Chapter 8: Hold the Line; Battle at Odorion Plains
Dracolius Second World War Arc – Showdown
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, this is just a Fanfiction.
Featured Music: "Neutiquam Erro" - Fire Emblem X: Radiant Dawn OST. Chapter Briefing.
"The Awful Night" - Dynasty Warriors V OST. Scene 3 (First & Second Halves). Scene 4 (First & Second Halves). Scene 4 (First & Second Halves). Scene 5 (First & Second Halves).
In their last battle, the Allied forces find themselves nearly outmatched by the empire's tenacity. On the very field of battle, Sevrenna of Team Three breaks formation once more in an attempt to pursue a long-hated enemy; this turns dire for team captain and Allied forces commander Selthris Vikeruce. The enemy, a well-known Sohanthian serial killer and fierce fighter in his own right, known only as the 'Half-Moon Murderer', he makes short work of the young Selthris and turns his ire on the rest of the Allied forces.
Fortunately however, the far-off captain of Team One manages to intercept the pair before he is able to finish his work. Hawke brandishes her steel sword and bow to successfully attack and fend off the strangely powerful 'Half-Moon'. In fighting him she, like Selthris, is soon overpowered to a stand-off with him and quickly attempts to calculate any weaknesses he may have. While fighting him she discovers he can easily ingest any attack coated with Aegir and become stronger from it; even with blood he is able to draw Quintessence from it. Hawke adapts and overcomes the animalistic Half-Moon and allows the Allied forces a chance to breathe.
Meanwhile on the frontlines of Farrador Castle, Gorlin and the rest of the allies manage to push the cunning general Apheia and her Sohanthian force back. Astrid's earlier employed strategy of flooding the castle itself proves its weight in gold and with a little raise of their morale, the Allied forces manage to send the entire Sohanthian force packing. Though seething with rage over their defeat, general Apheia cannot help but see the qualities in her enemy strategist Astrid; she, her aide Alder and Half-Moon himself all retreat back to their base in Odorion Plains.
Astrid, as always, leads the team of commanders in her strategy for the next battle...
Scene 1
Selthris frowned forward in his light-eyed sombreness. He still couldn't remove the creeping memories of his sister and the Masked Man from his history after his discussion with Leo and Sevrenna the morning previous. His silvery eyes shut as he attempted to rid himself of his growing thoughts and the nightmare he had the night before as a result of the discussion.
This of course made him think harder of her.
Staciel Vikeruce's hard scowling face stared back at him in his mind's memory and his brow furrowed as he scowled back.
Why won't you leave me alone, he thought to himself.
"It's been three years," he added. "It's taken me so long to forget about-"
"Sel?"
The silver-haired youth's head snapped to his right and instinctively he went for the Hakai resting in its sheath on his hip. His eyes stayed widened as he beheld the surprised-faced Leo standing in his tent's doorway before him. He stood, transfixed for a second or two before finally chuckling in a low smile as he took his hand off of the hilt of his blade.
"L-Leo...," he said in his chuckle, shaking his spiky-haired head. "You always seem to... do that."
"Catch you off-guard huh?" The Mercenary shot back, a hand laying on the tent's side as he grinned back at the younger youth. He edged his thumb back the way he came and, with it, his head. "It's time; Astrid's got a doozy and she asked for you specifically for it," he explained briefly. Selthris raised a curious silvery eyebrow upwards at his best friend, unsure. Leo merely winked at him before finishing his sentence. "Party can't start without you! Come on!" The Mercenary called before dropping the tent flap and turning to leave.
Selthris couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself as he smiled in the Mercenary's disappearing direction. When he shook his head to dismiss his interruption, the silver-haired youth went to quickly attach the rest of his equipment. He finally left the tent into the cold air of winter, frowning as he turned his head to his right. Numerous members of staff, normally soldiers, passed through and by their new main camp at Farrador Castle.
Scary to think I could have died here yesterday, he thought to himself as he briefly shut his eyes in a mirthless low smile.
That was absolutely stupid, he thought to himself.
Twice now in the space of three years he had put his life on the line for someone else that wasn't Leo. He had thought he hadn't cared about the others that he fought with and yet there the proof seemingly was.
Maybe I really can help, he thought.
Maybe I really can save everyone.
They had been extremely lucky so far in that no deaths had been reported in their campaign; not even in the lower ranks of the soldiers. He couldn't help but grow a small grin to himself when he thought of the contrasting statement his father had always drilled into him.
"There's no such thing as luck on the battlefield."
Perhaps Sathryon was right all these years, he thought to himself.
As if to respond to his thoughts however, his silvery eyes caught the sight of the familiar boots he recognised walking toward him. He raised up his eyes to find the similarly surprised Sevrenna staring silently back at him; they both stopped walking, as if triggered by their very presences. Some soldiers muttered as they passed the pair and the two found themselves eyeing them threateningly. They picked up their pace to evade them completely and, when they finally did, Selthris turned his relaxed frown back on the Swordmaster before him.
He attempted a reassuring smile and nodded in acknowledgement. Though she watched him with a hard-eyed, concentrating frown her eyes darted away from his and she scowled before long. She soon shot her eyes away from him, averting his gaze before soon marching past him, effectively ending their contact. He turned his head half-way, as if to ready to pursue her but opted instead to continue on at the last second.
She may have been bothered by what she dug up from me yesterday, he thought to himself.
"What a shame..." The Lord murmured to himself in a sad, tired frown before re-turning to face the front. He merely walked on as if he had not encountered her at all.
Tina's eyebrows rose together as she marched on through the south side of the main camp. She kept her eyes peeled for the sight she was looking for. Her pegasus clopped along with her and she couldn't help but smile up at it endearingly as it snorted next to her. When she re-turned her head back to her front she double-took when she saw it.
A large dragon sitting directly outside of a tent. It sniffed up at the air that seemed to emanate from inside the tent it sat outside of.
A strange odour maybe?
When she approached she had her pegasus hide on the other side of the tent before smiling in an acknowledging nod up at the dragon on her left. She opened the tent flap and peeked in curiously, a single eyebrow up this time.
"Garrus?" She called out; her eyes instinctively found him hunched over at a small oven in the back. Her frown lit up into a light smile when he turned to face her, his ponytail of black hair swinging around as he faced her in a surprised frown.
"Tina, right?" The unmounted Dragon Rider grinned over at her, nodding his head upwards. "Welcome to my kitchen!" He chuckled good-naturedly.
"Do you need a hand?" The similarly dismounted Pegasus Knight winced as she picked up her pace suddenly to walk quickly inside the tent, approaching him. He stood up from his low position however and smiled as he placed the baking tray he used on the oven's top counter above him before peeling off the oven mitts he wore so well.
"I got it," the Etherthien Dragon Rider grinned as he placed the mitts down and stuck his hands on his hips. "Go on, take one." He encouraged, nodding his head down at the simple cookies he had created.
