Outside of Kathelet…
It was just after everyone had dinner…
Robin approached the sibling duo of Ninian and Nils. Although he wasn't trying to, his approach was concealed enough to not be noticed by the usually paranoid Nils.
The pair flinched in surprise when Robin suddenly called their names.
"Relax, I only want to ask a couple of questions." Robin chuckled at their alarmed responses.
"S-sorry, you scared us." Ninian bowed her head.
"Y-yeah, please don't sneak up on us in the future." Nils agreed.
"I just wanted to ask why the two of you were being pursued by those men." Robin shrugged.
"You're asking me?" Nils looked dumbfounded. "How am I supposed to know?"
"M-maybe they're trying to s-sell us?" Ninian timidly suggested.
Although their responses were not too unusual under normal circumstances, Robin had a gut feeling that the two were not telling the truth.
"I have my doubts." Robin finally voiced his opinion. "I'm thinking that it has something to do with the fact that you both are Manaketes. Is this not true?"
Ninian and Nils's eyes widened in surprise.
"H-how…" Nils sputtered.
"Well, let's just say that you are not the first pair of Manaketes I've encountered before." Robin chuckled. "There is no need to fear. The others will not know, and I have nothing against your species. In fact, some people close to me are Manaketes themselves."
Ninian and Nils hesitantly looked at each other.
"W-we do not doubt your intentions." Ninian finally said. "The fact that we could not detect you as you approached us is proof enough that you mean no harm… at least not right now. Yes… we are what humans call Manaketes. However… it has been a long time since anyone has called us that."
"Well, if you are being pursued because you are Manaketes, then I have an offer for you: come with me when I return to my homeland. There, you will find a safe place to call home, where a few Manaketes already live. If you would like, I can bring you with me."
Ninian and Nils looked at each other again.
"Thank you for your generosity, but we must decline at this time." Nils finally said. "There's… something in Elibe that we still have to do."
"I see…" Robin sighed, although not from disappointment. After all, this was something that he had considered. "Well, no problem, I just wanted to let you know that you have the option. If you want to take up my offer, just let me know at any point."
"Why did you refuse so quickly?" Ninian asked her brother once Robin was out of earshot. "A place where we can call home without being chased sounds n-nice… Not to mention, it sounds like there are others like us already living there..."
"Have you forgotten Ninian!? Our home is on the other side of that gate! How are we supposed to ever return home if we leave Elibe?"
"I-I guess you're right…" Ninian sighed "But…"
'But what if we're never able to go back?' These words were not voiced aloud.
Actually, Nils had these same doubts himself.
The Next Day, Kathelet...
A suspicious looking figure darted around the alleys, looking left and right for signs of being followed. Noticing nothing out of the ordinary, he stopped in front of an inconspicuous house and entered.
"Matthew!" The familiar voice of the young lord called to him. "How has it been?"
"Lord Hector!" The figure removed his hood and bowed. "I have… news to report."
"Well?" Hector seemed interested. "Good news? Bad news?"
"I'm… afraid I do not know." Matthew replied hesitantly. "I can certainly report the facts, but I honestly cannot determine whether it is something to be relieved or concerned about."
"I see… well, no matter. These things are not up to us anyways. I'll just pass the message to my brother and let him decide what to do with it."
"I think that's for the best."
"So what is it?"
"Well… first there is the issue of Caelin… it's as Milord Uther suspected… It's an inheritance dispute. And it's clear that Lundgren is serious; they were attacked in Araphen."
"Araphen!?" Hector was visibly surprised. "Considering the good relationship between Caelin and Araphen, that is extremely alarming. Can you tell me about it?"
"Certainly…"
Matthew proceeded to give a detailed explanation of the situation in Araphen, starting with how he was integrated into Lyndis's group, ending with when they left Castle Araphen.
"I see… so Marquess Araphen turns out to be a lout." Hector scratched his chin. "Although… your description of the battle almost makes it sound staged… could it be possible that Lundgren and the Marquess set the whole situation up? For Lundgren, the benefits are obvious, and Marquess Araphen has always been known for his… chauvinistic tendencies. I wouldn't be surprised if he agreed to Lundgren's demands just for the chance of placing his boot over the Sacaen girl's head."
"I have that same suspicion, milord." Matthew nodded in agreement. "It seemed that for the Marquess, they suffered zero fatalities, which I found odd. Many light injuries, but no deaths... almost as if the attackers were not seriously trying to kill them."
"And if that's the case, the Marquess would not even need to tell his men about the plan. After all, Lundgren stands to gain much more, so the costs for his side should be higher accordingly." Hector finished the theory.
"However, there is another piece of crucial news I wish for you to pass to Lord Uther…" Matthew continued.
"I'm listening…"
"There is a man helping Lady Lyndis by the name of Robin…"
"Robin, huh? Never heard of him."
"Yes, well, normally, it's not surprising for someone in Lycia to not be Lycian… however, Robin seems to not be from Elibe at all! A large proportion of our victories seem possible due to his leadership. And here is the most concerning part: although he claims to be a tactician and has the skills to back it up, he's also knowledgeable enough in magic to instruct one of Count Reglay's students, and also skilled enough with a sword to rival Lord Uther himself."
"Strong enough to rival my brother? That's some pretty high praise. Still… I think you're right to be concerned. However, if he's helping in a Lycian succession dispute, there's a sliver of chance that he may not be hostile to Lycia."
"But there's also a possibility that he's trying to influence Lycian politics from within." Matthew pointed out. "With someone like this, we should definitely exercise caution."
"You're right." Hector agreed. "I was merely thinking about the best case scenario. By the way, how are you explaining your absence?"
