Rapid taps of feet sounded softly throughout the halls of Abyss. Foot after foot, step after step. Rushing towards the surface was the one thing on Yuri Leclerc's mind. He had a very specific mission to achieve, an incredibly urgent goal he needed to fulfil.
The leader of the now-disbanded fourth house whizzed through the narrow halls of Garreg Mach's dark underside, deftly swerving around any fallen piles of rocks or wandering Abyssian residents that happened upon him. There was nothing that could've stopped him. Not a single person or thing was capable of halting his speedy advance.
A glimmer of desperation lingered in his eyes.
Yuri soon reached Abyss' primary exit/entry point. He ignored the Abysskeeper, who attempted to flag him down. Garreg Mach's surface was soon within his reach.
That did not mean his goal was in sight. The person he needed to speak to, the person he HAD to notify - there was still some ground to cover. Yuri carried on sprinting throughout the monastery for this exact reason.
He dashed over a wide open patch of grass that rested just beside the hole he exited out of, his feet trampling over various small flowers and blades of green as if he were an uncaring giant. Moving across the vast expanse within the outskirts of monastery grounds, he shortly arrived at a tight entryway to the main Garreg Mach area. He found himself near the path leading up to a second floor of one of the dormitory buildings. The greenhouse was nearby.
Still, he hadn't quite finished. Yuri continued zooming through the monastery, directing himself with the same level of precision he utilised previously. Past the greenhouse, up by some more student dorms, rounding the backside of the classrooms and entering the central building; his path was clear.
His goal was within reach. Yuri reached out and knocked on the door to Seteth's office. The Nabatean in question responded promptly.
"Yuri?" Seteth asked, bearing an inquisitive expression. His mouth expanded once he saw how heavily the young man before him was panting. "Is there a problem?"
"Yes," Yuri clarified between breaths. "I was wandering around in Abyss, checking up on several areas when all of a sudden, one of my men came up to me and informed me of something weird he saw. He brought me over to it, and, well…"
"What did you see?"
Yuri's eye-bound hair straightened. His overall demeanor intensified.
"I saw an armored group. It seemed as if they were looking for something. I wasn't able to discern much more than that, I'm afraid," he explained. "But I do think we should get down there. Now."
Seteth's entire body had been hit with a wave of cold. His body temporarily locked up, refusing to move as his mind processed the implication of Yuri's information.
"I see…! This must have something to do with that last prediction Lucas shared with myself and Rhea, before his unfortunate accident. If it does, then I believe I already know of their target," the regal green-haired man speculated. He addressed the lavender one. "Yuri. Gather all of the Black Eagles, including their temporary professor Alois, and meet me by the gate that leads to the faculty only section of the monastery."
"Sure," accepted Yuri. "If you don't mind me asking, why there of all places? Do you know where they might be going? And why not the Blue Lions or Golden Deer?"
"The other houses are out on their missions for the month. And, I have an idea," Seteth answered, raising three fingers. "There are only three locations of note hidden beneath the monastery. One is the Holy Mausoleum, which has already become the target of an infiltration earlier this year. Another is Abyss. I do not believe there is any reason why that would be of interest to an outside force."
He lowered two of his fingers.
"The only other option...is the Holy Tomb."
Yuri's head tilted to the side.
"I don't know what that is, but it sounds important. We'd better defend it, yeah?"
Seteth nodded. "Yes. It is absolutely imperative that we defeat all those that wish to thieve what lies hidden within there."
"Understood. I'll get the Black Eagles, then."
His mission had become complete. Yet it appeared a brand new directive introduced itself mere seconds after his previous one had finished. One he could feel had much more importance to it than he could have ever realized. Yuri ran off, intending to do as his superior asked of him.
In the meanwhile, Seteth hurried back into his office. He opened what appeared to be a wardrobe.
Inside was a beige-yellow spear with a pair of curved attachments closer to its hilt. Seteth slowly reached out and laid his hand upon the weapon. As soon as he did, its mystical, ancient power resonated with something deep inside of his being.
He smiled.
"The Spear of Assal...I shall require your power."
Seteth pulled the Sacred Weapon out of its spot within the wardrobe and headed out of his office.
