Chapter 4: Reunions and a Battle; Divide and Conquer!
Dracolius Second World War Arc – Preparation
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, this is just a Fanfiction.
Featured Music: "Neutiquam Erro" - Fire Emblem X: Radiant Dawn OST. Chapter Briefing.
"Optic Line" - Warriors Orochi IV OST. Scene 4 (Second Half onwards).
In spite of king Etherthien's best efforts, war has broken out. Empress Jenice Sohantha of the empire itself has stated her resolve during the very Five Kingdom Summit that they all had joined. A new found sense of fear instils the group, in spite of how optimistic they are in their new alliance; the sudden appearance of such a powerful military force has not been seen since the olden days.
Elder Salnarra of the Coremondian plains, king Alaric of Etherthien's snowy hills and the newly instilled Theffania of the kingdom of Naerith have all opted to join their forces with the second belligerent; king Selthris of Aselia. Though it is not his first time involved in war-like conditions, it is his very first time in dealing with a conflict on such a huge scale.
For the poor, young Aselian soldiers under his command however and even Selthris himself... this is the very first time they will deal the horrors of the sheer number that Sohantha command... this will be their first...
World war.
Scene 1
"So... you are the next Oceiros then?"
Selthris gasped as he turned on his heel to find the smiling queen of Naerith behind him, hands joined at her back. The young Lord put on a wan smile of his own as he turned the rest of his body around to face her. Though her words cut through him as he recognised them, he tried to hide his reaction best he could.
Seemed he was better at it these days.
"That's a name they use in Naerith, isn't it?" The youth smiled back before folding his arms at her. The pair were dressed in a similar battle uniform, coloured identically with subtle differences to indicate their difference in chain of command. Resting on their left arms was, instead, a completely analogous bracelet with a specific symbol. Wrapped around with simple cloth it seemed to be a sign of alliance.
"Yes," Theffania chuckled openly in temporarily shut eyes as she nodded back at him. "It seemed it was the-"
"The commoners, yeah," Selthris answered in his own well-to-do smile, also nodding. Numerous soldiers walked to and fro past them, some stopping to either bow in respect to the pair or follow their units in the camp they were stationed at. "My father had...," Selthris began again as he lowered his eyes and lost his amiable expression to a thoughtful frown. "A hell of a reputation." The Lord finished, this time with his smile returning to him as he shot his silvery eyes back up to the well-natured queen.
"He did at that," she answered in an amiable laugh of her own. "I don't remember much of it myself; I was only very young."
"So was I, really," the Lord agreed with, this time in his business-like frown. "It's not the first time I've been called by that name though."
"Oh?"
He nodded in a grave frown. "There was a woman in the Naerith army three years ago; she called me by that name."
"Was this in... Vonnorburd?"
"Yeah, it was, how do you-?"
Theffania's own smile returned to her as she leant her head to the side. "Sathryon Vikeruce has quite the reputation down there; even against us it would seem he saved many villages from attack in that region."
Surprised by knowledge he did not possess, Selthris' silvery eyes narrowed back at the younger noble. "Really?"
She nodded. "So the tales go," she claimed before continuing. "Your enemy may have been one of those people, or perhaps the daughter of one of them."
Selthris allowed his eyes to wander away once more, his thoughtful frown returning to him. Whenever he thought of his father, he almost rarely thought of him as a good person.
He was genuinely surprised to hear this.
"You seem shocked," Theffania laughed at him good-naturedly, drawing him out with a surprised blinking gasp. "His reputation is well known."
"As the world's greatest soldier; I know," Selthris chuckled back, his amiable nature recovering. "I wouldn't say I'm the next 'Oceiros' though," he grinned this time as he shook his spiky silvery head back at her. She turned her head curiously at him but allowed him to continue. "There are some things that just can't be surpassed." He answered, this time with a hard and serious frown on his face. The queen's own smile was lost to her as she merely nodded sombrely in response, a mix of respect and confusion.
"Sel," a voice gently interrupted the pair; they turned to find the frowning Leo staring back at them, one hand on his hip. He nudged his head back the way he came, the similarly mellow snowflakes joining his dark-brown hair as he did so. "We're ready for you now."
Selthris merely nodded back in response to his loyal Mercenary companion before exchanging his affable light nod with the listening queen; Theffania put on a light smile instead as she responded similarly before following quietly, her boots crunching against the growing snow beneath them.
"No, thank you; I'm fine," Alaric smiled politely, waving off the indigo armoured soldier. He raised his similarly shaded helmeted head up as he caught the approaching frowning Selthris, the smiling Leo and Theffania in tow. "Ah, come, come!" Etherthien's amiable king smiled as he stood up from his seat on the meeting table.
Though Leo nodded in his friendly smile to the group, he turned to leave the tent to the group of nobles and officers. Inspired to join the man from his words, Selthris exchanged a simple nod with the listening Theffania before walking toward the group of officers before them. Selthris double-took when he saw some familiar faces however for the first time in a long time. Alaric seemed to notice and couldn't help but smirk in growing amusement.
"Young Selthris, please allow me to re-introduce you to some old faces-"
"I'm not that old, you snake," the old woman sitting across from him shot over indignantly but with the hint of a smile on her face. She wore simple indigo coloured robes and her long greying hair came down in curls as she stood up from her seat. The man at her side, long and scruffy haired couldn't help but chuckle next to her, his arms folded as he joined her. "Young master; it is lovely to see you again." The old Alchemist smirked as she bent down in respect toward him. Selthris laughed affably in response before shaking his head and walking in for a greeting embrace. Surprised, the old woman's eyebrows lifted as she took him in a hug. As he knocked her back affectionately he pulled back and nodded at her in his own show of respect.
