A Summoner's Journey
Sidestory 1: The Spear of a Goddess
"I just had a thought Katarina" Robin set down the book he was currently reading and drank from his cup of coffee "You know how Lucian can summon legendary and well known heroes to our aid here in Askr, right?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"Well, I always wondered about the nameless legends not mentioned in the history books. Do you think Lucian is able to summon them? They are technically considered heroes by their peers"
"Legends like Kris? He made the decision to be erased from the books after the War of Heroes" Katarina offered "Someone like that?"
"No. I'm talking about minor legends among the thousands of soldiers throughout history. Like Icarus, the Laguz Slayer from Daein in Tellius. Or Felix, also known as Javcav from Valentia. People like that" Robin replied "People who had the skills to stand out among their "generic" peers and earn the respect of many, but ultimately, be forgotten by history"
"Oh, I get what you mean. I overheard Seliph tell Julia a story his cousin, Leif told him before. Apparently, on his own adventures through Manster, Leif fought an armored general who carried five axes!" Katarina exclaimed "Five! One in his hand and two on each side of his belt"
"Ah, that's Gareth, the famed Penta-Axe General of Manster" Robin noticed Katarina's look of confusion "You look confused"
"A little bit. How do you know all these random legends if they've never appeared in the history books? As far as I know, only heroes from Archanea know who Kris is" Katarina replied "And if I recall, we have nobody from Valentia and Tellius is here in our army"
"You forget that I was talking to heroes from the past way before Lucian did. Back in my world, I dabbled with the Einherjar" Robin reached into his coat and threw a blue card on the table, which bore the symbol of Lehran's Medallion. Curious, Katarina flipped the card over to reveal a picture of Elincia "During my adventures with Chrom's army, I amassed a deck of these cards, which could summon heroes to my aid. I talked with Leif, Alm, Micaiah and many others and learned their stories"
"So you were doing what Lucian's doing way before he came here"
"Pretty much"
"I see" Katarina handed the card back to Robin "Do you have more with you? You said you had a deck of Einherjar"
"Katarina, the deck of Einherjar is massive. A hundred and thirty-six total" The tactician replied "With all the stuff I have in this coat, even separating the deck into multiple parts is not worth the trouble. So I only keep one card on hand. My favourite one"
"The Elincia one?"
"Her utility of a flier is so useful. Delivering messages, rescuing villages, picking off important targets… you name it"
"That makes sense. Anyways, back on topic" Katarina rested her hands on the pristine limestone table "Personally, I'm hoping Lucian can summon these "generic" legends, but due to the randomness of summoning, it's hard to predict"
"That's true…" Robin pursed his lips, thinking "Hey, do you think Embla has someone like that in their service?"
"Who knows? We've never been around Embla long enough to notice someone noteworthy"
"You're right. The battles between Askr and Embla have calmed ever since Prince Bruno went missing in the World of Shadows, so there isn't much opportunity to scout for interesting soldiers" Robin sighed "But now my curiosity is nagging at me like crazy"
"It's probably the coffee. Come on, let's take a walk on the beach to burn off that energy"
Meanwhile in Embla…
"Ugh, what's Princess Veronica doing keeping the army intact if all we're doing is searching the World of Shadows? We all know Askr's not going to attack us. It's beneath them" A swordsman complained in one of the Emblian barracks "Why can't she just let us go home and be with our families? It's been months since I've last seen them"
"Relax Sean. At the very least, our lack of military action has given us a lot of time for other activities or hobbies" A lance knight replied "For example, Aarnia's learned how to sew, Nistran learned how to play the violin and I even managed to get a date with Valoria"
"You got a date with that angel of a troubadour?" Sean asked, impressed "Damn, lucky you. She's as gentle as a snowflake, but real picky with men. Good luck Edgar"
"What about you Diana? Picked up anything new in this downtime?" Edgar asked a lance fighter, who was tending to her prized Silver Lance+ in the corner.
"Hm? Oh, I didn't do much. I just continued training with my lance" Diana polished the spear until it was gleaming and put down the rag "I'm not really good in much else so... I just continued doing what I do best. Stabbing my foes and hoping I kill them before they kill me"
"You're selling yourself short. You're probably the best fighter here in Embla, even better than General Xander!" Sean praised "I mean, you're super fast, highly resistant to physical and magical damage, have the endurance of a donkey and can punch down stone walls in a single stab of your lance. You can do so much more than being a soldier!"