Mere minutes later, a large force of Black Eagles students, some knights, along with an additional Yuri all gathered around a particular gate, one that was right near the courtyard as well as the stables. They all had their respective armors and weapons equipped. A fight was evident.
Seteth stood in front of the group as they all circled around him. He eyed them all.
"Is this everyone?" The child of the goddess inquired.
"All of the Black Eagles have assembled," Edelgard answered, moving forward slightly, undeterred by the sheer weight of her Armored Knight armor.
"I got as many knights as I was able to get, Seteth!" Alois added, wearing the glossy grey sheathing of a Warrior from the Knights of Seiros. "Of course, with all the matters we've had to tend to in other regions, we don't have as many men on hand as usual."
"This will do," Seteth merely commented, wielding the grey and pointy armor belonging to a Wyvern Rider that lacked its mount. "We have no further time to discuss proceedings. The enemy has likely reached the Holy Tomb as of this point. We must intercept them!"
"Holy Tomb? How intriguing," Linhardt remarked on the inside while wearing an obvious grin upon his face on the outside. His Priest robes swayed slightly in the wind. "Take the lead, Seteth, please."
"You look pretty eager, Linhardt," Caspar commented, donning the light protection of a Brawler. "Excited to beat up all the bad guys down in that tomb? I know I am!"
"Well, I-" Linhardt tried to respond, but was cut off.
"Enough!" Seteth interrupted the conversation. "As I have said, there is no time for further discussion. We must move. Now. Follow me!"
Caspar and Linhardt shrugged at each other before following their allies beyond the gate. The knights were familiar with the general grassy environment they all aimfully wandered into.
However, they hadn't expected the sudden left turn Seteth took upon nearly reaching the barracks. Everyone followed him until he reached a large bush that extended from a lengthy hedge that outlined the entire area. Linhardt paid close attention to the next step.
Seteth paused in place at the bush. He stretched out his left arm, displaying his palm to the unassuming shrub.
A flash of blue light emerged from his palm. The conjuration of the Crest of Cichol appeared in front of Seteth's hand. Only a second later, the bush disappeared - much to most people's amazement. In its place was a square, wooden double door anchored firmly into the ground. Seteth secretly grinned to himself as he basked in the admiration sent his way.
"Normally, I would not reveal such a secret to you all," he revealed to them. "But this is a dire situation. I feel it was a necessary action to take."
"How will you open the door, Seteth? It appears to be locked," Ferdinand literally pointed out, directing one of his fingers over to the wooden device in question as his polished, horseless Cavalier armor reflected the sun's rays.
"With a key," Seteth revealed, dangling the aforementioned steel item in front of himself. "How else?"
Ferdinand relented, allowing the one leading the whole group to take charge once again. Seteth knelt down in front of the double doors and proceeded to unlock them with his key. He then slowly opened them up.
Behind the doors was a narrow tunnel full of darkness that consisted of a steep, downwards staircase. It seemed to circle around itself as it went down, though it was difficult to tell due to the general shadiness of the depths below. Seteth pocketed his key and stood aside.
"Alois, please lead the advance. I will need to lock this after everyone has entered," Seteth requested.
"Will do, Seteth! Come on, my friends! Let's engage these ruffians who think they can steal from the Church of Seiros!" Alois encouraged.
A brief roar erupted from the crowd behind the knight commander. With their spirits raised and their blood pumped, the knights and students followed Alois down the secret passageway that had just been unlocked. Once the last person went through, Seteth relocked the doors and used his Crest conjuration to make the shrub reappear.
Then, their rushed journey to the Holy Tomb continued.
Seteth's overall squad hurried all the way down the spiral staircase. They travelled through the depths of the murkiness beneath the hidden shrub, their path lit only by an occasional torch.
It was enough to give them a good indication of where exactly they needed to go as well as where they should have stepped. Any slight slip-ups resulting from a mix of carelessness and the aforementioned dim lighting conditions had been corrected by whoever was behind or beside whomever tripped.
They all had each other's backs.
Their downwards trek took a little while, though more time would have been spent in the darkness had they not chosen to zoom down the stairs as fast as they reasonably could. In time, they arrived at an exceptionally tight and straight hallway that extended forward for quite a while. Unfazed by the sudden change in environment, the group pushed on.
At the end of the tunnel was their goal. Alois walked out of the narrow hallway. His gaze fell upon a tenebrous tomb, illuminated by an ambient green glow.
