New Friends and Foes Part II
Leonie's heavy head is the first thing she feels when she regains consciousness. Her eyes struggle to open as a sharp pins and needles feeling wrecks her skull, but her cloudy vison has been tinted into a red tinted dim light with sparks occasionally erupting from the sides. Finally, the sensation is overpowering is too much and she plants her cheek onto a hard cold surface unlike anything she's felt.
"Ah!" She cries feeling the cold surface jolting her awake rising upwards. "Huh...? What the...? Where are we?"
"Leonie. You're awake!" A familiar gruff voice sounds off close to her.
"Captain Jeralt!" Leonie turns to see that the her Captain is really close to her in this ominous compact space. She crouches down to his level scanning for any injuries. "What happened? Are you bleeding?!"
"No... no its not that..." Jeralt grunts through clenched teeth. "Just... I now know the blessings of blinking..." He lets out a strained cry as he rapidly flickers his eyelids. "And the excruciating curse of not doing so."
"Keep your eyes close, Captain." Leonie instructs as she eyes her surroundings. "Well... if this is someone's idea of a cell, they sure do have a twisted imagination."
"Urggh... Can we lower the volume on whatever that noise is?" Jeralt growls referring to the various sorts of creaking and compressed sand flowing sound.
"How'd we- ahh!" Leonie snaps back her hand after carelessly fluttering her fingers across a battered wall with a nasty gash spewing strange thick looking strings spewing bolts of blue energy. "Okay... rule of thumb... don't touch the black rope thingies with blue sparks!"
"How 'bout you guys keep your hands to yourselves! This hunka junk is barely keepin' itself together!"
"Wait that voice..." Leonie's memory flashes back to the jungle where she fought that scary looking warrior. No, it was the woman! "Nrrgh! How about YOU come in here and say that to my face, coward!"
The doll's body flinches, like she's been physically wounded, but quickly relaxes.
"And this is comin' from the chick who slug the first swing."
The veins in Leonie's temples tighten as she growls in anger. "Hey! Who're you calling a baby chicken?!" She twirls her head in all directions on where that irritating lady is, eager to give her a piece of Leonie's mind.
"Over here, Peach head!"
Leonie furiously twists around in the direction of the voice with a fist raised, ready for another round. However, her aggressive stance falters, cooling into a lukewarm puzzled feeling seeing that doll like face appearing on some bland looking portrait. Only the face in the portrait is blinking, scowling, and rolling her eyes like an ordinary being.
"W-waaaah! What the-!" Leonie screeches and patters back in shock only to be rudely halted by the wall behind her. "Captain?! Are you... are you seeing this, too, or... is it just me?"
Leonie glances over at Jeralt who looks just as utterly perplexed as she is. "Okay... Definitely not crazy!"
"Uhhhhh... you sure you're okay upstairs?" The picture of the woman asks.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Leonie nervously chuckles. "I'm just talking to a talking portrait that looks like some creepy looking doll."
The blue-haired doll grits her teeth. Her shimmering silver teeth! Again, Leonie can feel her stomach drop.
"For your sake, I'm ignorin' that, Peach for brains!"
"Oh why you-"
"Maybe this a good chance for us to start over." Jeralt calmly interjects as he quickly pivots in front of Leonie, blocking her off from her warpath. The grizzled man turns towards the portrait, feeling these talks need a new approach. "Seems we got off on the wrong foot." He starts diplomatically. "Jeralt Eisner, wandering mercenary, and my companion here is my... apprentice Leonie Pinelli. We're currently contracted by the Empire to escort some cargo to the main settlement of this island until we got ambushed by Brigid rebels. And... seems we're indentured guests to you it seems."
Jeralt observes the girl's face and sees that there is mix of deep thinking and confusion. Then she speaks. "You two new to the merc biz?"
Jeralt and Leonie glare at each other, perplexed by the girl's speech. Leonie is the first to speak. "Do you even know who he is?" Her voice softens to an annoyed snarl. "This is Captain Jeralt, the greatest mercenary ever."
