Author's Corner:
Alrightie then, moving on with the main line! I'm somewhat angry at myself for devoting almost an entire chapter to a 'sidequest,' but it turned out nicely, so I forgive myself. (I will be avoiding the Kishuna sidequests in the future, as they do not serve much of a role in advancing the plot. It helps Nergal's story, but the 'main' character of this fiction is Drake, not Nergal.) I will, however, deal with the sidequest after Uhai briefly, since we are introduced to a new character (or whatever you prefer to call Renault as).
As a further note, I have been inserting various 'extra characters' in multiple chapters, as some of you may or may not have noticed in earlier chapters. I find it really repetitive and bland to say 'so-and-so's captain/commander/hired dork' over and over again. To counter that, I have introduced several additional names simply to get them, unfortunately, killed in battle. In addition, I made a big mistake by neglecting to clarify how this Lyn/Tactician pairing is going to work. This will primarily be a one-sided thing, since Drake is more or less guilt-ridden to a point that he'd never consider a possible relationship.
The crew has hit the shores of Valor, much chaos ensues, people die… You get the picture, read and review!
DotDotDotMan – Why thank you for the review! reads review again Dear Lord! smacks self on head You're not supposed to give it away! AHHHHHH! Last time I EVER give out hints again! And no, I can tinker with some elements of FE7, but certain immoveable elements must be retained…
Dude – I'm still griping about whether I can pull this pairing off. I have a rough game plan in mind that may or may not cause you all to run screaming for the hills. Hang in there and this will turn out nicely. Drag me outside and shoot me if I mess it up, OK? (No, I'm serious.)
Rookie – In response to your two questions, the Florina scene was purely for humor's sake, and I wanted to tweak that scene in the first place anyways. In regards to the Drake-Raven exchange, I mentioned at the footnote of Chapter 10 that the exchange was set up for a later plot twist. Now be good so I don't have to hand out more spoilers!
Shadow Rave – Thanks for your review!
Dias of All Final – I was toying with the idea of actually sending Drake into the fight, but decided to save that pleasure for a later date considering the length of the previous chapter. And yes, I re-affirm that this is my first time writing romance, so expect some, uh, difficulties on my part. And yes, everything builds and builds until Drake's entire past comes crashing down, woe betide those that survived and saw through the lies.
Phantom Kensai – I understand your concerns regarding the pairing issue, but bear with me for the moment. I did neglect to clarify the relationship, but it'll all come out in the end. In the onset, I intentionally avoided a Lyn/Tactician pairing given that the scenario was a common subject for various writers. Also, Fargus had no idea that Canas was a shaman (Hey, you couldn't tell at first glance that a flimsy little guy like Canas could own so badly, right?) And by the way, that non-mounted lance user was supposed to be a hint.
Wait a minute, I just promised not to give out hints! fwaps self in forehead
Mad-man – Thank you for the review! There was no particular reasoning attached to the name Drake, except it was morphed out of the name of one of my online aliases. Drake is just a stand-in name until I reveal his true identity anyways.
Hammer of Terrascars – Chapter 12
Valor
"Well, out with it," Fargus barked, "What've ye found?"
Dart opened his mouth to reply, and then clapped it shut and merely pointed to the dingy.
Looking over the side, Fargus did a double take, "The hell? A teal-haired gal all alone in an abandoned lifeboat? What are ye nitwits doing? Get her onboard!"
Hesitating, Dart looked at Lyn, "Hey, you! Can you help me with this? I don't know how to, err, grab her."
"Willingly," Lyn said, scrambling over to help.
With the aid of several pirates, they managed to raise the dingy alongside the deck, where Lyn was able to retrieve the unconscious girl. Brushing some of the wet hair that covered the motionless girl's face, Lyn gasped at the sight.
"This… This is Ninian!"
Eliwood and Drake both looked up at that. Abandoning the conversation at hand, Eliwood hurried over to where Lyn laid the recovering Ninian on deck. Drake, however, was frowning, his brow furrowed as he thought. What in the name of the gods is she doing here?