"Wow…" was all the elderly knight could say.
He snapped out of his admiration for the ancient scenery when one of his men tapped him on the shoulder, prompting him to move to the side so that everyone else could depart from the tunnel.
They all came out to a narrow, long platform on the side of the tomb. It was high enough that they could view the emerald-green floor below from a somewhat high up position, yet the platform was not so tall that they could see everything the place had to offer.
Seteth kept an eye on whatever was atop the massively extensive staircase to their right. He then stood forward and scanned over the environment.
"Good. We have beaten them here. Somehow," Seteth quietly said to himself before raising his voice to address his soldiers. "Everyone, let us proceed to the floor. We must take our positions and defend-"
Interrupting the Nabatean was the unexpected sound of steel clanging against itself. Several unknown assailants marched into the Holy Tomb from a medium-sized entryway and remained still upon an elevated flooring, which rested at the entirely opposite end to the large staircase.
The assailants looked up and found their enemies staring right back at them.
"I have spoken too soon," Seteth grumbled. He unsheathed his Spear of Assal and pointed it at a staircase to his team's right. "We must intercept these fools! Do not allow them to steal the secrets that lie in those caskets! No doubt that is what they are after."
Just before everyone began yelling and charging into battle, Linhardt stood in place, inspecting the caskets in question as best as he could from his high location.
"I wonder what it is that's in these things…"
"Hey, Linhardt!" Caspar called from where he stood, which was closer to the staircase everyone was running down. This in turn snapped the Hevring boy out of his thoughts. "You coming or what?"
Linhardt sighed. "I suppose I am."
Although he was disappointed, he allowed himself to follow Caspar's call. He and his childhood friend rushed into battle along with the rest of their classmates and those knights.
Several more red-garbed soldiers rushed out of that distant entryway. Some of the first arrivals were able to take their positions further onto the Holy Tomb's sacred ground while their allies made their respective entrances. Seteth's team did the same.
What came as a surprise was the arrival of a certain masked individual. Edelgard was only barely able to keep her composure upon seeing the black and red armored being that walked in after the rest of their comrades.
Flame Emperor II had arrived. Alongside someone Edelgard vaguely recognised - a person named Metodey.
The wielder of the Sword of the Creator steadied her insistent hand. She saved her urges for the battle that was to begin.
"Everyone, we must protect the Holy Tomb's sacred stones! Eliminate these thieves posthaste!" Seteth demanded as he stepped forward from the rest of his group.
A reverberant roar emerged from the knights, enhanced by the youth of the students that wished to join in on such exuberance. Yuri merely raised a fist in compliance. They readied their weapons.
The battle soon began.
Seteth's squad rushed in, promptly engaging several would-be thieves that were flying too close to the sun. As there were two different groups of caskets, one on each side adjacent to the stairs, the squad enacted their trusty "split up" plan. Though, there was still a moderate amount of fighters placed in between the tomb's sides that were ready to fight whoever would have decided to head up the middle. This whole plan ensured as many of the caskets were protected as possible.
At least, that was the hope. Some thieves went for the stone containers that were further away from the monastery people, meaning it was somewhat more difficult to protect them. Archers were thankfully able to pin them down before they could even reach their box of unknown treasure.
Yet the Holy Tomb's defenders were not entirely successful. One or two unnoticed infiltrators were able to reach an obtusely placed casket each. Quickly pushing the lids off the ancient containers revealed the object of desire concealed inside. With many a confused face, they each pulled out a small, black and spherical stone.
Seteth's brows curved. "It is just as I thought! They were after our Crest Stones!"
"Crest Stones?" Linhardt inquired, peering over to the Archbishop's advisor. "That's the secret you were referring to earlier?"
"Yes," Seteth confirmed. He tightened his grip on his Sacred Weapon as he effortlessly sliced clean through some ruffian. "I could potentially elaborate for you, but I will not. We are in the middle of battle."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. No time for discussion, right? I'm used to that," Linhardt replied while yawning and firing a Wind spell towards another thief. "Let's just get this over and done with so I can ask you some questions, Seteth."
The Spear of Assal's wielder merely nodded in response, refusing to waste further time on mindless speech. Both he and Linhardt pushed on deep into the fight. They sliced and blasted their way through the miniature horde of rogues, soldiers and mages that came their way.
