Today was the day. Black Eagles, Blue Lions, Golden Deer - all of the three houses were ready. Ready for the one event they'd been preparing for ever since their arrival at Garreg Mach Monastery. All their training and studying led to this: the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. A large-scale mock battle between the Officers Academy's trio of houses.
Edelgard von Hresvelg, for one, was most certainly ready. She stood beside a pair of trees on her lonesome. Her red Armored Knight getup stood out amongst the leaves on the ground. Her eyes were intently gazing into the distance within the general direction of the gigantic Gronder Field they'd all be fighting on very soon. Despite her overall strength, her gaze faltered slightly. She hesitated before refocusing her distant stare.
"I cannot lose this battle. I must show them all my strength...no. The strength of the Black Eagles," she corrected herself. "Do I have the right to act so inclusive when I have not conducted myself in such a manner? Perhaps that is a sign I am changing. But is it for the better?"
The dual-Crest princess nearly clenched her hand, yet stopped herself once she felt the bruises from the last time she did that. Edelgard raised that gloved hand to her face, seemingly able to see through the fabric. She then bore a gloomy stare.
"I don't understand. What is happening to me? Why do I feel so conflicted? This conflict that is happening within myself, this never-ending war...will it ever see its climax?"
Her gaze returned to the distance.
"All around me, I see a bright world. Yet I see it through my darkened eyes, my blackened heart...is it truly possible to light them? A part of me feels it is. I-I want that to be the case. However, their presence-!"
A surge of adrenaline shot through her, forcing the woman to clench her hand despite its weaknesses.
"It is much too strong. But his words, those claims…! They are rather appetising. Neither are they baseless - that only serves to make them sweeter. I want to believe them. I want to trust in him. But I can't. Why...why must I be like this?!"
Edelgard fell to her knees, shaking ever so lightly. Her eyes transfixed themselves onto the ground, though she was truly looking at something not in the physical realm.
"Curse those Agarthans! They are the source of every bad memory of mine. If it were not for them, I would be but a simple, happy princess! Yet they denied me that. All for the sake of their research. All so they could get back at the children of the goddess. They have ruined so many lives for their petty revenge-!"
"Lady Edelgard!"
Coming from the far side of a tree, Hubert von Vestra rushed through all manner of shrubbery and greenness, uncaring for any prickly thorns that may have torn a hole through his black Dark Mage robes. He knew he had to intervene the moment he saw his liege in any kind of pain. Hubert crouched down once he reached the girl.
"What is the matter? Are you in good health? Will you be able to partake in the battle?" He asked worriedly.
"I...I am fine, Hubert. Your concern is appreciated," Edelgard thanked her retainer. "I was merely thinking about my situation."
"You are referring to your plans as well as the Agarthans, I presume. Hmph. That weakling professor has certainly issued you a mountain of doubt," Hubert remarked with a smirk.
"I cannot deny that," Edelgard admitted. "But I also cannot deny the information he has brought to the table. His information has given me a fresh understanding of the circumstances at play. For that, I am indebted to him."
"A princess of your caliber should not owe anything to a fool of that kind. Even if there is reason for it."
Edelgard frowned. "First and foremost, I am a person before a princess. I would not be who I am if I were to forget that. Professor Lucas has informed me of many valuable pieces of information, so it is only natural I would feel this way. With that in mind Hubert, I…"
"You are having misgivings about your plans. I am also aware that working with those snakes provides you with no satisfaction, despite its necessity. You wish to throw aside everything you've put into place, everything you have spent many years crafting and cultivating all so that you may achieve your noble goal."
The white-haired one was silent. Hubert resumed.
"If I may speak freely, Lady Edelgard, I believe throwing that aside would be a foolish move. You have been confident that everything you have set up will lead you towards your goal. All of these steps you've crossed have each been for a specific purpose. You may have to work with those that have caused much misery in your life, yet you are aware of the consequences and what shall happen with each and every action. But then, something happened."
Edelgard, still kneeling on the ground, was able to bring her head back up.
"Someone entered your life that you were never able to anticipate. This someone was able to turn everything you've ever known in on itself. Every truth became a lie and every lie became a truth. With your perspective changed, a grave conflict entered your mind."
The princess lightly nodded in confirmation.
"You are at a crossroads, Lady Edelgard. Take your original path and walk into darkness, as the future-seeing professor predicts. Or, follow the path your teacher recommends and head into uncertainty. Am I incorrect in presuming all of this?"
"No. You are not wrong." Edelgard shook her head. She stood up. "I find myself facing two split paths. One is more certain, yet the other is more appealing. However, it could be said the appealing path is the certain one, considering it's backed up by a literal seer. On an instinctual level, however, I feel more 'comfortable' with the darker path. What do you think, Hubert? What should I do?"
"It is not my place to say. I will follow you to the very end, Lady Edelgard. No matter which path you take."
"Thank you, Hubert. Although your answer does not solve my problem, it is certainly comforting to know that at least one person will be by my side."
Hubert nodded. His liege took some time to observe the distance some more before turning around, a determined expression on her face.
"But for now, let us win the Battle of the Eagle and Lion."
Elsewhere within the area surrounding Gronder Field, the Black Eagle House were preparing themselves for the oncoming battle. Certain students were performing some light training. Others were steeling their mind for the fight ahead. Professor Lucas was doing a bit of both. His countenance was one of determination. A mighty, overwhelming feeling had come over him.
