Hah! Managed to get this thing out before the end of the year!
*Ahem* I mean, a good day to you all, dear readers. This is CrossVipeR316 here with the latest chapter of Gamer Emblem Awakening.
It's the end of 2019. Looking back, this is a year that's mainly been about me trying to grasp the full scope of annual happenings in the town I live in. Not a lot happens, mind you, but it's given me an idea of what to expect during each season. I actually have more thoughts regarding the year 2020, which is right around the corner.
So much is anticipated for the year, from the next presidential election in the US (which is saying something, since I don't even live there) to the moment of truth according to just about every single scientist who cares even the slightest about the global climate. I, for one, am practically at the edge of my seat over what path of action the leaders of the world will choose in the coming year. Climate change is no joke (unlike what some loudmouthed individuals claim), which is only made more apparent by the fact that the repercussions are felt already. I don't want to live on a planet where the climate has been irrevocably devastated, just because the ones in power couldn't take enough action and responsibility to mobilize the resources of humanity and stop the disaster from happening.
And if anyone out there wants to argue with me over whether climate change even is a thing, know that you won't find any conversational partner in me. My time's limited and I've got better stuff to do than arguing with some ignorant twit – like doing my everyday job and write a story that quite a lot of people have come to enjoy.
But enough about that. The chapter awaits. Enjoy.
Copyright disclaimer: I only own the plot of this fic. For a full copyright disclaimer, please read chapter 1.
No one calls me weak and gets away with it. – Brady
Chapter 26
Total defense sanctuary!
(Not) all is fair in love and war!
Noire looks around in awe at the manifestation of my soul: my own version of Unlimited Blade Works. She takes in the sight of the vast lands. Her eyes scan the vast skies that end with a sunset in the horizon. But most importantly, she's completely captivated by the countless weapons sticking out of the ground. Weapons that I made from nothing but memory of the various forms of media that I took part of before the untimely end of my previous life, all given form through the power bestowed upon me, through means that still elude me, on the day I woke up in Ylisse and my life was changed forever through the meeting with a silver-haired Tactician.
"This is amazing…" the Archer whispers as she seems to have trouble on focusing on one weapon before another one catches her attention. "You have all these weapons stored inside your soul all the time, Jack-sensei?"
I shrug. "It's more like they're replicas shaped from my memory and magic. Considering where we are, what you see is little more than manifested figments of the human imagination, channeled through my own mind." A smile grows on my lips. "Though, for all intents and purposes, every single one of them works like the original, if with slightly lower potency in case the weapon is of divine make or something ever rarer. I'm good at this, but I'm not that good."
Noire turns to me with her eyes practically glittering with admiration. "That doesn't matter. It's just… Look at all this. I thought the armory where I used to shut myself into when I was sad was filled with weapons. But this? It's like I walked into the realm of a god of blacksmithing."
I scratch the back of my head. "Oh, please. I hardly compare to a deity. I'm just a man who read way too many stories as a child and committed most of them to memory, including the pictures of whatever part of the story was revealed. *Sigh* Talk of the possible nature of my existence aside, I brought you in here for a reason, Noire."
Noire blinks. "You mean aside from an opportunity to admire your real arsenal of weapons?"
I give Noire a bemused stare before I recover and shake my head. "Well, it's along those lines, but still a different purpose. I brought you here for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"Being…?"
I smile. "Even if I technically was never there from day 1, I can tell that you've come a long way ever since I started training you, Noire. I have no doubt that what you've learned under my tutelage was difficult to even grasp at first, and I find it fair if there were countless times that you doubted if I even knew what I was doing. And yet, the way you fight shows that the gamble my future self took with you has no doubt payed off in spades. To my knowledge, you are the first dedicated Archer in the history of this world who integrates magic in your archery."
Noire nods. "It was difficult, alright. At first, I couldn't even wrap my head around what you had planned. The concept of imbuing an arrow with magic is an obscure branch of the arcane arts to begin with. But doing so on my own while still practicing archery? I can't even begin to fathom how one would even think up this kind of stuff."
Clearly, the girl is blissfully unaware of the Fate series in general and one Shirou Emiya in particular.
"Nevertheless, you pulled it off." I point out. "Even if I was never there in the beginning, I can confidently say that you have surpassed my expectations. So much so, that it has landed us in this current situation, with the opportunity I mentioned earlier." I sweep my arm sideways to indicate the vast number of weapons inside my soul. "I will bestow upon you a weapon from my own arsenal to add to your own. You're free to choose whichever one you want."
The way Noire's jaw drops indicates what an opportunity has presented itself for her. While I have no doubt that she has catalogued a fair number of weapons over the course of her life, most of them are of mundane make. They can be exceedingly rare, to be fair, but getting her hands on something of Unique rarity or above? That's a stretch.
Me, on the other hand? I have weapons of that rarity and above by the dozen in here, and that's the modest estimate.
Noire gulps with a mix of shock and hope. "A-any weapon?"
I nod. "Any weapon. Feel free to look as much as you want. Just know that once you've made your choice, that's it. No going back."
The meek Archer's surprise slowly turns to elation as she practically skips around while going over one weapon after the other. She hardly spends more than a few seconds on each before she shakes her head and puts it back, but the excited smile on her face remains unchanged.
Seriously, the girl behaves as if she were a little child who got to spend a full day inside Santa Claus's legendary workshop. Though, considering the contrast between what either of us have at hand, that analogy might be more accurate than I first thought.
Still, seeing such a pure and genuine smile on her face fills me with satisfaction, regardless of the reason why she wears it right now. I also find this justified after everything she's gone through in her life.
And herein lies the cruel irony. I passed down the abilities of quite possibly the mentally most broken character I know of to my mentally most broken student. And now I'm about to take her inherited abilities to even further heights with a weapon she may never have been able to even think of on her own.
"I'm cruel…" I mutter to myself. "To think I would bring joy to this sweet girl by giving her an instrument meant for fighting or even killing. I truly am a cruel and twisted man, regardless of what others say about me. And yet Noire may need it in the future, if not even the abilities I gave my future students were not enough to stop the Fell dragon. I can only hope that they find it in their hearts to forgive me by the time they realize what I did to them."
My musings are cut short as I notice that Noire has stopped. She has no weapon in her hand, but her eyes are transfixed on something.
My gaze follows the Archer as she makes her way in a specific direction. There's no skip in her step. Only…purpose. Looks like she found her weapon.
My eyes widen in shock as I note the weapon she stopped in front of. The girl looks at it from various angles with a curios expression before she grasps the hilt. Silence reigns for a few second before Noire nods and pulls it out of the ground with a grunt.
"Jack-sensei, I found it." Noire tells me as she walks back to me with the weapon in hand. "I don't know why, but it feels like this weapon…speaks to me."
I've done a remarkable fish impression ever since I realized what weapon Noire chose. But now that my mind has finally recovered from the shock, I can only react to the situation in the only appropriate manner.
I put my hand over my eyes. An amused grin splits my face. "Heh. Heh heh… Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Noire looks at me worried. "S-Sensei?"
"AH-HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAA!"
The weapon speaks to her, she said? Of all the weapons I have replicated, it was that one in particular that caught her eye? And here I thought the situation couldn't get any more ironic. How wrong I was. How completely, utterly, absolutely wrong.
Noire fidgets nervously. "Um… Is there something wrong with this weapon? Maybe I should put it back and pick another one."
I wave my hand in front of me. "No, no, that's not it. It's just… Heh. I just never expected you to take that one."
"Oh. So it's okay then?"
I spread my arms smiling. "I'm a man of my word, Noire. I promised you one weapon, and one weapon you shall have. If you've made your choice, then go on. Claim what's rightfully yours."
Noire nods and closes her eyes. The weapon in her hands is covered in a faint azure glow as Noire Traces it.
The Archer soon opens her eyes wide in surprise. "Wow… I had no idea this weapon had such a history. I'm not even sure if I can wield it properly."
I snort. "Noire, your way of using weapons is even less conventional than mine. You transform weapons into ammo for your bow. I think you can bend the rules a bit in this case."
Noire fidgets a bit before she smiles. "Thank you, Sensei. I'll make sure I put this to good use."
I nod. "You do that. Oh, but just make sure to warn your allies before you use that one. Knowing you, the blast radius will be enormous. It should do a number on enemy strongholds, though."
Noire nods before she puts the weapon back into the ground.
"While we're here alone, there's something else I wished to speak with you about, Noire." I add.
Noire looks at me surprised and blushing. "A-alone?! But, Sensei, you're married!"
I blink in bemusement before my own face heats up. "No, I didn't mean it like that! What in the world even made you think along those lines?!"
"B-but you said we're alone! And, well, no one can see us here, so I thought…well…"
I rub my temples. "You've been reading some of those risqué books with Severa, haven't you?"
Noire averts her gaze as she fidgets in place. "Maybe…?"
I shake my head. "No matter. That's not the point. There's something about you that's been bugging me for some time, Noire."
"Me? What about me? Did I mess something up? Please tell me I didn't mess up!"
I scratch my head. "Uh… How to put this? It's regarding the way you…act."
Noire blinks. "I don't think I follow, Jack-sensei."
"*Sigh* Guess there's no point in beating around the bush. Noire, be honest with me. The side of you that I see now…isn't the real you, is it?"
Noire recoils slightly. "Huh?! W-what do you mean?! I'm always like this!"
I frown. Yeah, I'm definitely on to something.
"I beg to differ. There are a few moments when another side of you emerges. Much like your mother, you have a bit of a dark side. One that just loves spreading chaos and destruction. You know, the whole "Blood and thunder" thing?"
Noire averts her gaze. "Oh, that. Well, Mother made me a talisman when I was younger, to help me bring out my power if need be. Said something about not needing a meek daughter. I always get a bit violent when I tap into the magic it's infused with."
I give the Archer a dry look. "Oh, you mean the talisman that you left in your mother's care the other day and have yet to retrieve? Which, might I add, was before your last violent episode?"
"Eep!"
"I knew it. That dark side of yours is a natural part of your psyche. Or, rather, it's the most natural part of your psyche. That's the real you, isn't it, Noire?"
Noire scared expression slowly morphs into a dark visage of rage and violence. "So what if it is?! All every single person around me cares about is that I act like a sweet girl who wouldn't hurt a fly unless pushed far enough! And if they see my true self, they all just reject me! Like my family! Like my MOTHER!"
Sparks dance along Noire's hands as she Traces a Killer Bow in one hand and a Silver Lance in the other. Within moments, she's morphed the lance into a modified arrow and has it trained on me.
"I'm honestly not surprised." I remark calmly. "There's no way Tharja could treat you like a test animal for the majority of your childhood without at least some resentment growing within you, blood ties or not."
"SILENCE!" the enraged Archer snarls. "What do you know about my suffering?! Do you know the agony of never knowing when you would next get dragged into that witch's workshop for some twisted research?! Do you know of the shame I felt every day for being violated by my very soul, even as every single person around me stood by, blissfully ignorant of my suffering?!"
*Boom!*
It's a good thing I know how to move fast, else it's only a matter of time before Noire turns me into a pin cushion. Or a morbid weapon's rack. Depends on the angle and her chosen weapons, really.
"Why don't you tell me all about it, then?" I ask as I weave around everything Noire fires at me.
"You want to know what I've gone through?!" Noire shouts as she readies an Armor Slayer right after she fired a Beast Killer. "All I wanted was for my mother to love me, same as any other mother I had seen in my life! But what did I get whenever I tried to spend time with her?! I was dismissed as a nuisance! She told me to either get ready for another experiment, or go play outside so I wouldn't disturb her!"
Poleaxe, Spear, Swordreaver, 3rd Kitetsu, Log. Wait, Log? I think she's getting desperate.
"And being the naïve fool I was, I only thought I caught her in a bad moment! And you know what?! I felt ashamed! Ashamed that I was some no-good daughter who could never please my own mother! I didn't dare show how I felt in front of the others! I couldn't bear it!"
Battle Axe, Runeblade, oh, that definitely looks like Gradivus.
"So I pretended to be someone else! I pretended to be a sweet, meek girl, just so people wouldn't reject me the way my mother did if I told them how I really felt! But deep down, the shame turned into something else! Resentment… I began to resent my mother for all the suffering she put me through! I resented the people around me who never did a thing to help me! And I resented myself for hiding my pain behind the false face of a sweet girl who didn't exist, just so they would never find out the truth! Do you know why?! Because if they found out the truth, they would reject me, same as my mother!"
Audhulma, Brave Lance, Armads… Okay, this is getting out of hand.
"But do you know what the worst part was?! Just as I thought I only held hatred for my own mother in my heart, she actually showed that she cared for me!" Noire snarls as she Traces the weapon I gave her.
Recognizing what will happen if she lets that magical missile fly, I zip in front of her and slam a palm into her bow arm from below. Noire releases her arrow moments later.
A deafening rumble roars all over my UBW as the massive pressure wave from the explosion presses down on us like a mountain. It takes all my strength just to remain standing. Noire, on the other hand, practically gets flattened on the ground from the force.
I breathe slowly with a drop of sweat running down my brow. To say that Noire went ballistic back there is an understatement. This might be both the longest and most intense episode of when the girl snapped.
Noire clenches her hand around the bow while she pushes herself up on shaking arms. I soon notice it's not just because she's starting to get tired. She's crying.
"The one time she showed how much she loved me was the day she gave up her own life to save mine. It was the only time she smiled at me. There was no malice. No sadistic curiosity. She looked at me the way I had wished she would all my life."
Noire finally shows me her face, with tears streaming down her face. "But I couldn't let go of everything else I felt for her. I still hated her. But every time I thought about it, the memory of that one smile would always show up in my mind. I felt so guilty. My mother loved me all along, and how did I respond? By hating everything about her. So I hid myself. I put that false, meek personality back on my face to hide my guilt and anger from the rest of the world."
