Hello again, dear friends. I hope you are all doing well.

Expect discussions of Crests, a glance at Rook and Bottlecap's combat abilities, a boring meeting, and a less boring meeting.

With that, please enjoy the eleventh chapter of Case Study: Fodlan.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

Claude looked at the clock with drooping eyes. The minute hand seemed to move slower and slower with each second. The meeting had started at ten-thirty, and it was eleven-eleven.

Only sheer willpower prevented him from banging his head to the table. It had only been forty one minutes? It had felt like ages had passed and it all was because of him, the man who stood at the head of the desk beside the archbishop, waving his arms like a floundering fish.

"And we have developed a new system to mark students who are officially out. Each student will have a lingering rescue aura for the duration of the fight or until they are sufficiently beaten. If the aura feels enough damage has been done to the host, then it will pull them out."

Dimitri raised his hand. "How is this better than having the knights on standby to pull people out?"

"The knights will still be there. The teleportation range of the aura is quite small, only enough to get them out of immediate danger."

"It sounds like it could be practical beyond a mock battle." Edelgard said thoughtfully.

"Not exactly." Seteth corrected. "A large part of its efficacy is the fact that students will be wielding training weapons. Conventional armaments would maim and kill before the aura could trigger and normal magic could disable the aura easily… and as I said before its range is quite limited."

"I see." Edelgard leaned back in her chair, satisfaction spreading across her face. Seteth continued.

"That wraps up the main subjects for the mock battle. The papers I handed you all cover the rest of the details. Between house leaders and professors I expect that all of this information will be disseminated appropriately. That will be all."

Seteth left just as quickly as the first staff meeting; a single swoop of his arm and the flutter of his cape was all there was to herald his departure from the room. Claude let out a tremendous yawn.

"Man, that was boring! Were you paying attention, professor?"

"Of course, it is my job." Manuela said, although it was visible that the meeting was taxing for her as well.

"You shouldn't rely on Professor Manuela to babysit you, Claude." Edelgard said sharply.

"I'll just learn it with the rest of my class. It'll be team bonding!"

"It'll be irresponsible."

"Hey, I know it might sound crazy, but some of us want to actually spend time with our classmates."

"Wha-? Are you saying that-!"

"Let's not start jabbing each other before the battle, hmm?" Hanneman said, a small smile bristling his mustache. "My only grievance is that the meeting cut into our lunch hours."

"Indeed. I for one am quite hungry." Dimitri agreed. "Shall we all get a meal together?"

"I like the sound of that. Top dogs of the academy getting lunch. It could be our own little club." Claude grinned.

Edelgard groaned. "I know better than it being a 'little club' for you Claude. You're up to something."

"I'd never!" Claude exclaimed, touching a hand to his heart with mock offense.

The professors and house leaders exited the room as Edelgard and Claude continued to bicker. Just outside there were two men leaning against a pillar, clearly waiting for the egressing group.

"Wow, Seteth must've let you guys out early. It's still light out." Jeralt said dryly, glancing out the window.

"Must've been dark when they started." Rook added. He clamped his tome shut and tucked it into his cloak before giving the group a small wave.

"Father. Rook." Byleth nodded to them. "What are you two doing here?"

"I wanted to wish you all luck for the battle tomorrow and Rook wanted to talk to Hanneman. Were you cooking up strategies in there?"

"No, only boring rules and stuff." Claude grumbled.

"Boring rules that will keep you and your classmates alive and safe, dear Claude." Hanneman said. "You said that Mr. Rook was inquiring about me?"

"Yup." Jeralt jerked his thumb to Rook. "He's got some questions about Crests for you."

Hanneman's face immediately brightened. "Oh that's wonderful! I'd be more than happy to discuss them with a fellow scholar. I'm afraid I'm only free during this lunch, as I will have to meet with my class soon and all day tomorrow will be the battle."

"That's alright, I'll be busy watching you guys during that time anyway." Rook nodded. This statement earned him confused stares from the rest of the group.