Lucas was aiming for no less than victory.
Time passed while the house prepared. Hubert had departed to try and find his liege, wherever she could have gone. Lucas was still practicing swings with the new sword he'd purchased not too long ago: a blade with a red handle and gold hilt. A necessary upgrade over his previous Iron Sword.
"Glad I got this Killing Edge. This is really gonna help close the gap between me and everyone else. Goddess knows I need it," Lucas told himself, inspecting his new weapon. He peeked at the other, jagged blade he carried in its sheath. "Same with this Levin Sword. I should stand a better chance at surviving now. Yeah, I will! For the sake of my house!"
He clenched his fist and looked up into the sky, a resolute expression on his face. At this point, Caspar glanced over at his professor, curiously eyeing up his unusual demeanour. The turquoise-haired one approached the older man.
"Hey, Professor. You're looking a little different today," Caspar commented. "Is it because of the battle? I know I'm pumped for it!"
"I'm being so obvious that even the oblivious Caspar is seeing my happiness? Huh," Lucas noted before shaking the idea off. "Heh, well, I guess you could say that. I'm feeling pretty good about our chances."
"You think so? Well, if Professor Lucas is confident about this, then that just means we're gonna win for sure!" Caspar practically yelled, shooting a fist into the air. "We've got this, Professor!"
"We sure do!" Lucas copied his student's motion.
If he hadn't already been feeling so positive, the sheer contagiousness of Caspar's personality would have been enough to get him on board the train of non-negativity. Since Lucas was already in such a mood, the Bergliez's presence only served to energise him further. Two other figures then approached the pair, albeit one partially hid behind the other.
"You boys certainly are feeling good today," Dorothea remarked, a smile at her lips.
"Of course we are! We're just about to take part in the legendary Battle of the Eagle and Lion! Why wouldn't we be excited?" Caspar questioned.
Bernadetta yelped in place. "I-I'm not excited! This is the most terrifying thing in my entire life! So many people are gonna be watching me out there…"
"You'll be fine, Bernadetta." Lucas shot her a smile. "You've got a level of skill over the art of archery that almost nobody can really match! You'll be great out there! There's nothing to worry about."
"R-really?" Bernie wondered, a strange feeling coming over her. "Wow, Professor. You've s-said some comforting things before, but I think this one takes the cake!"
"Yeah, no kidding. You're a lot more...active than usual, Professor. I don't mean any offense, but you're typically a lot more demure than this. Did something happen?" Dorothea asked in an inquisitive manner. A small blush appeared on Lucas' face - one the former songstress noticed. "Oh, I see. You met someone, didn't you? There's no way you're not telling me about them. Are they a woman? A pretty woman? Or are you into men? I'm not actually sure which, Professor."
"B-b-but-!" Lucas stammered out. He huffed, turning his head to the side in defeat. "I'm into women. For your information."
"Good to know," smiled Dorothea, chuckling. "But is she attractive?"
Lucas was hesitant to speak, but her expectant gaze just wouldn't go away. He sighed. "Y-yes. Very. Can we drop this now? I'm sure we all have more important things to think about. Like the battle."
"Hmm, alright. You're lucky we don't have much time left before it begins, Professor. I expect to hear more about this beautiful woman of yours after the battle though," Dorothea conceded, preparing to walk back to wherever she was prior.
However, Bernadetta spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Everyone followed her gaze and the direction her finger was aimed in.
"Hey! Edelgard and Hubert are back!" She literally pointed out.
Just as was said, the two that had departed were returning to their group. Lucas was somewhat suspicious, mainly when he noticed Hubert holding a particular one of her hands, but he shrugged off those sceptical thoughts. They weren't doing him any good. Not at that moment, anyway.
After all, that moment was all about preparing for the Battle of the Eagle and Lion. A massive army-based bout between the three houses. One that was intended to prepare the students for any large-scale conflicts in the future.
"Man, I sure wish I could make it so that none of these guys would need this kind of training. But can I really stop a whole war? Can someone like me really do that?" Lucas doubted himself.
Just then, a picture of that beautiful blond came to the forefront of his mind.
"Sophia…" he recognised it as. A smirk came to him. "I'm sure I can do it. With you, I can do anything! Go ahead, Seteth! Call upon the start of the battle! I'll take 'em all on!"
Lucas pointed his Killing Edge at the site of the fight. Standing up straight, exuding as much authority and determination as he possibly could - he was ready. No, more than ready. He was prepared to take on every single member of the other two houses if he needed.
The horns sounded, indicating the battle's start.
All three houses received a rush of energy upon hearing the horns. They all charged towards Gronder Field, fully primed to attack every single enemy and achieve victory. Most of the Black Eagles were no different. Professor Lucas' house was proceeding through a small plot of land divided from the main battleground thanks to a thin river. The only way across was by the use of a bridge. In order to actually use it, they needed to move into a narrow formation. Lucas and some Officers Academy students protected the back while Edelgard guarded the front. It seemed like a well-built team.
However, as the front half of the squad were making it over the river, they were attacked by a group of Blue Lions pegasus knights, led by Ingrid. The Black Eagles' archers countered with a prompt rain of arrows. This eliminated a few of the pegasus fighters, some of them being warped away by clerics as per the original mock battle. Others were grounded. Though, the fall to the ground was usually enough to make them a non-threat by the Black Eagles infantry.
