Disclaimer: I don't own FE and such stuff
To Draknal: Thanks for the tips, I'll keep those in mind. And the only actual rape story is the Pegasus girls. Since most of them will be getting pairings, though, I might have to write those again in each girl's POV.
To Ayumi187: Thanks for your tips as well. My English ain't that good, and I'm doing my best right now.
To Dairokkan: Yeah, I know, I kind of wanted him to be a bit more childish; like those anime annoying little brother figures, but since I don't know much about those, I can admit that I think my Nils is a failure. (
To everyone else, thanks for reviewing.
Hmmm...If I'm not busy today, I'll probably make another update.
New stats:
Lucifer; Mercenary; age 24 (Eliwood's tale);Weapon: Etherion
THE TACTICIANS' WISH
Eliwood's and Hector's Tale Chapter 1: Taking Leave/ Another Journey
One Year Later:
"What? But Eliwood..." Hector is arguing with Lord Uther.
"No buts. You're needed here, simply for political reasons," Uther told him, ending the argument.
"Fine! But remember, it's your fault if I run away!" Hector yelled angrily.
"...He's going to run away again, isn't he?" Uther asked his knights Oswin and Eiji.
"You can bet on that, sir," Eiji nodded.
"Shall we keep a lookout on him?" Oswin offered.
"Better yet, follow him. Bring Kyo, Lucifer, and Fiaa with you, too. And...I think he also deserves a punishment. Bring Serra along," Uther grinned evilly.
"...Oh, dear Elimine, no..." Oswin complained.
Now, Hector here has a reason to be angry. We'll find out what happened a few days ago, at Castle Pherae...
"Mother, I think it's time we go looking for father. He's gone for far too long without giving us word of anything," Eliwood confronted his mother.
"...All right. You've been asking me this for a while. But...please be careful, Eliwood. If...you can't find Elbert...you're the only one I have left..." his mother said, holding back tears.
"...Don't worry mother, I'll return safely, with father as well." He walked out of the throne room, and was greeted by Mark and Hilda.
"I presume we'll be leaving soon..." the shaman remarked.
"That's right. So let's pack up our things, and meet at the castle gates at noon," Eliwood instructed.
"Yes, milord," and Mark and Hilda went to pack up their belongings.
Eliwood, Marcus, Mark, and Hilda were assembled at the front gates of castle Pherae. "Let's go!'
"Well, everyone, let's just head towards the villages to gather information," Eliwood instructed his group.
"Hold on, milord. My man Lowen will also be traveling with us. I sent him to check on the villages for a few able fighters. Normally, I would not leave in such a small group, but...I honor your decision, milord," Marcus commented. The orange armored paladin then took the leading position in the group.
"I know, Marcus...but in her current state, I cannot deprive my mother of even a single guard. All the best guards went out with father...I...If anything were to happen to mother while I'm not here..." Eliwood trailed off.
"We understand, milord," Hilda walked up to him and patted him on the back. "It's a pity, but we all respect your decision. By the way, what's taking Lowen so long..."
Lowen rode out of the village with a young green haired girl at high speeds, not daring to stop. "LORD ELIWOOD!" the yellow armored paladin called towards his liege.
"Lowen, what happened?" Marcus asked the young cavalier.
"Bandits have taken over the villages! This is what they said: "We've all heard that the knights of Pherae have vanished, right? Well, your misfortune is my good luck! I have an announcement to make! As of now, this village is mine! Groznyi is your new liege! Now, bring every last piece of gold, down to the smallest fleck!"" Lowen imitated the bandits.
"We have to rid them of the bandits, then!" Eliwood remarked.
"We're ready..." Mark took out a flux tome.
The young green haired girl then walked up to Eliwood. "My lord Eliwood? I'm the daughter of the village magistrate. My name's Rebecca. The bandits came without warning. They're stealing everything! I beg you! Please help us!"
"Then stay here, Rebecca, and keep out of sight," Eliwood instructed.