"It's nice to see you too Ariella," he greeted in his low grin before turning up to walk toward the similarly smiling bodyguard next to her. He raised up his gloved fist and, as if knowing his intentions, the older man used his own hand to smack into the young Lord's. The pair drew one another in for a brotherly handshake and embrace. "You too, Norman." Selthris smiled up at the taller man. Norman merely grinned back as he nodded down at him. Selthris however double-took when he saw the outline of a shadow leaning on the tent wall ahead of him. Widening his eyes in further recognition he couldn't help but exchange his grin with the silently nodding Alaric, allowing him further time.
The young Lord walked forward to join the leaning person before eliciting a similar action to his earlier comrade; the two slapped hands together in a brotherly show of affection before pulling back from their embrace. Selthris couldn't help but grin back at the taller warrior, a mask on their face.
"Don't you ever change Hawke?" The Lord grinned up at her; though he could not see her smile back at him she chuckled behind her peculiar mask.
Hawke nodded her head upwards at him, as if indicating something. "I could say the same for you but you got taller, didn't you?"
"So everyone's been telling me." Selthris responded, folding his arms back at her in his own friendly smirk.
"Come now, come now!" King Alaric amiably called over with his own smile, drawing the pair's attention. "We have one more introduction to make," he explained briefly with a smile, gesturing towards the smiling young woman at his side. Selthris lost his smile briefly when he turned to frown at the pair before regaining a lighter version of it, turning to walk over to them. "Lord Selthris, Astrid Ruan of the Etherthien central army." The king smiled as he gestured once more towards the young woman at his side. Selthris nodded in response before raising up his left gloved hand to take hers in his; a simple handshake. Though she carried a book with her similarly indigo shaded robes she shook her blonde head at him in her smile.
"The pleasure is mine, I'm sure," the young Advisor smiled at him. "It is nice to meet the man I have heard so much of!"
"Careful with that," Selthris shot back in a challenging, well-natured grin, folding his arms as he did so. "I'm still barely the man my father ever was; you could even be older than me."
Astrid laughed back at him. "Well at least you can successfully laugh at yourself." The strategist grinned over at him, drawing listening grins and similar laughs from the group.
"No, let me in!"
The group of nobles and warriors, surprised, turned their eyes and their heads to the entrance of the tent just in time to find it forcibly opened; stumbling inside was the angry form of the black haired Sevrenna. Her ponytail flailed wildly as she struggled in the grip of the grunting Leo, seemingly attempting to hold her back. Finally breaking through with an audible grunt of effort she sent her unlocked arms to her side in her grunt as she turned to glare back at the sighing Mercenary behind him before swivelling her narrow-eyed glare on the surprised Aselian king.
Oh no, he thought in a worrying wince.
"I'm sorry Sel, she just-"
"I want answers,that's what I want!" The angry Swordmaster blared over at the group, her words obviously directed towards the cringing Aselian noble.
Alaric let out a pacifying chuckle as he raised his hands up at her; a friendly gesture. "Come now lady Sevrenna can't we just-?"
"I said I want-"
"It's fine," Selthris interrupted her softly, shutting his eyes as he shook his head at her. She widened her eyes in response, as if surprised by his sudden reaction. "Sevrenna I'll be with you as soon as I humanly possibly can, okay?" The Lord called over in a business-like frown, placing an arm on his hip. "Would you like to wait here if that makes you feel any better?"
The Swordmaster looked pensive for a few moments as she stared back at him before finally unfolding her arms and nodding, averting her eyesight from him. Selthris put on a forced smile before nodding upwards silently in his regained frown at the listening Leo. The Mercenary merely nodded back at him before pulling the growling woman to the side, as if her escort of all things.
Good Narga, he thought to himself as he turned back to the meeting table with an audible but quiet sigh, eyebrows lifting as he did.
"Now, shall we begin?" Salnarra called over at the frowning Selthris; he turned to face her and nodded in response, walking over with the Naerith queen behind him. Taking a seat across from his Coremondian elder, he placed his hands on the table expectantly. Theffania took her seat next to the folded armed Salnarra and the group all turned to face the smiling Alaric.
"All right...," Etherthien's king began lowly as he stood up from his chair and nodded down next the similarly smiling Astrid on his right. She walked over and placed down a large continental map. Selthris' silvery eyes darted across it and he found many landmarks he recognised; obviously a Dracolius map, he thought. "With lady Astrid at our sides we have little to fear."
"But fear we must," the Advisor chided very lightly in response, this time with a frown. Alaric's own amiable expression was lost to him but only briefly; he nodded obediently in understanding before she even continued. "This is the empire we're all dealing with, after all."
"Well said..." Salnarra murmured lowly as she turned her vision down on the map.
"Now before we actually begin any kind of advance we must decide on squad leaders," Astrid replied as she placed her robed hands down on the table to exchange looks with each of the country's rulers as well as the listening Ariella, Hawke and Norman. "This will be a test of attrition and we will need squads in which to deal with it all."
"What way shall we be dividing this?" Alaric questioned from his standing position before lowering himself back to his seat, arms of his own folding. Astrid turned her eyes across each member of the alliance before responding.
"First thing's first," Ariella spoke up in her own reply, folding her own robed arms at the group. "Who shall be commanding the medical team?"
"I had thought of no-one better than you, Ariella," Astrid shot back with a rising eyebrow, smirking with her words. With the least amount of surprise, Ariella put on her own low smirk as she listened. "I figured with your kind of potion and science knowledge... you'd be an excellent mentor for our young medics."
"I'll back that," Selthris spoke up from his position, frowning over at the old Alchemist. "Ariella's saved my life more than once." He admitted honestly. Finally surprised, the old woman's eyebrows lightly lifted before she shot her confident smirk over at him, nodding gratefully. Astrid nodded, his approval given. She turned to the listening Alaric and, needing no words from him, she received a simple smiling assenting nod. The frowning Salnarra and smiling Theffania both nodded alongside him, contrastingly different expressions upon their face.