"I told the rest of them I would just be stopping for some information." Matthew shrugged. "And that I'd catch up with them shortly. I've met with the others already, so I've got plenty to share with them to at least seem convincing. If needed, Serra can also cover for me."
"Serra…" Hector facepalmed. "Good lord… I feel bad that you have to accompany her all this time."
"Yeah, it's not exactly the most pleasant." Matthew gave a wry chuckle. "However, I will admit, she is useful on occasion…"
"Well if that's that, then you should probably return. I'll pass your words to my brother."
"Thank you milord. Then I'll be taking my leave."
Several days ago, Castle Caelin…
"Commander Yogi…"
"Yes milord?" An Armored Knight responded.
"According to my sources, there is an extremely dangerous man accompanying my brother's granddaughter." Lundgren informed him.
"Milord! I will use absolute caution to ensure the success of the mission."
"Yes, yes, but I want you to CAPTURE him, understand?"
"Milord?"
"I have reasons to believe that this man was hired by Lyn recently. This means that as long as we offer him more than whatever the nomadic bitch offered him, he might join our side. Even if he's been seduced by that mongrel, we can just throw more money and women at him until he cannot refuse anymore… what's the use of ruling over Caelin if I cannot squeeze taxes out of all its citizens? After we kill Hausen's granddaughter, acquiring his services will be the next step to defeating Ostia, understand?"
"Yes, milord! I will use everything in my power to detain this man, and not kill him. ...By the way, milord, what does this man look like?"
"I… cannot say…" Lundgren frowned. "To be safe, just try and capture all of them alive. We can always sort out who to kill and who to let live later. Hell, if Kent and Sain renounce their claim, I would be happy to welcome them back as Caelin's knights. So long as they agree to follow my rule, of course. And although unnecessary, I would certainly love to kill Hausen's granddaughter myself."
"Then, what about the ballista? If the aim is to capture them alive, shooting them from a distance would be counterproductive, would it not?"
"That is a good concern…" Lundgren agreed. "However, we only need one man alive. And that man should be impossible to kill from the distance using only the ballistae. So it should be fine. Proceed as planned. But be warned, he is highly capable. Tell your men if they so much as blink at the wrong time, their lives may be forfeit."
"Y-yes sir!"
"I'm counting on you, Yogi… complete this mission successfully, and it will be well worth your time..."
With Lyn…
"Look, Robin! The mountains seem so far away now!" Lyn was visibly excited, or perhaps jittery was a better description. "We've come such a long way…"
"Yeah, I'd wager we're no more than a few days away from Caelin by now." Sain grinned. "Oh, I can't wait to see the look on that treacherous Lundgren's face when we show up!"
"Just by returning home, we'll make everything we've been through these last few weeks absolutely worth it." Kent agreed.
"By the way, where did Matthew go?" Erk asked. "Call me crazy, but it's a little unsettling when you can't find him. I feel like he'll pop up when I least expect it."
"He went to ask the locals for news." Serra explained. "Staying in the loop is very important for someone like him. But don't worry, he says he'll catch up with us, even if we are an entire day ahead of him."
"Traveling alone is always faster than in a group." Robin agreed.
"And with how scrawny and slippery that fella' is, surely it won't take him very long to catch up." Wil also nodded.
"U-um… I could always pick him up…" Florina offered.
"Nah, let him be." Serra scoffed. "He needs to stay in shape anyways… Hey! Stop looking at me like that, Erk! Those were his words, not mine!"
"I didn't say anything, did I?"
"It isn't what you said, it's what you did!"
"Good lord, why couldn't I have just refunded-"
"Ah!" Everyone instantly became alert at Ninian's sudden cry.
"Milady, don't move!" Nils urged Lyn.
Lyn, who was walking near the front of the formation, immediately halted her footsteps. Mere moments later, around a dozen massive bolts landed anywhere between an arm's length and a few meters in front of them.
"W-what the-" Lyn was shocked. "W-where did these come from?"
"They have ballista!" Kent exclaimed in surprise.
"Lundgren is getting serious." Sain scowled. "If they have siege weapons set up, it meant they have been planning this obstruction for a long time."
"Wh-what is a ballista?" Florina asked.
"It's basically a large bow." Sain explained. "This is extremely important: Stay on the ground. If you take flight, they will easily shoot you down. They almost hit us, and we can't even see where they shot at us from."
"Y-yeah…" Florina nodded, looking a couple shades paler.
"That's strange…" Robin furrowed his brows.
"What's wrong?" Lyn asked.
"They shot at us from so far away… I guess we were just about to enter their range. I couldn't even detect their presence yet."
"Well, yeah. If you have range, then you might as well use it, no?" Sain asked.
"But that's not the best way…" Robin tried to explain. "Assuming they have more ballistae bolts so that they could fire more than one from each machine. If they were experienced at using them, a second volley should have been launched by now. Except, now we know to be more careful…"
"Uh, I'm not really following…" Lyn admitted.
"Let me put it this way. If we were just about to enter their range, they miss a volley, we stop moving forward, we don't get hit, right?"
"Sounds right." Wil nodded.
"Since we wouldn't have known about the ballistae anyway, suppose we kept moving forward for a few more minutes… then they opened fire. Whatever direction we run in, they could continue to shoot at as, no?"
"Then…" It was Lyn's turn to pale.
"We'd be testing our luck, with our lives on the line." Kent translated.
"Then they must not be very experienced." Dorcas suggested.
"Or… they weren't trying to kill us." Robin scowled. "If they made the effort to set up that many siege weapons, I'm sure there is at least one person that is knowledgeable in how to use them best."
As if on cue, several platoons of soldiers approached them.
"Lay down your weapons and come quietly!" An Armored Knight called to them. "I have orders to be merciful; We won't kill any of you as long as you surrender peacefully."
