A Summoner's Journey
Grand Hero Battle: Berkut
Team for this chapter: Jaffar, Olivia, Minerva and Catria
"And with that, we're done" I said once Camus stabbed Lilina through the heart, ending the Cecilia and Lilina Bound Hero Battle. It was a unique challenge, but not hard at all, though the seven orbs I got from it was worth it.
"Lucian! A message from Robin!" Caeda flew straight towards me, her pegasus panting once it hit the ground "He wanted to remind you that Berkut's Grand Hero Battle ends tonight, so you should go and clear it before you miss the chance. He and Katarina also want to speak to you personally once you're back at base"
"Alright, thanks for telling me. Everyone, excellent job today. Back to base!" I called and we made our way out of the special maps courtyard and rode back to the castle, where Robin and Katarina were waiting at the portal courtyard for me.
"I analyzed the battlefield with Jeorge, Robinne and Katarina while you were gone" The tactician handed me Berkut's Grand Hero Battle postcard "It's a relatively simple fight, if I'll be honest. The enemy starts bunched up all together, so someone with Savage Blow will be very effective"
"Lucky for us, I'm going to try and summon that very Savage Blow person right now" I pulled a summoning postcard out of my pocket, which was titled "Heroes with Life and Death". It featured Jaffar, Minerva and Hana as focus units "I made a promise to Nino to get Jaffar to Askr as quick as possible, so I'm taking any chances I can get"
"That's fine" Robin briefly thought for a moment "Assuming you get Jaffar, you can deploy him for this battle and have Olivia accompany him. Let him detonate his dagger and Savage Blow on Berkut's squad…"
"...And have fliers like Minerva and Catria pull them back to protect them from the onslaught of weakened enemies" Katarina finished "With that strategy, you can end the battle both quickly and with barely a scratch on anyone. Assuming you actually summon Jaffar though"
"Yeah well, I'm at least somewhat confident in my luck" I shrugged "Robin, round up Olivia, Minerva and Catria and bring them to the portal courtyard. Katarina, come with me to the summoning altar"
"Got it"
"Understood!"
Luckily, my luck came through and only after a handful of Jakobs, Marias and Matthews, Jaffar arrived in Askr, holding two deadly looking daggers in his hands.
"I am Jaffar. Known only as the Angel of Death" The assassin introduced himself "But only by those in the Black Fang and now, you"
"Wonderful. Great to have you here in Askr Jaffar" I nodded earnestly "If you want to know, Nino and several others from your world is here too, so you aren't alone"
"Is that so?" Jaffar was oddly emotionless. I suppose that's from his assassin training, but if I was summoned into a world I never knew about, I would at least show some shock or confusion. But Jaffar was… completely indifferent "You summoned me here for a reason, did you? Give me the mission and I'll see it through"
"This one gets right to business" Katarina noted "Very similar to Clarisse when we still served Eremiya"
"Hey, it saves me the effort of having to explain everything. Plus, I'm sure Nino would be happy to do it in my stead" I replied before facing Jaffar again "You'll be accompanying me and three other heroes to take down a prince and his group of escorts in another world. Is that clear?"
"Crystal. Let us go then"
Once we arrived back at the castle, Robin has rounded up Olivia, Minerva and Catria in the courtyard, just like I asked.
"I figured your luck would pull though, so I prepared this in advance" The tactician tossed me a light bag of grey crystal and shards "Heroes always bring these back when they're fighting in the training tower. Apparently, it's crystal-like candy that increases your strength as if you trained. It's not perfect, but it'll get Jaffar up to speed"
"So it's like steroids…" I looked at the crystal and then at Jaffar. I briefly envisioned an overly buff Jaffar tearing Berkut limb from limb with his daggers before shaking my head. Robin probably knew what the crystals did already, so I trusted him not to do me bad.
"Alright Jaffar. Eat a few of these crystals while I go fetch some skill pins from the storage for you. Be right back" I gave Jaffar the bag and dashed off before he could question it. While on the walk back to the castle, I examined Jaffar and knew he had his Deathly Dagger, Glimmer, Life and Death and Threaten Speed. I decided I needed the Poison Strike and Savage Blow skill pins on him.
"Thank god Robinne and Jeorge decided to organize these" Skill pins weren't the biggest things in the world by themselves, so I knew that in excess, they will go lost really fast. Luckily, Robinne and Jeorge sorted them by A, B and C skills in jewellry-like cases. I could pop over to the C section of the storage room and scan it easily for the Savage Blow pin. Same deal for Poison Strike. I took both pins and headed back to the courtyard, where Jaffar finished eating half of the crystal bag.
