Rigged from the Start

Chapter 85

The First Move

The campfire crackled and popped in front of me. As golden flames danced in the night, embers spat from the burning logs to the ground near my feet. I didn't flinch. My mind was far too occupied.

In such a brief span of time, something so significant it made me shudder occurred. Not only had me and Severa found and reunited with Lucina, we also managed to recruit Tiki to our cause. Doing so involved little persuasion as well. It helped that Lucina was of the Exalted Bloodline. The Voice of Naga held such a position in some esteem since it was her mother who bestowed such a blessing on Lucina's ancestors. But, that was not the sole reason for Tiki's readiness to join our cause.

The main reason was the source of her burning rage. We could all feel it as we sat around the fire, quiet, afraid to raise our voices beyond a whisper. Tiki sat a little further away from the fire, one eye flicking to the cart every so often to make sure Nah was still sleeping peacefully. When she wasn't focusing on Nah, the flames would flicker, rising and falling as if a fierce wind rushed through our campsite.

Except there was no wind tonight. The flames reacted to the raw power Tiki exuded. While normally contained and controlled; tonight, Tiki allowed it to flow. She would exhale, and the flames would rise. An inhale, and they would fall. Power thrummed through the air, making the hair on my arms stand on end.

I have never seen her like this before.

After a few moments like that, Tiki flicked her emerald eyes towards me. I shrank beneath her stern gaze.

"Are you certain, Samwise?" She asked, brow furrowed.

My mouth felt dry as I nodded. "Orders came to kill you, yes."

This was not the first time I had to confirm what I read to her. There was a remarkable amount of disbelief inside of Tiki, especially when I first broke the news to her about her planned demise. She was shocked and, dare I say it, betrayed. There was pain in her gaze mingled with rage, an expression I had never seen on the powerful Manakete before.

It seemed so unlike her. In the future, Tiki was a regal beacon of calm in the storm. An unwavering light in the pitch blackness of a ruined world. When Grima snuffed that light out, we knew hope for the future was lost. I never saw her enraged. She didn't even lose her temper with Anna, as far as I was aware.

The present Tiki seemed much more emotional. I wondered if us traveling to the past had anything to do with it? Or, maybe the future required everyone to buckle down and be more careful with how they conducted themselves? Perhaps it was a mix of both?

Tiki uttered a heavy breath. The campfire rose once more. When she inhaled, they did not die down. She was calming.

"I still have a hard time fathoming such a thing," She muttered, a look of sadness in her eyes. "Cervantes was such a gentleman, if a bit crude at times."

Anna snorted nearby. "I got that impression, yeah. Seemed like my kind of person honestly. Rude manners, and all that."

"Rude manners?" Lucina parroted.

"You know," Anna gestured with her hand. "The ability to say 'Fuck you', but in a way that makes the receiver say 'thank you'."

"Ah," Virion nodded, "that is quite the skill indeed."

"One you are not well versed in, my lord," Cherche commented, making Virion grimace.

"Yes, well, I prefer to be a pure gentleman rather than an uncouth one, my dear."

"You said someone named Excellus gave the order on behalf of the Conqueror?" Tiki asked me, her emerald eyes now watching the fire flicker in front of her.

I nodded. "Yeah."

Tiki drew in a deep breath. "What do you know of him?"

Say'ri's scowl said it all. Instead of speaking, I gestured at her to explain. The Chon'sin princess cleared her throat.

"Excellus in the chief tactician of the Tyrant. A worm of a man, more content with letting others kill rather than having to dirty his own hands. Despite that cowardice, his mind is sharp. A dangerous foe."

"Poison is a coward's weapon," I nodded, flashing a smirk towards Anna. "The General said as much."

"Took balls to do what you did, Samwise. Don't discount yourself like that," Anna replied. Her lips pursed as she tapped her legs with her fingers. "Still, it makes no sense to me. Why would the Conqueror kill her?" She jabbed a thumb in Tiki's direction.

A grimace formed on my face. "I think a better question would be: why would Excellus want to kill her?"

Across the campfire, Morgan's eyes widened. A sharp gasp left her lips. She shot to her feet.

"Oh Gods, the enemy tactician is working against his master!"