"Excellent," Astrid smiled gratefully, the matter swiftly dealt with. "We can form members from our forces as soon as possible. Now..."
"We'll need an ambush squad I imagine?" Salnarra called over quietly as she turned her folded armed frown up at the Advisor. Astrid looked up from her open book on the table with a single blink before smiling back and nodding.
"Quite so; the more damage we do with them to Sohantha's forces, the better," she claimed in her assertion. "Does anyone have any suggestions on who the leader should be?"
"I know Sohantha!"
The group all turned their eyes 'round to a corner of the tent. Struggling in the top right was the growling Sevrenna, attempting to look over the shoulder of the grunting Leo. Selthris rolled his silvery eyes as he listened, his own patience lessening at the lack of hers.
"You... know Sohantha?" Alaric repeated as he turned his head around to face her, quipping a questionable eyebrow upward. "Please elaborate?"
Finally given the go ahead, Leo allowed himself to stand to the side to allow her room. The angry Swordmaster gave him an annoyed scowl before turning her eyes to face the king.
"Yeah; I've been all over the damn place!" She exclaimed over at him rudely as she advanced forward to join the group. Selthris turned his eye away from her, growing embarrassed by the second. "I know a lot of places around there!"
Alaric turned his quizzical frown on the shrugging Salnarra and frowning Theffania before exchanging his look with the brow-furrowed Astrid.
"Astrid?" He called up at her on his right, shrugging. "There may be legitimacy to her claims."
"Yeah...," the Advisor frowned over at the woman on her left. She snapped her blonde head over to the sweating and silent Selthris on her right. He winced as she faced him, unfortunately hoping to have been avoided. "Lord Selthris can you back what she's said?"
"We... don't know one another," the young Lord admitted as he turned his frown up slowly to face the pair. Sevrenna's own firm frown very soon turned to anger as she listened; a heated scowl on her features. "Not personally anyway; she helped us when Sohantha invaded at the capital and followed us to Etherthien if you remember." The young man explained further as he nodded over at the similarly agreeing king.
"All right...," Astrid nodded in knowledge before turning back up to face the scowling Sevrenna with her frown. "We'll definitely consider you for the post," the Advisor smiled over at the Swordmaster. Unfortunately for them however, the black haired fox merely growled back at them, almost as if in suspicion before turning swiftly on her heel to leave the tent. "Is she... all right?" The young woman asked in honest concern, raising an eyebrow down at the frowning Selthris. The Lord sighed, shutting his eyes briefly as he shook his head in response.
"Narga only knows." He claimed comically, drawing a listening grin from the women ahead of him.
"If what she's saying is true though, it does put her in good stead as a scout in this ambush squad of ours." Salnarra spoke up in favour for her.
Theffania smiled next to her as she leant in. "She's a little rough around the edges but I think she may be a good fit, at least for the team itself."
"What happens when she cannot work with the team however?" Alaric spoke against her with a frown, raising his brown eyebrow up as he did so.
"She found it hard to choose between friend and foe in that battle I mentioned," Selthris agreed lightly as he turned his eyes downward in quiet remembrance. "We nearly skewered one another."
"So I'm the tiebreaker am I?" Astrid chuckled good-naturedly as she grinned over at the nobles before nodding. "I can play it safe but how about we compromise? Use her knowledge as a key member of the ambush squad but make someone else leader?"
"I think that's fair." Salnarra smiled this time in nodding. Theffania's own assenting smiling nod made the strategist turned to face the other two.
"It may help her in working with others," the snowy nation's king frowned before turning back to face the young blonde and nodding with the others. "I'm in agreement."
Faced with three-to-one, Selthris merely nodded in his frown, eyebrows lifting briefly as he did so.
"Good! Then let's decide on a leader..."
–
2
"General Apheia, sir!"
The woman in question turned her head around to face the nameless soldier, dressed head-to-toe in amber armour. She frowned hard back at him and raised a curious eyebrow upward.
"Yes?" She pressed him and he saluted her once more in a sign of respect.
"Our forces on standby await your instructions, sir!" He exclaimed once more. She merely waved him off with a lightly miffed frown on her face.
"Fine; who is in command here?" Apheia questioned as she folded her arms forward at the frowning soldier. He gripped his iron lance tightly in his hands before nodding back at her and answering.
"Lieutenant Talia, sir!" The man exclaimed once more before placing his weapon down into the ground with a noisy crunch, the snow making a small hole. "I'll take you to her!"
The Halberdier general frowned in her own nod before placing her arms at her side as she followed the man. As they entered the said woman's tent, general Apheia found herself staring down haughtily at the much younger woman below her. Dressed in a similar amber coloured garb to her comrades, the robe she wore was polished with a drawing of a long lightning thunderbolt across her side of her dress. She wore fingerless rubber gloves and her long blonde hair was put up in a ponytail, perhaps to avoid a mess. She looked up from the book on the table she sat at, blinking past her side-shed of straw coloured hair. The young woman let out a beaming smile as she stood up from her seat, knocking it the ground with a clumsy wince. She turned to meet the unimpressed Apheia with a zig-zag like smile on her face, leaning forward as she outstretched her hand.
"You must be general Apheia!" The young woman smiled as she bowed forward in respect after taking her hand in hers to shake with. "I'm Lieutenant Talia, sir!" She greeted in her amiable smile. "First class Thunder Mage!"
"Hmph," Apheia frowned back at her, folding her arms up at the younger woman. "The empress put you in charge of defending Estrium?"
"U-Um, y-yes," Talia stammered back in response, taken off guard by Apheia's stabbing tone of voice. "My unit often work well together and-"
"I am afraid we will need much more than just your teamwork, Lieutenant Talia; an entire alliance of the four nations await us on the battlefield," the woman rudely interrupted. Talia winced as she listened, turning her eye back up as she listened. "However...," Apheia sighed this time as she lowered her head and shut her eyes very briefly. They snapped back open as she shot her head up. "My orders are to follow yours," she informed very briefly as she lowered her arms to her sides and bowed in polite respect. "My men are yours, Lieutenant Talia."