"Rook will be spectating along with the professors, the archbishop, and her advisors." Jeralt explained.

"I thought outside guests weren't allowed?" Edelgard asked curiously.

"They normally aren't. Safety reasons." Jeralt explained. "But Lady Rhea invited Rook personally."

"The archbishop gave permission?" Manuela said wide-eyed. "Mmm, Mr. Rook, you must really be something…"

"It will help with my studies to chart the growth of an academic year of the monastery. That includes the battles, or at least this mock battle."

"How did Seteth take the news?" Dimitri inquired. "He is already scrambling to make this battle in perfect order."

"Probably not well!" Claude laughed. "Anyway, didn't we say we're getting some grub? Let's get on with it!"

The mess hall was quite empty upon the hungry meeting-goers' arrival. The lunch rush had faded out a while ago and only staff-members and students who slept past the prime meal time occupied the benches and chairs.

"Are you sure you don't want to grab some food? As a professor I can compensate for the cost by saying it's a meal study… which I suppose this actually is." Hanneman chortled.

"I'm fine, though I appreciate the offer."

"Naturally. If you don't mind me prying, I've never seen you without that helmet on. Are you adverse to people seeing your face?" Hanneman asked inquisitively. He beckoned Rook to follow and they sat in a quiet corner of the mess hall.

"It's not exactly something I've ever removed"

"Interesting. Has your daughter seen you without it on?"

"No."

"I see." Hanneman pondered this over a bite of pork before shrugging. "You raise a great deal of curiosity, Rook, but I understand you have questions as well. What can I help you with?"

"Right." Rook pulled out his tome and flipped to what appeared to be a random page. "I've spent a while here at Fodlan but I still haven't gotten a good, scientific grasp on Crests."

"What do you mean by 'scientific'?"

"I've asked plenty of people about them, but most answers are just 'goddess' this and 'goddess' that." Rook paused. "No disrespect to the goddess, but… well, it's just not very helpful."

"I understand your difficulties." Hanneman chuckled. "Scholarly studies of our religious systems are often frowned upon. Some of my past colleagues viewed merely questioning the goddess as treasonous to the church!"

"I take it you are not so hardline?" Rook asked. Hanneman nodded. "Good. Can you give me a rundown on them?"

"Absolutely. Crests are believed to be a gift from the goddess, but you already know that. They can grant potent to immense power, often in magical aptitude or strength. They're inherited through bloodlines, but the consistency is spotty at best. It is not unheard of for the youngest to gain a Crest where elder siblings are absent thereof."

"Gotcha." Rook scribbled the information quickly onto a page in his tome. "Are they visible?"

"Not without strong equipment. My Crest Analyzer is one of the few machines in Fodlan that can accurately detail one's Crest… although as you saw with Professor Eisner, it still has its flaws. There is one person I know who can 'feel' Crests with surprising accuracy, but it's lack of reproducibility in other people leaves it as a dead end."

"Undetectable superpowers, okay." Rook's pen flew from row to row. "Last thing before I let you get back to eating."

"No worries, Mr. Rook! Stimulating academic conversation is just as nourishing as food."

Rook grinned to himself. Hanneman sounded just like a certain odd man he knew. "I appreciate the assurance, but I don't want your meal to get cold. You said that Crests are only passed through bloodlines."

"That is correct."

"There's absolutely no other way that a Crest could manifest in an individual."

Hanneman chewed a bite of food slowly, leaning back into his chair. Rook had clearly hit a spot of deep thought.

"Not absolutely." Hanneman said solemnly. "Crest Experimentation - the attempt to artificially implant Crests - is not unheard of, but it is considered highly immoral by the church and popular opinion. That being said, it's not impossible."

Rook tapped his pen on the side of his helmet thoughtfully. "Weird. How could you implant a crest if they're only passed through bloodlines?"