As did everyone else. Of course.
Edelgard's lengthened Sword of the Creator swipes and lunges were quite effective in dealing with those pesky soldiers that tried so hard to reach those fabled Crest Stones. One by one, they fell. In their final moments, they all stained such divine ground with their mortal blood. The vicious outcomes of her actions hadn't deterred the princess.
It was the appearance of these soldiers that was disturbing her. Each of them was wearing a deep, Adrestian red. A dark, intense color that she knew was only to be worn by those aligned with her territory's military. She briefly gazed over to the Flame Emperor. They were merely standing idly by the entrance all their forces came in from.
Yet it was something about their immobile presence that caused Edelgard to shake. Something deep in her soul pumped and pulsed irregularly, permeating throughout her entire self. Her gloved hand intensified its hold on her Heroes' Relic.
"These are-" Her line of thinking was interrupted.
"Lady Edelgard," Hubert addressed her, instinctively sensing a mental quarrel within his liege's mind. "This may become a problem."
"Indeed. It seems you were right. I did not order these soldiers to infiltrate the Holy Tomb. Someone else must have done so. And that means…" Edelgard stalled as she struggled with the idea of possibility.
"We chose this path long ago. We shall follow it to its end, for we cannot turn back."
"..."
Hubert did his best attempt at a reassuring smile. "Let us focus on the present, Lady Edelgard. There will be no future for either of us should we fall."
Edelgard nodded. Her mild shaking subsided, allowing her to refocus her efforts on the battle. The present in which she lived. Hubert's reminder brought back her endless onslaught of Sword of the Creator slashes, though she did occasionally switch out for a Steel Axe in order to maintain the overall effectiveness of her Relic.
Some of the other Black Eagles had begun to notice the allegiance of these once unknown soldiers. Those that were familiar with Adrestia's military, at least. The likes of Ferdinand faltered upon coming to his realization.
He glanced over to Edelgard, who was cutting down foe after foe with her Steel Axe. That sight had been what he needed to re-encourage himself. He threw himself back into the fray, Steel Lance at the ready.
Bernadetta had also dealt with similar struggles. As an Archer, she was mainly standing away from the fray, sniping in pot shots against distant enemies, staggering them long enough for close range combatants to finish the job. The long ranged nature of her class gave her enough comfort in the idea of pausing momentarily to think about who she was fighting.
A moment became a minute.
"Oh no...we're fighting Adrestian soldiers?!" She mentally exclaimed as she realized the situation. "My dad's gonna kill me once he finds out I've been fighting the military! This is insane! I can't-we gotta-"
All of sudden, her fears were allayed. They weren't entirely gone, but she did feel a newfound vigor to keep going. A second wind. Bernadetta checked all around herself in order to find the source of this strange happening.
She beamed once she saw Dorothea, who'd been wearing some brand new white and red robes.
"D-Dorothea! Was that you?" Bernie asked her friend.
"Uh-huh," the ex-opera singer confirmed. "I finally finished my Dancer training about a week or two ago. What do you think?"
The Dancer performed a light twirl, the sparks of her Levin Sword floating harmlessly around her as she spun. The Archer's face reddened.
"I, uh...it's great, wow! You look really good in that outfit!" Bernadetta complimented. "But it doesn't look like it gives you a lot of protection, huh?"
"Not at all. That's why I've gotta stay behind from all the intense fighting. Heh, at least I can keep my skin smooth this way," Dorothea giggled. "Come on, Bern. Let's show these thieves what we can do together!"
"Y-yeah!"
Pumped up and excited more so than ever, Bernadetta picked her Steel Bow back up and locked onto every single one of her enemies.
None of the other Black Eagles had these sorts of issues. Linhardt and Petra were only slightly worried about having to kill Adrestian soldiers, but they were ultimately able to pull themselves through their short-lived internal struggles. Caspar was barely even fazed.
In the fullness of time, the Garreg Mach forces were able to cut through the majority of the thieves and retrieve whatever Crest Stones had been dropped. However, a miniscule amount of ruffians had slipped through the cracks and returned to the Flame Emperor's side.