"I've-" the blonde Thunder Mage gasped, eyebrows lifting with her widened eyes. "Been put in charge of your forces as well?"
"You're moving up in the world, Lieutenant Talia," Apheia claimed as she re-folded her arms down at the younger woman, growing a small smirk to her words. Unsure how to respond, the frazzled Thunder Mage winced as she turned back to her book, as if to look for the answers. "Please let me know when you have settled on a successful strategy and would like to advance our men forward." The Halberdier smiled this time as she turned her head around half-way to face her. The young blonde blinked up at her before nodding in a light smile of her own.
"Y-Yes sir!" Talia finished with a nod in her light sweating smile. The soldier accompanying the general left with her and, as Apheia crunched her boots into the snow beneath her, she regained her low confident smirk.
"I hope you don't mind me saying, general sir but...," the nameless soldier began as he turned his eye up to her on his left. "You seemed to handle that very well."
"Of course I did," Apheia shot back down at him as she placed her arms to her side, turning her low smirk down on the soldier. She re-raised her eyes forward in her smirk as she continued. "The way her youthful mind works now she stands no chance, especially if our opponent includes the son of the greatest warrior in the world."
"Is that true?!" The nameless soldier gasped out in shock as he snapped his helmeted head 'round to face the woman. She lost her smirk as she eyed him angrily and silently, urging him to be quiet. He winced but did as he was told.
"Yes," Apheia replied, this time in a quieter tone of voice as she frowned down at him. Her low grin began to grow back as she continued on, as if growing excited. "When empress Sohantha sees just how badly the 'Black Lightning' deals to her troops... she will have no choice but to relinquish command... to me." The Halberdier confidently stated as they walked forward together. Her furrowed brow and confident grin gave all the answer the soldier needed; he nodded in a growing smile of his own.
"Yes sir, general, sir!"
–
3
"All right has everyone got their roles? Everyone agreed?" Astrid spoke once more as she turned on each of the smiling faces on the table ahead of her. When she received simple amiable looks she pulled her hands back to her sides and grabbed the map on the table, rolling it up. "Good! Then go get your teams ready and we'll meet back here in an hour." The Advisor claimed in her own smile as she placed the map inside her robes, grabbing her book as she did so and placing it under her arm before taking off.
"A thumping session!" Alaric smiled widely as he stood up from his seat boisterously, surprising some of the older members there. "I hope to see you all soon!" He threw over his shoulder as he followed the young blonde out into the snow.
"Has he always been... out of touch?" Theffania spoke up from her own seat, a side of her mouth curling upward in the ghost of a grin.
"You have no idea..." Ariella murmured under her breath as she pulled her chair out to stand up herself. Norman stood with her, assisting where he could. Selthris couldn't help but exchange his humoured smile with the listening Theffania before regaining his thoughtful frown.
I could use the time to go introduce myself this time, he thought to himself.
"Yeah," he thought in a silent nod before pulling his own seat out and pushing it in politely. "Let's do that."
Issuing the smiling Salnarra, Ariella, Hawke, Theffania and Norman with a waving salute he headed out the tent entrance himself. The Lord let out a low sigh through his nose as he turned his spiky-haired head to his left. Before he could even see much of anything however he found himself being pulled violently to his right and dead centre was a hateful scowl directed at him. Briefly surprised, his fighting adrenaline found itself coursing through his veins, readying up for a fight before he recognised his attacker's face. Calming his nerves down he lowered his arm from his sword, glaring back at the young woman ahead of him.
Sevrenna.
Forgot all about her, he thought.
"Yes?"
"I wanted a word with you." She began in her low scowl, her eyes darting at the whispering soldiers passing them. She glared at them angrily until they passed before turning her firm look on the blinking Selthris.
"Right," the Lord murmured under his breath as he brought his fingers up to rest on the skin in between his eyes. They shut briefly in a frustrated scrunch as the memory resurfaced. "What is it that's so important?"
"I need to be on the frontlines," the Swordmaster demanded as she narrowed her eyes at him. Selthris raised a curious silvery eyebrow up at her. "What's your answer?"
"I need more of a reason than just 'I need'," Selthris chuckled this time, softening his expression into a light smile as he did so. "Why do you want to be on the frontlines so badly?"
She turned her nose up at him, as if disgusted somehow. "How can you be the same son of the greatest warrior in the world?" Sevrenna muttered over at him and he lost his amiable smile. Though his frown returned to his face it was still in a soft expression. "You were the one that didn't want to finish the general at the capital aren't you?"
"Yeah, I was," Selthris said in his tired-eye frown. "What of it?"
"You're supposed to my country's leader!" She hissed back at him as she leaned toward him. "Does Sathryon's lineage mean nothing to you?!"
Selthris' eyes lowered and he couldn't help but turn them away from her. As he remained wordless for a very few brief seconds however, he turned his eyes back onto her before growing a small smile on his face. "You didn't answer my question."
"Rgh!" The Swordmaster growled back as she pulled her scowling face away from his. "I want to be on the frontlines to deal as much damage to those fucking bastards as I can!" She exclaimed this time, her voice much louder than before. Her blood and her temper seemed to have raised with it and Selthris recognised it in his well-natured smile.
"All right I'll tell you what; you settle that temper of yours and I'll consider it," the Lord compromised, rising an eyebrow up at her as he did so. Though her scowl twitched at him angrily she snapped her eyes and her head away from his. Selthris' eyebrow lowered back to its normal position and he smiled once more. "All right, good talk." The young man smiled as he gently knocked the similar height woman across her left shoulder as he passed her. She turned to glare at him wordlessly, watching him leave.