"We refuse." Lyn replied as everyone prepared for an armed conflict.
"Unfortunate." The Knight let out an exaggerated sigh. "You think you can beat all of Caelin's military with just that ragtag group of yours? Just remember, I tried to give you an out. Soldiers, attack!"
"No one move forward!" Robin held his arms out to prevent Kent and Sain from riding out to meet the enemy soldiers. "We don't have the manpower to fight against them head on!"
"What do we do then?" Sain asked. "They're going to surround us if we just sit here!"
"We have to slowly whittle down their forces from a distance." Robin explained. "With their numbers, we lose even if we take out a dozen soldiers each."
"They have that many people?" Wil asked. "It certainly doesn't look like it."
"Trust me, they have more people incoming as well." Robin explained. "We have to kite them around as we slowly retreat."
"Retreat!?" Sain wasn't sure he heard Robin correctly. "How are we supposed to reach Caelin unless we push through here?"
"Sain is right." Kent agreed. "If we want to take a detour around these mountains, it might be another few weeks before we can reach Caelin. And that's assuming we don't run into any other problems along the way."
"They simply have too many people." Robin sighed. "And even if we can win this battle, we still have those ballistae to worry about, remember? So, please listen to me, let's retreat and regroup. We can come back after we formulate a better plan."
There was a short moment of awkward silence.
"...let's listen to Robin." Lyn finally decided. "He hasn't been wrong in the past. If he thinks this battle is too difficult to win with our current circumstances, then let's retreat for now."
"Milady?" Kent asked.
"I'm just as anxious as you when it comes to reaching Caelin…. But it would not do us any good if we are defeated here."
"...You're right, I got ahead of myself." Kent finally sighed in agreement.
As a result, the group turned backwards towards the direction of Kathelet. Erk, Robin and Wil often shot attacks towards their pursuers, until they eventually gave up the chase.
"Commander Yogi, they seem to be getting away…" A soldier reported to the Armored Knight.
"That's fine. As long as they don't get past us, they won't be able to reach Caelin. It's a victory if we delay them long enough for the Marquess to kick the bucket. If they try to go around, it would take them far too long. Surely, Kent and Sain should know this for a fact. Give the order to retreat. Let everyone rest up. This will certainly not be their only attempt to get past us."
"Yes sir!"
Even after the troops chasing them had disappeared from their field of vision, Lyn and the others still kept retreating for a good amount of time to ensure that they would not be caught off guard when they began to rest.
"Ok... " Lyn panted, slightly out of breath from running. "What… do we do now?"
"This is going to be difficult, I won't lie." Robin sighed. "Even if their soldiers are not very strong, they can still win through sheer numbers. And what's more, the ballistae will be hard to deal with… however, I don't think it's impossible. Give me some time, I'll come up with something. For now, let's just take a rest."
Ninian, who didn't have to run like many of the others as she was riding behind Kent, began to pass out canteens of water to the others.
While they were resting, Matthew caught up to them.
"Huh? Is this really how far you've gotten?" Matthew asked once he regrouped with everyone. "Not gonna lie… I thought I'd have to run for a little longer…"
"We ran into some soldiers from Caelin… so we retreated." Lyn explained.
"Ah, I see. You realized it was hopeless unless I was here, so wisely, you chose not to take the fight."
Wil chuckled and Dorcas snorted at the ridiculous claim.
"So… how did your information gathering go? Did you find anything worthwhile?" Lyn asked.
"First… Marquess Caelin really is unwell… He's been abed for over a month now."
"Oh no… grandfather…"
"I heard a really interesting rumor about his condition, though. The people seem to believe that someone has been poisoning the marquess."
"He's been poisoned!?" Lyn asked in shock. "By who!?"
"Well, everyone's too afraid to actually mention a name. However, the facts are that a certain noble took control of the castle as if it were his own as soon as Marquess Caelin fell ill. I fed a couple shady people some coin, and they gave me the name of the culprit: the Marquess's own brother, Lord Lundgren."
"That conniving son of a-" Sain began.
"How can this be? If the people all know he is doing this, why are they not doing anything about it?" Lyn asked. "Even the villagers know he is poisoning my grandfather, and yet no one raises a hand against him?"
"They are afraid." Kent replied. "And they lack proof. The whisperings of common people are close to meaningless. And what's more, Lord Lundgren controls a large portion of Caelin's military."
"That's the truth of it." Matthew agreed. "And the marquess's loyal retainers are, strangely enough, missing. They've been awfully quiet about this whole thing. You could even say too quiet."
"...they've been silenced then." Robin translated.
"Bingo." Matthew snapped his fingers and pointed at Robin. "And so, Lord Lundgren pretty much has all of Caelin's resources to throw at us."
"This is beyond believing…" Kent shook his head. "I knew we'd have some resistance… but surely no one would've expected that many people to stand in our way."
"The worst news is yet to come." Matthew continued.
"What!?" Sain groaned. "There's more?"
"An imposter has appeared, claiming to be the marquess's granddaughter… at least, that's what Lundgren is telling to anyone that would listen."
"What does that mean?" Lyn frowned.
"It means that people are waiting for two traitorous knights and a baseborn child to appear and lay claim to Castle Caelin." Matthew clarified.
"But… that can't be!" Sain protested.
"Traitors? Us!?" Kent was equally as upset. "Ridiculous!"
"He says I'm an imposter?" Lyn frowned.
"Do you… have anything to prove your lineage?" Robin asked.
Lyn shook her head. "My mother didn't bring anything from Lycia when she came and joined the Lorca."