"Maybe later," Tina chuckled similarly well-heartedly as she smiled back at him before re-opening her mouth. "I'm surprised; you do all the cooking for us?"
"What, you think Ariella did it?" Garrus smirked back at her confidently, winking at her in a laugh. "Nah, she's smart, but no one is a match for my cookery."
"You're good at it; these look really nice," Tina complimented in a light smile of her own as she regarded the warm confectionery laying on the baking tray before her.
"Come on; take one," Garrus grinned back at her as he folded his arms, nodding his head down to his right. "I promise I won't tell a soul."
The Pegasus Knight rolled her eyes in a flirtatious grin in response before opting to assent to his request.
"Fine," she gave in with a grin as she reached down to grasp at one of the delicious looking cookies with her glove. She bit into it in her smile, her eyebrows raised when she revelled in the result of them however. "Damn, these are good."
Beaming with pride, Garrus could only chuckle in his briefly shut-eyed grin, arms folded and all.
"Now I feel horrible, I can't pay you back for these," the Pegasus Knight smiled in quiet apology. When the grinning Garrus shook his head to re-open his own mouth in response, an idea went off in her head; an idea coming to mind. "Oh wait a minute!"
"Uh?"
"What if I make you some gloves to handle the hot food with?" The messy-haired Pegasus Knight smiled at him as she tilted her head at him. He blinked initially, as if curious before turning his head back down to his mitts on his oven counter.
"I guess I could do with an upgrade...," Garrus chuckled good-heartedly as he examined the tattered mitts he used. "It's been... a long time." He said as he freed a left hand to rub the back of his head nervously.
"Sure, it'll be a good use of my time."
"So you can sew!" Garrus smiled this time as he re-folded his arms to face the younger fighter. "That's so cool; it's a good trade."
"Yeah, of course; I had to growing up by myself," the girl grinned back at him as she nodded, taking another bite of the cookie he so graciously offered to her. "Is that why you're always wearing your armour?" She asked him, curious. He winced as he rubbed his head once more and averted her eyes for a few seconds in a well-meaning chuckle.
"Nah that was um... Sophie..." He laughed nervously and she raised an eyebrow.
"That's your...?"
"Yeah, that's her right outside there," the Dragon Rider introduced with an acknowledging nod to the exit of the tent in an appreciative smile. "She likes to chew on my shirts of all things." Garrus finished in a nervously smiling laugh.
"I wish I could say Archibald never ate anything of mine but he always took a liking to my shoes," the Pegasus Knight shot back in a light grin of her own. "Tell you what; gimme!"
"Wha-?" Garrus mouthed over at her, for once taken by surprise in a blink. He soon realised what she was talking about – his shirt – and he chuckled once more. "Oh my shirt," he laughed, pulling his head temporarily back as he did. "Sure, sure lemme just take my armour-" he began again, reaching for it before he stopped almost immediately, as if noticing his very actions. "Uh, maybe I shouldn't be-"
"It's fine," Tina interrupted him with a dismissive shake of her head and a palm raised up, as if to dismiss his concerns. "I want to repay you back for helping me yesterday anyway."
"Don't worry about it," the Dragon Rider shot back in a confident smirk. "Can't call me a dragon knight without being quick!"
When she grabbed the tattered shirt from his now topless form, she grinned over at him. "Ain't that the truth," she agreed with him in a wink before turning, presumably to leave. "I'll get it back to you soon as I can!"
"Take your time!"
–
2
"'Grub's up, varmint'?" Norman reiterated for what felt like the tenth time as he grinned over at the similarly stoic-stance Hawke, folded armed and all. The Sniper rolled her eyes at the younger warrior ahead of her, opting not to respond to him. "That the best you could do?"
"I'd like to see you do better in that fight," the Sniper finally replied with in a raise of her own eyebrow, a new mask adorned on her face. "You could have gotten me this sooner y'know."
Norman chuckled as he tilted his head at her, a light grin on his scruffy complexion. "I guess I just like keepin' you on a hook." The Alchemist's bodyguard chuckled in his folded-armed grin, earning a narrow-eyed look from the woman before him.
"If anyone's on a hook it's you," Hawke shot back in her own folded-armed grin behind her mask. "We should watch how loud we're talking; we're about ready to start anyway."
As if to react to her words, the smiling Astrid strode into the tent alongside the similar expressed forms of the other regional commanders; Salnarra, Theffania and Alaric all marched alongside her. Common faces in the strategic room walked on in after them; the frowning Ariella joined by the similar faced Talia, clutching her Thunder tome close to her as always.
"Good morning you two!" Alaric greeted in his ever boisterous grin as he approached the folded-armed pair at the back of the tent, just a few steps from the table laid out for them. They turned to face their king and both lowered their frowns and arms to bow respectfully at him. "How are you both?"
"Very well, your majesty." Hawke merely replied for the pair as she pulled her body back up.
"I should think so, after yesterday's battle!" The smiling king claimed as he pulled the chair ahead of him and sat down on it, pulling himself forward. "That battle gave me chills!" He said in his grinning pun, folding his own arms as he usually did. While Norman could only exchange his low-smiling awkward expression with the listening Hawke, seemingly holding back from laughing, Hawke responded for them once more.
"Thank you sire."
"I'll say," Astrid nodded in agreement as she approached the bench, grinning also. She carefully placed down her trusty map and other documents on the table below her before continuing as she reached for her chair. "If it wasn't for you we wouldn't have won that battle!"
"Hear, hear." Salnarra chuckled in light agreement as she approached the bench for her own seat.
"Don't let her get a big head now!" The grinning Ariella shot in with as she approached the group, waving a finger at the watching Hawke. She seemingly smiled back at the old woman beneath her disguise before the old woman chuckled this time as she made her final approach and took her seat. "Well I joke but you did well yesterday Hawke, well done." The joking Alchemist turned her grin on the woman behind her, her hands joined ahead of her. The Sniper bowed her head in a seeming show of respect.
"Ah, Lord Selthris!"
The group turned their heads to find the initial frowning young man in question standing in the doorway of the tent, joined by his ever loyal companion; the smiling Leo. He blinked once before smiling in their direction, seemingly engrossed in an earlier conversation with the Mercenary next to him. He strode forward to join the group, accompanied by his ever close companion at his side.
"Hello everyone; sorry we're late, it's my f-."
"You're fine, we've not even started yet," Astrid interrupted with a polite shake of her head and a friendly smile. Selthris nodded back with the grinning Leo at his side. "Where is-?" She began, raising a curious eyebrow upward however, as if hearing them begin to mention her, the person herself walked right in after the pair of boys.
Sevrenna stood in the tent doorway and, though her eyes very quickly caught the watching Selthris', they soon landed on anywhere but his. She averted his gaze by turning to face the main table in general, similarly striding forward. When she felt the tense atmosphere in the air however her eyes narrowed and she stopped moving almost immediately, her eyes darting at the members of the group.
"W-What?" The Swordmaster questioned, unsure. Leo, seemingly in knowing, turned his own eyes away from the young woman as if in awkwardness.