"Never heard of 'im"
Those four words hit Leonie straight in the gut, though she could not tell that if she's fuming with rage, or in utter disbelief. Thankfully, Jeralt, once again takes the helm of the conversation.
"And... might I ask who we are speaking to? Assuming that... you're human and not some magic talking box."
Now it is the doll's turn to look puzzled, but she's quick to recover. "Soo... you're tellin' me you... never heard of a live video feed before?"
Again there is silence from the two until Leonie bluntly speaks, "Uhh... mind telling us what that means, exactly?"
Her question makes the doll sigh in irritation and she dismissively waves her hand. "How 'bout you two? My face ring any bells to ya?"
"Can't say it does, sorry." Jeralt sincerely apologizes. "But then again, we never got your name."
The doll pauses, pursing her lips before answering, "Konpeki Katana's the name."
Again, their confused faces say it all. But what is strange is Konpeki's reaction, as Jeralt can see that she looks strangely relaxed.
"Well... guess this convo's gonna go nowhere at this rate." Konpeki rises to her feet. "Gimme a sec. And you two better behave this time!"
The two mercenaries watch as the portrait blackens leaving them alone in the tightly-knit dimly lit room.
"Hey! Get back here!" Leonie marches towards the black screen and pushes her face close to it, oblivious to her own reflection. "What are you planning?! Answer me, coward!"
"Ya seem to be short of a marbles if you're steamin' at a screen." Konpeki's voice ring out from inside the room.
"Eeah!" Leonie jolts in the air, hitting her head on a loose bar, smarting something terrible. "Ouch..."
The two mercenaries turn to see that the girl on the screen, and the girl who attacked them out in the jungle, is standing between an entrance that must lead to more of this place!
"How did you do that?" Leonie roughly queries rubbing her head.
"Was in the cockpit while we were chattin'. But I got one more question for you two. And let me remind you," Her voice grows low and menacing. "Not in the mood for jokes. Wanna know why?"
"You see us smiling?" Jeralt boldly counters. "We're as serious as we can get."
"I've had a long and exhausting night." Konpeki starts, as if she's ignoring Jeralt's assurances. "My home's been raided and trashed, some idiots wrecked my precious TV, and what was supposed to be a simple snatch and grab got me, a choom of mine, and a stowaway marooned on this island. In short: I'm tired, and very cranky, and if I miss my shift for my favorite job, I may do something extreme that I will really regret later."
Jeralt and Leonie look more grim-faced but intimidated.
"Now, we understand each other?" Konpeki finishes.
"Perfectly." Leonie icily replies.
"'Kay then. First up," The blue haired girl crosses her arms, carefully eyeing her two captors as if she is daring them to try something. "There a town nearby? My pals and I could use the help."
Leonie silently observes this woman, trying to piece together who or what is she, and where did she come from?
Fortunately, Jeralt is quick to answer. "There is. More so a makeshift settlement than a town, but it functions like one. That's where we were taking our new friend until we got sidetracked by some locals."
"Wait a second..." It hits Leonie right away. "What happened to our little guy?" She hotly demands, fearlessly getting right in front of Kira's face, much to Jeralt's uneasiness.
Konpeki chuckles. "Chill... Peachy." She smoothly replies waving her hands. "Little dude's washin' off in the ocean with one of my buddies."
Leonie's face is contorted into utter bewilderment.
I don't know if I'm impressed by her style of words or... weirded out.
"Alright, my turn again." Konpeki says. "Ya mentioned earlier... somethin' about rebels. Brigid rebels..." She then brings her palm to her chin thinking. "Empire... Brigid... jeez..." Her face turns solemn as if she fears something. Finally, she raises her head and speaks. "Brigid Rebels: Are they funded by PAL, too?"
Jeralt and Leonie's clueless expressions say everything, though the orange hair girl slowly says. "Uh... come again?"
"Pan Asian League." Konpeki clarifies. "They the ones supplying the rebels?"
"Uhh... Captain?" Leonie turns to Jeralt who simply shrugs.
"We don't know who's supplying them. All we know is that they're fighting fighting for a Free Brigid. Or so their slogan goes." The rugged mercenary answers.
