A Summoner's Journey
Paralogue 11: Brave Heroes
Team for this chapter: Ike, Legion, Camus and Priscilla
I aimed my last salvo of orbs at the blue crystal in the summoning altar. I spent the orbs I earned from clearing the Sacred World on the Sacred World banner, which featured Seth, Innes, Tana and Amelia. In particular, I wanted Amelia as her Armor March could revolutionize armored units and actually make them fairly viable on the field. Fortunately, I was able to snag her and now, I naimed for Tana just for the fun of it. Guidance sounded like a fun skill to play with.
"I am Abel, a knight of Altea - or former knight, anyway. These days, I am but a shopkeeper" I turned back to see Abel appear next to the altar. I sighed, disappointed that I couldn't get Tana, but such was the will of the gods I suppose.
"Welcome to Askr, Abel. Follow us back to the castle and we'll find a place for you among our army" I said formally. I always said this whenever a hero popped out of the altar "The prince of Askr and other residents of the Order of Heroes will answer any questions you have"
Abel simply nodded in understanding, so I turned on my heel, leading my newly summoned heroes back to the castle. I dismissed Abel, Athena, Barst and Camilla to be taken care of by other heroes while I sent Amelia off with a training party to help her get up to speed. While I wanted to establish a strong armor team with Amelia, I only realized now that I don't have any strong armored units. I only had Effie, Gwendolyn, Draug and Zephiel. Out of all of them, only Effie showed high promise.
"Well, she's the best I have to pair along with Effie until someone better comes along" I thought to myself before running after the departing training group "Wait!"
"Hm?" Ogma turned, his hand reaching for the Brave Sword strapped over his back. Alongside Ike, Ogma was an official trainer for the Order "What's the matter Lucian?"
"Wait here for a second. I want to fetch another hero to tag along with your group" I said "Be right back. Just stay here for a moment!"
I ran back to the castle and towards the mess hall. Effie loved to eat and train to become a stronger wall for her liege's sake, so she obviously frequently went to the mess hall and training grounds. If she wasn't in one of those places, she was probably in the other.
"Effie! There you are" I found the lance armor stuffing her face like usual. This time, it was a whole roasted turkey alongside baked potatoes. I didn't know how anyone could eat that much, but Effie made it look easy "I need you outside quickly"
"Hm? Whatever for?" Effie swallowed her last bit of turkey and got up, wiping her mouth with a napkin "Is there an emergency? Are Emblians approaching?"
"No, none of that" I shook my head and Effie frowned, sitting back down "I just want you to accompany today's training group heading to the training tower. I recently picked up a new armored unit, Amelia"
I explained Amelia's Armor March and how it would let Effie and other armored heroes see more action on the battlefield. Effie's eyes lit up at the prospect of harder battles, so she nodded earnestly and took her Silver Lance, heading out of the mess hall. I should promote her soon. With her gigantic strength, a Brave Lance+ would do wonders for her along with the extra power gained from a five star promotion. And that's not even counting her ability to bolster her Death Blow 2 skill to Death Blow 3.
"Summoner Lucian, we have a problem down south" An Askrian spy broke me out of my thoughts "The Askrian border guards report a force of Emblians moving towards Vaskrheim. Commander Anna has already assembled a strikeforce of heroes to combat them. Now only you are left"
"Vaskrheim…? I've never heard of that place" I shook my head "Whatever. I'll go and meet with Commander Anna. Thank you for telling me this"
"I live to serve the Order. Good luck" The spy nodded and I headed down to the castle's lobby, where I saw Anna, Alfonse and Sharena alongside Ike, Legion, Camus and Priscilla. A solid team that covered all angles and aspects. I would of preferred Reinhardt over Camus personally, but the mage knight was probably fatigued from the last adventure in the Sacred World. A shame such high-caliber soldiers were human.
"It's rare to see you three altogether" I noted at Alfonse, Sharena and Anna "What's the dire issue?"
