A/N: Good lawd I went through so much trial and error trying to find someone to play Celes. First I had F!Byleth, then Daisy and finally Lucina but I had her be Rachel which means that she would have to die or already be dead at some point, so I dabbled into the Assist Trophies and grabbed Lyn to take Celes's role instead.
Eight has worked hard to stymie the efforts of the Imperial troops. But now he desperately needs to escape...
The sound of pounding footsteps could be heard in a somewhat quiet South Figaro belonging to a young man breathing heavily as he desperately fled for his life. He quickly rounded a corner and leaned up against a wall before an Imperial soldier appeared just a few seconds later. The soldier looked around the corner to see if the man he was chasing was nearby. Unfortunately for him, all he saw was a large Magitek Armored unit with a pilot stationed at the end of the road.
Unable to find anything, the soldier turned right back around and retreated to his post. Once the coast was clear, the young man stepped out of his hiding place and let out a huge breath of relief.
"Shit!" Eight cursed quietly to himself, bringing a hand to his chest to feel his rapidly beating heart. "Gotta get to Narshe on the fly..."
He did everything he could to slow the Imperials to the point of stealing from them. (Old habits die hard but that was beside the point.) Eight realized that he would have his hands full dealing with all of the soldiers patrolling the streets and decided the best course of action was to return to Narshe. Perhaps by then, Corrin would have been able to talk the Esper and enlist its help.
Getting out of South Figaro proved to be a problem for him since not only was the brunette a semi-wanted man now for causing a ruckus with the Empire's soldiers, but all the entrances and exits in the town were blockaded to prevent escape or an info leak. If word had spread outside of South Figaro, possibly any or everyone would prepare themselves and try to fight the Empire. The only people who seemed to be accepted by the soldiers without too much hassle were the merchants who moved around, trying to take advantage of the soldiers and persuade them to part with their gil. Eight sighed and turned away then climbed a nearby staircase before walking into an item shop.
The only people in the shop were the owner and a merchant who was admiring a grandfather clock in a corner. Eight stepped up to the merchant, hoping he might know something that could help him escape. Merchants usually knew a lot of trade secrets about towns as big as this, including secret passages that served as escape routes in the old days.
"Hey," Eight began, trying to be as friendly as possible despite his troubling situation. The merchant turned around and snickered behind his hood before asking.
"You're that infamous thief, Eight, aren't you?"
"Oh, now that was just plain rude. I'm a treasure hunter and don't you forget it!" Eight glared before pouncing on the merchant.
The person behind the counter blinked for a split second then looked away and pretended to be occupied with something else. The merchant shrieked and the brunette suddenly got a brilliant idea. Instead of beating this guy into red sauce Eight decided to swipe the man's clothing off of him. He quickly tugged the robes on over his own clothes, and pulled the hood up to hide his face from the Imperials. The half naked merchant screeched when he saw himself only in his boxers.
"These are a little tight, but the price was right!" The treasure hunter exclaimed, and did a little victory dance.
The merchant quickly ran out of the store yelling "Sorry!" on his way out. Eight watched him for a few moments before turning to the woman behind the counter. She didn't refrain from laughing and put her hands on her hips.
"Surely, you must have a reason to do that," she chuckled to which he nodded and leaned over the counter and confessed.
"I need help getting out of here, I have to meet a few friends up in Narshe soon."
"You should see what Master Duncan's wife has to say about that, she's been living in this town longer than I have so she might know something. Her home is just south of here."
Eight left and traveled back down the stairs to a small house he had passed before. The door was wide open however, and he could see an elderly woman sitting at a table playing with a deck of cards. She looked up at him and offered a warm smile.
"Hello young man, can I help you?" She asked.
"Are you Master Duncan's wife?" The brunette asked in a somewhat sensitive tone. If she was, she would surely be upset considering the fact that Duncan was recently slain.
"Yes sir, I am," she replied and stopped shuffling the cards, looking up at him.
"Oh, great! Do you know anything about secret passages that can lead out of town?"
"I'm sure there is a hidden passage under the rich man's house. Find the room that's drafty!"
"Thanks a lot!" Eight said, giving her a charming smile. She chuckled and waved him off before returning to her cards.
She actually didn't seem too upset as Eight thought to himself silently, wondering why she was so cheerful? He shook his head and begin to think as he wandered the streets of South Figaro. So there was a passage that may lead out of town under the rich man's house.