"That is the most common form they take, not the only one!" Hanneman exclaimed. "There are Crest Stones, a material structure of a Crest's power. Those stones are what's most frequently used for Crest Experimentation. However, all Crest Stones, with the exception of family heirlooms, are currently held at Garreg Mach. No attempts of experimentation can be made without them."

"That's a lot of power in one place." Rook said, snapping his tome shut. "But I guess it makes sense. I can't imagine a more fortified location than this monastery."

"Indeed. Was that all of your questions?"

"For the time being. I appreciate your help, professor."

"Of course, Mr. Rook." Hanneman smiled and reached out his hand. Rook shook it firmly. "It is not everyday that I meet someone as curious about Crests as I am. It is quite the refreshing take."

"Same goes for you." Rook stood up. "I must be on my way. It was a pleasure having this meal with you."

"We must do it again sometime." Hanneman agreed. "And if it would be agreeable to you, I would love to observe your notes. I only made small glances but you are clearly no slouch with your documentation."

"Thank you, it's a pretty big bit of pride." Rook said. "But it'll have to be another time. If I don't see you earlier, we'll catch up at the mock battle."

"I look forward to it! Farewell, Mr. Rook!" Hanneman gave a cheery wave as Rook departed. He returned the wave in kind, albeit less enthusiastically. Rook's mind had drifted to the approving hum that sounded in his ear.

"You got all that, Mr. Oddman?"

"Everything!"

"... alright professor?"

"Hm?" Byleth blinked. She turned to her food and then the faces of her curious student. She had elected to get a meal with Edelgard, both to get to know her better and discuss the upcoming mock battle. Judging by her zoning out, she clearly wasn't doing so well for either subject. "What was that?"

"I was wondering if everything was alright. You looked off in your own world for a moment." Edelgard's eyes tracked the tilt of Byleth's head to a large, armored man departing the mess hall. "Is it something about that man? Mr. Rook?"

"Yes. It's just been a while since we talked." Byleth turned back to the meal, and topic, at hand. "As I was saying about the battle tomorrow, I-"

"Do you mind if I ask you a question, professor?"

Byleth shook her head. "Of course not. Answering your questions is my job."

"Right. How do you know that man?"

"Rook?"

"Yes. Have you known him for a while?"

"No."

"I see." Edelgard placed a gloved finger to her chin. "You say that yet you seem very well acquainted with him."

"I know him well enough, but not for a while."

"Your father must've known him for quite some time to trust him so greatly. I can't imagine there's many people the Blade Breaker would find the need to vouch for, especially in something as trivial as spectating a mock battle."

"He met Rook at the same time I did." Byleth said between bites. "Rook's a good guy."

Edelgard raised an eyebrow. "Pardon my doubt professor, but how is it possible that you could judge such a mysterious man's character if you have only known him for such a short time?"

Images flashed in Byleth's mind. A sturdy hand cupping her chin, two glossy slits peering into her soul, and a darkness surrounding her mind. She had not forgotten that mirage from many days ago, but she had never brought it up with him. It never happened so she had no reason to… right?

"That's understandable." Byleth replied. "I suppose it is an acquired taste from my mercenary work. You learn to see those who are trustworthy and untrustworthy very quickly."

"That is an interesting thought." Edelgard nodded. "I admit that I am curious about the man. Did you hear that his daughter is joining our class?"

Byleth blinked twice in surprise. "I thought student enrollment ended when the academic year started."

"I thought so too, professor." Edelgard shrugged. "But apparently Seteth is feeling lenient. I am eager to see which house she will participate in as both Mr. Rook and her are foreigners."

"She'll be in the Black Eagles with you two." A gruff voice said. Byleth felt a heavy hand lay on her shoulder and looked up. Jeralt was standing over her with the sly grin of an eavesdropper. "Hey kid."

"Hello again father. You were listening?"

"Only to that last bit. I heard through the grapevine that Bo will be joining your house. Seteth let her pick whatever house she wanted because she had no previous affiliation."

