stranger to death; she had even killed a few men in self-defense before this point, but this was so much deadlier than any other fight she had been in. This was war.
The roar of another Imperial prompted her to spin around and swing her hammer at the man's head, but he ducked under the strike and tried to stab her in reprisal. She leaned to the side, avoiding the deadly blow, before smashing the back of her left hand into the man's head. The man recovered from the hit and whirled back around with a snarl, only for Brigitte's hammer to cave in his skull.
Battle lust got the better of her at this moment, and Brigitte shouted, "Come on, who wants some?! You think you can beat me?! Come try me!"
"Brig, on your right!" shouted Cia, warning Brigitte to the approach of an Imperial lancer.
Brigitte swung around and grabbed the lance, wrestling it to the side and then punching her attacker in the face. At the same time, another Imperial rushed in to try and stab Brigitte in the back. He howled in agony as a Miasma Δ from Cia blasted him down. Brigitte then swung around with a roar, slamming her war hammer into another Imperial's head and breaking his neck.
"Very impressive, both of you!" shouted Alois as he struggled against another Imperial axe fighter. "But if we don't seal off the gate, we'll be up to our ears in the enemy in no time!"
Alois shoved his opponent at this moment and then buried his axe in his enemy's chest. Nearby, Lorenz was still stabbing away at any enemies he could reach from atop his horse, while Sylvain had opted to go on foot with the Lance of Ruin, the redhead kicking away another kill. On the wall, Ignatz and Leonie continued firing arrows at as many Imperials as they could, their arms tiring from having to fire so many shots. Ferdinand, still wounded from the earlier cavalry charge, shouted out orders to the soldiers, coordinating their efforts as best he could.
Cia looked down at the breach in the gate. The Imperials had blown open the gate using their explosive barrels, and now no less than 500 men were still charging their position. No matter how many they killed, it wasn't enough. More just kept pouring in through the breach. Their only reprieve was that the Imperials had to funnel in through the gate, so they didn't have to face all of them at once.
"Leave that to me," said Cia as she prepared a spell. "Just watch my back, would you?"
"Heh, gladly," Sylvain said as he jokingly glanced at her well-rounded posterior.
Noticing this, Cia hissed, "I said my back, not my ass, you pig."
"Either one's fine by me."
Cia groaned at this. She'd known plenty of perverts, but Sylvain took the cake in her book. She was amazed he had the gall to flirt during a life-and-death situation.
Magic began to swirl around Cia as she readied her spell while several Church mages channeled their Mana to her. Fell words poured from her lips as she chanted her dark sorcery, entrancing her in their power. She might not have had the formal education that other mages had, but she had raw talent and an attunement for dark magic that made it almost second nature.
The only problem was controlling it all. If her focus wavered even for an instant, she would surely be overwhelmed by her own magic. And it was incredibly hard to maintain said focus with so much chaos around her.
Lorenz shouted as he sent a fireball into another Imperial soldier, who howled as he was broiled alive inside his armor. Ignatz yelped as a boulder from an Imperial Onager smashed into the wall near his position, almost falling from the wall and into the melee below. Leonie, having run out of arrows, grabbed a lance and began to clash with several soldiers who were trying to storm the archers' position.
"Hey, a little help here, guys?!" shouted Leonie.
"Concentrate your fire there!" shouted Ferdinand.
Several archers who stood near Ferdinand drew their bows, took aim at the soldiers storming up toward Leonie, and fired. The soldiers began screaming and toppling from the stairs, but it was still not enough to stop them all.
As the archers readied another salvo, one of the Church soldiers shouted, "LOOK OUT!"
Ferdinand looked up just in time to see a large boulder, no doubt fired by one of the Empire's Onagers, was hurtling toward him and the soldiers under his command. He was about to shout for them to get away when the boulder hit, smashing the wall and sending several of his men falling to their doom. Ferdinand howled as the impact knocked him back, with two surviving soldiers helping him back to his feet. On the wall, several Church soldiers readied one of the Church's own artillery pieces and fired it, smashing the Onager to pieces in a hail of rock.