The brunette looked up from the streets and blinked. He could easily tell which house that was on the northernmost part of town was a huge mansion surrounded by Imperial troops. Eight was sure that they were using that house as their base, which didn't make things any easier. Just then a little kid with red hair ran out in front of him, causing Eight to bump right into the kid. The kid yelped, crashing to the ground and rubbed his butt.
"Sorry there, kiddo," Eight quickly apologized as the kid pulled himself up. "Didn't mean to bump into you like that."
"S'fine," The kid grunted, and dusted off his green overalls. "My grandfather was once a servant for the richest man in town, and I gotta get back home."
The brunette blinked as if a sudden realization had come to him then grabbed the kid by his shoulders. "Let me see your grandfather, immediately!"
The kid blinked then shrugged before pointing towards a small home behind them, "Sure."
He led Eight inside and up to a small room where an old man was sitting at a small table. The boy gestured for him to go further in then walked away. He gulped and cleared his throat. But before he could say a word, the old man beat him to it.
"Bring me some cider, and I might talk to you."
Eight blinked and opened his mouth to reply until the old man spoke again.
"Go on. Bring me some cider."
"Uh huh..." The brunette trailed off, and swiftly turned to leave the room. He was surprised to see the redhead right behind him.
"You're a merchant, right?" He asked. Eight almost said no, but he then realized he was still in his merchant garb and nodded.
The boy pointed to the backdoor, "Well, then it will be easy for you to pick up some cider at the cafe. Since you're a merchant, you may proceed."
Eight thanked him and walked out the door, finding himself in a part of town that had been blocked off the soldiers in Magitek Armor. He immediately went over to the cafe, deciding that the sooner he got the cider, the better. As soon as the adventurer stepped in his nose was assaulted by the scent of smoke and booze. Apparently, this was a hotspot for the Imperials to relax while they were here. As Eight walked around looking for someone who could possibly help him, he heard a lot of the drunken soldiers' loud conversation.
"That witch, Grima, is on the verge of invading Narshe."
"A detached force is making its way toward Narshe. We'll link up with them soon."
Gods... Eight thought, resisting the urge to pull out his sword and slice them up. Narshe was definitely in danger and he had to make it there fast to warn them about Grima's next seige.
"Never a dull moment... Time to guard the passage under the big mansion... Oh, well. Life is tough..."
"I heard there are 2 secret tunnels under the rich man's house. One leads out of town, the other to one of these houses..."
"I heard they grabbed a famous general who turned traitor! She's locked up somewhere in this town."
"It was a she? That probably means it's..." Their conversation faded out as the brunette made his way down a flight of stairs and into the merchant's quarters of the cafe.
Inside was a single man, stuffing a ton of merchandise into his sack. Spotting a bottle of cider on the table, the adventurer reached out to take it only to get caught by the other male.
"Hey you!" The merchant barked, glaring in Eight's direction. "Come to steal my cider? You THIEF!"
One hazel eye twitched followed by an angry shade red flaring up on Eight's face as he reached for his sword.
At a speed faster than the eye can see, Eight raced past the merchant and did a quick swipe of his sword. When he regained his composure and sheathed his blade the merchant's clothes fell into a shredded pile on the floor, leaving the merchant in his just his underwear. Eight chuckled to himself as the other man yelped and fled the room.
The brunette grinned and took the cider, running as fast as his legs could carry him back to the old man's house. As soon as he got there he delivered the bottle of cider to the old man, which immediately seemed to get him talking as he poured himself a cup.
The old man began chugging his drink, "Secret passage? Well, there is one here that leads to the rich man's house. Go downstairs and give my grandson the password. The password is..." He paused for a moment then hiccupped as his mind came up blank. "I forget!"
Eight rolled his eyes and left, feeling slightly disappointed. Once again, he was confronted by the strange little boy.
"If you're a merchant, you should know the password!" The child squeaked as the brunette gave him a blank stare.
"Give me a hint?" Eight asked hopefully. "I uh... haven't been back here in a while, you know."
The kid looked skeptical, but shrugged, "Well, you did manage to get cider with no problem. Ok, here's your hint. It's one of these three words: Courage, Rosebud, or Failure. All three of them are passwords for South Figaro, but which one is right?"
The brunette sighed and thought for a moment before taking a wild guess.
"Courage?"
"Bingo! It was really obvious, wasn't it?"
"Yeah...?" Eight said dryly, feeling a sense of relief run through him.
