Phila kept a hand over her face to keep the sun out of her eyes as she swept her gaze over the dry grasslands. To her left, she observed the pegasus knight rear her head back and take a long sniff. Phila did the same.
The desert air smelled arid and brittle, sharp like a rapier's tip, and Phila coughed. She glanced beside her, but the woman seemed unfazed by the scorched air, much to her irritation.
"Halt!"
Phila almost jumped at the sudden order. She yanked the reins back, and her pegasus whined in protest as she forced it to a stop.
The pegasus knight at her side groaned. "Captain, can we head back now? We've been on the hunt for a week already."
The woman at the front swerved her own pegasus to face them, tips of chocolate brown hair peeking out from under her helmet. "We may return once we have the traitor in custody, Helena," she said, her flat tone giving away no emotion. "Until then, if the wicked have no rest, then neither shall we."
Helena looked like she wanted to protest, but wisely kept her complaints to herself. "Very well."
Then, the pegasus knight captain turned her flat gaze to Phila. "Cadet Phila. Is there anything you can tell me about this place, just from observation?"
"Well..." Phila took a second to gather her thoughts, scanning over the landscape around her, from the yellow plains to the parched forest in the distance and the small village below her, bustling with life.
"This should be an empty patch of land, according to our maps," she said. "For some reason, this village isn't on them."
"And why might that be?"
"Either no one has ever left this village, or..."
"Or?"
"The residents want to keep it hidden, for one reason or another. Is that correct, Captain?"
"From what I've gathered, it is. A village of scoundrels and rapscallions." The pegasus knight captain narrowed her eyes.
Helena groaned. "Ugh. We won't have to round everyone up, will we?"
"Unfortunately not. As much as it pains me to admit, the three of us are hardly enough to bring these fiends to justice, and by the time I have a suitable force mobilized, there's no guarantee they will stay put. Our task here is to capture the traitor. Any more would be... unnecessary."
From the edge of her vision, something caught Phila's eye. "Captain?"
"Is there something you wish to say?"
"What did you say the traitor looked like?"
"Witnesses described her as a small woman with blue hair, possibly a traitor from the royal bloodline itself. Why do you need to know?"
Phila raised her lance and pointed to a tiny blue figure weaving through the tall grass, growing smaller by the second. "That wouldn't happen to be her, would it?" she said.
The pegasus knight captain followed the tip of her lance. She peered out in the distance for a minute, before she said, "I do believe it is."
Lucina's father had never run from a fight. In all the awe-inspiring and incredible tales she'd heard about him, not once had he ever turned tail and fled. Even when there was no hope to be had, he was always there at the front lines, his sword cutting his foes down. His father's friends claimed his boundless courage inspired people to beat the insurmountable odds.
As ashamed as she was to admit it, the moment she heard those wings flap, she dropped everything and ran.
It was the only sensible thing to do, she tried to tell herself. Battling the pegasus knights would be the last thing on any sane person's mind.
Cynthia's mother had been notorious as a monster on the battlefield. She had witnessed the woman wade thigh-deep into Risen bile, cutting swathes into the undead without a second of hesitation, writing ballads of a purple-stained heroine with a quill of silver wherever she went, and although she had never met her, she'd heard stories of the red-haired woman who was the epitome of grace carved into a vessel built for battle.
Even if their predecessors only held a fraction of their finesse, Lucina held no false hope that she could last even a second against them.
Lucina knew what her father would do. He would turn and stand his ground. Sword in hand, he would calm down the pegasus knights, and with his endless charisma, he would convince them they had nothing to fear, and that he was innocent. Relieved smiles would be shared, and they would leave her father with a warning, retreating to report to Aunt Emmeryn that the culprit had disappeared, and history would continue as normal.
She wasn't willing to take that chance, not with her father's future on the line.
As she sprinted over the dry grass, her gaze honed in on the forest just ahead. If she managed to slip past, the tangled growth and thick canopy would shield her from aerial attacks. The few hundred yards of the open field appeared daunting, but once she crossed it, she would be safe. Goal set, all Lucina had to do was reach it. Simple enough.
Years of battle-hardened instinct screamed of an incoming attack. Lucina dodged to the left, just as a streak of yellow ripped through the side of her coat.
In her place only moments before, a javelin embedded itself into the dirt. Lucina's feet threatened to trip her for the sudden stop. She barely managed to steer herself around it, but another javelin was already on its way.
Lucina threw herself to the side again. She felt the rush of air as the javelin tore over her, felt the cloud of dirt thrown up by the impact trickle down her back.
Someone cursed. Lucina was back on her feet much faster this time. As she pulled herself back together, she looked over her shoulder. The pointed end of a third javelin stared her down, growing closer by the second.