"What did the crystals taste like?" I asked when I came back. Jaffar handed the bag back to me, looking forlorn.
"Like chewing metal" The assassin replied bluntly.
"Did it work like Robin said it would?" Catria asked and Jaffar nodded.
"Good. Then you should be ready for Berkut's battle" I mentally activated Jaffar's skill bracelet and attached the two pins to it. The assassin flinched at my touch, but regained his composure quickly. Once that was done with, I double checked everyone else's bracelets.
"Catria has Killer Lance, Reposition, Luna, Armored Blow, Desperation and Goad Fliers" I said in monotone "Minerva has the Hauteclere, Reposition, Draconic Aura, Life and Death, Vantage and Ward Fliers"
I moved onto Olivia next "Olivia has the Silver Sword, Dance, Speed 3, Wings of Mercy and Hone Attack. Finally, Jaffar has the Deathly Dagger, Glimmer, Life and Death, Poison Strike and Savage Blow"
"Sounds like everyone's suited up. Good luck on the battle" Robin nodded at me and I pulled out Berkut's Grand Hero Battle postcard, ushering my heroes to enter the World of Shadows. We landed in a forest clearing behind what I assumed to be Zofia castle. Two defensive tiles lied behind trees opposite of each other in the clearing and up ahead was a group of cavaliers talking.
"Wait a second… where is everyone?" Catria asked beside me. I looked around and noticed that only Catria was at my side. What happened to Jaffar, Olivia and Minerva?
"Oi sir, look over there! It's the Deliverance!" An axe cavalier pointed at me and Catria "They're crossing into Rigel!"
"Oh, so their fearless leader decides to hide behind his soldiers this time?" Berkut, a lance cavalier cloaked in regal black and blue, laughed mockingly "Is the sheep afraid to face the lion?"
"Looks to be so. Either that or this is a scouting force" A red mage knight said "Shall we engage them Lord Berkut?"
"We shall. Let's show these dastardly Zofians the power of Rigel!" Berkut leveled his lance and pointed it straight at me "Charge!"
"Lucian, get on my pegasus. We can fly up to scan the area and find the others!" Catria called and I quickly hopped onto her mount and soared into the skies just before a bow cavalier's arrow clipped Catria's wings. I did a quick scan of the ground and saw Jaffar and Olivia hiding in the trees on the east side of the clearing. I looked to the west, but Minerva was nowhere to be found.
"Where did she go…"
"Looking for me?" Out of instinct, Catria quickly swung her spear at Minerva, who easily dodged "Focus Catria. You know it's hard to hide a dragon in a forest like this. I had to take to the air"
"Ah right. I'm still feeling a bit… nervous, that's all" Catria replied, drawing her lance away from the wyvern rider "Forgive me commander. I'm just worried about our companions down on the ground"
"You have every right to be so" Minerva stared down to the ground as well, where the group of cavaliers began to split to search both sides of the clearing "We need to get back down quick. Jaffar and Olivia can't survive against the whole group on their own"
"Target the bow cavalier first. He's the biggest threat to you two" I decided "Jaffar should be able to weaken most of them, if they come over to his side. We can pick off the scraps if so"
"I'll take the bow cavalier. Catria, fly down and strike the enemies heading for Jaffar and Olivia from behind" Minerva told the pegasus knight before looking at me for confirmation. I nodded in agreement and the two fliers soared down.
"Another victim" Meanwhile, Jaffar was holding his own quite nicely against Berkut's group of cavaliers. Using the trees as cover, both him and Olivia could evade the melee fighters while Jaffar picked off the mages.
"Gah, he keeps on disappearing! Where is he?" A red mage knight cried in frustration before getting a Deathly Dagger lodged in his neck. The blade then exploded alongside Savage Blow, blowing the mage's body to smithereens along with weakening the surrounding foes with shrapnel.
"Fools! Target the pink haired dancer wearing white clothes. If she's there, the assassin is there too! Split up to avoid being hit by the splash damage!" Berkut growled before noticed a flash of white zip under the cover of the tall trees "There! Bow cavalier, strike her!"
"Not so fast!" Minerva's Hauteclere came crashing down on the bow cavalier's head, cleaving it right in half before he could even react. The wyvern rider made a broad swing over to Berkut's neck, but the lance cavalier dodged and stabbed Minerva in the leg. For someone at a weapon triangle disadvantage, he put up a good fight. Seeing the opportunity, Berkut's remaining soldiers galloped off to find Jaffar and Olivia and that's when we came in.