"Who's Ninian?" Hector and Cecilia asked.
"Lyn and I met her a year ago when the Black Fang were in pursuit of her along with her brother, Nils," Drake explained, "If I recall correctly, he delayed a practice bout with you, Lord Hector, in order to rescue the girl from their clutches."
"Ah, I remember that," Hector said, nodding, "I was wondering what the devil he was up to, since Eliwood is never late to any of our practices."
"Did you find out why the Black Fang was after them?" Cecilia added.
Drake shook his head, "That we didn't, we went separate ways shortly after Lyn retook Caelin from Lundgren."
"Maybe this will shed some more light on the affair," Cecilia said.
Lyn left Ninian to Eliwood's care as she returned, "Somehow, Ninian appears to have lost her memory during her journey in the sea. Perhaps she'll regain a part of her memories after resting below decks."
Fargus grunted, "At any rate, the Davros is almost reached the shores of Valor. Ye best be ready to disembark soon. We'll be back in a week's time for the lot of ye, or whatever remains, that is."
"I wonder what kind of reception we'll be receiving?" Cecilia wondered aloud after Fargus left.
"Preferably one of silence," Drake said, "Since we'd like to explore Valor as much as we can as quietly as we can. Then again, given our past record…"
"That'll be vanishingly unlikely," Cecilia finished.
"I wonder if Leila made it to Valor as well?" Hector asked.
Matthew was passing by and snorted, "She's the best spy in the business, of course she'll be here. She'll probably be waiting by the shore with a bouquet of flowers for me."
"Somebody say flowers?" Serra asked, poking her head out of her cabin, "I'd like a bouquet of roses, lilacs, and…"
Hector fixed Matthew with a glare, "You started it, you deal with it."
The cry of absolute horror was lost upon them as the Davros ground to a halt beside Valor's shore.
"Too quiet," Lyn muttered as she splashed ashore, "There's something eerily silent about this area."
Lyn, Drake, Matthew, Hector, Canas, Ninian, and Eliwood were the first party that hit the shores of Valor. Mounted atop Huey, Florina was atop the Davros, eyes alert for trouble, but was unable to see clearly through the thick fog that dominated the shoreline. The next wave would consist of Erk, Serra, Rebecca, Wil, Bartre, Lucius, and Dorcas. The knights, being the most heavily armored and encumbered with their horses, were disembarked last with Cecilia, Guy and Raven, who stayed behind in case an emergency occurred from the sea.
"And the damning fog limits our vision," Matthew said, "By the gods, even I can barely see a few dozen yards ahead of me."
"Count on that we can see even less," Hector growled, "Keep those eyes peeled, Matthew. If something jumps out and ambushes us, I'll have your head after beheading the ambusher."
"Yes, milord," Matthew replied, "I'll keep a sharp eye out for… Leila?"
The woman's light purple hair was unmistakable as she leaned casually against a tree, panting for breath. Just as Matthew reached her, Leila pitched forward, unable to remain standing. With a cry of dismay, Matthew bound over and tightly grasped the wounded woman in his arms.
"Leila! What the heck happened to you?"
"C-caught…" she gasped out brokenly, "Unmasked… By E-Ephidel…"
"Did that bastard do this to you?"
Leila barely shook her head, "N-nay, it… It… was… Angel… of…"
"Hush, don't speak," Matthew said, panicking as his hands were slowly being covered in red, "A healer is coming, just hang in there! You'll be alright!"
Leila smiled slightly, a thin line dripping from the corner of her mouth, "I, I just wanted… Wanted you to h-hold me one last time…"
"Oh, gods," Matthew cried, "No, don't leave me! Please!"
"You said…" her eyes were glazing over, "You said you'd take… Take me home after this, right Matthew?"
"Yeah," he sniffed, completely ignoring the others that just caught up with him, "I, I did."