The boy kept smiling as he hustled over to what appear to be a small switch on a wall. When he pressed it, a door seemed to magically appear behind the adventurer. Eight entered, and began a short journey through a dark tunnel. The brunette spotted a ladder at the end of the tunnel and climbed up it quickly before pushing open a trap door that was above his head. When he emerged, he found himself around the corner of a very large home.
He soon realized that this was the mansion that held the underground route for him to escape! Walking around the corner, Eight came to a door and immediately slipped inside the mansion before anyone could spot him. But to his horror, he found a group of soldiers waiting for him inside as well. Eight gulped and was about to take off running when one soldier looked over at him briefly and merely shook his head.
"We don't want any," he frowned. Realizing that he was still dressed as a merchant, the adventurer blinked and played it cool as he gave a slight smile.
"Oh, I'm here by appointment to see the master and mistress of the house."
One of the soldiers pointed up the staircase that was nearby, then proceeded to ignore him, as he conversed with the others. Just as Eight approached the staircase, he accidentally bumped into maid with long blonde hair.
"Don't mind them," she said softly. "The Imperial troops have turned this house into their headquarters! I think it has something to do with Mr. Wario, the master of the house."
Eight realized this must be the owner of the home. He nodded a little and continued up the stairs, entering a hallway with three doors. He could hear children laughing and playing in the last two rooms, so he entered the first to see if he could find this Mr. Wario. The door was already ajar so Eight pushed it open with his hand a little and found a man and a woman in a nicely kept bedroom, the man weeping and crying on the bed by the woman's side.
"Oh, what have I-a done!?" He cried, as the woman handed him her handkerchief. "I betrayed the-a town, and I didn't even need-a the money!"
The brunette didn't say a word as the woman looked up at him and seemed to make a face that said "I just don't care anymore."
"Are you the repairman?" She asked. "Well, you must be but why are you dressed as a merchant?"
Eight smiled and crossed his arms over his chest, getting used to being everyone else now except himself. He then explained to the woman that the town was a little rough right now so he has more flexibility to move around this way.
"I see!" She clasped her hands together. "You see, there is always this nasty draft in our bedroom. Do you think you could find a way to prevent it?"
He tried not to grin too hard when he remembered that this was what he was instructed to search for.
"Sure, no problem," he said, right as the man wailed louder. This must have been Mr. Wario.
Eight slid past them and did indeed feel a very cool draft that also felt a bit damp. Pressing his palms against the wall, the adventurer felt around to see if this draft was from a crack in wall or a hidden door. Too bad he didn't get the impression of there being a secret entrance until he reached the bookcase in the room. The draft was strong here and when Eight inhaled, he could smell some sort of perfume.
He also noticed that the bookcase wasn't even pressed directly up against the wall as the space was big enough for a man to squeeze through. Cautiously, the brunette slipped in between the wall and the bookcase and let out a short gasp as he stumbled backwards onto his butt in a much darker and colder area.
"What the hell?" Eight said to himself as he stood up and looked around.
He was in a short stone hallway that turned a corner and was dimly lit by a few candles on the walls. Eight thought he heard voices echoing somewhere but he wasn't sure. This must have one of those secret paths or a basement that he was in. The extra layers of fabric were too hot and heavy for him in the humid basement, so he shed them and left the clothes in a heap as he cautiously walked forward.
The perfume was stronger now and it smelled light and fruity. Eight turned the corner and came to a doorway that was made of thick wood, but had a small window in it that was covered with jail bars. Now that the brunette could hear better, he realized that there were definitely voices and they were coming from this room. He nearly hit the ceiling when he heard the echo of a hand smacking something that let out a grunt of pain. Eight stood on his tiptoes and peered through the bars on the door.
Inside the room were three people and a chair. However two of those people were Imperial soldiers, and the third was a young woman in what appeared to be a long, short sleeved turquoise tunic dress with gold trim over a dark teal undershirt that exposed her legs and matching fingerless gloves that were stained with blood and chained to a wall. Deep green bangs obscured her face as her head hung low while her ponytailed hair draped over her shoulder like a curtain. Her long legs and brown boots were covered in blood and scratches with parts of the dress ripped up, and looked as if they would give out at any minute. When she looked up, Eight thought he had almost been spotted for a split second.
Her emerald eyes seemed to stare directly into his, sending a chill down his spine. He soon realized that she wasn't looking at him, but at the soldier in front of her while her pale face contorted into a glare full of hatred and bitterness. The brunette let out a slight, startled breath as she parted her soft pink lips to speak, and it was then that he realized who she was.
"I've seen her before!" Eight mumbled to himself. "Of course! She's one of the Empire's generals!"