"If it pleases you, milord, I would rather fight. I hunt almost every day, and I have some skill with a bow," Rebecca offered.
"We could use her help, milord. Our little group is lacking in ranged combatants, with me as the only one who can hit targets at a range," Mark commented.
"...All right then, but be careful, Rebecca," Eliwood warned the archer.
"...What's going on out there?" Dorcas said as he walked out of a nearby village, with another man. The other man was slightly bigger and bulkier than dorcas; he has dirty blond hair, with a little beard of a beard growing out of his chin. He also has a headband on his head. The bigger man had a blue shirt on, with the sleeves torn off, as well as matching blue shorts. He also wore short brown boots. They both see Eliwood and his group enter a skirmish with a small group of the bandits from Rebecca's village.
"Hey, isn't that Eliwood, son of the Marquess of Pherae?" the bigger man asked his companion.
"Looks like it," Dorcas replied.
"What's he doing? Hey, he's taking on those bandits. Protecting innocents? That's a right lordly thing to do, isn't it? Right, Dorcas?" the bigger man asked.
"...You talk too much. The lordling needs our help," Dorcas replied, waving for his companion to follow him.
"Right! Leave these mountain weaklings to me! I'm Bartre the Brave!" roared the bigger man, as he rushed into the skirmish with Dorcas.
Eliwood's group just finished off the bandits as Bartre and Dorcas arrived to join their group. "Lord Eliwood!" Dorcas called to the young lord.
"...Dorcas, isn't it? You were traveling with Lyn before..."Eliwood remarked.
"That's correct. Bartre and I would like to lend our services to your group, after we heard that you are going to look for Lord Elbert from your knight. How about it, milord?" Dorcas asked Eliwood.
"...Thank you; you shall receive your payments later. We need all the help we can get. Glad to have you with us, Dorcas and Bartre," Eliwood and Dorcas shook on the deal.
"...I think they're calling for reinforcements..."Mark commented, looking into the distance.
"Then I think we better split into 2 groups. One group will go save the village, and the other will take care of reinforcements. Lord Eliwood, Marcus, Rebecca, and Mark should go help the village. Dorcas, Bartre, Lowen, and I will take care of the reinforcements. Do we agree on this?" Hilda asked the group. Eliwood nodded, and organized the teams, and then they split up to take care of their objectives.
"...It seems that Mark was right," Lowen commented as he saw brigands running towards them. "TO ARMS!"
Dorcas and Bartre threw their hand axes at 2 brigands who were rushing towards them. It seems that in the year he wasn't seen, Dorcas has improved his aim greatly. His hand axe cut through his target's neck as if it was air, and hit an enemy archer behind him in his skull. Bartre's technique wasn't that perfected, but his throw was arguably stronger. The axe went through the brigand's heart and out of his back, having been thrown which such force, and hit the archer behind him in the chest. Lowen and Hilda just looked at them in awe.
Lowen dodged an arrow from another enemy archer, and tossed a javelin at him. The archer evaded it, but was chopped in half by a mighty swing of Bartre's axe. Dorcas spun into a whirlwind and cut down another brigand. Another brigand went behind the group to surprise attack them, but Hilda saw him and bonked him to submission with her heal staff. Lowen rode towards another archer, easily batting away arrows shot at him with his iron lance as if they were drunken mosquitoes. When he was close enough, he spun his lance, and thrust it into his target's gut.
"FLUX!" Mark chanted dark energy balls after dark energy balls at the many bandits in the village. "They just keep coming!" he complained, as he blasted another brigand with another flux spell.
"Where's the leader, Rebecca?" Eliwood asked the archer, as he stabbed his rapier through another bandit.
"I assume he'll be at the town square, collecting everything of value that the village has, milord," Rebecca replied through gritted teeth, launching another arrow at another brigand coming towards the group.
"Then let's move!" Mark called towards the group, blasting a bandit into his companions behind him, and exploding another flux ball into the ground to create a giant dust cloud. He created a small distraction, but long enough to get his team to move to the center of the village.