"Lord Selthris, sir!" An indigo armoured soldier greeted, saluting the youth off as he passed. Selthris nodded back at the man in his wan smile before regaining his sighing frown as he re-faced the front, marching forward.
What a day, he thought.
And it's only just begun.
Throwing his negative thoughts to the cold wind in the air however, the young Lord turned to his right and raised his eyebrow at the sight before him. Sitting in a corner overlooking the main camp-site was a smiling young man, armoured hand outstretched upwards to a large mount growling above him. His long black hair was mostly hidden underneath his indigo helmet, yet came rising up from the helmet itself, almost like a plume. The armour he wore was heavy and not without purpose.
Selthris' silver eyes were drawn over to the huge bright green dragon hovering over him, seemingly almost smiling at him. Selthris' eyebrows rose upward in temporary shock, having been the first time in seeing such a sight since the war years past. Shaking it off however he frowned as he approached the pair. Seemingly hearing the snow crunch between his boots, the armoured young man's head snapped over to him in an inquisitive frown before he regained his smile. The dragon happily took the treats that he seemingly held in his hand.
"You must be one of our commanders!" The armoured man greeted before turning to bow in respect. Selthris chuckled in his own smile as he waved him off dismissively but it was no use. "Lord Selthris of Aselia I presume?"
Selthris nodded sociably before smiling back at the older young man. "I hope you don't think I'm being too forward but-"
"No, not at all!" The black haired knight laughed, similarly sociably in response. "I, sir, am Garrus Foley of the central Etherthien army!" He introduced himself as he bent down on one knee, right arm outstretched over his knee. Selthris waved him off once more, uncomfortable and all. He rose up as expected, his smile still on his face. "Is there anything wrong?"
"No, no!" The Lord chuckled as he shut his eyes briefly and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I just thought it'd do me some good to introduce myself to all the members of each team."
"That's... refreshingly different!" Garrus called out in a sudden, surprised frown, his eyebrows lifting to match. "Well... it is certainly nice to meet you."
"Likewise," the Lord smiled back in his nod. "So ah... who's your friend?" The youth smiled as he nodded up at the snorting green dragon above them. Double-taking in its direction, Garrus couldn't help but laugh nervously in a show of his own anxiousness.
"I'm sorry, please, say hello to Sophie!" The armoured man smiled as he gestured toward the frowning creature. It turned to watch the uncomfortable young Lord with narrowed eyes, as if judging him somehow. Selthris kept the smile on his face and fought all attempt to run.
"H-Hello Sophie...," Selthris greeted as he bowed his head in respect, his smile almost turning to a worried frown. "Hope I'm not... intruding?"
"No, not at all," Garrus set the younger man at ease as he briefly smiled in his direction before re-raising up his hand to gift the happy creature with more treats. "It was just treat time is all!"
"Treat time...," Selthris murmured as he watched the baked goods swiftly disappear from his armoured hands. "That's really something; you baked all those?"
"Yep!" The Dragon Rider beamed once more in the youth's direction. "Sophie likes these only a certain way; it took me years to perfect them."
"I wish I could say I had cooking experience; too many years fighting." Selthris smiled back wanly in sombre thought.
"It's not hard once you keep at it, really," Garrus replied in his positive grin. "It's a good skill to have."
Selthris couldn't help but grin back lightly in response to the Dragon Rider's enthusiastic words.
It would be a good skill to have, he thought.
"Wouldn't it?"
"All right, divide our forces to assist with the defence in Ostria and Stasia!" The Halberdier commander called out as he wiped his arm horizontally across the air; an order of his own. Talia stood directly next to him in a light wince as she attempted to lean in to give her own opinion.
"Sir don't you think that might be a bit-"
"Quiet!" The man called over angrily, snapping his eyes back on the cringing Thunder Mage. He turned his head back forward and glared onwards. "We need to assist our allies! The more allies we have then the more chance we have at winning this war!" He exclaimed before taking a few steps forward, his armour clinking with him. Talia was left to mull over his words and frowned after him as he did so.
"But what happens when you spread a paste so thin it can't cover anything you intend it to...?" The Thunder Mage murmured under her breath as she sighed through her nose. Opening her book she dutifully carried under her arm she quickly went over counter-strategies to best deal with the changes to her plans.
–
4
Selthris narrowed his silvery eyes through the scope he was given. Just as he was told, the number of soldiers seemed to be lessened; divided through to each fortress across from them. He managed to catch sight of a young blonde woman, pacing around the seeming main building, reading a book. Tearing his eyes from it, he exchanged his curious frown with the grinning Astrid on his right. She nodded as he faced her, almost as if reading his thoughts.
"That's incredible," he mouthed down at her, his brow furrowing at her earlier words before re-assessing the battlefield. "You predicted their formations expertly," the young Vikeruce king managed out in his narrow-eyed frown. He tore his vision away from the battlefield once more to frown back at her confident grin. "How-?"
"Easier than you might think," the Advisor grinned back at him before narrowing her own eyes forward. "Sohantha haven't had the benefit of years of battle experience anymore so any commander they may have now lacks what we all possess," the young blonde stated confidently in her low grin. "If I'm right... there's a strategist in that army that we can steal for ourselves."
Selthris turned the lower side of his silver-stubbled jaw to his right in his acknowledging nod before turning back to trace her eyes. Her words reminded him of Naerith's 'Burning War' and recruiting allies through them.
"Yeah...," Selthris frowned out as he nodded forward. "I like the sound of that."
"Okay!" Astrid grinned as she clapped her hands together in a show of support. "Then how about we proceed? The Ambush Team and Squad One should both be ready."
"Did someone call us?" Hawke's voice interrupted the pair, approaching from behind. Though normally jump-scared very easily, Selthris turned to face her with a frown of his own and nodded in response.
"Same plan as discussed; we hit them with your arrows and then with Squad One's close-range attacks," Selthris explained very briefly in his frown. She nodded in acknowledgement. "Good luck out there."