"Will she be participating in the mock battle?" Byleth asked.

"I don't think so." Jeralt shook his head. "They want to test her combat abilities before they send her to do anything… speaking of which, I was about to visit them. A knight told me they were at the training grounds. Want to join me?"

"That sounds fine."

Edelgard cleared her throat. "If it is no inconvenience, I would like to join as well. It interests me to see what our newest Black Eagle is like."

"Fair enough. Tag along, princess." Jeralt said. He followed them as they deposited their plates before leading out the door and to the training grounds. They entered and were immediately bombarded with sounds of clanging metal, scuffing sand, and grunts of exertion. The din was no surprise, but those creating it gave all three pause.

Rook and Bottlecap were in the sandpit. Saying that they were dueling would be a gross understatement. They were in a flurry of combat. Even the experienced eyes of Jeralt could barely keep up with their motions. Bottlecap had shed her cloak and was wielding a training sword. She was moving with the grace of a dancer and the speed of an arrow, bobbing and weaving around Rook's swings. Bottlecap kicked off her right foot hard, sliding to the left under a wide cleave from Rook. She backhanded her sword and brought it sharply. A wooden thwack echoed as it collided with Rook's sword who deftly blocked the blow and just as quickly smashed his blade into the hilt of Bottlecap's and pushed her back. He slipped a boot back and flattened himself into a long, vicious thrust. Bottlecap bent herself around the strike with unnatural agility before lashing out with a retaliatory attack toward Rook's helmet.

It was like he knew it was coming days ago. Rook bounced down onto his knees, dodging the swing, before rising with a heavy shoulder into Bottlecap's chest. She yelped and launched backwards, tumbling twice before sprawling out in the sand.

"Ow…" She groaned. "That was cheap."

"But I did it anyway, didn't I?" Rook said, a slight cheekiness pervading his voice. "You gotta look out for stuff like that."

"I don't even know how you got under my swing. How is such a big lug able to get so small?"

"Trade secret." Rook walked over and pulled up Bottlecap in a swift, one armed lift.

"Goddess almighty, what was that?" Jeralt exclaimed. The two turned to the unexpected visitors.

"Jeralt, Byleth… and Edelgard, right?" Rook asked. Edelgard nodded. "Bo and I were just sparring."

"You're a real bastard, Rook." Jeralt walked up and slapped the armored man on the back. "You told me that you weren't a fighter. 'Not inclined to fight' you said, then I see you shoulder tackling your daughter."

"Just because I'm 'not inclined' doesn't mean I don't know how." Rook said, gesturing out air quotes. "I haven't always had mercs to keep me safe on the road, and I would be stupid if I didn't teach Bo a few tricks."

"Still… I wouldn't have asked for certifications if I knew you could fight like that." Jeralt grinned. "What's the deal anyway? Neither of you are fighting in the mock battle tomorrow."

"Seteth said you all were gonna test my combat abilities, Mr. Jeralt! I gotta get warmed up!" Bottlecap bounced on her feet eagerly.

"After seeing that, I don't think I need much more testing to prove you know a blade." Jeralt said. "What do you two think?"

"It doesn't look like she needs much instruction." Byleth said blankly. All four heard chuckling filling their ears.

"Oh, she needs plenty. Bo's all style and no substance."

"Hey! Uncool!" Bottlecap cried out angrily. "I got some pretty good whacks on you!"

"That was very impressive, Bo." Edelgard smiled. "My name is Edelgard, I'm the house leader of the Black Eagles."

"Sweet! It's nice to meet you! That's the house I'm joining, right dad?"

"Mhm. Figured the heir apparent to an empire is cooler than a kingdom or weird alliance."

A loud pinging erupted in the room, enough that Bottlecap and Rook almost flinched. To their surprise the other three barely moved an inch. Did they not hear it?

"Mr. Oddman's paging us, Rook!" Bottlecap's voice rang in Rook's head.

"I hear it. We can't just leave out of the blue. Play it cool and we'll get it soon."