A good chunk of the Blue Lions flight brigade were gone, though unfortunately, they had taken out a few of the on-foot Black Eagles folk. None of the Officers Academy students were affected. Majorly, at least. Caspar had received a scratch on his arm as a result of a loosely placed lance, but he was otherwise fine. Linhardt was there to heal him almost right away. Anyone else that was injured and not warped away to safety had been patched up by the Priests scattered around the house's overall formation.
Ingrid Brandl Galatea was one of the Blue Lions members that had been grounded. She landed on the ground with a noticeable thud, though she was able to mitigate most of the damage of her fall due to her experience with this manner of mishap. She wasn't alone for long as she was approached by the Black Eagles' resident huntress - Petra Macneary.
"Petra! So you're the one that's coming after me. I've always wanted to see your strength up close. Show me what the princess of a foreign land can do!" Ingrid egged on her fellow feminine warrior, twirling around her Steel Lance.
"Of course! I will be doing no less than that!" Petra, out of sheer liveliness, yelled back. "I will remove you, Ingrid!"
Their weapons clashed. Petra leaped and hopped around Ingrid's concentrated, precise strikes. Familiar with the lance's drawbacks, Petra exploited said them to close in while Ingrid had to bring the weapon back in after several extended lunges. The blonde-haired knight-in-progress tried to swing her spear around to get Petra in her side, but the Bridigian princess was too close for any of that to really take effect. She was far too quick.
Once in striking range, Petra performed several diagonal sword slashes, calculated in such a way that the momentum of one would carry into another. And then another. And so-on. Ingrid's armor may have helped defend from such an attack, but her final move was something she had to receive the full brunt of. Lowering her blade down close to the ground, Petra suddenly jumped high into the air, bringing her Steel Sword into an upwards slash. It dragged itself against Ingrid's armor and eventually reached her neck. The Blue Lions noble was sent flying into the air once Petra's weapon dug itself into her jaw. She flew through the air momentarily before crashing onto the ground once more - head first.
"I have apologies, Ingrid. I hope you will not hate me for what I did," Petra lamented.
"Don't w-worry! This is a mock battle. Th-there's no need to feel bad about doing what you have to do in order to win. You fought well, Petra! J-just don't feel too upset, okay? I'm rooting for you!" Ingrid croaked, sending the princess a smile.
Seeing the apparent lack of hatred in the fallen girl, Petra smiled in return. Ingrid was then teleported away from the battlefield. With a nod of self-reassurance, the Black Eagles student charged back into the fight, joining up with her house's tightly knit formation.
Speaking of which, they were all heading up towards the unoccupied ballista. Lucas was glad that it wasn't in use already - much unlike how it was in his game. That meant it was ripe for the taking. He knew how much of a help it would be in this fight, thus it was his house's first objective. Bernadetta was towards the front of the pack. Her skills were highly valued. Not only for her general focus and aim with a bow, but it was that combined with the power of the ballista that Lucas saw as an opportunity to get a few kills in. They all rushed and rushed, heading up the side of the wooden contraption. Some headed around the side of the giant device to defend those parts from oncoming enemies. Edelgard and Hubert tore apart any eager individuals who were a bit too keen on attaining glory for themselves. The top of the ballista was then secured.
"Bernadetta! Get to the firing spot!" Edelgard commanded her housemate.
"Oh! O-okay!" Bernie stuttered, whimpering and shaking in place.
Despite her reservations about the whole situation, Bernadetta von Varley had enough sense to recognise that she should probably do as she was told. The faster she did the thing, the faster she'd be back at Garreg Mach, in her lovely, divine room of super safety. She stood in place within the ballista's main square of use; the spot where one would have to be in order to use the device. Upon approaching the tool, her mind failed her. She had no idea how to use it.
"Bernadetta! I understand you may be afraid, but we do not have time to hesitate! Start using that ballista, now!" Edelgard commanded some more.
That sudden demand from her house's leader was enough to get Bernie's brain working. She soon remembered how to use the device. Immediately, she loaded up an arrow into its appropriate slot and moved it around so she could get a feel for how it controlled. It was clunky and slow, but that was to be expected from such a large thing. The purple-haired girl breathed in, calming herself down somewhat.
"Excellent work, Bernie! You know what to do with that thing, right?" Lucas checked in on the girl as he stopped by the main firing apparatus.
"Yes! I've got it all ready to go, Professor! Just tell me who to shoot at and when!" Bernadetta confirmed, aiming down the sights of the oversized weapon.
"Alright." Lucas scanned the immediate area. A batch of Golden Deer forces were approaching from the nearby cluster of trees, including some Officers Academy students he recognised. "There, by the mini forest! Let's get those guys down before they can even get here!"
"On it, Professor!"
Bernadetta moved the ballista around so it was facing the direction her teacher pointed out. Unsure of exactly who to aim at first, she ended up choosing the one that seemed the most scary: Raphael. With his big, hulking appearance, he was literally the biggest target. With a click of the trigger, the arrow was fired at an immense speed. It was so fast that nobody could react to it in time. The projectile struck true, crashing against the skull belonging to the Golden Deer's master of physicality. An audible, faint 'ow' could be heard. Bernie wasted no further time and fired another shot. Striking true once more, Raphael collapsed to the ground, taken out of the fight. A relieved smile came to the Varley's face.
"I...did it?" She asked herself in disbelief. "I actually did it!"