Lucina's legs pulled her forward, but something screamed for her to hold back. She lurched instead. The javelin flew past her stomach, straight through where she would have been a second later.
Lucina didn't wait for the pegasus knights to try their luck again. By the time they reached for another volley, Lucina took off for the forest again. She hadn't even taken five steps before the javelins came for her once more.
The first sailed over her head. Lucina twisted herself away to avoid hitting the haft, but a second forced her back. A third javelin planted itself into the dust to her other side before she could even consider it.
Lucina stumbled back. She looked around her, and she realized she was surrounded. Pegasus knights watched her from every side.
A shadow blocked out the sun. Lucina spun around. Wings spread wide, the pegasus knight reared up, and she thrust forward. Her lance swung down, aimed straight for Lucina's arm. She leaped to the side.
The cloak wrapped around her neck tightened, throwing her to the ground. Lucina gasped for breath, helpless to watch as the steel blade swept over her. She lifted her eyes.
Her cloak was pinned beneath the third javelin, the one she thought had missed. Desperately, she tugged at her cloak, but it refused to budge.
The first pegasus knight hadn't even left her sight before the second descended. Lucina gazed up at her attacker. Her eyes were dead set on her, so sure she couldn't move away.
At the last second, Lucina rolled away. The pegasus knight's steel lance stabbed down, carving a line into the dirt, then through Lucina's cloak, missing her hand by inches.
The force wrapped around her neck disappeared. Lucina caught a glimpse of the pegasus knight again, her eyes widening in surprise. The pegasus whined as its rider forced it to turn, but Lucina had already pushed herself off the ground. Her feet slipped out from under her. Lucina caught herself before she fell, and forced herself into a sprint.
In front of her, she saw the first pegasus knight give ground. The temptation to rush forward presented itself, but there was something strange about the way she swung her lance around.
She's signalling the others, Lucina realized.
It was then she noticed the pegasus knight charging in from her left. Lucina hurled herself back just as the pegasus knight sped past her, watching as the steel lance slashed through where she'd been seconds ago.
The first pegasus knight signaled again. She heard the telltale flap of wings, behind her this time. Lucina jumped away, and she felt the force of another missed stab breeze over her back.
As the pegasus knights reared back for another attack, again she found herself wishing for a weapon at her side. Unarmed and tired, Lucina saw no way to escape. And with the forest barely within reach, it seemed almost cruel. Unless...
An idea dawned on her. One her father would have seen from a mile away. Her eyes fell to the first pegasus knight, her lance raised in the air, then to the forest just behind her.
The pegasus knight's lance swung down. The pegasus knights to Lucina's sides lunged. Lucina twisted away, slipping past them as they crossed over her. Then she charged.
The most reaction she caught on the first pegasus knight's face was a raised eyebrow. Her pegasus lowered to meet her, its wings folding back. Her silver lance gleamed dangerously, almost as if to warn her.
Lucina's feet carried her forward. The pegasus knight raised her lance. Lucina leaned to the left. The silver lance followed her, before it sprung forth.
At the last second, Lucina turned and threw herself beneath the pegasus's hooves. It gave a startled cry, flaring its wings in fright. The pegasus knight shouted and pulled at the reins, but by the time she brought it back under control, Lucina was already behind her, disappearing into the trees.
Twigs snapped and leaves crunched as she stumbled through the foliage. Her foot caught on a root, and she nearly tripped. Blind desperation was what caused her to grab onto a nearby branch. It snapped under her weight, but by then, she was already pressing onward.
Ferns slapped against her face, and the encroaching darkness hid a few more protrusions from her sight. Several times, she almost lost her balance, each fall spiking her already furious heart rate. All that mattered was putting as much distance between her and those pegasus knights.
At last, when her lungs could take no more, and her heart screamed for rest, Lucina let herself fall limp against the sturdy trunk of a tree. As she took in great gulps of air, her limbs burning now that the adrenaline had drained away, Lucina eyed her torn cloak. She traced a finger over the fringed edge, her expression mournful. Though it may have been a piece of cloth, it was a piece of cloth that had seen her through struggles, both present, and future. It hadn't been necessary to discard, not like her badge, and yet it had given its life for her escape.
Her eyes wandered to the edge of the forest. To her relief, the two pegasus knights didn't dare enter, not with all the trees in the way. Her cloak's sacrifice hadn't been in vain.
Had it?
Wait. Two pegasus knights? Lucina's heart stopped. Where did the third–
A crash snapped her from her thoughts. Lucina spun around, eyes wide. Leaves fell to the ground, shredded into bits, and a white blur descended through the treetops.