"Have you two been sparring for a while?" Byleth asked.

"For a bit now, yeah." Rook said. "I dunno about Bo but I'm pretty tired."

"Oh." Byleth said, ever so slightly deflated. "I'd love to spar with you sometime, Mr. Rook."

"I second that." Jeralt added.

"I appreciate it, but I'll only do it with my sweetheart." Rook shook his head. Bottlecap smiled brightly at his endearment. "Like I said, I'm not too fond of crossing swords."

"Jeez, Rook, you're quite the oddity." Jeralt said. "I'll get you one of these days, though. How about you, Bo?"

"I can do a couple rounds! Let's go!"

Ken looked at the clock. They were late. He would usually chew out agents for not being punctual, but he had checked their cameras and saw that Jeralt, his daughter, and that girl Edelgard had them pinned in recreation.

"Should we reschedule, sir?"

"Nah, I can't imagine they'll take too much longer. Rook's probably gonna pull the 'oh, I'm such an old man, urgh, my leg, my back, my-"

"-my ass, agh. Right, Mr. Oddman?" A cheery voice slipped through the door as it slid open, revealing a small silver haired girl and her much taller companion. "You betcha he did. He has to act it out less every passing year."

"Shut up you little brat." Rook grunted. "You were about to fight them all night if I didn't do something."

"Sounds like it was delightful." Valentine said coolly. "Take a seat so we can get started."

The two pulled out chairs beside Warden and each other. With the company assembled, Ken cleared his throat and heightened himself.

"Thank you very much, Val. I hope ya'll are ready for the most exciting review of our progress in the case study! Yaaaay!" Ken said with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Bottlecap groaned loudly. "Gawds, I forgot about this. Can't you just give us, I dunno, like a five minute summary."

"Nope!" Ken plucked a clicker off of his desk. "Val made a beautiful slideshow presentation for this progress report and I don't intend to waste it. She even included fancy transitions!"

Ken punched the button. A plain font Progress Report of Case Study #98.7e1632: Fodlan appeared on the white screen.

"Very nice." Warden said warmly. "Thank you for taking the time to make the presentation, Miss Valentine."

"It's… nothing really, please don't make a big deal about this, Mr. Oddman." Valentine said hurriedly. "Get on with the report."

"O-kay, if you say so. Let's see here." Ken clicked to the next slide. "We'll do this case by case, starting with Mr. Rook. Aside from a few near death experiences, your work this cycle has been solid."

"Thank you sir."

"Mhm. The good news is that Warden's tests have done well for hooking up our anchors to Fodlan's timespace. You're getting-sucked-into-oblivion shenanigans should be on the downturn now. You've also done a great job forging ahead with the anomaly. From what we've seen so far Miss Byleth Eisner trusts you. Well, we know Mr. Jeralt Eisner trusts you, and she trusts him, so I'm kinda connecting the dots there."

Ken clicked again.

"Here's a scan summary. Nice color coding, Val." Ken used the laser pointer to trace an anatomical diagram. "This is the composite for Miss Byleth Eisner. From generic body scans it looks like she's just a normal human. I swear, y'all having the same mushy structure is the only constant thing in all these universes."

"Watch who you're callin' mushy, Mr. Oddman." Bottlecap flexed her arms. "You weren't there when I had a sword earlier."

"I saw it just fine. Still mushy." Ken chuckled. "Anyway, the real interesting stuff only happens during anomalous events, as you can see in figure three here. There's something else that triggers an absolute tidal wave of energy to destabilize space-time, which Mr. Rook has had the pleasure of experiencing. We're not sure if it's scheduled or predictable, but it is certainly controlled because Fodlan continues as if nothing had ever happened… or at least it doesn't care that something happened."

"Also note that there appears to be a difference between the time Mr. Rook was isolated in the 'pocket' dimension versus when both he and Miss Bottlecap were warped away." Valentine added.

