"Of all the irresponsible and idiotic things you could have done, this has to be the most of both!" Seteth yelled.
Everybody in the room winced under his harsh gaze, even the ever stoic professors.
With his ruler, Seteth pointed at the students of the Golden Deer and Verdant Rabbits house, "You are supposed to follow the rules we put in place. It is literally all we ask of you!"
He moved the ruler to Izuku and Claude, "As Lord's, you two are supposed to make sure that the rest of your house is following the rules, you have to be role models!"
Finally, Seteth pointed towards Byleth and Bereto, "And you are supposed to control your classes and keep them on the straight and narrow. I'm extremely disappointed in all of you!"
"Well what were we supposed to do, let them get away? If we hadn't intervened those swords would've been taken!" Izuku argued.
"You should have alerted us to this information, and then let the Church handle it!" Seteth countered.
"I don't see what the big deal is: none of us got hurt, Lady Rhea was still protected, and so we're the swords. It's an overall victory in my eyes," Claude shrugged.
"That is not the point—"
"Seteth, that is enough," Rhea called, making the green-haired man begrudgingly silence himself, "I thank you for protecting the swords. They are more important to me than you could possibly imagine."
Byleth and Bereto bowed before grabbing the hilts of the swords and attempting to return them. Rhea raised her hand however, signaling for them to stop.
"Why don't you keep the swords, I think they will be far more useful and safe in your hands, rather than in a dusty old sarcophagus," Rhea suggested.
The Eisner twins hesitantly looked between each other before nodding to Rhea and fully hilting their swords once more.
"You are all free to go," Rhea said, "Except you, Byleth, I'd like to give you your mission for the month."
Seteth looked between Rhea and the students before huffing angrily and leaving. Byleth stood at attention and resisted the urge to follow the angered Seteth.
"The Lance of Ruin, the relic of House Gautier, has been stolen recently. The eldest son, Miklan, is suspected of stealing it, but we are not one hundred percent certain," Rhea explained.
"Gautier, why does that name sound familiar?" Byleth asked.
"Miklan is the older brother of Sylvain, a member of the Blue Lions house," Rhea answered.
"Hmm, so that is why."
"The church would like you to recover the Lance of Ruin for House Gautier. We're still tracking the thieves but rest assured, we will find them by the end of the night," Rhea said.
"Understood Archbishop but… what is this sword?" Byleth asked.
Rhea sighed, "That is what is known as one half of the dual set of swords, the Swords of the Creator. Those, along with the other relics, were bestowed upon great heroes by the goddess so they could destroy the evil gods. After Nemesis, the wielder of the swords, died, they were placed in a sarcophagus for safe keeping."
"Hmm, weapons made to kill old and evil gods… it sounds familiar to me," Sothis muttered.
"This is a great honor, Lady Rhea, I can not express my gratitude," Byleth bowed.
Rhea smiled, "Then don't, simply prepare your students."
Kyouka hummed to herself as she went about tidying her room, removing some but not all of the clutter as she liked to think it contributed to her rebellious aesthetic.
A knock on her door briefly distracted her, "Come in," she yelled before going back to her work.
Annette walked in with her hands behind her back, looking suspiciously giddy in Kyouka's opinion.
"Hey Annette...whatcha got there?" Kyouka hesitantly asked.
"A few months ago you left your song book behind—"
Kyouka's cheeks went red.
"—and I just never had the chance to return it until now, but I did add a little bit to it."
Now Kyouka's eyes flew wide open in shock. She grabbed the book from her hands and flipped through the pages to try and see what was tampered with.
It was obvious where the Blue Lion girl had added, since Annette wrote in cursive unlike her, upon one look at the song lyrics Kyouka grew angry. The orange-haired girl had turned it into a stupid sappy love song! It was supposed to be a song about death and war and pestilence damnit!
"Ugh, why did you do that?" Kyouka groaned as she tossed the notebook on her bed.
"I just saw the unfinished lyrics and thought it would be nice if you could give me some pointers on my songwriting," Annette smiled.
"No offense, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't mess with my shit," Kyouka said in a harsh tone.
"Why are you being so mean to me about this? I was just trying to be nice," Annette pouted.
Kyouka huffed, before grabbing the book off of her bed and shoving it into Annette's hands, then shoving her out of her room.
"You know what, keep the book," Kyouka said
"What why?" Annette asked.
"Because I quit yesterday."
With that, Kyouka slammed the door shut on the smaller girl's face.
Eijirou whistled loudly in the cool dawn air, it was the perfect time to train a little bit seeing as it wasn't too hot yet.