I walk up to my crying student. "And so, that's how you fooled everyone around you – even yourself to an extent – that you really were a sweet, kindhearted girl with a dangerous side that you suppress for the sake of others. But you can't hide it all the time. When the pressure becomes too much, the cracks begin to show, and your true self emerges."
"I can't take it anymore!" Noire shouts desperately. "I hate lying to myself like this! That I'm someone I'm not. But…I'm scared. I'm scared that if I let myself be me…everyone I love and care about will run away." Noire grasps her head as her expression grows fearful. "I'll be all alone again… No one would accept me for who I am. Not even myself."
I crouch down and embrace Noire. "I do."
Everything falls silent.
"W-what…?"
"So what if you have a violent personality and anger issues? Frankly, you have every right to be angry, Noire. No child should ever have to suffer the injustice you grew up in."
"You… You don't think me a monster?"
"No. If anything, you're human, just like me. It's only natural to be angry for the reasons you revealed to me. I'd be more worried if you weren't angry at all, because that would mean your mind had been twisted beyond saving. You don't have to suppress your anger for the sake of others, Noire." I tighten my hug. "I just don't want that anger to control your life. There's so much else you could fill your life with. Things that will make you happier."
Noire shakes in my embrace before she returns it and cries. Gone is the anger, and instead, the pain at its root is revealed. Just like with Cordelia back during the Mad King's war, I remain quiet as Noire unloads her feelings. She needs this. Good Mila, she needed this bad.
As Noire's sobbing calms down, I lean back to look her in the eyes.
"I… *Sniff* I never thought anyone would ever accept me if I let them see how I truly felt." Noire tells me behind all the tears and the occasional dribble of snot.
I smile at her gently. "That's because you never tried until now. This is how you will know who truly matters for you to be with."
Noire leans forward until our foreheads touch. "Thank you, Sensei… Thank you…"
I sigh in good nature. "Look at me. I claim to be your teacher, yet after all this time, it's more like I treat you like my second daughter."
"*Sniff* It's okay… I always thought of you like a father figure myself. That's why I was so happy whenever I got to spend time with you."
I hope Gaius never catches wind of this. Something tells me he'd react to it poorly. Speaking of Noire's biological parents.
"Noire, I believe you should have a talk with your mother."
"Huh? Why?"
"It's one thing to tell me of what you had to go through. Even if I can't fully comprehend, I can still show you some compassion. But much of your pain comes from your experiences with your mother. If you really want closure on this matter, she's the one who needs to be told all of this."
"I fail to see why she would care." Noire mutters bitterly as she averts her gaze. "All my life, I've only ever seen her care for me once."
"But that means she does care for you – in her own way." I retort. "*Sigh* I know Tharja's not the most compassionate person in the world, but I know that she can sympathize with others who know what it means to hurt. So here's my advice: Don't approach her as your daughter, but as a kindred spirit. You both grew up in harsh homes. Use that as common grounds. Then maybe, just maybe, you can build something meaningful together. I know it's not an ideal mother-daughter relationship, but I can't think of anything better."
Noire looks at me skeptically before she nods.
"All right. I'll… I'll try. And, Jack-sensei?"
"Yes?"
Noire leans in and kisses me on the cheek. As I touch where she kissed me with a bewildered expression, Noire has a radiant smile on her face.
"Thank you – for everything you've done for me."
Your relationship with Noire has advanced! Your relationship with Noire is now "Friends"!
The bond you've nurtured has given birth to a new ability! You can now perform the Union Strike "The Pointy End" with Noire!
I take a stroll through our latest camp site. Severa was more than ecstatic when we finally cleared the mountain range and traveled more comfortable ground. From here, it's a bit more marching to the west before we turn south to the Mila Tree.
Now, what to do to pass the time before supper? Maybe I should spend some time with my children? It's been a while since we had some quality time. A game of chess with Morgan, perhaps? Or maybe I should play ball with Rose?
It's not that far of a stretch, considering the way she wields Kirby in battle. If Rose practices enough sports, I bet her fighting style will get some sick moves. There's quite a selection to choose from too; soccer, volleyball, basketball, bowling… And that's if I limit myself to sports when you strike the ball with just your body. If Rose can conjure some kind of magical tennis racket, that's a whole different story. Heck, why not a Homerun Bat while we're at it?
My musings are cut short as I notice the presence of our newest recruit; Inigo. What's he doing, loitering by a tent? More importantly; Why the women's bathing tent?
"Inigo? What are you doing here?" I ask confused.
"Shh!" the Mercenary replies alarmed. "Quiet, or we'll get caught."
I give the womanizer a dry look. "Correction: You'll get caught. Whatever it is you're doing, I have no part in it. That being said, you never answered my question."
A pleased smile spreads on Inigo's face. "Well… I just happened to drop by the women's bathing tent while on a stroll. And I just so happened to find this hole in the bathing tent. And it just so happens that one of the lovely ladies in our army is having a bath." To accentuate his point, Inigo leans in to spy through the small tear that I only now notice is indeed in the bathing tent's canvas.
The only reason why I'm not using Mind's eye to verify his last statement is because that would effectively make me an even worse peeper than him. Instead, I settle for giving the guy a pitying look.
"I'm practically weeping over how you spend your free time. Peeping on bathing women? Really?"
"There are few things in nature that can match the natural beauty that is the female physique, Jack-sensei." Inigo replies shamelessly before he resumes his peeping.
I roll my eyes. "You do realize it's only a matter of time before this comes back to haunt you, do you not? I advise you to quit while you're ahead. You'll save yourself more suffering than you can imagine."
"Oho ho ho. Oh, how I love the way the steam from the bath covers the most intimate parts in a tantalizing way that tickles the imagination juuust right." Inigo mumbles to himself, completely ignorant to my advice. Then he pumps his fist while grinning at me. "Niiice!"
"Hey, Olivia? Got room for one more?" we hear Sully shout as she enters the bathing tent.
"Oh, sure. It's only the two of us, and there's plenty of space in the tub." we then hear Olivia reply. "The water's still warm, so I don't mind sharing."
"Very kind of ya. Man, a hot bath is just what I need to soothe my muscles after some hard training."
Whatever the bathing women converse about next is missed on me as I focus on grabbing Inigo, who's frozen stiff with a spooked look on his face, and drag him away as fast as I can while remaining stealthy.
I manage to find a clearing outside the camp site a few minutes later. I put Inigo in front of me and snap my fingers. The air around us shimmers for a moment. Thanks to my mastery of wind magic, I've managed to make a variety of different kinds of air bubbles. Two of those are for different kinds of thermal insulation, depending on the surrounding temperature. This variant, however, locks all sound inside the air bubble. After all, if I can stop the air molecules within a layer of air from vibrating, they can't transmit any sound. Basic physics, really.
As for how I came up with this variant… Well, there might've been a few times during our honeymoon when Robin and I got a bit loud. Ah, but what wonderful times we had.
"No one can hear us, Inigo." I tell my student. "Just let it all out. You'll be a lot better off that way."
Inigo twitches a bit before he slaps both his cheeks.
"OOOOH MY GOOOODS!"
I sigh. "I tried to warn you, Inigo, and now you pay the price."
Inigo falls to his knees. "But I just- I…"
"Now know better than to peep on a woman bathing." I finish bluntly. "I noticed you love flirting with women, but that was just low, by any standard."
My student remains on his knees unresponsive. Sigh. Good grief.
I grab Inigo by the elbow. "Come on. I can think of a few ways to distract you from your morbid thoughts long enough for you to recover and digest everything that's happened."
"H-how exactly?" the Mercenary asks weakly.
I grin. "What better way to distract such morbid thoughts, but a training regimen from Hell?"
Inigo looks at me in horror before he slumps forward. "I should've known. It's like you never left, Jack-sensei."
A bead of sweat runs down Inigo's brow as he carefully lifts one foot off the earthen spike it's balanced on and places it on top of another.
"You gotta do better than that, Inigo." I urge my student while balancing on another spike with one leg. "Speed up a bit, or I'll just strap a boulder on your back before we resume."
"Can you not put such crazy threats on me while I risk impaling my foot during training?!" Inigo shouts back as he desperately tries to up his pace while keeping his focus.
Right after I got Inigo back on his feet, I used some alchemy to transform the clearing into a carpet of razor-sharp stone spikes and put him right in the middle of it. Right now, Inigo channels his Hamon through his feet to stay on top of the spikes instead of getting impaled through his foot. As soon as I deem him good enough with this exercise, I'll add some light sparring on top of it.
Thank you, Lisa-Lisa, for this wonderful training exercise.
On a related note, Hamon must be one of the most inconsistent powers I have ever heard of. Aside from the ability to annihilate the undead with ease, I've seen Hamon users do all sorts of crazy party tricks, like poking a finger into a glass of water, and then have the water retain the shape of the glass so long as you channel your energy correctly. Or why not turn some spaghetti into throwing needles to flick on some unsuspecting victim? And let's not forget channeling your Hamon through a corked bottle until the pressure launches the cork with the force of a riot gun. Seriously, the amount of stuff you can do with this power is just absurd, so long as you can come up with the concept.
And since Hamon is Inigo's greatest weapon against the Risen, it only makes sense in my book that he trains until he masters this power. Let's just hope it works on Grima. One Overdrive to the face, coming right up.
I joined in on this exercise to show Inigo that it's fully possible to do what I expect of him. In fact, I occasionally walk on the spikes with no apparent trouble whatsoever. I'm not channeling any Hamon energy, as I don't have that skill. I just use Telekinesis to levitate myself and touch the spikes with only a fraction of my weight.
Of course, Inigo doesn't need to know that.
Now that I take a closer look, it seems as if Inigo's getting comfortable walking on spikes.
"Looking good, Inigo. You're making good progress on your training." I praise my student.
Even as he focuses hard on the task at hand, Inigo smiles at me. "Thank you, Sensei. At this rate, I should master Hamon in no time."
"That's great." I reply with a happy smile. "That means we can take your training to the next level."
That makes Inigo's smile falter. "N-next level? What's that?"
My smile gains the slightest hint of sadism. "This."
I spring over the spikes between us until I'm right in front of Inigo and throw a jab at him. Inigo manages to back away in time. And, amazingly enough, he's still keeping a steady flow on his Hamon, as evidenced by the fact that his feet have yet to be impaled.
"Whoa! What was that for?!" Inigo asks alarmed.
"Well, now. Looks like you're better than I thought." I answer without remorse.
"Don't change the subject, Jack-sensei! Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?! I could've lost a foot back there! Or worse, I could've died!"
"And how is that different from a real battle? Better yet, how is that different from fighting the Fell dragon's forces?" I counter as I hop between spikes tauntingly.
That gives Inigo pause. "Uh…"
I shrug. "Hey, you're unharmed as far as I'm concerned. More importantly, balancing on these spikes almost seems like second nature to you now. So why not take it up a notch with some sparring while we're on them?"
"You could've warned me before you threw the first punch." Inigo growls as he draws his sword.
I waggle my finger mockingly as I Trace an Iron Lance. "Now, where would the fun be in that? Fun for me, that is."
Inigo blinks before he facepalms. "You're as much of a taskmaster as I remember."
"Funny. I remember Severa saying something along those lines back when I had my first spar with her since she joined the Shepherds. Guess I'm just that good." I muse.
"That wasn't a compliment!"
I shrug. "Meh. Doesn't matter. We've got training to do. Try to keep up, Inigo."
"Whoa! Wait, Sensei! I- Yikes!"
Inigo leans sideways to dodge my initial thrust. I shift my footing to change directions faster and chase him with sweeping swings. Inigo ducks and blocks the blows while concentrating hard just to avoid impaling his feet on the spikes. The sweat on his brow is all the evidence I need that he's pushing his focus to the max. And yet, Inigo does indeed keep up with my moves. At one point, he dodges a swipe at his ankles by backflipping. Even more shocking is that he lands on his free hand. The sparks that dance around his fingertips when they land on the spikes show that he had the good sense of channeling his Hamon in the same manner as his feet. He's upright within moments and actually ready to retaliate now.
I smile pleased. For all his worry before we started, he's holding up better than I had hoped. Guess future-me being a taskmaster has payed off big-time, even if Inigo refuses to acknowledge it.
"Let's see how you handle the tables turned on you!" Inigo challenges confidently as he skips over the spikes with ease and readies his Steel Sword for an attack.
I grin in response and ready my lance. To my pleasant surprise, Inigo's form is very fluid while still possessing a measure of firmness that fits him just right. The way the Mercenary swings his sword honestly reminds me a bit of a dancer's moves. Seem like he picked up on a few of Olivia's tricks while growing up. And, judging from the golden sparks dancing along the blade, he's channeling Hamon energy through his weapon while moving. I may not be an undead creature, but even I can tell the energy coursing through the blade makes his swings significantly more potent. Adding that on top of his fluid moves makes Inigo a deadly opponent unless you keep an open mind.
"Hermit Purple!"
"Wait, wha- Whoa!"
The ethereal vines of Inigo's Stand lash out at me right after I block on of his swings. The sudden move catches me in a bad moment, forcing me to retreat. Though I only make it a few spikes away before one vine snatches my ankle and pulls me off-balance.
*Ka-tink!*
I manage to avoid landing on the spikes by thrusting my Iron Lance in-between the spikes, thus turning my weapon into a temporary foothold until I find my footing again.
Inigo blinks surprised before he chuckles. "Ah, I thought I had you there. I bet Kjelle would be interested in learning that move."
I twirl my lance a few times and smirk. "That's a fine idea for a future training session. Back on topic though, I'm impressed how you combined your skills to catch me off-guard and make the most of the environment at the same time. A fluid sword style to keep me on my toes. Hamon to dissuade me from simply brute forcing my way through. And lastly, Hermit Purple to exploit an opening that is unavailable through normal means. You've clearly put a lot of practice into combining everything you know into a single, cohesive fighting style."
Inigo winks. "Why, thank you. I do take great pride in the fruits of my training. But, I cannot claim that it is complete. Not until I can, at the very least, force you to get serious."