"Here I go!" Catria, wreathed in the shielding aura of Armored Blow came rocketing down on the enemy axe cavalier and green mage, lance first. The axe cavalier's Hammer met with Catria's shield, but it bounced off futilely and a Luna sealed his fate. The green mage attempted to cast Gronnblade, but in a flash, Jaffar sliced the mage's throat and threw the dagger straight at Berkut.
"Begone from my sight!" Berkut's lance, lit with the flames of Blazing Flame, incinerated Jaffar's incoming dagger and stabbed down at Minerva's dragon, blasting both it and rider away with a burst of horizontal fire.
"Minerva!"
"Don't worry about it. Just distract him!" Minerva growled, pulsing with the energy of Draconic Aura. Berkut galloped towards her to finish the wyvern rider off before three Deathly Daggers came flying towards Berkut's head. The cavalier parried one away, but two landed on his chest and exploded, sending the cavalier flying off his horse and sprawling onto the dirt.
"Make peace… with your gods" Minerva loomed over Berkut's ravaged body before briefly growing dragon horns and claws to split Berkut in half with Draconic Aura. They faded just as quickly when Minerva lifted the Hauteclere "Could of been simpler if the portal didn't split us up"
"It would of been, but still, great job everyone. Jaffar and Olivia, both of you deserve special recognition for holding your own without my orders" I said and Olivia blushed wildly while Jaffar simply nodded "Now Berkut should reappear any moment now…"
"So you defeated me. In Rigel, strength is how you prove your worth to someone" And just like that, Berkut reappeared in a flash of magic, holding a unique spear I haven't seen before "I'll join your group to observe your mettle and perhaps learns some tricks to bring back to Rigel. One day, I'll stand at the top and I'll need every bit of power I can find"
"Well, I hope you find us satisfying to your needs. Let's see what we can do with you" I grabbed the Breidablik and opened a portal back to Askr. Once we stepped back into the castle, I delegated the training of Berkut over to Ogma and Sophia, with Olivia, Serra and Lachesis to aid them. I remembered Robin and Katarina wanted to speak with me, so I headed down to the library, where the two hung out most of the time. I assumed they would be reading like normal but instead, they were in the center of the library, under the glass dome ceiling with stacks of magic tomes at their feet.
"Elthunder!" Katarina thrust her hand towards Robin and twin bolts of lightning flew towards him, but Robin hoisted up a wall of fire to block it before sending it rocketing towards the female tactician "Arcwind!"
In response to the wall of flame from Robin, Katarina summoned three green gales of wind out of thin air to slice and blow the flames to shreds, scattering burning remains on the floor. However, in her effort to cut down the fire wall, Robin was already prepping another spell.
"Thoron!"
Realizing her mistake, Katarina dove out of the way to dodge the Thoron spell and it rocketed straight towards a library bookshelf.
"GUYS! What were you thinking?!" I yelled, racing to try and intercept the magical lightning bolt, but it suddenly bounced off an invisible wall and dissipated into the fried air "Huh?"
"Oh, welcome back Lucian. I assume you defeated Berkut?" Robin wiped the sweat off his brow nonchalantly, as if deadly magic duels with Katarina was nothing to be worried about "How did it go? Easy or hard?"
"Later. First of all, just what are you two doing? Why are you trying to kill each other?" I asked, pointing to the scorch marks on the floor left over by Robin's fire spell "And what invisible wall stopped the Thoron?"
"We wanted to try and train here. With all the magical tomes here at our disposal, it's a great place to learn and perfect different types of magic" Katarina explained "It's such a hassle to bring all the books down to the training yard, so why not fight here?"
"No healers on duty, potential collateral damage and guaranteed damage to the floor?" I pointed out "These floors are nice, you know. It would be rude to sully it with ash and charred paper"
"That's a minor grip at best Lucian. We can always clean it up" Robin reassured before opening his palm behind his back "Also the collateral damage is a non issue. We bought some Barrier staves down at the castle armory and had Priscilla, Lucius and Felicia set up a huge anti-magic dome here. No magic can enter or escape it. Watch"
Magical flames enveloped Robin's gloved palm and the explosive fireball launched straight towards a nearby window. Like with the Thoron before, an invisible wall collided with the fireball and made the magic scatter into the air like nothing.
"And the healer problem?"
