Hey guys, another chapter's out, so yeah, wait for A Stray Ashigaru! I have something great planned!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem, all characters and franchises depicted and/or referenced belong to their respective owners and creators.
Marcus sat down outside Shepherd HQ, wearing his armor, still unsure of what to think about all these changes that were happening right before his eyes. It had been two days since the assassination attempt and Marcus had to attend many other meetings with some intermediate stuff happening in between. Due to circumstances, he and Mikah were forced to stay with the Shepherds for their own safety should any assassins try and attack them in their own house. He leans on a tree while staring at the the orange light rising on the horizon. He starts draw on the ground some words as he grew bored.
"Well this is certainly surprising."
Marcus looks to the source of the voice to see Robin, who was wearing a wry smile.
"Hey Robin. Up early I see, couldn't sleep?"
"Vaike's snoring." Robin deadpanned, prompting a chuckle from Marcus. "Don't know how the others can stand it. How about you?"
"Too many things bothering me lately. I decided to admire the rise of the sun"
"At least you don't have someone like Panne as your wake-up call. She's been bothering me about my promise to bring her, and I quote 'man-spawn to slay'."
"I wouldn't blame her for her intense grudge." Marcus commented. "She has been wronged beyond imagining by the evils of mankind."
"That does beg the question." Robin added in. "What is with the intense grudge between you and Khalid?"
Marcus stayed silent before asking.
"Remember the Muslims I talked of in my stories? Khalid is one of them, the people whom I have been trained to loathe and kill. Those who took lands that didn't belong to them in the name of their false religion and burned it."
"Is that so?" Robin wondered with furrowed brows. "But Khalid had also said the same thing about your people. That men like you had raped the women of his country. That you also took away his home and burned it to the ground."
Marcus didn't see it that way, did the Muslims see the Christian the same way the Christians saw them? Marcus thought about this for quite a bit. But Marcus still saw it fundamentally the same, even with both sides suffering, it was still war, and Marcus had accepted that. Be it rape or pillaging, both sides had done it, so the cycle never ends.
"It is a bitter rivalry we've shared for centuries. We slander both sides without end. I know for a fact that there are good Muslims are out there, but I still stand true to my belief."
"Aren't you tired of all the war and bloodshed?"
"Neither can rest until the other is completely vanquished. It has been like that for centuries and it has yet to end. I have no qualms with it."
"You really have no problem with all this fighting and violent lifestyle?"
"Violence is how I left the slums and became a squire. If there was no more war, I honestly don't know what I would do. I never thought about what to do after the Crusades. I'm not made for ruling manors and watching households."
"You could settle down."
"You mean find someone special and get married?" Marcus asked mockingly before scoffing. "Get real, we're both bachelors, you don't know what you're talking about."
"Well, there are plenty of bachelorettes, so I don't think that would be a problem for you, especially since one of them's already fancies you." Robin smirked.
"Wait, who are you referring to?" Marcus wondered. "Is there really someone interested in me?"
"If you can't even see the obvious signs then even I can't help you." Robin dismissively replied while walking away.
"Wait! I'm serious! Who is it?" Marcus begged while following Robin back.
"Okay, how about this? We'll settle this over a game of Kingdom Conflict." Robin challenged. "If you beat me, I'll give you a hint of your mystery girl. But if you lose, well… Let's just say I have a special condition in mind"
Marcus wasn't intimidated by the losing conditions, he was really curious on this supposed admirer of his. But he still needed to know one more thing…
"I'll accept the challenge, I just have one question."
"What is it?"
"What is Kingdom Conflict?"
Marcus and Robin sat across each other with a big map on the table. There are numerous pieces on the board, pegasi, wyverns and even some normal troops. Marcus admired the craftsmanship and detail of the game pieces. Robin explained the details, which already left Marcus amazed by a game that was so in-depth. A map of the continent was for the strategy, turn-based movement while a special chess board was to be used for tactical engagements.
Here were the rules for the campaign map:
The campaign map is to be played in turns, with each player ending their turn by announcing their end of turn
A platoon can move up to 5 km on the campaign map
An army's movement range is divided by two for every three platoons added into the army
To simulate ambushes, there is a Fog of War card, a player may use it to hide troop movement and any activity
A player has a three Fog of War cards, and gets one Fog of War card every turn
A player will have resources scattered throughout his territory
Resource constraints will have a varying negative effect on troops, depending on severity of shortage
Rules for the tactical engagement map:
A player can only have a maximum of 10,000 men in an army
A player can only field a maximum of 3,200 men on the battlefield
In the event that a player has reserves, he can presently use them to replace his worn troopers with fresh soldiers
When two units engage, the outcome will heavily depend on the unit's experience, equipment and quality. More details of that will be in page 20 of the Rule Book.
