Chapter 15: The Trap

In a heavily forested area of Ylisse, Brutus is sitting on a stump while stirring a pot of something that looks like stew while Juniper is kneeling on the ground, overlooking what looks to be a diagram of the human body. Brutus is wearing a dark grey cloak, though he's got the hood down.

"Let's see..." says Juniper. "I could cut her on the kunckles. That would cause some good pain, but it probably wouldn't cause enough blood loss. Maybe the armpits or behind the knees. Those would be good areas to slice open."

Just then, Thomas approaches and is carrying a flask of dark violet liquid.

"Captain." says Thomas. "I made the Nightshade Potion like you asked me to."

"Very good." replies Brutus. "Pour it in."

Thomas uncorks the flask, and pours the liquid into the stew. The potion makes the stew turn a slight purple before Brutus' constant stirring has it go back to its original color, though slightly dark than before.

Brutus stops stirring to smell the stew a bit and says, "Perfect. She won't know what hit her. And it seems to go well with the seasonings I put in this stew. You've done well, Thomas."

"Flattering as it is to hear you say that to me, Captain, do you really think that woman Meredith fought will really come this way and alone?" asks Thomas. "After Meredith's screw up, she might be a little wary about encountering any more of us."

"We don't have a choice in the matter." says Brutus. "I have to admit, Meredith wasn't a complete idiot. Truth be told, she's actually right about us needing to remove this obstacle if we're to keep doing business in this country, and after the collapse of Pleiga, Ylisse's economy has boomed, so we need to get as much as we can out of this country as possible. Besides, you know my methods, Thomas. You know I can use techniques to separate an individual from a pack, so don't be too worried. As long as we don't invite the majority of the Shepherds, we'll be fine."

Thomas sighs and says, "I sure hope this plan works, Captain. Alright, I'm going back to keep an eye out for her. I'll let you know when she arrives."

After that, Thomas walks back in the direction he came from.

"Gee, that Thomas always has a big stick up his butt." says Juniper.

"Maybe so, but we do need him for both his hawk-like eyes and his apothocary skills." says Brutus. "They're two things that are going to help us if this woman is to come our way and we're to show her our influence."

"I know, Boss." says Juniper. "Still doesn't help he's Mr. No-Fun-At-All. As for me, I plan to have as much fun as possible learning more about our new guest. I wonder if she's some rare form of Manakete, or a newly evolved sub-species of human we've never seen before. It'll be so much fun seeing what makes her tick and how her powers work. What do you think, Boss? If we learn anything about this person, do you think we could use that for strategic purposes? I can hardly contain myself when it comes to all the possibilities!"

Brutus just sighs and follows it with, "Just stick to the plan, Juniper. We only hurt her severely if she doesn't cooperate. Of course, knowing the idealistic types, she probably won't. But even so, I still have my ways."

"I know, Boss." says Juniper. "And that's why I love working with you."

Back in the Shepherds' Garrison, Chrom is at the Shepherds' strategy table, and quite focused on it.

Robin approaches him from the side and asks, "Chrom? Are you okay? Dueling with more unpleasant thoughts like usual?"

Chrom sighs and says, "Just about always ever since Dizzy and her friends and family arrived. But mostly, I'm just concerned about what will happen down the road. I mean, Dizzy was only supposed to be here to drive off some great evil, but now, we have more things to worry about. Dizzy's new girls for example. I heard Aria mention Sol talking about the possibility of Gears taking over our world."

"Is that a big problem?" asks Robin. "I mean, so far, the only Gears we've seen the powers of have been Dizzy, her son and her brother who just arrived here shortly."

Chrom says, "Yet, according to Dizzy, what we saw of her aren't even her TRUE powers. Just what could she be capable of that could be beyond our understanding?"

"This isn't usually like you, Chrom." says Robin. "You're actually acting paranoid, or at least more than when Emmeryn was captured and sentenced to be executed."

Chrom sighs again and says, "It hasn't been long since I've become Exalt, and yet, I find myself dealing with a potential crisis that could make the Grima Incident seem like a mere footnote in history. I mean, seeing what Dizzy's brother and Ky are capable of alone should be more than enough for us to worry what potential threat we could be going up against. And before that, we saw what Dizzy could do, DESPITE the fact it wasn't her maximum potential, and that makes me worried if this threat is beyond our imagination. And if it is, then what can the Shepherds do about it?"