Severa frowned. "He is?" She looked at me. "Do you know why?"

A loaded question. One that related to my knowledge of events from the game. Thankfully, it seemed Excellus was the same person as he was in Awakening. A sniveling worm who laughed when he had others at his mercy, and cried for relief when death knocked for him. Most importantly, if he was like his in-game counterpart, then I knew where his true allegiances lied.

"I suspect he may be Grimleal," I said, choosing my words carefully. "Who else would benefit from undermining the Conqueror?"

Lucina and the other future children paled. Severa scowled, her brow furrowing and her hands clenching into fists in her lap. Anna raised an eyebrow. Tiki closed her eyes, a long-suffering sigh passing from her lips.

"Servants of the Fell Dragon, yes? I am familiar with the type, unfortunately."

Virion raised a hand. "But why would they be worried about what's happening in Valm? Surely the events of this continent are far too removed for them to care about? How would Walhart affect them?"

"When the Fell Dragon is trying to return to the world, any threat is a problem," Lucina breathed. "The Grimleal no doubt recognize Walhart's power and authority, and therefore, see it as a challenge to their perceived destiny."

Tiki nodded. "A wise assessment, Lucina." She hummed to herself. "Perhaps, with this knowledge, we may be able to seek an audience with the Conqueror. Bargain with him?"

"Absolutely not!" Say'ri spat.

I grimaced. "Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Say'ri on that one. From what I know, the Conqueror is not someone that likes to negotiate. It's his way or the highway. If you get in the way, you die. That simple."

"Ah, the stubbornness of humans rears its head once again," Tiki sighed, shaking her head. "I forget that sometimes."

"You think too highly of some of us," Anna remarked.

"Also," I continued, "we have no proof of Excellus's true allegiance. Even if we did manage to gain an audience with the Conqueror, there is no way we would be able to convince him. After all, why should he believe us? Excellus has helped him conquer a continent. We are simple rebels daring to oppose him."

Lucina's expression turned grim. She frowned on the other side of the campfire. Shadows danced behind her from the flames as she bowed her head, deep in thought. Then, she raised her gaze, eyes filled with worry.

"Wait, the embargo is still in place as well. Morgan, what did you say before about that?"

"Prelude to invasion," Morgan muttered. "Keeps your potential enemy from gaining any further knowledge of your numbers and movements." She clicked her tongue. "This Excellus guy is sharp."

"Invasion of what, though?" Virion asked.

"Archanea," I breathed. It was going to happen, and sooner than I initially thought. "Walhart plans to conquer Archanea."

Silence slammed into the camp. All I could hear was the crackling campfire, the chirping crickets, and the distant hoots of a nearby owl. Virion was the first to speak, disbelief flashing over his face.

"To attempt such an invasion is unprecedented," He breathed. "The sheer numbers and logistics involved would make that endeavor next to impossible."

"Walhart's army alone is a million strong," Cherche pointed out. "That's more than enough numbers. With how rich and fertile I hear Archanea is, outside of Plegia, he should have no problem supplying his men as they march."

"Especially if he has naval superiority. Sailing supplies across the sea will not be much of an issue. Ylisse and Regna Ferox both lack a navy." I said.

Morgan snapped her fingers. "Plegia has one!"

Off to the side, Gerome uttered an indignant snort. Morgan's triumphant expression wavered.

"Yeah," She relented. "They wouldn't help us."

I nodded. I doubted Plegia would assist at all. In the game, they provided their navy and financed Chrom's invasion of Valm. But, that was also when Validar held power in the kingdom. Validar was dead. Grima himself had the crown in Plegia, which meant he did not have the same goals or fears as Validar. For him, why not allow Valm to invade? He could raise legions of Risen to defend Plegia while at the same time letting Valm, Regna Ferox, and Ylisse destroy each other. It would pave the way for total victory for him, crushing any resistance without him having to lift a finger to do so.

Such a plan was terrifyingly clever.

"Then what can we do?" Severa asked. "Valm cannot invade Archanea. That would do nothing but help Grima."'