My smirk turns a bit predatory. "Oh? That's quite the ambition, Inigo. How about we put that to the test?"
What confidence Inigo may have had melts when he hears my challenge. "Er, maybe we should try this another time? I'm really pushing myself as is."
"And there are few better ways to improve than by pushing past your own limits!" I counter before I return on the offensive. "Have at you!"
Whatever objection Inigo may have against my methods are held back for the sake of fending off my renewed assault. A barrage of stabs is countered by frantic blocks combined with the vines of Hermit Purple preventing me from getting too zealous with my attack. While trying to stab Inigo, I notice that he tries to snag my lance with his Stand. In response, I let up on the attack a bit so I can focus on batting away the ethereal manifestation of the Mercenary's soul, lest he restrains my method of attack and turns the tables on me in an instant.
And it's within this opening that Inigo slips in faster than I expected him to move. How did he- Wait.
*Clang!*
Inigo changes his trajectory to soar over me before he lands on my other side and prepares for another attack run. As I turn around, I briefly spot one of Hermit Purple's vines untangle itself from a spike. I see. So he used the other vines to not only dissuade me from pressing the attack, but also to slip one behind me and anchor it to a spike in preparation for a surprise attack. Clever.
If I leave any opening for Inigo, who knows what he'll come up with next? Better put the pressure on him before he gets any more ideas, even without the danger of Hermit Purple. So I lunge back into the fray and go for a myriad of thrusts. Just as the Mercenary sends out his ethereal vines again, I jump over the counter and stab my lance straight down. Inigo jumps to the side and ensnares the shaft with his Stand, but that's when I get back down, tighten my hold on my weapon, and spin around to deliver a roundhouse kick to his side. The sudden move jolts Inigo sideways, but he's stopped cold as Hermit Purple gets pulled taut against my lance. I abandon my weapon in favor of simply closing the distance between us and hammer a punch straight in his face. The blow is hard enough to knock Inigo off his feet and sends him falling to the spikes unprotected. Just before impact, I grab one spike and Transmute the whole field into nothing but sand. Inigo lands on the dirty heap with a dull thud and a spooked look on his face.
"What? Did you really think I'd harm you permanently during training?" I ask my student with a hint of mockery.
Inigo takes a few moments to catch his breath before he sits up. "Honestly, for a moment I did. You always had a penchant for dangerous stuff, Sensei."
I give Inigo a dry look. "I may be a lowkey sadist, but actually harming the people I care about is a line that I absolutely refuse to cross. I take thinking otherwise as an insult."
Inigo chuckles and shakes his head. "Yeah, that's the teacher I know and admire."
I sit down beside Inigo. "You know, there's something I've been wondering about for a while regarding your generation. One of the more important things when you travel as a group is that each member has a role to fulfill. In your case, some are more obvious than others. Lucina being the leader is a no-brainer. And Kjelle most likely spends almost the whole battle on the frontlines as your collective shield. But some others I have had a hard time putting my finger on. You're one such case, Inigo."
Inigo winks and points his thumb at himself. "Well, allow me to reintroduce myself then, Jack-sensei. You're talking to the one and only Inigo, son of Olivia and Virion, male dancer, foremost admirer of the female beauty, and scout of the Justice Cabal."
I blink surprised. "Scout? You?"
Inigo summons his Stand again. "Like none other. Watch this."
Inigo slaps his hand on the sand. Sparks dance from his palm until it reveals that the sand has shifted to form shapes. Something feels familiar about those shapes.
"Wait a minute… That's how our camp site looks like when seen from above." I deduce after a while.
"That's right. My Hermit Purple lets me make a map over the nearby area, so long as I can focus on what exactly I want an overview of. But there's more. Tell me who you're thinking about now."
I'm actually not thinking about anybody. Okay, just think of the first person that comes to mind then.
"Rose."
"Thinking of your dear daughter, eh? Can't blame you. A real charmer, that one."
"Inigo, I swear. If you try to get fresh with my daughter, I will actually try to harm you." I growl.
Inigo raises his hands placatingly. "Whoa, slow down! I didn't plan to! Just…voicing my opinion, is all."
I scowl for a few more moments (mainly to make him sweat) before I relent. "Fine. Anyway, Rose it is."
Inigo sighs in relief before he slaps the sand again. A bit of sand not included in the first map forms a small dot moving between what I'm assuming represents the tents.
"There we go. The moving dot on my map shows where Rose is. Though what she's doing is anyone's guess."
I rub my chin as I analyze the image before me. "This looks great for getting a good layout of an area you're about to approach, as well as finding a specific person's location. But that can't be all there is to this ability, could it?"
Inigo smiles. "You catch on quick. Now, instead of just focusing on just Rose, how about everyone from my generation?"
Another slap on the sand, another flash of sparks, and there are significantly more dots of sand on Inigo's map. Several of them are moving.
"They all look the same." I remark.
"Yeah, I still haven't figured out how to make each marker point out a specific person yet, if that's even possible." Inigo admits. "But that's not what I wanted to show you. The whole point was that I can search for everyone in the nearby area, so long as I can focus on that one category."
I try to figure out why he's so fond of this ability. Then the proverbial candle lights up above my head. "You can both find out the enemy's numbers as well as where they're stationed while still remaining at a safe distance from them. So long as you know who to look for, it's virtually impossible to get the drop on you, because you know exactly where they are."
Inigo's smile grows pleased. "Exactly. We were constantly on the run back in the future – gods, that sounds so weird – so knowing if there were Risen nearby was crucial to prevent them from getting the drop on us while we were vulnerable. And if we ever attempted to strike and seize a strategic point, I could just find out how many enemies were stationed and let Morgan and Laurent work on their tactics from there."
I blink surprised. "They were both tacticians?"
"That's right. They each have their approaches to battlefield tactics, but Lucina realized she needed both of their inputs to make the most of what little we could scrape together and come out on top." Inigo chuckles with a nostalgic look. "Still didn't prevent the two from occasionally butting heads. But it all worked out in the end."
"Well, color me impressed, Inigo. You're clearly a man of many talents, many of which you seem to have cultivated outside my instructions."
"Oh, please, I'm not that amazing." Inigo counters bashfully. "I mean, sure, I have some skills, but I occasionally end up just looking like a bumbling fool at the worst possible moments."
I look at the dancer in disbelief. "I can see that self-confidence doesn't count among your stronger suits. Dear Naga, your resemblance to your mother in that regard is almost uncanny."
"I can't help it, okay?! Just thinking that I could mess up can throw me completely off my groove at times. Why else do you think I try so hard to smile and appear confident? If I lose my grip, bad things happen."
I place a hand on Inigo's shoulder. "We all mess up from time to time, Inigo. That's one of the main reasons why we work together. You're capable of feats no one else can replicate, just like there's someone else in the army capable of things beyond your ability. And if you mess up, the others will be there to pick up the slack for you, just like we expect you to do the same if we mess up."
"Still doesn't help me with my fears." Inigo mutters dejected.
"And it doesn't have to. You just have to trust in your allies, just like they trust in you. I know I do."
Inigo smiles at me. "I suppose I can work with that." Then he gets back on his feet and pats some dust off his clothes. "Well, this sure has been a productive session. But now, I need a bath, and then it's back to plan my next rendezvous with a lovely lady."
*Pow!*
Inigo holds his face in pain. "Ow! What the- What was that for? And did you have to aim for the face?!"
I stare at Inigo blandly with my fist still outstretched from my punch. "You really need to find a better way to cope with your crippling self-consciousness. The way you flirt with just about any member of the female population, only to get shot down faster than your father on a good day, is just painful to watch. The fact that you flirt with women even more than your father before he and Olivia married only solidifies my statement."
"Father was that bad?" Inigo asks while rubbing his aching face.
I smile amused. "You don't know half of it. Honestly, I think he was just desperate to find himself a wife. The rejections he went through were as comical for us as they were painful and embarrassing for him. I guess you got the rejection part from your father as well."
AN: I consider Virion to be Inigo's canon father because of how much both men flirt with women, as well as how often they both get rejected. While both cases can be considered stand-alone, thinking that it's a trait passed down from father to son just seems too good to pass up, as it would give Inigo a link to both his parents in a way that makes sense.
"Maybe I should have a talk with him, then." Inigo muses. "See if he has some ways to overcome embarrassment."
I nod. "Oh, I'm sure he has a few ways. Men who are confident without being arrogant can be surprisingly rare – even more so if they can back up their claims. Your father fits both criteria, Inigo. You may have inherited a few less stellar traits from both your parents, but I think you've also inherited their strong points."
"Coming from you, that's good to hear. Well until next time, Jack-sensei."
Inigo walks back to camp while smoothing out some of his hair.
I shake my head fondly. "I honestly can't decide who takes the spot of top diva in Lucina's group. Him or Severa."
Your relationship with Inigo has improved!
"Nah, this can't go on." I hear Robin say in a tired voice.
I turn around a tent to spot my wife talking to Nah. Judging from their expressions, they seem to have been at it for some time without making any headway.
"And I told you, I'm fine. If we don't have enough food in the army, no one can fight anyway." Nah retorts frowning.
"Am I missing something?" I ask as I approach the arguing pair. "What's this about food?"
Robin turns to me and sighs. "Jack? Maybe you can talk Nah out of this crazy habit."
Nah scowls. "It's not crazy! It's called "survival knowhow"!"
I look between them with a lost look. "Girls, you need to start from the beginning. I have no idea what's going on here."
Robin rubs her temples. "I just now learned that Nah has had roots and plants for meals rather than proper food. And not just since a few days. Apparently, this has gone on for years."
"And I keep telling Auntie Robin, I'm fine." Nah protests. "Just look at me. I'm as healthy as they come."
I pause at the revelation. "Whoa, whoa. Back up. What's this about you eating plants and roots for food, Nah?"
"Well, if there's a shortage of food, you need to know what can be safely eaten instead, right? Someone has to do it, and I've learned I can stomach quite a bit."
"And I keep telling her that doing so is not only pointless, but also dangerous for her health." Robin comments exasperated. "There's more than enough food to go around in camp. None of us have to go foraging for plants in nearby forests because of some shortage in provisions."
I scratch my head. "Nah, I get that you might have had to make do with whatever you could scrape together before you traveled back in time, but Robin's right. There's no point in you trying this survival thingy now. If anything, not eating properly will only stunt your growth. I think it's already harming you there."
"I just haven't reached my growth spurt yet, Uncle Jack!" Nah counters indignant. "Gods, why do people keep insisting that I'm short? Can't they see having manakete blood in your veins slows down your aging?"
"All the more reason for you to eat properly." I counter. "When you do hit your growth spurt, your body will need all the nutrients it can get, or else it won't have what it needs for you to make the most of that growth."
Nah shuffles her feet. "I… I knew that. It's just… It's kind of selfish for me to stuff my face just because I want to grow big."
I frown at Nah's reasoning. Something doesn't add up.
"Nah, what are you not telling us?" I ask sternly.
Nah stiffens. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"You've shared meals with us before, so you know we're not running out of food anytime soon. If anything, it would take a terrible military officer to neglect bringing along enough supplies to last at least a good deal into the campaign until the need for resupplying becomes relevant. You know this just as well as we do, and yet you still insist on eating…roots and plants?"
Nah remains silent. Whatever the issue is, she won't reveal it on her own.
Come to think of it, her body was pretty small, even when we first found her. Since she's around Rose's age, that means she's at the very least entering her late teens. Manakete blood or not, there's no way she would be this short and – dare I say it – skinny if she's been eating properly.
Wait a minute… Has she been eating properly while growing up?
"Nah… This might be painful to dive into, but I need to know." I tell my niece as gently as I can. "After your parents passed away, were you properly taken care of?"
Nah's ears droop. "No… At least, I don't think so, now that I think back. When my parents died, I was sent to Father's home village. I tried to fit in, but my guardians always seemed wary of me. I had to learn how to make it on my own, including finding anything edible. Since I'm a dragon, I need a lot of food to survive, so I had to search hard."
Hearing that my niece might've been neglected by her guardians after she was orphaned makes me want to find some way to peer into her memories, just so I can figure out which soon-to-be-dead SOBs dared mistreat this adorable little child just because she's of a different race. No, deep breaths. That's not important right now. In fact, maybe I should leave that to Donnel and Nowi instead, since this is way more relevant to them than it is to me. There are more important things to attend to.
Such as making sure my adorable niece gets properly fed every day.
And I start it all with a hug.
"I'm sorry you had to go through those horrible years, Nah. I won't let you go hungry again on my watch. I promise."
"Y-you would do that for me, Uncle Jack?" Nah asks hopefully.
"Nah, anyone with even the smallest fraction of compassion would do the same." I release the hug and smile at her. "In fact, I'll whip up something for you right now, provided you can wait an hour or so."
"You can cook, Uncle Jack?"
I allow a confident smirk on my face. "I've been told during my travels that I make a mean quiche."
"It's true." Robin interjects. "There's been a few times when Jack made me dinner because I was so busy working that I lost the track of time. Oddly enough, his cooking is sometimes better than the palace staff's."
"Well, how about it, Nah?" I ask.
Nah looks away. "Um… You really don't have to just for my sake… I mean, that food could be used for so much else."
"All right, I've heard enough." I declare with no more room for argument. "I'm making you that meal, and you're going to like it. End of story."
Nah frowns. "There's a thing called "consent", you know that, Uncle Jack?"
I head towards the mess tent. "Didn't stop your mother from basically forcing me into becoming her playmate whenever she feels like it. Part of being a family, Nah. You'd better get used to it."
One hour later
I place the newly baked quiche in front of Nah, along with a pitcher of water to go with it.
"Here you go, Nah. Fresh from the kitchen. Enjoy."
Robin raises an eyebrow. "I thought you would need more time to get a fire started."
I shake my head. "Not really. I roped Severa into the baking process. I told her that it was to finetune her control over fire."