"What is this, a pack of children coming to play? You think you can challenge me?" the leader, Groznyi, laughed cockily as he saw Eliwood, Mark, and Rebecca ran towards him. He stopped laughing when he saw Marcus, who was covering the small group's rear. "What? Pheraen knights? But that's impossible!" Groznyi was surprised to see the paladin with the teenagers.
"That's him!" Rebecca pointed at the brigand in the middle of the town square. She was really angry, as her face shows, as she loaded half a quiver of arrows in her bow. "ARROW SHOWER!" Rebecca yelled, aiming her bow at a high angle in the brigand's direction. She pulled on the string to its max elasticity, and released it, sending all the arrows raining down on the brigand. Groznyi didn't notice what she was doing until the arrows started raining down on him.
'Damn,' he thought. 'They're only kids!' he tried to dodge and block as many arrows as he can, but at least half of the arrows shot struck him. He screamed in pain, and Rebecca shot an arrow through his chest, and another one through his skull to end his misery.
"Lord Eliwood? We give you our deepest thanks for saving our village from those brigands," a man from the village said as he walked up to Eliwood.
"Think nothing of it. It's a lord's duty to protect his people," Eliwood replied.
"Would that were true, milord. The good folk of Laus know no such protection. Their marquess, Lord Darin, is too busy preparing for war. He ignores all complaints of bandits and thieves," the man told him sadly.
"Preparing for war? Are you sure?"
"I would not lie, milord. My brother lived in Laus until a few days ago. His home was torched, and he had no choice but to flee here. According to him, Laus could go to war any day now. It's all the people of Laus are talking about."
"Lord Eliwood, if this is true, the situation is a grave one. If Marquess Laus is readying for war... His target is most likely another Lycian territory. Perhaps this is connected to Lord Elbert's disappearance," Marcus commented.
"My father and Marquess Laus? It seems a tenuous connection, but it's as good a start as any. Let us travel to Laus. We must learn more," Eliwood said.
"REBECCA! Where do you think you're going, young lady?" the man asked the young archer.
"Father...I...I intend to go with Lord Eliwood," replied Rebecca.
"Don't be ridiculous, girl! Lord Eliwood is not going on a picnic. He's riding into danger," the man said, trying to convince her not to go.
"I know that, Father. That's why I want to go. We owe him our lives, and I want to repay him. My bow may not be all that much, but I know I can be of service!" Rebecca said with conviction. Her father was about to say something, but Rebecca continued. "And, Father... I may meet up with my brother somewhere. You're the magistrate-- you have responsibilities. I... This is all I can offer. I need to do this! Please, Father! Let me go!"
"...You're as stubborn as your mother... You must bow to Lord Eliwood's wishes on this matter. If he consents, you may go," Rebecca's father finally gave in. Rebecca had a large smile on her face now. "Lord Elbert has always been kind of us. Follow his son with a true heart, Rebecca. Serve Lord Eliwood well, as I have served his father."
"So, you'll be traveling with us now, Rebecca?" Hilda asked the archer. Rebecca nodded in response. "That's great! I'll have someone to talk girl stuff with!" Both started talking and gossiping.
"...Girls..." Lowen commented to Mark, who nodded in agreement.
"Word," replied the shaman.
Meanwhile: Ostia
"MATTHEW! MATTHEW! Damn it, where is that cursed..." Hector called for the thief as he walked towards the back door of castle Ostia.
"I'm here, I'm here, milord," replied the cheery thief, walking out of the shadows. He had a VERY large sack on his back, and it looked like he was having trouble carrying it. "And here are your belongings."
"...Don't toy with me," Hector remarked. "There's more than enough things in here for one person."
"Well, to tell you the truth, milord, I also plan on going..."Matthew trailed off.
"Damn it! Did brother tell you to follow me?" Hector asked his vassal.
"...You could say that...and anyways, if you go out alone, there's no telling that you'll make it out alive..." Matthew said.
