Normally, traveling alone through the forests of Erebonia at night would be considered a terrible idea, but for someone as skilled as Fie it was barely an inconvenience. Outside of a few monsters that were stupid enough to see her as an easy meal there was little to hinder her as she made her way towards her destination. As much as she wanted to just sprint the distance and reach Rean as quickly as possible she knew to pace herself as the evening promised to be a long struggle.
As she got closer she expected to have difficulty evading patrols and archaisms and the like, but to her surprise the going was still easy. She did eventually see a few soldiers and patrolling soldats, but it became evident that they were far more interested in keeping lookout for large armies and not solitary infiltrators. Foolish. Fie vowed to herself that before the night was over she will have caused far more damage than any squad of tanks ever could.
It was almost two hours after leaving her friends that she reached her destination. Unlike most of the great military bases in Erebonia, this one wasn't a hulking monolithic structure of walls and towers. Thanks to its original role as a training facility for panzer soldats it was a large open base. Numerous large hangars dotted the area with a singular central building, which she knew was her final destination.
Despite not having the security features of a place like Garrelia or Dreknor she could tell it would be a daunting place to infiltrate. The rebels appeared to be at a state of high alert, as clearly they suspected an attack could come at any time. Patrols of men and archaisms moved around with great frequency, and soldats maintained their silent vigils at key locations in and around the area.
Still, as difficult as such a place might be for someone else, for Fie it was merely just another barrier to be overcome in pursuit of that which she holds most dear, and not a particularly big one at that. As much as she absolutely loves Rean and her friends, right now being alone meant she could truly be in her element. Thus it was a ghost that began it's infiltration of the base.
Normally, the darkness of the night would make matters easy, but the battlefield has changed significantly in the past few years. She had fought enough archaisms to understand that their sensors weren't bothered by such things, and soldat pilots had access to many different modes of vision if they so desired. Still, even if she couldn't rely on the shadows to protect her, it was still an advantage to have, as human soldiers were still the most common foe in her way.
With that thought in mind she quickly made her way into the base, darting between searchlights and patrols as she went. It was a bit risky getting close to the archaisms, as these appeared to be the same newer models that they fought in Bareahard and potentially could have had stronger sensors, but none of them appeared to react to her presence and so she deemed it safe to continue. Within a few minutes she reached the closest building to her original position: One of the large soldat hangars.
According to the blueprints she had memorized in perfect detail earlier that day, there should be a small side door... 'There!' Conventional wisdom might have suggested that remaining outside was a safer approach, but Fie had noticed that she could close to within a few arge of the main building if she traveled through the lesser facilities, and suspected that the people indoors would be a lot less alert than the ones on patrol.
Gently, she pulled open the door, finding, to her relief, that it was unlocked. After peeking her head in and confirming that the hallway inside was clear of people, she slipped in and let out the breath she had been holding. According to the map this hallway should be dotted with many offices and storage rooms, which were probably all ignored by the base's current occupants. She could hear voices in the distance, presumably from the main open hangar space, which just so happened to be her next destination.
Sure enough, by following the echo of the voices she found herself staring into a well-lit open bay filled with soldats being tended to by mechanics and engineers. There were also plenty of soldiers present, but they appeared to be off-duty and weren't being particularly observant. The exit she needed to take was on the other side of the bay.
Despite the numerous people in the room she wasn't especially concerned, as most seemed to be busy with their tasks or were merely conversing with one another. None appeared all that concerned about a solitary shadow lurking in their midst. A part of her wished she had brought more explosives along as she was fairly confident she could get to each of the dozen or so panzer soldats in the room without being spotted once, but she discarded that idea. Her mission was to save Rean, not blow up those war machines.
Using the plentiful machinery and stacked boxes as cover the young bracer slipped through the room unnoticed. With her steps silent and her visage shrouded in shadows there was no risk of detection. As she passed through the center of the room she overheard a conversation between two engineers.
"I just don't get it? Why is he even still alive?" Questioned an engineer with red hair.
"His highness ordered it. If you want to take it up with him, be my guest." Replied his companion.
"No thanks. He has to know those traitors in the government won't comply, right? They're too scared of the glorious path our Chancellor had us on."
"True enough, but don't worry. I'm sure it won't be long now."
"I hope so." Muttered the same red-haired man. "I just don't like the idea of that murderous dog being close. The sooner we're rid of him, the better."
Fie couldn't help but clench her fists in anger as she overheard that conversation. She knew that some people still felt ill-will towards her love, but to hear it in person was more painful than she had expected. She paused to consider the possibility of taking out those jerks before moving on. With the element of surprise she could knock them out without alerting anyone else, and it would be a simple matter of hiding the bodies...
No, she wasn't going to risk everything just because someone said something to make her mad. If all goes to plan those idiots will get what's coming to them soon enough. She smiled slightly as she imagined Laura chasing them around with that hilariously oversized sword of hers.