"Nice one, Bernie!" Lucas complimented his student. "Now, focus that thing on Ignatz. We get him out of the way and the Golden Deer probably won't be stealing this ballista any time soon. We're gonna stay here until this thing's been wrung dry. Understood?"
"Yeah. That's fine by me!" Bernadetta happily accepted the arrangement. She returned to the large weapon, aiming it at some additional unsuspecting suspects.
Meanwhile, Lucas was just about to head to the frontlines himself, intending to assist the likes of Edelgard and Hubert with the Golden Deer forces. But out of curiosity, he decided to see what was happening on the other side of the wooden ballista mountain.
"Oh," he said upon seeing the unfortunate occurrence.
Caspar was duelling Felix from the Blue Lions. The latter had approached the ballista, likely in an attempt to charge through and secure the thing for his team. Fortunately enough, Lucas anticipated such a movement, which was why Caspar and some unnamed Black Eagles soldiers were hanging around that part. What Lucas hadn't anticipated was precisely who would have tried that manner of offense. Felix was most certainly a tough opponent as indicated by the spars the professor had with the guy during their seminars. Lucas hoped Caspar would be enough to deal with him. He left Bernadetta's side to go deal with those Golden Deer forces.
Felix's own Killing Edge narrowly missed Caspar's head. It briefly brushed against the smaller boy's hair, even cutting off a few strands. Irritated, Caspar leapt in for a barrage of punches, but it seemed Felix expected that. He jumped to the side and smacked his opponent with the hilt of his blade before attempting a follow-up slash. The Bergliez instinctively blocked using his left gauntlet, utilising his right one for a right hook. It struck Felix's chest dead-on, sending him back a ways. He reoriented himself.
"You're fast. That's for sure," Felix grunted, pointing his blade as his foe. "But I'm faster."
"Sure about that? I'm plenty fast myself. Just ask literally everybody I've ever fought. They'll be able to tell you just how untouchable I am!" Caspar grinned, getting into a stance with his gauntlets.
"You're also confident. Too confident. An arrogant opponent is one I can easily beat."
Felix rushed in, much to Caspar's surprise as well as his chagrin. The swordsman unleashed a rapid bombardment of sword sweeps that came from all directions and angles. Caspar found it very difficult to keep up. He was able to dodge the first dozen or so attacks, but after some time, he slipped up. He stumbled over a piece of wood that stuck out from the ground. Felix took this opportunity to go for a stab, utilising the power of his Major Crest of Fraldarius to greatly enhance the power of the stab at a key moment. Unable to react, Caspar's chest was pierced by Felix's Killing Edge.
"Heh, guess I wasn't as fast as I thought. G-good one, Felix!" The Black Eagles boy heaved, coughing up some blood. "I think I might be out for the count now…"
"Rest easy. You're a good opponent, Caspar. I wouldn't want to see you hurt too badly from this stupid mock battle. Now get out of here," Felix demanded. He released his weapon from Caspar's body, causing the Black Eagles student to drop to his knees.
"Sure, Felix. Just, uh, one more thing." Caspar caught the Blue Lions sword user's attention. "Coming out here on your own was a bad idea. You see, I'm not alone."
Felix gasped, his eyes widening in realisation. As the shorter lad before him disappeared in a flash of magical blue light, an orange-haired one took his place. Swinging a Steel Lance at the Fraldarius was none other than a smug Ferdinand von Aegir.
"It seems Caspar has slowed you down well enough," the noble noticed with a grin. "I shall finish what my friend has started! Have at you, Felix!"
Barely having any time to rest prior to this new one-on-one situation, Felix was forced to bear with it. He had to deal with a viciously composed Ferdinand. Most certainly not a weak opponent. The Aegir was able to block and evade most of Felix's sluggish swings, countering with effective stabs and lunges. All of Ferdinand's numerous successful strikes was enough to leave the Blue Lions swordsman as a wounded mess.
"Goodbye, Felix. May we do battle like this again," the lance-wielder wished.
Felix merely mumbled something in a mix of anger and anguish as he disappeared from the battlefield. On the other side of the equation, Ferdinand returned to the fight, bringing himself back to the defensive position he held at the front side of the ballista. He, along with Linhardt and Dorothea, dealt with any members of the other two houses that made a break for the ballista. This included the likes of Sylvain, Annette and even Flayn, who was clearly amongst the Golden Deer - much to nobody's surprise. Bernadetta's ballista-based assistance was also quite the help in this endeavor.
Among the only other active side of the wooden mound was Lucas, Edelgard, Hubert and Petra dealing with Lorenz and Marianne's forces. Ignatz had been with them, but Bernie took him out as per her teacher's instructions. As the two Golden Deer students approached with their respective troops, they began to move in an unusual manner. They slowly moved forward, seemingly targeting a single person.
The Black Eagles' fears were made true when Marianne shot a well-aimed Thoron at Petra, stunning her in place momentarily while Lorenz charged in, releasing a monumental amount of stabs upon the Brigidian. She was taken out before anyone could help.
"A-ha! Excellent work, Marianne! With tactics such as that, I will be the one to guide the Golden Deer towards victory!" Lorenz claimed, laughing in self-aggrandizement.
"Um...sure," was all Marianne could respond with. An approaching ball of darkness was briefly caught by her eyes. "W-wait! Lorenz! Behind you!"
"Huh? What could possibly be the matter-"
Lorenz had been hit by a Banshee from Hubert. Not only did it sting horribly, but it also had quite the damning side effect. His movements were slowed as he soon found out by trying to defend from further spells. He just couldn't evade any of Hubert's later Miasma casts.