"I'm sure the spy already told you, but I'll repeat it again. Emblian forces are moving from the south towards Vaskrheim, old ruins where the Breidablik first originated and was sealed in" Anna explained.
"Why would Embla target old ruins like that? I have the Breidablik already, so it's not like they're going there to steal it" I said, tapping the white and gold gun tied to my belt "Unless Vaskrheim happens to be the source of Breidablik's power…"
"As far as we know, that's not the case. Embla likely isn't going to Vaskrheim to destroy it" Alfonse shook his head "Instead, it's for another reason. Special heroes for Embla to conscript into their service"
"Special heroes?"
"There's a prophecy that goes, "The hearts and passions of mankind bring forth Brave Heroes"." Anna told us "I believe that this prophecy is coming to pass if the Emblians are heading to Vaskrheim"
"What's a Brave Hero?" Sharena asked, curious.
"A Brave Hero is one who has captured the hearts and love of the common people in Askr. It's not enough to simply be strong, smart or skilled in battle. You have to be a leader, be charismatic and to inspire many people onto the path of rightousness" Alfonse explained "Basically, the wishes of mankind birth these Brave Heroes and propel them into greater heights"
"That… makes no sense" I shook my head before shrugging "But I probably shouldn't be surprised at this point. So what you're saying is that especially virtuously people from the Order have received… alternate forms in a way? And these alternate forms are classified as Brave Heroes?"
"More or less. These Brave Heroes apparently exhibit extremely strong power and Embla intends to take it for themselves. To that end, we have to intercept them at Vaskrheim" Anna finished "So Lucian, you'll be taking Ike, Legion, Camus and Priscilla straight down south. You'll see it on sign posts. Shouldn't be hard to miss Vaskrheim"
"Alright then. Let's move out right away" I nodded before turning to my four heroes "Everyone, we ride to Vaskrheim. Let's go!"
Not too long later, we arrived at Vaskrheim, which was a bigger and more ancient-looking temple similar to the old summoning ruins I used to use. Within the temple bore santums and we were only in the courtyard before encountering enemies.
"I am Lyn, lady of Caelin and daughter of the plains!" Lyn, who was astride a horse this time and carried a bow, introduced herself as an Emblian lance cavalier and healer emerged from the nearby columns "My mother was Madelyn and my father Hassar. In accordance with my contract, I must challenge you to combat!"
"And I'm Ike. You four look to be a strong bunch" Ike, who bore yellow, black and blue armor along with a massive double-bladed war axe, stated "I must be lucky to find worthy opponents in this whole new world. Ready your weapons"
"Lance cavalier, take the front. I'll follow behind!" Lyn called and the cavalier duo charged towards us.
"Healer, back me up. I'm supporting Lyn from the side" Brave Ike nodded before dashing off, his Urvan axe gleaming in the sunlight.
"The cavalier and Brave Lyn are approaching fast. Camus and Ike, intercept them!" I commanded "Legion and Priscilla, hold off Brave Ike!"
The battle instantly fell into a frenzy of blades, arrows and chaos. The enemy lance cavalier jabbed down at Ike with his Silver Lance, but Camus's Gradivus blocked it, letting Ike unleash a shockwave point blank through the Emblian, ripping him and his horse in half. Brave Lyn shot wind-imbued arrows straight at my duo, which came far too fast for my own comfort. Ike and Camus both retaliated with their Distant Counter weapons, but a thick green shield instantly enveloped Brave Lyn, completely nullifying Ike's shockwave and Camus's spear.
"I won't miss!" Brave Lyn shot a special arrow which brimmed in purple light towards Ike. The mercenary took cover behind a column to dodge, but the instant the arrow struck the marble pillar, it erupted in poisonous smoke that heavily weighed down my arms. If I was holding a weapon, I doubt I could even hold it up anymore.