"I only wish you could join us... to see if you could keep up this time." The confident Sniper spoke through her mask, seemingly in a grin, as she knocked his indigo armoured chest in a brotherly fashion. Selthris couldn't help but grin back at her as she walked off before turning back to face the battlefield with a disappointed frown.
"I know what you're thinking but you have to stay your hand," Astrid advised him from his lower right, her robed arms joined together as she also frowned. Her eyes were drawn up to him, her head still facing the battlefield before her. "You're the reason Sohantha are doing this crusade after all." She reiterated in her frown, drawing a reluctant nod from the younger fighter.
"I know...," he murmured as he frowned forward. "I just don't like sitting doing nothing."
"I like to think of it as staying at the ready, in case anything serious comes up." The Advisor shot back in a growing smile. Selthris turned his raised eyebrow down on her before the two exchanged a similar grin with one another. He couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head, re-raising it face the field before him.
"All right, all units, standby!" Hawke exclaimed as she nocked her personal bow back with an arrow, covered in flame.
Seemingly intensified by her very Aegir itself it crackled and burned like a lit torch would; Sabine next to her frowned as he brought his similarly flaming steel arrow upward, aiming in tandem with her. The huge number of indigo armoured archers behind them joined them in covering her fire with raises of their own bows and arrows.
"Now, fire!" The captain of Squad One called out; like magic, the huge group of soldiers let loose their flaming arrows, all aimed at the wooden fortress on the right, over the hill. As it hit the group of allied soldiers heard the shout of pain far off from the place they shot at; Stasia Fortress was now alight in glorious flame.
"Now, give the order." Astrid smiled from the youth's listening and silent side. Selthris narrowed his eyes down at her before shutting his eyes and raising his left hand upward, his index and forefinger risen with them, as if channelling his own Quintessence.
"Ambush Squad; now!"
Ulric's eyes widened from his position, not far off the next fortress. Though his eyes were immediately drawn to the brightly flaming Fort Stasia, his commander's voice thundering in his mind made him turn to face the similarly defended fortress of Ostria.
"You hear that boss?" Leo called out next to him as he rolled the Hero Sword he carried around his right hand, grinning next to the dismounted Paladin veteran. "It's time!"
"Our first real mission!" Garrus whispered lowly as he gripped his iron battle-axe, frowning forward as he did so. He nodded at his commander, the hard-frowning Ulric.
"Come on, I know this place like the back of my hand," Sevrenna growled out as she twirled her steel sword around her left hand, passing the trio. "I'll lead."
"No you will not," Ulric called after her; the Swordmaster stopped but not without spinning 'round to glare back at him. "We go when I give the order," he admonished softly but firmly as he nodded down at her. Though her scowl twitched in response she opted not to reply. "Sir Garrus, you may call your mount," the Paladin said, turning his moustache and goatee on the wide-eyed Dragon Rider in question. He smiled appreciatively before bringing his fingers to lips and wheezing out a loud and echoing whistle. "Sir Leo, sir Garrus; same plan as discussed!" He called out loudly this time as he twirled the silver lance he carried. Sevrenna ahead of him turned her narrow-eyed scowl forward at the fortress ahead.
Almost as if responding to their commander's words, Garrus' mount Sophie came shooting down from the sky and the frowning Dragon Rider leapt up neutrally to land on it. Leaving enough room for the grinning Leo to hitch a ride with him the pair shot off into the air like arrows straight from a ballista. Ulric twirled his lance around once more before widening his eyes forward.
"Now!"
Like bullets the pair shot off after the similar duo, the ground spitting up dust and even small rocks from the ferocity of their speed. Sevrenna turned to widen her eyes at him and he double-took in her direction, raising an eyebrow.
"What?!"
"You're just...," the young Swordmaster began as she ran alongside him. He stared at her for a second or two as she spoke, his curiosity piqued. "So fast for an old guy."
The dismounted Paladin couldn't help but grin in response. "I'll take that as a compliment!" He dared to respond with before turning his eyes back forward. He briefly watched the wind-infused Leo leap off Garrus' mount, plummeting down toward a gaggle of surprised soldiers. As he spun down in his air strike, Garrus also supported his attack with a plunging smash of his own; the Dragon Rider mashed his iron battle-axe just a little further ahead into another group of unprepared Sohanthian soldiers.
Finally caught up, Sevrenna let loose a built up battle-cry as she forward flipped in a vertical spinning slash; the poor soldier beneath her roared in pain as he was sent bloody and battered away from her. As the deft Swordmaster landed she growled as she horizontally swiped in a wildly rotating fire-infused slash attack. The yelping Sohanthians were taken aback once more and allowed room for the approaching Ulric to slam his silver lance into the underside of a flying Sohanthian soldier in mid-air. The pair stopped moving together; the soldier staring back at him in widened eyes, lying impaled in the air, Ulric glaring back with narrowed eyes.
Finally however, time seemed to return to its normal flow and he grunted as he ripped the man's grunting body off of his weapon forcefully to his right in a deft spin. Blood flew from the weapon, dotting across the wooden walls of the fortress. As the Paladin turned back 'round to face the recovering Sevrenna however his eyes widened at the sight that lay before him. A hungry-faced Fire Mage stood directly behind her, arm held back presumably for casting. Acting fast, the dismounted Paladin used the wooden walls to leap and bounce off of. Sevrenna watched him, surprised before swiftly snapping her head around behind her, finally adding it all up. Not one to be deterred, she shot up her blade to defend against the incoming attack but, before he could strike true, the similarly grunting Ulric leapt off the wall and smashed his boot against the yelling Fire Mage's face, sending him rolling and flailing into another group of approaching soldiers, tripping them up.
"You still got it cap'n!" Leo laughed out in the old man's direction, spinning his Hero Sword around once more; an old habit.
