Edit: I decided to combine Four Houses IV and V into one chapter so the reviews you are about to see will be the reviews for both of those chapters.
RosyMiranto18: Yeah I guess Edelgard is bisexual. Demons are the same as monsters, I decided to get a little creative and call them by a different name for this universe. NOPE, you're overthinking things, I'm just bad with titles. Every noble in Fódlan is referred to as count or baron so I figured it was the same for Erebonia, turns out I'm wrong (I'll fix it later). Yeah, I should've added that to George's description (Again, I'll fix it later).
Dcraus: Maybe...
Infinite Zangestu: Definitely an accident. That last thing you mentioned will make sense later.
RosyMiranto18: Whipsword? Alright then, I'll change it later. Yes, you're literally 100% correct, also I always found the summoning from Final Fantasy XV cool and wanted to implement my own version of it into a story.
Dcraus: Yep. Interesting suggestion, some stuff I'm making up as I go so I'll keep that in mind.
21st of Great Tree Moon, 1180
The catacombs beneath the Old Schoolhouse were vast and complex at best. It was relatively dark, only real light sources were torched that dotted the walls. It also reeked the smell of waste and small critters, something that most students in the Black Eagles, surprisingly, couldn't handle, evident by their occasional complaining.
The class—minus Bernadetta—all traveled in a group. Byleth and Hubert stood in the front lines, scouting the area for potential threats. In the far back, Caspar, Linhardt, and Crow helped fill the silent hallways with chatter. Those three bizarre personalities seemed to click quickly. Everyone else stuck together in the middle, only occasionally exchanging words with each other as they progressed. So far, the group hadn't run into any trouble, but that all changed when they came across a fork in the road.
The black-haired man crossed his arms. "What do you suppose we do professor?"
"We could split up, but it's not that simple."
"What could you possibly mean by that professor?" Asked the house leader.
He turned towards her and his other students. "I could be wrong, but one of these passages could lead to instant death." He said eerily nonchalantly.
Caspar took a step back. "Aw geez, that's a bit morbid."
His green-haired friend shook his head. "I personally disagree. If we were to die down here, it would do more harm to the Church than good. Also, it would be a great waste of mira to fund the houses if we perish on the first day."
Ferdinand nodded. "I will have to agree. I see no reason for the church to put our lives in danger on the first day."
"Either way," Said the house leader. "as house leader, I feel it would be best if we were to split up. Half of us will go left, half of us will go right."
The professor shook his head. "But there is another thing you are not considering."
"And what could that be?" She inquired.
"No matter what, you are the house leader. Your death could prove detrimental to our group's morale. Not to mention the Empire."
Edelgard sighed. "I suppose you are right once again." She pondered for a moment. "Say...what if we were to send one person to go through each passage? If they don't come back then it will show that we should not go in that direction."
Her vassal laughed sinisterly. "Marvelous idea Lady Edelgard." He faced his peers. "Alright, you have heard her highness. Which one of you shall act as bait?"
The songstress shook her head. "Well, you most certainly know my answer..."
"I am not liking this idea." Said Petra.
Caspar shook his head. "Yeah, I'm passing on this one."
"Or," Said the green-haired kid. "we could be overthinking this whole thing."
Voices started ringing out across the group.
The kid with the bandanna, who looked oddly relaxed considering the situation, simply rested his hands on the back of his head. "Eh, I'll go." Everyone looked at him in shock. "How dangerous could it be?"
"Are you sure Crow?" Asked the princess. "You could lose your life."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. Whatever is around the corner will be no match for me." He said with a grin.
"Confident as always he is. If only his grades will reflect that in the coming year..." Thought Edelgard.
Crow ended up picking the left hallway because: "Right isn't always right, it's a pain in the ass." He came back approximately ten minutes later completely unscathed. He then suggested that he should go the other direction just to check if that area was safe. Low and behold, it was safe as well "Told you." Said Linhardt after the discovery.
Edelgard eventually decided that it would be best to split up after all.
"As house leader, I feel it would be best if I picked the teams." She counted the number of heads in the room. "There appears to be nine of us, so one of us will have to travel in a smaller group."
"Alright, me, Linhardt, and Crow will go left and the rest of you will go right." Suggested Caspar.
She shook her head. "Actually, I was thinking the opposite. I feel it would be best if me, Hubert, Crow, and the professor go right and the rest of you go left."
