"You know, Cyril, they used to call me 'Easterling'."

The young Almyran man tilted his head, confusion etched into his face. "I don't even know what that means."

They were on the cusp of Ordelia territory after a little over a week of traveling. It wouldn't be long until they could begin asking around, or if things were more dire, following the path of destruction. After all, the machines had to have come from somewhere. And it didn't occur to Ashton that was the case until they were nearly there.

He steeled himself for what might come. But until then, he saw fit to get a better read on the newcomer to their group. He hadn't spoken to Cyril at all, after all, even if he was apparently close to Seiros at one point. Cyril couldn't have been older than maybe twenty, but his build spoke of the war he had endured up to that point. In the mountainous and cold region of the southeastern Alliance, there was little to do during the down time between travel but talk or go hunting, and Arawn already had the hunting covered alongside Shez.

Ashton knew those two were developing something. It was strange, considering Shez's original fixation on Byleth, but it was welcome nonetheless. She was a powerful fighter, and people always fought even harder when someone they love is on the line.

Ashton shrugged. "It used to mean someone from Almyra, a long time ago. Back before there was even an Almyra, I wager."

Cyril snorted. "Is that what they used to call you?"

"Yes. I don't understand why, either. You and I look nothing alike."

Shaking his head, Cyril said, "I don't know why you told me that. Are you bored? I mean, yeah, you don't look much like an Almyran or Easterling or whatever, but it's not like people back then or people now have a lotta experience with people from other places."

"Am I correct in saying that the most contact with the outside world that Fódlan has is during wars? Wars of invasion?" Ashton asked. "I cannot exactly blame people now for being wary of outsiders, but back then- it was just strange, is what I am saying, and seeing you and Claude, makes it more inexplicable to me."

Cyril shrugged. "Like I said, you're trying to explain the views of people that're long gone. Can't exactly speak for 'em."

"I suppose I cannot," Ashton admitted. "What is Almyra like, if you do not mind my asking? I am assuming you grew up there, of course, or at least partially."

Cyril narrowed his eyes. "Ya want the long version or short?"

"Short for now; I think the others will be back soon."

"It's like if Fódlan celebrated every battle regardless of it being a victory or defeat," Cyril said. "I don't got a lotta good things to say about Almyra. I'm here now, and that's what matters."

Ashton leaned back, closing his eyes for a few moments and taking a deep breath. "If only everyone had that perspective, Cyril."

"They'd probably be a lot happier. I don't regret where I am or what I've done. All that matters is that I'm here now, ya know?"

Ashton let out a humorless chuckle. "Yeah. A lot happier, indeed."

The conversation was going nowhere quickly, so Ashton was almost glad when they were interrupted by a rustling in the bushes nearby. Looking over, Ashton expected to see either Arawn with Shez or Seiros with Flayn, but instead, he was greeted by three people. Cyril had his hand on the handle of his axe, but quickly let go when he, too, saw who it was.

"Apologies for the long wait, father," Arawn said, "however, while I was hunting elk, I came across a different kind of prey."

"He means Catherine," Shez said quickly. "We found Catherine. She followed us."

"Yes, because father is blind and needs to be told of the person between our two weapons, Shez," Arawn drawled.

True to their word, between Shez's ephemeral sword and Arawn's axe stood Catherine, looking a bit worse for wear with messy blonde hair and slightly sunken eyes. Beyond that, though, she seemed eerily calm.

"Did she come to kill me?" Ashton asked. "Because if she did, she isn't very good at it."

"She has barely said a word since I caught her," Arawn replied. "Truthfully, I almost wanted to execute her on the spot, but that would make mother angry, and I would rather not deal with that right now."

"Then let her speak!" Cyril demanded. "She's a knight! She wouldn't just kill someone."

Ashton waved a hand, and Arawn and Shez lowered their weapons, though their eyes were still trained on Catherine. The wayward knight stepped forward.

"Any reason I wasn't invited?" Catherine asked. "And where's Lady Rhea and Lady Flayn?"

"I thought you would make a good addition as well, Catherine," Ashton said, "but Arawn wouldn't have it. As for Seiros and Flayn, well, they are out right now. Either hunting or finding a way forward through this mountainous terrain. So, you'll need to wait for them to show up. In the meantime, you can speak to me."