"Hmm… then this will be extremely difficult." Matthew cupped his chin. "Not only will we have to deal with Caelin's soldiers, the people employed by the other marquesses would be obligated to capture and turn you in, since the three of you have been branded as oathbreakers and imposters."
"What!?" Serra exclaimed. "Does that include-"
"Ah, I misspoke." Matthew quickly corrected himself. "Since we all know the truth, or at the very least believe Lyn instead of Lundgren, his proclamation is something we can all ignore, however, for anyone that doesn't know Lyn, Lundgren's word carries more weight."
"Then what do we do?" Kent asked. "We don't even have the option of going around Caelin's soldiers anymore. We'll just wander into the lands of more hostiles."
"However, I think we'll be just fine if we can meet the Marquess." Sain suggested. "After all, you resemble Lady Madelyn! Your face is your proof!"
"They'll just say we found a look-alike." Kent shook his head. "Still… I don't know if we have any other option. And that's assuming we can somehow make it past those soldiers."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Lundgren is petitioning for soldiers from nearby regions as well." Matthew added. "We're sort of in a bind…"
"Wait!" Lyn exclaimed. "Let's ask Eliwood for help! He seemed sympathetic to our plight, so if we talk to him, he might give us some assistance! He should still be in Kathelet…"
"I think that would probably be one of our best options." Kent admitted. "We aren't too far from Kathelet either; I estimate we can arrive before evening."
"Then let's go!" Lyn urged. "We've no time to lose!"
Kathelet…
Lyn and Kent had gone to meet Eliwood after their party arrived in Kathelet once again. Dorcas and Wil went off to purchase a few more supplies, while everyone else got the opportunity to take a good rest. Robin, still trying to find a solution to their major obstacle, found a secluded location to gather his thoughts.
'So… how are you going to handle this situation?' The voice in his head asked once again.
'I don't know…' Robin admitted. 'If it were Chrom and the shepherds, this would be a piece of cake. Unfortunately, not only do we have fewer people, but less experienced ones as well. To top it off, Serra is the only one that can use healing magic effectively… If I have to heal multiple injuries, my strength will be sapped extremely quickly.'
'Fighting alongside those significantly weaker is often troublesome… I agree." Grima concurred. 'But what if they weren't there to hold you back?'
'You mean, take on all those soldiers by myself?' Robin asked.
'You know, you could do it, right? It may take a long time, and it means you cannot afford many mistakes, but you're definitely strong enough. You've inherited my power, didn't you?'
'They have so many people that they could very well call for reinforcements before I'm through half their army… assuming they don't all group together for slaughter.' Robin countered. 'And I still have to be careful of those ballistae too…'
'So don't fight them during the day.' Grima countered. 'At night, you have an absolute advantage over them. Not only will it be harder to petition for troops to reinforce them, but the current soldiers will struggle to do their best as well. You'll also have all the time in the world to kill them all...'
'There's still the ballistae to worry about…' Robin reminded his conversation partner. 'Even if I can still see in the dark, ballistae bolts are not living creatures. It is much more difficult for me to keep track of them, especially if I also happen to have my hands full. Not to mention, it would also be a lot easier to deal with them if I didn't have to search the entire countryside to sniff out each and every enemy soldier...'
'I have to admit, you have a point there… but it's not exactly like there are many good options in this scenario, am I right? You can't afford to attempt a diplomatic route, that's for sure.'
'Well, maybe I don't need to kill them all…' A sudden idea popped into Robin's head.
'I'm listening..,'
'If I can disable all the ballistae under the cover of night, plus their observation towers, perhaps we could simply sneak past them… '
'Interesting… it does seem like it has a large chance of success compared to our other options, but need I remind you, once you sneak past them, you'll probably be surrounded on all sides.'
'I think that it should be fine as long as we can remove Lundgren from power in time. I don't think we have the resources to take on all of Caelin's military resources in an extended fight. Not to mention, we might not reach Caelin before the marquess passes.'
'I think that you should work out some of the details, but overall it's a pretty promising plan.' Grima gave his approval. 'Risky, but worth a shot. After all, at the end of the day, your life should never be under any threat.'
'Yeah, but I'd prefer to keep everyone else alive as well.' Robin chuckled out loud. 'Well, maybe Lyn is back by now, let's go back to the others.'
'You talk as if I have any say in the matter.'
Just as predicted, Lyn and Kent had already returned. Seeing Robin rejoin them, Lyn quickly filled him in on the details of their talk.
"... So Eliwood guarantees that we won't see any interference from Caelin's neighbors?" Robin asked.
"That's what he said. He couldn't provide direct assistance, but he could convince everyone else to stay neutral." Lyn nodded. "We really don't have any option other than to take his word for it. But this doesn't solve our problem by itself…"
"Right. Even if there won't be any interference, we still have to deal with Caelin's soldiers ourselves." Kent explained.
"That's my job anyways." Robin shrugged. "I think I have something planned out."
"You do?" Lyn's expression brightened. "Well let's hear it!"
"Keep in mind that it is not a plan without risks." Robin decided to warn her up front. "However, I feel that with our current resources, this plan gives us the best chance of succeeding such that, one, everyone survives and, two, we reach your grandfather in the shortest amount of time possible."
"Okay…" Lyn mentally braced herself for what Robin was about to say.
"Well here's what I was thinking…"
"You can't be serious!" Lyn exclaimed after Robin finished his explanation. "You want to destroy all the ballistae yourself?"
"I don't know of anyone else that would have the audacity to suggest something like that." Kent shook his head. "But because it's you, I have the feeling you can do exactly what you say."