The sounds of grunting and panting caught his attention, and Eijirou found himself wandering over to the Knights hall.
There were only a few candles lit inside, illuminating a single sandbag hanging from the ceiling, slowly swaying back and forth as someone weakly punched it.
Eijirou instantly recognized them as Kota, the newer student in their house. Even though he had been there for two months they hadn't really gotten a chance to talk to each other.
The boys' punches had no real force behind them, and they lingered on the sandbag for a few seconds after each one. Kota's eyes had dark bags under them, his pupils were glossy, and his breath was ragged.
"Hey hey hey man, you look like you need rest," Eijirou said as he rushed in and clasped his hands on his shoulders.
"I'm fine," Kota grumbled as he ripped his shoulders away.
The boy attempted to throw another punch, but he lost his balance and almost fell to the ground, if not for Eijirou catching him before he did.
With a grunt, Eijirou threw the boy over his shoulder and carried him out of the knights hall and over to his room, where he placed kota on his bed. Kota would be asleep for a while, but he needed it given the state he was in, Eijirou just couldn't for the life of him figure out why the kid would push himself so far.
Maybe he should ask next time they meet.
"Ok, this is depressing," Setsuna said as she sat down across from Izuku.
The lord of her house was staring into the open of a single candle, perched upon a simple muffin. He looked up and smiled when he saw her, "Setsuna, hey!"
"Do you mind telling me why you look like a little kid who just had nobody show up to his birthday party?' Setsuna asked in a concerned tone.
"Oh, uh, because I guess I kinda am?" Izuku answered, "It's my birthday today."
"What?! And you're sitting all alone with some sad muffin! This is an outrage, I have to fix this!"
"Set- Setsuna it's fine, really, this is how it's always been," Izuku told her as he grabbed the girl's hand to stop her from standing up.
"What do you mean?" Setsuna asked as she stopped trying to stand up.
"When I was a kid I didn't really have many friends and dad was always...busy, so every year me and my mother would get a muffin from this little bakery past city limits, and then we'd share it when the clock struck the exact minute I was born," Izuku explained.
"That's actually really sweet," Setsuna smiled, "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna let you go without a proper celebration anymore. You won't know when, but you better watch out."
Izuku chuckled, "I look forward to it. But for now, what say you we split this muffin? It'd feel wrong not to share it with someone," he proposed as he pulled out a butter knife.
Blowing a stray strand of her hair out of her face, Mina readjusted herself to rest her face on her hand better.
Dedue's 'outburst management' lessons were the worst.
"Mina, are you even paying attention?" Dedue asked.
"Yes Dedue," Mina answered in a monotone voice.
"No you are not. Mina this is important," Dedue insisted.
"Why is it important?" Mina groaned.
"Because, as I've said, everytime you blow up at a citizen of the Kingdom, it only makes them hate you more, which in turn makes life harder for the rest of us. Or rather what remains of the rest of us," Dedue sighed.
"Those Kingdom assholes can suck my dick!" Mina suddenly yelled.
"Do you really have one?"
"Yeah and it's bigger than yours!"
"Mina, why are you being so difficult here?" Dedue asked.
"Because why should I be nice to racist assholes?" Mina asked back.
"I'm not asking you to be nice to them, I am asking you to be more calm with them," Dedue corrected her, his tone was slowly rising.
"Well I'm sorry that we can't all be cold, unfeeling bastards like you!" Mina spat.
"DO YOU REALLY NOT THINK I FEEL NO RAGE TOWARDS THE KINGDOM?!"
Mina shrunk down as Deude shot out of his seat and stood over her, his broad form completely overshadowing her.
"Do you not think I feel no hatred towards the people who brutally ripped my family and home from me?! Of course I feel that anger, I just know better than to show it!" Dedue shouted.
Inhaling deep into his nose and letting it out through his mouth, "We are done for today, I will see you tomorrow."
With that, Deude left Mina in the classroom by herself, feeling rather guilty.
Setsuna hesitantly knocked on Ochako's door, immediately hearing her call through the oak again.
"Who is it?"
"Uh, mailman," Setsuna answered, trying her best to disguise her voice.
"Oh, just wait one moment, I'll get the door for you—" Ochako stopped in her tracks as she realized she had been tricked.
"Goodbye," Ochako said as she began to close the door, only for Setsuna to force her way in anyway.
"What do you want?"
"Why are you so nice to everyone but me?" Setsuna asked.
"Oh, so I guess you still don't remember," Ochako fakely smiled.
"Of course I don't remember because I didn't do anything!" Setsuna yelled.
"December nineteenth, year eleven-seventy. My best friend left in the middle of the night without any warning," Ochako explained.