I nodded in agreement. Everyone seemed to be playing into Grima's hands. Walhart was going to go to war with Archanea. He was going to throw his entire might at our friends and allies. Ylisse and Regna Ferox would, likewise, throw everything they had into defending, then pushing back, the invaders. The number of bodies would be staggering

Fodder for Grima to feed on.

"Damn," Severa hissed. "What can we do then?"

I pursed my lips. Indeed, what could we do?

"We could try to convince Walhart not to invade?" Cynthia suggested with a shrug.

Say'ri snorted. "Convince the Tyrant to see the error of his ways? Your naivete is adorable but foolish."

"Well, what else can we do?" Cynthia cried, throwing her hands up in frustration. "You all make this sound kinda hopeless."

"Not even a dozen of us against one million men and a guy many think is a god incarnate," Anna droned. "Forgive me for not liking our odds."

I said nothing as the bickering continued. I chose to remain quiet as I pondered the situation. The consensus seemed clear. Walhart was immovable, and a force that needed to be stopped before too much damage was done. However, I couldn't help but think we were looking at the wrong angle in all of this.

My gaze drifted to Lucina. The Fire Emblem rested beside her, scorched from Naga's spell which threw us back in time. The once golden hue it possessed now resembled a dull brass. The gemstones that were once embedded within it were gone; their power siphoned away completely to open the time portal.

… the gemstones!

"We're looking at this wrong," I breathed, raising my eyes. Somehow, my whisper caught everyone's attention. They turned to me, ending their arguing. I cleared my throat as I shifted nervously beneath their gaze. "The goal cannot be defeating Walhart. He is a very well-placed distraction."

"A threat such as the Tyrant cannot possibly be a mere distraction," Say'ri remarked, aghast.

"He is because Grima is rising and waiting for the fallout," I argued. "Think about it. We all know that Plegia will let Valm and the rest of Archanea fight. Even with the vast numbers Valm has, such a campaign will be costly, especially in the number of lives." My eyes flicked to Lucina. "Who benefits from having tens of thousands of bodies in the ground to draw on?"

Lucina's face paled. "Naga above…"

"Exactly," I nodded. "We know we cannot sway Walhart. Beyond attempting to kill the man, we cannot stop him. So, we must move on and attempt to stop Grima."

"Or both?" Morgan shrugged. Everyone's eyes whipped to her, including mine. "Kill Walhart, take the drive out the Valmese that way, then clear the board for us to work against Grima. It's like taking out an opponent's queen in chess."

Lucina frowned. "I dislike such a plan. Needless murder should not be an option."

My lips thinned. A part of me wanted to agree with Lucina. But, if we wanted to defeat Grima, we needed to awaken the Fire Emblem and Chrom's Falchion. Lucina's were already awakened. Naga's blessing would not work twice on them. So, we had to gather the gemstones then get back across the sea.

And I had a gut feeling Walhart had one of the gemstones.

"We need the gemstones to defeat Grima. We know that already," I explained. "We know Ylisse has one already. We know Regna Ferox has Gules, and they'd be willing to help us." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Tiki shift in her seat. Her brow was furrowed as she listened to me, and her ears twitched with each word. I turned to her. "I assume Naga's Voice would know where one is."

Tiki closed her eyes and blew out a long breath. "It is most fortuitous that you rescued me and earned my trust." Her hand slipped into one of the pouches on her hip. My eyes widened as I watched an emerald stone emerge from within. "Azure," She explained, "and it shall remain in my possession until such a time I deem it necessary to relinquish it."

"Such as performing the awakening on Mount Prism?" Lucina asked.

Tiki nodded. "Such as that, yes." She pocketed the gemstone. "However, the location of the last two are unknown to me."

"Last one," Severa gulped. "We know exactly where Sable is. We did try to steal it in the future."

"Plegia…" My hopes fell a little bit. "I'm willing to bet the last gemstone is here in Valm. Who else would have it other than the man who conquered the entire continent?"

Say'ri scowled. "He would. I know of what you speak. Chon'sin possessed a gem similar to what you carry, Lady Tiki. When my brother turned coat, it is possible he surrendered such a treasure to the Tyrant. It would be remiss of me to omit that ever since the gemstone disappeared from Chon'sin, the Conqueror has been unstoppable. Routing all opposition as if he was just waving his hand." She scoffed. "Yen'fay... I would expect nothing less from the bastard."