"Aw, come on." Whined Crow. "I wanna hang out with my hot bros..."
Everyone felt a little weird after that comment.
"I am afraid you are coming with us. You have proved to me that you have skill in scouting ahead, a skill our group desperately needs due to us being short a member." She argued.
The carefree kid grunted. "Fine..."
She turned to the orange-haired kid. "Ferdinand, I am entrusting the safety of those four to you."
He laughed. "Of course, I will reach the end before you ever will. I will prove to you that I, Ferdinand von Aegir, am superior to you in every way."
The brunette-haired girl sighed. "This is gonna be a long day..."
The group then parted. Edelgard watched her classmates leave before turning to the blue-haired man. "Professor, I have an important question."
"What could that be?" He asked.
"Do you know how to summon?"
"Summon?" He shook his head. "I am afraid I do not understand what you are talking about."
"I thought so, judging by the fact that your sword is obviously sheathed at your back." She said analyzing his sword's hilt.
Hubert crossed his arms. "Summoning is rather difficult to explain, so I will simply show you." He brought his hand close to his face and began to concentrate drawing magic from his surroundings. Then, there was a flash of pink light, and a large black dagger with a foot long blade was suddenly in his hand. "It is a type of reason spell that allows you to store things in the Astral Plane. Some people typically use it for simple everyday purposes while others use it for more...sinister use, such as the dagger I just summoned." He explained. "If you are a Cadet, you are required to learn it during your stay. If you are of Officer rank like us, learning it is part of the entrance exam."
The professor nodded. "I see. Thank you for sharing that with me."
He continued. "In case you are curious, my weapon is a dagger infused with greed magic, or dark magic as it is also known. Though, I only use it in close range combat. When fighting, I function better as a long range unit, using various greed spells against the enemy."
"I was in fact curious." He looked at the white-haired man. "What about you? What's your weapon of choice?"
He smiled. "Glad you asked!" Crow lifted both his hands slightly and summoned two odd looking green pistols. "These sexy pigeons are Reinford model gunpowder handguns. And take a look at this!" He flicked the safety off of one of the guns and shot a bullet at the nearby wall. It caused a small explosion on impact, leaving a shallow crater in the wall. "Comes with explosive ammo. Pretty neat huh?" He flicked safety back on and showed his guns to the three spectators. "I call the left one Raven, and the right one Sparrow."
"Um... That is very Interesting Crow." Said Edelgard. "Since we are taking turns showing off our weapons of choice, I see no reason to not participate." She summoned an odd synth looking weapon. "This is an exact replica of the Aymr, the Hero's Relic. Though, this one is made of steel, not umbral like the real one. It has self automation, making it adjust to attacks I dish out and easier maneuverability after performing them." She locked eyes with her professor. "What about you my teacher?"
Byleth pulled out his sword and rested it on his shoulder. "It is nothing too complex. It may appear to be a regular sword, but..." There was a button on the hilt that he pressed, and the entire sword broke apart into several chunks, all attached by a thick string. "It is known as a whipsword. I can use it in both close and long range, allowing me to function as a front line and long ranged unit." He said as he clicked the button again, and the blade string was sucked back into the hilt as the sword built itself back together in seconds.
"Wow..." Said Crow, staring at the sword in awe. "That's so badass."
The princess nodded. "Indeed. It is an impressive weapon."
"Anyway," The professor said. "I believe it is about time we start moving."
The black-haired man nodded. "Agreed. We would not want that Aegir boy to beat us, would we?"
Edelgard sighed as they began moving.
The group of four stayed quiet as they trekked through the dungeon. Soon, they found themselves in a narrow hallway that was about twelve feet wide and had a high ceiling. Crow and Edelgard spoke casually while Hubert and his professor walked slightly ahead in order to sense any oncoming enemies.
When they were just about to turn a corner to the left, Byleth heard something. He signaled everyone to stop, and so they did.
"Is something the matter professor?" The black-haired guy whispered.
"I sense something." He aimed his head at the corner they currently couldn't see around. "There is something ahead." He said as he slowly drew his sword and placed the edge of it on his shoulder.
He crept up to the edge of the wall and peered over the blind spot. He couldn't get the full picture, but there seemed to be three or more demons ahead. Byleth stopped his himself behind the wall and turned to his students who, to his surprise, were all against the wall like he was.
"Three demons." He whispered to them.