Nah gives me a flat look. "You seriously managed to trick her into that? There's no way she'd fall for such an obvious trick."
I smile. "No, but I did convince her that men like a woman who can cook."
Robin blinks and puts a hand on her forehead. "*Sigh* You're not wrong…"
Nah eyes the baked meal skeptically for a bit before she picks up a piece and takes a bite.
And then she drops it in zero seconds flat. Good thing I caught it with Telekinesis before it reached the ground. No wasting food, people.
The half-manakete's body begins to shake. Tears pool in her eyes.
"Nah? What's the matter?" Robin asks concerned.
"It's…so delicious." Nah whispers between sniffles. "I never knew food could taste this good."
Tears stream freely down the half-manakete's cheeks as she eats the quiche with gusto. Nah stops halfway through her meal to wipe the tears that won't stop flowing.
"This is…the first time I can remember…that anyone would cook a meal *sniff* just for me."
I smile gently at my niece and pat her on the head. "All the more reason for you to savor every bite. Take your time, Nah. Eat properly from now on, and grow big."
Nah bites her lip and nods. Then she resumes eating her quiche, albeit at a slower pace this time. Even as she cries nonstop, I can see a smile of pure bliss behind all her munching.
Your relationship with Nah has improved!
"Jack, I've come to a decision." Robin tells me after Nah has left to find her parents.
"Go on."
"I've decided to take up on Nowi's and Donnel's offer. I want to become Nah's godmother."
I raise an eyebrow. "Not that I object, but what brought this on?"
Robin frowns in the half-manakete's direction. "I never suspected that something as horrible as starvation was behind Nah's strange eating habits. No child deserves to grow up in that kind of hell. I want Nowi and Donnel to be able to raise Nah in this timeline – truly, I do. But if something were to happen to them, I cannot leave Nah to her fate in good conscience. Come what may, I will be there for her."
I smile and bring my wife into a one-armed hug. "We both will. All right. As of today, Nah is officially part of our family."
Robin nods before her features relax. "All the more reason that we help Lucina and her friends in their mission."
I nod back. "Agreed – after we're done with this war."
We're all gathered for supper just an hour later. Of course, that's not stopping me from dragging Nah to the mess tent for another meal. It's not like she's full either. The faint growling in her stomach revealed that the poor girl was a lot hungrier than she let on. Good thing she's getting another proper meal before the end of the day.
While we're all seated and enjoy our meal, Cherche stands up with a bigger smile than I can remember that she's ever had.
"Everyone, I have an announcement." the Wyvern Rider tells us.
The mess tent falls silent in curiosity. Cherche walks over to the table where Lon'qu is sitting and pulls the uncomfortable looking Swordmaster up by the arm.
"Lon'qu proposed to me about half an hour before supper today." Cherche continues. "We're getting married!"
More silence…
And then the tent erupts in cheers. Miriel is the first to congratulate Cherche for the betrothal. Less than one pace away, Vaike slings an arm around Lon'qu's shoulders and gives his trademark congratulative speech, all while lightly punching Lon'qu in the gut. The contrast between the two parts of the couple is almost comical. Cherche's smiling like her birthday came early, while Lon'qu looks like he wants to be anywhere but here right now.
"I'm so happy for you and Lon'qu!" Nowi shouts while hugging Cherche from behind. "Come on, tell us! How did he propose? Did he get all fidgety before he went down on a knee? Oh, or did he pick you some flowers before he asked the big question?"
"None of the sort." Cherche replies while patting Nowi on the head. "It was a lot simpler than that. He simply walked straight up to me and took my hand."
"Whoa, whoa, back up!" Sully interjects in disbelief. "You're telling me Lon'qu – Mr. Edgy Mc don't-touch-me-woman – actually took your hand on his own free will?!"
"There's more." Cherche confirms cheerfully. "He had a hard time wrapping his head around me helping him with his fear of women. By the time I had made it clear I did it out of kindness, I found a ring in my hand."
At this point, Vaike has Lon'qu in a headlock (which is actually kind of painful, considering the size of Vaike's biceps). "Well, look at the smooth swordsman here! C'mon, tell us you had some grand speech all prepared for her, too!"
"I fail to see why I should divulge it for some loudmouth like you." Lon'qu grunts while trying to get breathing room in the headlock.
"Aw, don't be such a stick in the mud, Lon'qu. I bet there's a great story behind it all." Ricken replies.
A tic mark pulses on Lon'qu's forehead. "I already told you, I'm not-"
"He said that I healed the wounds in his heart and replaced them with love." Cherche interrupts blushing. "That it's the first time he could see a future where he's not alone."
"Aw, that's so sweet!" Sumia gushes with stars in her eyes. "Who knew he could be such a romantic?"
Gaius grins. "Real smooth, Edgy. Reeaal smooth."
"Shut it, or I'll introduce you to both of my swords." Lon'qu growls.
"This is a most joyous occasion, even in the middle of all this strife." Say'ri comments smiling. "If able, I would be honored to contribute to a wedding. Gods know my people are in need of some festivities to lift the grim mood that has settled over our lands these past few years."
"A wedding in Dynast fashion?" Cherche claps her hands together. "That sounds wonderful. Lon'qu and I would love that."
"Not exactly." Lon'qu mutters.
A murderous aura surrounds Cherche. "I said; Lon'qu and I would love that. Wouldn't we, Lon'qu? Of course you do, or else Minerva might get upset."
Right on cue, the growling of the wyvern can be heard outside the mess tent.
Lon'qu breaks out in a cold sweat. "O-of course…"
Sully whistles. "Not even married, and you've already got 'im whipped? D-mn, that's impressive."
I walk into mine and Robin's tent about half an hour after supper to find her at her portable desk.
"Admit it. You had this all planned even before we set sail for Valm." I tell me wife.
Robin glances at me, gives a hint of a knowing smile and turns back to her notes. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Jack."
I scowl and levitate beside my wife in a sitting position. "You're not even trying to hide your guilt on this one. I thought you'd at least try that much."
Robin looks back up from her notes with her smile still in place. "Come now. Just look at them and tell me they don't fit together."
I give my wife a flat look. "And here I thought Cordelia and Sumia were the die-hard romantics. I don't object to Lon'qu finally growing used to a woman's presence – Naga knows he needed it bad – but to actually steer him into marriage? And with one of our recruits at that?"
Robin rolls her eyes in good nature. "Jack, just look at this army. Half the time, we act more like a matchmaking agency for each other. I can't think of anyone who's made it any longer than a few years here before they ended up engaged with another Shepherd."
"There's Lissa and Gregor." I point out.
"Yes, but if we consider the army as a whole, those two are exceptions more than the rule. It's almost comical how almost everyone found a spouse either within the army or, in Libra's case, with a person closely connected to it. Frankly, I think it was only a matter of time before the next marriage announcement. And since Lon'qu and Cherche had grown so comfortable with each other, I thought I could try to speed up the process a bit."
If possible, my look gets even flatter. "I know you're a master schemer on top of a lot of other great qualities, but I never expected you to apply that to romance."
"I have to broaden my horizons from time to time. If I stayed the way I am, it's only a matter of time before our children leave me in the dust."
"Not the point and you know it." I scratch my head. "*Sigh* You know what, I don't even mind what's happened. Form what I can tell, both Lon'qu and Cherche are happy with this arrangement. Might as well make the best out of the situation and support their relationship."
"And thus, I have won yet another argument." Robin declares smugly.
I rest my face in a hand and tilt to the point that I float sideways. "And once more I am reminded that you're actually a human being with petty tendencies."
"Of course I'm human, Jack. What do you take me for?"
"Something between a goddess and the very concept of beauty, with a staggering mind thrown into the mix."
Robin returns my flat look while blushing. "Your way of flattering me only gets more unconventional the longer we stay together."
I smirk. "Well, at least you have the insight to tell whenever I do flatter you. I'd punch myself if I realized I married an airhead."
"Jack, you flatter me almost all the time when it's just the two of us." Robin points out. "And sometimes when there are others around. It's not exactly difficult for me to tell when you do it."
I pout. "Aw, shoot. I'm getting predictable, huh? Guess I'd better step up my game."
"Don't." Robin sighs as she closes the notebook she's been reading. "While I enjoy the occasional battle of wits with you from time to time-"
"In which you beat me soundly at every step." I add.
"-I'd much rather be able to relax when it's just the two of us. I can't always be on top of my game."
At this point, I'm floating upside down. "Fine. I'll keep it simple while we're alone. At least you're capable of recognizing when you're at your limit."
Robin frowns. "You say that as if I've had problems with that."
"I can list at least half a dozen incidents since our honeymoon, that all prove my point. And that's just from the top of my head."
Robin's blush returns for a very different reason. "I'm that bad?"
"I keep telling you time and again, Robin; you're too responsible for your own good. It may be your single greatest flaw."
"Hey, I'll have you know I consider it a strength."
"*Sigh* And I would normally agree with you on that. But that's also what makes it so ironic, don't you think? One of your most notable strengths is also the one thing that could lead to your downfall the easiest. There's a reason why I worry for you so much."
"Other than the fact that you're doting to a fault around me all the time?"
"I'll have you know I consider that a strength." I huff.
"And so, the tables have turned." Robin points out smiling. "Quite interesting how similar we are on this point, don't you think?"
"Guess we've both rubbed off on each other over the years we've been together." I waggle my eyebrows suggestively as I float right-side up again. "In more ways than one."
Robin punches me lightly on the chest. "Pervert…"
"Only for you."
Robin glances between me and our bedroll. "You…won't act on it tonight, will you?"
I shrug. "I only do if you want it as much as I do. There's no point in it otherwise."
"Oh, come on! You're this close to scoring with her!" Sparrow yells inside my mind.
*Whang!*
"Sparrow, leave my sex life alone."
The increasingly green landscape indicates that we're getting closer to the point where we turn south for the Mila Tree. We should be just a few days of marching from the tree at this point.
Our marching goes almost like a machinery. Everyone has a dull expression on their faces from the monotonous walking, yet there's no denying the hint of wariness lurking beneath the surface. Should anyone be stupid enough to attack right now, they'd be on the receiving end of a myriad of weapons, spells, arrows and a handful of martial arts moves that may or may not include draconic fire. Among other things.
As we reach a fork in the road, we're about to take a turn towards the turning point south when Maribelle runs up to Chrom.
"My lord! We have to take the other road!" the Valkyrie exclaims with more urgency than is ever normal for her.
Chrom looks at her questioningly. "What's wrong, Maribelle?"
Maribelle calls L'Arachel to her side and jumps on the horse in a single graceful motion. "I cannot put my finger on why…but I get a foreboding feeling in that direction. Unless we hurry, many innocents will die! I just know it!"
"Maribelle? This isn't like you." Ricken comments concerned, though he too has already mounted his horse.
Maribelle shakes her head. "Were it just a trick of my own mind, Ricken. But no, this is something far stronger. Call it…a hunch."
Say'ri looks in the direction Maribelle wants to go. "If memory serves, the ancient ruins of a temple from the age of the gods stands at the end of that road. Even to this day there are followers of the selfsame gods who pray day and night."
Chrom frowns. "Not exactly an ideal life choice in case bandits decide to attack. If you're so sure about this feeling, Maribelle, we'd better act on it."
"I can only hope my fears are misplaced." Maribelle mutters before she urges her horse into gallop.
I crouch down. "Robin, hop on!"
Robin looks at me skeptically before she shrugs and climbs on my back. Time for a high-speed piggyback ride!
Several others follow her example and pair up with a partner who has a mount. While it may slow the rider down a bit, safety in numbers is rarely a bad idea.
Due to the short notice of the change of plans, our cavalry gets split up from the rest of the army rather quickly. Guess the others will have to catch up as fast as they can.
We spot the temple ruins about ten minutes after we set out. It's in pretty bad shape, what with the occasional hole in the walls and vegetation covering the outside. Still looks operational, though, if the lit lanterns outside the main gate is any indication.
But there's no one outside the walls.
Chrom jumps off Cordelia's pegasus and runs into the temple grounds, followed shortly by the rest who managed to keep up.
We find a crowd of frightened people inside the walls, all huddled together and either praying to whatever god may be worshipped here or tending to the wounded.
"Gods help us!" an elderly man among the crowd exclaims when he catches sight of us. "Have those defiling cutthroats made it here already?!"
Chrom slows down. "Wait, cutthroats? Are you telling me there are brigands with their sights set on this temple?"
The elder pauses before he sighs relieved. "Ah, so you are not among them. What a relief. And to answer your question, young man, yes, they came from the woods not far from here. We made to retreat to this temple, but only managed to do so because a few brave souls stayed behind to fight back against them. Though brave they may be, I fear all they accomplished was stalling those brigands for a short while before they met a dreadful end. I fear those defilers will reach the temple grounds any minute now."
Maribelle walks into the conversation. "Then let us help you, good sir. If there's one thing this world needs less of, it's wretched bandits."
"You- You would help us?" one of the villagers among the crowd asks hopeful. "Oh, the gods be praised! Then we might have hope to survive this disaster after all!"
"You had better prepare yourselves for a tiring battle, then." the elder adds. "These may be sacred temple grounds, but I fear the walls are in a shameful state of disrepair. Doubtless those bandits will try to slip through any crack they can find in the walls in their pursuit for anything they find of value."
Robin frowns. "Then we'd best find those gaps and plug them with our own forces. Cordelia, Sumia, Cherche, I'll need you three to scan the temple grounds and tell me where the biggest openings of this place are. I will also need your input whenever something significant occurs around or inside the walls so I can direct the others to wherever they're needed."
Then my wife faces the rest of us. "We're going to focus on defense, everyone. Prevent those bandits from entering the temple grounds above all else! We cannot allow the people in here to be harmed!"