"I can… almost see… the village you spoke… so fondly of…" Leila shuddered, and then went limp.
Ninian and Lyn were wiping the tears from their eyes watching the thief that was crying his eyes out over the woman he loved. Canas and Drake averted their eyes while Eliwood could just stand there, his fists turning white as he clenched them. Hector was wordless, but strode over to put a hand on Matthew's shoulder in comfort.
"I can't say much to help," Hector said, "She died in the line of duty; honor her memory as a valiant servant of Ostia. Now come, Matthew. Women weep for their loss, but men avenge them!"(1)
Matthew's sobs grew fainter as he managed to rein his emotions, "You're right milord. Leila wouldn't want me to waste my life crying here. I must now do double the part, both my mission and hers. Please give me a moment, so I can at least bury her."
As Matthew rose heavily with Leila's body, Drake stopped him, "Take her body back to the Davros, the pirates can keep the body in a cool chamber for you to bring back to Ostia."
"But why?" Matthew choked out, "I don't even know where she lived…"
"Then have someone bring her back to your village," Drake said gently, "And bury her there, where she would have wanted."
Matthew smiled a bit through his tears, "Thanks, Drake, I owe you one just for this."
"Go now," Drake said, "Then return, and finish what she started."
The downcast mood was prevalent over camp as the remainder of the war party came ashore. As the lords and Fargus said their farewells for a week, Fargus promised that he would find trustworthy hands to see that Matthew's wish was carried out. It was with heavy hearts that everyone watched the Davros slide away from shore into the deepening mists that surrounded the seas.
Ninian suddenly perked up, "Someone approaches from the south," she warned.
In a flash, the mercenary party assembled themselves for battle. Grim determination coursed through their veins as many a heart vowed that the Black Fang shall pay for such a heartless deed.
"Hooves," Matthew called out, "And made by only one horse."
"Light, springy," Drake muttered, "No knight is this, a Sacaen then?"
Sure enough, a mounted nomad warrior emerged from the mists, his powerful black stallion tossing in the ocean wind. The man leveled a hard gaze at the group assembled before him, before narrowing his eyes at the lords.
"I am Uhai, Soaring Hawk of the Black Fang," he declared, gesturing at Ninian, "I only desire to bring that girl back to my master. Yield her to us, and I will allow the rest of you to depart Valor with your lives."
"And if we refuse?" Eliwood replied. Drake gestured behind him towards Florina, who promptly took off into the mists on some unknown errand.
"Then you will all die, to the last man," Uhai said, "You know nothing of the awesome power that lies at Nergal's fingertips. All your efforts will avail you not against his judgment and doom. Do not believe that your insignificant defiance will afford you anything. Yield the girl and be happy with the lives you saved."
"Your terms are utterly unacceptable," Eliwood said, "We have come in quest of my father and to ensure Marquis Darin answers for his crimes against Lycia. Nergal or no, I shall not be diverted from my purpose!"
"Foolishness," Uhai sighed, "Very well, since you are so determined to walk into your doom, then prepare to suffer death at my hands. I hail from Sacae, and I see that there are my people in your group as well. The proud nomads of Sacae must not die without weapons in their hands, fighting to the last drop of their blood. Let this be my gift to you." He wheeled his steed and disappeared into the fog, accompanied by the neighing and stampeding of multiple horses.
"Florina, do you have a headcount?" Drake asked.
"Yes," Florina said as she landed meekly beside the lords, "They have roughly two dozen nomads counting their leader. I couldn't tell where they went though."
"I have dealt with Sacaens with swords on foot," Lyn said, "But I hardly image fighting a mounted archer with a sword is a feasible plan."
"They know the terrain too well," Eliwood said grimly, "Coupled with our handicaps in the fog, we could be running blindly into their arrows."
Drake turned to Cecilia, "What do you think?"