"Okay..." Konpeki says quietly. "And Brigid where is that?"
"What do you mean?" Leonie queries. "We're on Brigid."
Konpeki sighs frustratingly. "Where on the map will I find Brigid?" She rephrases. "Strait of Malacca? Sumatra? Papua?"
"Uuuuuhhhhhhhh..." Leonie starts slowly. "Brigid is a vassal state of the Empire. It just next door to Fodlan."
Now it is Konpeki's turn to look lost. "Oooookaaaay... ya mentioned an Empire earlier. So... lets pretend I haven't heard of this Empire... what is it exactly?"
"The... Empire" Leonie incredulously answers. "Adrestian Empire? Stood for a thousand years? Once ruled all of Fodlan?" She grows more irritated. "Are you still not getting any of this?!"
"I think its best if we show you rather than going into deep and sluggish exposition." Jeralt diplomatically offers. "Look, how about a bargain: give us back that beast that was hauling all the cargo, and we'll take you to the capital of Brigid. I'm sure things will be more clear there for you and us."
Konpeki darts her eyes to the side, pondering before quickly deciding. "Long as you don't mind the extra cargo." She tells them. "We gotta prisoner. Guy who ordered a hit on me is with us, but he's seen better days. So assuming this the town of yours has gotta doctor, think we gotta deal."
"Fine!" Leonie scowls jabbing her finger at Konpeki. "But I want some answers from you when we make it back!"
"Shoulda thought about that before agreeing to our deal." Konpeki replies in a sing song voice.
Leonie growls with a trembling fist, but Jeralt is quick to place a hand on her shoulder.
"Looks like we got a-"
A loud booming thud accompanied by a hard rocking of the compact quarters rudely interrupts Jeralt. The trio are thrown off balance but mange to find their footing. Unfortunately for Leonie, it came at the cost of being knocked in the head from the ceiling.
"Argh! I hate this stupid place!" Leonie snaps.
Konpeki's expression hardens as she brushes past the two mercenaries and yanks down on a handle, letting a huge chunk of the wall jaggedly retract and pull itself to the side leaving Leonie speechless.
"You mean to tell me-"
"Later, Leonie!" Jeralt sternly tells her. "Think we got some company once again!"
They both followed Konpeki outside to find that they are on the shores of Brigid, and Leonie can see their beasty friend amusingly pulling some guy in full armor across the shoreline. The site makes her snicker, but the light hearted thoughts are cast aside when Konpeki materializes in front of her.
"Wah!" Leonie yelps. "Give me some warning will you?!"
Konpeki quickly offers her a weapon. No, it's her spear!
Leonie is initially taken aback by her trust, but she allows her training to become instinct and readily accepts her weapon, along with a quick verbal thanks.
Jeralt does not waste time brusquely grabbing his simple but deadly longsword leaving Konpeki to smoothly unsheathe her blade.
"Yo, Gil!" Konpeki calls out to the wavy haired man with a light stubble. "What are we dealin' with?"
The man known as Gil is carrying a man over his shoulder, with a bag blanketing his head. Muffled whimpers are heard from the bounded man, along with visible trembling, and both cause an uneasy feeling in Leonie's stomach.
What exactly did they do to this guy?
"Counted about four guys in front of us." Gil hastily reports. "And it looks like they mean business! I'm gonna put him inside, and comeback with anything we can use!"
"'Kay, go ahead!" Konpeki, or rather Kira, allows Gil to rush past her the duo into that strange metal box.
"Byleth!" Kira calls out to the man being dragged by the elephant. "Quit messin' around and lend a hand will ya?"
"THIS ISN'T ON PURPOSE!" The man shrieks.
Kira groans and cocks her head out in the direction of the newcomers ominously closing in. Leonie can barely make them out from the shadows, but there is no doubt in her mind that these are rebels. Her brows furrow and her grip around her spear tightens, ready for a fight.
"Hey, Peach," Kira calls to Leonie by her undesirable nickname. "If you can calm Xu Chu down," She stops herself before clarifying, "The elephant, get the elephant to calm down and let my henchman go, I'd appreciate it!"