"That's what you won't talk to me about? Ochako let me explain," Setsuna pleaded.
"I need to go mop the classroom, I'll see you tomorrow morning," Ochako smiled before leaving her dorm.
The wind felt like icicles against the skin of the Verdant Rabbits, even in the summer months it was rather frigid in the morning.
"So this is it, huh?" Izuku asked as he gazed at the black tower erected in the middle of the woods.
"This place is a bandit's nest if I've ever seen one. They've gotta be swarming this place like termites on a log," Shoji muttered.
"And they are," a new voice added.
An old man with orange hair pulled into a ponytail stepped forward, his hair had strands of gray and his blue eyes looked tired and wise, a rectangular shield sat on his back, along with a steel axe.
"I don't mean to be rude, but who are you again?" Tenya asked.
"Ah, my name is Gilbert, I'm a member of the church. Rhea sent me on this mission with you due to the fact that we're up against a relic, just as an extra precaution," Gilbert explained.
"Cool, cool. Let go already, I'm itching to fight," Kota urged them all, wind swirling around his fists.
"Not without me!" Someone yelled.
The sound of pounding hooves got closer and closer until Sylvain appeared from the trees, pulling his horse to a stop and jumping off.
"Sylvain? What are you doing here?" Izuku asked.
"I came here to stop Miklan."
"Surely that is not your mission," Gilbert chided him.
"Miklan is my brother, so it's my responsibility to take the lance back," Sylvain argued, "Now you can either let me fight with you, or I go in alone."
"Professor, what do you think?" Ochako asked.
"Hmm?" Byleth looked up from the Sword of the Creator to find everyone looking at her.
After thinking for a few moments, Byleth stood up and got closer to Sylvain, "You will not stray from me, I am assigning you as my adjutant. If you exceed fifteen feet from me, I will take your goddess damned lance myself."
Sylvain simply nodded.
"Everybody ready?!" Byleth called.
Izuku grinned as he slammed his shiny new steel gauntlets together.
"Then what are you waiting for? Charge!"
"What's up!" Izuku shouted at Miklan as he and his party finally reached the top of the tower. Unconscious and dead bodies lay strewn about haphazardly.
"Stupid blasted minions, you always end up having to kill your opponent by yourself," Milklan grumbled to himself.
Miklan has wild, long red hair that was tucked out of his face, a scar ran over his amber eyes from the right side of his forehead to his left cheek, and he wore bulky tan armour.
In his right hand he held the Lance of Ruin, in its shape it was a normal lance, but it was the same pale yellow color as Byleth's sword, had a hole near the bottom of the blade, inside which sat a glowing red sphere, and four twitching, almost finger like extensions sat on each side of the lance.
"Miklan, stop this already!" Sylvain said, his tone both angered and pleading..
"Ah, I should've expected you to be here. Tell you what, I'll stop when your head is on a pike that I can present to mom and dad," Miklan grinned.
Kyouka pulled back her bow and launched an arrow that bounced off of Miklan's raised shield. She fired another that did the same, and another and another and another, but all to the same result.
"Oh come on, that last one didn't even go off," Miklan taunted.
"That's 'cause it's a special arrow. Mina!" Kyouka yelled.
Mina struck a match against the broad side of her sword and flicked it at the arrow, where it exploded on contact. Miklan flew back in the ensuing combustion, using his shield to skid to a stop before he could get flung off the edge of the platform.
"Kyouka what the hell was that?" Setsuna excitedly asked.
"An arrow wrapped in gunpowder. Claude gave it to me," She answered with a chuckle.
"Kota, let's see what we can do about that pesky shield," Ochako said.
The brunette clapped her hands together and sent a large fireball colliding into the shield, turning it a glowing orange.
Kota stepped up and slashed at the air with his hand, launching a large blade of wind into Miklan's shield, cutting the already weak metal completely in half.
"Come on then Setsuna, let's go!" Shoji shouted.
The two ran up and instantly Shoji swiped his legs from him with his shield, where he was impaled by Setsuna's sword.
She lifted him back on his feet and kicked him off of her sword, he stumbled back against Shoji's shield and he lifted the elder Gautier son off the ground, before tossing him off of his shield into the air.
Tenya leaped from his horse and met Miklan in the air, weaving his lance between the plates of the man's armour, then impaling him and driving him into the ground.
Tenya ripped his lance from Miklan's torso as Eijirou kicked him in the side, causing him to tumble forward more.
Picking the man up by his armpits, Izuku headbutted Miklan, breaking his nose, before throwing a left hook against Miklan's chin.