"I'm... glad you're here Sevrenna," Astrid began as she turned her eyes 'round to face the firm-eyed fighter. "We've finally decided on a punishment."
"P-Punishment?" Sevrenna stammered, blinking back over at the listening strategist. "What do you-?"
"For consistently disobeying direct orders we've had no choice but to agree to confine you to your quarters for the next battle," the Advisor claimed as she threaded her fingers together on the table, her head turned to face her. Sevrenna's sky-blue eyes widened in shock and surprise as she listened. "I know this may be hard to hear but-"
"What?" The Swordmaster suddenly and hotly interrupted as she clenched her fists together, narrowing her eyes back at the strategist. Her spicy temper easily reared its head once more and she scowled back as she re-opened her mouth to continue but it was Astrid's turn to interrupt her instead.
"Not once but twice your consistent disobeying has nearly caused irreparable damage to one of the key members of the Allied forces," Astrid spoke loudly, commandingly and firmly. Sevrenna's eyebrows lifted back up to match her new shocked frown and the Swordmaster's eyes couldn't help but dart briefly over to the mentioned Selthris on her side. "We can't overlook it this time; I'm sorry."
"B-But-!" Sevrenna began stammering back in response as she gasped in quiet defeat, her eyes briefly glancing over at the similarly surprised Selthris.
"I-It's okay," Selthris chuckled as he attempted to dismiss the matter off with a wave of his hand and a shake of his head. "I'm fine after all and-"
"That's not the point," Alaric interrupted the youth politely as he turned his head to face the group, frowning contrastingly to his earlier cheer. "If you or any of the key members of this alliance were to perish, and especially to disobeyed orders, then our morale would suffer terribly."
"Knock that on and we lose whatever advantage and momentum we may have gained from our tactician's plans," Salnarra spoke up in agreement from her side of the table. "I'm in agreement with the punishment miss Sevrenna; I'm very sorry."
An awkward kind of silence soon descended down upon the group as they all listened and seemingly awaited Sevrenna's response; though her initial anger had faded when Astrid had brought up the reason for their choice, a frustrated crease of her face mixed with a defeated tinge in her expression. She turned her eyes to finally rest on what may have been the last hope in her line; Selthris stared back with similarly urgently widened eyes, as if worried.
He winced and darted his head around to open his mouth, as if to speak in her favour once more but by then it was too late. The Swordmaster turned her tail very quickly and marched back where she came, her blue eyes seemingly shut as she did so. If the young woman was angry this time, she opted not to show it in her accepting, defeated gesture.
"Let her go Sel," Leo advised from his companion's side as he placed a hand to rest on the silver-haired swordsman's shoulder. "I reckon she'll be fine in time."
"I know that, but...," the young Lord murmured, more to himself than to anyone else as he lowered his eyes in thought. "Those eyes of hers... they're just like mine used to be."
As if sensing his very thoughts, the narrow-eyed and frowning Leo merely nodded in silent acknowledgement when he caught the young king's eye.
"I'm sorry Selthris, I know things are already kind of awkward with you two," Astrid attempted to soften the solid atmosphere of the tent. Selthris' eyes lightly widened as he swivelled around to face her. "But it-"
"Had to be done; I know," Selthris chuckled in an agreeing nod, smiling in a friendly manner as he dismissed the concern from her face with a wave of his hand as he usually did. "I'm... only sorry that I wasn't strong enough to..." He went on however as his silver eyes lowered temporarily, his voice dimming to a lingering murmur as his thoughts quickly returned to the incident they were previously referring to.
"Come on, enough of that," Leo interrupted in a brotherly grin as he collided his arm around the lightly surprised boy's neck. Selthris turned his briefly widened eyes over to face the grinning young man as he spoke. "You're plenty strong," the Mercenary claimed as he prodded his free left index finger at his chest before chuckling as he continued. "You just ain't got the smarts to match it."
Selthris couldn't help but lose his short-lived frown in place of a shut-eyed chuckle, his mood lifting. As if ripples in a pond, the rest of the table joined in with light smiles of their own.
Satisfied by the change in atmosphere, Astrid put on an excited grin as she spread out her magical map across the table they all used and opened her mouth to speak.
"Now... the next battle shall be at Odorion Plains!" The Advisor started as she placed some small statue pieces on each corner of the map to keep it laid out. "Let's begin!"
"General Nicholas," Apheia began as she approached the folded-armed man in question ahead of her. Seemingly clad in the classic Sohanthian amber armour, he swivelled his head half-way 'round to eye the blonde woman as she approached before turning to face her in a nodding sign of respect. The blue-haired Armour Knight at her side, Alder, faithfully followed her at her side. "I was wondering where you were..."
"You know I am to watch over these supply lines Apheia," Nicholas spoke back to her in his gruff, seemingly irked tone of voice as he glared back at her. "If our intelligence is correct then..."
"Yes," Apheia chose to interrupt him as she raised her head at him in a similar-expressed frown. "The Allied forces are marshalling in this direction."
"Then it's true...," Nicholas growled out as he turned his eyes to the north, a hard-eyed glare on his growing scowl. "Those insects; didn't Half-Moon have enough Aegir from them to kill them all?" The General growled out as he snapped his eyes back on the blonde woman. The long-serving Sohanthian Halberdier merely frowned back at him before placing a hand on her hip as she stared back down at him.
"K-Killed?!"
Apheia's eyes rolled in a mix of frustration and annoyance. "No," she shot back before continuing. "He was merely defeated; it would seem the Allied force's commander is a sentimental fool."
"Sentimental... fool...?" Nicholas asked, this time in a curious blink. Apheia took his curiosity with a satisfied smile and continued on as urged.
"Just as empress Sohantha has predicted, their commander has proven her correct; he spares any life that he possibly can whether through himself or through his comrades," the Halberdier smiled as she raised her own arms to fold in mirroring. Nicholas' eyes widened, as if surprised by this knowledge. "Half-Moon is alive and well but sleeping; we do not need him for this mission."
"Then...?"
"Yes," Apheia nodded. "You shall be given the most important duty in this military force."
His eyes widened once more and he gasped, as if the orders came directly from the empress herself. Apheia's smile seemed to carry some hint of something other than friendliness as she spoke in reply.
"You are to push them back when they inevitably sent an attack force out to meet yours," the Halberdier explained in her shadow-looming smile. "That is all."
"Is that all?" Nicholas murmured out at first, as if shocked before suddenly turning his shock into narrow-eyed hilarity. He pulled his head back and laughed up at the morning sky overhead before snapping it back down to smirk toothily at his comrade and class-man. "With my force I will easily push them back," the General hotly declared in his superior smirk. Apheia's own smile was soon lost to her as she quietly listened. "Far better than you ever did... Apheia."
Silence descended down upon the trio and, as Alder listened he darted his eyes between the pair. He found the narrow-eyed smirking Nicholas watching his comrade like a hawk, almost as if for any change in her facial expression. Conversely Apheia's quiet frown had turned icy cold and, with it, her glassy eyes had turned limp and half-closed almost as if uninterested in the conversation entirely.