Leonie scowls, but nods. "Right!" She practically responds, wasting no time rushing towards the frenzied beast.
"Hey!" Leonie calls out to the elephant. "Heyhey! Woaaaah there..."
The elephant looks up to see Leonie approaching and its crazed movements falter, giving her the edge to catch up. She quickly reaches the relatively little creature and begins soothing with gentle shushing.
"It's okay, little guy." She coos. "I'm right here."
The elephant, dubbed Xu Chu calms itself and stands in place in the water.
"We'll get you back home safe and sound, okay?" Leonie promises petting its trunk. "But I need you to let your new friend go, first." She points to the armored man held captive by its trunk by his leg, and repeats for firmly, "Drop him!"
Following Leonie's finger point downwards, Xu Chu loosens his grip and releases the man's ankles.
"Hi, I'm Leonie Pinelli." She curtly introduces offering a hand. "Sorry for dragging you into this, but if you can lend us a hand, we'd appreciate it!"
"Byleth." Is all he says standing on his feet. "Appreciate you dealing with that mess. Is Kira okay?"
They both rush back to the metal box.
"If you mean the weird looking girl with blue hair, she's fine." Leonie answers. "Problem is we're about to have company! You have any weapons with you."
"Just one." He pulls a strange silver stick from his side hip. "Long as she doesn't overheat, we should be good!
Leonie casts a strange glare. "Ooookaaaay... weeellll, whatever helps us out, get to it!"
Byleth nods and tramples his legs out of the water, racing towards his allies.
We came across some weird people...
Leonie casts distracting thoughts from her mind mind and gently ushers Xu Chu to safety.
*FE*
Kira keeps her gaze on the new arrivals while her feet brush up against the sandy soil. She subconsciously notices that her feet somewhat sink into it.
"Looks like we'll wait for them to come to us." She declares to the group.
"You don't sound all that happy about it though." Jeralt takes note of her tone.
"Well I woulda prefer to strike first, but as comfy as this sand must feel, its a chore to run across."
"Well... can't we just do some surprise attack?"
Kira rolls her eyes at Leonie's suggestion.
In this terrain? Far from the trees and already spotted? Suuureee... I'll get right on that, genius!
"Too late for that now. Unless people wanna sit this one out and wait in the transport. Wait..." That's when Kira hatches an idea. "Gil, listen, gotta side-gig for ya!"
"Oh, great!" Gil exclaims. "Thanks, Kira! Side-gigs will take my mind off of things!"
Kira growls and yanks Gil by the collar. "Just zip it an' listen will ya?"
*FE*
"Soooo... wanna take bets on what that thing is, B?" Yuri-bird asks his giant companion about the metal box.
"Mmm-mmm-mmm..." He shrugs. "Maybe its a flying house that just got blown down?"
"I flying house?" Constance sounds amused. "Come, Balthus! Do you truly believe that such fairy tails are even a reality?"
"Hey, the boss asked me and I just gave him my casual answer." Balthus defends.
"Hmm... can't wait to hear what your honest answer is." Hapi says dryly.
"Honest? Hmmm..." Again, Balthus shrugs. "Mmm-mmm-mmm..."
"Ugh... how dull..." Constance groans.
"Alright, I get it!" Yuri-bird silences his companions. "Well... since our friends our waiting for a good chance to surprise them, maybe we should try the nice option first?"
"Good idea." Hapi coolly agrees. "I'm sure Coco would be happy to be our ambassador since she's so good at it."
"Ahahahahaha! You flatter me, Hapi!" Constance is blissfully unaware of Hapi's sarcasm. "As always I shall extend our olive branch to these vagabonds!"
Constance's colleagues watch as the snobby blonde struggling to sashay across the sand, with Hapi and Balthus cringing, but Yuri-bird chuckling.
"Salutations, travelers!" Is Constance's echoing introduction. "My illustrious companions and I have come under a banner of peace, yet we are prepared for conflict if you force our hands!"
Balthus smirks. "Well at least she's off to a good start!"