"Okay, the last bit is untrue. I just locate weak spots in the wall before knocking it down" Diana replied modestly "But, I don't know honestly. Fighting is my whole life and I feel like I haven't done enough yet. I can't move on to another hobby until I'm satisfied"
"Well, you won't find your satisfaction here. I bet there won't be any battles with Askr until Prince Bruno's found" Edgar said "And the local arena definitely won't be worthy of your power. Maybe consider taking the Tactics Drills program?"
"Tactics Drills? What's that?"
"Pfft. The beginner and skill studies programs won't even be a joke for Diana. Those are too easy" Sean told Edgar, but the lance knight shook his head.
"You're right. That's why I'm suggesting Diana takes on the…" Edgar paused for a moment "... the Grandmaster Trials"
"No… you're not serious. Not even Diana can take on that" Sean shook his head vigorously and then turned to the confused lance fighter "Diana, nobody in Embla has beaten the Grandmaster Trials. It's a series of mind bending and sanity draining puzzles that test the absolute limits of your physical and tactical ability. Even Embla's greatest tactician, General Pierre can't beat them"
"Okay, break down the Grandmaster Trials for me in simple terms. What do I have to do in it?" Diana asked, brushing a lock of silver hair out of her eye "Because if General Pierre can't beat it, it's definitely something worth my interest"
"Basically, you have to lead a squad of simulated heroes against a group of enemies and defeat all of them within a certain time limit or fulfill a specific objective" Edgar explained "You have to be quick with your commands and use everything in your ally's disposals. Kill too slowly and you lose. There is only one way to win for the most part"
"I understand. I'll go try it out" Diana rolled her shoulders, letting her muscles relax "Where can I find it?"
"The simulation arena nearby Embla Castle. Not hard to miss" Edgar glanced outside, the sun crossing into noontime "Ah, time for me to go and meet Valoria at the park fountain. Wish me luck!"
"Good luck Edgar" Sean nodded, patting his friend on the shoulder "I'll take your advice. Learning how to ride a horse has been on my mind lately, so maybe I'll ask Serena if she can teach me"
"Good for you Sean. I'm sure you'll be a capable cavalier" Edgar grinned "And for you Diana, good luck. Don't lose your hair in there"
"Believe me, I could use a hair cut. This ponytail is growing ridiculously long" The lance fighter replied jokingly "But thank you. I'll be back before dinner"
Taking her Silver Lance+, Diana made her way out of the barracks and towards the Embla castle town, where the simulation arena was located. The building doubled as a research center, where Emblian mages researched and created new magic and weapons. That's how we stay ahead in Askr's game. They have the advantage in summoned heroes. We have the advantage in advanced weaponry. Unfortunately, Diana hasn't been granted much beyond her faithful Silver Lance+ and Death Blow 3 skill pin.
"Greedy asses got the cool weapons first. Just because they seduced the blacksmiths" Diana was still angered over the new Reprisal Lance being handed to a pegasus knight, Nilana instead of her. She hasn't come back from the World of Awakening yet, but Diana was tempted to go in and take the spear anyways. She could use the extra striking power. Although the extra defense from the new Vanguard lance would be nice…
"Grandmaster Trials first. You don't have the money to buy the new weapons and you're NOT going to seduce the smiths for a lower price like those dastards" The lance fighter scolded at herself "You're a proud and honorable warrior of Embla, not a prostitute"
Finally, Diana found the simulations arena and told the fightmonger she was here for the Grandmaster Trials. The burly eyepatched man stepped back a little at the request, but allowed entry regardless, calling the arena mages to set up the simulations. The lance fighter paid her fee and entered the arena, where the illusionary soldiers and enemies were already set.
"Diana, lance fighter from barracks 8… your allies for this trial are a thief with the Peshkatz, a dark mage with Grima's Truth and a green mage knight with the Thunderhead tome. You must defeat all enemies in two and a half minutes" The head sage announced "Both Peshkatz and Grima's Truth act as mass debuffing and buffing weapons when cast or thrown. The Thunderhead functions similarly to the Gronnblade spell. That's all the hints you get. Ready?"
"Yes!"
"Begin!"
"Thief, hit the lance knight with the Peshkatz and mage knight, finish it off with the Thunderhead!" Diana commanded and the illusionary soldiers moved without question, throwing the astral blue dagger before a swirling thunder cloud enveloped the knight, reducing it to nothing "Dark mage, strike the wind mage from behind the trees!"