"I could have handled that myself." Sevrenna claimed hotly, narrowing her eyes at their head-turned commander.
"I politely disagree, young miss," the dismounted older man shot back in his hard frown before suddenly smashing his armoured back-fist into a charging soldier's face, sending him reeling back. He never lost his firm frown as he spun around in a swift roundhouse kick, sending him similarly sailing into the yelling men's bodies. "I would certainly not leave myself open like that." He admonished as he turned his hard disapproving frown on the soldiers ahead of him.
"Commander Ulric is right; you can ask us for help y'know." Garrus called over in his warm and amiable smile. The Swordmaster snapped her scowl on him; he was not seemingly affected.
"Yeah, we won't bite," Leo grinned in agreement, drawing a light laugh from the listening Dragon Rider. "I promise."
"Enough yammering young ones! Come help me!" Ulric called over his shoulder as he parried a grunting soldier's stab with a diagonal guard, neutralising his charge. Grabbing the man's own steel lance, he yanked him in before swiftly impaling him with his silver lance before spinning him around the blade quick as he could. The poor Sohanthian could only grunt in pain as he was sent rolling through the air.
Though Leo and Garrus shared a respective grin and smile, the scowling Sevrenna obeyed him regardless and the trio leapt forward to join him.
–
5
"Things don't seem to be going well Major," Talia attempted to reason with her superior as she frowned over at him. "Fort Stasia is alight in flame and I think Ostria may have been breached."
"Quiet, girl!" The Halberdier called out over his shoulder in growing annoyance before turning his helmeted head back forward. "Empress Sohantha may have put your in charge but I have commanded this region for over ten years! I will not hand my men over to one so young and ill prepared for battle!"
"But this is pure folly!" The Thunder Mage exclaimed angrily, her tone different and risen with her frustrated emotions to boot. "The enemy has been counting on this; they know you've worked like this for so long-"
"Enough with you!" The Halberdier suddenly interrupted and with an angry scowl of his own he snapped it 'round on a nearby pair of soldiers. "You there! Put her in the hole!" He ordered hotly; the pair of men exchanged unsure looks but nodded nevertheless, advancing on the gasping young blonde.
"What are you-?!" The Thunder Mage managed to gasp out in widened eyes, taking a few steps back from the men. They threw caution to the wind however and grasped her by her robed arms together, swiftly dragging her off towards the back of the main camp. "No!" She called over as she attempted to struggle in their grip but it was no use. "You're sentencing these men to die! Please, listen to me!" Her words echoed forward, carried by the wind that her commander stood around. The Halberdier narrowed his eyes forward, opting to ignore her for the third time, glaring at the bright flames on Fort Stasia.
"Young fool..." He muttered under his breath.
"Sel! It's done!"
Selthris' silvery eyes re-opened and, as they did, he snapped his head 'round to the curious-faced Astrid on his side. He nodded down at her and her similar frown quickly and immediately switched to a confident grin.
"Just as I expected," she grinned before continuing on. "Send a support squad of soldiers out for them to make sure they're okay." She ordered in her own nod.
He assented in turning to face a group of ready-to-go men and raised his left fist forward; a silent signal. The group of men, joined by the calling Alaric nodded with them as he marched forward to join the squad of alliance soldiers.
"And now-"
"Already on it," Selthris interrupted in his nod as he turned back to face her before re-shutting his eyes and re-raising up his left hand. "Team Two; now!"
–
6
"Now's the time boys!" Gorlin called out as he turned to grin at the listening soldiers behind him. All dressed in the similar indigo armour they wore, the grinning Kay joined him at his side. "And girl." The hulking Coremondian corrected himself as he turned his grin down on the similarly expressed blonde young woman at his side. Her ponytail flung about her shoulders wildly as she unsheathed her iron sword, presumably for combat.
"You'll want me up front I presume?" Gerard rumbled as he took a few steps forward, stepping past the blinking Cavalier. Gorlin grinned and nodded upwards at the Armour Knight in assenting.
"Yep, with me," Gorlin nodded in his grin as he turned to face the front; the entrance to the blazing fortress of Ostria. Gorlin cracked his knuckles together with a hungry-faced smirk, setting his broad shoulders to both sides of himself as he did. "We'll give 'em a dose of thunder and lightning to go with the fire."
"Won't that be too much... commander?" Bernhard shot in the conversation with as he stepped lightly around the lightly grinning Kay. He couldn't help the slow growing grin on his own face as their hulking commanding officer nodded in conjunction with him.
"Nah... I think they've had this comin' for years," the large Nomad Trooper chuckled lowly, narrowing his eyes forward. Pulling his hands back to his sides, he issued a nod with the listening Gerard; the two began to march slowly together, contrasting expressions on them both. Soon however that march escalated into a full-blown sprint; the screams of the burning Sohanthian soldiers filled the air. "Ain't you all?!" The large man exclaimed in a grin as he burst into a group of yelping men, his wind-infused Aegir carrying him along. Gerard let out a wordless but loud grunt as he smashed his steel lance into the ground around a similar group of burning soldiers.
An uninjured Halberdier saw his opportunity however and rushed at the undefended pair, attempting to attack them in their recovery periods. The grinning Kay came shooting by the pair however, thrown by the hard-frowning Bernhard. She laughed as she smashed her knee into the grunting Halberdier's chin, sending him upward. Not even reaching for his sword, Gorlin's grin carried him forward as he sailed his fist straight into the wide-eyed man's face, sending him careering into the blazing and wooden apparatus. Gorlin spun around in place and, as his ally landed, he shared a similarly beaming high-five with her.
"Looks as if there's not much here to clean up after all," Bernhard murmured aloud as he spun his sword around, opting to sheathe it slowly. "Disappointing."
"Can't lose focus," Gerard advised over as he recovered from his own attack, raising up his head as he walked forward to rejoin them. "This is still an important job."