He risked another glance over the corner to observe their enemies. They were about three feet tall and shaped like scorpions, but they looked like...ghosts. They were black in appearance and slightly see through. The only thing on them that wasn't jet black was their eyes, as they glowed red. Honestly, they looked a little hellish.
Byleth turned back to his students. "Scorpionem. But they don't look normal."
"How so?" Asked the house leader.
"They look like ghosts." He said bluntly.
"Ghosts?" Echoed Crow.
"They could be ethereals; demons generated by a magical power. They tend to feel pain like any other demon would, so I would not worry about them being different than normal scorpionem." Hubert explained.
"You seem fairly educated on this subject." Asked the one with the bandanna.
"I thought you knew about this too Armbrust?"
"Not guilty."
"Anyway," Byleth continued. "I'd say the best course of action would be to rush straight in and attack considering the cramped hallway." He turned to Hubert and Crow. "Me and Lady Edelgard will fight at the front lines. You two cover us with long ranged attacks, understood?"
"Yes sir." They both said in unison.
He then turned his head to Edelgard. "Come. Get your weapons ready."
They summoned their weapons and, on the count of three, all jumped out from cover.
The three scorpionem quickly noticed them and raised their tails into a defensive position. Crow blasted the scorpionem closest to them with an explosive round, knocking it off balance. The house leader saw this as an opportunity to strike and rushed in towards the one he shot. She raised her axe high into the air and brought it down upon the ethereal, cutting deep into its back. It made no sound as the scorpionem dissolved into a black mist that quickly dissipated. Before she could react, however, another one lunged for her, but was stopped as a dark magic spell casted by Hubert knocked it out of the air. It hit the ground with a thud and dissipated just like the first. While that was happening, the professor rushed in and engaged with the third. It took a step back and jumped towards him, but Byleth sidestepped out of the way and nicked its thorax. It hit the ground on its back and he finished it off with a thrust into the scorpionem's stomach, dissolving it.
"Easy." Crow said matter-of-factly as he dissipated his twin guns.
"Scorpionems aren't typically a difficult demon to deal with, ethereal or not." Hubert commented.
"Either way," The princess joined. "we prove to be a good team, judging by how quickly we were able to kill them." She looked at the white-haired kid. "It seems like you are a capable fighter after all."
He scratched the back of his neck. "Didn't you already know that? You know, considering we've talked a few times prior to enrollment here?" He shook his head. "Whatever. It was nothing I guess."
She turned to Byleth. "Professor, should we keep moving?"
The path ahead took another left before abruptly leading to a U-turn to a staircase that leads to the entrance of another room. The professor stood ten feet away, back turned to them and seemed to be staring at the platform connected to the stairs. They all followed his gaze and saw a girl with silver hair staring back at him.
"Who's that?" Crow whispered to his house leader.
She scratched her chin. "I think that is one of the students from the Emerald Steed house. I don't know for certain though."
A second later, the girl jumped down from the platform and approached the blue-haired man. He did the same. Once they were a few feet away from each other, they stopped.
"It's been a while Ashen Demon." She finally said.
"I could say the same Sylphid. How long has it been? Four years?"
She nodded. "That is correct. You've grown taller since then."
"I couldn't say the same for you."
She shrugged. "It's whatever."
Edelgard coughed. "Excuse my interruption, but do you two know each other?"
Her professor turned to face them. "I do. We fought together once." Is all he said.
"I see..." She began thinking to herself. "Sylphid and the Ashen Demon... That could only mean..." She shook her head. "No. That's crazy. There's no way all three of them are in the same place by chance."
Their conversation continued. "The name's Fie in case you guys were wondering. Mind if I join?" She asked.
The professor nodded. "I do not." He turned back to his pupils. "Let's keep moving."
"Yes sir!" They all said in unison.
Once they started moving, Crow spoke. "So, the professor has reconnected with an old flame."
Edelgard rolled her eyes. "Shut up Crow. She looks far too young to be in a relationship with a man his age."
"Just trying to make conversation."
"Our professor has ordered us to stay quiet, so I would stay quiet until ordered otherwise."
"Lame..."
The next room was significantly more wide than the one they were just in. The walls were at least fifty feet wide now, and there were fenced off areas that contained streams of water flowing through the dungeon with a bridge to cross in order to progress.
The group encountered more demons as well, still the same type but now coming in slightly larger numbers. The most they had run into were six.