Quest alert
Side quest: Noble lineage
Even though the Conqueror has cemented his reign over the entire continent, not even his mighty empire is free from bandits roaming the lands and pillaging those who cannot fend for themselves. Greater goal or no, ignoring those bandits attacking a temple filled with innocent people is something no one in your group can ignore. The Shepherds will protect the sheep, even those not of their own fold. It should be noted that these bandits tend to be rather disorganized. If their leader falls, they will likely scatter.
Objective: Defeat the leader of the bandits.
Rewards: 10 000 EXP, 10 000 gold
Bonus objective: Don't let any villager die.
Bonus reward: 5 000 EXP, 10 000 gold, greatly increased standing with Ylisse, greatly increased standing with Regna Ferox.
We're about to head to our battle stations when we catch wind of some commotion coming from within the crowd.
"Will you punks just let me get outta there and bust their heads already?!"
"No! You'll get killed out there! What do you even hope to achieve if you can't even use a weapon?"
"I've got all the weapons I need right here, moron!"
"That's not a weapon! It's a gauntlet!"
What's with all the shouting? If they keep that volume up, they could give the approaching bandits a clue of their position. Considering said outlaws probably have Snipers armed with Longbows, that spell bad news for everyone.
And that's when a rough looking Priest with a scar over his left eye and copper-red hair pushes his way out of the crowd, much to said crowd's protest.
Brady Lvl 34 Class: Priest
Well, now. Considering it was Maribelle who got us here in the first place, I'll chalk it up as the Valkyrie having just awakened her motherly instincts.
And now that I take a closer look, I notice that there's indeed a gauntlet on Brady's right hand. Even weirder is that he only has the right gauntlet while the left is missing. The same level of weirdness can be seen through a slit on the front of his Priest's robes that runs all the way up to the top of his thighs. His left leg is protected by armor, but the same cannot be said for the right leg. Did the guy just pick up some random pieces of armor while fending off the Fell dragon's forces back in his timeline?
"Care to explain what a priest intends to do on the frontlines against a band of ruthless bandits?" Maribelle asks sternly as she approaches Brady.
"Well, I'll be…" the Priest mutters as he notices Maribelle's approach. "Haw haw haw! Didn't expect to find her here of all places."
Maribelle scowls. "Listen here, you mannerless cur! I'll not stand to be laughed at by a base scoundrel of your ilk!"
Brady sighs and nots. "…Yep. That clinches it. You must be Maribelle."
Maribelle pauses bemused before her scowl returns. "And just how do you know that?!" The Valkyrie points her parasol at him. "Do you leer at me from behind the shades of whatever den of iniquity you frequent?! Hmph! I bid you good day!"
As Maribelle flips some hair over her shoulder and turns to leave, Brady gives her an unreadable look. Then he sighs again.
"I guess you've always been like this." A faint smile grows on his lips. "And I wouldn't have ya any other way. Sorry ta say this, but you're stuck with me from now on."
Chrom approaches the Priest. "You mean to help us?"
Brady shrugs. "I'm a priest, ain't I? Healin' wounds is my job. 'Course, I know how to sock a few punks in the face if they get too close as well. And I've got a few other tricks up my sleeve – if these whinin' mooks would just let me get on the frontlines already!"
"What kinds of tricks are we talking about here?" I inquire curiously.
Brady smirks. "Well, there's a face I've been longing to see. I'll just show this, and ya might get the rest."
Brady leans his staff against his shoulder and claps his hands together. Then he crouches and slams his hands on the ground. Sparks fly from the ground around him as a pillar of the stone from the temple grounds rises up beside him.
I blink surprised. "Hold on a sec. That was alchemy."
"Sure was." Brady confirms. "Doin' stuff like this is like second nature to me. Come ta think about it, maybe I could repair the walls if I have time…"
I grab the Priest by the arm before he can go any further with that train of thought. "You're coming with me to my wife – now."
"Whoa, what're ya- Hey!"
Robin rubs her chin as the gears turn in her head. "This could be exactly what we need for this battle. Sully!"
"Right here."
"Take Brady with you and ride around the temple walls. If you find any crack or hole, drop him off and let him get to work on them."
"What am I, a mason?" Brady grumbles. "I ain't sittin' on my keister like some whiny brat while everyone else risk their lives fightin'. And don't even get me started on the whole "Ya ain't got a weapon" shtick! I've seen fighin' before. I can handle that kinda stuff. Honest!"
"Look, as admirable as your resolve to protect these people is, I have to stop you right there." Robin replies. "Whatever fighting prowess you may have, you will do a lot more good here behind the lines where you can safely heal anyone wounded. We all have our roles to carry out in this battle. Yours will be healing duty, right alongside Lissa, Maribelle and Libra."
"When Libra's done performing his rites, that is…" Chrom mutters.
A tic mark pulses on Robin's forehead. "Oh for- Libra! Can't your service of the divine wait until there are no bandits trying to raid the temple?!"
The War Monk has the decency to look sheepish as he gets up from his kneeling position in front of the main altar.
"My apologies. The sight of this sacred place had me moved to reverence."
Robin shakes her head. "Just… Please just save it for after the battle. Look sharp, everyone! The enemy's almost here!"
Based on Cordelia's and Sumia's recon, the bandits mainly come from the north. Fortunately, that's the part of the temple walls that are completely intact, which gives us precious time to set up whatever we may need to fend off the outlaws. The bad part is that it still leaves us with three sides that need to be defended simultaneously. It only gets more annoying by the fact that the bandits apparently have some experience raiding these sorts of places already, seeing as they spread out from a safe distance before they get ready to storm from all sides at once instead of charging in blind and spread along the wall like some less competent bandits would do. Whelp, there goes Robin's Plan A; make barricades along the eastern and western entrances to stall the bandits out for as long as possible before we have archers and spell casters bombard them.
Which means we immediately switch to Plan B; use the entrances as choke points and beat them back while keeping an eye out in case any of them try to climb up the walls.
I'm currently stationed by the eastern temple exit alongside Severa, Yarne and Kjelle.
"So, how are we doing this?" I ask my students. "Aside from the whole "Let none of them inside", Robin gave us a lot of free reign."
"I'll take point." Kjelle replies immediately and places herself by the threshold. "I have plenty of experience holding choke points, so I know how to weather a storm."
"That's fine and all, Kjelle, but I think that won't work." Severa points out. "Not even you can completely block an entryway that wide."
She raises a good point. Even though we're at a side entrance, the temple gate is much wider than Kjelle herself, most likely because the entrance was built for carts or large crowds of people in mind. As good as Kjelle may be at holding down the fort, she's only one person.
"Hey, I can pick up the slack for her." Yarne offers confidently as he punches his knuckles together.
Kjelle raises an eyebrow. "I've seen what you can do in training, Yarne, but defending key points hasn't been your strong suit."
"No." the half taguel relents. "But beating down enemies before they reach such a point is. Just send me into the crowd, and I'll soften 'em up for the rest of you to pick 'em off."
I give my barehanded student a dry look. "You seriously throw yourself into the thick of battle where you're literally surrounded on all sides? How are you still alive after Naga-knows-how-many battles against hordes of Risen?"
"Actually, that could work." Kjelle interjects. "Yarne and I have used this tactic before to defend several places. Yarne keeps most of the enemy ranks busy, which reduces the number of foes I have to face down. Because the enemy is so busy getting in, Yarne doesn't have to face against the entirety of the army, so we effectively split the enemy forces to make things easier on our part."
"Whenever they've done that, our enemies have been stupid enough to fall for it, too." Severa adds. "It's such a stupid tactic, but it works wonders against hordes of enemies who can't think more than two thoughts. Guess a bunch of bandits would fit that category."
I draw Harvest Moon and prepare Reinforcement at a moment's notice. "For Yarne's sake, I hope this foe does. We'd better get ready to jump in in case things get hairy for either of them."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Severa mutters as she draws Laevateinn. "Keep an eye out for your comrades while fighting."
"Good thing you won't do any of it on your own, then." we hear Stahl add from behind us.
We turn around and spot the green Great Knight alongside Panne, Gaius and Libra.
"Do not think I will allow my son to throw himself into danger so needlessly." Panne admonishes us as the Beaststone around her neck glows.
The taguel goes down on all four as a dome of stone envelops her. It shatters moments later, showing that Panne has turned into her beast form.
"I shall fight right alongside you in this battle, my son. It is time you learned how taguel defend their warren."
Yarne grins. "Sounds good to me."
I glance at Stahl. "And what about you, Stahl?"
Stahl positions himself right alongside Kjelle. "Well, two heads are better than one, right? You look like you could use a hand, Kjelle."
The blonde Knight nods. "My thanks. This should make holding the entrance easier."
"Leave the stragglers to me." Gaius tells us before he climbs up the wall to the arch over the gate. "Should be easy enough to pick off anyone who manages to give you the slip. I even got some assistance on the other side."
I look around the top of the wall. "Huh? But I don't see anyone."
"I said; I am right here!" a disembodied set of clothing shouts from where Gaius indicates.
Wait, that can't be right… Who had the bright idea to leave their clothes hanging over the-
"Yikes! Kellam?! When did you get here?!" I shout startled. "And when did you get promoted to an Assassin?"
"I've been with you the whole time. And I was promoted three weeks ago, but the only ones who witnessed it were Miriel and Laurent." the near invisible man answers with notable irritation.
I scratch the back of my head. "Oh… Sorry about that. I just- I don't know. Guess it just went right over my head."
"As well as the rest of everyone else, for that matter." Kellam grumbles.
Severa blinks shocked before she rubs her temples. "Sheesh. No wonder Laurent kept sneaking up on us when we were children. He totally got that from his father."
I glance at my red-headed student. "Laurent had a habit of sneaking up on you?"
Kjelle shakes her head. "No. It was more like he was easy to miss, what with his unassuming demeanor and quiet voice. It frustrated him to no end until he learned to properly speak up."
"Made it impossible to play hide-and-seek with him, too." Yarne adds. "No matter where we searched, we all eventually gave up – every single time."
I'm about to comment when several flashing dots enter the edge of my mini map. All of them are red.
I scowl and walk past the temple gates. "Let's hope Kellam's ability to remain undetected proves useful in the coming onslaught. Look alive, people. They're here."
BGM: Bearer of hope, Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn music
There are at least a dozen bandits coming in, and that's just the first wave. Here's hoping our resident beast kin can slow them down.
I summon a small vortex of wind around me. "Let's even the battlefield a little, eh, Severa?"
"Hmph. You don't have to tell me what I've already planned, Sensei." the Mercenary huffs as she summons a circle of flames around her feet.
Yarne and Panne dash headfirst at the incoming bandits. A pair of Heroes find themselves stuck fighting the taguel. The first one tries to split Panne's head with a Silver Axe, only to learn that a transformed taguel is very nimble on their feet. Panne sidesteps the blow and tackles the bandit to the ground. Then she jumps up and rolls into a spinning ball that shreds his front to bleeding chunks.
Yarne meanwhile jumps over a Silver Sword wielded by the other Hero and sends a hook at his face, only for the fist to meet the Hero's shield. The bandit rears back his sword to stab Yarne through the stomach. But that's when Yarne's feet touch the ground and the half-taguel sends a lightning fast jab that grazes the Hero's forehead, and ultimately deters the bandit from following through with his retaliation. Yarne steps in and hammers an uppercut into the underside of the shield, thus blowing the Hero's guard wide open. The Hero tries to strike back with his sword, but finds himself too slow as Yarne takes another step in, rams his shoulder in the bandit's chest and sends him flying with a snap kick to the face.
Panne jumps back from a Swordmaster's Killing Edge and circles the outlaw carefully. The sword wielding bandit zips to the left and charges for a flanking blow. That's when Panne makes a rapid pivot and sends a wave of dirt in his face. The Swordmaster barely has time to cry out in surprise before Panne bowls him over and pounces on the Warrior standing right behind him.
Meanwhile, the downed Swordmaster sits up and cradles his head from the shock. That's when he notices Yarne grab hold of his legs while grinning. The half-taguel slams his foe around on the ground like a ragdoll before he winds up a swing with his sights set on a Sniper.
*Insert "Yeet!" sound effect* *Wham!*
Right in the nick of time, too. That Sniper had his arrow trained on Sumia while she's scouting the battlefield and relaying the information to Robin. Instead of a clean hit on the Dark Flier, the arrow goes way off course while the Sniper gets in a tangled heap with his outlaw buddy. And then Frederick's horse runs them over for good measure.
But even as Panne and Yarne keep the bandits busy, a few slip past them and charge straight at our second line of defense; me and Severa. Too bad they're so far away that we have plenty of time to set up a countermeasure.
"Just guide your flames along my wind! I'll handle the directions!" I shout as I let my wind magic loose.
"Ugh, I get it already!" Severa yells as she pours the conjured fire into the funnels that I send out.
The mana saturated air ignites, showing where my wind magic has passed. I flick my free hand around and have the wind streams weave a pattern. Pointing my hand upwards causes the wind to ascend sharply. The accompanying flames follow suit, turning the intricate web of fire streams into several walls of fire that cross each other. The bandits that made a mad dash for the gates a second ago stop in their tracks and try not to get burnt to a crisp in the inferno.
But it's in that moment that Panne and Yarne are free to ambush them from behind and beat the living daylights out of them while they're trapped against the flame walls.
A snap of my finger dispels the wind, as well as the accompanying flames in the process. Our sights clear up to reveal that several bandits are beaten up while more still show burn injuries of varying degrees.
*Thunk, thunk!*
And the few who made it through the flames more or less unscathed fall victim to Gaius's and Kellam's arrows.
Severa stabs Laevateinn into the ground and leans against the sword. "And here I thought we'd have our work cut out for us. Those bandits were just lame."
And right on cue, more flashing dots appear along the edge of my mini map.
I give Severa a sour look. "Severa, a word of advice; never declare your victory prematurely."
"And why's that?"
I point at where the next wave of bandits is coming from. "That's why."
About two dozen more bandits crest a hill to the east.
Severa's eyebrow twitches. "This is getting ridiculous. Since when are bandits this organized? They're bandits!"
