Chapter 17
(Noah)
It took about an hour to reach the arena from the Longfort. An hour of walking in the cold. Needless to say I was miserable. The cold hadn't really been noticeable during the fight earlier. Thinking back on the fight, I realized that I had managed to hold my own fairly well. Chrom had lent me a suit of chainmail, as well as some light armor that I had on under my well worn army jacket. This meant I was decently protected, but it was the rigorous training that Frederick and Connor put me through in the six or so weeks since I had met them that really made the difference.
That thought brought me to another realization. Things were moving much slower than they did in the game. Originally the Shepherds had left for Regna Ferox immediately after returning to Ylisstol. The game also made it seem like they reached the Longfort that day, when in reality we had been traveling for three.
My reflection was interrupted by Raimi announcing that we had arrived. Our current party consisted of Chrom, Lissa, Robin, Connor and I. The other Shepherds had been guided to guest quarters in the arena. The six of us were now in what appeared to be a waiting room. "Please wait here while I summon the khan," Raimi said before heading further into the arena.
"The khan is away?" Robin asked.
"Likely training. Like you said, the Feroxi are a warrior people. If they're anything like guardians, those who consider themselves the best among their peers will make every effort to appear strong before others," Connor said from behind his helmet. We had explained our strikingly similar appearance to the Shepherds by saying that he was me from the future. If it weren't for his unusual abilities I don't think any of the others would have believed us. However, everyone had agreed it would probably be best to not try to explain it to the Feroxi, at least not yet.
"Well put," Chrom replied. "The Khans of Ferox prefer battle to politics. Or rather, battle IS their politics."
Connor muttered something about the Cabal, but I couldn't hear him over Robin. "A warrior ruler, eh? I can picture him now…" she began, not noticing Raimi returning with Khan Flavia behind her. "A giant man of unparalleled thew, his broad chest covered in hair," she continued with a chuckle. Lissa and I were doing our best to keep straight faces, and I was envying that Connor was able to hide his current expression behind his helmet.
"Am I now? Please, do go on!" Flavia said with a smarmy grin. The prince and tactician both spun in bewilderment, Robin only managing to get out a meek "Huh?" before everyone else burst into laughter.
"You're the-?!" Chrom stammered in embarrassment, "Er, that is to say… The khan, I presume?"
"One of them, yes-the East-Khan. My name is Flavia. I apologize for the troubles at the border, Prince Chrom. You are welcome in Regna Ferox."
"Thank you, but I'm confident we can put that misunderstanding behind us. Is it true bandits posing as Ylisseans have been ransacking your border villages?" Chrom asked.
"Yes. Those Plegian dogs! We found documents proving as much on the corpse of one of their captains. Plegia must see some benefit in raising tensions between your kingdom and ours."
This elicited an immediate, simultaneous response from both Chrom and Connor. "Damn them!" the prince exclaimed. Connor was much more blunt with his words however. "Fucking morons," the hunter almost groaned. Lissa and I both stifled a laugh as Chrom shot the lightbearer a look before apologizing. "Forgive me, Your Grace. That was… indelicately put."
"Ha!" Flavia barked, "Damn them and damn delicacy! Here in Ferox, we appreciate plain speech."
"In that case, you should have a word with your damn border guards…" Chrom grumbled, earning him a glare from Raimi and another laugh from Flavia. His words seemed to remind Raimi of something though, as her face suddenly lit up. The guard captain whispered something into her leader's ear, and Flavia nodded before turning her gaze to Connor. "Speaking of my border guards, Raimi tells me you single handedly took on thirty of them with nary a scratch to show for it," she said. "I'm impressed, and I think the West-Khan would be too. He has a rather… time sensitive issue that could use your skills. Raimi will take you to him after we finish negotiating here." Connor nodded in response, and Flavia returned her attention to Chrom. "I know why you have come, Prince Chrom. But regrettably, I cannot provide any Feroxi troops for Ylisse."