Soon enough she reached the other side of the room and the door that led her deeper into the compound. She still had one more identical hangar to enter before she reached the main building, but thus far everything had gone according to plan. She remembered hearing horror stories back in her Zephyr days of infiltration missions going bad cause the intel they were relying on was out of date, but so far she hadn't seen any recent additions or any other unfortunate surprises that would hinder her in any way.
The distance between the exit of the first building and entrance to the second was only a few arge, and she made it before any roaming patrols thought to check the gap between the buildings. To her delight, the second hangar was completely abandoned and she made good time passing through. Unlike the first one, the exit she was seeking was fairly close to the entrance and she reached it within a minute.
From her current position the main building was maybe only thirty arge away, but it was across an open area with no cover to take advantage of. Patrols were fairly active around the main building, but she was far enough away from any soldats or lookout posts that she didn't have to worry about them. As much as she wanted to rush, now was the time to sit back and observe.
Despite being the worst student in Class VII, especially when it came to math, in that moment as she carefully observed and calculated the patrol routes and distances she was in her element. There were two large groups circling the building and two other patrols which occasionally entered the area as they marched along longer routes. All had archaisms, so she couldn't expect to just elude their vision and make it through.
Still, if she observed correctly, there should be a few brief moments between the two main groups where both other squads would be far away, and that should be coming up... now! With a burst of speed that surprised even her she flew across the open gap and reached the other side in a matter of seconds. Since she didn't have any time to carefully check the door, she instead opted to rush in and hope for the best, managing to close the door behind her just before the guards returned.
Unfortunately, the room she found herself in was not vacant, as a single soldier was already present and staring right at her. Fortunately, the hyper alert Fie was far quicker than the confused guard, and before he even had time to realize there was a girl in front of him he found himself intimately acquainted with her fist to his face. Catching him before he hit the ground she quickly checked to make sure there was no one else around to interfere with her mission.
Closing her eyes in thought, she recalled back earlier in the day when she studied the layout of the building. If she recalled correctly, there was a storage room not far from her current location, perfect for storing bodies. Her action meant that she was now officially on the clock as someone would notice his absence eventually, but she was close enough to Rean that she didn't think it mattered all that much. After making sure the way was clear, she dragged the larger man with her as she made her detour.
She reached the room easily enough and managed to secure the captive with some rope she found and was just about to return to her mission when she paused. There was a feeling, as if something in here was calling out to her. A quick scan pinpointed the feeling as a closed chest not far from her. Curiously, the girl approached it and popped it open, letting out an audible gasp as she saw the contents.
Among the myriad items in the box were two things that stood out to her: A well-worn tachi, and an ARCUS II unit. It didn't take a genius to know who they belonged to and Fie wasted no time in securing those items, even if lugging around a sword would be an inconvenience. With Rean's weapon securely attached to her hip she exited the room and continued her descent deeper into the facility.
If the information provided by the anonymous Ouroboros member who totally wasn't Duvalie was accurate, Rean wasn't far away. Just at the end of the hallway she found herself in, in fact. The corridor was empty when she entered, but progress was slow as many of the nearby rooms were occupied and on more than one occasion she had to quickly identify and enter the vacant rooms as someone entered the hall. All the while her heart hammered thunderously as she braced herself for whatever she was going to find at her destination.
With one final burst of speed she covered the last few arge and reached the end. It's a good thing that there was nobody hostile present in the large room she entered, as her composure abandoned her and she completely neglected to check her surroundings. No, her eyes were locked solely on the lone presence on the far side of the room.
She was overcome by emotions as she crossed the room to more closely examine her target. Should she cry in relief at seeing him alive, as signified by the rising and falling of his chest? Or should she cry in anger and grief at the horrific state she found him in? Either way, she didn't even try to prevent the tears from welling up in her eyes as she approached the unconscious figure of her beloved.
To say that Rean had had better days would be a gross understatement. His entire body was littered with cuts and bruises, but that wasn't the worst of it. Thanks to the fact he was tightly chained to the wall, it was quite clear that his legs were bent at unusual angles, signs that someone had gone at him with a blunt object.
It was hard, but Fie managed to quell the myriad emotions swirling inside of her as she moved into action. The first thing she did, obviously, was to cut those accursed chains that bound him, gently lowering him to the ground while doing her best to avoid aggravating his injuries. Once freed, she gave him a quick check-over and found, to her relief, no other significant external injuries to worry about.
Sending a silent thanks to Elliot for his thoughtfulness, the bracer pulled out her ARCUS and began the process of mending his wounds. While healing arts weren't a true substitute for surgery and rest, they could at least close wounds, stop bleeding, dull pain, and restore some energy back into his body. And although it didn't accomplish anything, she couldn't prevent herself from making an effort to wipe away some of his blood with her hands.
As much as she wanted to sit there, rest Rean's head on her lap, and nap the night away, she had a duty to perform. Reluctantly, she carefully dragged her battered partner behind the cover of some tables, before standing straight. "I promise, nobody will harm you again." She muttered as her face hardened with resolve.