"Camus, flank around the columns and take Brave Lyn by surprise. We can't deal with her with our counterattacks!" I called and the lance cavalier rushed around the sides of the courtyard through the blinding Attack Smoke. Camus stabbed down at Brave Lyn, but the bow cavalier swerved back to dodge, readying another arrow in her Mulagir.
"Admit defeat!" Camus's Gradivus erupted with the flames of Bonfire as he thrust towards Brave Lyn. She backed up to dodge before hitting a wall, letting Camus slash the burning spear over her neck, ending the bow cavalier for good.
"Ike, Legion and Priscilla are struggling against Brave Ike. Help them out over there" I called and the mercenary moved to aid his allies. Legion fought ferociously against Brave Ike, but the Urvan's wide blade made it hard for Legion to get in on the mercenary. Legion landed one hit on Brave Ike's shoulder, but he counterattacked by slashing Urvan across Legion's stomach. Priscilla quickly patched him up before things went south.
"Hmm… an interesting foe, but not good enough!" Brave Ike was suddenly surrounded by misty blue energy, indicating Aether "It ends here!"
Brave Ike rushed at Legion, bring his Urvan up in wide arc. Luckily, Legion was a quick one and dodged Brave Ike's follow up downward slam before kicking the mercenary in the face, making him skitter back. Before Brave Ike could recover, Legion's axe grew dragon horns and slammed into Brave Ike's chest, empowered by Draconic Aura.
"He should of died from that. How is he still standing?!" I asked, amazed. Sure enough, Brave Ike recovered faster than I expected, thanks to the nearby Emblian healer. He charged again at Legion, but was stopped by Ike, who took a swing at Brave Ike's stomach with the Ragnell.
"Tch… fighting against myself? This should be something interesting" Brave Ike parried the Ragnell and grinned, despite the battle turning wildly against him "Me versus you. No outside assistance"
"Oh, I can agree to that. You're on!" Ike went for an overhead swing at Brave Ike while the enemy mercenary rose his Urvan to block. I sent Camus to take out the Emblian cleric while Priscilla patched up Legion. Turning my attention back to Ike's duel with Brave Ike, I noticed that everytime Ike struck the enemy mercenary, a pulse of orange light ran down Brave Ike's body like some sort of seismic wave. It seemed to increase Brave Ike's defense as well as let him fire off specials faster. A quick stat scan told me the skill was Steady Breath.
"Thanks to all!" Brave Ike's Aether caught Ike off guard, his two strikes sending the mercenary slamming into a marble column. Ike crumbled, barely living and using the Ragnell to keep himself up.
"Legion and Camus, distract Brave Ike. Priscilla, heal Ike!" I commanded. Recently, I've gotten better at handling my emotions on the battlefield. Not too long ago, a dire situation like this would throw me into a panic, but now I know to remain calm and look for ways to turn the tide. A battlefield commander couldn't afford emotional outbursts.
"I will finish you!" Just as Brave Ike turned to engage Legion and Camus, Ike rose and blitzed towards Brave Ike, ripping the Ragnell right through Brave Ike's back with two strikes, healing him back up with Aether. The enemy mercenary collapsed onto the ground, dropping his Urvan before fading into feathers like all the others.
"Damn. Anna wasn't kidding when she said that these heroes exhibit extremely strong power. That brave version of me was no joke" Ike said as he sat down to catch his breath. Priscilla rode over to heal up his remaining wounds "He was firing Aether left and right. It was unreal"
"Bah. If my brotheres were here, we could of swarmed himses!" Legion grumbled "Too hard for one Legion to fightses. It makes Legion mad"
I stared deeper into the temple "With Emblians outside here in the courtyard, it seems that Embla already seized control of the Brave Heroes inside Vaskrheim. That means we must fight them to free them"
"It will be difficult to face them again. Especially once we're inside the temple" Camus patted his horse on the head and the mount nickered "Mounted units like me and Priscilla struggle indoors due to the more limited space"
"If things get dicey, we'll withdraw back to the castle and get more infantry units" I promised "For now, we'll press forward. Once we're all rested and healed up, we'll head into Vaskrheim"
Meanwhile inside the ancient temple, Lucina, who donned a combination of her father and her Great Lord armor, patrolled the first sanctum of Vaskrheim, butterfly-shaped shield and ethereal lance in hand.