Forks of purple lightning appeared out of thin air, lancing through the helpless wind mage and taking him down easily. The archer and thunder mage made their way towards Diana's squad while the axe knight advanced slowly forward.
"I'll take on the axe knight. Thief and dark mage, strike first and let mage knight finish them off. Keep the weapon triangle in mind!" Diana called and rushed off towards the Silver Axe wielding knight. The soldier easily dodged the knight's slow swing and with one stab of her lance, impaled the illusion through and broke it to dust. Diana turned to see if her allies defeated the remaining enemies, but two arrows quickly flew by and she was forced to block. Risking a look over her shield, Diana noticed that the mage knight and thief were both gone just before the thunder mage finished off the dark mage. Incompetent idiots…
"Time! Your time is up Diana" The head sage called and the illusionary soldiers immediately vanished "Not only did you not kill all the enemies within the time frame, you also got all three of your allies killed. One summoned ally must survive for you to win the trial"
"God dammit…" Diana cursed under her breath before raising her voice "Am I allowed to retry the trial again?"
"You'll have to pay the entry fee again if you'd like to retry" The head sage replied as Diana fumbled through her coin purse "As long as you win through the trials consecutively, you'll only need to pay once"
"Okay, I have enough for two more retries. Can't mess it up this time" The lance fighter gave the money to a nearby servant and attempted the trial again. This time, she let the allied soldiers fight on their own while she issued commands. Her revised battle plan involves initiating an attack with the mage knight at the archer who was on a defensive tile, but somehow, it worked out with the dark mage finishing off the axe knight in quick fashion. The next trial began, with every subsequent one being harder and more ridiculous than the last. Some trials forced Diana to let a sword knight take a Heavy Spear+ hit, WHILE the knight carried Life and Death 3.
"I can see why General Pierre couldn't beat all of this. After a while, your mind starts to exhaust itself and go numb…" Diana thought to herself "How many trials are there anyway… and what do I get out of it?"
Two hours past and Diana was far beyond fatigued, both in mind and body. She didn't think issuing commands like a tactician could be so tiring on the actual body, but the trials never seemed to end.
"Congratulations. You've reached the last and latest Grandmaster Trial. Nobody has ever made it this far in Embla's history" The head sage congratulated "Even if you fall here, you can still be proud that you've gone farther than anyone else in the world"
"I… I can still keep going. Bring on the last trial" Diana heaved, adjusting her helmet "What do I need to do this time?"
"You have four minutes to take down these four heroes" The mages moved all at once and summoned a ghostly Leon, Narcian, Roderick and Odin "And on your side, you are allowed six allies"
"Six?!" Diana gasped as the allied soldiers appeared around her "Against four heroes plus me? Are you serious?"
The faintest of smiles appeared on the head sage's face "I am serious. Begin!"
The enemy team reacted first and quickly, Roderick moving behind Odin to cast a double layer of shields with Rally Def/Res while Leon lined up a shot at Diana's allied axe flier.
"Axe flier, dodge and fall back. Axe wyvern, take down Odin!" The lance fighter commanded and the two fliers moved into action "All units, seize the defensive tile as quick as possible. Sword fighter, lead the charge!"
The axe wyvern's Brave Axe smashed Odin's head twice, but miraculously, he survived thanks to Roderick's defensive shields. Diana's allied thief moved through the thick trees, but Narcian spotted him and mortally wounded the thief with his Emerald Axe, causing a shockwave via Savage Blow that flinched the nearby allied sword fighter.
"No! Sword fighter, fall back!" Diana cried, but Roderick closed the distance quickly and impaled sword fighter through, killing him. Odin, empowered by Defiant Attack, shredded the axe wyvern with his Blarblade tome in the counterattack. Diana's win streak was rapidly falling apart with every allied unit killed. How could these four nobodies take down the illusionary soldiers so easily? Especially Odin of all people! The thief tried to retreat, but Leon's arrow caught him and he fell as well.
"Archer, shoot Roderick off the defensive tile. If I can occupy it, I can defeat the remaining enemies easily!" Diana commanded and the archer let loose two arrows via his Brave Bow, but they weren't enough to penetrate the defensive tile's wards and Roderick was left annoyingly alive. The cavalier fell back to rearm the magical shields on Odin before the thunder mage himself took the tile, obliterating Diana's allied archer.