"Actually, I'm not concerned about finishing my task." Robin admitted. "My main worry is that by the time I return, I'll be completely exhausted. The rest of you will have to sneak past the remaining soldiers without my help…"
"Still, I think if you can truly kill all of the night watch, sneaking past them under the cover of darkness won't be too difficult…" Kent pondered the idea. "I hate to admit it, but this plan seems a lot more likely to succeed than beating back Caelin's military forces by ourselves."
"I think we should try it." Lyn said with determination.
"It's good you have so much faith in me…" Robin chuckled. "But take a moment to really think it over… we could, quite possibly, end up fighting our way into an encirclement."
"But… as long as we can reach Castle Caelin, we should be safe, right?" Lyn asked.
"That's what I'd like to say, but I honestly cannot be certain at this point." Kent sighed.
"Well, I still think it's a better idea than just giving up. Let's try it."
"If you've made up your mind, then we'll leave Kathelet in the late afternoon. Tell the others to rest up, because they might have to march through the night. If we make it past Caelin's soldiers, we can find a secluded area to nap once we're safe."
"Got it… Kent, could you go tell the others then?"
"Of course, milady."
A few hours later…
The sun had finished setting, and the only light in the sky came from the moon. In the distance, Lyn and her allies could see the lights of dozens of torches.
Robin had gone over their planned route of infiltration. All the main roads seem to be under heavy surveillance, but there was a secluded mountain path that was only guarded at the entrance. Additionally, the path was located far away from the main road, meaning that they should have plenty of time before someone noticed something was wrong. After making sure Lyn and Kent understood the plan, Robin headed off.
"Do you think he can really do it?" Florina whispered.
"I don't doubt him." Wil shrugged. "If he said he was going to do it, he'll probably be able to."
"The way he disappeared into the night…" Matthew furrowed his brows. "I'd believe he'd be able to make it past the guards undetected, but will he really be able to kill all of them, as well as destroy the ballistae? Not to be that guy, but what if he just uses this opportunity to ditch us?"
"He won't do that." Surprisingly, it was Rath who came to Robin's defence. "Though I've only known him for a short time, I have a gut feeling that Robin will not resort to something so dishonorable. If the task truly were impossible, he would say so, not try and run away from it."
"Yes. I believe that as well." Lyn tried to look towards the distance, but even knowing that Robin was out there, she couldn't pick up on his location. Perhaps that was a good sign. "All we can do at the moment is wait for him to return."
Meanwhile, Robin, who had all but melted into the darkness, swiftly moved towards the first ballista.
'This method of travel can be pretty tiring…' he noted.
'True, you would never look to this option in almost any other situation…' Grima agreed. 'But if you want to travel fast and undetected at night, this is the best way to do it. Let's just hope there are plenty of targets at your destination to help whet your appetite.'
Soon, he arrived at his first destination. As expected, there were a few soldiers guarding the siege weapon.
'Not as many as I would have liked, but I suppose it'll have to do.' Robin internally sighed as he pulled out a dark tome.
'Enjoy your meal…' Grima snickered as Robin drained the life out of the Caelin soldiers, one by one. When he was done, Robin approached the ballista and slashed it apart with his scythe, Naglrath.
'That's one… now for the next one…' Robin began to search for the second group of unfortunate soldiers…
Less than an hour later, Robin had systematically destroyed all the ballista that were set up, as well as dispatching all of their guards. Unfortunately, he had expended an extremely large amount of energy in doing so, and was beginning to feel the exhaustion slowly sinking in.
"Damn it… why can't… all their soldiers just… be gathered… in one… location?" Robin complained at a noise level just above a whisper. "Or, at the very least… have dispatched a few more guards?"
'You're almost done.' Grima encouraged him. 'All that's left to do is eliminate the guards to the mountain path, and you can return to and rest.'
'Yeah…' Robin wiped the sweat from his forehead. He forced himself to push through once again. The guards in the sentry towers didn't know what was happening when their lifeforce was drained away after his sudden appearance.
Robin forced himself to shadow travel one final time before reappearing before Lyn and the others. At this point, he had no excess energy left, and immediately fell to the ground.
"Holy shit!" Wil exclaimed in alarm as Robin's body suddenly appeared next to him.
"Robin's back!" Florina frantically gestured towards Lyn.
"Robin!?" Lyn immediately ran over.
"The… ballista are… taken care of…" Robin reported in an almost half asleep state. "The rest… is up… to you…"
Seeing no more response, Matthew gently patted his head, and checked his breathing. "Hm… it looks like he fell asleep. Looks like something like that would take a lot out of a guy…"
"He did say something like this might happen…" Lyn sighed. "Well, since he's done the hard part for us already, we just need to follow his plan and sneak into Caelin… everyone get ready, we're going to start moving very soon… someone, please help Robin onto a horse..."
In the Caelin camp…
A young soldier woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall back asleep.
"Bah… all these night shifts are messing with me!" He finally got up. "They haven't come to wake me yet… so I'm guessing there's still a little more time before my shift… but since I can't sleep anyways, I might as well show up a little earlier. Might as well."
He slowly got dressed and put on his equipment. 'Bah.. my last set of clean undergarments… I'll have to wash some of my clothes in a couple of days...'
Nothing appeared out of the ordinary as he left his tent and headed towards his station. However, upon climbing into the sentry tower, he found multiple corpses, dead without even a weapon in their hands. It seemed that they had all died without even putting on a struggle.
The young soldier found that he may be required to do some laundry a little bit earlier than he had originally thought.
A short moment later…
Lyn and the others had just started climbing the mountain. It hadn't even been half an hour since they had passed the sentry post.
There was a loud, repeating, clanging sound that came from behind them.
"Damn, it looks like they've realized…" Sain gritted his teeth.
"We have to hurry!" Kent urged,
"Everyone, try to pick up the pace!" Lyn told the others, a hint of frustration in her voice.