"So, from the sounds of things, we're going to have to deal with Walhart anyway?" Morgan guessed.

I nodded. "We're going to have to steal the gemstone from the most powerful man in Valm, then somehow escape the continent without being caught or killed by his one million man army."

Silence hung heavy in the camp, like a blanket of fog suffocating the life from the fire in the center. Chirping crickets and the rustle of trees in the wind filled the void, but the eeriness remained. I studied the expressions on everyone's face, trying to gauge how they felt about such a proposition. None looked pleased. Some were determined. Then there was Severa. She rose to her feet, stretched her arms over her head, then placed her hands on her hips.

"Certainty of death," She began. She pinched two fingers together. "Small chance of success," She nodded. "What are we waiting for?"

At once, Owain, Morgan, and Cynthia uttered cheerful laughs. Owain raised his sword. Cynthia and Morgan raised a fist. They were ready. Gerome folded his arms and said nothing. Minerva spoke for him, snorting and nudging him forward with one of her mighty, black wings. Cherche and Virion nodded in agreement, ready to join us.

Say'ri lips twitched into a smirk. "Fie! If we must die, then we shall die with glory and honor, knowing that we worked to save our homes."

Lucina tucked her chin. A small smile formed on her lips. She grasped Falchion, then raised her gaze.

"Shall we go steal a gemstone?"

A swell of pride hit me. The others were ready to act. We had a plan now. We had a way to defeat Grima, and we were going to act on it.

Tiki rose to her feet as well, a deep breath going in then out of her lungs.

"This reminds me of days long gone by," She smiled. "An adventure like this is one I certainly cannot miss."

Finally, my eyes turned to Anna. She was the only one, other than Gerome, to not say a word. Unlike Gerome, she did not have a man-eating Wyvern to nudge her forward. Her hands were folded, eyes closed, legs crossed as she took in the warmth of the fire. A heavy sigh finally left her lips.

"Lucina, you owe me two royal treasuries-" her eyes opened- "because you're going to need someone to smooth talk you all home."

A broad smile formed on my lips. Everyone was united. We had our goal set, and we had one of the targets in sight.

Morgan raised a hand. "Question. Do we know where Walhart would keep the gemstone?"

My smile wavered.

That was an excellent question.

We moved North because that was where Walhart was. South took us back to Chon'sin, west took us over the spine of Valm and into lands mostly unknown to Cherche and Say'ri. North was where the last two great provinces of the Valmese Empire lay, the heartland itself, and Rosanne.

Rosanne came first. The dense forest which surrounded the Mila Tree gave way to rolling plains, yellowed, filled with thin grasses. Pastures with sparse livestock littered the fields along the road. I did not see many farmhouses or workers. They were left to roam, leaving me puzzled.

I was not the only one. Today, Cynthia walked beside me and Severa, leading Aurora along. She gave our surroundings a confused glance.

"Aren't there supposed to be fences?" She asked.

"This isn't Ylisse, Cynthia," Severa droned. "Rosanne might have different practices than home."

"No," Virion muttered from behind us. "At the very least, there should be attendants to these livestock. Wolves still exist, after all. They will kill a sheep or cow if given the opportunity."

"Yet, there is no one," Cherche said.

My lips thinned. Something felt wrong in this land. Even the fields did not look healthy. The fields in Ylisse rolled like waves of green and gold, morning dew making them shimmer in the sunlight. Here, the grass had grown, but it looked dead. The sheep's wool looked snarled and short. The cows were thin.

It was as if the entire land was sick and we were witnessing the symptoms of the illness.

"Looks like it hasn't rained in forever," Severa muttered. She kicked a pebble on the road, dust rising from her foot. "Dry as Plegia."

On the cart, Anna whistled to us. She twisted to look at us from around her wagon.

"Looks like it's gonna be this way for a little while. We're rationing water."

I raised an eyebrow. Rationing water? Why would we do that? Stuff was still growing out here. Granted, it did not look healthy, but that might just mean there was a drought. It's not like we were traversing Plegia's northern half.