"So if I understand correctly, we both had similar dreams before arriving here?" Roy, who donned his father's armor and carried a molten red Durandal, asked as he sat against the pillar inside the temple, using his massive blade as support "Like, dreams about being above a sea of people who all cried our names?"
"I believe so" Lucina nodded "It was so surreal to think about it. All those people cheering for us… it was like we solved every single problem in the universe. Yet one name stuck out in my dream: Lucian"
Roy's eyes widened with surprise "Lucian? I remember hearing that name in my dreams too! Whoever that is must be related to why we're here, Princess"
"That's likely the case, which means that once our end of this contract is settled, we should set out to find this Lucian person" Lucina said firmly "But we won't be able to free ourselves withou-"
"Princess Lucina and Lord Roy, an Askrian force of heroes has breached Vaskrheim!" An Emblian archer wielding a Firesweep Bow+ reported "They are close to engaging with us. What are your orders?"
"Me and the axe fighter will take to the front lines to hold off the enemy" Lucina pointed to the archer "You'll support us from behind with your bow and Roy will flank the enemy from the side to catch them off guard. His Galeforce should surprise them"
"I second these orders. Time to move!" Roy mounted his steed and heaved his mighty burning blade with small effort "Princess, I'll be counting on you in this fight to keep the enemy distracted. I trust you can do it"
"I too will be counting on you. Good luck!" Lucina armed her shield and spear and charged down the sanctum hallway alongside an Emblian axe fighter. In retaliation, I sent Ike and Legion to engage them and kept Camus and Priscilla on watch out for reinforcements. The axe fighter brought down his Silver Axe on a strong arc, wreathed in the orange light of Armored Blow. Ike sidestepped and counterattacked with his Ragnell, but Armored Blow nullified most of Ike's counterattack. Taking advantage of Ike's surprise, the axe fighter pushed Ike behind him with Lunge, letting him get shot twice by two Firesweep Bow arrows. Brave Lucina moved in to finish Ike, but Legion fought like a madman, forcing Lucina on the defensive. Anytime Lucina jabbed, Legion countered with a dangerous flurry of axe strikes that left Lucina blindsided. It distracted her long enough for Camus to mop up the axe fighter while Priscilla healed Ike.
"Care is my calling. You'll be alright" Priscilla said in a soothing tone as her Rehabilitate staff pulsed with soft light, healing the arrow wounds in Ike's shoulder and stomach. Out of the darkness of the temple pillars though, I heard a horse clopping and a giant sword glowing.
"Priscilla, get back! Camus, to your right!" I commanded and the troubadour frantically got away just as Brave Roy's Blazing Durandal came down in an arc of fire, scorching the very air around us. Camus's Gradivus came down at Brave Roy's gut, but he darted sideways and slammed the Blazing Durandal twice across Camus's chest, staggering the lance cavalier backwards.
"Durandal!" Brave Roy rose his Blazing Durandal to the skies and all of a sudden, a pool of vicious white light blew from under his horse's feet. I remembered this kind of effect from Lyn: Galeforce. With blistering speed, Brave Roy lunged straight towards Priscilla, sword raised to kill. But at the last second, the troubadour unleashed her Panic staff's magic straight into Roy's face, stunning him long enough for Ike to break the Blazing Durandal with his Ragnell thanks to Swordbreaker. Camus's Gradivus lanced through Roy's back and the cavalier fell dead.
