Hey all, been a few weeks. All in all I think I did alright for time, considering one of those two weeks was spent literally just playing Kingdom Hearts 3. Great game, would strongly recommend to any fans of the series.
Anyways, here you go!
Chapter 10: Failure to Communicate
I remember, once upon a time, on a planet called Earth, some science dude once told the world that time is relative.
Well this science guy must have been a regular Einstein, because I am noticing a serious discrepancy between my perception of time in this world and that of my home.
Which is to say: I'm pretty fucking sure the journey to Regna Ferox didn't take TWO FUCKING WEEKS in the game.
"I thought I was getting to be in pretty decent shape, but I guess I was mistaken." I sigh, plodding along and trying to ignore the burning pain of this obscenely long march.
"Oh come now, it's not that bad." Sumia laughs as she walks beside me.
"Easy for you to say, you rode in the cart for the first two days." I glare at her, but we both know there's no real venom in it.
"If my sister can manage it I'm sure you'll be fine." Chrom chuckles.
"Your sister's riding in the cart right now!"
"I'm sorry Ben, I can't hear you over how well rested I am!" Lissa gives me a dopey grin from her perch up ahead of me.
"You know Lissa, that was intended to be Sumia's seat." Chrom gives her a look, which Lissa responds to by flattening against the cart and clinging to the floor. For a brief moment the action reminds me of my sister, and I half expect Lissa to start hissing like a cat the way she would.
"Well, it's not like I'm using it." Sumia replies with a giggle. "After all, I have to look after my new friend, don't I? Yes I do!"
"And there she goes again." I sigh, looking to Chrom and rolling my eyes with a smirk.
"I can honestly say I'm too thrilled to see them getting along to be particularly fussed about the silly talk." Chrom beams.
"Understandable." The two of us look over to Sumia as she pampers her newly befriended Pegasus, completely lost in her own world.
The Pegasus was discovered on our third day of travel, and immediately took a liking to Sumia despite being half starved and terribly injured. The games say she has a way with animals, but I feel like it's more accurate to say she's some sort of Disney princess the way they flock to her.
Unfortunately for us, it still cost a day's travel for Sumia to have her new friend ready for the trip north. Unlike in the games, Chrom had no intention of leaving Sumia to tend to the Pegasus alone, and leaving her with a guard would make it all but impossible for her to catch up. Since the last Risen encounter our formation has tightened considerably.
I might have had something to do with that. There was lengthy ranting to Chrom and Robin on the impracticality of letting people trail as far back as Miriel did. Thankfully Robin took my side immediately, and Chrom agreed more discipline was needed. Frederick looked ready to dance a jig when we told him the news.
Of course, this lead to Frederick working us twice as hard after we lost time getting Sumia's Pegasus sorted out. A difficult pace that he has maintained ever since.
"How far off are we from the border anyways?" I ask, looking to Chrom.
"Yeah Chrom, are we there yet?" Lissa echoes, and my gaze flicks to her grumpily. Way to translate my perfectly valid question into whiny child language Lissa, thanks for that.
"I'd have to double check with Frederick and Robin to say for sure, but…" Chrom checks the sun's position and muses. "I think we're only a few days away."
"Sounds like we're doing alright for pace now then." I nod thoughtfully.
"I believe we're back on track, yes." Chrom replies.
"So we should start to take it easier then." I declare.
"That would rather defeat the purpose of working so hard to catch up, wouldn't it?" Chrom gives me a bemused look.
"Normally you'd be right, but there's something I believe you've forgotten." I give Chrom a serious look. "We're very likely to get into a fight at the border."
"Ah." Chrom blinks at that, taken aback, but recovers quickly. "Well I admit the track record of the Feroxi border guard did slip my mind. But Robin is helping Frederick determine our pace, and we both know Robin wouldn't forget such a thing."
"Damn." I snap my fingers and sigh dramatically. "Well it was worth a shot."
"A valiant effort indeed." Chrom chuckles, before looking back up to the sky thoughtfully. "Though we may do well to camp early tonight anyways, just in case. The weather's turning."
The weather Chrom sees coming turns out to be a sudden freak snowstorm. It starts to come down as we make camp for the night, and sends the Shepherds into a flurry of activity.