"What?!" Lissa exclaimed, speaking for the first time Flavia had arrived. "Why not?!"
"I lack the authority," Flavia replied bluntly, eliciting a sigh from Chrom. "I assume we must get the West-Khan on board as well?" he asked. His question put a devilish grin on Flavia's face. "Not quite. Here in Ferox, the khans of east and west hold a tournament every few years. The victor acquires total sovereignty over both kingdoms. And that means they have final say when it comes to forging alliances. The West-Khan won the last tournament, you see, and so.."
Chrom opened his mouth to say something, but I beat him to the punch. "You want us to participate in the upcoming tournament on your behalf. Why else would you have brought us to the arena and not a palace?" Flavia cocked an eyebrow at my response.
"If that's what it takes, Khan Flavia, then I accept. My people are desperate. We face not only Plegia's constant attacks, but now the added threat of the Risen," Chrom interjected. "If fighting for you is the quickest way to an alliance, then we will take up our steel."
This got a roar of laughter from Flavia. "Oh, I like you, Prince Chrom. I do hope you survive the tournament!" The Feroxi ruler turned her attention to Raimi. "Raimi, if you would, take our friend here to see the West-Khan. I'll show the others to their quarters for the time being." Raimi just nodded.
"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to tag along with Connor," I requested. Flavia flashed a thumbs up before turning to leave with the others. And just like that, we were off script again. I didn't know what Basilio needed Connor's skills for, but the fact that they were needed at all was a terrifying prospect.
It turned out that Basilio wanted Connor for a ritual execution. A group of five brothers had murdered their mother and father to claim their inheritance early, then killed their younger sister when she discovered. Since the crime was committed as a group, they were to be executed as such. However, due to their military service, Feroxi tradition stated that the execution was to be via combat in the arena. The last group of executioners had failed. The West-Khan had explained all of this, but something Flavia had said still didn't make sense. "Khan Flavia said this issue was time sensitive. Why is that?" I asked. Basilio sighed. "If the sentence is not carried out before the tournament in two weeks time, they go free."
"Oh." We stood there in an awkward silence before Connor finally broke it. "I'll do it," he said, very matter of fact.
"Just like that?" Basilio asked warily. "No demands for a large sum of gold or land, nothing?"
"I do have two requests. First, I want a weapon when I finish. Something practical. Second, I'm the only executioner. No more of your men should have to risk their lives."
"The first request I can grant easily, but the second-"
"I'll be fine. I do my best work alone."
Basilio raised his hands as if to admit defeat. "It's settled then. In two days at high noon," he said as he stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to attend to some upstart that challenged my champion for the tournament. You're welcome to tag along however," he said with a grin.
"We'd love to," I replied before Connor had the chance to decline. The 'upstart' was Lucina, who I had been hoping to speak to before the assassination attempt. Basilio turned and led us out to the arena stands. Lon'qu and 'Marth' were both standing on the arena floor waiting. "Let's get this going, shall we?" the West-Khan called, before bellowing, "BEGIN!" The two fighters closed the distance quickly, their swords clashing as soon as they were in range. They exchanged blows several times, with Lon'qu clearly having the upper hand. At least until he realized who he was fighting. The change was immediate but subtle, and had I not been looking for it I wouldn't have noticed. Connor and Basilio noticed it too however. The khan sighed, and Connor let out a simple "Huh," as Lucina pressed her new advantage. It was only a few seconds before she had disarmed Lon'qu, and she quickly raised her blade to his neck. "Yield," she ordered. He did.
(Connor)
The day of the execution had finally arrived. Noah had managed to get Lucina away from training the night before, and they had spent that evening catching each other up on important details of what was to transpire over the coming months. Somehow Connor had gotten roped into those conversations. He was glad he had though, as they shed valuable light on the state of the world at large and the threats that were to come.