"Wheh heh heh! Lance girl taken out and archer boy fell too. Too easy!" Legion returned to us, triumphant "Whereses the last of our enemy? Legion can destroy themses!"
"Don't be so rash Legion. Chances are we'll have to face Brave Ike and Brave Lyn again once we go deeper into Vaskrheim" I cautioned "They are the biggest threats. Let's rest and heal before proceeding further"
We rested inside the stone cold sanctum for a while, with Priscilla healing the gashes across Camus's chest from Brave Roy while Ike helped pull the Firesweep arrows out of Legion's bicep and leg. Legion claimed he didn't feel hurt, but both me and Priscilla insisted on pulling the arrows out to make healing him easier.
"I'm seriouses! It doesn't hurt!" Legion continued to insist. Ike carefully snapped a glowing red arrow in two before tugging the shaft out of Legion's arm, letting loose a stream of blood. The axe fighter didn't even wince "Why are youses so caring anyway? Legion is broken and doesn't feel painses. He's the perfect kamikaze assassinses!"
"Because you are our ally. I don't care if you don't feel pain. An arrow in your bicep is an arrow in your bicep" Priscilla replied, tapping Legion on the head with her staff lightly "Your body is still human, even if your mind and soul aren't"
"What kind of assassin training broke you so thoroughly?" Ike wondered aloud "If you don't feel pain, speak in third person, claim to have dozens of brothers and speak broken English, just what did you go through Legion?"
"Ike. Don't probe into his personal life" Camus chided "Some of us have darker pasts than we'd like to disclose"
"Wheh heh heh! It's fineses, dear Camus!" Legion laughed "You see, when Eremiya first-"
"Guys, maybe we should hold off this story for later. There's still Emblians awaiting us further in the temple" I interrupted "It seems we're all rested and ready to go, so let's not waste time"
"Right. Sorry about that" Ike nodded and heaved his Ragnell, placing it over his shoulder "I spot light at the end of the ruins there. The rest of the Emblians are probably hiding back there"
I followed Ike's gaze and saw that faint red, blue, green and silver light danced across the dark hallway ahead, just like the old summoning ruins. That was strange. Was there another summoning altar here?
"Well, no better time than now to check it out. Let's go everyone" I lead my heroes down the dark and cold hallway leading deeper into Vaskrheim. The temple was as ancient as it was abandoned. There were no torches lighting the hallway, nor windows or openings to let light inside. Just a cold hallway made of dark blue bricks. Only the first sanctum and the courtyard had any semblance of light. The Breidablik grew cold against my leg, as if it remembered the years of being sealed here, cold and without light.
"Here we are. The innermost part of the temple" We arrived to see Brave Lyn, Roy, Lucina and Ike all waiting for us. Against the back wall were four massive crystal balls embedded into it. One was red, another was blue, the next was green and the last one was silver, just like the old summoning ruins. Below the summoning orbs was a cube of orange light like a prism. The Breidablik clipped to my belt glowed faintly with light, as if in response to the prism. I assumed that this was where the Breidablik was originally sealed.
"So we meet again. Looks like it's time for round two" Lyn reined in her horse, who was skittering nervously "I would of preferred to be outside in the open plains for this fight, but we're cornered, so this temple will have to do"
"Where ever we fight, it doesn't matter to me" Brave Ike zeroed in on me "We may be fighting you because of some contract, but the rush I'm getting to test my skills on other strong warriors is all natural"
"I may not be as strong as my father, but…" Brave Roy heaved his flaming greatsword "I will give it my all. I won't back down just because we're in a corner!"
"Agreed. All of us will strike as one. To battle!" Brave Lucina raised her spear and yelled a battle cry, charging towards us with Brave Ike following along. Brave Roy and Lyn trailed closely behind. In such an open space like this, repelling all four of them at once would be extremely difficult. I needed to take the Brave Heroes out quickly.