"Continue to fight, of course." says Robin.

Chrom looks at his tactician wife and asks, "Robin?"

"We've gone up against impossible odds before and people whose powers suppassed our own by miles." says Robin. "I suppose I need not remind you of Walhart, right?"

"How could I forget?" asks Chrom. "But even so, do you really think he'd be able to stand up to such powerful forces?"

Robin says, "Well, he was willing to take on Grima, so I imagine the odds would only excite him."

"Heh, perhaps you're right." says Chrom. "If anything, I more worried about where Dizzy may have roamed off to. After storming off like that after her brother's attack on her husband, it might be best to keep an eye out for her."

"Well then, let's do it." says Robin. "If we're to make sure she'll be all right, then let's get our best Shepherds to deal with anything that comes her way."

"Good idea." says Chrom. "I'll go get them right now."

"Let us both go." says Robin. "We're in this together in the end, remember?"

"Right." says Chrom before he and Robin walk off together.

In the forest close to the castle, Dizzy walks through it, still looking mad.

"Ooh, that brother of mine." says Dizzy. "How can he be so thick-headed and mean to my husband? If he cared about my happiness, he wouldn't interfere with things between Ky and me."

Dizzy sighs as she begins to calm down.

"I hope he'll be a better person down the road." says Dizzy. "In the meantime, maybe there's some forest animals here I can talk to that can make me happier."

As Dizzy looks around, she sees a red fox coming towards her.

Smiling, Dizzy kneels down as she says, "Hey there. Did you come to see me? I would appreciate the company."

Dizzy holds out her hand gently, and the fox sniffs of it before it starts to lick the end of her fingers.

Dizzy giggles and says, "That's right, I'm not going to hurt you. You're definitely as sweet one."

The fox then lets Dizzy pet its head.

Unbeknownst to her, Thomas has been keeping an eye on her as he then goes back to Brutus and Juniper, and says, "Captain, she's here. It's just our luck."

"Excellent." says Brutus. "Put the plan into motion. Create the fog, and try to have her lured here by the smell of this stew."

"Right." says Thomas before he heads off.

Juniper says, "I know I need to be quiet, but I can't contain my excitement! I'll have a new subject to dissect soon."

Brutus says, "Only if she doesn't agree to our terms. In the meantime, you go hide yourself."

"Righto." replies Juniper.

As Juniper goes into hiding, Brutus pulls the hood over his head.

As Thomas goes back to keeping an eye on Dizzy, he uses a special potion that ends up creating a thick, white fog as he uncorks it, slowly seeping through the woods.

As Dizzy continues to play with the fox, she notices the fog rolling in and says, "That's funny. And the weather looked so clear today. Where did this fog suddenly come in from?"

Dizzy stands back up and says, "Necro, Undine, what's going on here?"

Necro and Undine transform and Undine says, "This is impossible. The weather was good just a moment ago. I don't remember there being a fog rolling in, especially at this time of day."

Necro adds to that, "Something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark. We'd better be careful."

"I suppose we-" Dizzy starts to say before a sudden aroma fills her nose, making her quite curious. "Something smells good. Is someone cooking something?"

"If someone is, then they must not be too far away from us." says Undine.

"Right." says Dizzy. "You two better go back into wing form. We don't want to rudely surprise anyone not familiar with us."

"Be careful, Dizzy." says Undine before she goes back into wing form.

"I got the feeling this could be a trap, but there is the possibility I could be wrong." says Necro. "Just stay safe, Dizzy."

After Necro goes back into wing form, Dizzy begins to walk in the direction of the aroma.

After a while, she then approaches Brutus and the kettle he's stirring the stew in. Brutus still has his hood up.

"Uh, hello?" Dizzy asks.

Brutus looks in her direction, the hood masking his eyes and identity, and says, "Hello, young lady. Didn't expect to see you in these parts. Anyway, if you don't mind, I'm busy cooking a stew here."

"That's odd." says Dizzy. "You don't seem to be questioning me like where I come from, and why I have wings and a tail."

"Well, I've met many oddities in my travels." says Brutus kindly. "You won't believe what lies out there. I have to admit, though, you definitely are a unique one. I've seen many things, but never someone like you."