"This is utter madness…" said Ferdinand.
"We'll be overwhelmed for sure!" said one of the soldiers.
"Stand your ground, men! We must stop the enemy here at any cost!" shouted Alois.
As the chaos of battle continued around her, Cia's body began almost radiating dark magic. Her eyes glowed a dark violet as her unholy incantation continued. Several Imperials, perhaps realizing the threat she posed, rushed toward her position. Cia did not react to them, despite knowing it was all over if they reached her.
Brigitte slammed her shoulder into one soldier, sending him to the ground before grabbing another by the head, shoving him to the floor, and then stomping on him. The third then jumped on Brigitte, who thrashed around trying to throw him off. She eventually grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder before kicking him in the head.
It was at this moment that Cia's magic peaked, and her pride returned as she unleashed her spell.
"Ready for a show?!" she shouted as the Minor Crest of Macuil formed briefly over her head.
Cia's magic, a cloud of dark magic energy, surged toward the breach in the wall. As it touched the soldiers of the Empire, men and women began screaming as their flesh rotted and their bodies shriveled to Cia's unholy sorcery. The cloud reached the gate and then floated in place, blocking the approach of any other Imperial troops.
"Excellent work, Miss Lacrimosa!" Alois said, unnerved by her spell.
"That's not gonna hold them forever," said Cia as she caught her breath. "You better reorganize your men before–"
The sound of magic caught their attention as they saw Cia's cloud beginning to scatter, much to the tanned diva's surprise. Someone was countering her spell.
Within seconds, the cloud had been dispersed, revealing Hubert and several dark mages. Hubert had already been healed of his earlier wound.
"Quite the impressive display…" Hubert said aloud, catching the attention of the defenders. He then caught sight of Cia and said, "I wondered who could've conjured such a potent miasma. It has been a while, Cia."
"Hubert," Cia said dryly.
"You know him, Cia?" asked Brigitte.
"Yeah, he's Marquis Vestra's son. We dated. Once."
"Wait, seriously?!" Sylvain said, surprised that Hubert would ever have an interest in women.
"I was obliged to it by my father," said Hubert.
"It was a lousy date," Cia said to Sylvain. "The restaurant we went to had horrible service, the food was terrible, and he didn't even bother to escort me home afterward." Cia turned back to Hubert as she added, "And now you're here trying to burn down this monastery. How very… you, Hubert."
"What I do here is for Her Majesty. But why would you side with the Church, given I know you despise it?" Hubert gesticulated for a moment before he said, "Ahh, it must be due to your sister. No doubt Lana would never turn a blind eye to this situation."
Cia scowled at him, which made Hubert smirk at her.
"I do wonder where she is right now…" Hubert said smugly.
The defenders of Garreg Mach readied themselves for Hubert to order a charge from his men.
…
Lana had never seen so much carnage before. She was used to treating wounds, having a natural gift in healing magic that matched her sister's affinity for destruction. But this was like nothing she had ever seen.
More and more, soldiers from the Church were brought with horrific injuries into the main hall. Moans of agony and weeping cries for loved ones filled the room as the soldiers crowded the room, with broken or missing limbs and blood in no short supply. She was already covered in it, and none of it was her own.
But none of this did anything to diminish her smile.
As she finished channeling on another soldier who had been stabbed in his abdomen, she skipped her way over to another soldier and began healing him. For anyone watching, the blue-haired girl's continued exuberance and lack of distress was a stark contrast to the horrific scene around her. It was almost jarring to look at, and it was starting to worry those who watched her.
"Cheer up, would you?" Lana said to another soldier as she healed him. "Everything's gonna be alright, okay?"
"B-Bless you," said the wounded soldier.
Lana gave him another smile and a cheerful giggle.
From the side, Linhardt, Flayn and Marianne watched the bluette with concern.