Fie unsurprisingly knew how to summon as well, and her weapon of choice was dual wielded gunblade pistols. They functioned both as a sword and a gun, allowing her to function as both a close quarters and ranged unit, or even both. She proved to be much stronger than she appeared to, despite her short body. She stuck close to the professor, which wasn't very surprising considering the fact that they knew each other.
After they cleared that area, they entered the next one. It was similar to the room they were in before the last, but the walls were a bit more spread out than the other.
Not too far into that part of the dungeon, gunshots were heard.
"That sounds like a gunpowder shotgun." Fie pointed out.
The professor nodded. "You may be right. It is most likely another student."
"We should go help them." Suggested Edelgard. "Perhaps we could use another able fighter."
"Agreed." He pointed his sword forwards. "Move out!"
After a few turns and climbing a staircase, the group came across a blue-haired kid with glasses fending off a small group of scorpionem demons with a shotgun, and he didn't seem like he needed any help. Once he finished, he turned towards the group of five.
"I was wondering when I may run into other students." He said.
The house leader and her vassal stepped forward. "We heard gunshots and pursued the noise, that is what led us to you. And you must be Machias Regnitz, the student from earlier."
He scratched the back of his neck. "I apologize for my outburst. It was truly childish of me. I thought that noble student was insulting me, but after some thought, I realized that it wasn't the case. I left my class behind in order to clear my thoughts."
The bandanna kid joined in. "Well, you can join us if you'd like, having another long ranged fighter will make quick work of the other shit in here."
He nodded. "I appreciate the offer, but before I accept, I must ask you all a question." He fixed his glasses. "What social class are you five a part of?"
Everyone in the room felt a sudden chill down their spine at that question. They were silent for a moment, but Machias decided to clarify the question.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I simply ask in order to get to know all of you better. That is all."
Fie spoke first. "Commoner."
Crow shrugged. "Born and raised a commoner. Not a plasma cell of a crest in me."
He looked at Edelgard and Hubert. "What about you two?"
Noticing the princess's hesitation, her vassal spoke for her. "This young woman you see before you is none other than Edelgard von Hresvelg. I am her humble servant," He said with a bow. "Hubert von Vestra."
Expecting another outburst, everyone was surprised to see him act in a rather understanding way to her position. "So you're the imperial princess? I see. Your job must be a difficult one compared to anybody in the academy." He turned to Hubert. "And yours must be of equal importance, am I correct?"
"Indeed."
Machias then turned his gaze to the professor. "You must be Professor Byleth. You are a commoner I presume?"
He nodded. "That is correct."
"I see. While I wouldn't say we are on equal ground, but we do seem to have a common goal. I will be happy to join you."
Edelgard smiled. "Thank you Regnitz. Let us keep moving, otherwise, we may be stuck down here all day."
The group of six continued at a faster pace than originally, mostly due to them now making quick work of the demons they came across. It didn't take them long before they found themselves in a new part of the dungeon. The ceiling was significantly higher than it was originally, and the room was much generally much bigger. There were staircases that led up to a higher area. From where they were standing, they could hear fighting coming from the upper floor.
"Sounds like another student." Said the professor.
The house leader nodded. "The more, the merrier. Let's move!"
All six of them ran up the steps and were surprised when they found a blonde-haired student thrusting a rapier into the body of a scopionen without any noticeable trouble doing so.
Once finished, the blonde boy turned to face them. "What are you looking at?" He asked, not very happy to be seeing them.
The bespectacled boy gritted his teeth as he tried to hold back an outburst.
Edelgard, being the voice of the group, spoke. "You must be Jusis von Albarea, son of Duke Albarea."
"What is it to you?"
"I just wanted to make sure, judging by how you carry yourself with that rapier of yours. It is a pleasure to meet you."
The group introduced themselves.
Jusis nodded. "I see." He looked at Machias. "And you seem to have calmed down significantly."
"Oh, shut the fuck up!" He barked.
He tried to hold back a dry laugh. "Nevermind. It seems the advisor's son does not take after his father after all."
"What the hell is wrong with you! And why do you keep bringing my father into this?!"
"I grow bored of attempting to explain that to you, only to find out that nothing gets through that thick skull of yours. Ironic really, considering you were one of the top scorers on the entrance exam."