"No! Fire mage, kill Roderick! NOW!" Diana screamed in desperation. She couldn't lose this bout. Not after prevailing through so much. The fire mage blasted Roderick with Bolganone+, but the damn idiot had Triangle Adept, rendering his attack near useless on the lance cavalier. It wasn't long before Narcian's axe came overhead and Leon's arrow was poised to strike the allied mage.
"I can't lose!" Diana grabbed the illusionary soldier and shoved him behind her, taking both Narcian's axe and Leon's arrow. With all her power, Diana thrust her red-tinged lance at Narcian, but the axe wyvern quickly seized the defensive tile and actually survived the attack. Roaring in rage, Diana attacked again before her spear met Narcian's axe, breaking it in half through Lancebreaker. Stunned, the lance fighter was blasted to the ground by Leon's Ignis-charged arrow and Odin's piercing Blarblade+. Diana was left mortally wounded on the ground, her beloved spear snapped beside her. Feeling nothing but shame and pain, she passed out as the illusions faded around her.
"Diana! Diana! Are you alright? Wake up!" Sean cried in a panic as Valoria worked magic through her staff to heal the wounded lancer. The trio went to go check up on Diana at the simulation arena and found her passed out with an arrow in her shoulder and her lance magically severed in half. They brought her back to the barracks before the head sage could even explain what happened.
"Ughh… who in the world is shouting…" Diana opened her eyes to Valoria gently cutting Leon's arrow to pull the shaft out of her shoulder "Ouch! Not so rough Valoria!"
"Sorry. I had to do it quickly otherwise it'll just cause you more pain" The troubadour apologized, applying bandages on the open wound before pressing it down "How are you feeling?"
"A bad mix of pain, shame and agony" The lance fighter replied "I couldn't beat the final Grandmaster Trial. No matter what I did, my units kept falling left and right. I never felt so helpless and when I joined the fray myself out of desperation, I was cut down by Narcian and Odin of all people"
"Diana, don't beat yourself up over that loss. Remember, nobody but General Pierre has gotten as far as you. You should be proud" Edgar frowned "Although I should of told you sooner that there isn't much reward for beating the trials. It's really only for challenge and experience"
"That's fine. It was something new and I'm thankful you told me about it" Diana sat up on her bed and took a deep breath "You're right. I shouldn't be feeling bad over my loss. Those trials are stupid anyways"
"Why don't you tell us while I prepare some herbal tea for you? It'll get your mind off the pain of your injuries" Valoria offered and the lance fighter nodded. The troubadour stood up and headed to the barracks's mini kitchen, leaving the trio of Emblians alone.
"By the way, where's my lance? Before I went out, I remember Narcian snapping it in half with his axe" Diana remarked, looking around herself "I don't see it around here"
"It's right here" Edgar reached underneath Diana's bed and brought out the gleaming Silver Lance+, good as new "Remember that breaker skills magically shatter the weapon for a few minutes. Shortly after we brought you back to the barracks, your spear mended itself back to normal"
"Thank goodness. I didn't want to part with my trusty lance because of this" Diana smiled faintly "Anyways, back to the Grandmaster Trials. Honestly, they tested my sanity as a battle tactician. In order to win some of the trials, I had to lure a lance wyvern with a Heavy Spear using my sword knight, who had Life and Death"
"Seriously?! What kind of idiot of a knight uses Life and Death?" Sean asked, flabbergasted "Your face tells me this wasn't the only time it happened"
"Nope. I once had to position a thunder mage on a defensive tile to delay the advance of a Life and Death axe cavalier" The lance fighter continued "I get that they're on a defensive tile, but come on! No normal person would expect the thunder mage to survive one hit, but I knew the trials would pull a trick like that, so I did it anyway"
"No wonder people claim that the Grandmaster Trials drain your sanity. Sending off your men to a death you know will happen is heart wrenching for sure" Edgar commented "Only the insane or merciless would do that without flinching"
"Yeah, it's definitely something I don't want to do again" Diana accepted the cup of herbal tea from Valoria "By the way Edgar, how did your date with this lovely troubadour go? I'm sure your charm and charisma wooed her quickly, did it?"
"Say another honeyed word and I'll kill you" Edgar jokingly threatened while Sean and Valoria doubled over with laughter "But in all seriousness, it was great. At least for me. How about you Valoria?"
"Oh it was wonderful. You're much better than most of the men here Edgar" The troubadour smiled, making the knight blush "You definitely defied my initial expectations…"
Suddenly, a dark-skinned female lance cavalier burst through the door panting "Barracks 8, a group of unidentified raiders are pilliging the coastline and border villages between here and Askr. We need your assistance in fending them off!"