Tents are made in a hurry, then torn down and reset even quicker when I notice many of the trees in the area haven't lost their leaves yet. Living in Canada gives you good experience as to what can happen when snow comes early in the year. I've seen trees collapsed because they took more snow than they could happen, and when I relay that to the group they move camp entirely, settling near some pine trees further off the road.
As a general rule tents in the Shepherds are shared between pairs, but with the cold weather setting in it's decided that people will have to group up further. The tent that Virion and I normally share is cramped with Robin also squeezing in, but it keeps the accommodations relatively warm, which is far more important. The animals are bundled in blankets and sheltered under the trees, and Frederick frantically gathers a surplus of firewood to last us the rest of the trip, with some assistance from myself.
The end result of this is a great deal of exhaustion on my part, as I drag myself through the snow and am bustled into my tent by Robin.
"Hasn't really started to pile up yet, but it won't be long now." I report to Robin as I crawl to my corner and bundle up in my blankets. "Hopefully it won't be too much; if it really piles up our wagon could be screwed."
"We're far along enough that it shouldn't be an issue." Robin replies grimly. "It won't be easy, but with the Longfort only two days away we'll make it. The snow won't last this early in the year anyways."
"Which will mean mud instead." Virion glances towards his feet and grimaces. "I shall be weeping bitter tears for my departed footwear before long."
"Glad I don't have that to worry about." I glance down at my work boots gratefully. "These were pretty new when I got sent here, so I should be fine for years to come."
"For your sake I hope so, my friend." Virion chuckles. "I have little doubt the cobblers of our world wouldn't know what to do with those.
"No kidding." I look my other clothing over and frown. These clothes are the only physical thing left of my old life. If something were to happen to them I don't think I'd take it well. I wonder how long I'll be able to keep it all intact for. Did the alternate future me still have his jacket when he disappeared?
"Are you sure that will be enough for you Ben?" Robin looks over in concern as he settles in. "those clothes don't seem like much for this weather."
I bark out a laugh at that. "Robin, believe me when I say: to a Canadian, a bit of snowfall like this is laughable."
I wake the next morning to two things. The sound of a crashing tree, and the glare of a panicking Robin.
"That's the third one this morning!" He hisses, curled up in the middle of the tent in a cocoon of blankets. He turns to Virion in a furious panic. "How is he sleeping through this?"
"Virion will sleep through anything." I state casually, as I start dressing myself in my corner of the tent. "Any damage to our supplies?"
"I don't know, I haven't left yet." Robin replies, looking aside.
"You…" I pause to pull my sweater on. "Sorry, you've heard three trees fall and you haven't left the tent? That's not like you."
"In this cold? I'm not moving until I absolutely have to." Robin mutters.
"Robin, it's absolutely stuffy in here, you're mental." I shake my head in bewilderment, pulling my boots on and slinging my coat over my arm. "I'll go see what it looks like outside."
I hear him squawk frantically as I open the tent and can't help but chuckle. I know he's from a desert country, but his aversion to the cold still seems absurd to me. Then again I'm decidedly biased on the matter.
The air outside is cool enough that I pull my jacket on just to be safe, but there's really no danger. It feels more like the average autumn back home. And looks…
Honestly it's an impressive bit of work for one night's snowfall considering how early in the year it is. There's a nice layer of the stuff over almost everything, a little more than ankle deep. The tents were all properly canvassed, so the snow has slid off them, along with the evergreen trees. The rest of the world, for now at least, is a pristine white.
"Good morning Ben." Frederick calls to me from across the camp. "Have you also come to inspect the damages?"
"Yeah, figure I should get a report for Robin since the wuss won't leave his tent." I chuckle. "The poor guy does not deal with the cold well."
"Is that so?" Frederick eyes my tent thoughtfully, before turning his attention back towards the forest surrounding us. "Well, I think we can safely say that the fallen trees are far enough away from camp to not be an issue. Your advice last night has proven to be sound."
"Good to hear." I nod and look over to the only fallen tree I can see, about 50 meters away. "It's not something you see too often, even where I'm from, but when the snow comes faster than the trees can prepare for things tend to get ugly fast."
"I admit, it's not something I've ever seen happen in Ylisse." Frederick nods thoughtfully.