Curious, I picked up the pace and reached the front of Anna's cart. I snagged the side and yanked myself into the passenger seat as it trundled along the road, gaining a better vantage point of the road ahead. What I saw made my stomach drop.

The fields beside the Mila Tree's dense forest were the only things alive. Beyond those fields was dirt, cracked, dry, and broken, for miles in every direction. The corpses and skeletons of cows, sheep, and other livestock lay in the dried mud of what was once a small river. Vultures picked at the bones, their feathers ruffling as we crossed the river using a narrow, dusty bridge.

Lucina and the other future children did not react. I did not expect them to. This was familiar to them. This was how sections of Ylisse looked at the end. If anything, this snapped them out of what they no doubt thought was a fantasy. The lush world they had grown accustomed to disappeared, reminding them of what they were fighting for. Grim determination filled their gazes.

Say'ri was silent as well. Beside her, Cherche and Virion looked around in horror.

"I-I can't," Cherche swallowed hard. "I was not gone long enough for this to happen naturally."

Virion bowed his head and said nothing as he walked. Shame washed over his features. To my surprise, Gerome patted his shoulder. He didn't say a word, but the gesture stunned me. Since when did Gerome actually care?

"What did this?" Cherche whispered, her steps faltering. Beside her, Minerva drew to a halt.

"Keep it moving," Anna warned. "I'd rather not stop in such a place. Maybe it'll get better further in?"

"I doubt that," Severa snorted.

"Oh?" Anna chirped. "And how do you know that?"

Severa's eyes flicked to the dusty earth at her feet. "It's familiar."

Anna blinked, her mouth twitching a moment. There was no snide rebuttal from the merchant. She refocused her attention on the road.

"Samwise," She breathed. "Ever seen something like this?"

I grimaced. "Yeah," I looked at Lucina. She said nothing, but that didn't mean she told me to follow her example. At the least, I could tell them what I thought of the situation. "There's something dark at work here."

"It's not just a drought?" Anna wondered.

A low yawn came from the cart. Both of us glanced over our shoulder. Tiki poked her head out of the cart, eyes half-lidded as she yawned again. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, blinked rapidly, then looked around. Her gaze fell as sorrow crossed her features.

"Naga, who would do something so terrible?" She breathed.

"What?" Anna asked.

"Grimleal," I muttered, making Tiki's brow furrow. An enraged snarl shot from Virion, startling me.

"Those bastards!" He unslung his bow, marching ahead of our slow-moving caravan. Dust puffed from his every footfall. After getting a few feet ahead of us, he pointed up the road. There was a fork ahead: one way leading east, the other going northwest. "If the Grimleal are in Rosanne, then they will be in Charlet, to the east."

Anna pulled her cart to a stop. She eyed the fork, mouth turning into a frown. Her fingers drummed her legs as she hummed to herself.

"Looks like we have a decision to make."

"We must focus on our goal. Vert must be recovered," Lucina said.

"But does that mean we should abandon the people of Rosanne?" Morgan, who had been silent this entire time as she observed the area, asked. She shook her head. "If Grimleal are responsible for this, then we should take care of the problem."

"Aye!" Owain declared. "The Justice Cabal does not turn their backs from those who need rescue; be it from bandits, evil mages, or the world itself!"

"Gawds, wrong place for that kind of enthusiasm, Owain," Severa sighed.

"You don't agree?" Cynthia questioned Severa.

"I-" Severa's lips thinned. She sighed. "Look, I get that we want to help, guys. This reminds us way too much of home. But, what can we do right now? Can you conjure rain?"

"I can try," Morgan shrugged.

"Sadly, if that is beyond my power, then it is certainly beyond yours," Tiki replied.

"Right," Severa nodded. "So what exactly can we do? Lucina's right on this one. We need to find the gemstone and get back to Archanea. From there, we can fix this."

Virion's grip tightened around his bow. His jaw clenched as he straightened and turned to the east.

"I will not abandon my people again," he breathed. His gaze focused on the road to Charlet, further into the deadlands around us. "If Grimleal are causing this much torment to them, then I shall destroy those monsters myself. With, or without, your assistance."

Panic shot over Lucina's features. "V-Virion I-" She squeezed her eyes shut, sighed, then relented. "Perhaps it would be wise to resupply in Charlet? After all, according to the map, Valm's heartland is a cold, mountainous region. We likely won't get much food there."