"Legion and Ike, hold off Brave Ike and Lucina. Priscilla, stay with them for healing support" I commanded quickly "Camus, flank around and take out Brave Lyn and Roy. Prioritize Lyn first!"
My heroes moved to action just as Brave Lucina and Ike struck my own pair of heroes. Lucina tried to go for Ike for the weapon triangle advantage, but Legion blocked her way, slashing his Legion's Axe across her face and forcing her on the defensive.
"Legion, lure Lucina away from Ike. Her spear is powering him up!" I called. Whenever Brave Lucina was in close proximity to any allied hero, I saw orange light pulse from her lance and onto her comrade. It made fighting Brave Ike harder than it already was. Luckily, Legion understood and drove Lucina to the far right wall, using techniques like shoves and flying knees to push her away. To put it bluntly, his fighting style in one sentence was "In your face and never leave".
"Lucian, Roy is heading for Legion. He won't be able to fend him and Lucina off for long!" Priscilla warned me "We need to stop him"
I jerked my head to where Camus was and saw that he was busy dueling with Brave Lyn, braving through the Atk Smoke to attempt to land hits in. The mounted archer fired powerful arrows wreathed in green and red light, attempting to bypass Camus's defense. The paladin's shield held up under the intensive fire, but he was too distracted to aid Legion. In front of us, Ike fought with his Brave twin once again, their weapons striking so hard against each other that they rang sparks and caused energy to pulsate between the two. He too was too busy to help. That left Priscilla or me.
I pulled the bow from over my shoulders and grabbed an arrow "Priscilla, slow Roy down. He can't reach Legion until he's finished with Lucina"
"Alright. Here comes a second dose of Panic, Roy!" Priscilla rode off and fired a concentrated wave of Panic magic straight into Roy's path. The sword cavalier didn't even slow down until he rode into the energy wave, his horse bucking and Roy clasping his head in shock. I fired my arrow at the stunned Roy and clipped his shoulder, but it didn't kill him and the Panic was soon to wear off.
"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Legion overpowered Lucina and cleaved off her neck, freeing himself up to take on Roy. The axe fighter unleashed a mighty Draconic Aura, but Roy recovered quickly, darting sideways to dodge before impaling Legion through with the Blazing Durandal, slaying the masked maniac.
"Priscilla, hold him just a little longer. Ike, quickly help finish off Roy!" I called and Ike grunted in response, struggling to finish off Brave Ike. Using a Heavy Blade-clad Ragnell, Ike cleaved through Brave Ike's defenses with Luna, stunning him long enough for Ike to run straight towards Roy. However, he was wounded and I didn't know if Swordbreaker could kick in.
"Priscilla, heal Ike!" I ordered and Priscilla switched staves, using her Rehabilitate staff to mend the bloody gashes and cuts over Ike's body. I saw his Swordbreaker restore and as Brave Roy's Blazing Durandal met with Ragnell, it shattered in one strike like before.
"I will finish you!" Ike's blade came down in a heavy cleave, cutting down Roy with ease and charging up Ike's Luna just in time to finish Brave Ike as well. Once we were done with this, I definitely was rewarding Ike for his performance. He certainly was the MVP.
"Bow of Sacae!" Meanwhile, Camus and Brave Lyn continued to clash, lance against arrows. Unfortunately, Lyn's Mulagir sprouted dragon horns, indicating Draconic Aura and she fired the dragon-powered arrow straight at Camus. The paladin rose to defend himself with his trusty shield like always, but the arrow was too powerful. It broke through his defense and pierced his heart, killing the lance cavalier.
"Ike, it's up to you to finish this!" I called and Ike obliged, blasting a shockwave from his Ragnell just as Brave Lyn turned to face us. The wave ripped through Lyn and her horse, disintegrating them to feathers before the blood could even splatter the floor. All of us sat down, exhausted from the fight, just as the four Brave Heroes reappeared again in a flash of magic, without their weapons drawn.