"Ugh, o-of course. All good things must come to an end, it s-seems," Lorenz remarked before disappearing.
Now on her own, Marianne cowered at the sight of the imposing Hubert. His countenance appeared as if it disappeared into darkness, the top side of his face seemingly shrouded entirely. She had even more cause for concern as she was approached by Professor Lucas - a man known for his bloodthirsty tendencies. Or so she heard. The twinkle she swore she could see in his eyes only helped convince her as such. Marianne cowered as the terrifying man got in close to her and unloaded many stabs with his blade upon her person. She smiled in relief.
"Th-thank you…" she meekly said as she collapsed to the hard ground, face first.
Now that the Golden Deer's chosen healer had been eliminated, there were no further enemy generals in that partition of the field. Lucas breathed a sigh of relief and joined back up with the others, helping to clear out the remainder of the soldiers they didn't know the name of. This didn't take much longer. Once Lucas, Edelgard and Hubert were done there, they met up with the remainder of their house, protecting the front side of the ballista.
However, after some more time passed, Bernadetta's shots stopped coming.
"Uh-oh," Bernie mumbled to herself. She raised her voice, getting the attention of her teammates. "Uh, I think this thing's broken! I swear, it wasn't me that did it!"
Lucas grunted in disappointment. "Damn. Alright, Bernie, come with us! The ballista is useless, there's no need to defend it anymore! Time for the Black Eagles to get stuck in!"
Everyone nodded at the command. Bernadetta broke away from the long-range shooting weapon, hanging a ways back from the main frontline so she could make more effective use out of her archery skills. When everyone was ready (either mentally and/or physically), they all charged straight into the encounter between the Blue Lions and Golden Deer that was being held some ways away from the ballista. The wooden locale was left behind entirely.
Once the Black Eagles inserted themselves into the then-threeway encounter, the Officers Academy students split themselves apart somewhat. Ferdinand, Linhardt and Bernadetta focused on the Golden Deer side of things as that house seemed to be withholding some of its generals, as the only familiar student there was Leonie. As suspicious as this was, there was nothing that could've been done at that time.
On the other hand, Lucas, Edelgard, Hubert and Dorothea took on the Blue Lions. Mercedes and Dedue were amongst the remainder of the Officers Academy contingent, yet Dimitri wasn't too far behind them. Surprisingly, Hanneman was right by the prince. Seeing the researcher, Lucas recalled a conversation he had with him and Manuela prior to the mock battle. Something about her not being able to take part due to her injury, which Lucas expected, but he hadn't foreseen Manuela rejecting Hanneman's desire to step down from the battle. There was a bit of back and forth between the two regarding the matter, but ultimately, Hanneman had to partake. Which reminded Lucas why the guy was even there to begin with.
Edelgard had chosen to keep Dimitri busy. The blonde-haired one was more than happy to engage in a fierce round of combat with such a powerful opponent. Similarly, Hubert dealt with Dedue, his dark magical spells able to keep the slow, resilient Duscurian at bay. Dorothea engaged with Mercedes in a physical bout. Both relied on their secondary means of attack in order to conserve their spell usages, meaning Dorothea was stuck using an Iron Sword while Mercedes had a similar tier of bow.
This left Lucas with Hanneman.
"Greetings! I was hoping you would make it this far. Since Manuela has unfortunately been unable to take part in proceedings, you are the only other professor present here. The only other person I can truly measure myself against. Are you prepared?" Hanneman asked his colleague.
"As prepared as I'll ever be. What about you? Think you can actually win?" Lucas shot back, grinning smugly.
"Oh! I hadn't expected back talk from you! You most certainly are feeling rather energised, I can tell. Such a difference in demeanor can only imply that this battle will be quite exciting. Let us begin, Lucas!"
Hanneman began the battle with a cast of Thoron, one that Lucas promptly evaded. After seeing what happened to Petra when the same spell was used on her, he knew he needed to stay away from that wave of electricity at any cost. Lucas kept zipping and zapping around every spell the old man sent his way, be they a Wind, Sagittae or Thoron. He returned fire with literal Fire and shocked even Hanneman with the reveal of the new spell he'd mastered: Thunder. A bolt of lightning rained down upon the elderly researcher. It didn't hurt much, but it did certainly surprise him. He chuckled, before continuing with his barrage of magic.
Not too far away, the fight between Edelgard and Dimitri was raging on. It was a pure spectacle, one that the viewers of the overall battle were mainly observing. Despite having a disadvantage in the sense he lacked a Heroes' Relic, Dimitri was doing very well. He was able to evade most of Edelgard's lunges and the whip-like slashes she made with the Sword of the Creator's true power, able to even get in a few stabs of his own with the Silver Lance he wielded. But it wasn't all of them he was capable of avoiding. Edelgard had been plenty experienced with the relic's unusual mannerisms. At one point, she had it wrapped around his leg, to which she was able to tip the prince over and follow up with further strikes. It seemed as if the two were even.
Other battles were also taking place during this time, though they weren't as keenly watched by the viewers nearby. Hubert's fight with Dedue was short lived, as the bulky Duscurian didn't have much of a response to the mage's spells. He was able to hit the Adrestian with a Short Axe, however. But it wasn't quite enough to put him down. Once Hubert was finished with the prince's retainer, he decided to provide Dorothea with some support against Mercedes. Bringing out an Iron Bow of his own to conserve his magical energy, his added strength against the Blue Lions' Priest proved to be a true nail in her coffin. The two mages then provided help to their professor, taking out Hanneman before he could land a powerful blow against the Black Eagles' teacher. Lucas, Dorothea and Hubert then brought their attention to the Edelgard versus Dimitri battle.