"I agree with you on one matter. These bozos have to go." I reply as I walk towards the incoming wave. I glance behind me. "Hey. Stahl and Kjelle. Make sure to hold the gate no matter what, okay?"
The two protectors blink confused.
"Huh? But that's what Robin's been telling us to do the whole time." Stahl points out. "What's the point of repeating that?"
I return my gaze at the bandits and crouch in a battle stance. "Just had to make sure the gate's watched while we take out the trash."
Union Strike: Firestorm
"Severa!"
"Hmph! Fine!"
Severa points Laevateinn backwards and blasts flames from the blade to propel herself forward, right alongside me. As we reach the bandits, I turn on a dime and kick a Swordmaster right into a Paladin. Severa arrives moments later and swings full force on a Hero's shield, bleeds the momentum by crouching low, blows his guard wide open with a rising slash and slams the butt end of Laevateinn into his chest.
I flip over a Berserker and kick off the back of his head to slice both a Sniper and his bow in half. Severa dances between lances and axes as she leaves a trail of burning slashes in her wake. I follow suit with Gale step and grab Severa's free hand to swing her around and change her direction mid-charge before we both separate and strike down more bandits. Three rounds of zipping around later, we skid to a stop in front of the bandits the same way we came from.
I replace Harvest Moon behind my back and thrust my free hand against the bandits. "They're toast."
I lock the remaining bandits in a telekinetic lock and pull them together at a focal point while building up a Rasenshuriken. Meanwhile, Severa conjures flames around Laevateinn's blade that grow hotter until they glow white.
I grin as I take aim. "I love the smell of barbeque in the morning."
Severa takes a stance. "Say good night!"
My student swings her sword moments after I toss my Rasenshuriken. A massive wave of flames erupt from the golden blade and forms into a snarling dragon serpent. My Rasenshuriken hits the lumped-together bunch of bandits like a truck. The flaming serpent, in turn, quickly catches up to my Rasenshuriken and grabs it in its jaws. The serpent twists and coils up in the air before it turns and heads downwards at breakneck speeds. Right as it reaches the ground, the flame beast clamps its jaws shut on the Rasenshuriken.
*Ka-BOOM!*
The Rasenshuriken detonates like a pack of dynamite. As the dome containing countless wind blades expands and shreds the bandits trapped within to pieces, the fire magic ignites the mana, adding to the destruction by burning everything that the wind blades cut. The only thing remaining as the dust settles are ashes.
I raise my hand for a high five. "I like your style."
Severa crosses her arms and turns away blushing. "Glory hog…"
"Hey, not cool…" I tell her flatly.
"Yarne! Look out!" we hear Panne shouting.
Yarne picks up on the warning and jumps back. Moments later, an arrow hits the ground where he just stood. And then another. And another. Then about a dozen Bow Knights emerge from the woods with even more Snipers standing by.
Severa throws her hands into the air. "Oh, come on! How many of them are there?!"
I grab my student by the shoulder. "Think about that later. We need to pull back."
I zip back to the gate with Severa before she can protest. I'm about to set up the next wave of support when I note that the bandits got to Yarne faster than expected. Rats! Those Snipers specifically aimed for him! He's pinned down by arrows and is about to get overrun by a bunch of bloodthirsty Bow Knights. Better make this quick!
Wait, are his eyes glowing silver?
*Ka-bram!*
…
Yarne stands tall, completely unharmed while several Bow Knights lay knocked out across the field with some kind of dent on their armor or their faces. More importantly, there's a silver aura enveloping him.
"Wh-what just happened?" Kjelle asks bewildered. "Is that…really Yarne?"
One Observe gives me all the answers I need.
Ultra Instinct, Lvl 1 [0 %], Active, Cost: 100 MP per minute
A technique so difficult to master, it is also known as the "state of the gods". By separating the consciousness from the body, the user can move independently of thought or feeling. Instead of conscious decisions, the user instead moves and fights using instincts and movements honed through years of grueling training and combat. This state basically shows the user's full potential, so long as they can keep themselves like this. Know, however, that operating at full capacity is also the fastest way of tiring yourself out. After all, no one can operate at maximum performance for too long without dire consequences.
Reaction time is reduced by 90 %. Attack speed increases by 100 %. Damage dealt increases by 20 %. This skill has a cooldown for 5 minutes after deactivation. The user suffers from the status ailment "Exhausted" during this cooldown period.
I grin proudly. "At long last. You've finally reached your true potential, Yarne."
Severa looks at me in shock. "Wait a minute. You're the one who taught him that?!"
"I merely helped Yarne along the way. Other than providing the training, he reached this state through his own effort alone. I knew my future self was right in seeing what Yarne could be capable of if trained properly."
To demonstrate, the shocked bandits try to attack Yarne again. First come the Bow Knights.
*Bam!*
All knocked out in the blink of an eye. Next come the Berserkers.
*Bam!*
Yeeted into whichever direction Yarne decided on in a split-second. And one inanimate object happens to stand in each of those directions. Now they're inanimate objects tilting at various angles with a person stuck in each of them.
And lastly, the Snipers.
*Thwip, thwip, thwip!*
Yarne's arms move in a blur as he snatches every arrow out of the sky. Then the half-taguel flips the arrows and tosses them all at once. A mix of strangled shouts and surprised yelps shows how dead on his aim was.
Yarne has leveled up!
"I suddenly feel very sorry for all those times I hit him on the head with a practice sword while he was blindfolded." Severa whimpers.
I pat my frightened student on the shoulder. "If he ever seems upset, come find me. I'll handle it."
Sevear hugs me tight. "I'm counting on you, you know? My life depends on this!"
I roll my eyes. "No need to be a drama queen, Severa. Yarne's not the vindictive type, unlike someone else I happen to know."
A tic mark appears on the redhead's forehead. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
I'm about to reply when I hear the whinny of a horse coming from above. I turn around and spot Cordelia flying towards us with an urgent look on her face.
"Jack, we're getting overwhelmed at the west gate! Robin sent me here to get backup!"
I frown in concern. Robin wouldn't request backup on such short notice unless something bad happened very fast. More importantly, this means we'll be spread thinner than any of us would prefer.
"Jack, go! We've got things handled here!" Stahl urges me from his position.
Kjelle nods. "He's right. Lady Robin ordered all three gates to be guarded in this battle. If any one of them fall, we all fail." The Knight smirks. "Besides, I think it's only a matter of time before we're done over here."
What makes them so sure-
"DaaRYAAAAH!" *BOOM!*
Oh, right. Yarne's putting his new skill to the test, and those unfortunate bandits were just appointed as his first vici- I mean, practice dum- I mean, sparring partners. I meant to say sparring partners. Honest.
*Bam!* "-and do not think you will find any greater mercy when you are faced with the gods you had the gall to mock, you desecraters! My wrath is but a taste of the agony that awaits you beyond death!"
And while I would normally object to have Libra on the frontlines, I think he just unlocked his own version of Female Rage. Just look at the guy go on those bandits. I guess their plan on plundering the ancient temple awakened the War Monk's inner zealot. Or inner Hulk.
I nod and pull myself out of Severa's grip. "All right. Stay vigilant, guys. See you all later when this mess is cleaned up."
I run back into the temple grounds while Cordelia flies overhead.
I meet Robin back at the main building. "Anything I need to know, Robin?"
Robin grimaces while looking at the west gate. "Cordelia should've already informed you of the situation. Thing is, she got held up for a few minutes because of how relentless the attack is from there. I sent Sumia to get help from the southern gate as well, but she's yet to return."
I nod. "Got it. I'll head to the west gate immediately."
"Please hurry. I don't know if it's gotten worse since I sent Cordelia."
Turns out it's about as bad as Robin feared. Lon'qu leaps back and forth between four outlaws who have him boxed in. The only reason why Cherche can't help him is because of a Sniper who won't leave her alone. Miriel seems to move a bit sluggishly. The red stain on her right shoulder indicates that she must've gotten hit by an arrow earlier. Gregor and Anna manage to hold off a Hero and a Paladin with some impressive on-the-fly teamwork, which mainly consists of Anna providing distractions while Gregor bulldozes into whatever opening he can find. That's probably the main reason why the west gate still holds.
Olivia has a hard time weaving dance moves because of the General who seems dead set on skewering her on his lance. That's when Inigo jumps in and slams a Hamon infused fist into the General's side so hard that the armor dents.
Inigo points at the General smirking. "You're about to say; I'll get you for this, brat!"."
"I'll get you for this brat! Huh?"
"Gotcha!"
Inigo sends out Hermit Purple, ensnares the General's legs and yanks the feet out from under him. The General falls on his back with a loud thud and gets bombarded with lightning spells moments later, courtesy of Laurent.
All right, first order of business; Help Cherche.
A Swordmaster manages to get the drop on Cherche and grabs enough of her attention for the Sniper to get a clean shot in. The arrow only makes it halfway to the Wyvern Rider before I snatch it out of the air.
"Not on my watch!" *Shink!*
Harvest Moon sinks into the Sniper's chest. Then I rip my sword out of his body, spin and behead him in a single fluid motion. Then I zip in between Cherche and the Swordmaster and knock the bandit away.
"Go help Lon'qu! I'll handle this guy!" I tell the Wyvern Rider.
Cherche nods grateful before she urges Minerva in Lon'qu's direction.
The outlaw Swordmaster clicks his tongue and readies his Silver Sword. "You just had to barge in when I finally got the chance to fight a pretty woman who actually fights back. I'll get you for that."
I shift Harvest Moon into its naginata form and settle in my own stance. "That pretty woman is already betrothed. Keep your hands off her, or you'll answer to her fiancé."
"Oh, yeah? And who's that?"
I hike my thumb in Lon'qu's direction. "That guy."
Cherche's intervention finally gives Lon'qu the breathing room he needs. My lieutenant takes a deep breath, flips both Killing Edges into reverse grips, and vanishes in a blur.
*Shing!*
Moments later, every single bandit in a three-meter radius around both him and Cherche fall to the ground covered in lethal cuts.
The enemy Swordmaster sweats nervously. "Uh… For the record, I didn't harm her, okay?"
I shrug. "Sure."
*Clang!*
"Still won't stop me from beating your sorry behind for attacking this temple, though." I add as I push against his sword.
"And what's it to you?" the Swordmaster grunts as he pushes back. "We're just trying to make a living here."
"At the expense of countless innocents? Your excuse isn't even good."
I break the weapon lock and unleash a flurry of thrusts at the Swordmaster. The sword wielding outlaw weaves and blocks the blows with surprisingly good results. One well-timed parry gives him the opening to thrust back against me. I pivot and crouch under the thrust before I shove the butt end of Harvest Moon into his chest, change my weapon into scythe form and ram the blade into his gut before I rip it out.
"You should've chosen a better occupation." I mutter before I run to find someone else to help.
Which would probably be Ricken. Poor guy is locked in a sword fight with a Paladin, and judging by the way he's sweating, Ricken's sword technique still needs work if he wants to fight on this level.
"I gotch' yer' back!" *Thunk!*
Well, looks like the archery coverage from our side works out. Except…that's no arrow. The size indicates that it's a freakin' ballista bolt. When did Robin have time to mount one on a temple wall, of all things?
Both Ricken and I look in the direction that the bolt came from. Donnel's standing on top of the wall waving cheerfully while holding an absurdly big bow in his other hand and an equally big quiver behind his back.
Seriously, I was just joking back when I thought Donnel would pick up a ballista as his ranged weapon. How in the world did he get his hands on a modified bow that can fire ammo of that scale?
"Well, it would seem the experimental weapon works as intended." Miriel comments, her shoulder now healed.
I look at the Sage surprised. "Wait, you're the one who supplied Donnel with that monstrosity?"
Miriel adjusts her glasses. "Donnel told me that conventional bows were too light and brittle for his preference. After some deliberating with Laurent, we deduced that Donnel's overwhelming strength might make it difficult for him to get comfortable with ordinary bows. So we used a ballista as a base and modified it to be portable while still retaining its immense draw weight." A small smile grows of the Sage's lips. "One of our more successful endeavors, if I do say so myself."
"You've shot your last arrow!" an enemy Dark Knight shouts as he blasts and Arcfire spell in Donnel's direction.
Donnel stretches out his hand, grabs hold of the spell and stuffs it into a satchel at his hip.
Wait, WHAT?!
The Dark Knight gapes at the sheer absurdity of the situation before he gets pierced by a ballista bolt.
I'm at Donnel's side moments later. "Donnel, how the heck did you do that? You're not even that good with magic."
Donnel shrugs as he notches another ballista bolt. "Funny story there, Jack. I was just wanderin' 'round a market fer' some food shoppin' when a merchant showed me this here thing. Didn't look anythin' special until he put a whole pumpkin into the darn thing like it was an acorn. I was shocked, 'specially when he told me I could put jus' about anythin' in it."
"I'd normally call something like that a scam, but looks like it really can store anything – even magic."
Donnel grins as he releases his ballista bolt. "That ain't even the best part. Watch this!"
The former farm boy sticks his hand into the satchel, pulls out a glowing red orb and chucks it at a General. The orb turns into the Arcfire spell from earlier and reduces the General to a pile of slag and cinders in a matter of seconds.
BGM ends
"Pretty neat, huh?" Donnel asks proudly. When he gets no response, he turns to me concerned. "Uh, Jack? Ya okay there?"
I'm too busy mimicking a fish to respond. I don't know who that merchant was, but they just helped Donnel replicate the Villager's Pocket move. Ashera have mercy on us all…
AN: Villager's – and by extension Isabelle's – Pocket move is ridiculous. It can store just about any kind of item or projectile, ranging from a Deku nut to Wario's bike to Samus's Charge shot to Lucario's Aura Sphere – which is weaponized life force! The shenanigans a skilled Villager/Isabelle player can pull off are just insane. And more than likely to drive their opponent up the walls in frustration due to the infuriating way of how they can control the whole fight.