When the woman began to speak the soldier in front of her reeled his hand back and slapped her square across the face, sharply making her head snap to the side. Eight cringed but she stayed silent.
"This's what happens to traitors!" The soldier exclaimed as Eight raised an eyebrow. The other guard simply cackled like a hyena.
"So the mighty Lyn has fallen!" He grinned then folded his arms. The brunette didn't say a word as they continued.
"How can you serve those cowards...?" Lyn asked, her voice small and weak.
For some reason, Eight just knew it wasn't like that normally. He was almost positive that Lyn was not just an elite General of the Empire because of her pretty face. She was up there in the ranks with Grima, and she was quite famous for numerous invasions and massacres that she had led in the past. She was still young as Eight knew, not even a full grown adult yet.
"Hold your tongue!" The first guard bellowed.
"Isn't it true Grima's going to poison the people of Doma, to the east?" The greenette pressed on, but was interrupted by the other angry guard.
"Shuddap!"
The guard hit Lyn upside her head again this time hard enough to knock the young woman unconscious. Lyn's eyes widened for a second before quickly closing, along with her head dropping down and her legs collapsing completely from underneath her. The chains rattled loudly as the greenette's body violently pulled on them and were the only thing holding her body back from completely slamming into the stone floor.
"I'd hate to be in your shoes tomorrow!" The guard that made the final strike smirked and looked to his partner who saluted in response. "Keep a close eye on her!"
"Yes, Sir! I can go for days without sleep!"
The first soldier nodded and turned to leave just as Eight gulped then quickly jumped to the rafters before he was caught. The soldier left the cell and slammed the door behind him. When the brunette was sure he was gone, he climbed back down and peeked through the bars again. Loud snores could be heard since the other guard had promptly fallen asleep in the chair.
Eight sighed, putting his hand on the steel handle of the door and tugged it open. Pulling out a pin from his pocket, he walked into the cell and picked open each of Lyn's shackles. On the second one, she fell forward, but he managed to catch her in his arms just before she hit the floor. He was suddenly shocked though when Lyn lifted her face and gave him a confused stare.
The brunette gulped again as she blinked and the sudden confusion was gone from her eyes.
"And you are...?" The greenette questioned coolly. She made an indication with the look on her face that she did not want to be touched, and Eight promptly let her go, letting her back away slightly and rest on her knees.
"I'm with the Returners," he replied in a serious tone. "Name's Eight."
"Returners!" Lyn gasped. "I used to be General Lyn..." She trailed off and looked away, the first time she had averted her eyes from his since their meeting. "Now I'm just a common traitor..."
The adventurer smiled a little and held out his hand to her.
"Let's go!" He exclaimed, making Lyn look up at him.
"You'd take me along?" The greenette asked hesitantly and then suspiciously shook her head. "Thanks but no thanks... I can barely walk as it is..."
Lyn stood up and took at least two steps on shaky legs. She looked troubled when she realized that she was not fooling him, and quickly returned to her knees on the floor to return to his level of sight.
She sighed before looking away, "I'm grateful, but... Even if you got me out, you would never be able to protect me. No, I think I'm better off here..."
"I'll protect you!" Eight exclaimed. "Trust me! You'll be fine!" Eight winked at her and Lyn blinked owlishly in return. "Let's go!"
They were about to leave when she stopped him in his tracks.
"Wait. This soldier has something important on him..." Lyn pointed a finger in the sleeping soldier's direction and Eight immediately saw what they needed.
An old looking key was hanging from the soldier's belt, and the brunette quickly snatched it up just before the soldier leaped at him. Eight gasped and Lyn clasped her hands over her mouth.
"...'n some bread too..." He mumbled in his sleep then flopped back in his chair.
Eight nearly laughed then looked over at Lyn who didn't crack a smile at all. Instead, she simply stood up and dusted her clothes, ignoring the blood that remained on her uniform then turned to Eight. She nodded and allowed him to lead the way out. Eight turned and left the cell, going in the direction that Lyn pointed to.
"This passage leads out," the greenette said quietly as they made their way down the rest of the eerily silent hall. Eight turned back to Lyn when they reached a new doorway and stopped for a moment.
"Is something wrong...?" Lyn asked. Was he going to leave her behind after all?
"No..." he shook his head, a wave of painful memories suddenly rushing through him. There was something about her that reminded him of someone but he perished the thought.
Lyn quickly dropped the subject, "We'll need this key inside here. Shall we go?"