Hapi does not look so convinced. "Give it a minute."
*FE*
Kira lets out loud sigh. "Just what I needed, 'nother Kanto-Jin that loves the sound of her squawking"
"What does that mean exactly?" Sothis impatiently queries.
"S'what you are, too." Is Kira's wily answer, trying to keep her voice down as she is in front of company.
The green-haired girl starts fuming. "Excuse me?!"
"Didn't realize Shakespeare In the Park was rollin' out the welcome mat for us!" Kira is quick to take the initiative as she takes a step forward, her hand resting on the hilt of her katana. "Ya offerin' tickets to your latest preview, or ya that desperate for new members?"
Jeralt, Leonie and Sothis glare wide eye like at Kira on her brusque and saucy manners.
"Hah! As we can ever be desperate!" The blondie strikes back. "On the contrary, given the... precarious position you may be in right now, we may be feeling generous and grateful!"
"Oh?" Kira cocks a brows. "Whaddya in the market for? Just so ya know we only take one way tickets back to Singapore, Johor or Chiang Mai!"
There is a quick but intense beat before the woman responds. "You have a dear colleague of ours in your care!" Her voice becomes stern and serious. "Return him to us and we'll see that you are spared!"
"Got everything prepped and ready, K!" Gil's voice rings on the holo. "Just waiting on your go!"
"Woah..." Kira chuckles. "Someone's makin' a sharp 180 now, huh? First you're all rainbows and unicorns, and now you're threatening us? Subtle hint of desperation right there, ya think?"
"Hah!" The girl angrily laughs. "Us? Desperate? I'll have you know that we have you surrounded! Our allies are simply waiting from within the forest ready to pounce upon you like a wolf onto a defenseless hare!"
"Ya gettin' that G?" Kira whispers. "Watch the treeline. Any movement what so ever, be ready!
"Trust me, I'm seeing a lot of movement right now. But it's really creeping me out- What? I'm not talking to myself, this is- Ugh I'll tell you once we're safe, 'kay?"
Kira snickers hearing Leonie's voice barely visible over Gil's side.
"Ahahaha! Silent are we?" The woman proudly says. "Seems you understand your situation well!"
But Kira remains undeterred and swaggers forth. "Told'ja before that we only take tickets to Singapore, Johor, or Chiang Mai, did I?" She looks back at Jeralt, who looks slightly at a loss over that gruff exterior, and turns back to the woman and her crew shrugging. "Well, if you're empty handed, guess we got nothin' to talk about huh? 'Sides, your pal here owes me ONE GIANT TOP QUALITY FLATSCREEN TV!"
At the signal, Kira and Jeralt drop to the sand, curling up into rocks as they hear the loud cracking and roaring of the engines blowing huge swaths of the tiny particles into the air, surrounding them in a violent sandstorm.
Fortunately, for Kira, her opticals are designed to handle this sort of ruthless environment as the little specs hitting her eyes quickly disintegrate, allowing to assist a blind sighted Captain Jeralt.
"Stay close!" Her voice roars through the deafening sound of the engines. "G! How we doin'?"
"We bailed just before you finished your signal! Elephant's a little freaked out, but that girl is keeping him calm!"
"GOT IT!" Kira loudly responds.
"You have to move, that thing can't take any more!" Gil frantically warns before repeating, "You have to move now!"
"Yeah, no kiddin'!" Kira cheekily growls seeing the inside of the transport is becoming volatile while guiding Jeralt to the cockpit. "Move it!"
As the two plop out of the busted glass of the cockpit, Kira glances back, alarmed that the piece of junk is falling apart faster than she originally thought.
"Oh boy..." She groans knowing what she needs to do now.
And she knows she's definitely not going to like this.
"Is that supposed to-" Jeralt didn't even have a chance to finish what he had to say as Kira jerks him over to her and becomes at a loss when she hurls him over her shoulders like a strongman carrying a boulder.
But what comes next is something Jeralt could not comprehend. If he told Leonie that Kira sprinted at such unnatural blinding speed while carrying him on his back, he knows that she would not believe him.