Donnel pokes me on the head. "Hey, Jack. Ya still alive in there?"
I shake my head. "Yeah. I just- …Give me a moment."
"Ya better get over that moment fast. There's more of 'em comin' this way."
There sure is. And if that's not cause enough for concern, then the alert flashing across my vision does.
Warning! Warning! Boss level enemy approaching!
Xalbador Lvl 45 Class: Hero
There… So that's the jerk leading this pack of marauding outlaws. Something about the gods never hearing him when he grew up a starving boy, so he shows no mercy to anyone who worships a deity. A guy who justifies plundering using a petty grudge, pretty much.
I zip down to ground level again, right besides Ricken.
"Better buckle down, Ricken. This is when the real battle starts." I tell him.
"Really? What makes you think that?"
"Their leader is coming here. If we take him down, his lackeys should surrender."
Xalbador finally comes into view, looking as smug as any minor filler arc villain you could imagine. Remind me why this guy's class is Hero again?
Though what concerns me is the two dozen Snipers standing behind him – all equipped with Longbows.
"I tire of this fruitless fighting. I may as well cut my losses with a parting shot." the bandit leader declares and raises his hand. "Men! Take aim!"
The Snipers each notch an arrow and raise their bows. Hang on a second! They're not aiming for us. They're aiming for the temple! Better get ready for some time stopping shenanigans before I bring the fight to these cowards!
Or, I would, if it wasn't for the massive earthen wall that suddenly springs up from the ground and covers the whole west side of the temple. No arrow pierces the solid hide.
"What in the- What manner of sorcery is this?!" Xalbador yells.
Some sparks appear near the base of the earth wall before a rectangular shape appears and splits open to reveal Brady calmly walking out.
"Man, the people in the temple drive me nuts…" the Priest mutters. "First they tell me to stay back because its too dangerous, then they yell in panic the moment someone injured comes in here, and now they hope I can save 'em all. 'Fer cryin' out loud, make up yer d-mn minds already!"
Xalbador eyes Brady with a hint of curiosity mixed with disdain. "I remember you. Were you not the one who kept yelling about punching my face in before you retreated back to this very temple?"
"And I woulda' done that too if it wasn't for those meddlin' acolytes!" Brady snaps and shakes his armored fist in Xalbador's direction. "Ya better get outta here if ya know what's good for ya, or I'll sock ya in the face till it's a mess not even yer ma's gonna love!"
Xalbador blinks bemused before his cheeks puff up.
"Pfft! Hah! You? Mess up my face? And how's a weakling like you going to accomplish that?"
The taunt gets followed up by all of Xalbador's remaining lackeys laughing at Brady. The Priest shakes in fury before he tosses his staff aside and walks towards the laughing bandits with an angry scowl that promises pain.
"No one calls me weakling, punk. Just fer that, yer gonna die."
"Hey, I think you should stay back and leave the fighting to us." Ricken tries to warn Brady. "I mean, you don't look like the kind of guy for that kind of task."
Brady rounds on the Dark Knight. "I ain't gonna hear that from some shorty who looks more at home in grade school than on the battlefield. 'Sides, I didn't bust my keister trainin' under Sensei, just so others will just push me back 'cause they think Priests can't fight. Aren't you already married to someone who could fight before she learned how to use tomes?"
Ricken pauses in surprise. "Wait… How do you know that? And when you said "Sensei"… Does that mean you're-"
"Sure am." the Priest cuts him off.
I raise an eyebrow. "Well, that all but confirms it. So, you think you're up for it? Your opponent's no amateur."
"That ain't a problem." Brady assures me before he cracks the knuckles on his bare hand and the scowl returns full force. "That bozo called me weak. No one calls me weak and gets away with it. I'm about to end this punk's entire career."
BGM: The Finisher, Hajime no Ippo: Rising OST
Xalbador brandishes his Tomahawk confidently. "If you're that eager to die, then be my guest!"
Bandit and healer charge each other, one with an axe, the other with an armored fist. Right before impact, Brady lowers his head and raises his armored fist.
*Clang!*
Brady pushes the back of his gauntlet against the shaft of the Tomahawk and stops the axe blade from hitting his head. At the same time, he rears back his other fist. Xalbador blocks the punch with his shield before he takes a step back to repeat his attack. But Brady responds with a quick instep and throws a right hook at the bandit leader.
Xalbador manages to lean his face enough for it to turn into a glancing blow. He shoves the shield between himself and Brady for some distance before he charges back into the fray shield-first. Brady slaps the ground and Transmutes an earth wall between them. Then he punches the wall and sends cubes of packed dirt at Xalbador. The Hero protects his upper body with his shield, but the legs suffer a few blows. Then Brady charges in for another punch, only to have that blocked as well.
"Neat trick." Xalbador comments smirking. "Too bad it's too weak, like you!"
Xalbador pushes back a bit before he springs backwards, causing Brady to lose his balance. Xalbador raises his axe to split Brady in two, but Brady slaps the ground again and makes a pillar of dirt elevate him back upright and out of range of the Tomahawk. Brady sways left and right before he zips to Xalbador's right and pivots before he kicks the bandit leader in the side. Xalbador grunts from the blow and retaliates with a sideways swing, only to find that the leg Brady kicked with is his armored one. Sparks fly as the axe fails to penetrate the greave, but the impact also causes Brady to spin out of balance. The Priest flips into a cartwheel to get back upright.
Xalbador tosses his Tomahawk at Brady. The Priest ducks low to dodge, but only realizes too late that it was just a ruse as he suddenly finds Xalbador right in front of him. Xalbador kicks Brady in the chin and grabs the dazed Priest by the collar before he headbutts him. Xalbador catches his Tomahawk on the return moments later and swings down over Brady's shoulder. The blood spray and Brady's cry of pain indicate a clean hit.
"You're finished! Die!" Xalbador shouts as he swings once more.
"Not happenin'!" Brady shouts back and slaps the ground.
A massive dust cloud obscures the battle from Brady's Transmutation, causing Xalbador to pause and look around.
"Where did that brat go…?" Xalbador mutters while looking around. He notices a shadow among the dust and leaps in victoriously. "There you are!" *Shing!*
Much to his surprise, what he split apart was just a dummy made of dirt.
Xalbador blinks in surprise. "Huh?"
"Over here, stupid!" *Wham!*
Brady's armored fist sinks into Xalbador's face hard enough to make the bandit leader see stars. He barely makes it one step back before Brady grabs the bandit by his pauldron and turns him face-to-face to deliver another haymaker to the face. The cracking sound and the blood indicates that Brady broke his nose with that one.
"You brat!" Xalbador shouts as he kicks Brady away and tosses his Tomahawk again.
Brady ducks under the throwing axe and charges in to deliver an elbow strike. Xalbador blocks, but does so in a way that it obscures his view of Brady. The Priest grins at the opening and claps his hands together before he puts them both on Xalbador's shield. Sparks fly as Brady Transmutes the bandit leader's metallic protection into a metallic straitjacket instead.
Xalbador gapes in shock. "Wh-what the? Hey, what did you do?!"
Brady rears his fist back. "I'd pray if I were you!"
With both his arms restrained, Xalbador is completely defenseless as Brady hammers punch after punch into his face, chest and side.
But that's when the Tomahawk returns. Seeing a chance, Xalbador kicks Brady away and manages to catch the Tomahawk with his teeth. He makes a desperate charge and swings the axe with his entire upper body.
Brady claps his hands together and strikes the Tomahawk with his palm. The moment the metallic instruments make contact, sparks briefly fly before the Tomahawk disintegrates. Xalbador gawks in shock.
Brady tackles the shocked bandit to the ground and holds him by the neck. The moment they reach the ground, Brady slams his free hand on the dirt. A spike of stone jets out from the ground and pierces Xalbador through the head, killing him on the spot.
Xalbador has been killed!
Brady has leveled up!
BGM ends
Brady breathes heavily as he rolls off the dead bandit leader. I crouch down and help him sit up.
"Told ya…I got this…" the Priest wheezes.
"And armed with nothing but your wits, your skills and your fist at that." I add impressed. "Even though this is far from the first time I see a healer take down their opponent without a conventional weapon, it's always a spectacle to see."
"Yeah… Still got a ways to go, though. Shoulda won that fight without this wound. Hurts like crazy, too. Just my luck I haven't figured out how to use healing magic on myself." Brady groans.
I put Brady's arm over my shoulders and walk him to the temple. "Good thing we have several other competent healers with us. Come on, let's get you patched up."
"Ma won't be happy when she sees me in this state."
"I fear more for my own health by the time she realizes future-me trained you to fight." I comment with tears running down my face. "I'm too handsome to die to the parasol."
"Ya brought this upon yerself, Sensei. I'll pray fer your health."
"I could always dump you here and claim you died from your wounds, you know."
"Hey! Abandoning the wounded ain't allowed!"
"Unlike you, I never swore a Hippocratic oath." I point out.
"…Sometimes I can't tell whether yer tryin' to toughen me up or just kill me…"
There are no worries about bandits interrupting our bickering. They scattered the moment they saw their leader die. So much for being organized. Guess the imperial soldiers will clean up the stragglers as time goes. Walhart, you owe us one.
By the time I drop off Brady with our healers, I notice Yarne lean against a pillar like a sack of potatoes.
"Yarne? You okay over there?" I ask the half-taguel concerned.
"I'm fine…" Yarne groans tired. "Just…need rest."
"I don't know what Yarne did back there to become so powerful, but it's taken its toll on him." Stahl explains. "By the time the fighting stopped, he just collapsed. I worried we had lost him."
I sit down in front of Yarne and pat his shoulder. "Yarne, I can tell without any reservations that I'm proud of you. You have tapped into your full potential at long last."
Yarne gives me a dull look. "Wait… You're telling me…that's what you tried…to teach me all along?"
I nod grinning. "That's right. And all that training that you've thrown yourself into has payed off in spades. You have learned all I wished to teach you. From this point onward, any skill and any strength you obtain or improve will be by your own effort. You've become a master in your own right, and someone I know I can depend on when the going gets tough."
Even while exhausted, Yarne grins back. "Got it. I'll forge my own legacy from here on out, as a taguel, and as your student. I owe it all to my parents and you, Master Jack."
We bump fists.
Your relationship with Yarne has advanced! Your relationship with Yarne is now "Friends"!
The bond you've nurtured has given birth to a new ability! You can now perform the Union Strike "Beasts within" with Yarne!
The elder who sought our help before the battle bows to Chrom. "Thank you! Oh, thank you… You've kept this sacred place safe and spared the lives of those within."
Chrom gives the elder an easy smile. "We just did what was right."
The elder shakes his head. "Would that everyone were so brave! If only there was a way for us to show our gratitude."
"Oh, that's easier than you think, good sir!" Anna interjects cheerfully. "See, I noticed that you have quite the treasury in this temple. Impressive, considering how run down it looks otherwise."
"Anna!" Libra rebukes the merchant – to no avail.
"So, if you open up that treasury and let me help myself with a trinket or two inside, I'd say we can call it all even."
"ANNA!"
Anna gives Libra a clueless look. "What? He's the one who made the offer."
The elder fidgets in place. "I did indeed. But to open the treasury would be akin to sacrilege. The objects stored within are no mere commodities, young lady. Those are offerings given to the goddess Mila, gathered and stored since centuries. As grateful as I am for you actions today, I fear not even your good deeds would warrant such drastic actions."
Anna's about to protest when a glow from the statue adorning the altar begins to glow.
"Brave warriors who protected this sacred place. Come forth and stand before me." a voice echoes from the statue.
We all look among each other questioningly.
"Hey… You guys think that voice means us?" Stahl asks while scratching his head.
Chrom nods. "I don't see anyone else who fought to protect the temple. Come on. Let's gather everyone here."
It takes a few minutes before everyone is gathered in front of the altar.
"I am a servant of the Earth Mother Mila. Though her spirit has passed on since centuries, she has entrusted me with some of her blessed power. This blessing is for anyone deemed worthy of ascending to a state of greater power. If you have yet to choose a path to follow, now is a time when you may choose."
Lissa scrunches up her face in confusion. "Okay…? And how does that translate to Normal?"
"My word!" the elder exclaims. "So the legends were true after all!"
Libra bows to the elder. "Esteemed head priest, what did those legends entail? And what exactly is this blessing that is offered to us?"
"According to legend, the gods of old had the power to let mere mortals ascend to greater states of power, should they be deemed worthy, just like this servant of the gods stated." the elder explains. "When war ravaged these lands, the blessings of the gods were seen as a sign of those worthy of leading the people both on and off the battlefield. The many shrines and statues that stand in the realm to this day were the gathering places where servants of the gods could pass on the blessed power to mortals."
"And such a blessing is being offered to us right now?"
The elder nods. "That would seem to be the case. It would seem my prayers were answered in a greater manner than I could have imagined."
"Hold on a minute! What about the treasure?!" Anna protests.
"What greater thanks than a blessing from the gods themselves?" the elder asks.
Anna is about to give the elder a piece of her mind when Libra shuts the merchant's mouth and puts her in a hold. "We are most honored and humbly accept whatever blessing the gods may bestow upon us, esteemed elder. If I may, I ask that it be bestowed with haste."
As if answering the War Monk's request, a pulse of blue light emanates from the statue. A blue glow settles over Cherche and Henry.
Cherche blinks bemused as she inspects the glow. "Hm? How curious."
"Hee hee. This stuff sticks to me, no matter what I do." Henry cheerfully notes while he waves around an arm.
"Rider of the scaled beast. Disciple of the arcanist. You have been deemed worthy of the Earth Mother's blessing. Come forth and take a knee, that I may bestow new power unto you."
Cherche glances at Henry. "Shall we?"
Henry shrugs. "Sounds fun. Let's do it."
The Wyvern Rider and Dark Mage take a knee in front of the statue. Ethereal feathers fall around them as the light seemingly concentrates over their kneeling forms.
