Valm felt like a different land altogether as Alex's boots hit the sand with everyone else as Chrom spoke. "At last, Valm Harbor. Hmm... It appears well fortified..." Alex could tell that Chrom was right, the harbor had prepared for their coming, possible that when the fireships erupted, Valm mobilized troops to defend in case their fleet was the one that went up in flames as Chrom started. "Prepare the troops. We'll—" He paused with hearing the rushing of boots and heavy stomps as he turned. "Huh? What's that?" Alex strained his ears to hear and found it easy to identify what was happening before his eyes could.
A Swordmaster outpacing Knights, but not for long, cornering them to lance them much more as Fredrick spoke as well in turning.
"An altercation? That woman—the Valmese dogs are running her down." Alex hummed as that meant resistance, resistance against Walhart and they could use that to find out the lay of the land. Chrom was more apparent in his actions as he drew his blade.
"Any enemy of theirs is a friend of ours. Come on!" The Shepherds moved in, with the Ylissean-Ferox troops mobilizing as well to take the port, but if they slacked, the Swordmaster would be gone and they needed information of Valm as Alex thought about it and huffed as he snatched up Tharja in speaking.
"Chrom, you handle the front, we will save the Swordmaster!"
"But how...!?" Anymore was lost as Alex found his spot and warped, Chrom blinking before speaking. "I knew that letting him study the Warp stave was a bad idea...!" Alex reappeared behind the numbers and surprising the Knights as they exclaimed.
"What the...!?" Tharja blasted the nearby cavalry and a General away in quick reaction as Alex sliced through the armor plating with ease and relieved the Swordmaster of her attackers.
"Stay close, these soldiers are not interested in giving us quarter!" He tossed his Steel for the Swordmaster to catch, allowing him to pull his tome free with thunderous power at his power. "I believe that I have shifted the scales in our favor."
"You warped us behind their lines and now we are in a crossfire." Tharja pointed out as Alex smirked.
"Love, you realize that we are not trapped with them, they are trapped with us." Tharja was quiet before she chuckled with conjuring the darkness from her tomes.
"Well, when you do put it that way..."
"You two... are quite powerful, on both the field and in private settings, aren't you?"
"Yes." Both answered as the Swordmaster said not a word more as they joined up with Chrom, the Swordmaster conversing with him before refocusing her effects with putting down the imperials in their path, as their leader exclaimed, a Dark Knight from his gear and his mount.
"Long live the emperor! Death to all who oppose him!"
"When is it not death with these guys...?" Christian questioned before he heaved his blade and charged, the fire spell blasted at him failing to make contact in his quick dodge before he swung, bringing down the horse and crippling the Dark Knight, but before he could get another spell off, Chrom ran him through as he spoke in devote nature.
"I may fall...but we are legion... You cannot stop...the Conqueror..." With that, his life was done and the battle belonged to the Shepherds once more...
"Mercy, friends!" The Swordmaster spoke, now that the harbor was in their hands, to make a viable staging point against the Emperor. "The tales of your strength were no exaggeration..." Chrom knew that the majority of foes were handled by his group, Alex just made getting her to safety a lot easier, if not a little crazy to start with as the Swordmaster bowed to Chrom, having also been given a proper sword over Alex's borrowed one. "I am called Say'ri, and I fight with the Resistance."
"So there is an organized resistance?" Chrom questioned as Say'ri nodded as she explained in part.
"Aye, of sorts. Several groups formed to seek liberty for the states of Valm."
"I thought the emperor had stamped out all dissenters..."
"He tries, but we Resistance are a slippery lot. We strike hard and then vanish again into the dark of night. Even now rebels ride to the banner of dynasts across the continent. United, we could pose a veritable threat to Walhart. And so, for some time I have struggled to bring us together." Flavia joined in as she folded her arms in pondering as to the 'struggle'.
"What's stopping you?" Say'ri huffed as she spoke.