"Are you implying that I am stupid?! You know I could simply not follow in the footsteps of my father! Ugh, you nobles really are all the same! You do nothing important but look down on those less fortunate than you!"
Everyone in the room felt uneasy as the argument took place. Edelgard and Hubert were visually disappointed at his outbursts. Crow and Fie seemed entertained by the quarrel that took place in front of them. The professor, like always, was unreadable.
The nobleman simply shrugged as he began to walk away, clearly bored of arguing with a blue-haired kid.
"And where the hell are you going?! Get back here!" He said as he stomped towards him.
The white-haired kid whistled. "Oh shit, they're gonna actually fight?"
Edelgard tried to step in. "Machias, please don't—"
He immediately whipped around to face her. "You don't have ANYTHING to do with this! So stay out!"
Hubert darkly scowled at the bespectacled boy for raising his voice at the princess, but before he could do or say anything, Byleth stepped in.
"Machias." He said as he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.
He turned his head and locked eyes with him, before looking down at his feet and taking a deep breath. "Sorry..."
"It is alright." Is all he said as he watched the blonde boy move out of sight.
Fie, who's been quiet most of the time, finally spoke. "I'd say we keep moving. I'd like to make it to the end before the others."
"I feel the same," Said the black-haired boy. "Let us make haste."
Everyone started moving again, but Machias purposely stayed behind. "They really are the same..." He thought as he clenched his fist and stared at the ground.
Edelgard noticed that he wasn't moving and spared a glance at him. "He's a prime example of the social class in Fódlan. Hatred for one's class that isn't his own..." she looked forward. "Try not to fall behind." She told him before joining the others.
He snapped himself out of his thoughts and followed.
Things were going rather smoothly for the Emerald Steeds, minus Fie, Machias, and Jusis. So far they had run into no trouble.
From what Rean observed, everyone in his house seemed friendly enough. Elliot was optimistic and outgoing, Alisa seemed a little eccentric but overall was a kind soul, Emma was a pleasant person to be around, Laura was eager to get to know everyone, and Gaius was soft spoken. Then there was Angelica. She was...a bit of a philanderer. From what he noticed, she really enjoyed the company of the three other females in their group and would whisper sweet nothings into their ears constantly. Emma tried her best to ignore her, Laura didn't seem to notice that she was being hit on, and Alisa was visibly annoyed by her flirtatious peer.
Rean sighed. "I really should've put this gig off for a year..."
The group eventually came across a split in the path. The house leader suggested that they should stick together, but Alisa was too sick of her shit to spend any more time around Angelica. So she suggested that her, Laura, and Emma go in one direction and the remaining four go through the other. The professor personally thought this was a bad idea, but didn't bother stating his opinion. Ultimately, the three girls parted ways with the other three students and their professor. Once they were gone, the remaining four decided to take a quick break from walking.
"Man..." Angelica said, scratching the back of her neck. "That hurt."
Gaius raised an eyebrow. "What hurts exactly?"
"They just...left me. Left me as if they didn't enjoy my company..."
Elliot scratched his cheek. "Admittedly, you were a bit too forward in trying to befriend them.
She groaned as she slouched forward, letting her arms dangle. "Now I have to stick with a bunch of smelly boys? Life sucks."
"Look on the bright side." The tall boy suggested. "Maybe some space could mend your relationship with them."
She nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It just hurts ya' know..."
"I'm glad you think so." He placed a hand on his hip. "Anyway, do any of you know how to summon?"
Rean, who actively avoided involving himself in the conversation, perked up. "I'm glad you brought that up Gaius. As part of the entrance exam for students of Officer rank, you're required to learn how to summon. I'm positive you all know how to, right?"
Angelica nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I got the whole summoning thing down." Suddenly, a pair of metal gauntlets appeared in place of her hands. They resembled old fashioned gauntlets that a knight would wear to protect his hands, but they were spiky where the knuckles were in order to inflict serious damage to her opponents. "These are gauntlets I found in my daddies' armory. Perfect for showing off my guns to impress 'dem ladies." She said with a cool grin.
Elliot summoned his weapon next. A giant blue and white staff appeared in his hands. "This is an Orbal Faith Staff. I'm not really sure what it does but the entrance exam said I have potential for it."
The professor scratched his chin. "Orbal Faith Staffs are a type of staff created by the Reinford company. It's used for long ranged combat and easier white magic casting. I hope that answers your question."