Which seemed as if it was coming to a close. Both sides had evidently slowed down over the course of their bout. Never did they stop to rest or pant or anything of the sort. They kept going, uninhibited by anything. Flashes of red and blue clashed against each other over and over again, sparks of orange flying from the centre of it all. An explosion of color.
A winner came about when Edelgard used an extended Sword of the Creator stab to charge her blade straight through Dimitri's chest, keeping her weapon within his body as he fell to the floor. This pinned him down, preventing him from getting back up. Edelgard retracted the Heroes' Relic after a few seconds of this. She slowly walked over. The whole world seemed silent as Edelgard looked down upon the prince.
A smile came to her face.
"You fought well, Dimitri," was all she told him.
"As did you," he replied, smiling in return. "It appears the Blue Lions won't be winning this one. Do your best to ensure Claude doesn't have anything he can use to gloat over us."
"Heh. I'll try not to let that happen."
Dimitri chuckled before allowing the teleportation. Edelgard relaxed her tensed shoulders, almost dropping the Sword of the Creator from how calm she had become. Hubert approached.
"Lady Edelgard-" he was trying to say before being cut off.
"I'm fine, Hubert. I may need some healing from Linhardt, but I am fine. I'll be able to continue fighting," Edelgard reassured her retainer.
As she and her remaining allies turned around, ready to engage whoever was left of the Golden Deer, an arrow pierced through a slot in Edelgard's armor. Weakened from her fight with Dimitri, the princess fell to the ground and was warped away.
"What?!" Hubert exclaimed, checking around the area for who may have caused such a thing to happen.
More arrows were fired. They struck against some of the Black Eagles soldiers, sending them out of commission. Lucas scanned the environment for anything that could help, his heart racing from the fear of the unknown. His eyes locked with something just behind the group.
"Yes, these! Everyone, take cover behind these little walls!" He instructed his team.
Without hesitation, the Black Eagles force followed their leader's suggestion. They hid behind the various walls scattered around the Blue Lions' starting area. Some were taken out before they could get behind cover, while others were eliminated due to the lack of cover for every remaining soldier. At least, the ones specifically from the Officers Academy were able to survive, much to Lucas' relief. As the arrows continued to rain down upon them uselessly, Lucas counted whomever was left.
"Alright, so with Edelgard gone, that leaves me, Hubert and Dorothea. As well as some of these soldier guys. But I feel like I'm forgetting someone…" Lucas racked his brain for answers. Something came to him. "Oh shit, right! Where's Ferdinand, Linhardt and Bernie?"
Peering out of cover for a brief moment, he could see no sign of any dark green or violet hair. He checked the direction in which they went in order to deal with those Golden Deer forces. To their credit, there were no yellow-tinted soldiers in sight. But there also weren't any red ones.
Except, for the one hiding behind the ballista. Lucas relaxed upon seeing him.
"Well, there's Ferdie. The other two must've been hit by whoever's shooting at us now. Damn. Actually, now that I think about it, it's probably Claude. He's the kind of guy that'll hide in wait and shoot when necessary. Now how can I get him to stop shooting?" He wondered, attempting to come up with a plan.
Just then, the arrows stopped. The repeating sound of projectiles embedding themselves into the moderately-sized stone walls (or perhaps bouncing straight off them) had ceased. Curious, just about all of the Black Eagles peeked out from their hiding spots. In the distance, they could see a small contingent of Golden Deer forces starting to walk towards their current location. Lucas grit his teeth in frustration when his suspicions were confirmed. Claude was indeed the cause of the arrow storm. Hilda and Lysithea were right by his side. When the contingent arrived beneath the ballista, they halted in place. Claude stepped forward, hailing down his foes. The Black Eagles all stared at Lucas, who sighed.
"I think he just wants to talk-" he guessed, returning to behind covers alongside the remainder of his house.
"Hey, Teach! Just wanna have a little talk with you and your group. Mind if you come out of your hiding spot? We won't shoot right away. Promise," Claude promised. Lucas frowned.
"Oh, well, that was a good guess," the professor mumbled to himself. He raised his voice, addressing the only remaining house leader. "You sure you promise?"
"Positive. We'd be shooting right now if I really didn't wanna talk."
Lucas paused, thinking about the possibilities of this little arrangement Claude wanted to organise. He decided on something. Motioning to his group to continue laying low for now, the teacher removed himself from cover, slowly approaching the Golden Deer. No matter how far he got, not a single arrow was even primed in his direction. Lucas called upon the remainder of his house once he felt safe. Ferdinand also took the time to join back up with the main squad.
The Black Eagles were now facing what was left of the Golden Deer. Both sides had an admittedly small number of fighters left. And it seemed they were equally aware of that.
"So, Teach. You and your guys have done pretty well, I've gotta say," Claude complimented his enemies. "But take a look at us. We haven't seen a single round of battle yet, while you've probably been in quite a few."
"That's true. I won't deny that. What are you saying?" Lucas questioned the house leader.
"I'm offering your house a chance to give up without any fuss. Simply tell the mages to warp you all away and we won't lift a finger against you. It'll save you all the trouble of being massively hurt," Claude offered.
