Dark Abyss
Chapter 5: Demon of the Red Canyon
"This… This does not feel right. Sending students into battle…"
Byleth lowered his head, hiding a small frown as he marched alongside his students. They had set out a few hours ago, and troubled thoughts had plagued him ever since. Granted, he had enlisted some of his father's mercenaries, and the church had provided the support of a few of their knights, yet he could not shake the feeling of unease in his mind.
Zanado, the Red Canyon.
The name, not to mention the place, raised a great number of questions. The archbishop had told him next to nothing, and not even his own father had much to share. Byleth wondered if that was simply due to a lack of knowledge, or because Lady Rhea would not allow that either.
Jeralt's presence on the battlefield would have made things much easier, but no less educational. He could have bolstered the students' morale, as well as shared his considerable leadership experience. Not having him along for this mission was, to put it frankly, an utterly daft decision.
"Indeed. The archbishop… Her reasoning eludes me."
A mercenary then tapped him on the shoulder, and Byleth looked over to see the armored man pointing toward a cliff in the distance.
"Demon, over there-"
He stared pointedly; the narrowing of his eyes cutting the man off.
"I mean, sir." corrected the mercenary. "Over there, in the distance. A trail of smoke… It must be the bandits."
Byleth concurred. Most likely the ragtag group of bandits had set up camp atop the canyon's cliffs, and lit a fire for food or warmth.
"Could it be a trap? Surely, not even bandits could be so foolish."
He shook his head. He had seen a lot of foolishness before, and this did not even come close to reaching the top of the list.
"Mortals…"
Byleth raised his hand, effectively bringing the marching to a halt. He turned around, facing his students and the handful of troops they were to command.
"The enemy has been sighted." he said, motioning toward the towering pillar of smoke.
"It won't be long before they learn of our arrival. Without knowledge of their numbers or formations, the element of surprise will be critical to ensure an easy victory."
At worst, the bandits were already aware of their arrival. They currently held the high ground, and should be able to spot their approach from a mile away. Not even the Oghma Mountains' many crooks, hills and thick-leaved trees could hide them this far up.
"Professor." said Petra, who was readying her bow. "I am seeing a bridge up ahead. After the bridge, the path is splitting. Perhaps we can be attempting a…"
The girl faltered, having trouble to find the right word.
"Oh, I get it!" said Caspar excitedly. "A pincer attack!"
"Yes, that is it! Many thanks, Caspar."
The boy rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, refusing to meet Petra's eyes. He let out a hesitant laugh, and shook off the thanks.
"A good idea." said Byleth. "Miss Macneary, Miss Hresvelg and Mister Vestra will lead the charge along the western trail."
They all commanded a battalion of their own, and were the most capable of acting responsibly alone. However, they would still require someone to back them up in case of an emergency.
"Mister Hevring." he said, looking at Linhardt. "I will be counting on you to aid your classmates."
The perpetually sleepy boy nodded, but it was still not good enough. It was one thing to let his students work alone in the mock battle, and another thing entirely when they were faced with the threat of death.
"My mercenaries will be accompanying you as well."
The troops nodded in response.
"That leaves Mister Aegir, Mister Bergliez, Miss Arnault and Miss Varley. You'll be assisting me in a frontal assault."
"I see. You're keeping the… problematic ones close at hand."
He supposed that was one way to look at it.
"Are these…?"
Sothis' question barely registered in his mind, when Byleth threw himself at Bernadetta.
"Get down!" he shouted; landing on top of the girl and sending them both tumbling into the ground.
The girl yelped in surprise, only seconds before a blade cut through the space where her head had been. Byleth quickly rolled off her, springing to his feet and shoving his dagger through the bottom of the assailant's jaw.
Blood spurted out of the bandit's wound, painting his arm with a crimson color. As he was considering the effort it would take to wash the stains away, Bernadetta let out a terrifying scream.
"Calm yourself, Miss Varley." said Byleth. "There may be other bandits in hiding nearby."
The girl quieted down; her screams reduced to whimpers and heavy, suppressed breaths.
"P-P-Professor…" she stammered; eyes wide and face pale with fear.
"Stay close to me and nock another arrow. I'm counting on you."
The group advanced, with Bernadetta now pressing herself into Byleth's side with surprising strength. She gripped her bow with trembling hands; looking anxiously from side to side in search of other enemies.