But they both knew better.
Finally responding after the awkward and biting silence, Apheia merely bowed back at the smirking-faced Nicholas, eliciting a shocked frown from him in reply.
"We are all counting on you, general Nicholas," the Halberdier complimented in a regaining of her smile, bent forwards in her pleasant-mannered bow, her left forearm held in place horizontally across her armoured chest. The named General in question gained a twitch to his now annoyed frown, as if disappointed in his comrade's expression. Apheia turned her eye-opening smile as she briefly re-raised her head to face him in her finishing sentence. "May the strength of Sohantha suffocate your enemies."
With that, the pair of Sohanthian officers about turned and left the firm-frowning Nicholas to his thoughts. As they marched a sizeable and safe distance away from him, the surprised-faced Alder ripped his eyes away from the general before turning to face his commander.
"That was just cruel commander," Alder spoke up in an initial frown, almost as if criticising her decision. The blonde listened quietly as she marched forward, an unemotional frown written across her countenance. "To give him false hope like that..."
His words, this time, brought a low-growing smirk to her face and she re-opened her mouth to respond. "Shh, Alder...," the Halberdier grinned forward as she raised her left index finger to rest on her lips. When she re-lowered it however her eyes narrowed forward. "He shall be the stone with which I step on... to progress."
–
3
"Selthris and Leo; reinforce Draffion Castle! Wait for your opening at Raflan plains!"
The listening Selthris nodded in his hard-eyed narrow at the far-off sealed stronghold ahead of him. Leo nodded alongside him in his own firm frown, the two young men standing alone just atop the battlements of the castle.
"Ulric, Kay, Bernhard and George; I want you three to hold the frontlines with the rest of our soldiers!"
In another part of the battlefield the similar-expressed Paladin commander nodded as he watched down the field only to find hordes of approaching amber; the Sohanthian army. The grinning Kay and frowning George similarly sat upon their horses at his side, the old unit of Aselia. The only outsider from the country did not seem out of place regardless; the similarly hard-frowning Bernhard sat atop his own horse, watching ahead of himself.
"Gorlin and Gerard; take as much heat from the sides as you can! Whittle down their numbers!"
Responding as his far-off comrades did, the ever grinning Gorlin nodded as he unsheathed two of his special swords, twirling them around as he did so. The hard-frowning Gerard stood just behind him, hands gripped tightly on his steel lance and shield; a contrast to his confident comrade.
"Got it!" The Coremondian captain shot back aloud from ahead of the small squad of soldiers behind them both.
"Alaric and Hawke; I want you both to keep the Sohanthian march away from Draffion Castle! Keep them pushed back!"
"Yes, milady, as always!" Alaric exclaimed excitedly as he twirled his personal axe across his broad armoured shoulders. The hard-eyed and seemingly frowning Hawke opted to nod wordlessly behind him, as if in agreement.
"Edgar and Sabine; you two are to back-up any unit on the frontlines experiencing trouble! Do not overextend yourselves!"
"Noted." Edgar merely spoke from the back of the main attack force, his stance in a leaning position. His steel axe similarly leant across his shoulders as he stared forward.
"Yeah... gotcha." Sabine nodded in a brief shut-eyed frown as he twirled his own steel bow, feeling for the quiver on his back.
"Tina and Garrus; I want you both to act as a flier to assist the inevitable wounded back and forth! Messages will also be your responsibility!"
The soft-frowning Tina nodded from atop her pegasus, the flapping Archibald, overlooking the battlefield in general. The far firmer flaps of the dragon floating next to her made her turn in its direction; the contrastingly hard-frowning Garrus also nodded.
"Acknowledged." The Dragon Knight responded with, remaining at the ready.
"Selthris and Leo; I'm afraid we can spare no backup units for your own, I am very sorry," Astrid's voice continued to reverberate across the linked up captains and officers in the Allied forces. Selthris' eyes narrowed as he listened. "The Sohanthian army is just that; its numbers are far too high to spread any more soldiers out."
"We will be fine," the young king merely replied with, his eyes still narrowed in tandem with his frowning face. "Sometimes a smaller force like this is better in working together unhindered." He reasoned with in his frown. Listening in, the grinning Leo raised up his right back-fist toward the younger warrior next to him; a silent gesture. Selthris blinked over at him temporarily before chuckling very quietly to himself and returning the gesture.
"Just be careful. If the enemy becomes aware that it is you in that unit they will pour everything they have into killing or capturing you," the young woman's voice intoned out once more. "You two may be the only ones fast enough together in the army to accomplish this but you're not invincible either."
"Don't worry about us Astrid!" Leo called out in his usual confident grin. "This is your plan! We haven't failed yet!"
They heard a chuckle in her echoing voice, carried by her Aegir.
"With a little luck... we should be all right!" The Advisor's voice called back out in response before finishing her orders. "All available units... prepare for high-level combat!"
Ulric narrowed his eyes forward at the fast approaching soldiers and, as their charging war cries grew louder, he shot his legs into the horse he sat upon to carry it forward. As if responding to their older commander, his group of three sub-ordinates followed wordlessly behind, readying their respective weapons.
As if to lock-on to the narrow-eyed Paladin commander however, even as their respective forces clashed in a din of cacophonous noise, a single Cavalier in the enemy frontlines seemed to target him. Ulric's eyes precisely caught him and similarly tightened as if the grip on his silver lance.
"You!"
Ulric's ears perked up as he swerved his body to the side to evade the man's obvious forward joust before swiping back at him with his own lance. The nameless Cavalier grunted as he was sent skidding back with his neighing horse. With surprising athletic ability it side-flipped to evasion and landed in a similarly hard-eyed glare.
Ulric got a full look at his new enemy this time and they took each other in around the discordant sounds of battle. He sat in a firm-eyed scowl, most of his hair and outer face covered by the amber helmet he wore. An excited look seared in his eyes as he stared back at the frowning Paladin, as if exhilarated by something other than the battle itself.
"You... are one of Sathryon's only legacies left...," the Cavalier began lowly over at him. Somehow, above the din of battle, Ulric heard him. He narrowed his eyes in his firm-frowning glare back at him. "You and he obliterated Naerith battalions all on your poor lonesome...," he began explaining as he twirled his steel lance around his left hand, grinning. His horse clopped slowly, almost deliberately around the night-time battlefield. "You even both resisted Sohanthian attack forces..." The nameless Cavalier finished with, this time in a seeming low scowl as he did so.
Ulric stared back at him wordlessly, as if waiting for him to continue.
"I'll bet you don't remember the woman that you killed all those years ago," he warned over as his horse turned its head and body so he could face the Paladin threateningly. Ulric stared back and raised a curious eyebrow upward as he listened. The nameless Cavalier growled as he swung his steel lance up to point hatefully up at him as he continued on. "They called her the 'light' of Sohantha."