"Only seen it once in Canada, myself." I think back on that particularly disastrous snowstorm and wince. "Usually Mother Nature has a talent for getting out of the way before the snow starts, but sometimes she's a little slow on the uptake."
"Indeed, this has been an enlightening experience. A true meteorological anomaly." I jump in shock as I realize Miriel has come up behind me again.
"Christ Miriel, we've talked about this!" I whirl around in surprise and very nearly land on my ass in the snow. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Apologies. It would seem the snow has produced a dampening effect on the snow, which masked my approach." She crouches to the ground and prods at the snow. "I did not account for such an effect. How fascinating!"
"It would seem I shall have to devise a training plan for your senses, Ben." Frederick chuckles, "Perhaps I shall have a word with Kellam about it."
"Indeed, his talent for escaping perception is quite exceptional!" Miriel nods along in excitement. "I have performed several studies on the topic."
"Oh, it's nothing special really."
"AH!" This time when I jump, Frederick and Miriel join me. "Kellam, when did you get there?!"
"I've been here the whole time!" Kellam looks at the three of us in confusion. "I'm… I'm wearing orange!"
Miriel scrabbles for a notebook and starts writing at a furious pace. I look to Frederick and shrug helplessly. He can only shrug in return.
"Well as long as you're up, I'll get you and Ben to clear a spot for a fire pit. I will check on the horses and our cart."
By the time Kellam and I are finished clearing snow and setting the fire Robin has finally emerged, albeit reluctantly, and sits as close to the flames as he safely can. He's followed by Donnel and Sully, who both seem to have slept in more than usual. Stahl, Chrom, and Vaike all emerge from their tent together, the latter two wasting no time in dismantling their tent while Stahl helps cook breakfast. The smell seems to draw Lissa and Severa from their tent, the two dragging a still dozy Sumia between them. By the time Virion emerges from his tent breakfast is all but finished, and we pack up camp while he polishes off the last of the dried fruit and rabbit set aside for the morning.
Reaching the road again proves to be difficult, mostly due to the difficulty of dragging the cart through the snow over rough terrain. We had to move a fair distance from the road to remain safe from the trees, one of which fell over the best path back. While not especially large, the fact that the damn thing is weighed down by leaves and snow means that Vaike and I have to take our axes to it before we can move the pieces.
Of course, even once we reach the road, the snow and mud makes for poor conditions as well, and we have to reduce our pace accordingly. The horses pulling our cart struggle enough that we're forced to split some of the load between the Shepherds.
It starts snowing again a little after midday, though not nearly as heavily as the night before. This seems to inspire Lissa, who decides to make use of all the snow lying around by pelting me in the back of the head with a snowball. Of course, being the rational adult that I am, I decide the appropriate thing to do is to show her just what happens when you challenge a Canadian to a snowball fight. By the time things calm down we've dragged Sully, Chrom, Stahl, Donnel, Sumia, and even Vaike into the nonsense.
And so our least productive day ended with morale higher than it had been in days. Lissa certainly has a talent for lightening the mood, even if she doesn't recognize it herself.
The light snowfall continues all throughout the night and shows no sign of stopping well into the next day, hindering our progress still further. It feels like we're progressing at a snail's pace, and I find myself wondering just how many days this weather will delay us.
And then, just as the sky begins to grow dark, and I resign myself to another night camping out in the snow, we round a bend in the road and see it.
The Longfort is a mind-boggling work of architecture, in many senses. It stands as tall as the walls of a castle, despite being relatively in the middle of nowhere, and stretches farther than the eye can see in either direction.
It's also horrendously impractical as a fortress by all rights, due to the twin staircases leading to the top of the wall on either side of the massive gate. It's something I'd never really thought about in the game, but it seems a ridiculous design considering the purpose of the fort is to keep people out of the country.
Robin notes my questioning glance and nods along. "Apparently the Feroxi people seized this wall from Ylisse ages ago. They seem to have never seen the point in rebuilding accordingly."
"You'd think reclaiming it would be easy with that being the case." I frown thoughtfully. "Such easy access to the wall top is pretty damn counterintuitive."
"Consider that a testament to the strength of the Feroxi people." Frederick replies, riding up alongside us. "Reaching the top of the wall is an easy matter, but once you reach that point you are forced to fight with the Feroxi face to face. There are no circumstances better suited to them." He nods grimly.