"What's that supposed to mean!"
"Well...after gathering your belongings, I noticed a few shady characters in the hallways. They were armed to the teeth, and a knight is blocking the back door. They seem to be waiting to ambush you," Matthew told him.
"Nothing me and my axe can't handle," Hector said proudly.
"No doubt, milord, in one on one combat," Matthew said, not wanting to anger Hector. "But...they actually seem competent, unlike bandits. It's like their movement is...organized," Matthew commented.
"...I'll have to see for myself. You can come along if you want..." Hector finally gave in, but said it in a way that wouldn't make him look like he's worried or anything.
Sure enough, as Hector walked onwards, he noticed the 'shady characters' that Matt mentioned. He readied his Wolf Beil. The characters are all cloaked in black, and they all rushed at him. Hector entered a fighting stance. A swordsman rushed at him from his right; Hector easily avoided a swing from his sword, grabbed him by the neck, and threw him towards another oncoming foe. He swung his Wolf Beil mightily at the 2 connected enemy units, chopping both of them in half as he dashed through them.
Hector sent Matthew to go in front of him to take care of the 'shady characters' in the farther parts of the hall. Matthew saw a couple of archers waiting to ambush Hector. 'Hmmm...'he thought. 'This could be a problem.' He moved stealthily towards the backs of the archers, and slit the throat of one of them. Another archer noticed that his companion's body has slumped against the wall, and was about to warn his comrades, when Matthew slit HIS throat. The archers saw nothing, as Matthew repeated this process over and over again until all the archers are dead. He walked towards the end of the hallway, and saw a powerful looking knight blocking the way. 'There's no way I can surprise him when he's facing inside the hallway. I'll have to leave him to Lord Hector,' Matthew thought.
Hector finally reached the end of the hallway, in a state of adrenaline rush. "WHO'S NEXT! I'LL TAKE YOU ON!" he roared.
"Calm down, milord. There's only one more enemy up ahead, but he looks like a formidable foe," Matthew warned him. "If you still plan on going ahead, you should be careful." Hector nodded, and walked towards the enemy knight.
"Who are you people?" Hector asked the knight, who stayed silent. "You're far too organized to be mere bandits." The knight still stayed silent. "You won't talk, eh? Then I'll make you talk!" Hector got into a fighting stance, and so did the knight.
Hector rushed at the knight at a very high speed. The knight didn't expect this from the bulky lord, especially in his heavy armor. The knight, however, recovered quickly enough to put his shield in front of him to block Hector's charge, and repelled the young lord back. 'Damn,' Hector thought, struggling to regain his balance.
The knight thrust his lance at Hector, who evaded it, and grabbed it under his left arm. Hector kicked the knight in his chest, hoping to make him let go of the lance. This plan failed however, as the knight blocked the kick with his shield, and pushed Hector back again. As Hector tried to regain his balance again, the knight rushed towards the lord, and thrust his lance hard at Hector's gut.
Hector put his Wolf Beil on the side of his torso to block the lance, which pushed him back even more. However, he did manage to destroy the tip of the lance completely. The knight swung his lance down at Hector. Hector rushed in, and parried it to the side with one of his shoulder plates, and swung his Wolf Beil down hard onto his opponent's skull.
"...Milord, what about gathering information from him?" Matthew asked Hector as he walked up to the lord.
"What? Oh, right, sorry...I was a spur of the moment thing," panted a grinning Hector.
The two walked out, to be greeted by Oswin, Eiji, Kyo, Fiaa, Lucifer, and to their dismay, Serra. "Lord Hector, what took you so long?" Lucifer asked the lord.
"WHAT? WHO SAID ALL OF YOU COULD COME!" Hector asked angrily.
"Lord Uther did, of course," Serra replied. "That means we get to spend time together! Isn't that great, Lord Hector?"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hector yelled, and started cursing his bad luck.
"You don't have to yell, sheesh!" Serra huffed.
End Chapter one of Eliwood's and Hector's Tales.
Please R&R!