"The 'light'..." Ulric murmured out as he narrowed his eyes and lowered them in quiet thought. Widening them however when a memory came to the surface, he shot them back up to stare at his new enemy.
An image of a long-blue haired woman forced its way into his mind, wielding a steel great-lance.
"H-Her!"
"Yes, her!" The nameless Cavalier shot back in a hissing low scowl as he scrunched his face up in his firm-expressed hatred. "Do you remember now?"
"But that was... at least... fifteen...?"
"Twenty years ago, actually," the Sohanthian Cavalier corrected for him, glaring once more as he spoke. Ulric's eyes widened as he listened. "You killed my benefactor and mother."
"If I remember her correctly...," the Coremondian Paladin murmured out in remembrance and thought as he lowered his eyes once more. "She was... very strong," he reminisced briefly. "So... you are Ellanore's son." Ulric finished out-with as he re-narrowed his eyes forward back at the now grinning young man.
"Got it in one," the yet nameless Cavalier chuckled mirthlessly as he smirked back at the Paladin before twirling his steel lance expertly once more. "Though you're not quite as sharp as I had expected..."
"What is your name... oh son of lady Ellanore?" Ulric shot back, raising a curious eyebrow upwards as he did so. The young man's smirk soon left him in place of a half-confused, half-annoyed frown and one of his eyebrows twitched up in response.
"My name?" The Cavalier hissed over before re-asserting his slit-eyed hatred. "What do you care?"
"You may have decided on me but I have not on you," the Coremondian lance and swordsman replied with a hard-eyed frown. "Now... what is your name?" He repeated, seemingly for the final time. The watching Cavalier glared back at him wordlessly for a tense couple of seconds before finally opening his scowling mouth to retort, his voice filled with hatred.
"Ciaran."
"Very well then, sir Ciaran!" Ulric called out loudly enough, this time for the battlefield itself to hear. He twirled his own silver lance around and his horse re-narrowed its eyes forward, as if to prepare itself. "I will give you a chance at the vengeance you so plainly seek!" He clamoured over at the silently scowling and staring Cavalier. "Come here!" The Paladin called out once more as he kicked at his horse's neighing sides, charging at the younger man. "Face me!"
–
4
Astrid's eyes darted around the magical map she always utilised on the ground below her. She sat safely in the protection of a very small rear guard at the interlude between Farrador and Odorion. Talia sat with her and watched the many pieces engage with one another; as if a magical chess game.
"I have no idea how you follow all of this...," the Thunder Mage managed out in a wide-eyed gasp. "It seems... impossible."
"Not at all!" the Advisor shot back in a friendly chuckle as she briefly shut her eyes in facing the surprised-faced Talia before soon re-facing the map below. "When you're playing tactician you can't miss a single thing!"
Talia nodded in quiet frowning acknowledgement before further movement at an unknown spot made her snap her eyes down in surprise. Astrid followed her soon after and widened her eyes.
"Is that-?"
"Yes!" The Advisor exclaimed suddenly, as if suddenly being given the keys to a cell long shut. She shut her eyes and slapped her hands together, channelling her Aegir to speak to the army collectively as she usually did.
"Selthris and Leo; now is your chance! Break in there and ruin their morale!"
Barely waiting for a second sentence, the silver-eyed swordsman and the grinning Mercenary followed their strategist's words. They both leapt forward and, in a show of their magnificent speed, they both easily made their approach to the once shut stronghold ahead of their earlier position. As if to greet them, the pair of Halberdier guards that had previously just opened it turned their wide-eyed stares at the blurs of lightning and wind before soon falling to the floor in a simultaneous pained cough.
The firm-frowning Selthris and smirking Leo soon re-materialised inside the front-end of Raflan plains, their stances similarly leant to their sides. The Sohanthian soldiers dotted around the landscape all began to shout and exclaim in growing panic and concern, running past one another as they did.
"L-Lightning! It's him!"
"Who's the other one?!"
"They're attacking!"
Waiting for no more words, Selthris exchanged his hard frown with the confident grin of his close companion's before splitting up to both their sides in obvious but lightning-fast attack. The Sohanthian soldiers stopped rushing and though some raised up their shields in attempt to block the incoming attacks, even their quick reactions were not enough to protect them from the deft sword-work the pair of Aselian warriors dealt them.
As if meeting dead-centre in the middle however the pair of sword-fighters blazed across the battlefield in a mad zig-zag like race to the finish, leaving a lot of pain in their wake. In the middle of the battlefield stood a smirking, amber armoured man in a simple goatee. He stare down at the pair from atop a battlement, watching them. Selthris and Leo's eyes were soon pulled up to the commanding, folded-armed figure.
"We've been waiting for you two...," the General classed man grinned down at them hungrily before taking one of his arms free of his stature and pointing it down slowly at the pair. His eyes re-narrowed in tandem with his words, matching the malicious chuckle upon his lips. "Now."
As if to match the growing concern on the Aselian pair's faces, an alarming number of men walked out from behind the battlements, small walls and the like. Selthris' and Leo's eyes darted around themselves, suddenly finding themselves surrounded. They opted not to panic however, even when the grinning and looming shadow of the watching General above them raised his hand upward once more, as if to signify the commencement of the attack.
Reacting to their commander's words, the nameless soldiers all readied their bows to aim at the frowning pair before affixing arrows. Leo turned to nod at the mutually expressed Selthris and the pair brought their left hands to rest at their chest, index and forefinger rose together as they did so. Finally finishing their preparation the Sohanthian ambush unit all fired their arrows together in unison; a veritable air full of projectiles.
Almost immediately the doubled swordsmen pair reacted; their Aegir stirred at their feet and, as they widened their eyes and began to rotate together simultaneously. A hurricane of wind and lightning-style Quintessence billowed up around their position and, as the arrows made contact, they were either cut by the wind rotational shield of Aegir that Leo had constructed or fizzled in electricity from Selthris'.
"Hmph... impressive," the nameless General grinned above them. As their defensive technique soon dissipated their Aegir together, the pair turned their eyes up to watch the tall man suddenly drop down to the ground. The Sohanthian unit around them all exclaimed as they attempted to hold their ground from the sheer force of impact he made in his landing. The General's grin still carried him as he walked forward and swung out a steel great-lance from his back. "You aren't going anywhere near our supplies... little Aselians..." The man chuckled, full of a sadistic kind of mirth as he used his free left hand to rub at his goatee.
Selthris and Leo stared back at him as they readied their own weapons.
–
5
Ulric gasped out as his silver lance was parried and he was smacked dead-centre in his armour with his enemy's own steel great-lance. The previously charging Ciaran let out an audible click of his tongue in an obvious gesture of disappointment as he passed the falling Paladin. The older man grunted as he peeled himself up off the battlefield, turning his eye on his right. It widened when he caught the fast-pursuing form of his scowling enemy atop his horse; the Cavalier and his steed leapt up, aiming down towards him.
He was going to crush his head with his horse.