Lucina barely had time to cry out before a silver lance embedded itself into her leg. Her hands fell to the shaft. Her fingers wrapped around it. Lucina didn't even have the chance to tug on it before the pegasus knight slammed a leg into her chest.
Lucina threw out her arms, but her weight dragged her down. The back of her head exploded in pain. Her vision swam.
And darkness claimed her.
Robin's mother always told him that, with a mind as brilliant as his, no corner of the world would remain unknown to him. That no mystery would remain unsolved to him.
No mystery except that of his father.
No matter how much he tried to figure it out, he could not figure anything about the man. He'd asked his mother if he'd died in a battle, or if he was a traveling merchant off to sell his wares, but any answers he received from her led only to more questions. The other townsfolk had never even heard of the man, so they were no help either.
All he knew so far was that, firstly, his father had white hair because that's how babies worked, wasn't it? And secondly, there was something that kept his father away from home.
I bet father would be more than happy to help me find my rat, Robin thought as he scoured the bushes.
Trees loomed overhead, casting deep shadows over the forest floor. Peeking through the leaves he could still see his home in the distance, so tiny it could probably fit in his hand. All around him, he could hear the crickets warm up as they prepared to sing.
Robin tuned them out. He was a boy on a mission, and no pretty insects would steer him from his path.
Cupping his mouth, Robin turned to the sky and yelled, "Come out, come out wherever you are!"
Somewhere to his left, a few leaves rustled. Robin's head snapped onto it. Was that his rat he heard?
The wooden snap that followed told him it wasn't. His rat was hardly heavy enough to break twigs. Maybe it was some kind of predator?
Just to be safe, Robin turned the other way, and he pushed past a low-hanging branch, pressing on with his search.
"Mister Scurries," he called again, "Where are you?"
Robin ducked under another branch, only to run face-first into a wall of purple. He looked up. Two red eyes stared back.
For a second, he was afraid.
"Child. What business do you have here?"
Hearing his voice, though, Robin realized that this was a person, not the monster under his bed, and his fear fell back.
"Oh! I'm searching for my rat," Robin said, stepping back. "His name is Mister Scurries. Have you seen him?"
Now that he was not so close, Robin took a moment to look at the man. The first thing he noticed was that the robes draped over his thin, stick-like body were the same color as his mother's tablecloth. It even had those strange, sleeve-like appendages on the sides, just like his mother's tablecloth which, now that he thought about it, might have been actual sleeves. His face was narrow like an arrowhead, and his smile curled in all the strangest places that made Robin feel like he was wearing another skin.
"Child?" Another man appeared behind the first, wearing the same robes like they were twins. He licked his lips, before he said, "Shall I take it upon myself to... take care of this one, milord?"
"Lay a hand on him and I'll take care of you!" The man's smile warped in an instant. The change was so sudden, Robin almost jumped.
When he turned back to Robin, the smile was back, like nothing ever happened. "Now tell me, what is this rat we're hunting for look like? Perhaps I can be of assistance?"
"Really?" Robin's face lit up in excitement. He was so lucky to have met such a nice man! If he helped him look for his rat, there wasn't anything to worry about. "Well, he's very long like a ferret, but he's different because he's much cuter than a ferret. He's also very thin because he's always hungry. You wouldn't have happened to see any berry bushes close by, have you? Because he might be there."
"A pity," the man said, and he cupped his chin. "I've not seen any berry bushes. I do, however, have an inkling where your 'rat' may be hiding."
"Where?"
The man looked back at his twin. For some reason, he chuckled. Robin had the sinking feeling that he didn't really know where his rat was, and that something was wrong. But what?
"Follow us, child. Follow us, and witness something far beyond anything a pathetic rat could do."
Validar's cloak billowed behind him as he stepped past his son. Leaves crunched underfoot like a crashing river, the Grimleal melting out of the shadows one by one.
His hand glowed purple, and as he set his eyes on the small town visible just beyond the trees, for the first time in months, he smiled.
Rat hunting indeed.
Things are finally converging. Everything I've done so far, tied together with one big action scene.
This is one of those things I really thought I was going to have to delay a week. Stuff just didn't string together right, and this chapter fought me word for word. If I've made any mistakes, feel free to point them out because I probably missed a few.
Also, I'm not sure how I feel about the action here. With something like Brotherhood of Smash, obviously I have a ton more toys to play with. I could have characters throw around entire cities and no one would complain, but with the more simplistic action here, I sort of feel a little underwhelmed. Any feedback is welcome.
Next chapter will hopefully be ready by next Tuesday. It depends on it it will be more cooperative than this one. Until then, I wish you all well, and stay safe!