"Not wrong there," Anna snorted. She ran the reins through her palms then nodded. "Sound idea, in my opinion. Who knows, maybe we get lucky and Wally is there?"

I blinked. "Did you just call Walhart, Wally?"

Anna shrugged. "Got a problem with that?"

"It seems unwise to trivialize our enemy in such a way," Say'ri said.

Anna raised a finger. "But it is funny."

For the first time that I can recall, I saw a ghost of a smile twitch over Say'ri's lips. "Fair. It is rather humorous."

Anna groaned. "And like that, you killed the humor. Learn to speak plainly, Princess. It'll save you some breath." Say'ri looked at her aghast, but Anna kept talking, keeping her from responding. "Whatever. Tiki, you and Nah settled back there?"

"Nah is fine, yes. Still sleeping. Her battle at the Mila Tree drained her greatly," Tiki replied.

"Sounds good," Anna snapped the reins and guided the cart onto the east road. "Ready to see the coastal city of Charlet, Samwise?"

"I suppose." A bad feeling remained in my gut, twisting and gnawing at me. Rosanne was supposed to be a fertile land, rich with rolling fields and flowers. Virion described it as much to me. To see a place that looked as dead as the ruined future caused a chill to run up my spine.

All I could hope for right now was that this area was an aberration and not a startling preview of what was to come.

The countryside of Rosanne was not an aberration. It was a prelude.

The further we delved into Rosanne, the gloomier and more destitute the land became. Farmers' fields once filled to the brim with grain and wheat were dry. Dust devils bombarded Anna's cart along the road, forcing me to don a cloth mask over my face. It was as if I was traveling through Plegia all over again, just without the intense heat and endless dunes.

The entire ride, I could see all of the hope dying inside of Virion and Cherche. The two were so talkative when we first set out on our journey to the Mila Tree. But, the prospects of returning to their homeland in hopes of liberating it, on top of the disaster that sat all around us, sobered any joy they had.

The final dagger, though, came when we reached the outskirts of Charlet.

Anna's cart crested a small hill in the plains. Before us stretched the sea, vast, dark, and foreboding. Beside that sea sat a small gem of stone and wood; Charlet. Surrounding Charlet was another sea, but a different kind.

Severa swallowed beside me. "That is a lot of tents."

"Yeah, no kidding," I muttered.

Tents as far as the eye could see. Tens of thousands of them surrounded the city in a ring of canvas. Scarlet banners fluttered in the wind like a million drops of blood peppering the fields. Among all of those tents and banners were horses and soldiers. Hundreds of thousands of them milled through pathways like ants in their tunnels. It was a sight that made the breath in my lungs catch and worry fill my heart.

"Naga," Virion whispered while Cherche remained silent. Sorrow flashed over Virion's face. "What have they done to my beautiful Rosanne?"

"What conquerors do, I'm afraid," Tiki answered bluntly, her hands folding in front of her.

Anna winced. "Geez, even I would have said that gently."

Tiki glanced at Anna. "That is as gentle as I can phrase it, I'm afraid. More important than my phrasing is how we are going to assist the people in this land."

"Truer words have never been spoken, my lady," Say'ri nodded.

Anna clicked her tongue. "I don't know if you all are seeing what I'm seeing, but there is… oh, I don't know, several hundred thousand Valmese sitting down there and-" She jabbed a finger at all of us, taking count- "twelve of us."

"Thirteen!" Cynthia chirped. "Happy counts."

Anna grimaced. "And there's the unlucky number added into all of this."

Tiki's ears twitched. "Unlucky number? I had no idea you were superstitious."

"I'm not. I'm-" Anna sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Do you all even see what I'm seeing?"

"No," I breathed. "I'm seeing it."

"Tis not impossible!" Owain cried.

"Highly improbable," Morgan stated, a frown forming on her lips. "Our numbers mean we cannot liberate this city. Not even close. Not a plan in the world can win this."

Owain uttered an aghast sound. "Since when did you become filled with such thoughts?"

"Since she saw thousands of tents sitting around the city," Gerome snorted.