"Use this power for the benefit of those who have none of their own. Which path you chose is up to you. Go now, and may the gods ever be in your favor."
The light around Henry and Cherche becomes blinding for a moment. As it dies down, their outfits have changed.
Cherche's class has been changed to Wyvern Lord!
Henry's class has been changed to Sorcerer!
*Screech!*
We look behind us to see the air around Minerva sparkle with blue light. The Wyvern has some armor covering her body in a way that matches Cherche's new outfit.
"Do you like the new vestments, Minerva?" Cherche asks her partner. "I'd say they look wonderful on you."
Judging from Minerva's purring, she agrees.
"This robe looks so silly." Henry remarks as he inspects his new clothes. "Can I keep it, Lissa?"
The War Cleric rolls her eyes. "I'm not your mother, Henry. If you want to keep it, fine."
Henry's smile grows wider. "Yay!"
"But… But what about the treasure…?" Anna laments from the sidelines.
Gregor pats the redhead on the shoulder. I guess we'll leave the consolation to him.
Quest alert
Side quest: Noble lineage
The defense of the ancient temple was a success! The bandits have been driven off, and the day is saved. Here's to hoping that whatever deity who watches over the temple leads guardians there to protect it in the future.
Objective: Defeat the leader of the bandits.
Objective cleared!
Rewards: You gain 10 000 EXP! You gain 10 000 gold!
Bonus objective: Don't let any villager die.
Bonus objective cleared!
Bonus reward: You gain 5 000 EXP! You gain 10 000 gold! Your standing with Ylisse has increased greatly! Your standing with Regna Ferox has increased greatly!
BGM: Dearly Beloved, Kingdom Hearts 2 music
We're all packed and ready to head back to our journey towards the Mila Tree when Brady approaches Maribelle.
"Hey, Ma."
"What did you call me?" the Valkyrie asks stiffly.
"The name's Brady. I'm-"
"I'm sorry, but I only cure physical ailments. Broken bones and the like." Maribelle cuts him off without a second thought. "You're clearly a deeply troubled individual whose diseased mind is beyond my healing."
"Stop talking for a minute and look at this!" Brady shouts exasperated and pulls out a ring from his pouch.
Maribelle only needs a second to recognize the object in the Priest's hand. "That's…my ring! Then, that makes you…"
Brady smiles. "Right. Like I was trying to say, I'm-"
"A thief! A rapscallion! A common lowborn cutpurse!" Maribelle cuts him off once more. The Valkyrie draws her parasol and, despite the physical impossibility of it all, towers over Brady like a dark silhouette with red circles for eyes and an aura of doom enveloping her. "How dare you sneak in here and steal my prized possessions!"
Ricken has already taken cover in the woods. Guess he was the first to notice the signs of the titan awakening.
Brady takes a step back in fright before a tic mark pulses on his head. "Gawds! Stop interruptin' for a blessed second, and check yer ring!"
The towering figure of doom glances at its left hand. Lo and behold, the ring is right where it belongs. The figure shrinks back to its normal state in the shape of the Maribelle we all know.
"…Oh, it's still here." the blonde healer notes bemused.
Brady sighs exasperated. "That clear things up any, Ma?"
"Everything save how I gave birth to a common thug!" Maribelle laments.
Brady gives his mother a sour look. "Aw, come on, Ma! That's harsh! Sure, I'm not the prettiest guy around, but I'm no thug, and I AM your son." A faint smile replaces his previous expression. "…And it's good to see you."
"…How did I ever permit my child to grow up referring to me as "Ma"?" Maribelle cries in her hands.
Brady shrugs. "You gave up tryin' after a decade or so."
Maribelle practically flies into her son's face. "Well, can you at least ride? Have you read the classics? Do you play violin? Chess?!"
"Yeah, all of the above. You beat all'a that junk into me." Brady assures her. "On top'a that, Sensei crammed all sorts'a knowledge into my head and practically turned me into a scholar. I hate seein' another book as I am, but I can't stand bein' without one either."
Maribelle beams. "Glory be! My son is salvageable after all!"
Brady gawks at the reply. "Uh… Thanks?"
Maribelle pats him on the cheek. "Don't look so forlorn, dear. You've come a long way, but Mother's here now. I'll take care of things from now on."
Brady slowly trembles. Tears spill out from his eyes, despite his best efforts to keep them at bay. "*Sniff* I missed you so much, Ma…"
Maribelle points her parasol at his face. "Don't even think of crying! It does not befit one of your station!" Maribelle trembles as tears pool in her own eyes. "*Sniff* Plus, you'll set me off as well…"
Brady wipes his face on the sleeve of his robe. "Sorry, I just… I… Oh, Ma!"
"Oh, Brady! My baby boy!"
Mother and son embrace in tears – lots of tears.
Chrom watches the scene bemused. "Oh, brother…"
BGM ends
To be continued
Brady's character sheet
Brady Lvl 35 Class: Priest
Maribelle's son from the future. Despite his rough exterior and mannerisms, he's a very sensitive person. And yet, he has a temper that easily matches his mother's. His training under Jack has further magnified this issue, as it has instilled Brady with a sense of pride over his combat prowess, despite his complete lack of aptitude wielding any sort of conventional weapon. He hates being called weak as a result. The training has helped him develop a skillset similar to that of the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. Master of the meanest right hook.
Born on February 22nd.
Titles:
Daunting Priest (+ 10 % STR, - 3 % CHAR)
Iron Fist (+ 10 % unarmed damage)
HP: 4 400 / 4 400
MP: 3 075 / 3 075
STR: 23.6 (19 * 1.1 * 1.13)
VIT: 20.3 (18 * 1.13)
DEX: 11.3 (10 * 1.13)
INT: 53
WIS: 45
CHAR: 19.4 (20 * 0.97)
LUCK: 25
ITEMS:
Mend (Equipped)
Gauntlet
Greave
Concoction
Skills:
Staff mastery, Lvl 53 [6.0 %], Passive
The staff is the instrument of choice for anyone who wishes to practice the art of healing magic. But more than that, different staves give access to different spells. An accomplished staff wielder can support their allies in numerous ways. Just don't expect any significant combat prowess from anyone wielding this kind of object. Staves were never intended to be weaponized in the first place, nor do they have the structural integrity to be used as such unless the owner goes through great lengths to circumvent this inherent limitation. You're basically better off using a different kind of weapon instead.
Increases HP restored by 185 % when casting healing magic while holding a staff. The range of healing spells increases by 2,5 meters.
Martial arts mastery, Lvl 40 [35.0 %], Passive
There are those who train with a weapon until they can wield it like an extension of their body. Then there are those who train their body until they can wield it like a weapon. This skill falls into the latter category. While martial artists usually fight at a disadvantage in terms of range, they make up for it with techniques most weapon wielders could only dream of. Underestimating a foe due to their lack of weapons can be a fatal mistake. Passively increases STR, VIT and DEX by 13 %. Increases attack speed and attack power by 200 % when attacking unarmed.
A fist to the face, Lvl 62 [10 %], Active, Cost: 0 MP
Sometimes, the most effective approach in battle is also the simplest. Why go through all the setup of some elaborate technique when you can just slug your opponent's ugly mug and call it a day? This skill is as simple as that; punch the target as hard as you can. If punched correctly, you could even cause a concussion, which will only make your opponent an even easier target.
Base damage: 110 % of STR. Element: None. Has a chance of inflicting the status ailment "Dizzy" on the target.
Alchemic transmutation, Lvl MAX, Active, Cost: Varies
Nothing can be gained without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. This is the law of equivalent exchange, the fundamental principle of all alchemy. Your understanding of how matter is built and how it works is now at your fingertips. Thus, you can also reconstruct matter as you see fit, so long as the amount remains constant. Just make sure no one tries to entice you with a red stone. That only leads to trouble.
Allows the caster to freely manipulate any matter they touch. The cost of this skill is proportional to the mass of the matter manipulated.
Preview of the next chapter
*Camera shows an enormous tree*
Say'ri: At long last, the Divine Mila Tree.
Chrom: So this is where the Voice of Naga is being held? Then let's find a way to the top.
*Imperial soldiers mobilize on the roots*
Cervantes: On my honor as an imperial general; your marching ends here! None can surpass the might of my mustache!
Say'ri: *Sigh* Not this fool again…
Cervantes: So we meet again, my old nemesis. This time, my mustache hair is primed perfectly for my victory!
Say'ri: For the last time; I do not care about your blasted mustache!
Next time on Gamer Emblem Awakening:
You shall not pass! Convergence by the divine tree.
Tiki: Would you mind keeping quiet down there? You are disturbing my nap.
Lissa: I'm amazed she can hear us all the way from the top.
Omake: Literal weight
"I'm telling you! "The Journey to the West" is the classic to read if you ever want to pick up fictional literature!" Jack shouts at Morgan.
"Just because it's a series of books from your home world doesn't make it better, Father!" Morgan yells back in his face. "Admit it; you haven't even finished the first volume of "Tales of a bloodthirsty Falcon Knight"!"
"What are those two doing?" Robin asks Rose.
"Cynthia asked for some tips on what to read in her spare time, and both Dad and Morgan volunteered on helping her find the "perfect" story." the Dark Mage explains.
""Tales of a bloodthirsty Falcon Knight" is just a bunch of books describing how one female riding a pegasus goes off the deep end and kills everyone in sight!" Jack yells. "There's no symbolism! No build up in the plot! Just mindless violence put to words!"
"So what? The characters in "Journey to the west" can't do anything without that crazy monkey who's more of a loose ballista than a supposed sage!" Morgan counters. "He's not even the main character! At least "Tales of a bloodthirsty Falcon Knight" has a good cast of supporting characters."
Father and son butt heads.
"It doesn't matter how good the cast is if all they do is making sure the main character doesn't go on a random killing spree again. That crazy lady doesn't need fancy new weapons! She needs therapy!" Jack points out.
"You know what's even stupider, Father?" Morgan rebuts. "The whole premise for "The Journey to the West" is that the supposed deity who's at one with the whole universe can't deliver three measly baskets of scriptures to a land, for no reason! That's a bunch of horse dung, and you know it!"
As the quarrel continues, Robin shakes her head and approaches the bickering pair while she pulls out two tomes from the sleeves of her robes. Jack and Morgan are so into the argument that they fail to notice when Robin raises the tomes into the air and her face morphs into an angry snarl. They also fail to notice when she brings both tomes down on their heads.
"That's enough!" *WHAM!*
"Th- Thoron tome…" Jack groans before he falls face first to the ground, with a smoking dent the shape of the back of a book cover adorning the top of his head.
"H- Heavy…" Morgan groans as he joins his father on the ground with a matching dent.
"If you two are so determined that your story of choice is the better one, then offer both to Cynthia!" Robin admonishes them before she stomps off with an angry huff, trying to find a way to cool down.
"And that, my son, is part of the reason why the pen is mightier than the sword." Jack groans in pain.
"Now I know…why Mother keeps telling me her magic is stronger than her swordplay." Morgan remarks.
Jack's encyclopedic corner
Hero, Class
Fighters who have braved the battlefield time and again for the cause they represent. These well-rounded veterans make for reliable frontline fighters who weather attacks with their shields raised high and strike back in kind with sharp swords or heavy axes. Their versatility on the physical field is their forte, but keep in mind that their lack of excelling is a direct consequence of their build. And while they possess better resilience against magic than many other kinds of units, they still suffer heavily under the assault of seasoned spellcasters.
Passively increases STR, VIT and DEX by 8 %. Attack power and attack speed increase by 10 % when attacking with a sword or an axe. Damage taken from physical attacks decreases by 4 %. Magic spells of any element do 9 % less damage. Damage taken from magic spells of any element increases by 3 %.
Dimensional pocket bag, Accessory, Very rare
A mysterious satchel with an undefined amount of storage space. Despite its modest size, it has the capacity of storing anything – even a magic spell. Even weirder is that it can only hold one object at any given time, no matter its physical size. Please note that this is a dimensional pocket, not a pocket dimension. Learn the difference, you moron.
Can store any one object. This item does not require an equipment slot.
Arrowspate, Bow, Base damage: 82, Uncommon
Originally a ballista specifically designed to take down flying targets, this artillery weapon has been repurposed to act as a bow usable by infantry instead – in theory. The massive limbs and thick bowstring result in an immense draw weight that is only applicable if the wielder themselves has a lot of physical strength to begin with. For anyone lacking this amount of strength, this bow is too stiff to be of practical use. Normal arrows are also inadvisable to use as ammunition, as it prevents the wielder from using the full draw length of this bow. Instead, ballista bolts, who weigh far more than a conventional arrow on their own, are the recommended ammunition. Results upon hit are guaranteed.
Requirement to wield: STR must be 85 at minimum.
Gauntlet, Armor, Uncommon
A piece of armor used to protect the hand. Movable joints allow for maximum freedom of movement while wearing this armor, while still covering everything important. The hand is one of the human body's most complex parts, so protecting it in combat is very important. Oddly enough, the left counterpart is missing.
Increases damage dealt by 5 % when attacking barehanded.
Brady's chapter is probably one of the more frustrating ones when compared to the other child paralogues. Sure, you can recruit the guy on the first turn, but keeping all five Villagers alive can be a pain when all the enemy units are dead set on targeting them. Doesn't help that they have Snipers with Longbows, too. Good thing you can just have Chrom or Maribelle give Brady a Rescue staff so he can teleport the Villagers out of harm's way (if you have Rescue staves to spare, that is). That's probably what makes him so useful in the very chapter where you recruit the guy.
One thing that I like about Brady is how subtle his resemblance to Maribelle is. If you can look beyond the stark contrast in the mannerisms and speech patterns, you'll find that they're both highly sensitive individuals with volatile tempers and a love for tea. And then there's all the culture stuff that Maribelle spent years pounding into Brady's head. I'm just happy Brady didn't inherit Maribelle's parasol-fu. That might make him overpowered.
Well, happy new year, everybody. Until next time.
VipeR out.