"Once we can catch them, they're toast," Cecilia said after a moment's though, "A mounted nomad's advantage is his mobility and range, but their disadvantage is their lack of melee fighters. If we can close in quickly…"
"What Lady Cecilia said is right!" Sain interrupted, "Please, leave this task to us! One armored cavalier is worth ten of these flimsy mounted archers!"
"That I would agree," Marcus said, "Once we run them down, they'll be easy prey for our lances."
"And that's precisely what they want us to do," Drake replied calmly.
"What?" Everyone within earshot instantly crowded around him, "But why?"
"So what are we supposed to do?" Hector roared.
"Simple," Drake said, "We do exactly what they want us to do."
"Sounds good," Dart said, just joining the conversation, "So what's the deal, me fellow landlubbers?"
The remainder of the group looked from one to another, not sure which was more insane.
"Now listen closely," Drake said, gathering everyone into a small huddle, "Cavaliers, pay close attention…"
Uhai had been wary of this group's combat capabilities considering the landslide victory Hector had achieved over Damian in Badon. In truth, Damian was not a high-ranking member within the Black Fang, but his sword arm was certainly respectable. If the whisperers could be trusted, Hector of Ostia had beheaded Damian in battle within a scant quarter of a candle mark, scarcely breaking sweat. Well, that said a lot for their skill in arms, but how capable were they in tactics?
"We shall soon find out," Uhai said softly.
"Hm? Uhai, did you say something?" Savin, his second-in-command, asked him.
"Nah," Uhai responded, "You know the play, don't you?"
"Same as usual," Savin replied, "One leads, one kills. You had the dirty work last time, I get to drink their blood today."
Uhai shook his head, "Savin, your bloodlust will be the death of you. Try to rein it in more, will you?"
"I'll try," Savin said with a grunt, "I know, I know. It was because of my thirst for blood that exiled us from our tribe years ago. Where I earned the name Bloody Vulture…"
"Feast well," Uhai said, holding out a hand.
"Soar high," Savin clasped it and galloped off.
The two had fought well in earlier skirmishes and battles alongside one another. It was a well-known fact throughout the Black Fang that the Soaring Hawk prefers to lead his foes on a wild-goose chase while the Bloody Vulture will swoop down from behind and make mincemeat of those who are unprepared. After proving themselves upon various battlefields, Sonia had 'recommended' them to Nergal as potential defenders of Valor. However, as they continued to remove intruder after intruder, Uhai became dispirited with the blatant slaughter while Savin seemed to revel in the gore. This began the deepening rift that both sought desperately to repair in order to regain their former balance and comradeship.
The two of them had long practiced a particular pattern of attack that never failed them upon the dense forestry of Valor. One of them, leading roughly half a dozen riders, would make contact with the enemy and draw away as many mounted pursuers as possible, leaving the small folk to remain vulnerable. The other, directing the majority of their forces, would fall upon the hapless remainder; slaughter them quickly before jointly taking down the cavalry. Trapped in the marshes and rising tide, infantry had limited or nearly no movement whatsoever and the killing rain of arrows would quickly extinguish their lives.
Uhai was the one responsible for baiting their enemies this time, hence why he made contact with the enemy earlier. He had been careful to count the presence of the lords' cavalry force and was slightly dismayed at the four heavily armored cavaliers itching for battle. Regardless, their tactics had never failed before, and today would not be an exception.
Bursting from the trees with his light force of half a dozen nomads, Uhai and his warriors fired a quick burst of arrows into the war host struggling to escape the confines of the tides. Knowing their time was limited, Uhai signaled the retreat when he saw the cavaliers mounting their horses and preparing to give chase.
"So predictable as always," Uhai muttered, "Draw them away from shore as usual."
Striking spurs to their steeds, the nomads peeled away from the shore with the cavaliers hot in pursuit. The Sacaen steeds, unencumbered by heavy plate mail, naturally moved swifter and more agilely than the ponderous Lycian destriers. Though the knights would crush his force if they came to melee range, Uhai was confident they could easily outrun the enemy heavy horse.