Again she grabbed her ARCUS, but this time opened it and accessed the communications function. What she sent wasn't even a real message, just a signal that the Courageous would be able to pick up and send to the others. With her initial mission complete, she drew her gunblades and turned her eyes towards the door she entered from, seeing that as the only way in, and prepared for combat.
It was a common saying that the wait before an inevitable battle is the hardest thing, but never had the wait been as hard as this one was. Perhaps it was the fact that she was completely alone with any hope of rescue being far far away. Or more likely, it was due to the stakes in the battle to come. Sure, they were higher when they fought against Ishmelga for the fate of the world, but that almost felt like a dream. Here, the thing she fought for was very real and personal and was resting just a few arge away.
Mercifully, the wait wasn't long, as after only a minute or two of sending her message the sound of a loud explosion was heard. Although she couldn't see beyond the walls of the room she was in, she could vividly picture the chaos and confusion that Juna, Crow, and the rest were causing as they stormed the place with their soldats. She was never much of a religious person, but she couldn't help but send a silent prayer for the safety of her friends as she prepared for the battle to come.
A few minutes later the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps signaled that her battle was about to begin. The door opened an in streamed a small group of soldiers. Fie remained unnoticed from her position as she waited until the lead soldier appeared to realize that something was amiss before striking. Any mercy she might have felt as she fell upon the confused people was easily snuffed out at the realization that they had almost certainly been sent to execute Rean.
Her ambush was a complete success, and within seconds the entire squad was crippled or unconscious. That was the easy part, however, as shouts from further down the hall confirmed that her actions hadn't gone unnoticed and now they were aware of her presence. The next skirmish would not go so smoothly.
It wasn't long before she heard the next group approaching. Now that they knew there was someone there they were a lot more cautious in their attack. The mechanical sounds accompanying the footsteps made it clear that she would soon be facing archaisms.
Still, despite the better prepared opponents, Fie remained unconcerned. After all the trials Class VII had gone through over the years it would take a lot more than a group of soldiers and standard archaisms to defeat her. Even if that group proved to be a dozen strong.
A lunging slash here, an overcharge shot from her guns, evade, counter. On and on it went. Against such a large number of opponents anybody would naturally assume she would struggle, but in a situation like this their numbers were working against them. An officer with a sword spotted the briefest opening while the bracer was dealing with his compatriots, but stumbled over the body of a fallen comrade and found himself exposed instead. A gunner struggled to find a shot in the middle of the melee taking place, and in his focus failed to notice the flashbang grenade by his feet.
Twelve became eight, then six, than four, and eventually the final two realized just how outmatched they were and wisely chose cowardice over defeat. She briefly considered chasing them down, but scratched the idea. Her job wasn't to defeat everybody, but to protect Rean. Instead she paused to catch her breath, as she knew more would be coming soon.
The sounds of combat outside were getting louder, which was encouraging to hear. The telltale signs of soldat violence had been joined by the loud whir of airships in motion and she was hopeful that that meant the rest of Class VII was on the ground and beginning their assault. Still, if they had or hadn't her job remained the same.
"Fie?" A dry raspy voice called out, causing her to turn in shock. Sure enough, leaning against the wall and staring at her was none other than a very conscious Rean Schwarzer.
She was extremely grateful that there were no enemies around in that moment, as her focus was entirely on the wounded swordsman. "Rean!" With that cry she approached him, gladdened to see that the last couple days hadn't dimmed the warmth in those eyes that she loved so much.
"I-" He was cutoff thanks to a fit of dry coughs, and Fie mentally kicked herself for not considering bringing water knowing the possibility of him being severely dehydrated would be high. "Is this a dream?" He paused as he cast an appraising gaze over the room, taking note of the numerous bodies and destroyed archaisms. "Actually, never mind." He didn't normally like to dream about battlefields, and would vehemently deny that seeing his most precious person standing tall among the bodies of her enemies triggered something primal inside of him. "But why are you here?"
"I'm just gonna assume you asked something that dumb cause you just woke up. Why else do you think I'm here, dummy? And it's not just me, either. The rest of us are out there fighting for you."
He opened his mouth to say something, but paused as he sensed something in the distance. "Fie..."
His warning was unnecessary. "I know, I sense them too. Bunch of jerks not letting us have our moment." She noticed he was staring intently at something, and accurately followed his eyes back to the tachi strapped to her hip. "Nuh uh. You're in no shape to be fighting."
"I know." It pained him to agree with her, but considering he couldn't even stand he knew he would be nothing but a liability. "Can I at least have my ARCUS back?" Seeing her narrow her eyes in suspicion he made sure to reassure her. "I won't fight. I promise."
She was still suspicious, but he did say... "Fine, but you promised." Reluctantly she acquiesced, and handed his orbment back to him. "If you're not planning to fight what do you... oh."
Realization set in as she felt the connection formed. From a practical perspective a combat link between the two offered little real value, as all the injured swordsman could do is offer his senses to her. He couldn't follow-up her attacks and she couldn't take advantage of the openings that he was in no position to make.