"What's wrong with the border patrol Serena?" Sean asked.
"These aren't regular bandits apparently. They're strong and fight like a platoon from a different army. The border guards aren't enough" Serena replied, shaking her head "We need as many Emblian elites as we can get to help before we're slaughtered"
"You said they were unidentified, so they aren't the Askrians. It must be an army from the continent of Drasalia across the sea" Edgar looked troubled "This assault might be a diversion to lure the Emblian army away from the castle"
"Aarnia should be resting in barracks 4. Tell her to fly to the castle and warn Princess Veronica and General Xander of this threat" Sean suggested to Serena "We'll take a small battalion of anyone that's around and try to suppress the attack"
"Okay! Good luck, you four!" And the lance cavalier quickly mounted her horse, galloping off towards barracks 4. Diana stood up to put on her armor, but Valoria stopped her.
"Diana, you can't go out there to fight. Your shoulder has barely healed!" The troubadour warned "If you strain it too much in this battle, it could cause a lot more damage"
"It's fine. I fight with my left hand anyways and my right shoulder's the one that's damaged" Diana replied easily, suiting up her spearman armor "I'll just be mindful on how I use my shield"
"You're coming with us, right?" Sean asked Valoria and she nodded "Okay, so you keep an eye on her. Make sure she isn't overexerting herself on the field"
"I'll be fine Sean. I haven't gotten any worse since the Grandmaster Trials" Diana scoffed, throwing back her long silver hair to fit on her helmet "Let's go. The sooner we leave, the better. I'm sure Askr's sending some of their own to help out too"
"Let's hope they don't try to kill us on sight then" Edgar grabbed his Ridersbane off the wall and the four Emblians left the barracks, taking whatever soldier was willing to fight with them. Unfortunately, they were only able to snag a brother and sister duo with them: Nistran the axe wyvern and Nastia the light mage. Everyone else seemed to be either off in the World of Shadows or doing some sort of other assignment. So the six Emblians went to the closest objective: a Zenithian border village.
"Who are these people? I've never seen that kind of armor around Zenith before" Nastia commented once they made it to the village. Both Emblian and Askrian border guards with dueling with the mysterious soldiers, but they were quickly falling left and right. They were more of a threat than Diana initially thought.
"Clearly, they came from the continent of Drasalia. See that unique armor pattern of black and red? That's the mark of Muspell, the kingdom of flame" Edgar caught looks of confusion being sent his way "I know this because I was born in Drasalia. Before I moved to Zenith, I laid my eyes on Muspell soldiers exactly like these"
"So what are they doing here? If these are actually Muspellian soldiers part of their army, why are they raiding villages and setting fire to the homes?" Diana watched with intrigue as a villager tried splashing a bucket of water on his burning home to no avail "Hold up. That fire did NOT extinguish from the water. That's not real fire"
"It's not magical fire either. I can't sense any fire spirits in the village" Nastia pursed her lips, worried "It's unnatural, undying fire"
"That's the symbol of Muspell. An undying flame" Edgar explained grimly "As for why they're here, it seems like King Surtr's finally resting his eyes on Zenith. This is their first assault"
"Well, let's show them that Zenith isn't to be messed with! If this pyromaniac wants to take our home, he'll have to deal with us first!" Sean rallied "Let's do this. We have to team up with the Askrians and help rescue the villagers!"
"Nistran, handle any armor knight you see with your Hammer+. They are sure to be trouble for everyone but me, you and Nastia" Diana told the wyvern rider "Edgar will take the front while Sean, Nastia and me will go behind, shielding Valoria. She's in charge of healing all of us"
"So basically everyone sticks together except for me" Nistran summed up "And I'll be hanging out in the sky, dive bombing any enemy knight I see?"
"Pretty much. If anyone sees Askrian reinforcements, alert me or Edgar immediately" Diana gripped her Silver Lance+ "Ready? Let's go!"
Nistran's wyvern roared and took off, alerting the Muspellian soldiers of the Emblian elite's presence. The group of five charged down the hill they were on and into the village, reinforcing the scattered remnants of the border guards.
"Not even the combined forces of Embla and Askr are enough to defeat Muspell! Under King Surtr's rule, we are invincible!" A Muspellian lance wyvern shouted, rallying the remaining soldiers "And under General Laegjarn's command today, we cannot lose! Show them the strength of our empire!"