As Uhai and his men entered the trees, the hooves of the pursuers slackened to a halt. A moment's hesitation seemed to fall upon them as they waited underneath the dense forestry; they seemed to be waiting for something that Uhai could not identify through the trees. As further encouragement, Uhai launched an arrow at the lead warrior, who managed to deflect his bolt with his shield. In anger, the cavaliers gave pursuit again, trying their utmost to catch the illusive nomads. Chuckling to himself, Uhai led them on their way once more. After a few twists and turns around intentionally planted trees, Uhai had left the enemy far behind him, though the jingling of chain mail betrayed their continued, if futile, pursuit.
Meanwhile, Savin watched with rising anticipation the enemy cavalry halted briefly in the forests before giving chase. Down by the shore, the straggling foot soldiers had managed to clear the strangling hold of the tides, but were still easily within striking range. Letting a wild war cry burst from his lips, Savin led his score of nomads charging from their position to bombard the lords with arrows. There was little the puny infantry could do except try and take shelter behind their supplies or their gigantic armored knight.
"Slay them all!" Savin crowed as he fired an arrow, watching in satisfaction as a man wearing a brown cloak fell with the bolt in the thigh.
"Ugh!"
Savin turned around in shock as the nomad to his left collapsed in his saddle with an arrow through his chest. His eyes widened in shock as he realized the enemy had no ranged units before him! So where did the arrow come from? Upon closer inspection, the arrowhead protruded out of his comrade's chest, so that means…
"Ah! Savin, behind…!" Another arrow silenced the interruption.
Savin finally managed to turn his horse to face the forests, and there he beheld two archers, a shaman, and a mage sniping away at his forces from the rear! Caught unawares by the sudden, devastating attack from behind the rear, nearly half a dozen of Savin's nomads had been unhorsed by the barrage.
Howling in anger, Savin led four of his nomads in a direct charge on the cursed ranged units. The mage, seeing the potential danger of an all-out charge, directed his flame towards the nearby trees. This produced enough smoke to, when mingled with the fog, provide a suitable smokescreen. Savin charged on with a naked sword in his hand even though the rest of his men had peeled back. He was at the edge of the burning pines when two lances speared through the camouflage to pierce him in the chest.
"C-cavaliers?" Savin croaked brokenly as he fell off his horse, "B-but, but how?"
"No one said we couldn't double back and ambush you," one of the cavaliers said as he drew a silver blade and ended Savin's misery.
Below, Savin's forces found themselves attacked from three sides, with a pegasus knight shearing through the clouds above to take them unawares, the infantry valiantly pushing up the shore, and the deadly pair of cavaliers wreaking havoc in their back ranks.
Florina sent a nomad crashing off his horse when she noticed another foe taking aim at her from the right. Panicking slightly, she lost her grip on her slim lance when she saw the bow leveled at her. At that moment, another rider flew through the clouds and smote down both horse and rider in one blow before landing beside Florina.
"S-sister?" Florina said in disbelief, "F-Fiora?"
Fiora gazed at Florina in shock, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here with Lyn," Florina replied, "And you?"
"…Revenge," Fiora said sadly, "Revenge for the loss of my entire flight command."
"Fiora…"
Miles away, Uhai was confused at the utter silence that surrounded him. A few moments ago, he had checked his party's progress when the distinctive clinking of chain mail ceased behind him. Turning back, Uhai led his men back the beaten path, passing obstacle after obstacle as they searched for their illusive prey.
"This makes no sense," Uhai muttered aloud, "Where have they gone to? We know this island better than they do, yet we can't locate them?"
"Uhai! There are tracks over here!"
A nomad was checking the hoof prints of the cavalier's horses, "They went this way! The dirt has been recently dislodged, so the trail is still fresh."
"Follow and slay them," Uhai said, "I wish to inspect these further."