"Of course you wouldn't." says Dizzy. "You've more than likely never heard of a type of being called a Gear."

"And you'd be right." says Brutus. "But... I like to think of myself as open-minded, and always wanting to experience new things. I guess you can say I'm good at gathering data like that."

"Something we have in common, surprsingly." says Dizzy with a small laugh. "My Gear abilities make me good at absorbing information, and I always want to know more."

"I'd say I was in love if I didn't get the feeling you were already taken." says Brutus. "A woman of your beauty would more than likely have suitors at her beck and call, or that would be the case if I also didn't get the feeling that it's not just your wings and tail that people have to worry about when it comes to you."

"That is true in a way." says Dizzy. "It's mostly my level of power that scares people, and needless to say, my wings and tail are part of my power, among other things I can do. But yes, surprisingly, I do have a husband, and he and I even have a son. In fact, we just had twin daughters yesterday."

"Oh, congratulations." says Brutus. "Ah, but where are my manners? I should introduce myself. My name is Rodderick."

"Pleasure to meet you, Rodderick." says Dizzy. "My name is Dizzy."

"Dizzy, huh?" says Brutus. "Quite an odd name. I don't meet many out here with such a name, especially young ladies. Ah, but pay me no mind. I'm more than sure your name suits you well."

"So... what kind of stew are you making?" asks Dizzy.

Brutus says, "Oh, well... it's Venison Stew."

"Venison?" asks Dizzy. "You mean as in bear?"

"Absolutely." says Brutus. "That's not going to be a problem with you, is it?"

"Well, no." says Dizzy. "It's just... considering I lived in the forest back then, I always made friends with the animals, so to think of a beautiful creature being turned into food always makes me a little uncomfortable."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." says Brutus. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"No, it's okay." says Dizzy. "In the end, destruction caused by humans is all part of the natural cycle, and how they've evolved, humans can't survive on fruits and vegetables forever. After all, they do need protein. Plus, they are omnivores."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." says Brutus. "It's good to know you have a realistic side as well as idealistic one. Should make things easier for people to understand when it comes to you."

"So... uh..." Dizzy starts to say. "Do you mind if I have a taste?"

"Oh, by all means, help yourself." says Brutus.

He hands the stiring spoon to Dizzy.

As Dizzy slurps the roux, she tastes many flavors and seems to enjoy it.

"That's quite good." says Dizzy. "So many great herbs and spices must have went into this. But still, there's one I can quite tell what it is. Is it thyme? No. Sage? No. All-spice? No, that tends to be used for jerk rubs. What could this flavor be?"

Suddenly, like a mack truck, the effects of the poison hit Dizzy head on, and she starts to feel woozy.

Seeing this, Brutus casually lowers his hood, revealing his face as he asks, "Are you feeling something?"

Dizzy looks at him and weakly asks, "R-R-R-Rodderick? What did you... put in this stew?"

"Well, let's see..." Brutus starts to say. "I put in bear meet, carrots, potatoes, celery, tomatoes, corn, onions, mushrooms, beef broth, garlic, paprika, oregano, cilantro, and... what was that other ingredient? Ah yes! A special substance made from a flower called Nightshade."

After finishing his sentence, Brutus looks at the weakened Dizzy intently, who then asks, "Wha-you poisoned me? Why?"

"Look, it's nothing personal." says Brutus. "I just needed to have a word with you. You see... you did inspire one of my followers to do something incredibly stupid. Don't worry, you won't be seeing her or any of her men again. I took care of them. Properly. However... a dead follower is a mark against my reputation, and while she did something drastically careless, she was still someone I needed in order to better get what I was after. Now, do you know who I REALLY am?"

Dizzy then says as she stumbles back and lands on her butt, "Oh... Oh no."

Necro and Undine transform but are unable to act in any way aside from suffering poison.

"I knew I should've acted sooner." says Necro. "Damnit."

"I think we're in deep trouble." says Undine.

Brutus then gets up from the stump he was sitting on, and slowly walks up to Dizzy.

Dizzy, Necro and Undine look up at the crooked mercenary, and the young half-Gear asks, "Are you going to kill me?"