The orange-haired boy turned to his tall friend. "What about you?"
The tall boy summoned a standard steel spear with twin heads at the blade. "My weapon isn't all that special. It's a standard twin headed spear that a friend loaned to me. Sorry that I can't tell you more."
"It's okay Gaius." Said Rean.
He nodded as his eyes drifted to the sword that his professor was carrying. "By the way professor, I can't help but notice that your weapon isn't in the Astral Plane."
"Oh, you mean my weapon." He pulled out a dark katana like sword from his sheath. "My master said this sword is better used when carried. It's a type of Brigid sword known as a Tachi. It's used to assault the enemy with quick strikes that are difficult to counter."
Everyone stared at his sword. "That's so cool!" Elliot commented. "Brigid weapons are incredibly hard to use from what I've heard!"
The purple-haired girl nodded. "Yeah, and how old are you? Like thirty? That's pretty impressive."
The professor shook his head. "Actually, I'm only twenty. Just turned twenty a few days ago as a matter of fact."
Everyone in the room was completely taken aback.
"That's unexpected." Said Gaius. "I thought you were at least in your late twenties."
Elliot nodded. "Yeah, I thought the same too."
"Dang," Said Angelica. "happy friggin' birthday youngster. Didn't expect to be put in a class with a professor who's almost the same age as me."
"Same age?" The professor asked.
"Yeah, I turn twenty in, like, Blue Sea Moon."
He shrugged. "I graduated from the Officers Academy a little over two years ago. For a brief time after that, I was a Knight of Seiros." Rean paused for a second and stared off into space. "I guess you could say that being a knight wasn't exactly where I wanted to go in life, so I became a professor instead. I hope that explains our thin age gaps."
"Well," The tall boy started. "for that reason, I hope you wouldn't mind if we treated you as an equal."
The dark-haired man nodded. "I wouldn't mind at all. In fact, I would prefer it." He looked at his house leader. "And I hope you wouldn't mind me doing so as well."
She swatted the air. "Ah, whatever. I treat just about everyone the same."
"You didn't seem to be treating the girls the same as you are treating us." The short boy pointed out.
The nineteen year old narrowed her eyes. "Shut up."
"Well..." Rean crossed his arms. "Should we get going?"
Gaius nodded. "That would be best. I'm not the competitive type but if you three wish to make it out before the ladies do, then we should make haste."
The purple-haired house leader stretched lazily. "Yeah, that'd be best."
"Alright. Let's get going then." Said the tall boy as everyone started moving.
The dark-haired man sighed as he thought about Elliot's question. "It's not that it's hard to wield, I'm just weak..."
After about ten minutes of walking, the group found themselves in a very narrow hallway with a high ceiling. All four of them seriously doubted they would run into demons or something similar, but Rean scouted ahead slightly just to make sure while the other three in the back engaged in small talk.
Then they heard a shriek.
The orange-haired boy stuttered for a second. "W-What was that?!"
"Is someone in danger?!" Asked Gaius.
Their professor turned back to them and agreed. "That definitely sounds like somebody, and it sounds female too. We should help them."
The house leader wrinkled her nose. "That fucker!" She said as she summoned her gauntlets and dashed past her professor while yelling, "I'll kill that fucker who's hurting that precious babe!"
Rean tried to stop her from rushing into the unknown by grabbing her wrist but failed due to her shocking speed. He sighed as he gestured his other students to follow. "Come on!"
"Right!" They said in unison as they all chased Angelica.
After a right turn, then a left, they found a tiny purple-haired girl surrounded by a bunch of ghost like scorpionem. About five, they eventually counted. The girl was curled into a ball and shaking hysterically as the demons slowly approached her
The flirty girl was the first to make it. "Don't you lay a pincer on her you FREAKS!" She said as she stamped one in.
Before she could take out the next one, a ball of blue energy vaporized it. Gaius suddenly came out of nowhere and horizontal slashed one, knocking it to the side and on its back, but not killing it. He thrusted his spear into its belly, disintegrating the demon. As he was finishing that, Rean rushed in and time slowed a little. He swung his sword vertically from the right, slicing through the demon like butter before bringing an upward slash, cutting the thing in half. At the corner of his eye, he could see the last scorpionem about to lunge itself at the defenseless maiden, but he knew what to do. He crouched as he quickly pointed his katana at whatever was behind him as he zapped forward at an inhuman speed.