They made it another half hour before the sounds of hoofbeats resounded behind them.
"There they are!" A voice called.
"We found 'em!" Another exclaimed.
"Damn it... " Kent drew his weapon. "It looks like we'll have to make a stand!"
Dorcas helped the unconscious Robin dismount from Sain's horse. "Ninian… Nils, come with me. I'll protect the two of you, as well as Robin. Let the others take care of the soldiers."
"Y-yes…" The two manaketes obediently followed the large man away from the impending conflict.
Although they weren't at a numbers disadvantage right away, Lyn and the others found it extremely difficult to fight due to the lack of proper lighting. They hadn't lit any torches or lamps in order to not be detected, but now that they've been found, it turns out to be a severe disadvantage.
But then again, this was also the reason Wil and Rath were able to have some early success. The Caelin knights who first arrived at the scene were carrying torches to help them see in the darkness, but they only served as indicators for where the two of them should shoot.
The knights that made it through Wil and Rath's arrows were intercepted by Kent and Sain. Anyone they had trouble with were cut down by Lyn.
Seeing what Wil was doing, Erk aimed a fire spell at an incoming knight, only to feel a hand grip him on the shoulder.
"Huh?" Erk was confused to see Matthew stop him from doing so.
"Think about it… if you use a fire spell to take advantage of the fact that those torches expose their location, ironically, you would just be telling everyone where we are." Matthew explained. "No offense, but it's probably better for you to hold off on the spells for now."
"Yeah, you're right." Erk admitted.
Frustrated, Erk picked up a stick, causing a chuckle from Matthew.
Through the coverfire from Wil, Dorcas was able to take Robin, as well as the Manakete siblings to a safe and secluded location before anything dangerous could happen to them. However, things began to take a turn for the worse once more reinforcements arrived.
"The regular foot soldiers seem to have caught up." Sain observed. "Soon we're going to be in a really bad situation."
"We don't need you to tell us that!" Wil complained. "And… hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm almost out of arrows."
"Here!" Rath tossed him half a quiver of arrows. "Don't use them too fast, I'm almost dry as well."
"Got it." Wil immediately exchanged his quiver for Rath's and got another arrow ready. "Thanks."
"Get Dorcas!" Kent exclaimed. "We're going to need him really soon!"
"I'll do it!" Serra immediately ran off to find the fighter.
Erk threw an Elfire spell towards the area where there were many troops densely packed together. "At this point, they've already figured out where we are! I'll try to thin their numbers a little!"
"I'll help as well!" Lucius launched a few holy spells of his own. Though not as destructive, it was still helpful in dealing with enemies on a one by one basis.
"There's so many of them!" Sain complained. "I'd be surprised if there are any guards left in the castle at this point."
Erk's fire magic proved to be extremely effective, as the Caelin soldiers didn't really have any cover. The fact that they were tightly packed made it extremely easy for a single spell to kill even ten to fifteen soldiers. However, the soldiers didn't falter, and Erk could not possibly keep up.
Dorcas arrived just as the brawling began. He quickly joined Lyn and the knights on the frontline. However, they simply did not have enough people.
"We're being overrun!" Sain exclaimed.
"We can all see that!" Kent gave a frustrated reply. "Keep holding on!"
"Our only hope is to make a run for it!" Wil suggested. "Begin to retreat, the rest of us will cover you!"
As a group, they slowly began to retreat in the direction Serra had run off towards. Erk repeated the process of casting a spell, then running while he began the incantation for the next one. A similar procedure was done by Wil and Rath.
However, it wasn't enough. The group was eventually surrounded.
"Ah shit, I'm out." Wil raised his hands, including the one holding his bow, into the air once he became surrounded and had multiple spears leveled at him. Being out of arrows, there wasn't much resistance he could put up.
"Easy there, I've got nothin'." Matthew raised his hands in the air as soon as he was surrounded. Rath and Florina dismounted and copied a similar gesture.
Things weren't as lucky for Erk. Even though his arms were in the air, a Caelin soldier still walked up to him and slammed a fist into the side of his head, knocking the poor mage out. To a certain extent, it was reasonable, seeing as he could still potentially pose a threat to them, given he was a mage. However, the amount of force used was still a little more excessive than what was needed.
On the other hand, Lucius got off relatively lucky. Perhaps it was the fact that his spells were clearly not as destructive. In fact, some of the soldiers hadn't even noticed his holy magic. Or, it was possible that they wished to be chivalrous towards someone they believed to be female. Regardless, no one threw any fists at him once the monk surrendered.
Meanwhile, the other melee fighters had their arms bound behind their backs, and were brought before the commander of the Caelin soldiers. Two soldiers (four in the case of Dorcas), one on each side, pushed them down onto their knees. Of the four of them, Sain struggled the most, although it was ultimately pointless, as he couldn't outmuscle two soldiers from a disadvantageous position.
"Well, well, well…" Yogi paced in front of his new captives. "What have we got here? A couple traitorous knights, and imposter, and their entourage… fortunately for all of you, the gracious Lord Lundgren is willing to forgive the two of you if you were to rectify your mistakes and condemn the imposter you've brought back."
"Never!" Sain spat. "She's the marquess's granddaughter, and I'd rather die knowing the truth than become that bastard's lapdog!"
"I would advise you to watch your language…" Yogi chuckled. "Take some time to think it over. Is it really worth giving up your life for this nomad whom you've only recently met? Why don't you take a good long rest and give us your answer once your mind has cleared?"
With a signal from Yogi, a man behind Sain clubbed him over the head, knocking him out.
"That was the mage right?" Yogi asked a soldier who was carrying Erk's unconscious form. Seeing an affirmative reply, he patted the soldier on the shoulder. "Well done. That's probably the guy Lord Lundgren wanted us to capture. Take him to the infirmary. After this mission, we'll all receive ample compensation..."