"No." Brutus calmly says before kneeling down. "At least, that's not my current intention. I just want to talk. I imagine a woman of your idealism and intelligence would want to do the same thing, and had you been someone less... dangerous, I wouldn't do what I just did to you. Actually, come to think of it, you did it to yourself. Sure, I was being awfully nice, but maybe this will teach you to not trust strangers so much. Then again, trickery and deception are some of the methods I've used to get as far as I have. And yet, your presence threatens that. That is something I cannot have. I'm sure even a bleeding-heart like yourself understands that, right?"

"But... I was only doing what the Shepherds needed done." says Dizzy.

"Precisely." says Brutus. "You see, you're only a piece of a bigger whole that I'm not keen on having ruin my plans. In fact, I try to avoid authorities as much as possible. And in these parts, the Shepherds are an authority I DESPERATELY try to avoid. However, while the Shepherds are my main concern, and you only a piece... you're still a piece I can't ignore after hearing about what you're capable of. Like I said, if you only weren't so dangerous, things would be different. But alas, it is what it is. And I know, you probably didn't ask for your abilities and other gifts, but it doesn't change the fact that certain actions have to be taken when it comes to you. I'm sure you can understand, right?"

"What do you want?" asks Dizzy.

"Here's the deal." says Brutus. "Seeing you now as only have less than 24 hours to live, I need to make this brief. I want you to tell the Shepherds to not follow us and deal with people that they should be dealing with. I know that sounds tough for such a simple request seeing as you must think I'm a criminal... and in a way, I am. However, I earn my living by providing services to people and getting what I can get as payment. Yes, my costs can be steep, and I may seem like a greedy bastard, but I have my own plans to make my perfect living. You see, many bad guys out there want to rule the world or destroy it, blah blah blah, I hear it so often. Thing is... none of those are me. I don't want to rule the world, because what good would come of that? There would be no fun to it, and the mystery of life would be gone. And I definitely don't want to destroy the world, because despite my nihilism, I do actually like living and I do want people to be around... because they're a good source of my income. However, the real reason I don't want to be tyrant or a warlord is because both tend to lose. Yes, you must feel the same way. Eventually, such villains are going to be brought down by the good guy. It's just how it is. Now this doesn't mean I plan to be someone who will uphold truth and justice, oh-ho-ho, no. I plan to make the ultimate killing I can, but I try to do it WITHOUT being a target for the good guys. Some men want to rule the world, some want to destroy it... but me? I'd rather fleece it. In the end, I just want to retire a happy man with a castle on the highest mountain with servants and women to fulfill my every desire, and the most delicious of food a man could live on. Sounds like a dream that's at least worth breaking the rules for, right?"

"But that's still wrong." says Dizzy. "You-you shouldn't take advantage of people. The Shepherds must stop people even like you."

"I knew that would be your answer." says Brutus with a small chuckle. "But, allow me to give you some motivation to fulfill my request." Brutus then pulls out a small vial of light blue liquid. "You're poisoned right now. And I have the cure."

Brutus skillfully flips the medicine across his fingers back and forth a few times to catch Dizzy's attention.

After the last time, he holds the vial in front of her as he says, "I know, it looks tempting. Doesn't it?"

Dizzy weakly tries to grab the vial, but Brutus pulls it away say, "Uh-uh. Do you and I have a deal? You promise to call Shepherds off of finding me, and you get the cure. Disagree? Well... I could just let the poison kill you, but not only would I risk letting you inform the Shepherds before you die... I would also deny my new Lieutenant the chance to learn more about you. Ever since Meredith told me about you, Juniper has been so eager to know what all goes into your very being. And believe me, if you knew she was capable of, you wouldn't want to satisfy her desire for knowledge on anatomy. So... what's it going to be?"

Dizzy says, "Normally, I wouldn't do this since I am who I am. But since I've been around Sol and my brother for so long, I'll take my chances."

Suddenly, Dizzy spits in Brutus' face.

Slowly wiping the spit off, Brutus looks quite unhappy as he says, "Well... if the Shepherds still aim to come after me, then I may as well give them some motivation as well as riding them of their strongest link." He then stands up and turns to look behind himself as he says, "Oh, Juniper! You have a new patient!"

A high-pitched squeal erupts from the trees, and Juniper immediately runs in, asking, "Does this mean what I think it means, Boss?"

"That's right, Lieutenant." says Brutus. "Have fun."

"YAAAAAY!" shouts Juniper. "Let's begin the operation, then!"