Despite that, however, she couldn't help but feel the worries and the fears of the past few days melt away into nothing and even the prospect of more battles to come didn't worry her at all. It was like a piece of her heart that she hadn't even realized she had lost had been returned to her. A warmth swelled in her breast and she felt all the confidence in the world as she prepared for the next attack.
"At least allow me this much." Rean muttered. "I will watch your back."
Fie couldn't help herself as a teasing grin came to her face. "I don't mind if you want to stare at my butt. No need to go through all that effort to make up excuses."
Any retort he could have formed was ruined by the next wave of enemy soldiers. It was a large group, far larger than the previous two. It also featured more archaisms, some of the more powerful types like Zephyranthes and Balancing Clowns. Steeling herself, the young bracer leapt back into combat.
Laura grunted as the flat blade of her sword connected with her most recent opponent, a red-haired engineer with more courage than brains, smashing him into a wall and unconsciousness. With no other opponents in her immediate vicinity the Arseid master took stock of the situation she and her comrades found themselves in.
Thus far the plan had gone off without a hitch. Altina had done her job well and within a minute of Fie's signal arriving the members of New Class VII plus Crow had exited stealth and devastated the enemy with their initial ambush. Showing that despite their traitorous attitudes they were still well-trained soldiers of the Imperial Army, they had responded well and descended upon the five rogue soldats with force. Still, that wasn't entirely unexpected and Rean's former students staged a remarkable fighting withdrawal, pulling the enemies armored forces away from the base and towards the advancing provincial armies.
With the path open Gaius had played his role to perfection, dropping his stealthed Merkabah to just a few arge from the ground, allowing Laura and the rest of Class VII to leap out and onto the ground below. With that finished he had quickly ascended, joining her father and the prince in providing aerial cover, for which she was grateful. As confident as she was in her swordsmanship, she knew that she had no tools to deal with an aerial foe. That held true for the rest of her friends, with the possible exception of Emma's magic.
That just left whatever soldiers and archaisms remained in the vicinity, and unfortunately for the members of Class VII, that was a very sizable force indeed. While the heroes were above worrying about such foes, no matter how numerous they were, these constant attacks served to slow their progress. Even she, who felt she generally had a good grasp of her emotions after years of training and fighting was starting to feel frustrated by the lackluster progress they had been making. Still, after many many minutes of combat they had finally made it to the main building.
Any relief they felt at finally making it to the central compound was dashed as they bore witness to the arrival of three very familiar figures alongside one that was less familiar, but clearly just as dangerous. It was worth noting that none of the Stahlritter appeared to be happy, but they were dutiful knights and prepared themselves for battle regardless.
The dangerously built man smoking a cigarette while radiating barely contained bloodlust was unknown to most of them. Instructor Sara, however, appeared to be the exception as she recognize the man as she let out an audible curse. "You must be the Direwolf. Zin has told me all about you." She muttered unhappily.
"And that would make you the Purple Lightning? Which means the rest of you would be the infamous Class VII I heard so much about." He paused to flick away his cigarette. "I was thinking this trip would be a waste of my time when the boy started venting all his frustrations on that Chevalier guy, but it looks like I'll be getting a good fight after all."
An unknown enforcer, all of the Stahlritter, dozens of soldiers and archaisms, and even a lone soldat that had decided to hang back and was now wheeling in their general direction. Laura felt her frustration mounting inside of her. She was still confident of victory, but this was a battle they weren't going to win easily. Or quickly. And the latter was of essential importance when the lives of two of her dearest friends were at stake.
Perhaps Aidios herself was watching over them, as Emma suddenly gasped and closed her eyes for a second, before turning to them with a wide smile. "That was Celine. The Provincial Armies have driven them back and the others are ready to be brought in. Give me one second." Although she had seen it many times in the past, Laura always found Emma's magics to be awe-inspiring, and this time was no exception.
Fortunately none of the members of Ouroboros appeared inclined to intervene against the casting girl, and so all watched as she completed her incantation in peace. With one final swing of her orbal staff there was a flash of light, and when it faded it revealed the presence of six new figures. Crow, Juna, Altina, Kurt, Ash, and Celine all blinked as they took in their new surroundings.
"Well damn, seems like we're in some deep shit now." Ash commented casually as he hefted his halberd onto his shoulders.
"What would you have us do?" Kurt asked as he warily observed the opponents in front of them.
Sara, proving that she once was an instructor, was quick to take charge. "We'll handle these guys, but you five need to break through and get to Rean and Fie."
"Right, let's go everyone." Those instructions were all Altina needed to hear as she immediately started moving .
"I'm right behind you!" Juna quickly voiced her agreement as she and the rest followed after their youngest member.
Crow too followed along, but sighed in exasperation. "I really should have stayed dead..."
Some of the soldiers made a move to oppose their movements, but with the four Ouroboros members remaining focused on their original opponents they were barely a hindrance to New Class VII. Laura sighed in relief as they made it into the building. She knew the mettle the younger class possessed and had absolute belief they would get through to Rean and Fie. Now she could take the time to enjoy the battle at hand. Her grin grew positively wicked when she pointed her blade forward and noticed Duvalie instinctively flinch as her fellow swordmistress realized that she was holding the legendary Galland-Sharl.