"How can she be so happy at a time like this?" said Marianne.
Linhardt then said, "It is rather strange that she would be so cheerful when everything seems to be going straight to… well, you know."
"Don't worry yourselves about Lana," said Manuela. "She's as good a healer as they come."
"That isn't quite what we are concerned about, Professor Manuela," said Flayn.
"Yeah, how can she be so upbeat at a time like this?" asked Hilda, who had brought Mercedes back and was now watching over the unconscious blonde. "This is hardly the time for laughing like we're at a fair."
"Lana's… not right in the head, you see," said Manuela. "She couldn't be depressed or upset even if she wanted to be. She'll be smiling all the way through a funeral and you couldn't get her to change that."
"Oh…" said Marianne.
"So, you're saying it's a mental condition of some kind?" asked Linhardt. "Fascinating."
"Hey, what are you all doing?" Lana said to them. "We've still got so many people to help out here!"
"Ah! So sorry!" Flayn said with a start. She then went back to healing another wounded soldier of several third-degree burns.
At that moment, a soft moan came from Mercedes's lips. Hearing it, Hilda whirled around to see the blonde healer was slowly regaining consciousness.
"Mercedes? Hey, Mercedes, are you okay?" asked Hilda as she helped the healer up.
"Nnhhh… H-Huh, what? Where am I?" Mercedes said in surprise.
"Mercedes? Are you alright?" asked Manuela as she walked up to inspect the blonde.
"I think I'm… wait, where's Emile? Where is my brother?!"
"Brother?" Flayn asked in confusion.
"We were fighting the Death Knight on the east side," said Hilda. "His mask came off, and we saw that he was really Professor Jeritza. But when Mercedes saw him, she said that he was her brother, Emile."
"Wait, really?" Manuela said in surprise. "Wow."
Mercedes then tried to get up as she said, "I have to find him! I have to find–"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mercedes!" Hilda said as she tried to subdue the blonde. "Are you nuts?! He tried to kill us!"
"But he– I have to see him! Hilda, let me go! I have to see Emile!"
Hilda struggled to keep Mercedes from leaving for a moment before another voice boomed over the crowd.
"Make way! Make way!" Dedue shouted as he brought Dimitri in, slumped over his shoulder.
Marianne then turned to look at Dedue and, upon seeing Dimitri, let out a shriek of terror.
"DIMITRI!"
The pale bluette immediately ran to Dedue, her face stricken with horror at seeing the arrow still sticking out of Dimitri's right eye.
"Dimitri! DIMITRI! ANSWER ME! DIMITRI!" Marianne screamed.
"Over here, Dedue! Bring him over here!" Manuela said urgently.
The others quickly cleared a table so Dedue could set the unconscious prince down on it, shocked to see the extent of Dimitri's wounds.
"Oh, by the Goddess…" Manuela said in dread.
"Professor Manuela, please! Help him!" begged Marianne. "PLEASE!"
"Mary, MARY! Calm down!" Hilda said as she rushed to her friend's side.
"Get her out of here," said Manuela. "She won't want to see this."
Shocked, Marianne said, "What?! NO! DIMITRI!"
Marianne continued screaming frantically as Hilda forced her to leave the main hall. Mercedes watched this unfold before looking back at the prince.
She steeled herself and rose to her feet, ready to heal the wounded. Emile would have to wait.
…
Bernadetta didn't know why she wasn't already screaming in panic. Rocks and arrows were raining down around her as she cowered behind some cover. She hadn't been scratched yet, but she knew at any moment that a random arrow or spell would end her life. There was no way she was going to get out of this alive.
She could barely see. Her vision had become a blur in her hysteria, and the sounds of war around her were muffled and distorted. She couldn't make out the orders Byleth was giving. She could barely make out hearing Annette scream as she was hit by something. She thought she saw Raphael fighting, but in her blurred vision, it was impossible to be sure it was him. She heard Caspar roar as he continued swinging his axe, only for him to then cry out in pain.
