I'm back again. …Man, I hate not having a response section. Well, that's life for you. I will say thanks to everyone though. All these reviews and not one flame is good for my first fic. And for those who question the Ike-hater, he's the typical one-in-a-million guy, but he does have a purpose in a future chapter. Well, enough wasting your time. Here's chapter 5:
It was nearly noon, the day after the Black Knight's army decimated Mount Revlis. As a squad of laguz dashed to the southern border of Gallia, they chatted amongst themselves.
"So what did you think of that tremor last night?" an orange cat asked to a white one.
"Not sure," she replied, "There's never been an earthquake here before, but what else could have rumbled the ground like that?"
"I don't know. First Master Giffca's killed, and now the ground is rumbling. Everything's getting out of the ordinary." Fifteen minutes later, they arrived within view of the mountain. Rather, they arrived at the spot where there had been a mountain visible. Now though, there was an enormous gap between the two mountains in the range, with Revlis nowhere in sight. At this, the entire squad stopped.
"What in the world?" "It's gone." "The mountain's gone!" Several of the beasts murmured to each other. The pack leader, Thaldar from the palace, silenced them, as he smelled something in the air. The others followed suit, smelling several hundred dragons, which was several hundred more than a typical border patrol. Caineghis had warned Thaldar to watch for a dragon army, and ordered him not to fight if severely outnumbered.
"Attention troops! We have no chance against them. Prepare to retreat!
But as he began his retreat, the Black Knight eyed him carefully, despite them hiding in the trees. Weighing his options for how to best provoke Gallia, he gave his orders.
"All troops, there are beasts within the edge of that forest. Kill all but the leader." The dragons immediately went forth, and the Knight watched as the Gallians were killed as easily as stepping on ants. "Perfect," he said when it was over. "That pack leader will report the dragons and destroyed mountain to the lion king, and he'll mobilize all troops. Daein and Crimea still need to be properly provoked, and the bird islands as well… Attention!" he called to his dragons as they returned, "You shall now be split up. All red dragons, guard the border and await further orders. All yellows, follow me. All whites, attack Phoenicis, but only to the point that they recognize Goldoa as a threat. All blues, do the same to Kilvas. You have your orders. Move out!" The dragons moved without a word, and one of the human soldiers approached the knight.
"Excuse me, sir knight, but is it really wise to seperate our forces like this? These half-breeds aren't nearly as useful divided."
"You have a point, but that's what I'm counting on. If I moved forward with all of them, the nations would fall too quickly, and this wouldn't embroil the entire continent at once. No, it's best to attack with a smaller squad, to give the other nations enough time for them to declare war. You're smart to recognize their strength in numbers; I'll leave things in your hands while I guide the yellows to Crimea and Daein."
"Yes sir! It would be an honor."
Meanwhile, in the palace of Goldoa, King Deghinsea was meeting with the only others who resisted the medication, and giving them instructions to help stop the Black Knight.
"…And that is Lehren's prophecy" the King concluded. Being with others in their full mind let him speak clearly. "You must present it to General Ike of Crimea, for he is the one it spoke of."
"But father," Kurthnaga pleaded, "What about you? You must come with us."
"No. I am Goldoa's king. My place is here, with my people. This is a task for you. Ena, Nasir, can I count on you to watch over my son?"
"Yes, my king," Nasir responded. Unlike the royals, whose bloodline allowed them resistance, he and Ena were in their right minds due to vaccinations received when working with Daein.
"Good. Now, I must transfer my strength to you, my son," he said to Kurthnaga. "You'll need it to completely throw off the poison."
"What will happen to you?"
"I'll become like the others." Kurthnaga gasped at this, but Deghinsea continued, "It is vital that you remain yourself, or else the world may not survive." Kurthnaga said nothing, and then nodded slowly, holding back tears. "Very good," the king said as he embraced his son. His last words were, "Go now, and remember, the future is in your hands. I wish you the best of luck." and became silent, giving Kurthnaga his strength and losing his soul like all of his subjects.
"Father!" the prince cried, but got no reply.
"…Let's go. We must move as quickly as possible."
"…Right," the Prince replied. "Goodbye, father," he said as he left.
When they left, Nasir asked his granddaughter, "Ena, are you sure you want to do this?"
The red dragon replied, "Yes. Rajaion has been warped yet again, and I have to do whatever I can to help him. If that means leaving his side to guard the prince, so be it."
"I understand."
The following forty-eight hours went by quickly. Sephiran and Sanaki began and continued the bureaucratic nightmare involved in mobilizing without provocation. The Greil Mercenaries arrived home and Ike went back to sulking. The Knight led the yellow dragons through the sea of trees without seeking out Gallians. Kurthnaga and the others moved very slowly, with only each other to boost their speed. One group, however, finally arrived at their destination.
"We finally made it," Lethe said as Melior came into view.
"Now we must tell Queen Elincia about the Black Knight," Mordecai acknowledged.
"Yes, let's get moving," Ranulf agreed.
When they arrived at the palace, one of the guards met them. "What brings Gallian warriors here at a time like this?"
"We must speak with the queen. It's urgent." Ranulf showed the guard Caineghis' crest, and the guard acknowledged it.
"Right this way."
They walked through the marble halls, so well kept that you'd never guess there'd been a battle within them. They arrived at the throne room, and the guard bade them farewell. When they entered, it was to find the queen discussing something with her retainers. When she noticed them, she greeted them happily.
"Ah, Lethe, Mordecai, and Ranulf. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I'm afraid this is more than a social call," Lethe replied, "We have grave news."
Elincia turned serious, as did her retainers. "I see. Very well, what is it?"
The beasts told the story, and Elincia and the others listened carefully. When the Black Knight was mentioned, their eyes narrowed but they didn't interrupt. Upon the message's completion, silence enveloped the room.
"…All of this is definite?" the queen asked.
"Yes." Mordecai replied simply.
"Tell me, why does King Caineghis suspect Goldoa?"
"He's given no reasons," Ranulf replied.
"…Very well. King Caineghis deserves the benefit of the doubt. I'll begin to mobilize the army, but I can't declare war without more proof. I'm sorry."
"I understand, but be watchful. Your proof will likely come soon."
"If that is all, can I interest you in a room?" she offered.
"No," answered the tiger, "We must go to Ike and tell him too."
"…um…Yes of course. Good luck." she had once again been reminded of Ike, but forced him out of her head.
"We'll see each other soon, most likely," Ranulf said as he and the others left to continue their mission.
Only an hour later, the Black Knight and his dragons reached Crimea's border.
"Excellent," he said. "It's about time I gave Crimea a reason to assemble their forces. Sir Geofferey should still be in Trivis, if intelligence is correct. He'll make a good messenger. Ha ha haa ha haaa!"
And that's that. Surprisingly, Ike's only mentioned in passing. If I didn't know better, I'd think he wasn't the star. I'm getting really ticked that it's taking so long for him to do something productive (and that's sad, because I'm writing this). Still, it's progressing nicely, I hope. Crimea's about to meet the Black Knight's forces, and the continent is closing in on war. Tell me what you think. Until next time.