Uhai dismounted and knelt by the tracks while his command set off. Peering at the marks beneath him, Uhai suddenly sucked in a breath.
"These tracks…" He murmured, "Two horses for sure, but one set of prints are deeper into the mud. That means one of the horses was carrying a lighter load than the other…"
"Indeed it was."
Uhai dived to the side, narrowly avoiding the thrown javelin from taking him in the back. Raising his head, Uhai saw a dismounted cavalier garbed in red armor advancing upon him with a drawn sword.
"A trap," Uhai realized, "And a clever one at that. How did you know that I'd be the one to stay behind?"
"I was entirely unaware," Kent replied, "But our tactician Drake foresaw that you would be the one, and I have come to trust his judgment."
"He knows quite a bit of Sacaen ways then," Uhai said, "Only the most skillful trackers and warriors lead a Sacaen war party, he was correct in assuming I'd personally inspect these tracks. Where is your comrade?"
"Probably headed back to camp by now," Kent said, "I shall do the same with your horse after I am finished with you. Now rise, draw your sword and face me!"
"Honor," Uhai said, "Something that is so preciously rare these days, even amongst the Black Fang." He drew a scimitar of his own and assumed a battle ready stance.
"I did not want to kill you with yonder javelin," Kent gestured at the blunted weapon, "That would assassination, a heinous act for a knight."
The two champions clashed with the fury of raging lions, each a skillful and powerful warrior in their prime. Uhai danced and parried, rarely staying in one location while he feinted and stabbed with his scimitar. Kent, on the other hand, was the epitome of a stolid swordsman, neither backing away or advancing, merely holding his own and applying powerful blows one after the other. Both Kent and Uhai knew that Kent's armor would prove to be a tough challenge for Uhai's scimitar, leaving Uhai the unfortunate choice of going for a finishing blow towards the knight's head. Uhai, though possessing great agility, would suffer terribly should one of Kent's sword blows make contact. In the long run, Kent would have the decisive advantage, since Uhai was forced to resort to constant movement to dodge Kent's sword, thus tiring more easily.
Chancing a deadly lunge, Uhai ducked under Kent's horizontal slash and delivered a furious stab towards the knight's face. Relief flooded through him as he saw red blood dripping down his sword, but that was quickly extinguished when Kent flattened him with the flat of his knight sword. When he struggled to rise, Kent leveled the sword tip at Uhai's throat, his bloody left hand still clasping Uhai's scimitar.
"A well fought bout," Kent said, "But I'm afraid I cannot spare you."
"Death may be preferable than this existence within the Black Fang," Uhai said.
"Then why did you join in the first place?"
"Ideals," Uhai replied, "When I first entered the Fang, I sympathized with their ideals and their comradeship. Now, it is only a den of snakes, eaten away from the inside."
"May you find joy in a future life," Kent said as his sword smote downwards one last time.
Upon returning to camp, Kent found the group in a frenzied state of action. Though the battle had ended in a success, the injuries inflicted by Uhai's detachment of nomads were grave. Many, including Drake himself, had suffered an arrow wound of some sort. The tacticians, Ninian, Matthew and lords were deep in council, Drake neglecting to treat his injury until the rest of the soldiers have been seen to, much to Lyn's displeasure. Kent caught Drake's eye and reported the success of his mission with a curt nod of the head.
Drake nodded back, "Well done, Kent. And by the way, see to it that Sain doesn't scare off our new recruit please."
Kent bowed slightly before leaving to attend his duties.
"Now that we have secured a landing," Cecilia picked up, "We can safely begin our campaign inland. However, we are currently uncertain when another Black Fang detachment will drop in on us for another skirmish."
"Did we manage to wheedle anything out of our captives?" Lyn asked.
Hector smirked at that, "That we did. The poor fellow started spitting out nuggets of information after Matthew threatened to skin him alive to avenge Leila."
"Let's hear it," Eliwood said.