With that thought raging in his head, the older Paladin grunted as he used his very Quintessence to vault himself backward in evasion. The growling Ciaran landed just where he rested not half a second less and, as he did, he shot his steel great-lance in a stab to his left. Ulric shot up his silver lance to block the attack and found himself landing in a pained, cringing skid. Ciaran turned his horse around and softened his glower into a mere firm frown; he soon dismounted his steed, opting to advance toward the sitting form of his opponent.
"It's hard for me to think of you as my mother's killer when I see you in that embarrassing position...," the Cavalier murmured out as he marched slowly forwards, twirling his steel great-lance around his hand expertly. Ulric narrowed his eyes up at his opponent and pulled himself up from the ground, similarly twirling his weapon around. "But that... will not save you tonight." Ciaran finished out in a hateful growling glower before swiftly leaping forward and slamming his weapon against the grunting Ulric's.
"Rgh!" The older Paladin grunted out as he shot his spear up in a diagonal defensive formation. Sparks emitted between the pair, the scowling face of the Sohanthian Cavalier above him and the teeth grit form of the Aselian captain below.
Finally however, seemingly reaching into his strength, Ulric let out a sudden yell as he spun around in rotation. His Aegir sparked loudly with him and, as he did, the wide-eyed Ciaran was forced back the way he came; the Cavalier landed from a deft back-flip, eyeing his enemy hungrily as he laid down on one knee.
"I am not the kind of adversary you can just put down!" Ulric called over angrily as he swept his silver lance across the air, as if for effect. Ciaran merely stared back in his hate-filled glare, leaning on one side. The Paladin shot his free left hand forward to pull his enemy toward him and similarly scowled. "Show me your strength!"
As if reacting to his gesture, the young man's form soon blurred and Ulric's eyes narrowed at him thoughtfully.
An after-image perhaps?
The Paladin snapped his left arm behind him to block the scowling and grunting Ciaran's sudden diagonal kick, his own eyes slitted. Easily disappearing once more he re-appeared in the Aselian captain's top right, forcing him to diagonally defend the young man's vertical slash attack. Sparks emitted between the pair once more and, as before, the blue-haired Cavalier's form distorted. Ulric resisted the urge to roll his eyes up at him, expecting another simple attack at his side or undefended rear.
He spun around in his hard frown and, sure enough, the young Cavalier re-appeared high above him, lance wielding and all. His confidence brimmed in spite of his opponent's advantage of youth but, before he could display this, he felt his position tremble. With widened eyes the Paladin gasped when he found his standing position threatened; somehow the youth managed to find a way to attack him at both sides. As he dropped to the ground, his legs swept, he found another form of the boy leaning under ahead of him.
An Aegir clone of some kind?
Finally allowed another opening to attack with, Ciaran grunted as he sent his knee, coated with Aegir into the older warrior's armoured chest. Ulric's eyes widened as the wind was quite literally kicked from him and, as he was sent spiralling across the battlefield, he didn't notice his indigo shaded armour drop from the sheer impact of his opponent's attack. He rolled across the ground roughly, grunting from the pain. Utilising his wind-style Quintessence however he used his free left hand to push up from the ground in a swift spiralling somersault, soon landing in a hard-eyed growl. When he re-opened his eyes however, he widened them when he all he could see were the forms of Allied forces and Sohanthian soldiers fighting.
Where was Ciaran?!
"So old."
He gasped and a lightning bolt of panic shot through the Paladin's system when he heard the Cavalier's voice whisper menacingly behind him. Though he attempted to turn to defend himself, he found himself too slow to react; the blue-haired Cavalier smashed his right leg into the man's back-plate of armour, sending him careering back the way he previously came. Ulric grunted and coughed out from the sudden force before re-opening his eyes ahead of him. He widened them one final time.
The lightning-quick form of Ciaran stood waiting for him, his steel great-lance poised ready to finish him. Ulric finally noticed his lack of chest-plate armour on his front and his panic began to grow. Unfortunately however, even as he attempted to right himself to counter-attack, it seemed to all be in vain; Ulric's chest landed perfectly on the glistening blade of his glaring enemy's steel great-lance.
SQUELCH
Time seemed to slow down for the pair and, as he sunk slowly down into the blade, Ulric's wide-eyed and open-mouthed frown carried him further downward. His grip on the silver lance in his right hand soon lessened and it clattered to the ground in a noisy clang. The noise seemed to attract the nearby fighting forms of his fellow comrades; the wide-eyed Kay, George and even Bernhard all snapped their eyes in his direction, visibly shocked.
"U-Ulric-sensei..." George mouthed out as he watched the sight before him, pulling his steel sword from a gurgling Sohanthian soldier. Bernhard could only silently watch from his side of the battlefield, visibly entranced and horrified.
"NOOOOOO!" Kay called desperately from her younger brother's side; with shocking speed, the young Cavalier leapt from her own horse, her steel lance bared back. She gripped it with both arms and her Aegir burned into her nature of fire to match her desperate-faced scowl. Ciaran didn't even attempt to turn his head to face the young blonde plummeting down to meet him; even as she shot her spear down slam him he brought up an invisible shield of Aegir. Her fire mixed with it as she smashed her weapon and her body against them, grunting lowly. Ciaran merely glared silently ahead of himself at the night-time battlefield before him, his scowl still strong on his face.
Finally however, the Sohanthian's Aegir shield grew so strong that the Aselian Cavalier was forced to back-flip the way she came in evasion. Finally allowed some breathing space, the scowling Ciaran used his surprising strength to yank the steel great-lance from the coughing body of his enemy. Ulric's cough stained the fast approaching ground and, as he fell with it, the Sohanthian Cavalier spun his weapon high above him, spraying the Paladin's blood around his position with it.
"You fucking bastard!" Kay cried over in a mix of anger, sudden hate and hurt. Her grip on her steel lance grew so tense her armoured fingers began to cause noise within themselves. Tears dripped from her scowling face and, as she twirled her steel lance around to presumably ready herself for her opponent, the similarly grimacing face of her enemy half-turned to meet her through a left narrowed eye.
"Kay, no, don't-" George called over, initially very quietly as he had long since dismounted his horse, jogging over to meet her. When he saw her leap up into the air once more in a deft somersault his eyes widened and he gasped in horror. "No! Kay!"
"Come now!" The nameless General laughed as he parried the grunting Leo's sword strike, chasing him across the supply camp in a wide grin. "You are of the reported Team Three!" He called over as he smashed his knee into the gasping youth's chest-plate of indigo shaded armour, sending him off his feet temporarily.
The Sohanthian General laughed once more as he turned his body around in a perfect 360 spinning splash attack with his steel great-lance, sending the grunting youth careering into the large hard wooden fort behind him. As it gave off a loud crash, the General merely turned his grin around behind him as he felt a presence attempt to rush him from behind. Raising up his left amber armoured arm to block the newly formed Selthris' left air-kick he widened his own eyes at his opponent's new change.