All details are found in the following pages, elaborating on all aspects of this game.
"Who came up with such a comprehensive game?" Marcus wondered in awe as he looked at the many rules. "The ability to build your own named Kingdom and go to war with accurate tactics…"
"Ah, I picked it up from Miriel after she recommended it to me." Robin replied. "I always thought that I needed to brush up on strategy to strengthen my tactics. After Virion had beaten me in a chess game…"
Marcus could hear the dejection in his voice.
"They should make this a standard procedure for all strategists-in-training…" Marcus thought while seeing the details. "Logistics, army building, upgrading defenses, population satisfaction, taxation and even settlement building. This game could simulate a real country."
"Anyway, I'll set up our map and pieces. You read the rules first so that you get the gist of this game. Marcus read it word-for-word, quickly skimming and getting the details tha the needed to know.
Once Robin and Marcus had finished with their respective tasks, Robin then hands Marcus an empty card.
"Okay set up your kingdom."
"But how do I make my kingdom?"
"Well, you first start by filling up your Kingdom information. Then you decide on your army composition and other starting traits."
"Wait, can I see yours, I don't understand this game."
Robin shows him his kingdom, the Halidom of Ylisse
Religion: Nagaism
Military Strength: Feeble (7,000 men strong); All-around military, poor siege weaponry
Special Military Units: Pegasus Knight, Elemental Mage and Shepherds
Trait: Peaceful, Diplomatic
Economy: Prospering, Heavily relies on trade
Main Resources: Animals, agriculture and mining
Population Satisfaction: Happy
"That's really detailed and I know nothing of this world's kingdoms! How am I supposed to play?"
"Then use your own! This game isn't limited to this world's kingdoms, unless…" Robin said before mock gasping. "You know nothing of your own kingdom!"
"Bugger off." Marcus grumbled as he wrote on his card.
Kingdom of England
Religion: Roman Catholicism
Military Strength: Adequate (10,000 men strong) All-around military; No flying or magical units
Special Military Units: Longbow-men, Knight's Templars and Crossbow-men
Trait: Protective and Wary
Economy: Moderate
Main Resources: Mining, agriculture and maritime commerce
Population Satisfaction: Content
"Okay, now that your kingdom has been established, let us begin!"
Marcus watched Robin draw the borders for both kingdoms, with Marcus drawing the settlements and resources of England, and Robin doing the same for Ylisse. The ending map shows a combination of both countries into one piece of land, with Ylisse dwarfing England in size.
"You go first Marcus."
"I move up a 1000-man army up on Canterbury!" Robin said as he moved his game piece onto a marked spot. "Your castle-town is now under siege!"
"I send in a 1300-man army to engage your army, meeting you on the battlefield!"
Marcus and Robin then switch to the chess board, Marcus then starts setting up his battle formation with the game pieces.
"I have four hundred Longbowmen split into two platoons, and two hundred Crossbows in a single platoon in the rear. I have three platoons of Spear Sergeants on the front to hold the line, with a hundred Mounted Knight's Templars on the flanks."
"I have a platoon of two hundred mages in between two platoons of two hundred archer militia. I have three hundred varied Mercenaries split into two platoons, with a hundred Pegasus Knights on the flanks."
As Marcus got ready, Robin makes his first move.
"I pull my forces off the field." Robin said.
Marcus smirked at this, Robin was retreating, which meant Marcus could pursue.
"I pursue your forces!"
It was Robin's turn to smirk as he pulled out a card.
"Ambush! Due to fog of war, you failed to notice my troops in hiding."
"Wait, what!?"
"I flank on your forces and you set up your last stand!"
Marcus gulped as he went back to the tactical engagement board. Robin's force was now 1500-man strong and he had no time to actually set up his formation.
"I move up my mercenaries to engage your spearmen, I also send my mages to support my mercenaries."
That was a classic move, sending your less elite units with ranged support guarantees a decent kill count. But Marcus had other plans, he grabs his cavalry piece.