"Their soldiers are that good, huh?" I stare up at the wall with trepidation.
"It is no exaggeration to say that their strength in a fight is the greatest in the world." Frederick nods. "The Feroxi are disciplined and strong warriors, as is suitable given the state of their land. They lack horses, wyverns, and Pegasi, but their foot soldiers are strong enough to easily counter this shortcoming."
"No mounted units at all?" I frown as I think back to the games. There's only really one point where you see Feroxi units, and it's right here. Hard to get a feel for the shape of their entire army just from that.
"Well, they do have their Griffons, but those are such useful animals that the Feroxi don't often use them in combat." Robin replies. "There's no animal better for transport. They don't have the savagery of a Wyvern or the agility of a Pegasus, but Griffons are unmatched in endurance."
"Ooh, I'd love to see one!" I grin. When I was a kid I always had a soft spot for Griffons. Hope I'm not allergic to their cat butts.
"With luck you'll have your chance soon. Once we've arranged our entry with the border guard we can enter and finally get some proper rest. You'll have time to look around then."
"Assuming they let us in." Robin sighs, advancing to the front with Frederick. "We mustn't forget the incident that forced Chrom to come here in person."
"Believe me, it has not left my mind for so much as a second." Frederick chuckles mirthlessly.
The three of us reach the front of the line, where Chrom and Sumia are waiting. From there Chrom leads Frederick and Robin forward to talk with the border guard, while Sumia and I hold back with the other Shepherds.
"Can't wait to sleep in a warm bed." Severa groans as she walks up beside me. "I am so done with all this walking."
"Couldn't agree more." I nod grimly. "Let's just hope we don't have to kick the guard's ass to get in."
Severa pauses at my tone, then takes in my facial expression. Wordlessly, she draws her sword and starts checking the edge.
"You really think there will be trouble?" Sumia asks worriedly.
"With how many people Ylisse has already lost to this place? I wouldn't be at all surprised if things went south in a hurry." I nod, then turn to Sumia, keeping my voice casual as I ask, "By the way, how's your Pegasus doing?"
Sumia looks at me nervously, then turns back to the wall top bristling with spears, and the three Shepherds facing them. She clicks her tongue and mounts her Pegasus in a heartbeat, eying the wall anxiously.
I can't help but hold my breath as well. Despite knowing how this scene is meant to play out, the nerves are creeping up on me. If something goes wrong and Chrom is killed here, it will force Ylisse into a war with Regna Ferox. The result would be a war on two fronts, which would inevitably end in the country's downfall.
And the only one who can prevent that is Sumia. Sumia, who is not even slightly experienced in real combat, and hasn't so much as ridden a Pegasus in over a year. Sumia, who is suffering from horrible self-doubt and has lived in fear ever since the death of her last Pegasus.
Then the spears are flying and Sumia is just gone and I remember that this is the same girl who can inspire terror in people for simply arguing at the breakfast table.
"Naga!" I hear Severa gasp in amazement as Sumia sweeps Chrom off his feet in a blur of movement.
"All that effort convincing Chrom she was ready for this, and I went and forgot it myself for a minute." I mutter, gazing up in admiration as Sumia descends with her prince in tow.
"WHOOHOO! GO SUMIA!" Lissa shrieks in excitement.
"Uhh guys, what about Frederick and Robin?" Donnel asks timidly.
…
"Oh."
The chorus seems to ring out amongst the assembled Shepherds, as our gaze shifts back to ground level. Where we see Frederick sprinting towards us at top speed, with Robin slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"That is… decidedly less gallant." Virion comments. I can't help but nod in agreement.
Frederick decides to punctuate this by slipping in the snow as he approaches, crashing to the ground with a loud clattering of armor, which sends Robin flying. The tactician lands on his back and slides to a stop at my feet, staring blankly into the sky.
"I'll kill them." He mutters quietly. "Those stupid, stubborn assholes."
"HAHAHAHA! MAYBE YOU'LL THINK TWICE NOW BEFORE TRYING TO LIE YOUR WAY INTO REGNA FEROX, PLEGIAN SCUM!" A voice bellows from the walltops. "GO RUN BACK TO YOUR MANIAC KING AND TELL THEM RAIMI SENT YOU!"