Black electricity coursed around him in short bursts and a cloak of veritable Aegir floated around his suspended mid-air body. His once silvery eyes had also switched colour to a menacing ebony to match the colour of his strange lightning. When Selthris' briefly surprised eyes darted in his arm's direction the Sohanthian General chuckled wickedly as he spun around to slam his knee forward.
The suspended swordsman grunted as he shot up his black lightning-encased arms in a defensive 'x' to block. Even in his old mode change, Selthris found himself sent rocketing backward from the impact of his opponent's strength. The young Lord shot down his arms and glared forward in his grimace as he watched his enemy. The lightning that coursed around his body crackled quietly as he narrowed his eyes at the grinning General; the Sohanthian officer merely chuckled once more across at him before suddenly losing his smirk as he shot his steel great-lance into the ground roughly.
Selthris had to steady himself to make sure he didn't fall from the sheer strength he seemed to command; an unnatural earthquake, seemingly brought on by his stirring Aegir, caused the ground to shake roughly. As before the Sohanthian soldiers dotted around them all exclaimed out loudly as they watched, attempting to keep their balance. Finally however, the grunting General's scowl grew worse as he suddenly gave vent to an effort-filled yell, his Quintessence billowing upward. Selthris could only stare in quiet disbelief.
What was he-?
DROOM
As if to mock him a single bead of sweat fell from the newly grinning General and, as he tested his left arm and ringed it around the air, Selthris gasped in shock, his eyes widening.
How did he-?
"Surprised are we?" The nameless General grinned over in his direction as he tore his eyes away from his ringing arm, his head leant as he spoke. "We've known about you for a while, son of Sathryon," he chuckled as he used his now responsive left hand to rub at his short brown goatee. "That black lightning of yours... it's a peculiar thing, no?" The older man explained briefly as he pointed directly over at the young man's Aegir cloak. Selthris' eyes narrowed silently as he listened. "I imagine the Quintessence in those bolts are supposed to affect the nervous system in other people's Aegir pathways."
Once again, the young Aselian Lord's black eyes widened. As if striking a target in a perfect shot, the General chuckled in a satisfied chuckle.
"Bingo," he called over in his narrow-eyed chortle before continuing. "Do you really think you could persist in defying the empire?" The man challenged over before soon losing his smirk to a hateful hissing scowl. "Pathetic remnant of a deceased clan."
As if to respond to his words however, the similarly scowling Leo plummeted down from above, seemingly having gave pursuit earlier. Not even turning his head to face the desperate-faced Mercenary above and behind him, the nameless General snapped his steel great-lance backward in a seemingly impossible manoeuvre. Leo's narrow-eyed scowl soon switched to a wide-eyed frown, shocked and all. The General finally half-turned a hate-filled eye on his enemy behind him, the pair's weapon struggle emitting sparks between their stares.
"Aselian scum."
With that, the General merely grunted as he broke the hold and swung his steel great-lance across the yelping Mercenary's face, visibly scarring him with a diagonal slash. Selthris' ebony eyes widened as he watched the spiralling form of his companion fly across the field. His eyes darted down to the pursuing Sohanthian General below him, frighteningly fast and all. Urgency gripped at the young Lord's heart and his panic soon began to grow as he shot forward to give chase himself.
The ground choked up pieces of dirt and even small rocks from the sudden velocity of his leap and Aegir. Selthris' grit-toothed frown grew worse when he saw the similarly scowling form of his opponent easily catch up with the sailing Leo.
"I'm not gonna make it!"
Widening his eyes he pulled the Hakai back and grunted as he tossed it with all of his might forward, aiming for a specific area. Speeding off in a side-direction he soon disappeared from the watching soldiers' view. The nameless Sohanthian General narrowed his eyes up at his defenceless descending enemy before raising up his steel great-lance to finish the attack with. Fortunately for the spiralling Mercenary however when he shot his spear down to smash the flying Leo back down to earth, his weapon hit the similarly soaring form of a familiar sword.
The General's eyes widened and he resisted the urge to gasp when he found the black-lightning coated sword suddenly blurred once; as if by magic the similarly scowling Selthris re-appeared holding the blade and the two were locked in another struggle together.
"Space-Time Aegir Art?!" The General finally gasped out as he re-widened his eyes forward, another bead of sweat forming at his temple. He soon snorted however as he shot his re-narrowed eyes back to glare at his enemy. "No... not quite...," he muttered out before opening his mouth once more. "Apheia, the time is now!" The nameless General called out suddenly, his eyes briefly leaving the young silver-haired swordsman's. Selthris' eyes widened and he snapped his head around behind him to find an oddly familiar form approaching the fallen body of his weakened comrade.
The Halberdier bodyguard of the empress' from the summit?
Why is she here?!
The blonde woman stepped out, as if from the shadows, her arms folded. She regarded the duelling pair with a momentary firm frown, as if lightly annoyed by his order before soon turning her head around. She spoke something unintelligible from the distance she stood at and, sure enough, a blue-haired Armour Knight marched into frame just behind her. Utilising his great muscles, the man frowned firmly as he grasped the shut-eyed and bleeding Leo. Selthris' night-black eyes widened in growing horror when he realised their intentions. He broke the hold of the enemy he was engaged with and about-turned immediately to give pursuit. His hard eyes narrowed at the slow turning forms of general Apheia and her Armour Knight aide; her arms still folded as she regarded him with a mere frowning glance.
As if to dash his hopes completely, the ground suddenly rumbled fiercely and a huge wall of Aegir erupted between him and his target. Selthris grunted in a mix of frustration and panic as he skid his feet across the ground, spitting up rocks and dust. Blocking the area off completely, he snapped his narrow-eyed scowl around behind him to find the smirking-faced General watching him from his previous position. His steel great-lance lay thrust into the ground below him, seemingly the catalyst for his defensive response.
"No...," Selthris thought to himself as his eyes twitched lightly. The black lightning that encased his body gave off a couple of light crackles as he glared back at his enemy. "If I can't... beat him right now then..."
"This is the end of your little campaign," the nameless General called over, surprisingly quietly as he slowly advanced on the scowling Selthris. His voice, carried over by the wind, was remarkably easier to hear than he had expected. "It has been a while since general Nicholas of the Sohanthian army has received any honours... but I suppose capturing or even killing the last remaining son of Sathryon... will do." Nicholas finally introduced himself with a gradual growing grin as he twirled the steel great-lance around his right arm, marching forward deliberately sluggishly.
I can't afford to waste any time here, Selthris thought to himself as he glared forward.
His eyes narrowed when his cloak of Aegir billowed up even rougher, indicating a sudden raise in strength.
"I'll kill him here!"
With that single thought urging him on, Selthris shot forward to meet his enemy, scowling terribly. The grinning Nicholas' expression seemed to tighten even further as he approached and he shot his spear diagonally upward to block the obvious strike Selthris attacked with. Though Nicholas had connected with the boy's body once more he had seemed to overcome the ebony shaded electricity that Selthris' buff commanded.