"Autumn Leaf Cutter!"
He unleashed a flurry of slashes on the demon as he flew by, severing it into eight separate pieces. Once out of its range, he let friction stop him in his tracks as he sheathed his blade. Now that he was finished, he turned towards the scared girl, who was still curled into a little ball.
"Are you alright?"
She suddenly stopped shaking and lifted her head slightly. "A-Are t-t-t-they gone? D-Did you k-kill them?"
He took a step closer to her and knelt down. "We've taken care of them."
She quickly stood up and smiled. "T-Thank you! I thought I was gonna—"
The tiny girl suddenly found herself in the tight embrace of the other purple-haired girl. "By the goddess, are you alright?!" She said dramatically. "Don't worry you sweet little thing, those scorpionem things are all gone now."
She stuttered at the sudden show of affection. "U-Um, t-thanks?"
Angelica loosened her grip around the girl and stared into her gray eyes. "I hope you wouldn't mind telling us your name sweetie?"
"O-Oh, my name's B-B-Bernadetta. I got lost and was ambushed by those t-things..."
She lightly caressed the veins of her hair. "It's alright, you're safe with me, and you have an absolutely beautiful name."
As that happened, Elliot and Gaius lightly chuckled. Rean just sighed.
"...That's enough Angelica." He said.
"Fine." She said as she rolled her eyes and got up. She politely bowed towards the girl known as Bernadetta. "My name is Angelica. An absolute pleasure to meet you." The young woman said with a polite—almost scary—smile.
The professor stood up and cleared his throat. "My name is Rean, the Emerald Steeds' professor. These three are my students."
Elliot and Gaius both politely waved.
Bernadetta internally shrieked at the two strangers.
The other purple-haired girl grabbed her wrist and turned to Rean. "So, can we keep her?" She asked earnestly.
The tall boy stepped in. "I agree. Now that we know that demons are among us, it would be best if she joined our struggle."
"Indeed." Said the short boy.
He nodded. "I don't see a reason not to. But..."
"But?" Asked the flirty girl.
He lowered his voice so only she could hear. "Try keeping your hands to yourself."
She shrugged. "Yeah, whatever."
He scratched the back of his neck. "Alright, let's get going."
The team trudged onward with their new friend, Bernadetta. She was...let's call it an interesting young girl. She was deathly afraid of Elliot and Gaius, especially Gaius since he was a six foot giant. But weirdly enough, she didn't feel the same way at all towards Rean and Angelica. That may be because they both contributed the most to save the poor girl, but otherwise, it's a mystery. Angelica kept her new friend close and tried to resist pinching her adorable cheeks while Elliot attempted conversation with her, but she was too scared to even look at him and he eventually gave up. As that happened, Rean and Gaius scouted ahead slightly in case any demons that they encountered earlier were to reappear, which ended up being true as they ran into a few small groups of them but took them out with relative ease.
They trekked for a while, going through several different rooms until they found themselves in a room with several split paths. Rean decided it would be best if they rested here for a little bit before continuing, mainly because he wanted to separate that poor girl from the embrace of the clingy house leader.
His students engaged in small talk (except for Bernadetta) while their professor paced back and forth, inspecting every hallway leading to the room they're in. Thankfully, nothing snuck up on them. Well, nothing snuck up on them, but Rean could feel an unfamiliar presence looming around. Growing tired of the itch, he decided to see if his senses weren't failing him.
He sighed. "Whoever is here, it'd be best to come out now."
His students heard what he said, but before they could question why, someone suddenly landed beside to Rean. He jumped a step, one hand clenching his sword handle, but his tension eased when he saw who it was.
"C-Claude?!"
The tan skinned boy did a casual wave. "Heya Teach! Looks like you finally noticed me."
Bernadetta hid behind Angelica while yelling, "It's the ceiling man! It's the ceiling man! He's gonna eat the flesh of our bones and drink our guts! Eat Gaius first!"
Gaius simply chuckled at the ridiculous girl.
"She sure is interesting..." Said Elliot.
The professor continued. "What are you— No, how did you get her? And why are you separated from your house?"
"Easy." He pointed at the ceiling while still facing him.
"Oh, I see..."
He shrugged. "Long story short, my house took a break here earlier. I fell asleep, woke up, and they were gone. I was just about to go looking for them when you guys showed up. I didn't want to scare any of you, so I waited for you guys to leave, but you found me."