"There are multiple fortresses that provide Valor's defenses," Matthew reported, "Of the paths leading to Dragon's Gate, the majority of them must pass under a nearby compound under the command of a sage named Aion. Unfortunately, given his strategic location on route to our destination, we stand little or no chance of passing him undetected."
"If we waste time sacking his defenses," Eliwood mused aloud, "Dragon's Gate will be more prepared for our advance. Somehow, we need to bypass Aion without alerting him of our coming…"
"Or we could lead him on a wild goose chase throughout Valor while the remainder of the army marches to Dragon's Gate," Cecilia suggested.
"That's a good suggestion," Lyn said, "But we don't know the lay of the land very well."
"That can be arranged," Drake said, "Cecilia, you take the primary contingent and head for Dragon's Gate, I'll take a strike force and occupy Aion's attention."
"Are you sure about that?" Cecilia asked, "I'm rather unskilled as a tactician and you are injured. Shouldn't you lead the attack on Dragon's Gate and I'll handle Aion?"
"You do not lack skill, Cecilia, you merely lack confidence," Drake answered, "And the fact that I'm injured adds to the decision since I will be unable to keep up with the column. No, I'd play a better role relegated to the side lines for this operation."
"Should I come with you?" Lyn asked.
"Probably not," Drake said with a grimace of pain, "My force will be traveling light and fast, probably consisting only of horsemen and flyers, and of course the rather lumpy cargo that I represent."
"We can ill afford to waste time here," Hector growled, "We need to hurry and move out!"
"I'll take Florina, Fiora, Raven, Priscilla, Lowen, and Marcus," Drake said after a moment of thought, "Is that OK with you?"
"I'm fine," Cecilia replied, "Are you sure that's enough?"
"They'll have no idea how small my force is compared to theirs," Drake said, "And there lies my advantage."
"So you'll meet up with us at Dragon's Gate?" Eliwood asked.
"Hopefully," Drake said, rising slowly, "If not, then we'll meet back here at the shore. After all, we all need Fargus to get off this rock."
"How do you plan on keeping Aion's attention off of us?" Hector asked, "If we're moving at double march, we won't exactly be prepared for an ambush."
"Guerilla tactics," Drake said, "We'll knock off a few sentries on the opposite side of the area from where you are marching, drawing his attention away from the main line. That should buy sufficient time for you to sneak by."
"We'll need roughly four hours to move around," Matthew thought aloud, "Think you can annoy them for long enough?"
"Maybe." Damn, why is it that every time I figure out a convenient way to kill myself, someone always intervenes? And why couldn't that infernal nomad aim two feet higher?
While the main group was preparing to move out, Drake gathered his team around him to explain their objectives. The majority of the group had been with him for many of the bloody battles in Lycia, and instinctively knew to follow his commands, no matter how ludicrously insane they were. Fiora, though the newest member, retained an air of calmness and dedication that rivaled even Kent. She voiced no complaints after seeing the level of trust between her sister and their commander.
"You have your orders, prepare to sortie," Drake finished.
Fiora and Florina took off with Lowen and Marcus following them towards the west with Priscilla in tow. Raven purposefully lagged behind to speak with Drake.
"You are different," Raven began, "Far different than the rumors."
Drake sighed, "I was forced to don that persona to convince you to join us and temporarily avoid coming to blows with Lord Hector."
"Then what about Priscilla?" Raven asked.
Drake's eyes turned cold as he spoke softly, "You know what I would do to her if you turned traitor…"
Raven matched him look for look, "And you know what I'd do if you even touched a single hair on her head."
Raven, however, could not emulate the demonic madness thinly veiled in Drake's eyes, "If it ever came to that, I hope you are confident enough to test your blade against the Curse of Caledonia."
Involuntarily, Raven shuddered as Drake limped ahead of him.
That should give you all something to think about while I slave away before my computer. Thank you for reading and please review if you have the chance.
(1) Cookie rewarded to those who can identify where that came from.