And yet that is exactly what is happening, all while trying to outrun the explosion that erupted from the inside the transport.
Jeralt glances back and watches as the blast is closing in on them at an alarming rate. He can feel his face threatening to roast from the hot air alone. However, he lets out a weary sigh of relief as he sees that the blast subsides and begins fizzling away into tiny flames resting atop of charred trees, vines, and even flowers.
Finding themselves close to the river from earlier, Kira drops Jeralt off her back and collapses to the ground as she feels her stomach churning something unpleasant. Heaving and retching she violently expels a nasty stream of vomit. Dizzy and blurry eyed, Kira has to rely on her her hands and knees to keep her balance.
"Hey, you alright?" Jeralt asks crouching down on her level.
"Yeah..." Kira clears her throat. "Just... need a breather..."
Jeralt seems confused by what Kira means, and tries to decipher the strange jargon, trying to understand what she means, but relaxes when Kira clears her throat and stands to her feet muttering, "Okay... all good."
"K, you still with me?"
"Alive and kicking!" Kira hoarsely replies.
"You alright?" Gil worryingly asks.
"Mmm hmm... Just barfed... Hadda carry some heavy meat on my back. He's still raw sorry."
Gil chuckles at Kira's dark humor. "Had me worried there for a sec..."
"Yeah, yeah... cry me a river some other time..." Kira dismisses him. "Where are ya guys?"
*FE*
"I don't know we're by a river, that's all I piece together." Gil responds while glancing up at his new companion mounting the elephant. "Thankfully, these hallucinations know the way to... well... wherever we're going."
"Uh... what does that suppose to mean?" Leonie sounds annoyed riding atop of Xu Chu. "And stop talking to yourself! It's creeping me out!"
Gil lets out a deep sigh knowing that explaining it to Leonie would be a long and complicated process. One that he is not in the mood for.
"I'm gonna have to call you back." Gil says.
"Lemme know when you guys reach civilization!" Kira says. "And ya better not lose all my stuff!"
"Got it right here." He growls carrying Kira's heavy backpack around his shoulders. "You really had to pack so much?! Its likes I'm carrying around blocks of lead in this thing!"
"Well suffer in silence, choom." Kira deadpans. "Heard what doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger."
"Real freaking funny, young lady!"
Gil shuts off the holo and is reminded of how over encumbering Kira's back pack is. "Ugh... I feel like my back is going to give out! How does she deal with this?!"
Leonie casts a curious glare down at Gil. "Is it really that heavy?"
"You have no idea..." Gil wheezes, albeit somewhat dramatically. "Wandering through the jungle... with this heavy piece of crap... its not my idea of a good workout..."
Leonie gives him a curious glare before ordering Xu Chu to halt. "Here, I can take that for you."
Gil appears rather shock at this sudden act of charity. "You're not going to rob me and leave me out here are you?" Gil skeptically asks. "Although, I guess, that's better than dealing with Kira or the Chief..."
"Hey, come on, now! We're in this together, are we?" Leonie irritaingly says. "I promised your friend that Captain Jeralt and I would get you to safety! I honor my promises! And besides, I'm no highwayman! I'm just offering to help that's all!"
"Nono! If something were to happen to this backpack, Kira would- oh the hell with it! Just take this piece of torment off my back, please!"
Leonie snickers at Gil's sudden change in attitude and graciously offers her support. "Wow... you're right. This bag is heavy... how do you..?
"Just slip your arms underneath the straps here." Gil guides Leonie's arms to properly wear the backpack.
"Oh, wow... oh yeah... this is going to be a good workout!"
"At least someone's excited..." Gil lowly mutters.
"Hey, what happened to your other friend? The one wearing all green?" Leonie asks glancing to get a sight of Byleth.
"He's just back there." Gil casually points his thumb back to the apprehensive looking trooper. "You look rather nervous, mate. Something bothering you?"
"Hey! Someone has to guard the rear!" Byleth defensively calls out.
Leonie frowns turning to Xu Chu and back to Byleth, understanding the situation.