"Great," Catherine grumbled, "a week of tailing you and I have to talk to you. I'm so happy."

"I'm glad to hear that. It fills my heart with joy," Ashton replied, frowning.

"It is good to know father can barely stomach you as well, zealot," Arawn said, putting away his axe. "No doubt mother will allow you to stay. I see no reason for you to not stay, at least. It is always good to have a few meatshields."

"I'll be better than that," Catherine claimed. "With Thunderbrand in hand, I'm nearly unstoppable."

"Good. I was worried the remains of my kin would be allowed to rest. It is fine of you to continue using their corpse as a weapon of destruction. I am sure they would have wanted it this way."

Catherine's eyes narrowed. "A weapon is a weapon."

"Yes. I can say that me beating you to death with your own arm is holy, but would you believe that?"

"Oh, great, we needed someone else to victimize," Shez grumbled.

"I'll be sure to have you both on opposite sides of the camp, whenever we break for it," Ashton said, "hopefully Seiros and Flayn will have found something. We didn't bring nearly as many rations as we should have."

It turned out that Shez's help would not be needed, at least insofar as finding the Agarthan base was concerned. The mercenary's help was still appreciated, but the farther they went into Ordelia territory, the clearer it became that the machine god's minions did not leave the area unscathed. Torched forests and salted earth became an all too common sight the farther in they went, all pointing towards a specific area of the mountains.

Despite the remains of flames, the wasteland was as cold as a frigid morning in northern Faerghus during the winter. Ashton wished he had brought a coat, or at least lined his armor with fur. A deadly wind trailed across the jagged spikes that had once been trees, kicking up ash and dust in small twisters that died almost as soon as they had been created. It was like walking through a nightmare.

"Wasn't there a former student who was from the Ordelia territory?" Ashton asked quietly as the group traveled through the wastes.

"Her name was Lysithea," Cyril responded, his tone betraying a certain fondness. "She's… not gonna like what's become of this place."

Ashton had no frame of reference for the young woman, but even then he could imagine that Cyril was understating.

As they traveled farther into the ruined territory, Ashton saw the blackened remains of villages, and inside them, the bodies of their inhabitants. He had to look away. It was easier when he was merely looking at a blasted hellscape, but seeing the carnage wrought upon the people's bodies, he could only hope that their deaths were quick.

Seiros was eerily quiet, but Ashton could feel the anger she was radiating. He had known her long enough to feel it; he had to, sometimes, as she refused to show much emotion in front of those she desired to respect her. Not that Ashton was blaming Cyril or Catherine, but no doubt they were the reason she was putting on the airs of a fearless leader.

Despite her nature, Ashton had only seen her transform a handful of times, and only when no one was around. Oftentimes, traits of her Nabatean heritage would surface, such as slit pupils or sharper teeth, but never a full transformation; just enough to show that she was either beginning to lose control, or that she wanted you to see it. When she saw the bodies that Ashton was too sickened to look at for more than a few seconds, he saw her face, and nearly drew back in fear.

"If only…" Seiros said, her lips curled back in a snarl. "If only I had known of this. I would have stopped it. I will ensure that this 'Prometheus' pays for this."

Ashton had no doubt that she would try, but for all of her power, Seiros was not a god. Even if Prometheus did not consider itself a god, it had enough power to basically be one. The Agarthans certainly considered him as a part of their pantheon, and the results of their summoning of it were all around them. If the blasted mountains of the Ordelia territory was not an act of a vengeful god, then Ashton didn't know what else could serve as an example.

"They had to come from somewhere," Ashton whispered, half to himself and half to Seiros. "I guess it makes sense that they wouldn't leave the territory unscathed. Still, I… I cannot look at this."

"I have seen this sort of carnage only once before, and I hadn't wished to see it again," Seiros said quietly, turning around afterward. "It cannot be allowed to happen again, I told myself. Though it was humans who had done it, not all of them were responsible. To see this… if this is what Prometheus meant but 'pruning' then it must be stopped, Ashton. We need to keep going."