"That one will need some thought, but I'm sure once you summon more healers to Askr, we'll manage" Katarina replied "We'll be careful in our duels until then"
"Fine. It looks like you're adamant about this system, so who am I to stop you?" I sighed, shrugging "Anyways, Caeda told me you wanted two wanted to talk to me about something personally"
"Ah right. While you were gone at the special battles courtyard to fight Lilina and Cecilia, there was a problem at the border between Askr and Embla" Robin explained once we found a table to sit down. Katarina came back with two cups of tea and one hot chocolate soon after "A border guard came to the castle to petition for reinforcements, so Anna sent me, Katarina and a battalion of Askrian soldiers to check out what's going on"
"But when we arrived at the border, there was nothing but an Emblian squadron of soldiers amidst the charred remains of a village" Katarina continued, tapping her fingers on the marble table "The leader of the squad was this lance fighter named Diana. The Spear of a Goddess, as we decided to nickname her"
"So Embla decided to set fire to villages on the border? Why?" I asked, blowing on my hot chocolate to cool it down.
"No, it wasn't them. I witnessed it myself" Robin said "Diana was dueling with General Laegjarn of Muspell, a kingdom across the sea on the continent of Draselia. They were the ones who came to Zenith and began terrorizing the border villages"
"Muspell is the kingdom of fire, by the way. Their symbol is the undying, unquenchable flame according to a Emblian lance knight" Katarina commented and Robin nodded.
"Right. Muspell's attack on Zenith's border was the first strike to intimidate us. This is a threat bigger than Embla and can put all of Zenith in danger" Robin traced the Zenith border engraved on the table with his finger "I saw how General Laegjarn and her soldiers fight. They are much stronger than anyone we fought from Embla"
"So Robin negotiated with Diana after the battle to send an Emblian or Askrian envoy to meet in three days to discuss a potential alliance with Embla" Katarina continued before wincing "Sorry that we did that without your permission Lucian"
"No need. I agree with your move for the most part. From what you're telling me, Muspell sounds much more harder to deal with than Embla and it won't be long before he targets us" I rested my elbows on the table "However, should we really trust Veronica to have our backs? She still has a burning hatred for us, you know"
"We'll see in three days. Diana and her squad said she'll try and get an audience with Veronica to tell them about this alliance opportunity" Robin said "So we'll run this by with Alfonse too and if he accepts, we can send a representative to the border to hear Embla's answer"
"I'll be the representative. If Veronica, Xander or Diana come, I want to discuss more should they accept" I stood up, draining the hot chocolate cup of it's contents in one go "So I'll go in three days to the border village where you and Diana met to talk to the representative?"
"Pretty much" Robin also stood up, brushing off his coat "Okay, I'll talk to Alfonse about this and come back to you with his answer. Where is he anyways?"
"I believe he should be somewhere here in the library. He told me a few days ago that he was interested in worlds beyond the ones we have in the courtyard" I replied, looking around the vast archives "I heard him mumble the words "Grastaea" and "Alberia" sometimes when he's in deep thought"
"Okay, I'll go find him" Robin nodded "Lucian, you can go rest if you want. I'm sure commanding the battle against Berkut was tiring"
"Oh, it would be, but after this spike in energy from the hot chocolate, I think I'll head to the archery range instead" I stretched, hearing the bones and joints crack "I've been slacking on training lately, so I need to catch up before I lose my skill"
"Sounds like a plan. Good luck out there" Katarina smiled before the duo departed to find Alfonse. I headed down to the archery range and fired some arrows with Klein and Jeorge's guidance. Clarisse was also there to give me a scowling every once in a while if my arrow flew off course and struck the wall.
"Pah, stay in the backlines commanding us Lucian. You'll never be good enough with a bow to fight on the front lines at this rate" Clarisse scolded as my arrow struck the shameful black border. I didn't pay her any mind and Jeorge only hissed in response while adjusting my bow and stance "Honestly you already have enough on your hands as the chief tactician. Just don't bother and do what you do best"
"Stop discouraging him Clarisse. He only wants to contribute more to the battlefield so he won't be, in his own words, "some schmuck who barks orders and needs to be protected at all times"" Klein said, lining up a shot with his practice Iron Bow "In time, I'm sure he'll become a worthy archer on the battlefield"
"Sure, but with his duties as a summoner, that's going to take a lot longer than most typical soldiers" Clarisse lined up her own shot and fired, perfectly sniping the bullseye "But it's your choice if you want to pursue this. Not like I care or anything if you do"
"I appreciate your care and worry Clarisse" I replied sarcastically and the blonde sniper simply crossed her arms before turning her back on me "Now deep breath aanndddd…"
"Lucian, are you here?" Alfonse's voice interrupted my focus and my arrow arm slackened, sending the bolt flying into the dirt "Oh… sorry about that"
"Next time, keep your focus locked and concentrated on the target in front of you. Let nothing distract you from firing your arrow" Jeorge advised, taking the bow and arrows from me "Now go see what Alfonse wants to tell you"
"Right. Thanks for the lesson today Jeorge" I nodded and headed towards Alfonse, who was by the training yard entrance "What's up?"