The Muspellian soldiers roared in agreement and charged to meet Diana's group head on. A axe wielding warrior made a heavy dent in Edgar, but the lance knight pushed him back with a heavy spear thrust while Valoria healed him. Diana powered through a thunder mage's Thoron easily and impaled him, using the butt of her lance to smack another enemy before skewering them. Being able to fight freely and without the weight of pressure was euphoric.
"Damn! They're tough!" Diana turned to see Nastia dueling with a wind mage, using her Darting Blow to evade the blasts of wind and cast flares of light into the mages eyes with her Shine+ "We can't hold out against enemies like these without help. Take down the leader and send them into disarray!"
Diana paused, glancing through the flames, smoke and chaos to see a lance wyvern rider preparing to mount his dragon. She was definitely quick enough to reach him before that happened.
"We need to get Nistran down here to guard Valoria. I'm heading for the leader!" Diana dashed with inhuman speed towards the leader of the group, only for an axe knight to block her way "Out of my way!"
The lance fighter's spear thrust was about to meet the axe knight's Silver Axe before a giant maul smashed the knight's skull to pieces, impaling their helmet through their brain. Nistran looked at Diana for a brief moment of understanding before flying over to tackle two swordsmen heading for Valoria.
"Leave our lands now!" Catching him by surprise, Diana skewered the lance wyvern rider just as easily as anyone else. The dragon roared, trying to gobble the lance fighter, but a single strike from her spear pierced enough to kill the large dragon instantly. Glancing back, Diana noticed that the battle was winding down as the Muspellian numbers dropped. With their leader dead, some soldiers retreated and anyone else dumb enough to fight were slaughtered. One village saved, yet so many more left. Whoever this General Laegjarn was, Diana was hopeful that killing her would be enough to tell the Muspellians to leave. As for the eternally burning houses… that was something Diana wouldn't know how to solve.
"Quickly! To the next village!" Diana called and the six Emblians rushed out.
"General Laegjarn, bad news!" A Muspellian pegasus knight flew up to the sword wyvern rider in a panic "Squad Commander Leyvon fell to a group of Emblian elite soldiers. I saw one of them running at incredible speeds and killing Leyvon's dragon in a single blow! She also took the full brunt of a Thoron spell like it was nothing!
"I find that hard to believe. Did anyone else see it besides you?" Laegjarn, a tanned woman sporting an armor of both red and black, asked "Because I'll have to see it myself to believe such tall tales"
"General Laegjarn, Commander Leyvon has been killed in action, along with his dragon. A single wound has been sighted" A fire mage flier reported "The culprit is this… interesting lance fighter…"
"Yes, I've heard about it already" Laegjarn drew her sword, the Niu "This operation may prove detrimental to Muspellian lives if this continues, but we'll hold out for now. I want to see this girl's strength for myself"
"Very well. Also, an Askrian strike force is moving towards here as well. It's a squad of heroes led by a mage wearing a black coat" The mage flier continued "If I may say this personally, I think we should consider loading our men back on our ships and going back to Muspell. We've done what King Surtr commanded and like you said, this'll just waste Muspellian lives if it continues"
"That's what I was thinking. Fly down and tell the men we're retreating" Laegjarn ordered "But I want to see this lance fighter in action first before leaving"
"But General Laeg-" The mage flier was stopped when Laegjarn held her Niu up to his neck "R-right away General. I'll tell the men"
Back on the ground, Diana and her group successfully liberated the second village before noticing the Muspellian soldiers retreating and making their way towards the coast.
"They're leaving! Looks like they got the message!" Sean's Vantage activated and he sliced a axe fighter in half before the Muspellian could even move "We should check on the other villages for stragglers though"
"Enemy sword wyvern coming for you Diana!" Nistran called and Nastia blessed the lance fighter with Rally Atk/Spd before jumping away, letting Diana and the sword wyvern clash lance to sword.
"You're not like the other Muspellian soldiers. I can tell by your weapon and your armor" Diana pushed back the sword and thrust downwards to impale the rider's wyvern, but it darted back quickly "Who are you and what is your army doing here?!"
"I am Laegjarn, one of the three generals of Muspell's army! We are here to test the power of Zenith!" The sword wyvern called "I'm challenging only one person today and that's you, lance fighter. Show me the strength that defeated so many!"