Much to Fie's annoyance, the third wave of enemies was less of a wave and more of an unending stream. For every enemy she cut down another would enter the fray and it was starting to take its toll on the skilled bracer. Her body moved on instinct as it fought on as she fought solider after soldier.
She grunted as a round grazed her leg. It wasn't the first hit she had taken, as the cold reality of the situation was that she was tiring and there just wasn't much space to evade with all the enemies around. Still, she at least had been successful in evading the more dangerous attacks, and as long as she continued to do so she would be able to keep fighting despite the myriad cuts and scrapes taking their toll on her body.
She punished the soldier who shot her by quickly closing the distance and taking him down with one swift swing of her blades, catching the man in the neck and sending him to the ground where he would remain forevermore. While the Fie Claussell that freely spilled blood died the same day Rutger did (the first time), she also understood that mercy was in short supply here. It was simple mathematics: She valued the life of one Rean over a hundred of these traitors, and thus would not allow even a moment of hesitation to cost her everything she held dear.
She allowed her eyes to roam while her body moved on autopilot and spotted something that made her blood run cold. While most everyone else was focused solely on her, two of the Balancing Clowns, living up to their reputation as assassins, were making a beeline towards the area where Rean was taking cover. He was completely defenseless and if those archaisms reached him...
The distance was too great to cover while surrounded, and she didn't have time to charge her guns for a shot that could take them down, so she did the only thing her battle-hardened mind could think of. Showing her masterful dexterity and strength she launched both weapons simultaneously at the archaisms, and watched with satisfaction as they both impacted blade first, all the way up to the hilts. It was enough to stop both machines permanently, and she bore witness to their explosive ends.
Of course this meant she was now without her gunblades and had no idea where they ended up after the explosions. The remaining enemies, who had been wary of her prowess just seconds ago, gained a second bout of courage as they realized she was completely unarmed. She was just about to make an effort to break free of the encirclement and seek out her blades when she paused, realizing that their courage was entirely unfounded.
She wasn't unarmed, not at all. The tachi she had tied to her hip earlier was still there, and the weight proved a comfort in that moment. She was no swordsman, and outside of a few times when she had stolen Rean's weapon for fun had never used one before. Despite that, she was observant and after years of fighting alongside her partner felt confident that she had picked up a thing or two. And regardless, it beat fighting unarmed.
With a yell she drew the eastern longsword and charged forward as the nearest enemies paused at the sight. Her swings were wild, but effective, and her superior speed and combat experience meant that she was still a threat, even without training in the Eight Leaves One Blade style of swordsmanship. The remaining soldiers and archaisms, who had spent the past few minutes doing their best to remain outside of the limited range of her gunblades, now found themselves beset by her and the long weapon she now wielded.
As she pressed her offensive she noticed her swings were becoming more controlled and her movements more sure. Her eyes widened as she realized that such improvements were happening because of the combat link. Rean was guiding her blade! That revelation caused the sword-wielding girl to increase in confidence and she redoubled her assault.
After a few more minutes of hard fighting she realized that the pressure was finally letting up and saw that the stream of reinforcements had finally run dry. Most of the remaining soldiers finally broke and fled in the face of her continued resistance, leaving just a handful of archaisms to defeat. She couldn't help but notice that they were all tightly gathered and knew just how Rean would finish it. With a tired grin, the girl took her lover's favorite pose. Ignoring the mental wince she felt from her partner through the link, she proceeded with her attack. "Eight Leaves One Blade's Second Form: Gale!" The move was bastardized as hell as it relied solely on her natural speed, but the results spoke for themselves as she darted past each remaining archaism while swinging like a madwoman, leaving naught but wreckage in her wake.
With the immediate threat dealt with she finally allowed her body to relax. As the adrenaline faded she couldn't quite withhold a wince as pain and exhaustion from her myriad injuries made themselves known. Still, it was nothing she hadn't handled before, and with just a groan she carried herself through the destruction and carnage of her own make as she sought out her weapons. It took a minute, but eventually she located both of her gunblades and made her way back to Rean.
"You're amazing." He muttered as he beheld the devastation she had wrought.
Despite the situation, she couldn't help but preen under his praise. "Hehe. I am, aren't I?"
The two remained in companionable silence for a few minutes, as the injured swordsman and exhausted speedster both did their best to conserve their dwindling energy. Unfortunately, those moments of peace and quiet came to an end all too soon.
"Fie..." Rean warned as he sensed the next attack approaching.
She groaned as she forced her exhausted body back to her feet. "I know."
Concerned lilac observed her carefully, taking note of just how tired she actually was. "Maybe you should..."
"Don't even suggest it." She warned flatly.
"But..."
She sighed at his continued protest, before shooting him a hard glare. "Here's what's gonna happen. I'm gonna beat these jerks. Our friends will arrive. You'll get fixed up. And after that? After that I'm gonna punch you for even thinking about suggesting that I leave you. You said it yourself. When we're together, we're invincible. So just believe in me, okay? Let me fight for our future, together."