Ferdinand covered their backs; his lance at the ready. Dorothea and Caspar held their flanks, with the latter eagerly awaiting a foe to greet with his gauntlets.
"Stay strong, Bern!" said Dorothea. "And don't worry, we'll protect you."
He could make out the distant shapes of his students sneaking up along the western path of the cliff, coming into sight from time to time as they snuck between ruins of ancient buildings.
"Yes! That is what I was thinking. But ruins of what, exactly? I cannot help but sense an odd familiarity to these… walls. The architecture…"
It was something to be investigated later, that was for certain. As they rounded a particularly tall stone mural, Byleth heard a rustle and the sound of boots kicking at dirt and grass.
"Professor!" exclaimed Caspar. "Here they come!"
Half a dozen bandits suddenly rushed out of hiding, sprinting toward them at full speed. They held their weapons high above their heads; all roaring their war-cries.
"Stay calm, and brace yourselves. Aim low."
"Or we can just bash their faces in!"
Caspar took off, breaking away from their circle. He met the bandits' charge head on; engaging two of them at once.
"Idiot!"
Luckily, there were still a few seconds before the rest of the enemies caught up to him. Byleth raced after his student, abandoning three shell-shocked students behind.
"Cover us! Miss Varley, on my mark!" he yelled; drawing his sword and diving straight into the group of foes.
A surge of strength passed through his body, and Byleth leapt above two surprised bandits with ease.
"Oh! That was-"
He brought his sword down on the men; the force of the blow knocking them to the ground. There was not enough time to finish them off, however, with Caspar just having received a slash to his side.
Byleth threw his dagger, forcing Caspar's attacker to divert his attention.
"Fall back! To your classmates, now!"
The boy scrambled back at that, avoiding a close swing at his neck. Caspar hastily retreated, clutching his abdomen, while Ferdinand and Dorothea placed themselves between him and his pursuers.
Ferdinand wasted no time, using his lance to hold the two foes at bay. Dorothea waved her hands, summoning a circle of magic to prepare a spell. The air crackled around her, with small sparks of electricity giving away the nature of the spell.
Meanwhile, Byleth found himself surrounded by four men, and scanned the battlefield. They were not far from the bandits' camp, and most likely, this ambush had been meant to stave them off in a last-ditch effort to protect their leader.
"Surrender, and the church will show you mercy."
One of the bandits laughed incredulously at that, and stomped the ground in a mixture of anger and indignation.
"You out of yer' mind, or something? There's four of us, and one of you. That treasure's ours, and we're keepin' it!"
"Have it your way, then." said Byleth. "Now!" he shouted, and an arrow shot past his face and into the gloating man's head.
It pierced his eye, killing him instantly.
"W-What?!"
The lifeless body dropped to the ground, hitting solid rock with a dull thud. The other bandits drew back in shock, before noticing Bernadetta standing a short distance away. Apparently, her shaking arms did nothing to hinder her skill as a marksman.
She stood in silence, however, and Byleth knew that the kill was slowly settling in.
"Why… you! I'll kill you for that!"
One of the men charged past Byleth, intent on avenging his comrade. When he noticed both Ferdinand and Dorothea were still occupied protecting Caspar, his blood ran cold.
"Damn!" he growled, and chased after the thug; giving little thought to the other two.
"Miss Varley! Defend yourself!" he yelled, hoping to get through to the girl. She merely stood there, however, looking down at her hands.
"Bernadetta!"
She snapped out of her trance, only to see the rapidly approaching bandit. Her instincts must have kicked in, because she leapt out of the way.
Unfortunately, the blade still struck home.
She avoided decapitation, but received a nasty cut to her neck all the same. Blood poured out of her jugular, and she let out a gurgling scream.
"No!"
Byleth saw red.
Power surged through his body once more, and he brought his sword down on the bandit from behind. The man was cleaved in two; split from shoulder to waist in a fountain of gore.
He rushed to the girl, who was desperately clutching her neck. He tore off his cloak, ripping it to shreds in the process, and wrapped it tightly around Bernadetta's throat.
"Is she? I can always…"
She would live.
The cut was not as deep as he had feared, but Bernadetta would not be fighting anymore today. Byleth laid her down gently, and turned to face the remainder of the bandits with fury he had rarely felt before.
"W-W-We surrender! We surrender!"
Both Bernadetta and Caspar were out for the count, and Ferdinand and Dorothea had dealt with their enemies. Only two more enemies remained, both of whom had now thrown their weapons down and dropped to their knees.