But he didn't have time to dwell on that now. He needed to prepare for the fight ahead. Five brothers. Dane and Keth, who were twins, favored the sword. Cloven was the biggest of the five and an axe wielder. The youngest brother, Rhys, was an archer. Finally, the fifth brother, Lazarus, the eldest of the group, was a dark mage. That made him the only real threat. If the magic in this world was anything like the magic of the Hive in his, it could lead to his final death. The other four could kill him, but wouldn't be able to scratch his Ghost. Connor wasn't planning on dying, but it never hurt to be prepared. He'd likely only get one death before they caught on. Officially, Basilio had told him that magic was banned in arena executions. In Connor's experience though, people fighting for their lives tended to break the rules and play dirty, himself included. He would play by the rules however. For the most part.
(Noah)
The arena was packed in preparation for the execution. Basilio and Flavia had extended an invitation to the Shepherds to watch with them. Most of them had declined, but myself and a few others had opted to go. Chrom had joined us, and where he went, so did Frederick. Robin had come along under the guise of learning more about Connor's capabilities so she could better utilize him in her plans. The rest of our group included Sully, Vaike, and Virion. There was a palpable tension in the air as Connor stepped out onto the arena floor, wearing a full set of Great Hunt armor as opposed to his regular Notorious Invader gear. When he wasn't joined by any other executioners, there was an explosion of gasps and murmurs from throughout the stands. "Time to see if the fool was just boasting, or if he's actually as skilled as he claims," Basilio muttered.
We had a decent view from the Khan's viewing box, but were still far enough away that I couldn't quite make out the weapons that Connor had brought. He had two swords on his back, a hand cannon on his hip, and two knives attached to the boots of his armor. Of course, he also had his Light and the Aegis, but magic was against the rules. I was somewhat surprised that the hunter had elected to bring a firearm at all considering those rules. "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," I whispered to myself. This earned me a curious look from Chrom, to which I just patted the sidearm holstered on my hip. He turned away with a look of understanding.
It had baffled me that all of us were allowed within ten feet of both of Regna Ferox's leaders with our weapons, especially as foreigners. Either the Khans were extremely confident, or the warrior lifestyle was so deeply ingrained into their culture that they didn't think twice about it.
My thoughts were interrupted by another explosion of activity in the arena stands, this time boos and jeers. Apparently the brothers had been dragged out. Three sword wielders, an axe user, and an archer. "Hey Robin," I said in an attempt to grab the tactician's attention. "Notice the distance between Connor and the guilty party?"
"Yes, about fifteen feet. What of it?"
"I wanted to make a point about firearms that would probably be good to file away for battle plans. My father drilled this into my head when he was teaching me self defense. If you want to safely be able to draw your gun, the minimum distance you need between you and an attacker with a knife is twenty one feet. Swords and such have fallen out of use in my part of the Outrealms-"
She cut me off once she realized where I was going with the statement. "So I would need to adjust accordingly to best utilize you and Connor. Understood."
(Connor)
"Anyone want to take the easy way out?" Connor asked the brothers. "You're an idiot if you think five Feroxi warriors will lose to some foreign dog!" Lazarus spat back as he brandished his sword. "I'll leave you for last then," Connor laughed as he drew his first sword, Quickfang.
"Dane, Keth, teach this mongrel a lesson," the mage growled. Upon hearing this, the twins drew their weapons and charged. Connor met them in less than a second, his blade clashing with the first brother as the second circled behind him. The hunter disengaged with a backwards gamblers dodge, then jumped, sending him up and over the second brother, who was mid sword swing. Connor landed behind the man before he had time to react and drove his sword straight through his chest. "DANE!" Keth screamed.
He wasn't the only one screaming though. The crowd had gone wild. Connor had barely even heard Keth, and they were less than 5 feet away. He glanced over to where the other three were standing to see an enraged Cloven rushing towards him, with Lazarus and Rhys hidden from view behind the larger man. Connor pulled his Quickfang from Dane's chest and drew his other sword, Goldtusk, from his back, then sidestepped as Cloven brought his axe down where the guardian had been standing. The hunter made an upward swing with one sword, cutting deep into the side of Cloven's leg. As the axe wielder staggered to the ground, Connor brought his other sword down on his head, decapitating the murderer.