"Here, you can ride atop of him." Leonie offers Gil her spot on Xu Chu.
"Uhh..." Gil looks at the baby elephant and back at the girl. "Is that safe?"
Leonie chuckles. "Relax! Its like riding a horse once you get the hang of it!"
Gil remains hesitant.
Leonie curves a brow. "What's wrong?"
"I... uhhh..." Gil rubs the back of his head.
"Well come on! Out with it!"
"None of us know how to ride horses let alone elephants!" Byleth shamelessly answers.
Leonie's face initially remains unchanged as if she could not register what she's been told, but it quickly contorts into a bewildered expression.
"Wait... what?"
"Yeeaaah... uhh... riding animals is... something we never done before!"
"You're pulling my leg, right?" Leonie does not sound convinced.
"Hey! This is my first time seeing in elephant! Cut me some slack!" Gil decides to take the initiative. "Besides, how do we know you ride horses? You can't have! It's impossible!'
Leonie looks offended. "How exactly is that impossible?"
"Hey!" Byleth cuts in. "You two want to argue, that's fine! But how about we do it once we get back to safety and when he receives proper medical attention." He points up at at Aelfric who is flung over the elephants back.
"Good point." Leonie agrees. "Besides, I don't want to run into another ambush not when we're this close to-"
"Incoming!" Byleth rushes in front of Leonie and fires his weapon at a rock line.
Leonie jolts from the loud high pitch sound of his weapon, but reacts quickly to see that an arrow hit Byleth only to deflect off of his arm and onto the wet soil. Her eyes glance up at the boulder to see a figure falling to the side and off the edge.
Loud and angry cries are heard as several fighters, adorned with stripped markings across their bodies and colorful threads pounced from the shadows ready to capture their prey.
Unfortunately for them, this prey knows how to bite back.
Leonie is quick to act as she hurls Kira's back off her back and at a charging rebel, throwing her off balance and stealing her crude looking spear.
"NO!" Gil screams in horror but is forced to draw his weapon.
A man large in stature closes in on Gil ready to strike him with a nasty blunt weapon, but is quickly blown back as Gil brings a glowing stick in contact with his gut. He then delivers more punishing blows to a couple more fighters before recovering Kira's backpack.
"Be more careful!" Gil chastises. "I can't be on Kira's bad side!"
Leonie sighs is quick to block a blow from a frightening looking man. They struggle in place, but the enemy's superior strength is pushing Leonie back. But the girl clenches her teeth as she strikes his shin with the heel of her foot, throwing him off balance. She then collides her head into his, rendering him motionless, but with a smarting pain for Leonie.
Byleth focuses on picking off enemies that threatened to overwhelm Gil and Leonie, while keeping his distance from foes storming him.
Xu Chu, distressed as he was, stays close to his protectors while shivering immensely in fear.
Despite the initial successes on their defenses, the enemy's resolve does not falter and with some quick maneuvering and tactics, begin to change to turn the tide. A few warriors quickly overwhelm Leonie, kicking her to the ground, but not before piercing one of them with her spear. However, the foe flanking her is eager to deliver a sharp razor blade to her chest. Gil fared fairly well, until he comes across a girl that easily evades all his strikes tiring him out and slashing him across the chest with her sharp ring blades. She laughs proudly at this. Knowing that they are about to be overwhelmed, Byleth's support style becomes very aggressive as he is now spraying enemies with blaster fire mowing down several until the overheated barrel becomes too much for his gloved hands. He cries out in pain and is forced to drop his weapon, but does not react quick enough to stop a frenzied man shoving him to the ground.
Overwhelmed and overpowered, the three defenders are about to be cut down where they stand.
*FE*
And there we have Part II with a bit of an intense cliffhanger! Lemme know what you guys think.
I know this is from a previous chapter, but I came up with the idea that since Brigid speaks a different language and different culture, Brigid's native name is Zhihui. I'm basing Brigid and its people off of the Nanzhong tribes from the Three Kingdoms Era, as for what the settlements look like guess you guys will have to read the next chapter lol
Thanks again for reading and as always more chapters on the way!