They looked at him in terror; eyes darting between him and the two halves of their late crony.
Sadly for them, the Ashen Demon left no survivors.
"No." he said coldly.
"You die."
It was glorious, thought Kronya.
A blur of black and red, cutting through his enemies like butter. Blood stained nearly every part of his body, including his face, but it only served to enhance his visage.
He was approaching quickly, making his way up the mountain, while his students and troops trailed along behind.
Solon had hit the nail on the head with his assessment. For every bandit his students killed, the professor killed three. Truly, he was an instrument of death and destruction.
A demon in human form.
How fitting, she thought, if he ended up joining them. It was only right for a demon to lead the forces of the underworld – of Shambhala – against their oppressors above.
She laughed.
"What are you… Are you laughing? Do you think this is funny?! My men are being slaughtered!"
Kronya shrugged, uncaring of Kostas' distress.
She stood next to him outside their abominable cavern, in front of the fire they had been instructed to light. They were at the very peak of the cliff looking over the Red Canyon, with widely different expectations of what was to come.
"So?" she asked. "Why should I care about filthy beasts like you?"
"Curse you!" he snarled. "Where are those damned reinforcements? And why aren't you out there helping them?!"
She laughed again.
The professor and his little army were nearly upon them, and she decided to have some fun. If there was something she delighted in, it was rubbing salt in an open wound.
"I think it's time I let you in on a little secret."
Kronya reached inside her boot; taking out a small vial. It was crimson in color, which was unsurprising seeing as it held blood inside. It had a soft glow to it, however, indicating that it had been tampered with in a magical manner.
She uncorked the vial and brought it to her lips, before gulping down the liquid.
"W-What's that?" asked Kostas, covering his eyes when her body began to glow. A second later, the light died down, and a completely different girl stood in Kronya's place.
"No! I promise I'll be good. Please don't hurt me, Mister!"
"What the hell?"
"What did you think?" asked Monica, running a hand through her scarlet hair.
"Was I convincing enough? Do you think the dear professor will come to my rescue, defeat the big, bad thief and hold me in his arms?"
She giggled.
"I'm so hurt, after all. Spending an entire year as a hostage for a group of vicious bandits… Why, that's bound to traumatize any girl, wouldn't you say?"
Monica smirked cruelly as Kostas' face shifted through a range of different emotions. She spotted confusion, disbelief and betrayal, before it finally settled on understanding.
He took a step back, snarling.
"I knew it! I never should've trusted that damned Flame Emperor! There aren't any reinforcements coming, are there?!"
Kostas gripped his axe; his pupils dilating with anger. Monica realized belatedly that she was at a disadvantage in her current form, and backed away.
"If I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me!"
"No, wait!"
She dropped to the ground and raised her hands, shielding her face, but the blow never came.
"You'll be doing no such thing."
A hand had gripped Kostas' arm, preventing him from striking her with his axe. A yank brought the bandit around, before a gloved fist struck him squarely in the face.
He was sent away tumbling, cradling his broken jaw as he lay indisposed.
Monica looked up at her savior, meeting the professor's cold, azure eyes. The timing was perfect, and she used the opportunity to break out in fake tears.
"H-Help me…" she whispered softly, between a few sobs. "I want to go h-home."
"I recognize that girl!" exclaimed a familiar voice. Edelgard had walked up beside the professor; axe in hand. She, too, was stained with blood and dirt, and panted exhaustedly.
"That's Monica von Ochs! She went missing from the academy a year ago."
His eyes widened at that, and he took a closer look at her.
"You're alive…" he said, and she found herself marveling at his voice. It was quiet and soft, contrasting sharply to his bloody appearance.
Monica then threw herself into his arms, nuzzling against his chest and adding tears to the numerous splotches on his outfit. He stiffened, before bringing an arm around her comfortingly.
She made sure to shake in a convincingly frightened manner, peering up at him from below.
"H-He… They d-did things…" she stuttered. "Please… Just…"
"Hush." said the professor; his voice still quiet. However, the softness was gone, replaced with steel.
He still held her tightly, but she could feel him turning his head.
"Miss Hresvelg."
"Yes, my teacher. I understand."
A second later, the sound of metal meeting flesh reached Monica's ears. She snuggled deeper into the professor's chest in response, and unbeknownst to all, she smiled.
Everything was proceeding as planned.