It was then when the landscape of the battle changed. Flame Emperor II performed a commanding wave of their arm, which in turn resulted in an eruption of darkness bursting out from two particular Adrestian soldiers. They disappeared.
Replacing them was a single Demonic Beast each.
"Focus on these unholy creatures!" Seteth commanded his forces. "There are no more thieves behind us. We can now direct our attention to our front and employ a more offensive strategy. Thus, we can target these infernal beasts with no regrets!"
"They aren't all finished, however! Do not allow a single one of them past our line of offense!" Alois added.
Listening to their superiors, the monastery folk directed their attention towards the gigantic beings that had suddenly burst into existence moments earlier. Edelgard and Alois led a contingent that targeted the one to their right, while Seteth and Yuri dealt with the other beast.
Those that had participated in prior missions that featured Demonic Beasts were both glad and not-so glad about their appearance. For one, their experience with battling such creatures gave them a solid idea of how to combat them. Perform an attack, get out of its range, strike again with fellow allies, rinse and repeat. It was an effective stratagem.
However, it was not perfect. There were situations where a knight had been flung into a wall by the mere movements of its violent tail, or when someone else received the full brunt of its flame breath attack.
That someone was Ferdinand. He'd been somewhat too slow in getting out of the Demonic Beast's range, therefore giving it the opportunity of successfully unleashing its mighty flames. The Aegir boy staggered back and fell to the ground, back first.
"Ferdinand!" Bernadetta cried between shots that used her bow.
"I'm on it," Linhardt declared, rushing towards his fellow classmate's body. He laid his hands upon the boy, then casted Heal.
Nothing changed.
"Oh. He's been hurt. Quite badly, at that. Can one of you knights come over here and pull him away from the fight?" Linhardt requested.
One of the knights accepted the Hevring heir's request, picking up the half-conscious orange-haired student's body and placing him against one of the Holy Tomb's various pillars. Linhardt rushed over and administered several Heals as well as some Concoctions before returning to his group's battle with their Demonic Beast.
Ferdinand wasn't the only heavily injured student. Petra and Caspar had been caught by a wide swing of its claws, which ripped straight through their respective Mercenary and Brawler armors, essentially rendering them unable to battle any longer. Linhardt pulled himself away from fight proceedings in order to tend to his partially-conscious friends.
Fortunately, the Demonic Beasts were downed after a combined assault from both groups. Seteth's Spear of Assal and Edelgard's Sword of the Creator were instrumental in taking them down. Yuri's Fetters of Dromi was also useful for defending the lives of various knights he happened to be standing by.
As the pair of teams were still a pair, what remained of the Holy Tomb's defenders circled around and ventured up the petite flight of stairs leading to the raised platform. There wasn't much space there, but it was enough for a scuffle to occur. Seteth pushed past his side's bout.
He pointed his Sacred Weapon at Flame Emperor II.
"You! You are the leader of your soldiers, are you not? I suggest you should retreat. Lest you meet an unfortunate end by our hand. Much alike your allies," Seteth threatened the masked individual.
Silence. Not a single response came from the crimson and sable armored one.
"A person of few words, I see. No matter. We can do battle quietly, if you so wish," Seteth continued, waving around his lance in an attempt to get some kind of reaction out of his opponent.
Still nothing. The white mask stared back with not a single change in its appearance or volume.
"Then let us-"
"You speak too much, advisor to the Archbishop."
The Nabatean froze. Only for a second.
"Hmph. So you can talk. Who might you be, rogue?" Seteth wondered
"It matters not who I am. The monastery, and by extension - you - have never cared for me. So why should I grant you the satisfaction of an answer?" Flame Emperor II snarled in a deep voice filtered through the mask. "I almost died because of you. And so, I deliver unto you, the same feeling I felt long ago!"
Out of their cloak came one of their arms. It was holding onto an axe that glowed orange. Seteth's eyes widened as he realized just what it was.
"A Heroes' Relic?!" He exclaimed. "That can only either be Freikugel or Aymr. Which is it?"
"Aymr," Flame Emperor II clarified in a calm tone. "It shall be the Relic of your demise."
Seteth leapt back, his hair narrowly brushing against the blunt end of the Relic named Aymr. The Nabatean steadied himself and got into a low stance.
"I think not. Death is not my destiny today, foolish thief!" He barked as he twirled around his Spear of Assal.