He didn't need the ARCUS to link to tell just how radiant her resolve was. What could he say in response to that? "Alright. I believe in you. Give them hell and come back to me, alright?"
"Right!" With that brief discussion over she moved back into position and prepared herself to intercept the fourth wave. While she lacked any real proof, she had a gut feeling that this would be the final encounter. There was no way she was going to lose this close to the end!
The wait wasn't long as soon enough the sound of footfalls reached a crescendo and the next group of enemies arrived. It was a smaller group, maybe twenty or so strong, but based on their organized movements it appeared to be a better trained unit. Perhaps it had something to do with the leader of the group, whom Fie recognized instantly.
The former Crown Prince of Erebonia and current Enforcer of Ouroboros, Cedric Reise Arnor strode into the room after his men with a confident gait. He, along with his soldiers, chose not to attack immediately. Instead they merely took up positions around the tired bracer.
"My, what a stunning spectacle." The prince stated mockingly as he observed the scene. "I can see why Shirley thinks so highly of you. You truly are a fierce warrior."
"And you're a coward. Sending in all your men and waiting until I was worn down before arriving yourself." Fie retorted with a taunt.
Sadly, the enforcer didn't rise to her bait, but he did give an unhappy twitch at her insult. "I am going to give you one chance to give up. Give me Schwarzer and I will let you go free. You have to realize how hopeless your situation is."
Fie couldn't help herself. She started laughing. Long and hard. Cedric and some of the soldiers looked at her like she had gone crazy, but it was just too funny. Eventually she managed to calm herself down. After wiping a stray tear from her eye she turned back to the prince. "Would have expected you to know better given the company you keep."
She stood a little taller as she addressed her enemies. "Admittedly it's been a while since I left the jaeger life behind, but it's something you never really forget. And this?" She allowed herself to be consumed by a purple aura. "This is nothing!"
War Cry. A technique known by most elite jaegers. It gave the user the ability to regain their energy by feeding off of their life force instead. The perfect tool to survive in a long grueling fight.
Such a technique, of course, had its drawbacks. Fie knew that she would be feeling it tomorrow, but if that meant she had a tomorrow to feel it, it was well worth it. Eventually the aura died down and she shot a confident look towards her enemies. Her second wind wouldn't last long, but she was more than confident in her ability to handle this final obstacle.
"Attack! Kill them both!" The panicked prince cried, spurring his men onward. Heeding their lord, the soldiers let out a yell and charged forward, signaling the beginning of the end. Sylphid, never one to let the enemy control the initiative, charged forward with her own silent assault.
Twenty veteran soldiers against a single girl who was already on her second wind and hanging on solely through sheer determination and willpower. It was a massacre. Bullets flew and blades were swung, but never once were they able to connect with their elusive target and her attacks in turn always struck true.
Not once, during the entire exchange, did Cedric himself attack. He merely stood there, sword drawn, as he watched the carnage unfold. A few times he looked ready to intervene, but never mustered the courage to commit. He was a skilled swordsman, and could very well have turned the tides had he joined in, but it soon became apparently obvious that he was terrified of the bracer and thus remained rooted in place while she cut down his men.
And just like that, it was all over. The bodies of twenty grown men littered the ground with varying levels of injuries, while the lone member of Class VII remained unbowed and unbroken. She was just about to make a move on the sole remaining opponent when she was forced to leap back, wide-eyed, as three teleportation circles appeared.
Fie let out an audible curse as the three figures revealed themselves to be the entirety of the Stahlritter. Despite the fact that all three of them looked like they had just been in a fight for their lives the bracer knew she was in trouble. In her present state she didn't think she had the strength to fight one of them, let alone all three.
Ines turned to the enforcer. "Come, your highness. This place has fallen and we need to get you out of here."
"Fine. Just take care of her and we can depart."
"Oh my." Ennea muttered. "I don't think so."
"Why not? That's an order!"
Duvalie stomped her foot down in anger. "You don't have the authority to order us around, and even if you did we wouldn't comply regardless! Our only orders are to see the spoiled princeling to safety before you can mess things up even further!"
Seeing that none of them were willing to budge, the traitorous member of the Arnor family growled in frustration. He might have said something further, but before he could in rushed five new people. It was the members of New Class VII, minus Musse, with the addition of Crow instead. Seeing that the situation was resolving itself, Fie used the last of her energy to retreat back to Rean's position. She hadn't noticed it during the battle, but apparently Rean had finally exhausted the last of his strength and succumbed to unconsciousness at some point. She sat down next to her slumbering partner, but remained wary, just in case.
"Kurt." The prince sneered as he took in his childhood friend.
"Your Highness. No..." The twin-blade swordsman shook his head sadly. "Enforcer XIX." He amended at last.
"It's. Time. To. Go." Duvalie insisted as she prepared to use the Ouroboros teleportation ability to make their escape.