Just then, a scream came out from the woods behind them.
"Serra!" Dorcas exclaimed as he tried to turn his head towards the sound.
However, the soldiers restraining him misconstrued his action as a struggle for freedom, and immediately began forcing him back down. As strong as he was, Dorcas had no chance against the combined efforts of four soldiers, and soon his face was being pressed against the ground.
"You, my dear, have a special honor…" Yogi brought his face close to Lyn's. "Lord Lundgren has expressed his wish to execute you himself. Afterall, impersonating a marquess's family member is a very serious crime…."
Lyn had an angry expression on her face, but didn't say a word.
"Take her away." Yogi quickly grew bored, seeing no reaction from Lyn. A soldier behind her yanked her using her ponytail, and forced her to walk in the direction of their camp.
"I can do it myself." Kent insisted when the soldiers standing beside him tried to pull him up. He also began to rise and follow behind Lyn, who was being brought away. Kent let out a remorseful sigh. 'Is this really how things will end?'
Just then, a truly blood curdling scream, this time from a man, rang out behind them.
Elsewhere…
'Robin… you have to wake up… Robin… you're needed. Robin… wake up…' A voice repeatedly echoed inside Robin's head, rousing him from his sweet slumber.
'What…' Robin replied in his head in a half asleep state.
"Robin… wake up… your friends are in danger…'
Robin hazily opened his eyes. He blinked a couple of times and accessed his surroundings. Normally, one would have trouble seeing in the darkness, but this was not a problem for Robin. Lissa was struggling as she was being manhandled by a soldier of unknown origin. She desperately tried beating the soldier with her staff, but it didn't seem to have any effect other than to annoy him.
To his other side, Olivia and Ricken seemed to be holding tightly onto one another, cowering in fear of another soldier.
'That's weird… I don't remember the two of them having that type of relation…' a quiet, yet rational voice in the back corner of his mind murmured.
He then looked past them, towards the light in the distance. Though it was normally too far away for a human to see clearly, Robin's eyes zeroed in on the scene like a hawk, or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say an owl, given the time of day.
Robin witnessed something he felt was completely unacceptable.
Gaius, Sumia and someone else... Donnel maybe(?) were surrounded by soldiers, with spears leveled at their heads. A short distance away, Libra and Virion were experiencing the same treatment. Vaike had his face pressed onto the ground by four soldiers, and an unconscious Miriel and Stahl were being carried away. Sully was being pushed forward by a couple of soldiers, and…
His eyes focused on the greatest atrocity of all: Lucina was bound and being led away. And what's worse, the soldier leading her away was doing so by yanking on a fistful of her hair.
Something in Robin's mind snapped at this instant. He blinked, and when his eyes reopened, his field of vision was tinted red.
'These soldiers are acting in a way they should not be. These soldiers have done something that cannot be forgiven. These soldiers cannot be allowed to live.' These were the thoughts passing through his head at this moment.
Robin's body moved without him even thinking, and he reached out with his left hand. When he retracted it, he held the still beating heart of the soldier struggling with Lissa. The other soldier, who was previously terrorizing Ricken and Olivia, met Robin's gaze and screamed in pure terror. Without a single thought passing through his head, Robin reached out his right hand, and ripped the man's throat out. He, like his compatriot, fell to the ground, lifeless.
Without bothering to check whether or not his three friends were fine, Robin dropped the discarded organs of his victims and ran towards his beloved.
Meanwhile…
Rath, Florina, Matthew, Lucius and Wil saw something they believed should not have been possible.
Robin, almost like a feral beast, flew towards the Caelin soldiers, and began tearing through them with a curved weapon. Sometimes, he lashed out with his free hand between swings, ripping through both armor and flesh alike. A malefic aura surrounded him like a cloak, and was so oppressive that even the non magic users could notice it.
The soldiers flew into a panic, trying desperately to protect themselves against the onslaught of Robin, but were all cut down like they were straw dolls. Let alone trade blows with him, most struggled to even keep up with him with their eyes.
Bodies fell left and right, until all the soldiers surrounding them were all lying dead on the floor.
Wil met the eyes of Robin for just a brief moment. Instead of the eyes of a close friend, Robin's resembled those of a rattlesnake's… at least, that was the closest thing he could think of, given his experiences. And even that was not an adequate description, as even snakes did not have blood red scleras.
Wil fought down the urge to pull out his bow and shoot what he believed to be a feral monster standing in front of him, briefly forgetting that he had run out of arrows. Although it was not even a second of time, it truly felt like an eternity to Wil.
Robin dropped the soldier he had been gripping with his left hand. The soldier fell to the ground. He would never rise again with how badly his neck had been snapped.
Wil met the gazes of the others, and saw the same dumbfounded expressions on each of their faces. Deep down, Wil knew his face probably had a similar expression etched on it. As if purposefully done, there was not a scratch on him or his allies. In fact, not even a trace of blood splatter could be seen on their clothes, something that would have been unlikely due to chance, given how chaotically Robin had fought.
For once, Matthew had nothing to say about what he just saw. There were simply no words to describe it. He liked to think of himself as something wise beyond his years… someone who had seen much of the world and had a general understanding of most things. Given his occupation and wide variety of travel experiences, it was not too arrogant of him to think like so. However, what he had just seen was something no one on the continent could have experienced, judging by the equally dumbstruck looks on everyone else's faces.
'Lycia cannot afford to become that man's enemy, no matter the cost.'
Lyn did not have the freedom to move her head around. In fact, she had to stumble along in the dark just to make sure the tearing pain in her scalp did not grow. The soldier pulling her along was not particularly gentle, and Lyn simply could not focus on anything else at the moment.