Before responding, Lucas took a mental note of who was remaining on the Golden Deer side. A plan was beginning to formulate within his brain. He frowned at the Almyran.
"No," he said. "Black Eagles, charge! We're not gonna give up against these guys, not when victory is so close! Let's show them what we can do, everyone!"
A resounding yell of agreement from Lucas' soldiers turned into a scream of determination. The Black Eagles began to close the gap between the two houses. Claude, while initially shocked, regained his composure and grinned.
"Alright, if that's the way you want it, Teach!"
The Golden Deer countered, rushing in at the behest of their commander. In moments, the two sides clashed, their weapons creating numerous sounds of steel smashing against other metal clumps. All of the Officers Academy folk were straight in the middle of proceedings. Lucas, Hubert, Dorothea and Ferdinand dashed forward, aiming for Claude, Hilda and Lysithea. It was at this moment when Lucas shared his finished plan.
"You guys! I've got a plan to take down the Golden Deer, so I need you all to listen!" Lucas started, addressing the other three while they slowed their advance. They all nodded. "Good. Now, Dorothea, shoot a spell or two at Lysithea. Hubert, do the same for Hilda. Ferdinand, keep Claude occupied!"
With little to no time to say anything, the three of them merely nodded again for confirmation's sake. They redoubled their advance now that their movements were clear. Lucas breathed in, hoping his makeshift plan would work.
Dorothea released a Thoron in Lysithea's direction while Hubert sent a Miasma towards Hilda. Before Claude could help out his friends, Ferdinand was closing in, preventing him from notching an arrow. Lucas - seeing that his plan was working out so far - decided to focus on Lysithea. He rushed in, using Dorothea's spells to try and get close...only to be hit with a Luna, ending his momentum and plan altogether.
Luckily, Sothis permitted the use of Divine Pulse in this situation. He rewound time to attempt getting close once more. But he was ultimately hit with a Miasma from the Golden Deer's dark mage. Turning back the hands of time once more, Lucas tried once again. His frustration only increased as he kept narrowly avoiding attacks that would have single-handedly ended his plan. Irritation peaking, Lucas decided enough was enough and initiated an old tactic of his. His Killing Edge in hand, the professor reeled back and launched the blade at the small girl as hard as he could. Lysithea yelped in surprise. She jumped to the side, avoiding the attack entirely.
"Professor! You can't do that! That would have killed me-AH!" Lysithea complained to the teacher, but lightly screamed in fear when something she didn't want to happen had occurred.
Lucas was right up in her face. Within his black eyes, Lysithea felt as if she caught a brief glimpse of red. What came next was something the audience didn't approve of. Before the mage could fire a spell, Lucas struck the girl with a right hook, immediately throwing out a left one afterwards. He punched her again, then again and again. The professor even threw in a few kicks for good measure. Anything to keep her from unleashing any Reason magic.
Lucas ended the combination with a rising uppercut that caused Lysithea to crash onto the ground below, badly beaten and bruised.
"P-Professor! Why did you…" Lysithea coughed. "W-why?!"
"Sorry. It was the first thing I thought of. Against overwhelming odds like this, there wasn't much we could do. Again, I'm very sorry," Lucas profusely apologised to the girl.
"You...y-you won't get away with this! I'll make sure of it! You'll regret having chosen to beat me up!" Lysithea coughed some more before being teleported away.
Lucas remained standing there, staring at the ground Lysithea previously occupied. He stared at his clenched hand, a sorrowful frown appearing on his visage. He closed his eyes, where the image of the young, white-haired woman glaring at him with those hateful red pupils persisted for his entire mental journey.
"Goddess, those eyes. She really hates me now, huh?" Lucas surmised. "Why did I even do that?! What came over me? Is it that...that monster again?"
As Lucas was paused, someone was able to sneak a free hit in on him. A critical hit, even. Claude was able to break away from his battle with Ferdinand momentarily to achieve payback for his classmate, shooting Lucas in the neck. He fell to the ground. His time on the battlefield was over.
Collapsing to the ground atop a cliff overlooking the entire Gronder Field battleground, Lucas reappeared through the usage of a Rescue spell. The arrow in his neck was quickly removed and the injury it caused was soon healed. All of the clerics that approached to help the professor gave him a hand in getting back up.
"Th-thanks, everyone," he thanked the mages, shooting them a weak smile.
"Are you sure you're okay, sir? You don't look as if you are," a female Priest commented. Lucas shrugged.
"I'm fine. Really, you guys did good work. I'll just watch the rest of the battle from here on out," he partially lied to them, walking towards the edge of the cliff.
"Alright then, sir. Come to us if there are any further problems," a male Priest instructed before he and his colleague left the man alone.
Not a single person was by Lucas' side as he sat down at the edge of the cliff. His gaze slowly drifted towards the battle below. He sighed, his head hanging low. The image of Lysithea glaring at him with the most intense hatred he'd ever seen - it never went away. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it. Even though he attempted to fend it off by watching the rest of the Battle of the Eagle and Lion, it still persisted. A frown came to him. Yet he continued to view the fight.
Down there, all that was left was Hubert and Dorothea against Claude. Lucas assumed Ferdinand and Hilda were eliminated at some point proceeding his...moment against Lysithea. The two were staring down the house leader, ready to fight. Their mouths started moving. Much to his disappointment, Lucas was unable to hear them from where he was.