Byleth's sword began to glow a vicious red as it separated into whip form, which she used to bind Miklan while he fell to his knees.
"Miklan, I'm gonna ask you again… please just give me the lance," Sylvain pleaded softly.
"It's not fair! This lance, house Gautier, all of it is my birth right, it's my destiny, and then you ruined all of it, you and your crest! OUR OWN PARENTS DISOWNED ME, BECAUSE OF YOU! BECAUSE OF YOUR CREST!" Miklan raged, struggling against the Sword of the Creator.
He struggled and struggled until he couldn't anymore, giving up with a single defeated whisper.
"It's not fair."
Sylvain dropped to his knees and placed his hands on his brother's shoulders, before placing their foreheads together.
"Miklan...if I could give you this damned thing I would do it in a heartbeat. I hate this stupid crest, and I hate what mom and dad did to you. But most of all I hate that I couldn't do anything about it then. But big brother, if you give me the lance and come willingly, I promise you that I will fight with every goddess damned bone in my body to make sure that you walk away from this a free man."
A hush fell over the room for a moment, you could hear the pitter patter of a mouse's feet in the silence, until—
"Little brother? I can let go of the lance."
"What are you talking about?" Sylvain asked.
Miklan's eyes widened and his jaw dropped to let out an agonizing scream. Black tendrils sprouted from the crest stone in the middle of the lance and wrapped around Miklan's forearm, slowly creeping up the rest of his body and cocooning him.
"Miklan, just hold on, I'll get you out of there!" Sylvain yelled, before sprinting forward and yanking at the black tendrils, but to no avail. The brothers shared one last terrified look before Miklan's face was completely covered.
The cocoon got bigger and bigger, until eventually, a foot emerged from it, one that was just as wide and broad as Shoji. The foot only had three toes, which were covered by large stones, possibly meant to serve as armour.
The cocoon then burst, revealing a black creature, it looked like a wyvern, but without the wings, and two tiny hands near the front of its torso. The rest of the creature's body was covered in the same rock plating, and it's eyes glowed a menacing red.
"A black beast!" Sothis exclaimed.
"What's that?" Byleth asked..
"It is what happens when someone without the corresponding crest, or without one at all, attempts to wield a relic, the weapon corrupts them absolutely," Sothis exclaimed.
"How do you know this?"
"That is not important right now, just kill that beast!" Sothis yelled
"No," Sylvain whispered.
"Listen to me Sylvain, whatever that thing is, it is certainly no longer your brother. So ready your lance," Gilbert ordered
"Everybody, it's time for a team attack, just like we've practiced! Shoji, follow my lead!" Izuku yelled.
The white-haired knight nodded, and he and Izuku charged forward, leaping off the ground and punching the Black Beast in its bottom jaw.
Once they landed on the ground, they dropped to a kneeling position, allowing Setsuna and Mina to jump off of their backs and slash the Black Beast's face.
Once Shoji and Izuku rolled out of the way, Kota created a strip of ice that ran under the Black Beast. The youngest Verdant Rabbit ran forward and dropped to his knees on the strip, bending backwards as he fired off two tunnels of wind the launched the Black Beast into the air.
As the Black Beast fell from the sky, Tenya hopped up on the saddle of his horse and steadied himself, before holding his lance in the air and dragging a big gash down it's torso, escaping out from under the beast before it hit the ground.
Ochako grunted as she flung a couple of fire balls at the Black Beast, preventing it from getting up. She bought Kyouka enough time to fire an arrow into the eye of the beast, which exploded in an array of bright golden lights.
After finally getting back to its feet, the Black Beast roared and quickly spun around, swiping everybody off of their feet, except for Eijirou, who swung his axe down and cut through the beast's tail, severing it halfway.
The Verdant Rabbits link their hands together, creating a big platform for their professor to plant her foot and get thrown into the air like a pebble out of a slingshot.
Byleth's sword disconnected once more, and she flung it down to wrap around the Black Beast neck, leaving several gashes around just neck, and then bring the beast down when she landed.
Sylvain slowly walked up to the dying beast, its breathing was slow and labored, the younger son of house Gautier closed his eyes, and whispered, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Miklan," before stabbing the beast through the head, killing it.
The black began to burn away, revealing Miklan's body in its place, the lance still gripped tightly in his right hand until Sylvain gently took it back.
Hey y'all, Scott here...wait no that's wrong, I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I certainly enjoyed writing it, especially that fight scene. Discord links:
Epsi's Hoard: https/discord.gg/2Nw3AjvDK6
LoM: https/discord.gg/H9wMNyZRa6
That's it for now, Peace.