"Wait! Before you go, I just need to say one thing... These past two years I have often wondered if there was anything I could have done differently, but I finally understand it. You were never worthy of my blades, were you? I'm sorry it has taken me so long to understand that."
Cedric looked ready to explode from anger and embarrassment, whether from Kurt's words or from receiving the same pitying look that Rean had given him just a day prior. But before he could react the Stahlritter finally decided that enough was enough and in a flash of light the four agents of the society vanished into light.
It was finally over. There might still be a few soldiers around, but Crow and Ash had already taken up positions guarding the room and those two were more than sufficient to handle any remaining threats. Juna and Altina were rushing towards the two downed members of old Class VII. As for Fie?
Fie had finally allowed herself to relax, and almost instantly after joined her beloved in the realm of unconsciousness.
The first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes was pure brightness. Whether it was from the sterile white walls, the bright sunlight streaming in from the windows, or some combination of the two, the end result was her groaning in misery as she forced her eyes shut again. Eventually she mustered the courage to try again, but this time at a slower pace, allowing herself sufficient time to adjust.
Eventually her brain caught up with her senses and that caused her to realize that the unfamiliar surroundings and bright light meant that she was somewhere unexpected and that a significant time had passed. Upon closer scrutiny she discovered that the room she was in was in fact a hospital room.
The nurse just now entering her room was further proof to her assumption. What she hadn't expected, however, was that she knew the identify of this nurse. Cecile Neues, older sister of Lloyd and nurse at St. Ursula Medical College. "You're awake! Hello, Fie."
"How...Why...?"
The kind nurse giggled at her confusion. "I don't know the entire story, but apparently Prince Olivert contacted the mayor yesterday and asked permission to potentially fly the Courageous here to drop off some injured people. I'm not sure what happened, but early this morning he arrived with the two of you."
Huh. The prince was a total fruitcake, but that was some good foresight on his part. She would have to thank him la- Wait, two of them? "Rean! Where is he? Is he alright?"
The nurse couldn't help but grimace slightly at the memory. "He was in pretty bad shape," Seeing worry etched on the younger girl's face the nurse was quick to elaborate. " but Doctor Seiland personally took charge of his surgeries and ensured everything went well. He should be resting in his room right now."
"Can I see him?" Although it was a question, in reality there was no force in Zemuria that would keep her away from him in that moment. After infiltrating a base filled with thousands of hostile soldiers there was no way a hospital security guard would stop her.
"Hmm... Well I shouldn't as you yourself are technically still a patient here, even if your injuries weren't bad, but I think it should be okay." Either the nurse was a mind reader or was just that kind, but her simple allowance spared the hospital from all kinds of potential chaos. "Can you get out of bed?"
Fie did, but it was more of a chore than she had anticipated. She knew when she used her War Cry that she would be feeling the effects the next day, and now that the next day had arrived... so much regret. She did note, however, that she was still wearing her combat uniform and not a hospital gown. While she was grateful she wasn't stuck in one of those awful outfits, her tattered and bloodstained clothes were a bit of an eyesore at the moment.
Although her steps were slow and her body weighed heavy, such trivialities were not going to stop her from seeing Rean, so she did her best to fake her condition while she followed the nurse lest Cecile change her mind and attempt to force her back to the room. Their travails took them up to the roof and to the attached building there. Although she hadn't been there in a while, Fie distinctly recalled that this was the same VIP building that the Emperor had stayed at and she realized that she would have been rather cross if they had placed Rean anywhere else.
The elevator ride to the top was brief, but it felt a lot longer for the girl who was overcome by nervous anticipation. She barely even noticed her injuries and exhausted body as she all but sprinted out of the elevator and down the final stretch of hallway to her destination. Standing in front of the door labeled 'Schwarzer' she allowed herself one final deep breath before pushing it open and entering.
Just as Cecile had predicted, Rean was sound asleep in his bed when she entered. Despite that, however, he looked to be at peace and that was enough to put her heart at ease. Grabbing a nearby chair, she set up a seat next to his bed and contented herself to watch him sleep while holding one of his hands in both of hers. So fixated was she that she didn't even notice Cecile finally arrive, with the nurse smiling at the scene before departing to give the two privacy.
She wasn't sure exactly how long passed like that, but it was time well spent. She finally had a chance to unwind after the physical, mental, and emotional stress of the past two days. Their nightmare was finally behind them.
Well, not quite fully behind them. She didn't fail to notice the clipboard listing the myriad injuries that her partner possessed. Besides the main damage to his legs, he also suffered from cracked ribs, severe dehydration, a head injury, multiple lacerations all over his body, and even internal bleeding. Grievous injuries all, but the doctor had managed to fix what she could and the rest would just rely on rest and rehab. Two things that she would ensure he got plenty of whether he liked it or not.
So lost was she in her own thoughts that day gave way to night, and it was only the sound of a groan from beside her that brought her from her reverie. Startled lime met confused fuchsia as the swordsman opened his eyes.
"Fie? Where...?" She giggled slightly at how similar his initial confusion was to her own, before explaining the circumstances that led to their arrival at the Crossbell hospital. "I see... Is everyone all right?"