Ignoring the continued roars of the crowd, Connor glanced past the corpse to see that Lazarus had dropped his sword and his tattoos were glowing. The air around Connor began to grow hot, and the hunter leapt back just as a pillar of fire erupted from the floor where he had just been standing. Keth rushed at him through the smoke, catching Connor off guard. He barely blocked Keth's downward swing in time. "Have you no honor?!" the man screamed. "You insult us not only with your words but your actions!" he shouted again as their swords clashed again. "Asking if we wish to take the easy way out, then refusing to show your face!"
"You're one to talk!" Connor laughed back. "You murder your mother and father out of greed, then kill you sister so she can't rat you out!" This elicited a roar of anger from Keth as he lashed with his sword again. Connor deflected the blow easily and decided to continue with verbal attacks as well as physical. "You spout all this shit about honor, yet here you are being executed for crimes committed without any." he barked as he pushed the offensive. Keth was struggling to keep up with the blows from both of Connor's swords. "Just look at your oldest brother," Connor growled. "There was one rule: No magic. I sure as fuck didn't cast that spell a few seconds ago," he continued as he press his advantage harder, landing a few glancing blows on Keth's upper arms. Keth clearly hadn't been expecting a response, as the combination of Connors physical and verbal blows began to take their toll. The Feroxi swordsman was getting sloppy. Connor had counted several openings, but was hesitant to take them until he figured out how to deal with the mage. Currently a fear of harming Keth was the only thing keeping Lazarus and Rhys from attacking him.
The two exchanged blows for several more seconds before Connor made up his mind. "If you aren't going to play by the rules, then why should I?" the hunter asked. Keth didn't get a chance to respond however, as Connor had taken advantage of an opening to launch into an uppercut with his right sword, severing Keth's sword arm from his body. Connor slashed across Keth's stomach with his other sword, cutting so deep that the man's intestines fell out when his body hit the floor. Lazarus and Rhys immediately retaliated with fireballs and arrows, but the guardian was already in motion. He returned his swords to his back as he wove between the projectiles. Connor reached out for his Light, then launched into an ability that the last few Bladedancers called Blade Blink. Leaping into the air, Connor summoned an Arc Blade. A bolt of lighting slammed into the ground below him as he hurled the blade across the arena. The knife found its mark in Rhys' chest, and Connor reached out with his hand. There was a brilliant flash of light as Connor teleported to the blade, and Rhys disintegrated with an explosion of Arc energy. Suddenly, his Ghost was shouting over his comms. "Picking up a MASSIVE spike of Taken energy in the arena!"
The arena was suddenly dead silent. Connor turned to his right, where Lazarus was less than 2 seconds before, only to see a Taken blight where the Feroxi had been standing. It was the person inside the blight that stood out the most however. Hovering just off the ground was a helmetless Warlock, clad in Harrowed King's Fall armor. Taken energy flickered and rolled off her body in waves.
"Isabel," Connor growled.
"Hello Connor," Isabel replied with a wicked smile. "I haven't seen you since we killed Oryx."
Author's Note: This chapter took WAY longer than I wanted it too. If you're wondering what took so long, I spent almost a week trying to transition to the execution more smoothly, before I eventually just gave in.
You may also be wondering who this other Guardian is, and why I'm introducing them. I realized very early on just how powerful Connor would be in this setting, and that basically nothing could touch him. While being incredibly powerful makes for fun gameplay, it is EXTREMELY difficult to write an interesting story. Enter Isabel. I'll explain who she is and how she got here in the next chapter.
For those of you who have made it this far, thank you so much. If you've enjoyed the story so far, I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a review. It helps motivate me to keep working on this.