"Owain," Lucina sighed. "There may be nothing we can do here."

Out of everyone, Severa raised a hand. She glanced at me, worry in her eyes.

"What do you all think these soldiers are for?" She wondered.

Virion sniffed. "Probably suppressing Rosanne further. Leeching the land of everything of value until there is nothing left."

"Bastards," Cherche seethed.

"No," I shook my head. A lump was in my throat. "This is an invasion force."

Silence hung in the air. I could see disbelief flash through everyone except Anna, Tiki, and Severa. I did not blame the others for being stunned. I did not expect the invasion force to form this early. It was over a year early. How was Valm gearing up for invading Archanea so quickly?

Someone was pushing things along faster than the timeline I knew.

"Impossible," Lucina breathed. "This wasn't supposed to happen for another few years at least."

Morgan grimaced. "Invading Archanea is a tall order, but now would be the time to do it. Every nation is depleted from the Plegian War."

"If such a force lands on our doorstep…" Severa trailed off, and I nodded in agreement.

No more needed to be said. The Valmese would win a land war against Archanea with ease. Ylisse, Regna Ferox, and Plegia would be caught on the back foot, unable to muster a proper defense as the Conqueror's legions swept across the continent. The carnage would be catastrophic.

Grima would love it.

"I think we have a new mission, Lucina."

Lucina gave me a grim look. "On top of recovering all of the gemstones, it is up to us to do whatever we can to sabotage this invasion, as well as get word across the ocean about what is occurring here."

Morgan's lips thinned. "A tall task."

"But is it too tall for us?" Severa asked. She smiled over her shoulder at Morgan. "I thought the Justice Cabal could do anything?"

Morgan eyed Severa for a moment. A broad smile formed on her lips. She chuckled, ducking her head, her laughter growing.

"Owain, Cynthia, do you think we can accomplish our mission?"

"We shall!" Owain declared.

Cynthia nodded. "Or die trying."

Lucina turned to Virion, Cherche, and Say'ri.

"I know you wish to liberate your homelands, and that you want us to help; but, I have a feeling this is the only way we can."

Say'ri raised a hand. "Say no more. If this is the course we must take, then I shall take it with all of you. The Voice is on your side. That is enough convincing for me."

Virion gave us a sad smirk. "I've been a Shepherd for too long to say no, at this point."

"And I am sworn to Lord Virion's service," Cherche nodded. "We stand with you."

Lucina nodded and turned her attention to me.

"Alright, good to see we are all on the same page."

My heart soared. Everyone was ready to work together. We all were of the same mind, focused on a singular purpose. Perhaps Cynthia, Morgan, and Owain's Justice Cabal had expanded to include all of us. Their optimism and gusto gave me a much-needed boost in the face of such terrible odds.

Anna cleared her throat. I blinked. I forgot about her, somehow. Would she even be willing to assist at this point?

I opened my mouth to say something, only for Anna to raise a hand, silencing me.

"You all are about to ask me to fight the Conqueror's entire army; all one million soldiers?"

I shrugged. "Not fight them. Definitely fuck with them though."

"Cause chaos and destruction," Severa remarked.

"Only the most insane kind," Morgan snickered.

Anna gawked at all of us, an eye twitching with disbelief. "Th-There is not enough gold in the world-"

Tiki placed a hand on her shoulder. "I will allow you to sell my scales."

In a flash, Anna was on her cart, reins in hand.

"Everyone aboard!" Anna declared. "Charlet awaits us!"

"Here here!" Owain cried, grinning ear to ear.

I couldn't help but laugh. Leave it to the one person Anna was closer to than anyone else in the future, Tiki, to figure out a way to keep her around. Those two did not know each other well now, but I had a feeling they would become fast friends going forward. We all were becoming stronger together.

Somehow, despite the overwhelming odds, I had hope.

And chapter! The Valm arc is moving fast now, and I can only imagine what lies in store for our heroes as they enter the lion's den. This is going to be fun!

Also, before I go, my very good friend, RedXEagl3, just finished his sequel to Aberration, Equinox (an FE: Fates rewrite). It's a great read and I highly recommend it. Go give my boi some love lol

Anyways, let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed it! Have a nice day!

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