Both combatants faced down one another. A lingering urge to fight tied them together. Thus, they began their duel.
Seteth was the first to close in. He swung with his Spear of Assal, swiping upwards in a curved motion. Flame Emperor II arched themselves backwards, allowing the tip of the lance to narrowly pass by their armored robes. They used this opportunity to attempt a slam with Aymr. Their aim was to strike directly at their opponent's skull.
However, Seteth was fast. He deftly avoided the attack by leaping to the side. The Nabatean tried to strike with his spear while in the middle of his jumping motion, but the Flame Emperor had prepared for even that. They blocked the leaping slash with their shield and then went for a wide swing with Aymr.
It was avoided with a simple duck. Seteth had to land and quickly reorient himself first, but he was still able to evade the wrath of the Heroes' Relic. Flame Emperor II then smashed their axe diagonally towards their foe - at an increased speed. A speed Seteth wasn't quite ready for. He received the full brunt of the bash.
With just that one strike, Seteth was sent flying to the side, his body dragging itself across the floor until he eventually came to a stop.
"You…" He heaved as he slowly stood back up, nursing the wound inflicted on the side of his chest. The specific spot on his armor that received the hit had been split open, much to his displeasurement. "You certainly are formidable."
"Now you recognise me as such. If you had done that sooner, then we would not be in this situation," Flame Emperor II hissed. He raised Aymr. "Enough talk. You know what must be done."
"Defeating you? Of course. That is only the natural outcome of our battle!"
A Heroes' Relic and a Sacred Weapon clashed once more. Seteth and Flame Emperor II continued their bout, their weapons colliding with one another time after time. The former of the two fighters utilised his Crest of Cichol at various points to freeze his opponent in place for a short period. This in turn let him unleash an especially potent stab or lunge.
But the Flame Emperor had their own Crest. The Crest of Seiros was able to enhance the might behind his already immense strength, thereby resulting in several incidents where Seteth was propelled over to a wall through a single hit. Despite this, he was very much still capable of fighting.
At one point during the battle, Seteth and the Flame Emperor were staring each other down, taking a break while struggling with their respective wounds. Multiple cracks and dents formed on the Nabatean's armor. Spots of blood could be seen on the floor near the masked figure. A clear winner could not be decided.
Before the duel could resume, an unforeseen Sword of the Creator extension came rushing in. It took Flame Emperor II by surprise. They weren't able to dodge in time.
As a result, the Relic pierced through the side of their already damaged mask, revealing the masculine face that once wore it. Seteth got a good look at his foe's visage as the destroyed mask fell to the floor. His mouth went with it.
"I-I recognise you!" Seteth said as a realization washed over him.
The man before him glared viciously at the Archbishop's advisor. His short, dark blue hair greatly contrasted his Adrestian attire. His fully black eyes stared scornfully at the white-haired princess standing off to his side with her own Relic. His eyes were protected by his sable glasses, which were undamaged throughout it all. He brought his attention back to the advisor.
"You do?" The man questioned with a deep, hateful tone. His face contorted further as his rage bubbled to the surface. "Go on. Tell me my name, Seteth. Tell me the name you and the others at the monastery abandoned all that time ago."
"I am also curious to learn who this man is," Edelgard added. "Merely out of curiosity more than anything else."
Seteth sighed. "I am surprised you do not recognise him, Edelgard. After all, he was with you and the other house leaders on that day."
"The day you all left me for dead," the unknown person corrected.
"What do you mean by that?" Edelgard asked, her gaze momentarily landing on the stranger. "Seteth, who is this?"
The advisor glanced at the princess, then back to the stranger. He didn't have enough hate in him to return the expression of contempt the once masked person was shooting his way. All he did was sigh.
"His name is…" Seteth struggled to speak further. "Adrian Aquila. Edelgard, you may know him as a man who was once under the employ of the Officers Academy. He was originally a professor. A direct colleague of Manuela and Hanneman's."
Edelgard gasped.
"Ah, you mean-!" She became aware of the true nature of the sea blue haired stranger. "He was the professor that ran away from those bandits near Remire Village?"
"I did NOT run away!" The man, now identified as Adrian, denied. "I was...feeling under the weather that day. Yet the monastery, no, Seteth here decided I was perfect for that scouting mission. How dare you suggest that I fled!"