"I'll kill them all." Robin repeats. I magnanimously choose not to comment on the way his breath hitches as he says this.
"Bloody hell Chrom, what did you say to her?" Sully whistles admiringly. "You've always been shit at talking to women, but that must be some kind of record for pissing them off!"
"Very funny." Chrom replies, jumping down from Sumia's Pegasus. "It would seem we've discovered the identity of the mysterious third party that was involved in the deaths of our last envoy. Plegia has been sending soldiers to attack the border disguised as Ylissean soldiers."
"A ploy to delay or halt any alliance between Ylisse and Regna Ferox." I nod thoughtfully, as though I wasn't expecting the news. "One that's been dreadfully effective already. They've cost us months at least."
"Your grasp of the situation is as solid as ever." Frederick compliments as he staggers over. I nod in thanks and pointedly ignore the look Severa is giving me.
"So what do we do now?" Stahl asks nervously, looking up to the wall.
"We take the damn wall from them." Robin snarls, getting to his feet and hurriedly slapping the snow off of his coat. "They want us to prove we're the real deal? We'll knock them silly until we can shove Chrom's birthmark in their face and prove he's the real deal! And then I'll take Raimi's room and sleep like a damn king!"
There's a moment of silence as everyone looks Robin over in surprise.
"You get real pissy when the weather gets cold, you know that?" I remark.
"Don't like it? Then get me to a damn fireplace." Robin snaps irritably. "And on that note, here's the plan."
His plan's pretty simple, really. While Raimi hardly seems to be a slouch in the combat department, her chance of dealing with Chrom is practically non-existent. Even more so if he's got backup. And we have a newly proven Pegasus who can move at like, Mach four. So if we can just draw the wall guards away from their commander, Sumia and Chrom should be able to disable her easily.
So as Frederick and Robin each lead a group to the doors on either side of the gate, the power couple will prep themselves for a surgical strike on Raimi.
Robin takes Severa, Kellam, Stahl, Donnel, Virion and myself. Frederick takes Sully, Vaike, Miriel, and Lissa. Each team has a magic caster and an axe to bust the doors in, and Lissa is on team Frederick to make up for the number disparity. The groups are both strong enough to pose a threat to the team with the arrangement, which means they'll need to reinforce both doors.
"We can't take the risk that this fight will harm our chances at brokering an alliance with Regna Ferox. Be careful not to kill your opponents." Chrom orders us as we leave. I glance down at the axe at my hip and frown. Guess I'll have to hit them with the blunt side of it then? Shit this is going to be tough. Weird as it sounds, it's way harder to not kill and opponent than to kill one. Like, killing people is what our tools are made for.
Well, I'll figure it out. For now we have to focus on getting through the doors first. The stairs leading up to the wall are wide enough to allow a much larger group than ours to comfortably ascend, being originally designed to allow large scale reinforcements in the case of a siege. But it looks like the Feroxi haven't left the fort completely unaltered, like we first thought.
There's evidence of a short wall once running along the stairs, to prevent falling off the sides. But that wall has been chipped away until it's little more than a mess of damaged stone. One wrong step could send you tumbling off the side. And what's more dangerous…
"They've iced it!" I call out in alarm as I note the tell-tale sheen on the stone. My hands dart forward a moment later, bracing Kellam as his metal shoes hit the stairs and nearly go sideways.
"Damn, of course it wouldn't be that easy!" Robin snarls irritably, moving next to me and pulling out his tome. "Kellam, Stahl, be ready with your shield!"
Progress is slow from there, as we melt the ice away and climb through a hail of javelins and arrows. Kellam and Stahl take the brunt of the assault on their armor, with no way of stopping them until we've reached the top. Virion's attempts at covering fire prove fruitless when he realizes that he can't clearly shoot at anything without killing the attackers.
As we near the top the attacks become less frequent, but stronger in intensity. They have fewer angles, and by the desperate way they strike at us they know we'll be on the wall before long. Stahl and Kellam split near the top to cover our sides, and the rest of us hunker between them frantically, as Robin turns his fire on the door itself, burning away the door around the lock and hinges. He nods to me, and I start furiously hacking at the charred wood, tearing down the door at the most vital points. Then, with Donnel and Severa bracing me, I aim a few well-placed kicks.