"If you fight me and me alone, then I'll accept your challenge!" Diana shouted back and Laegjarn nodded in agreement "Alright, I'll show Muspell that Zenith isn't to be messed with. Come at me!"
Laegjarn shot down towards Diana at sonic speeds, Niu raised over her head. The lance fighter blocked the strike with her shield and thrust with her lance, but Laegjarn's durability was better than Diana thought. Laegjarn's wyvern headbutted Diana away before another attack could connect.
"Chill Attack!" Laegjarn raised her Niu in the air, casting a curse that spiked heavy dark magic onto Diana's arms, making it harder to even raise her lance and shield. The general charged in for a follow up attack, but Diana dashed out of the way, waiting for the Chill Attack curse to wear off. She knew that her offensive and defensive powers weren't going to work well under Chill Attack, so she had to use her speed. Frustrated, Laegjarn had her dragon sweep it's tail in a circle, but the lance fighter leaped in the air to dodge, appearing behind Laegjarn in a flash to deliver a fatal backstab.
"Resist and perish!" However, Laegjarn saw it coming and stopped Diana's lance with her sword, lighting it ablaze with Bonfire to force Diana backwards. Suddenly, Laegjarn lunged, stabbing the burning Niu through Diana's chestplate.
"Gaaahhh!" The lance fighter screamed, but anger quickly replaced her pain. She couldn't lose today. It wasn't like the Grandmaster Trials anymore. This was a fight to protect Zenith and her friends. Quick as a cheetah, Diana speared Laegjarn's arm, forcing Niu out of the lance fighter before following it up with a brutal stab to the abdomen. The lance fighter charged to finish Laegjarn off before a swarm of blue ravens burst from the ground, rocketed towards the weakened sword wyvern.
"Don't enjoy this too much, darling" Suddenly, a tall woman with a staff warped onto the battle, nullifying the Blarraven+ attack easily "Poor little Laegjarn. Your father isn't going to be happy with this failure, isn't he?"
"Urggh… what are you here for, Loki?" Laegjarn growled.
"Here to save you of course!" Loki raised her demonic red staff and Laegjarn began glowing with the yellow veil of a warp circle "I'll send you straight back to Muspell to get healed and then deal with your daddy. You can thank me later!"
"... Lance fighter, you'll be a formidable opponent for Muspell. I'll see you again" Laegjarn locked eyes with Diana before teleporting away, along with Loki. That left Diana alone with her Emblian companions and the Askrian strike force.
"So… you guys want to call a truce for now?" The lead mage asked and Diana nodded. She was weary from fighting anyways "Who attacked the border towns? Those definitely weren't bandits"
"Those were soldiers from the continent of Drasalia, more specifically the kingdom of Muspell. The nation of fire" Edgar explained "Who Diana just fought was General Laegjarn, daughter of King Surtr"
"I see. So guessing by the burnt ruins of these villages, this is Muspell's first assault on Zenith?" The mage asked and Diana nodded "Askr and Embla will need to work together to combat this new threat. Can you get an audience with Princess Veronica to work it out?"
"If your ruler and the princess can agree to end this war, then for sure. We can try to send an envoy to Askr or vice versa" Valoria chimed in "Will that do?"
"Yes, that'll work. I'll commune with my prince and we'll meet up back here in… three days with our responses"
"Oh, we aren't actually part of the Emblian royal court. We're just the elite soldiers" Sean said "Still, we'll try to get an audience with the princess and she'll send a representative to speak with you here. Then you can negotiate"
"Alright, that sounds good. Maybe I'll see one of you in three days" The mage nodded to the Emblians before gesturing for his force to leave "Back to base everyone"
"Wait! Can't you help us with putting out the fires?" Valoria called after them, but the mage raised an eyebrow with confusion.
"What fires?"
Looking around themselves, Diana realized the flames were already snuffed out. Maybe the eternal inferno died out when Laegjarn and the Muspellians left the area.
"Oh… nevermind. Go on your way" Valoria replied, embarrassed. The Askrian mage shrugged and his force disappeared over the crest of the next hill. Making sure all the villagers were alright, the group of Emblians made their way back home.
"Honestly, you should be promoted to the rank of general. You were like a goddess with a spear out there" Sean praised, but Diana shrugged it off.
"I'm content with being a regular soldier. There, all I need to do is fight. I'm not fit for commanding others" The lance fighter replied modestly, but Edgar shook his head.