"Fair point, thank you Val. She is correct. For right now we're assuming they occurred from two separate triggers, but that's just a working theory. Until another anomalous event happens we can't do much more than postulate. Now, onto some more current events."

The next slide slid onto the screen.

"Crests. We gotta know them inside and out."

"Mr. Oddman. Why the focus on Crests? They are little power ups." Warden asked.

"That's what we thought!" Ken exclaimed. "But new data brings us new facts, and the new fact is that the source of this dimension's instability, Miss Byleth Eisner, just so happens to have a completely unknown Crest. It could just be a coincidence, but y'know."

"Coincidences are how the universe sends a message." Valentine recited.

"Exactly. As such, it's worth looking into. Rook did a great job getting us some more concrete details on Crests, but he'll need either a lot more lunches with Mr. Hanneman or a lot of reading in his texts. As much faith as I have in Rook, I don't want to put all our eggs into one basket. This brings me to our big operation for tomorrow."

A new slide appeared.

"Mr. Hanneman said that all Crest Stones, with the exception of heirlooms, are stored at the monastery. Now, I have no doubt about ol' Hanny's research skills, but I also know that we have a lot better equipment to test those stones than whatever those bumpkins in Fodlan have."

"Are we doing a heist? Please tell me we're doing a heist!" Bottlecap said excitedly.

"Soooort of. Mr. Rook has been ever-so-conveniently invited to the mock battle with the archbishop and her advisors. This event will drain a massive amount of faculty away from Garreg Mach so the students are well-observed and safe. That manpower shortage is the best time for you, Bottlecap, to get a good look at these Crest Stones."

"Wait, do we even know where these stones are stored?"

"Deep basement." Warden grunted.

"Yes, a very deep chamber. Warden was able to get the basic layout of the monastery with a noninvasive geoscan, and waaaaay underground is this big ol' room. If the Crest Stones aren't there, they aren't anywhere."

"It seems a little risky." Rook said. "There's no guarantee that all of Rhea's advisors will be with her, and even then it's likely to be guarded."

"That is why we're sending Bottlecap." Ken explained. "You're too big to sneak around and Warden is too clunky. Besides, if push comes to shove Bottlecap can just blind their minds."

"I thought I wasn't allowed to do that stuff."

"Temporary permission is now officially granted." Ken said quickly. "We can't actually extract the stones, because displacing high-value items is sure to screw up some dimensional stuff. Warden has made some robust, portable tools to get us the data we need."

"Sounds like this'll be multiple trips."

"Only if we need more data."

"Which we will."

"Yeah, probably. If we gotta get more we'll deal with it when the time comes."

"How long will I be in there?" Bottlecap asked. Ken looked to Warden.

"You got an outset of the scanning duration, big guy?"

"Half hour. Maybe an hour."

Rook whistled. "Yikes. That's a while, especially if it's sitting in the vault of the strongest religious institution of Fodlan."

"Hence Bottlecap's assignment to the operation. If any guard walks in, just give 'em the ol' razzle dazzle. Val and I will be on Bottlecap to help her keep an eye out, and Warden will be on Rook to size up how many church folk are at the battle." Ken clicked the button one last time and the screen went dark. "The rest of the data we've gathered so far is in these cute lil' folders Val will give you later. Further instructions will be issued after we handle tomorrow's operation. Any questions?"

The agents stared at him blankly.

"That's what I like to hear. Go get some rest, it's about to be a big day!"

As you probably noticed, this does not include the mock battle, despite me saying it would in the previous chapter. This whole chapter, mock battle and residual included, clocked in at over 10,000 words. Now I'm a sucker for content and I did say that I planned to make this chapter much longer... but I know a chapter of that size is barely digestible. I'll be releasing the second half once I finish editing it.

On a different note, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I spent mine with my family and ate way, way too much food.

Reviews are welcomed and encouraged. Tell me what you like and don't like; I will take it into account.

And of course, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed.

Go in peace,

Louproxy