Sounds and sensations bombarded her. The stench of death was overwhelming, only matched by the scent of smoke rising from the fires that surrounded her. Screaming men and women were all she could truly make out, and nothing she did could drown them out.
Then, another loud scream filled her ears. She didn't even realize it was her own.
"I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"
Bernadetta dropped her bow and began fleeing for her life. She stumbled and tripped, hyperventilating as she ran, but nothing she did could stop the fear in her heart. She had to get away from all of this. She didn't want to die here.
She couldn't make out Dorothea's words when the singer shouted, "Bernie, wait! Bern, come back!"
Bernadetta kept screaming. This wasn't like any of her more comical panic attacks. Dorothea saw it in her eyes. The girl had truly lost her nerve.
Dorothea was about to give chase to the purple-haired girl when she heard Byleth shout, "DOROTHEA!"
The brunette turned just in time to see an Imperial crossbowman aim at her and fire his shot.
Time stopped just as the crossbow bolt sank into the diva's ribcage.
Byleth knew she had to use the Divine Pulse very sparingly. There was no way she was going to be able to protect everyone, but in seeing Dorothea being shot, any restraint she had went out the window. She couldn't let the diva die here.
The quarrel left Dorothea's ribs and flew back to its place on the Imperial archer's weapon. Bernadetta ran backwards, her terror-stricken face screaming in reverse.
Byleth released her grip on time, allowing it to flow again.
She didn't try to warn Dorothea this time. Instead, she immediately swung the Sword of the Creator at the archer, slashing his crossbow in two just as he took aim at the diva again. The blade sliced the weapon and the man's fingers apart, and the Imperial screamed in horror at seeing his mutilated hands.
"Bern, WAIT!" Dorothea shouted as she began chasing the terrified archer.
"GET AWAY! GET AWAAY! GET AWAAAY!" Bernadetta screamed.
"BERN, WAIT! COME BACK!"
Dorothea's cries were to no avail, for Bernadetta left her sight a second later.
"Dorothea, let her go!" Byleth shouted to the diva.
"But–"
"We've got bigger problems! Don't worry, she'll be alright."
Dorothea hoped Byleth was being sincere, and she turned around to rejoin her teacher in the battle.
…
Edelgard stood in the center of town as Ladislava, wounded from her clash with Seteth, gave her report.
"Your Majesty, we're taking heavy losses," said Ladislava. "The Death Knight has been forced to pull back from the east gate, and Lord Vestra is engaged with the enemy. The enemy has also destroyed one of the siege weapons. Our forces are pursuing them through Abyss."
"It is as I expected," said Edelgard. "Rhea's not about to give up the monastery without a fight."
"What are your orders, Your Majesty? We aren't making any progress at the center gate. The forces there are being led by Professor Eisner."
Edelgard took a step toward the monastery and said, "Ready the troops. I will lead us to victory myself."
Is it jarring having it that Cia and Hubert dated once? They ARE both Dark Magic users, after all. But don't go thinking Cia has a thing for him; she hates him, and he can't stand her. There's not gonna be a pairing between them.
Is there a name for a condition where one is always in a manic state? That's pretty much what Lana has; she can't be depressed or sad or the like, even if she wants to be (or at least it's very hard for her to be in such a state). My mother's actually bipolar, but she gets both manic and depressed states.
I've taken the time to alter the previous two chapters slightly in terms of numbers. The numbers are now 1,500 defenders of Garreg Mach vs 3,000 Imperial troops, with more in reserve. Feels larger without being too huge.
Now Edelgard's about to take to the field. This is gonna end badly…
Speaking of which, my plan is to end the pre-timeskip at Chapter 120, but should I try to drag it out a bit longer?
EDIT: Also, as PlasmaKnight pointed out, I might be making the opera divas look like Mary Sue's, but I'll be doing my best post-timeskip to flesh them out and make them more relatable. I also agree that I probably should've introduced them earlier in the story, but… hindsight.