Edelgard remained firm. "Are you delusional? You fled from us the very moment danger was a possibility. There is no reason for you to be as vexed as you are right now."
"Vexed?! That was no trivial matter, Princess. That was a life or death situation. I chose life back then." Adrian reversed his facial contortion, only to bear a disturbing grin. He raised Aymr. "Now, I bring death upon you!"
"Perhaps you shouldn't. You're surrounded."
Adrian paused. He checked all around himself, finding that he was indeed circled by the enemy. Metodey was nowhere in sight. Whichever of his soldiers that were not able to flee all lied dead on the floor. Struggling to contain his hatred, he reluctantly lowered his Heroes' Relic.
"So be it. You are permitted to live for now," Adrian said with a sense of authority he wished he possessed. "Know this, Fallen Princess. Your time shall come."
He disappeared in a flash of purple energy. All of the Holy Tomb's defenders eased their shoulders and relaxed whatever tension their bodies had built up. They could finally relax. Many of them applied Concoctions upon themselves or were healed by various Priests. Edelgard chose the former.
She was then approached by a bruised and bloody Seteth.
"I believe we need to talk, Edelgard," he addressed her.
"About those enemies we fought?" She asked, for clarity's sake.
"Yes. Precisely those," the Nabatean confirmed.
Edelgard nodded.
"I will tell you everything I know, Seteth."
Elsewhere within Fodlan, a human in disguise arose from the regal seat they planted themselves upon. Standing below the Imperial palace, they addressed the massive crowd that formed beneath the staircase he stood atop.
Arundel stretched out his arms to his sides. As if he were trying to embrace the foolish masses.
"People of Enbarr! The Adrestian military! All those who wish for freedom and for peace!" He began. "I have called you all here today for an important message pertaining to a cornerstone of Fodlan's society! The Church of Seiros is corrupt!"
The people anxiously waited for their leader's next words.
"They have fooled the people of Fodlan ever since their inception hundreds of years ago!" Arundel claimed, shouting to the crowd. "They were the ones that divided the Empire in the first place! Their meddling resulted in the creation of the Kingdom of Faerghus! Further meddling on their part brought about the Leicester Alliance! The church has not only been a cornerstone...they are snakes that slither in the darkness, poisoning the minds of all those who listen by speaking highly of the goddess."
A combined gasp sounded from Arundel's listeners. He continued.
"They have preyed upon all of your desires to speak with the goddess, as well as your prayers! With the control they wield over the Kingdom and Alliance, they have introduced a system that allows them to determine what people think, feel and believe! They have feasted upon your minds, granting themselves an immeasurable level of strength and wealth that has forced the Adrestian Empire to obey for hundreds of years! They live in extravagance while the poor struggle to survive! Answer me, people. Is this fair?!"
Everyone yelled a resounding 'no'. Arundel momentarily grinned.
"Precisely! These corrupt individuals cannot be permitted to continue with their malicious ways for any longer! Their entire system, their complete existence - it must all be eliminated! All so they can no longer poison the minds of the masses! Which is why…"
The crowd became silent as they waited with anticipated breaths.
"I, Emperor Volkhard von Arundel, declare war on the Church of Seiros!"
Author Notes: And now, the war has begun. We're almost at the timeskip, folks. Hold onto your seats, 'cause this ride could very well result in death.
So, uh, time to respond to reviews.
Gilgamesh9999: I am so stupid. Y'see, what happened there is that I did actually respond to your initial review...I just forgot to actually write it down. Whoops.
But yeah, in response to that review, I do see the benefits of having this fic be Golden Deer-centric. Lucas and Claude planning shit together would be pretty good and it'd keep things less focused on Edelgard and Dimitri. They already have enough focus in the game, y'know?
Unfortunately, my decision to stick with the Black Eagles primarily came down to preference. I just like the Black Eagles better. And it'll make more sense later down the line. If it doesn't already, considering the seeds I've been planting throughout the story so far. Sorry that the Golden Deer won't be getting much focus, but hey, they do indeed have a presence! I won't be forgetting about them. I'll make sure to give 'em enough scenes and stuff.
And that's all for reviews now, I believe. If I'm not being stupid again. See y'all next time!
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