The door is taken most of the way off, and Stahl, Kellam and I rush it as one, tearing it away and sending it flying with our combined strength. The solid piece of wood is sent into the mass of soldiers on the other side, knocking them about like bowling pins, and our defensive line re-establishes itself using the stone door frame as further cover. Then Robin and Severa rush in, and start tearing through the enemy.
At this point in time I feel confident in saying that Severa is the most dangerous soldier in the Shepherds. The girl grew up with a lifetime of combat, and while she lacks Chrom's strength she more than makes up for it with skill and experience. Her strikes are perfectly aimed to disable the limbs of any Feroxi in sight, rendering their arms bloody and useless with swift blows.
Robin on the other hand, uses wind magic to simply blow them away. If Severa is a scalpel, he takes the role of a bulldozer, pushing the enemy into each other and using the relatively narrow wall against them. Once the two make a proper entrance the rest of us follow, pushing our way in and sowing chaos amongst the Feroxi. Stahl and Kellam take up the vanguard and present our opponents with a wall of armor, and Virion's hands are a blur as he starts picking off the archers in the back with absurd ease. Donnel and I, knowing our abilities to be inadequate for such a brawl, stay further back, knocking the heads of anyone left in the wake of our comrades.
"Hold out!" Robin calls out. "We only have to hang on until the other group has their commander! Endure it for a little while longer!" He grimaces as he narrowly avoids a spear thrust to the gut.
I grimace as the truth of the situation quickly becomes clear. There's too many for us to handle, especially without killing, and as Frederick said earlier, the Feroxi are no slouches when it comes to infantry combat. Our momentum is slowed quickly, even as the arrows stop flying and Robin knocks them about. Stahl and Kellam, while both capable fighters, are being battered about by a storm of spears and axes, and Severa is tiring quickly as she dodges about. In the back I can see more guards approaching, and beyond that a similar situation as Frederick pushes the opposing side.
I barely see Sumia make her move, and even then it's only because Chrom's darker colors stand out against the snow. The sight makes me grin, though I keep my mouth shut, not wanting to draw attention to the two.
My grin fades quickly as several more soldiers manage to break through our line at once, and split up to engage with Virion, Donnel and I. For a brief moment I see Severa look back in worry, but she's fighting two knights and a fighter, and can't afford to help.
A large man with an axe, two swordsmen, and a knight all approach. The axe user rushes Donnel, one of the swordsmen approaches Virion, and the other two go for me. I guess I'm the most threatening looking of the three. Hoorah.
My vision is quickly filled with steel as the knight bears down on me, swinging his lance like a club. I throw myself backwards and manage to barely escape getting swatted off the wall, but the swordsman is able to catch up to me with little trouble. He swings wildly at me, forcing me on the defensive.
In terms of skill I can't hold up to this guy, and without an opening to hit back I can't outmuscle him either. His sword isn't particularly powerful, but it's plenty fast. Still, even if I can't find an opening, there's got to be a way to make one.
After a few brutal seconds of guarding an idea comes to me. The next time he swings at me I abandon my footing and collapse backwards to the ground. The guy stumbles a bit as he overreaches, but recovers quickly and swings low. He pauses abruptly when he realizes I've dragged one of the unconscious Feroxi soldiers over to guard me.
I hold my hostage in one hand, shifting him around as my opponent tries to find an opening. Then, when I see him move closer to try to stab around his ally, I make my move.
This one I have Miriel to thank for. She's been pushing me with magic for two months now, even though I have some serious trouble using it properly. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't even think to carry my spellbook around, let alone use the damn thing. It's not good for much, my output being as limited as it is, but in certain very specific situations I suppose it can be a good thing to have.
For example: if you have to attack an enemy up close but can't use your weapon, a jolt of electricity can be very useful. When I cast the basic thunder spell it fizzles out immediately upon leaving my hand, but when the enemy is within arm's reach…
My right hand moves from the hostage to grab the swordsman's ankle as my left flips to the first page of my spellbook. A burst of electricity forms in my hand, and immediately the swordsman spasms as my spell is directly transferred into his leg. He practically flies backwards out of my hand, crashing into the knight and knocking them both backwards, and I rise to my feet ready to finish them-
"Somebody! Oh gods, help!"