"You have displayed sufficient strength and capability as a commander to overcome us and break the contract. Thank you" Lyn nodded, smiling proudly "Anytime you need it, I'll help in order to repay the debt"
"Same for me. I'll be sure to repay you the next time I see you" Brave Ike promised, which made me confused.
"You heroes don't have a world to return back to, so what will you do now that your contract has been broken?" I asked.
"Well, I'll be roaming the lands as a mercenary just like I did back in my world. This is a whole new world to explore, so I have plenty to see and do" Brave Ike shrugged.
"If Roy would allow it, I'd like to go with him to travel across the land too. I'd say we formed quite the friendship here in the temple while we were guarding it" Lucina looked at Roy for approval and he nodded earnestly.
"Oh absolutely. I'd love to do that, Princess Lucina" Roy grinned "What about you Lyn?"
Lyn fiddled with her Mulagir "I suppose I'll explore the land like you two will, looking for the closest area to my home in Sacae. A wide open sea of verdant grass with a cool breeze blowing through. That is the life I want to live"
"I see. That's a relaxing way to live" Lucina nodded before turning to me "There's one more thing I want to clear up before we depart though. Just as we arrived here, me and Roy both had the same dream"
"We were atop a balcony, facing a crowd of people. It was as if we were the center of a coronation" Roy continued "Everyone in the crowd was cheering our names. However, one other name me and Lucina recalled was Lucian"
Lyn's eyes widened "My dreams were the exact same. It was so jarring having so many people cheer for me"
"Agreed" Brave Ike nodded "I remember it clearly. At the front of the cheering crowd was a man sporting black hair, brown eyes and a gold and white coat like you. Are you perhaps this Lucian person?"
"Yes, I am. Hm…" I stood up "Anna mentioned back at the castle that Brave Heroes are born from the wishes and admiration of the masses in Askr. So perhaps the crowd you saw in your dreams were the Askr citizens"
"Regardless, I think it's right to answer their call. People want us here after all" Roy said "So if you excuse me, I'll depart. Thank you again for breaking our contract, Lucian"
"I share in Lord Roy's appreciation. We'll see you around" Lucina promised and the duo left Vaskrheim. Brave Ike and Lyn did the same and soon departed the ancient temple. Now it was a good time for us to leave as well.
"Hey Lucian. Your summoning tool is glowing" Ike pointed out and I looked down, noticing that the gun was pulsing with mystifying gold light.
"Summon the Brave Hero your heart truly desires" A voice, sudden and monotone rang throughout Vaskrheim, startling me. I unclasped the Breidablik, holding it in my hands. Any Brave Hero I wanted and I didn't need to pay orbs for it? Which one did I want though…? Brave Ike seemed the most unstoppable. Brave Lucina was an ardent and capable supporter and fighter. All in all, versatile. Brave Roy's Galeforce combined with his mount had strong potential while Brave Lyn's range was massive. Her arrows even brought down Camus, one of my strongest heroes and her Attack Smoke could prove invaluable. Plus, a bow cavalier has never been seen in the Order of Heroes until she came along.
"What my heart truly desires… is something new and unique" I aimed the Breidablik at the giant silver orb embedded into the temple wall. I clicked the trigger and the silver orb lit up in brilliant blinding light. When the light died, Brave Lyn stood high and regal on her horse, confidently holding the bow Mulagir, which plumed with divine green wind.
"My name is Lyndis. Allow me to put this legendary Sacaen bow to use by assisting you" Brave Lyn introduced herself "I had a dream before I came here. Thousands of people calling and cheering my name. I am needed here. Is that right?"
I nodded.
"Then I'll help however I can. I am at your service" Lyn smiled warmly and tagged along with us without fear as we made our way out of Vaskrheim and back to the castle. By the time we arrived back, Ogma's training party has returned and one of the healers left a battle report for me by the mailbox.