This made it even more surprising when the soldier that had been next to her froze, and sprayed blood onto the ground in front of her. She felt some of the dense, thick, liquid splatter onto the side of her face as well. The grip on her hair also loosened, until she could freely stand up once again.
"R-robin!?" Lyn looked at her savior in shock, barely recognizing him.
Robin briefly gazed at her. Unable to detect any injuries on her body, he dropped his weapon and embraced Lyn in a hug. "I-m… g-glad you're… all right…" he choked out in a raspy voice.
"Uh… y-yeah… thank you…" Lyn nervously replied.
It lasted only for a brief moment. Robin immediately picked up his scythe once again and went off to pursue the other soldiers.
Lyn reluctantly acknowledged that her biggest regret was the fact that her arms had still been firmly tied behind her back, so she could not return Robin's gesture of affection. Unbeknownst to her, this would eventually lead to an extremely inconvenient misunderstanding.
Lyn and Kent slowly made their way back towards the others through the dark. By the time they arrived, Matthew and the others had come back to their senses. Matthew quickly drew a knife and cut the ropes binding their arms.
Lyn was able to put two and two together when she saw all the corpses littered on the ground. However, it didn't make it any more believable for her. She felt her knees grow weak at the thought of one person killing this many people in a short amount of time.
Once they realized everyone they had everyone, they began to head in the direction of Serra and the Manakete siblings. Dorcas carried the unconscious Sain over his shoulder, and Erk under his other arm. They spoke a very minimal amount, as most of them were still trying to process what they had just witnessed. Kent borrowed a torch from a dead soldier and led the way.
When they arrived, they found that Ninian and Nils were clutching onto each other, shaking and clearly terrified. Meanwhile, Serra seemed to be praying over and over again.
If it weren't for the two mangled corpses next to them, the scene might have even been slightly comical. As it were though, Florina had to block her mouth to stop herself from vomiting.
With some medical assistance, Erk and Sain quickly regained their consciousness, and were understandably confused. However, they seemed to realize they were safe, and let out a sigh of relief. Under the suggestion of Serra, they allowed themselves to let down their guard and rest for the time being.
The group decided that it was probably better to remain where they were for now. Interestingly enough, for everyone that witnessed Robin's slaughter of the soldiers of Caelin, no one could fall asleep even if they wanted to. They were as awake as awake could be.
Occasionally, someone would flinch from a sudden scream in the distance that undoubtedly belonged to one of Robin's victims. At some point, Kent and Matthew made eye contact and had a realization: Most of Caelin's military force was being slaughtered by one man, in one night. This realization sent chills down their spine.
Eventually, the screams stopped. After a few moments, everyone began to suspiciously look at one another. Not a single one of them was prepared for Robin reappearing in front of them.
Almost out of instinct, Kent drew his sword, while Rath drew his bow. Matthew pulled out his knife while Dorcas readied a hand axe. Even Florina reached for her spear.
However, Wil noticed that Robin's eyes had returned to normal.
"Th-they're all gone…" Robin declared in an exhausted voice. "You're… safe… now…"
He then fell to the ground, unconscious.
There was a moment of silence as no one was sure what they should do.
Lyn was the quickest to regain her senses. She went over to Robin's unconscious form. "Someone, help me get him onto a horse."
"Y-you…" Matthew stammered. "Are you serious?"
"Look." Lyn stared directly at him. "I'm just as freaked out as any of you. However, reality is that we may have just been saved by him. We can't just abandon him. After all, he didn't hurt a single one of us did he?"
Dorcas nodded to show his understanding, though he was still a little tongue tied. Not that he was particularly talkative in the first place. He immediately ran over to give Lyn a hand.
"Robin's given us the perfect opportunity to get past these people." Lyn continued as the two of them helped Robin onto the back of her horse. "Let's please not waste it. We can always grill him on the details when he wakes up. But for now, let's just get out of here."
"You're right, milady." Kent finally regained his senses and began making preparations to start traveling again.
"Wait." Rath interjected. "Wil… come with me. Let's try and retrieve some arrows from the battlefield. I know I saw one or two archers…"
"Y-yeah… you're right." Wil admitted as he got up to follow the Sacaen nomad.
"All right then. I know everyone is a little shaken up, but let's get ready to move once the two of them return." Kent passed some water to the others, particularly to those that were still shaken up by the entire situation.
Once everyone was ready, Lyn and her allies began traveling towards Caelin, leaving behind the corpses of her military. Once the sun began to rise, they found an area where they were unlikely to be discovered by Caelin scouts, or pedestrians for that matter, and settled down for a proper rest.
Author's Notes:
It's been quite some time since my last update, and I hope this slightly longer chapter somewhat justifies it. I've had to deal with some real life matters in the past month or so, so I haven't had quite as much time to write.
One thing I'd like to say: yes, I merged chapters 7 and 7x in my last update. Though I usually like to follow the script, I will make some adjustments if I feel it is proper/necessary. Though I always do the bonus chapters when playing the actual game, it does not make sense for you to ever do chapter 7x from a realistic standpoint. No matter how good of a Samaritan Lyn might be, it does not make sense to risk your life and spend your valuable time chasing after armed criminals for a ring belonging to someone you just rescued. They might not even have the ring, and Lyn really doesn't have time to waste when her grandfather is slowly dying. Anyways, I've made the executive decision to merge the two chapters, and so here we are.
Regardless, the 'tutorial' part of the game is beginning to come to an end, and I'm really excited to begin writing the more, well, exciting part of the story that I have planned. Make sure to follow so you don't miss it. And while you're at it, leave a review to let me know how I'm doing. :)