"But I have a question." Asked Gaius. "How did you manage to fall asleep on the ceiling? As a matter of fact, how did you even get there in the first place?"
His smile widened a little. "Ah, so you must be an outsider."
"That is correct."
"I see, then you probably don't know what a crest is, do you?"
The outsider shook his head. "I've heard of the term, but have never learned what it meant."
Rean cut in. "Crests are a certain type of magic being carried through the blood. Not much is known about them aside from the fact that this magic in the blood holds great power. For example, Claude's crest, the Crest of Reigan, allows him to stick to walls and ceilings."
"But," Claude interrupted. "even before Adrestia adopted its own calendar system, crests have given Fódlan...let's call it a rocky history."
"What do you mean?" Asked the tall boy.
Angelica joined in, Bernadetta still hiding behind her. "What he means is that people with crests are valued more than people without them. This created a gap in the social classes of Fódlan, creating an almost feudalistic society since the beginning. In the past one hundred years alone, we've had roughly fifty million non Crest bearing Fódlandies illegally migrate to Dagda due to the social system, all because of crests."
Gaius scratched his chin. "I see... Thank you for telling me Professor, Claude, Angelica."
All three of them nodded.
"Say..." Claude began. "I hope you guys wouldn't mind me tagging along. You know, I'm separated from my house and all..."
"We don't mind." The professor answered.
"Sweet!" He chirped. "Trust me, my skill with an orbal bow is parallel to none." He said with a wink.
Elliot turned to his professor. "Professor Rean, should we continue?"
"Yeah..." He pointed at a random hallway. "Let's see where this path takes us. Move out."
"Right!" Everyone said in unison.
They all followed Rean, but Gaius lagged behind. He twisted a small hair on his head as he thought. "So your value is determined by your crest in Fódlan. Seems I was right to worry..."
After more walking and demon fighting, the Black Eagles eventually entered a large room. There was a gargoyle statue to the left and it had a staircase in the right corner that lead to another door. There was a sign next to that door that said "Exit".
Crow was the first to notice. "Hell yeah! We made it!"
"What are you talking about?" The princess asked, but then she noticed the same thing he did.
Fie groaned. "Finally."
"I thought you were enjoying this?" Asked Machias.
She shook her head. "The demons were easy. It got boring towards the end."
"Boring? How is fighting for your life boring?"
Hubert joined their conversation. "If the magic embedded into this place allows it, the ethereals cannot kill. I'd say the young girl has a point saying the battles were easy."
"I guess you're right."
Byleth took a few steps into the large room. "It seems like we are the first ones here, meaning we got here before the rest of the Black Eagles could. I guess we were the winners of Ferdinand's 'race'."
Edelgard sighed. "Thank the goddess..."
"So what should we do next Lady Edelgard." Her vassal asked. "Perhaps we could wait for them to show up, or maybe leave them behind."
She shook her head. "As much as I despise Ferdinand's competitive nature, I say we wait for them. It is best if we finish this 'beginning exercise' as a class."
"Well said. We shall stay here until the rest of us—"
The room suddenly started shaking.
"What the?!" Machias said, trying to keep his glasses from falling off his face.
The house leader's vassal tried to maintain his footing. "This is abnormal!"
"What is this?!" Edelgard yelled.
The room suddenly stopped shaking. All was calm for a few short seconds, until the gargoyle to the left of the room changed. Its eyes suddenly started glowing an ominous red.
"Okay, that is terrifying!" Crow said.
Fie took a few steps forward and summoned her twin gunblades. "Stay back, this could be a trap!"
The professor shook his head. "This isn't just a trap. This is..."
A thin layer of stone began to crack around the gargoyle's body. The stone around the tail was the first to completely break off, and the tail started moving on its own, then pointed at them. Like a shockwave, the stone from the tail and onward began to break off inch by inch until it reached the head. At once, all of the stone around the face broke off and the gargoyle roared a high pitched but hellish roar. Its entire body was a dark gray. It had long fangs and horns on the top of its head that pointed at its back. On its back were bat like wings that allowed the demon the power of flight. It had four legs to stand on and a club like tail attached to its rear end. It was about eight feet tall and was as wide as two and a half horses. The gargoyle leaped into the center of the room with an earthshaking thud as it left cracks on the floor below it as it turned to face them.
"GET READY FOR BATTLE!"