"I want to get Brave Lyn up to par with everyone else in the army, but…" I glanced at the sky. The sun was just about to break the horizon line "It's getting late. By the time the training party reaches the tower, it'll be too far into the night. I'll leave it for tomorrow"
I dismissed Ike and Priscilla to get some rest before turning to my new Brave Hero "You have the rest of the day and tomorrow to explore the castle and get used to the place. It's your new home now, so I don't want to suddenly throw a mission on you. Talk to Commander Anna in her office by war room to get a room in the barracks"
"I understand. Thank you for welcoming me here" Brave Lyn smiled in gratitude before frowning "You look positively exhausted. Get some sleep, will you?"
"Oh I will. After a battle like that, I need to take a long…" I yawned "... Long nap. I'm sorry I can't guide you more through the castle, but I'm so, so tired right now. I apologize"
"That's fine. I can handle myself" Lyn replied defiantly "Now go to sleep. I'll see you around"
"Yeah… I'll see you tomorrow" I yawned again before heading back into the castle. I'll read Ogma's battle report on Effie and Amelia's performance later. For now, I'll sink into blissful, quiet sleep. My brief repose from being a stalwart battlefield commander.
To Live with Clones: Lyn and Legion's Conversation
"Legion, I'd like to ask you something" Lyn approached the masked axe fighter just as he walked out of the infirmary. Even if he insisted he didn't feel pain, Priscilla forced him to get a check up when she arrived back in case Roy's sword did lasting damage. Fortunately, he was cleared thanks to being a Hero.
"Oh? What would you like to ask Legion?" Legion asked, curious "Is it why I wear this mask on my faceses?"
"No, although I AM curious about that" Lyn shook her head "I want to ask you how it's like to live with twins or clones of yourself. I just passed by my Brave self in the hallway and had a brief conversation with her. It was like talking to a mirror!"
"Hmm… Legion wouldn't know much" Legion pointed to himself "This Legion is the main Legionses. All of my brotherses are Legion that follow me! We don't talk muchses back in my world"
"Wait, ALL of your "brothers" are other Legion that follow you directly? Like underlings or minions?" Lyn asked, surprised and Legion shook his head vigorously.
"No underlings or minions. Cannon fodder. Meatshields. Slaveses. Dummieses" The masked man replied "Without me, all Legion cannot function. That's why Eremiya doesn't let me fight a lot! She makes my brotherses do it"
"Without you, all Legion cannot function…?" Lyn repeated "They sound more like machines than humans"
"Oh, they are hardly human. Broken humanses. Like us" Legion stared at the ground sadly for a moment before looking up again "Trained in the endless dark to kill and obey without questionses. Reese and Clarisse went through the same. Tons of fun!"
"Tons of… That sounds like torture! How could you find that fun?!" Lyn cried before catching herself "No… you only say that because you're broken. That Eremiya woman… she broke you and all the other Legions to be perfect assassins. That's horrible"
"Mm… Legion doesn't like to talk about that" Legion shook his head "Reminds Legion that we are broken and will be rejected. But Lucian… Lucian accepts Legion. He is a good friend"
"Yes, he is…" Lyn frowned "I'm sorry. I came here to ask you how it was like to live with someone identical to you and accidentally opened up your tragic past. Sorry for digging up bad memories like that"
"Bah. Bad memories are bad memories. Legion doesn't want to remember themses!" Legion shrugged "Now, Legion has something to do. Goodbye!"
And the axe fighter left, jolly as ever. Lyn however, felt pity and bitterness in her mouth.
"How could you have done this to such a jolly man…? Twist him so hard as to break him psychologically…" Lyn balled her hand into a fist "That is wrong. So wrong…"
What appropriate timing to release this. This just shows how far behind I am compared to the actual game though. I'm only at CYL1 for the novelization while we already hit CYL3 in Heroes. Oh well. Such is the life for a single writer. Coming up next is the To Die on the Battlefield TT. If you want to be notified 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!