"An easy one!" Kay exclaimed in her own kind of agreement as she grinned forward.
"A little joy never hurt anyone Bern," Gorlin grinned around his shoulder; eliciting a light twitch from the frowning but listening Nomad Trooper. "Don't worry; I'll be the one to tell the boss, hold on."
"Yo, boss! We're basically done over here!"
"That was fast," Astrid whispered from his side. Selthris gasped as he pulled his head back down from listening in with his Aegir. She grinned at him, noticing the stress on his body. "It's hard to do it without the proper training isn't it?"
He couldn't help but grin back at her in spite of the beads of effort-filled sweat across his forehead. "Yeah... I guess so... so what's the next stage in the strategy?"
"We're almost to finish line... but we just need one more building to take over," the Advisor smiled as she nodded her head forward. Selthris turned his eyes to the frontlines to find the only building with a stone roof. The retreating Sohanthian soldiers had seemingly retreated inside or away from it entirely. Selthris' eyes narrowed at it, like a fisher would his prize.
"I'm ready boss," Edgar's voice cut through the air, forcing the Lord to spin around in facing him. The ever frowning Edgar stood in a leaning position, his large axe resting across his broad armoured shoulders. "Just give the word." He added, eliciting a listening nod from the Lord.
"I just need-"
"Us?"
The youth, surprised again by the inclusion of extra voices, turned to his right to find the grinning and folded armed Leo joined by the rest of the Ambush Squad. Ulric, Garrus, Tina and Sevrenna joined him.
"Impressive," Astrid smiled back at them, noting their speed as she folded her own arms at the group. "Run into any problems?"
"Straight shooting lady Astrid," Ulric respectfully responded with as he bowed his head in similar honour. "We met with little resistance."
"Then it's time," Selthris began in response, turning his frown into a hard scowl, centred on the building ahead of him. "Team Three?" He called over his shoulder as he walked forward a few steps.
Leo's grin never left him as he spun his Hero Sword around to rest on his shoulder, standing next to his closest companion. The contrasting frowning-faced Edgar stood in a similar position to the Lord's right while the similarly frowning Tina and her Pegasus hovered around his direction, gripping her steel lance tightly. Sevrenna walked from the Ambush Squad to join the team on Leo's side, spinning her steel sword around her arm expertly.
"Ready!" Leo whispered in his confident grin. Selthris, turning his hungry silvery eyes forward, narrowed them, and bent forwards to leap upward.
"Go!" He exclaimed and, like a bolt of lightning, the group of five immediately took off, leaving mere dust in their wake. The beaming Astrid was left to marvel at the work of her strategy, now merely in the final phase.
–
7
Even as they approached, the gates were opened, allowing them easy entry. The team of five warriors quickly leapt inside the next and last building only to find it near unpopulated entirely. Selthris' near firm grip grew just a little looser as he stood inside the entrance to the building, his eyes narrowed and darted around the area.
Not a single man to be seen.
"Well that's disappointing," Leo clicked his tongue in further showing of his dissatisfaction. "Not even a single-" He began in a low frown before widening his eyes. Selthris' own eyes also enlarged before shooting over to the Halberdier that suddenly and abruptly appeared to their right.
Just one man.
Also dressed in the firm colour of yellow-amber, he stopped suddenly, narrowing his eyes in a skidding wince as if he had suddenly run down the wrong corridor.
"N-No!" He exclaimed suddenly before turning invariably to leave.
"Sel!" Leo suddenly called out but his commander was ahead even of him; the Lord suddenly disappeared from common view and re-appeared swiftly behind the about-turned Halberdier. He gasped as he stumbled backward, dropping his lance to the ground with a noisy tumble. Selthris glared down at the man; an old expression on his face not used since the Burning War.
"Well... everyone else has already had a chance to fight, but..." Edgar murmured from the back as he shrugged with the many listening crowd.
"I know; you wanna finish this Sel?" Leo called over, a happy grin on his face this time. Selthris looked up from his glare before re-attaching a soft frown on his face.
"No." He suddenly replied with, eliciting surprised looks of confusion from his unit.
"What do you mean no?" Sevrenna exclaimed suddenly as she advanced the on the pair. Selthris re-raised his eyes up to frown back at her in silence, allowing her to stand around them. The gasping Halberdier, fallen on his rear by now could only gasp continually as he darted his tired and fearing eyes across the Aselian swordsmen. "This is Sohantha! This is the enemy!" The Swordmaster yelled out angrily at him. He merely stared back at her in his quiet frown, listening intently. "You're just gonna let him go?"
"I know what he means," Tina's voice from the back came, forcing the entire team to turn their eyes and heads to her. The young teal-haired woman stepped off her neighing Pegasus and walked forward to join them. "There's no sense in killing when you don't need to." She explained briefly and, while she did, the listening Leo let out a proud grin as he nodded over at the frowning Selthris.
"Exactly," the Lord added on with as he turned his silvery-eyed stare on the growling black-haired woman in his unit. He turned his frown down on the fallen Halberdier and nodded his head upward. "Go, before we change our minds." He warned quietly; the man needed no further convincing. Scrambling to his feet he turned and ran for the exit, swiftly disappearing.
"You'll regret letting him go," Sevrenna admonished angrily as she paced away from the Lord, eyes still on him. His eyes snapped over to hers in his quiet frown as she walked. "I almost guarantee it." She warned further before continuing on ahead, her boots knocking against fallen rocks and dirt in the stronghold.
"We still doin' our job boss?" Edgar shot in with in his business-like frown, almost as if the exchange never happened at all. Selthris turned his eyes back on his Axe Fighter comrade and companion and nodded.
"We are at war Ed; we always have a job to do... but yeah, you're right," the Lord answered in his assenting nod, turning back to face the inside of the stronghold. "Time to clear this place out." He ordered as he turned a firmer gaze forward.