"There's a path you can see, right?" Ashton said, pointing along the ashen roads. "They came from the east, near the coast, by the looks of it. If we keep going, surely we will find what we are looking for. I only worry for Shez. You know that she and Arawn are-"

"I would rather we did not discuss that. Not right now," Seiros said, "not that I disapprove; I have long given up on controlling what Arawn can do. He is his own man, now. But that is not a conversation to be had while among these bodies."

Ashton nodded. "I understand. We should catch up with the others, then. They'll have moved on by now."

The shattered coastline came into view. While there were many ports in Fódlan, with trade between other parts of the world, none of them had set up shop at the outskirts of Ordelia territory. Which made sense, as the coastline was jagged with cliffs and sharp rocks that dotted the waters. Any ship attempting to make port with a potential trading hub would be torn apart by the terrain itself. With such isolation, no wonder the Agarthan base had been hidden for so long; only isolated villages were built in those new wastes, with their people hidden away from much of the known world.

While the destruction grew less intense the closer they got to its epicenter, that did not mean the trail had gone cold. Lines in the barely-grassed dirt, or craters in the dirt still dotted the landscape, and the sky grew dimmer and starless at night. It was as if they were leaving the atmosphere of the planet.

The entrance to the Agarthan base was eventually found at noon, and at one point it was likely very difficult to see. However, the release of Prometheus' minions, and perhaps the awakening of the machine god itself had long stripped away whatever camouflage the entrance had. A deep, dark hole into the earth is what greeted the group, its depths beyond the scope of Ashton's vision as he looked down, feeling his stomach doing jumping jacks as he took several steps back from the edge.

The terrain around the pit looked like a blasted heath, with the burn marks stretching out from the center and slithering out into the sparse grass nearby, like the tentacles of a kraken. Twisted metal dotted the landscape, indicating that whatever the entrance to the Agarthan base had been, it was metal at one point.

Ashton went back to the edge of the pit, looking down again and trying to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach.

"Feeling sick, father?" Arawn asked. "I would advise against jumping."

"Yes, because I was just about to try that. Thank you for warning me, son," Ashton barked back, shaking his head as he paced near the pit. "Well, this is an issue."

"Can't they turn into dragons?" Shez said, pointing vaguely at Seiros, Arawn, And Flayn. "Seems like that'd be the easiest way, unless we're confident in our climbing abilities."

"I am afraid and can no longer change my form," Flayn replied, bowing her head. "I lost that ability long ago. Or rather, I gave it up. It would not have helped us anyway, as I did not have wings."

"I shoulda brought my wyvern, it would've made this easier," Cyril said, "but I guess it would've taken longer, huh?"

"Our true forms should not be taken for granted," Seiros said, crossing her arms over her chest as she peeked over the edge of the pit. "But if there is no other way, then perhaps we-"

The earth shook with subdued force, as if something deep below had collapsed. Everyone went silent. It was followed a moment later by another one, as dust shook away from the ground and vaguely covered the pit, where the tremors came from.

"That's not good," Ashton mumbled, mostly to himself as he brought out the Aurora Hammer. "Not good at all."

He had no idea what they would do if it turned out to be Prometheus coming up from the hole, or whatever passed for Prometheus' vessel. True, they had Seiros and Arawn on their side, who could turn into dragons if the situation called for it, but Ashton still had his doubts. Something was crawling out from the pit, and he dreaded seeing what.

Ashton saw Seiros unsheathe her blade, Arawn unhooking his axe, Shez summoning her sword, and he knew that whatever came out of that hole needed to be dealt with quickly.

And almost as fast as it had come, the rumbling stopped. Ashton did not move from his place, anticipating whatever had made the noise would jump out of the hole any minute.

True to his thoughts, it wasn't long before it arrived.

One, scythe-like appendage launched itself out of the hole and slammed into the ground, nearly killing Catherine where she stood. Quick thinking on Cyril's part ensured that she did not die, but another came out of the pit as well, and slowly hoisted up the creature's body. The sound of groaning, straining metal reached Ashton's ears as if the entire abomination was in pain. When he beheld the whole creature, Ashton's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

It was like looking at a giant tarantula. A hundred eyes covered what amounted to its face. Liquid dripped from its two fangs, looking more like two sets of jaws than actual fangs as it chomped voraciously. The entire creature was made of the same red metal that Prometheus' minions were made of, but the spider was much larger and more armored, so much so that he could see almost no breaks in the creature's armor.