I whirl around in alarm. I recognize that voice.
Donnel!
The boy looks frantic as he stumbles backwards, his spear smashed to pieces. His opponent looks injured, but not nearly enough. Donnel is seconds away from death. My mind goes into overdrive.
Somebody has to help him, but- Where's the knight?! Still recovering, but he'll be on me again soon, no time to- Robin! He can, no, wait, he sees Donnel, but he can't leave the front line or everything will collapse, the others are barely holding on. What's going on with Raimi? She looks worn down, but Chrom and Sumia won't finish her in time! The knight's almost on me again, but Donnel- and what about Virion? He's just finished off his opponent using a guard's sword, maybe he can shoot- no, his bow's been cleaved in two, and he's further from Donnel than I am!
Virion's mind works faster than mine, apparently. As I panic, he rushes the knight, catching my eye as he does so. "GO!" He snaps frantically, distracting the heavily armored man and leaving me free.
I turn to Donnel again and my eyes widen in shock. I'm not going to make it. Donnel's fallen to the ground, and has his back to the wall. His spear handle lies just out of reach, and his right arm looks broken. His left arm is raised, a vain attempt to stop the fighter's axe, which is poised high in the air. Tears run down his face, and I see his lips move; he's crying for his mother.
I don't know what to do. I can't reach him.
I throw my axe.
It shouldn't work. I can't stress this enough, the move has absolutely no fucking business working. My battle axe is not a throwing weapon, it's not designed for it. What happens is absolutely one in a million bullshit levels of luck. My axe, being thrown far faster than I can run, reaches the fighter just as he brings his axe down.
The fighter isn't wearing a helmet (pretty sure Donnel knocked it off), and takes the hit to the back of his skull. His arm spasms, diverting an inch away from Donnel's skull. The fighter sways for a brief moment, his axe held rustling Donnel's curly hair. Then he falls over dead.
Donnel stares blankly into the air, eyes still fixed on where the axe stopped. He blinks once, then faints.
I stare blankly at the two of them, unable to believe that worked. A gasp of air, more a sob than anything, bursts from my chest. The relief hits me like a truck, and I feel unsteady, barely able to stand.
"YOU BASTARD!"
I turn around in surprise and that's when the swordsman I electrocuted hits me.
The two of us crash to the ground in a heap, the man's weight slamming me head first onto cold stone. He screams wordlessly at me, raising his sword into the air. I blink my eyes dazedly, and throw a sloppy punch. He doesn't so much as flinch, and brings the sword down.
I grab it. First with my left hand, then with my right.
My hands start oozing blood immediately, but I barely stop the blade, even as its point rests against my chest. The man screams again, grabs the hilt of his sword in both hands, and pushes down harder.
My hands tighten. Adrenaline dulls my pain, even as the point of the sword digs its way through my sweater. I can't keep this up. But if I don't I'll die. My hands tighten further, and I feel the blade scrape against bone. My body is going well beyond normal limits in an attempt to keep me fighting. Red blossoms on my chest as the sword breaks the skin. Then it stops. He's hit a rib. He pushes, but my attack earlier left him weakened. I hold his sword too steadily for him to reposition, and he's not nearly strong enough to break my ribs.
The man snarls in frustration, pushing his sword aside, and knocking it out of my hands. His hands find my throat instead, and he starts to strangle the life out of me. I try to break his grip, but squeezing the sword blade has fucked my hands up so badly that they don't have the strength. I try to push him away, but he doesn't budge. My mouth gapes, my throat too constricted for me to even cough. My vision darkens.
Then suddenly, the pressure eases. The man looks back, his expression shocked. His hands flop loosely at his sides, no longer crushing my windpipe. I inhale greedily, choking on air, even as my hands move desperately. I won't sit idly by, even if he's not trying to kill me anymore.
When the man turns back to me, a confused expression on his face, I swing my hunting knife into his throat. His eyes bulge as I rip the knife out, leaving his neck a bloody mess. He brings his hands to the wound, desperately trying to hold the blood in, but it's literally pouring out of him. I seem to have ripped right through his carotid artery. He gasps weakly, then collapses on top of me.