All of a sudden, Claude shot Dorothea through her torso with a quick arrow. Hubert was on his own. Lucas briefly turned his head, finding Dorothea being tended to by some Priests on the cliff. He smiled before refocusing on events below.
More mouthing. Lucas would have been able to at least vaguely make out what Hubert was saying. Only, the mage didn't actually say anything. He seemed to smirk, likely in response to whatever Claude was telling him. Breaking the silence (assumedly), Hubert fired a Banshee before the yellow archer could do anything to stop him. Claude stumbled backward in recoil. He almost tripped over a rock. But he was still in the fight, much to Lucas' shock. It looked as if that was it. It wasn't.
However, Banshee's side effects kicked in. Claude tried to notch an arrow. His movements in doing so were incredibly sluggish, slowed down as if time itself halted in some regard only for him. Hubert re-equipped his Iron Bow and aimed it at Claude's head. Lucas didn't need to get closer to tell the Vestra had quite the smug expression on his face. Some vague laughter could be heard in their direction - likely from Claude.
"Holy shit, Hubert still had a Banshee left? Damn, that's some good acting. Well fucking played," Lucas remarked to himself.
Moments later, the Golden Deer's house leader was up on the cliff, an arrow embedded into his cheek. One that was promptly fixed by a nearby Priest. Somewhere else on the cliff, the surprisingly loud voice of Seteth boomed out to all that could hear.
"This year's Battle of the Eagle and Lion has come to a close! It has been quite the event, but we finally have our winners!" Seteth paused, purely to build up anticipation. At this point, Hubert had been warped to the cliff. "The Black Eagle House! Congratulations on your victory!"
Lucas smiled, pumping his arm. But his joy hadn't persisted for very long. It was wiped away, replaced entirely by the same melancholy from earlier.
"I...I should feel happy. I should be jumping in joy, celebrating with my house. I can't even allow myself that!" He exclaimed internally. "Goddess, why am I like this? Why am I such an awful human being?"
He remained sitting there, his legs dangling off the cliffside, briefly brushing against the jagged rocks. As Lucas wallowed within an ocean of self pity, two individuals approached him. No longer was he alone.
"Professor. You are not upset that we won, are you?" Edelgard inquired, still lightly bruised from her fierce fight with Dimitri.
"This can't be like last time, can it? Are you upset that Claude got you when you weren't ready? The same thing happened to me. Trust me, I feel the same way," Dorothea added in her own attempt to reassure her teacher.
Lucas hesitated. The two women furrowed their brows, immediately sensing his uncertainties.
"Please, Professor. You don't have to keep hiding yourself from us. If you wanna cry, just cry. Nobody will think any less of you for it. I can guarantee that," Dorothea continued, kneeling down to be on the same height level as him.
"She is right. To keep hiding yourself away, bottling together your emotions...that cannot be good for you. I will not, and shall never pretend to understand why it is you act this way. But know this," Edelgard advised. "If you continue to be like this, you will never be able to truly move forward. The devils inside of you will persist if you stay as you are."
"Edie, was it really necessary to go that deep?" Dorothea wondered. "Oh well. I suppose I shouldn't really judge your methods. You are right. Professor, if you keep bottling your emotions together, one day, that bottle will shatter into a thousand tiny pieces. It's best to let it all out now so you can avoid that from happening."
"I...ugh," Lucas sighed, a sound of pure exhaustion and sadness coming from his mouth. "Every time. Every single time I get like this. Whenever someone mentions something personal, I get upset. Whenever I'm happy, I soon get upset. It all leads to sorrow. Why can't I just bask in happiness for once?! Why can't my mind just sit fucking still?!"
Edelgard and Dorothea were taken aback by his outburst, both gasping in sheer surprise. Lucas resumed.
"I'm...sorry. I'd love to tell you what's exactly wrong, but nobody will understand. Nobody can ever fucking understand. My situation is unique to me and me alone. So please, leave me be. I'm not worth much, anyway. I can barely hold myself together, right? What use is a guy like that-"
His sentence was cut short when Dorothea forced upon him a hug. Tears welled up in his eyes as an unknown feeling came over him. As if shushing him, Dorothea spoke before he could.
"Stop it, Professor. Please," she pleaded. "Don't-don't think of yourself that way. Nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever thought of you like that. You're the only person who thinks you're worthless. I don't, Edie doesn't, the rest of our class doesn't either. Just...stop. Please. We all love you, Professor."
He couldn't help it. The tears were coming out. He held his sleeve up to his eyes, failing to block them from dripping down anywhere. Edelgard smiled, though she instinctively looked away so as to not intrude on the moment. She even chose to leave. The Adrestian princess decided to be the one that would divert everyone's attention away from the scene by giving them all a menacing glare. This included her fellow Black Eagles.
"Professor...I hope you start feeling better. Your foresight is what I will need to truly overcome the Agarthans."
Edelgard chuckled to herself.
"What am I saying? No, it is not what I need. It is what we all need."
Author Notes: Another big one. Yep, Mock Battle 2 is finally done and over with! Will Lucas ever be able to open up, even with all the extra emotional support he's had? You'll just have to wait and see.
Also, who got the extra prize? I do wonder.
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See y'all next time!
EDIT (26/09/2021): A long one, but a goodie! I was initially worried that I'd have to redo the 'beating up Lysithea' scene, but after re-reading it, it feels good to me right now. I think.