"Robin told me about the potential alliance between Embla and Askr and how you'll be leaving for the border in three days to talk with a representative" Alfonse began "Is Muspell really that big of a threat that we have to band together?"
"It is. The way Robin said it, it was like the Muspellian soldiers and generals are demons or deities of war. Even the most accomplished Emblian soldier, Diana only matched with General Laegjarn of Muspell" I replied "This is a threat worthy of an alliance. Why? Are you skeptical of Embla stabbing us in the back?"
"Frankly yes, but I'm not opposed to the idea. I want to help Princess Veronica if I can" Alfonse looked forlorn "She seems… lonely and not very passionate about her warmongering dream. She told us back at the summoning ruins that she does this purely to have more friends and resources for Embla by conquering worlds"
"I get that. It feels like Princess Veronica isn't our true enemy in this struggle. If she was, attacks on the castle and strategic areas would be more frequent. Now, we seem to be in a ceasefire" I said "Let's hope she isn't using this downtime to quietly align with Muspell though…"
"That's the worst possible outcome, but I suppose we'll hear the answer in three days" Alfonse chewed his lip "I dearly hope she aligns with us, but there's nothing we can do at the moment to influence it"
"Yeah. It's all left to prayer and RNG"
"RNG?"
"Random number generator. It's a thing in my world" I explained "Just another way of referring to a random chance"
"Ah" Alfonse gripped the hilt of his sword, Folkvangr "Hm, this conversation seems to be done. I'll be training if you need me. I want to try out some new techniques"
"Like?"
"Well, I've been studying this combat manual in the library for the past few days" Alfonse showed me a plain leather-bound book, titled "Alberian Sword Techniques". I've never heard of Alberia before "It's from a distant world we don't know of, but maybe one of my ancestors brought it here centuries ago"
"You're getting off track" I reminded the prince "What techniques are in the combat manual?"
"Different kinds of combos with my sword and something called a "Force Strike"" Alfonse explained "Where I focus my strength and energy into my sword to deliver a lunging strike that can catch enemies off guard. It could be useful"
"I'm sure it will" I nodded "Well, have fun with that. I'm going to get a snack from the mess hall before doing some writing in my room. See you at dinner"
"See you"
Resolve of Fate: Jaffar and Matthew's Conversation
Jaffar wandered the barracks after the battle against Berkut was finished. He has been assigned a room by Anna, but he was really looking for Nino, hoping to pass by her in the hallway. Unfortunately, he met a different resident of his world first.
"Ah, so you're here too. I think I told you this before back in our world" Matthew casually twirled his knife in his hand before tossing it in the air and pointing it at Jaffar's chest "I said I will dedicate my entire life to bringing you to your grave for killing Leila. Remember?"
"That girl's spirit stopped you" Jaffar replied calmly and simply and Matthew sighed, sliding the blade back into the scabbard on his belt.
"Yeah it did and it still does now. Even now I can't bring myself to kill you, no matter how freakishly close my knife can get to your heart" Matthew looked frustrated and heaved a sigh through his nose "And besides, there would be no point. You'll just be revived back to life, I'll get punished for assault and Nino will probably send me to the next dimension with her magic. Not a fine trade"
"At her final breath, she had a name on her lips. It was "Matthew"" Jaffar said before walking away from a stunned Matthew "Make your peace and let go of your revenge"
"I… I…" Matthew was at a loss for words and Jaffar left him without a look back "Leila… is this what you want? For me to be happy and not go on the path of vengeance? That's why you stopped me from killing him, is it? You didn't want Nino to despair either. That's it, huh?"
Matthew looked around before whispering to himself "I will fulfill your wishes. For you Leila"
God damn did this take longer than it should of. End-semester work in school is seriously limiting the time I have to write, not even counting my volunteer work and other activities that eat up my day. At the rate I'm going, I'll hit modern day Heroes by 2020. I hope you guys can bear with it. I never intend to stop this fanfic until the day Heroes dies for good, so I'll eventually get there. Also yes, I started playing Dragalia Lost and if you don't know, it had a crossover with Heroes recently and Alfonse was a free unit there, so I decided to reference it. Coming up next is the Sacred World paralogue, featuring four heroes from FE8. If you want to be notified of when a new chapter comes out, favorite and follow. If you want to leave constructive criticism or praise, leave a review. Until next time, fellow summoners!