"Tch!" Selthris managed out in a mix of impatience and anger before soon disappearing. Nicholas chuckled as he snapped his body around to block the young man's kick, though sending him skidding only a few yards back he held his ground.
Selthris re-appeared once more at his legs, attempting a sweep. The Sohanthian General merely laughed as he hopped upwards to evade the attack completely before roundhouse kicking the young man across his face.
"Gugh!"
SMASH
In less than a second after being hit by the shocking speedy General, Selthris' sailing form smashed upon the rock wall of Aegir that his enemy had brought up earlier. His body visibly sunk into the depression in the rock he had caused from the sheer impact of his hit and the boy could only shut his eyes in pain as blood lightly trickled down the sides of mouth. Offering him no time to rest or recover however, Selthris felt the fast form of his opponent collide his steel great-lance into his own wall from the other side. The young Vikeruce king let out a shocked, wide-eyed gasp once more when he felt him move behind him.
SQUELCH
Alongside the sound of his buzzing lightning, Selthris heard the sound of his enemy's weapon – and felt it – pierce through his armour and his flesh. The young swordsman's eyes widened once more and time seemed to slow down for the pair; Selthris coughed out a significant amount of blood from his mouth, staining the ground below him.
As if in response however the watching Sohanthian ambush unit dotted around the supply camp all erupted into uproarious cheer, calling in approving for their commander. General Nicholas stood in his grin, his left arm now gripping his steel great-lance, the rest of his body leant to the side as he watched the wide-eyed Selthris sink down back to the blade of the weapon.
"L...," Selthris began lowly, his eyes very quickly growing tired; his vision soon blurred and the forms of the screaming soldiers ahead and the fort itself began to grow wavy, like a dream. "... eo..."
With his seemingly final words parted from his mouth, Selthris body was yanked back from the lance that Nicholas used to impale him with. Time slowed down very briefly for the grunting Lord as he slowly dropped toward the ground, his blood sailing up to meet his descent.
His consciousness faded just before he hit the ground.
–
6
Astrid's eyes caught the sudden change in the chess-like board map below her; her eyes darted over to the top left of the map. The two pieces symbolising Leo and Selthris dimmed to a low light, barely visible.
"T-That's bad isn't it?" Talia managed to stammer out from the young Advisor's side, visibly concerned. Astrid's eyes shot back over to the centre of the map and found a similar issue happening with another of the pieces on the frontlines. A sign of her old habit, Astrid brought her left fingernails up to her mouth, biting at them in growing concern.
"Yeah... it is." The Advisor merely murmured out before lowering her hand and soon slapping them together, shutting her eyes in tandem with it once more. "Leo, Selthris! Are you there?"
The young woman waited for a few seconds and, as they grew in time, so did her worry. A bead of sweat began to drop from her forehead and her eyes scrunched harder to match her worried expression.
"Leo, Selthris, respond!"
After barely two more seconds the frustrated Advisor re-opened her eyes and briefly shut off the Aegir channel. Talia winced as she regarded her team commander in a similarly worried frown.
"They're not answering... are they?"
"No...," Astrid murmured as she turned her eyes back down to the map in concern, biting her nails once more. "Something's happened to them."
"So then-?"
"I think Ulric might be fatally wounded too," Astrid interrupted with softly as she briefly surveyed the centre of the board, her eyes darting across the rest of it as she spoke. "... yeah... we gotta pull our forces back."
"That's our next COA?" Her Thunder Mage companion replied with in a frown as she pulled herself up from the ground. Astrid slapped her hands together to open the Quintessence channels once more before nodding up at her, also frowning.
"Yes! Go inform Edgar's regiment to pull their forces back; I'll tell the rest!"
With that order the Thunder Mage turned on her heel and headed off for the frontlines.
"Tina, Garrus; I need one of you to go check on Raflan plains for me and another to order as many men back as we can!" The strategist relayed in her brief, shut-eyed frown. "George, Bernhard, Kay; get your forces out of there now!"
"Well... we would but...," Bernhard murmured as he stared forward at the leaping and screaming Kay. Ciaran glared back at her hateful expression as he back-dashed through her wild and unpredictable strikes. "One of us is in a tunnel..." The Nomad Trooper murmured out as he frowned his concerned eyes forward at the battle before him.
"Kay!" George called out as he leapt forward off his horse, raising his own steel lance upward. With both arms gripped on it, the young Cavalier scrunched his eyes shut as he cascaded toward them, slamming it in between the pair. Forcing the pair apart, the growling Kay skid back from her earlier attack, glaring. Ciaran, similarly scowling also skid back in recovery, his body leant to the side in his glower.
"George!" The livid Cavalier called over at her younger brother. "Let me through; I'm going to kill this mother-fucker!"
"No!" Her sibling cried back as he yanked the steel lance back out from the ground, turning to face her in a narrow-eyed frown. "Astrid's already issued the orders; we're falling back!"
"You two better come to a decision now," Bernhard called over lightly as he twirled the steel sword in his right hand, eyes darting between the pair of Cavalier siblings and the glaring blue-haired Ciaran. "I can't see this ending well otherwise."
"We have come to a decision Bernhard," George offered his comrade in an acknowledging nod before turning to face the growling Kay. "Our orders are to retreat!"
"B-But Ulric-sensei-"
"KAY!" George suddenly called over, half-angrily and half-urgently, a firm frown on his face as he spoke. The listening Ciaran raised his eyebrow, briefly surprised by his enemy. Bernhard similarly furrowed his brow in light shock as he listened.
"Your brother's right; we have no choice!" Bernhard called out as he very quickly made his way around the battlefield to join the main forces behind him, keeping his suspicious eye and his body faced toward the similarly glaring Ciaran. "Come on kid; don't let your mentor's death be in vain."
His words had a special kind of echoing quality to them; the narrow-eyed Kay watched her glowering opponent, her eyes couldn't help but dart back to the fallen body of her unit's commander, now seemingly unable to move at all. As her younger brother moved to her side she felt him knock her chest-plate of armour and her attention was tore from her gaze.
"Now, Kay." The younger Cavalier reinforced, this time in a much lower tone of voice. Kay frowned back at him, her scowl long-lost to her in favour of a frustrated frown. Her brow lightly furrowed to match her softening expression before swiftly turning back to a hard scowl as she tore her gaze away once more, opting to swing her body around to walk back toward her horse. While George, Bernhard and the rest of the Allied forces' military followed their generals' movements, the watching Ciaran merely stood next to the fallen body of Ulric. He opted to merely observe the universally retreating Allied forces.
"Captain! Shouldn't we give chase?" A Halberdier called out as he walked out from the Sohanthian forces behind him. Ciaran didn't even bother to turn his head around to face his comrade and merely shook his head in his low scowl.
"No," the Cavalier claimed. "Our orders are to hold our men to this point and besides...," he began again as he eyed the bloody corpse on his right menacingly. "I've gotten what I wanted out of this."
The Halberdier, listening in, traced his eyes and winced lightly as he watched the fallen form of the Paladin.