"You were plenty good at commanding us back there. I think you'll be capable with a bit of extra training" The knight said "Just because you failed the last Grandmaster Trial doesn't mean you're not fit for a leading position. Remember that General Pierre couldn't beat it either"
"I know. I suppose I'll give it some thought if Princess Veronica offered me the position" Diana shrugged "I just hope that Embla and Askr can align together to take on Muspell. What even was the purpose of this war anyways?"
"I don't even remember at this point. Something about Veronica continuing on her father's warmongering legacy or something" Sean replied "It's a stupid cause to fight for, but what else can we do for money?"
"Well, you COULD-" Valoria was cut off by the sound of dozens of cavalry. Diana looked up to see General Xander leading a group of Emblian cavaliers down the path they were walking on.
"General Xander! What's going on?" Edgar called to the paladin. Xander stopped to stare long and hard at the group of Emblians, noticing the scratches and blood staining their armor.
"We were sent out by Princess Veronica to suppress an attack by an unknown party at the border, but seeing as you're covered in dents and blood, I assume you six already handled it?" Xander asked and Diana nodded "Well then, excellent job for all of you. You can expect an increase in your salary pay"
"Actually General Xander, I'd like to propose something more. Something for Diana the lancer" Sean began and the lance fighter realized what he was going to say, grabbing his shoulder to stop him. Edgar and Valoria held her back and covered her mouth, smiling mischievously.
"The position of bodyguard for Princess Veronica?" Xander repeated Sean's words "Are you sure she's capable? It's an important and dangerous position to work in"
"All of us can vouch for Diana's skill. She's comparable to a battle goddess" Sean countered "She's more than capable for the spot"
"If you say so. I'll run it by Princess Veronica to conduct a test for Diana then" Xander's expression hardened "And if she isn't as skilled as you say she is, the punishment's on you"
"I know Diana will succeed" The sword fighter nodded with a grin. Xander simply glanced at the stunned Diana before gesturing to his riders to head back to Embla castle, leaving the group alone.
"At least you didn't apply me for the position of general. I like the idea of bodyguard better" Diana said once Edgar and Valoria released her "But honestly, I'm a bit nervous around General Xander, so I wouldn't bring up the idea on my own. Thanks Sean"
"No problem. The general should call you into the castle in a day or so, so you better be prepared for the test. We'll be rooting for you" The sword fighter looped his arm around Diana's shoulders "But for now, let's head home and have some rest. It's been a long day"
"Yes it has…"
Meanwhile back in Askr castle…
"That lancer Diana… she's definitely the one. The nameless legend of Embla" Robin told Katarina "Did you see her fight General Laegjarn? That power and speed… it's inhuman"
"I'm glad we're going to try and form an alliance with Embla. Imagine if we had to fight her on the battlefield" Katarina remarked "Have you talked it over with Lucian and Alfonse yet?"
"I'm about to. Hopefully negotiations work out" Robin replied wistfully "Because if Embla ends up on Muspell's side…"
"We'll face both her and Muspell's forces" Katarina finished "And we both saw how strong General Laegjarn was. I can imagine the king being much stronger"
"Yeah we definitely need Embla on our side if Muspell's coming for Zenith" Robin nodded "Alright, I'll talk about the negotiations with Lucian and Alfonse. Want to come?"
"Of course. Lead the way Robin"
Here's a little diversion from the usual stuff. I always wanted to make a chapter centered around the generic enemies in Embla (since I freaking love their designs), but it wasn't until the infamous G-24 Lance Fighter from the 24th Grandmaster Trial was released that I had an excuse to write about them. Obviously, Diana is inspired by the G-24 Lance Fighter (who has 99 HP, 99 Attack, 99 Speed and 50 Def/Res btw) and the way she's beaten in the last Grandmaster Trial is exactly how you beat her in the real trial (by weakening her with Odin before finishing it off with Leon's Ignis) If you're wondering, Diana will play a role later in the story once Book II rolls around. Laegjarn and Loki showing up is my own headcanon where before Surtr conquered Nifl, he sent scouts to Zenith to see if they would pose a threat to him, with Laegjarn leading the charge. The Edgar and Valoria shipping is based off a Heroes comic where a lance knight wishes to propose to a troubadour before being killed by Spring Lucina and this entire chapter is partially based off the Embloyees comic series on Reddit. If you want to be notified of when chapters come out, favorite and follow. If you want to give constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Up next is Berkut's Grand Hero Battle. Until next time, fellow summoners!