His question caused the lithe bracer to blink in thought. She had been so fixated on Rean that she hadn't thought to ask about the others. Still, she knew that his students were fine, and knew Sara, Laura, and the rest to believe with confidence that they were alright. Rean appeared to be of the same mind when she repeated those thoughts back to him.
Not wanting to keep looking up at his companion, Rean made a move to sit up, but found it to be an impossible struggle thanks to his injuries and all the machines he was connected to. Luckily for him, however, Fie was there to assist him and working together accomplished his goal. "Sorry, I'm still causing trouble for the rest of you, aren't I?"
"Well, you certainly can be a pain in my ass. But you're worth it most of the time. It doesn't hurt that you're so cute." Fie blinked as a good comparison came to mind. "You're like a big cat!"
'A big cat?' Rean mouthed the words to himself trying to figure out if that was meant to be a compliment or not. Fie was distinctly unhelpful as she merely looked upon him with a cheeky grin on her face.
Sadly, their moment was interrupted by the arrival of a stern woman in a doctor's coat. She appeared distinctly unimpressed by what she saw in the room. "Next time you want to sit up, use the bed controls. If you aggravate your injuries thanks to your carelessness I will be forced to strap you to the bed." Turning her attention away from the swordsman who was now gazing at the bed control remote with curiosity she instead looked to the girl sitting beside him. "And you, visiting hours ended an hour ago. You need to go so he can rest in peace."
"But..."
"She's right, Fie." The chastised Chevalier cut her off. "You should go home. I don't think I will be walking away from here for a while."
She responded by giving him a flat stare for his lame joke. "Fine. I'll go home. But first..." The girl rose to her feet and made her way across the room, stopping in front of the windows. "It's stuffy in here." With that, she opened one and allowed the cool evening breeze to fill the room.
Rean watched her carefully as she passed the doctor and left the room without further words. He knew her well enough to know that such behavior was unlike her and strongly suspected that the mischievous girl was up to something. Still, given his current condition he really couldn't do anything about that and instead laid himself back down on the bed as he answered all of Doctor Seiland's questions about his condition. Eventually the questions stopped, but the doctor insisted that he go to sleep before departing, leaving him alone.
He was almost successful in following her advice when he was alerted to a sound just outside his room. Despite his condition, however, his senses were still sharp and he calmed down once he realized exactly who it was. He couldn't help but let out an amused laugh as Fie slipped in through the open window.
"Slide over a bit, will ya?" She asked as she approached the bed. A part of him wanted to protest, but he knew exactly how forceful she could be when she wanted to, so instead simply acquiesced, allowing the girl to sit on the bed next to him. It was only after his lover had removed her vest and started on the long process of getting her boots off that he understood his intentions.
"You know we're gonna get in so much trouble for this, right?"
"Yup, but it's a lot easier to ask forgiveness than it is permission. And plus, you told me to go home. Sure, we have a house in Trista, but my home is wherever you are."
That statement caused Rean to blink as he processed her words while watching the girl succeed in getting her boots off before lying down on the bed beside him, making sure to not get too grabby lest she hurt him further. "You always complain that I am too cheesy, but you can say some pretty cheesy things yourself, you know?"
Fie merely shrugged from her position next to him. "I've already accepted that you're rubbing off on me. Can't be helped, I suppose."
The bed was tiny. It was uncomfortable. The machines were loud and annoying. Both were battered and bruised and couldn't really get into comfortable positions because of that. They knew they were in for a scolding once a nurse arrived. And yet, despite all that, they were together again. As sleep rapidly approached both knew without a doubt that this would be the best rest they will have gotten in a long long time.
"Hey Fie?" Rean sleepily murmured.
"Yeah?"
"Welcome home."
"Same to you."
Wow. This chapter ended up being a lot longer than I expected. The longest one by far, actually. But now this arc is over! Hopefully you all enjoyed it.
I mentioned a while back how much of what I write isn't planned at all (It's actually frightening just how much of this story I put together at the last minute. It's why I started my second story so I could actually have a little time to plan!), but this arc, alongside the Crossbell arc, are the only two I had envisioned from the start. A chance to really see just how different Fie is from that sleepy girl we met on the benches in Trista all those years ago...
Gotta confess, originally I was planning for this to be the final real arc of the story. After this would have been the finale (I am sure you know what that will be) and the end. But while writing I started pushing back dates in order to give myself the option to continue if I wanted.
And you know what? I do. The nice thing about a story like this is that I can pretty much keep going for as long as I want. There are still so many characters that haven't been present save for the group events, and those don't really give anyone a chance to shine. While the core of the story will always be the two protagonists, it feels almost criminal to have gotten this far without any arcs involving Crow, Alisa, Gaius, Ash, or any of the other fun characters that need time to shine.
So if you guys are still happy to read this story I am still happy to continue writing. All I need to do is pick a location, throw in the relevant characters for them to interact with, and fill the rest with the Rean/Fie goodness you all seem to love so much. So until next time :)