Just as Juniper is about to go and get Dizzy, Izzy flies out of nowhere, yelling out and punching Juniper right in the side of her face, then he fires a shot to send her flying away.

Brutus facepalms while letting out a frustrated grunt as he says, "Just what I needed."

Dizzy says with a weak smile, "Brother! You came!"

"You okay, Sis?" asks Izzy.

"Not entirely." says Dizzy. "This man here poisoned me."

"WHAT!?" shouts Izzy.

"Well, technically, she did it to herself." says Brutus. "I just made the poisoned stew. She volunteered to taste it. Then again, I made myself sound quite trustworthy, so you'd still blame me anyway."

"AND FOR THAT, YOU'RE DEAD!" shouts Izzy as he's ready to hit Brutus with a punch.

"Not so fast." says Brutus holding the vial of antidote. "I still have the cure. And you know what else I can do?"

Without warning, Brutus throws the vial against a rock, shattering it.

"Now, what do you plan to do?" asks Brutus. "You kill me, your sister still dies."

Though looking troubled, Izzy then smiles and smirks as he says, "Shows what you know. You must not know a damn thing about us Gears. Because our bodies are enhanced through magical means, our immune systems and antibodies can eliminate any poison you throw at us. Which means long after you're dead, Dizzy will be back in fine form."

"Maybe so." says Brutus as he unsheathes his Fellblade and points it over Dizzy's leg. "However, I always have a backup plan. Take another step further and this sword will kill her faster than that poison will. Her life for mine sounds like a fair trade. As long as my men and women stay alive, you will never win."

"I wouldn't talk so fast." says Izzy. "While you and I have been talking, the Shepherds have been rounding up your little toadies, so even if you manage to escape, your forces will be significantly weakened. How do you like that?"

Brutus' eye twitches, but tries to downplay it as he says, "I wouldn't worry too much about that; I told them to go into hiding before I did all of this. Before you know it, they'll be safe from any of you."

"Tell that to these morons!" says Chrom's voice.

Brutus turns to see Chrom and other Shepherds throwing down the now captured members of Brutus' forces.

Brutus' expression looks more and more irritated.

Ky appears next to Chrom, who then says, "Your majesty... Dizzy is your wife, so I think it's only fair that you get to bring him down."

Ky unsheathes the Magnolia Eclair, fires it up with blue electricity and says, "I'd be glad to."

Unknown to the rest, Brutus pulls out a flask of grey potion in his other hand.

Sin appears as well and says, "You're not going to leave me out! I'll make this guy pay for hurting my mom!"

"Well, looks like you're all out of options." says Izzy smugly.

"Not quite." says Brutus.

Without another word, Brutus stabs Dizzy in the leg with his Fellblade, pain roaring through her body from both the blade in her flesh and necrotic magic as she screams in agony.

"YOU BASTARD!" shouts Izzy as he, Ky and Sin rush in to attack Brutus.

However, before any of them can reach him, Brutus throws the flask and a thick, grey mist forms, obscurring his figure. However, the three manage to make contact with something.

"Did we get him?" asks Sin.

Suddenly, as the mist clears, Brutus is no longer there, but instead, there stands Sol who has blocked the three attacks and says, "Good thing I intervened. You three knuckleheads almost hit each other."

"Where did he go?!" shouts Sin.

"Let's worry more about Dizzy right now." says Sol.

Dizzy puts her hands on her wound, panicking out of both pain and fear.

Sol kneels down next to Dizzy and says, "This is not good. Her immune system is keeping both the poison and magic from that guy's sword from killing her. But since it's working overtime, it could be the very thing that ends up killing her instead. We've got to move fast!"

"Bring her to my room in the castle!" shouts Ky. "We'll treat her in there!"

Not saying another word, Sol takes Dizzy in his arms and runs back in the direction of the castle.

"I can't believe this." says Izzy. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't been such a stubborn jackass, Sis wouldn't be in this situation."

Stahl runs over to the stew and starts to smell it. Knowing the scent, he says, "She was poisoned by Nightshade! I know what to do!"

Frederick, "Really?!"

"Yes, but I need to hurry!" says Stahl as he scoops a bit of the stew into a vial before taking off.

"Let's go then!" shouts Chrom. "We haven't much time to lose!"

And with that, everyone runs back in the direction of Castle Ylisse.

To Be Continued in Chapter 16.