"Greed. Jealousy. Sloth. All the old weaknesses of man. The dynasts all would have freedom, but on their own terms." She shook her head as she continued to the flaws of these resistance movements. "Some refuse to take up arms unless their territory is threatened. Others thrive under the Conqueror's heel and will not join unless there is profit in it. Liberty is a fine word, aye, but not always enough to rouse men from foolishness."
"I take it you're looking for a more convincing argument, then?"
"Just so, although my efforts thus far have met with meager success." She growled a tad to the next part. "I fear many distrust me because my brother fights for Walhart."
"Why does he support the empire?" The Warrior Khan asked with a axe under his arm as Say'ri spoke in turn.
"Would that I knew, good sir. Yen'fay was a good man once, but he is my brother no more!" She pulled her blade free a measure as she gazed into the steel. "If we meet on the battlefield, I would cut him down, same as any other imperial." She sheathed it back in as she spoke. "Walhart is said to command a million men now. Perhaps more. Sooner or later he will stamp out the Resistance entirely, if we do not unite."
"Um, Chrom?" Lissa spoke in hearing that Walhart may have a LOT more forces than the combined forces had in turn. "Did she just say he has a MILLION soldiers?"
"Ha!" Say'ri huffed with honor as she pointed out the Shepherds' own strength. "And what are one million men against the Ylissean dogs of war?!" Alex hummed as brigands and thieves were one thing, but Risen were a lot worse than these armed forces, he trained the Marauders and those that followed them as such as Say'ri spoke with fire. "You stopped a thousand of their ships, did you not? Your daring strategy has awoken and inspired people across all of Valm. Together I know we can yet unite the Resistance and break Walhart's grip! Help me, Prince Chrom! I beg of you!" Chrom pondered this as Fredrick inquired.
"Milord?"
"This is no easy thing you ask of me. I have my own causes: a halidom to save and a future to win." Lucina was quiet to that as Chrom continued with looking up into the sky with wondering of what could be coming. "I know a great battle has been foretold, but is this it? How to know?" He looked back down to match Say'ri's gaze as he accepted the task planted before them. "Still, I admire your courage... Perhaps your mission is the best way to achieve mine. So yes, Say'ri. I will join your cause with my own. And if I'm wrong, it's my life on the line. ...As it should be." Say'ri looked to Chrom as he extended a hand and she joined it in shaking before they released and the Exalt asked for any ideas that could get Valm to rouse themselves up and join the fight in dethroning the Conqueror. "Now, what will it take to unite your people?"
"Well, I do have one idea..." There was time to make preparations and shore up for the coming tide that the Emperor may bring to bare...
"Since ancient times, many of our people have worshipped Naga. More precisely, we worship the divine dragon's oracle, Lady Tiki. Though most know her only as the Voice. The Voice is trapped in her temple as Walhart's prisoner. But if she were freed..."
"The Resistance could unite around her. Where is the Voice being held?" Alex inquired to Say'ri general plan, his senses actually reaching out to find others of the future line as a short ping brought a few to his knowledge as Say'ri pointed and Alex followed her finger... to the massive tree that loomed over all of the land, the harbor just barely blocking the sight for a lot of them.
"There is a shrine built in the branches of the divine Mila Tree. She is confined there."
"Then we have our plan. Let's get to it!" Alex nodded as he mustered the strategy to direct the forces to fight, Valm patrols will have noticed that the harbor is lost and they need to dig in, Say'ri even needing time to get the Shepherds onto the Mila Tree to rescue the 'Lady Tiki'. Meanwhile, Alex could locate the few children missing and bring them into the fold, locations were a problem so he had to focus on three for now, a great gate to the north and two other locations to the south.
He smiled as hitting the great gate will be in the forces' best interests, a second waterway for ships to sail to will cripple the Valm Empire's abilities to do severe damage to the harbor and stopped the League's route of supplies as he spoke to himself, a few joining him while Chrom worked with Say'ri on their approach.
"Time to really do some damage...!"