Its full body couldn't even climb out of the hole, it was so massive. Ashton could hear a scraping noise every time it moved, as if the walls of the hole could barely hold half of it. Its hundreds of eyes took in everything around it, and when it spotted the group, a steam-like hiss echoed throughout the wasteland as light gathered in its pseudo-jaws.

"Move!" Ashton shouted, just in time for a red beam of energy to shoot out from the spider's mouth. It surged forward until it struck the earth, splitting it apart and sending bits of scorched dirt and dust through the air. Ashton nearly choked as the cloud covered him, yet still he could see the red beam move in an arc all around the creature, until finally it dissipated.

Ashton decided to do the one thing he felt he could do in such a situation: hit the beast with all of his strength in what he presumed to be its weakest point - its legs. They were thinner than the rest of the spider's body, and were likely what was keeping the thing firmly anchored to the side of the hole. Without it, perhaps it would plummet into the abyss and be destroyed.

When Ashton slammed his hammer into the leg that nearly splattered Catherine against the earth, it dented the metal, but did nothing to actually break through it. As if in response, the creature raised its leg, ready to stamp down on Ashton. Despite the creature's size, it was fast, and Ashton barely had the time to move out of the way before he was sent flying from a mere glancing blow.

Through the dust, Ashton could see a vague green light briefly before disappearing, and he had a hunch on what had happened. Getting to his feet, he looked forward to see the creature turn its gaping maw to where the light had come from, and for a brief moment, Ashton could've sworn he saw nothing but hate behind its eyes.

And then the appendage he had slammed the Aurora Hammer into to no real effect was sheared in half by a beam of pure white energy. Even from his distance, Ashton could feel how cold it was, and for a few moments he could see his own breath. The spider let out a pained scream as the dust finally cleared, and Ashton saw her.

It had been some time since last he had seen the Immaculate One in all of her glory. Almost nothing had changed about Seiros' dragon form; while it was indeed grisly looking, with a mouth full of sharp, needle-like teeth and cloudy eyes, he felt no fear.

He only felt concern when the spider retaliated with a beam of its own, striking the Immaculate One in the chest and sending her back. She dug in the heels of her back legs into the ground, tanking the blow before roaring once, and a moment later another beam came from her maw, striking the spider directly in the face.

It cut through the armor, and Ashton could hear the sound of scraping and denting metal as the scream of the spider was abruptly cut short. It stopped moving, the sound of groaning metal in the air for a few moments before one by one, its legs lost grip on the sides of the hole. A few moments later, and the spider fell into the abyss. Ashton listened closely, but he felt the impact of the beast's body and he never heard it.

Ashton looked around for a few moments before taking a deep breath. "By the Goddess, what the hell was that?"

"If I should wager a guess? One of the many atrocities Prometheus has dropped onto the Agarthans," Arawn stated, waving his hand around at the incessant dust everywhere. "It's not madness to make assumptions, father. That thing was a special type of madness all its own."

"The creatures we faced in Ailell and Derdriu were nothing like that," Catherine stated, sheathing Thunderbrand. "Those were in the shape of men. This thing was like a spider. The only thing that was the same was the-"

"The metallic carapace, I am aware," Arawn said, narrowing his eyes. "Whatever the case, mother was able to kill it. I doubt that was the only horror awaiting us within. There could be dozens of mechanical monstrosities awaiting us within the halls of this place."

"How many Agarthans were inside that thing, if that's the case?" Ashton asked, "or are they something completely different? Made from the materials inside the base, perhaps?"

"It cannot be known until we go inside ourselves," Flayn said, dusting herself off.

"It makes no difference," Seiros' voice echoed across the wasteland, her head held high as she looked down on the group. "We must descend anyway. Climb atop me, and we shall see the end of this nightmare soon."

These chapters just get shorter and shorter, huh? This one didn't even crack 4k words lol.