Mere seconds pass before the rapidly dying man is pulled off of me, but I get pretty thoroughly soaked in that time. When Virion looks down on me his expression is one of pure horror. Severa starts screaming for Lissa as I'm sat up, and I see plenty of shocked expressions.
"I- I'm o-" I burst into a coughing fit as my bruised throat protests. "I'm okay!" I manage.
"Hush now fool, don't think I didn't see how close to death you came." Virion scolds, opening my jacket and sweater and pulling them off. "This will jostle your hands, but we must get these off so Lissa can properly check your chest injury.
"Oh fuck." I whimper as the fabric drags across my cuts, then sob as my arms are repositioned so they can pull the shirt over them.
"It looks like part of your shirt has been pushed into your wound." Robin says, and I flinch as I only now notice he's also at my side. "Hold on, Lissa is almost here." Behind him I see several Feroxi step forward to check on the men I fought.
"Garth, Dean." A voice mutters. "He killed them both."
The ripple of angry muttering that courses through the nearby Feroxi is disrupted as Lissa pushes through them to reach me.
"Watch it, I'm pulling the shirt now." Virion tugs and I let out a screech of pain as I feel the fabric scratch against the hole in my chest. "Gods you were lucky, a little higher and he'd have had your heart."
"I don't see any stray threads in the wound." Robin observes, squinting at my chest.
"Get me some water just in case, I need to wash all this blood off anyways." Lissa orders sternly, taking Robin's place at my side. "Virion, put pressure on his hands, those are deep cuts."
"How is he?" I look up and see Chrom standing over me, Frederick close behind. The prince looks worried, but also angry. I blink in confusion and try to think of why, focusing my head past the pain.
"He'll live." Lissa replies. "I have to work fast though, or else he won't be able to use his hands properly anymore. And this damage I'm healing on his windpipe was severe."
"Gods." Chrom sighs, looking up into the sky.
Something finally clicks in my head. "Chrom," I croak out, only to stop as Lissa swats me on the arm.
"No more talking until I've fixed your windpipe!" She snaps, before focusing on her staff again. Another minute passes, during which time the injured Feroxi are brought aside and tended to by their own healers. There's a little over a dozen of them in total. Weird. Felt like so many more than that when we were fighting them.
Finally, Lissa gives me the all clear, and takes a water skin from a waiting Robin so she can clean my chest wound. Good, it would be rough if I got infected or something.
I look back up to Chrom again now that my throat is healed, and manage to sound much clearer this time. "I broke your rule Chrom. Killed them."
"You did." Chrom sighs, looking down at me wearily.
"Sorry."
"Are you really?" Frederick asks, looking down on me with an inscrutable expression.
I think on the question for a moment, before sighing. "Not really, I guess. Kinda glad I managed it, honestly. Things got messy here."
"Not nearly as messy as they are about to be." Chrom grimaces. "I don't think you appreciate just how much trouble you just caused for me."
"Saved Donnel's life. No regrets." I shrug, before smiling sheepishly at a glaring Lissa. "Sorry, I'll behave."
"I don't dispute that." Chrom replies, before taking a knee and looking me in the eyes. "The problem comes from the second man."
"The guy who did this to me? You fucking with me?" I look at him incredulously.
"I don't dispute that you had reason to kill him either." Chrom sighs again, looking back towards the huddle of Feroxi soldiers, still glaring at me. "The problem is the timing."
"What?"
"By the time you killed him, I had already forced their commander to surrender." Chrom explains. "And that man, Dean, had stopped trying to kill you. Which means that by law you just killed a soldier who had already surrendered."
"What?" Lissa looks up from my hands in alarm, "You can't be serious Chrom, there's no way that counts, look at what that guy did to Ben!"
"You think I don't see that?" Chrom snaps back irritably. "I'm not blind, Lissa. But even if it's only a technicality this crime puts our mission in grave jeopardy." He looks me in the eye, expression grave. "This could make forging an alliance with Regna Ferox far more difficult."
"Is there anything we can do?" I ask nervously.
"We can beg the Khans of Regna Ferox for forgiveness." Chrom shrugs helplessly. "And pray they are understanding."
One of my better fight scenes, in my humble opinion. Such a shame I had to cut the brutal saga of the Shepherd Snowball Slam Jam to fit it in.
Next time, expect a brief change in perspective.