"I send up my heavy cavalry to flank your mages, effectively removing your ranged support."
"I send a unit of Pegasus Knights to lessen casualties. I also move up archers to shoot down your heavy cavalry."
Marcus saw that his Spear Sergeants were locked in melee with the mercenaries, he had a set of options. Concentrate his arrow-fire on the mercenaries, concentrate arrow-fire on Pegasus Knights or split it up and lessen the power of his arrows. Marcus knows that Pegasus Knights are susceptible to arrow fire.
"I send up my archers and shoot your Pegasus Knights!"
Marcus ends up with a complete kill, killing all the Pegasus Knights, but he realized that sending up all his archers was overkill. Robin then says.
"My mercenaries break your Sergeants and move up to engage your archers."
"I pull my archers out and send them behind a spear wall formation."
"I send my mages to batter your spear wall while your archers still retreat!"
Marcus grit his teeth as his spearmen were getting whittled away by the mages without any effective counter. This was going to be a long battle.
Robin finally breathed as they estimated the casualties from that battle.
Marcus: 1300 men, 704 dead, 302 injured, 196 captured by the enemy, 62 deserters, and 34 survivors
Robin: 1500 men, 307 dead, 623 injured, 11 captured by the enemy, 28 deserters and 541 survivors
Marcus was at a loss for words, the casualties were so high and the battle was so one-sided with Robin's genius. Robin smirked and taunted.
"Ready to give up?"
Marcus clearly saw that he couldn't beat Robin on equal terms, he had to cheat. He had to make sure that he had every advantage possible. He would need to make sure that Robin had no chance of recovering, and he had many ways to do this.
"I'm just getting started."
Marcus moves up a small army from his castle-town under siege, a measly 400 men.
"Trying your luck again?" Robin asked with a smirk.
"Nope, something even better."
With a small group, Marcus could move more quickly than a large army, so he moves up to Ylisse's borders and says.
"I pillage your farms and trade routes, effectively lowering your morale and resources."
Robin hurriedly moves up his patrol to engage the raiders. But Marcus drops a card.
"Fog of war, your patrol is too late in saving your precious farms."
Robin realized that with less resources, he wouldn't be able to fully replenish his military. So that meant that even though Marcus could lose many battles against Robin, Robin would lose in the long run. Marcus was adopting the Plegia strategy and Robin had to get serious.
Robin: 6664 men
Marcus: 9036 men
As time went on…
"I send the Shepherds, supplied with two platoons of axemen to engage your raiders!"
"Crap, my raiding party is cornered!" Marcus cursed. "I'll make my last stand!"
"I capture Themis and exterminate the population!" Marcus declared.
"That's unnecessarily brutal!" Robin chided.
"I'm crushing any signs of rebellion!" Marcus shot back.
Military Power
Robin: 3657 men
Marcus: 4320 men
Robin then sees the prize in front of his largest army, London. If he could take it, then he would win the game. He gathers his remaining resources and invests in recruiting Pegasus Knights and siege equipment, though the siege equipment may have to wait, since Marcus had pillaged his lumber mills. Marcus wasn't making it easy for Robin to enact his plan.
Marcus' heart beat fast, it was only because of the small land area of his kingdom that he could protect his resources. But each time he took territory, it became progressively harder to defend it all and go on the attack. The past turns had only been a back and forth switch of territories. Marcus' attempts to suppress Robin's attempts to rebuild are getting weaker with each turn. Robin simply had more manpower to draw on to replenish his feeble military. He only had a 2000 men assault team left since all his other soldiers are defending his settlements. And his inferior skill in tactics had cost him so many . He decides to take a risk.
"I send 2000 men army to attack Ylisstol!"
Robin was shocked by this, he wasn't expecting such a bold move by Marcus especially since Robin's 2000 men army was right outside London. Robin had made the mistake of leaving the capital with only 1000 men, thinking that Marcus wouldn't actually take the risk. Both stare at each other intensely as they duke it out on the chess board.
Marcus: 2000 men, 1395 dead, 204 injured, 119 captured by the enemy, 202 deserters and 80 survivors
Robin: 1000 men, 812 dead, 105 injured, 0 captured by the enemy, 11 deserters and 72 survivors
It was close, insanely close. Marcus wasn't expecting this outcome and neither was Robin.
"With eighty survivors remaining, I retreat back to London…"
Marcus could only count on his forces outlasting Robin's assault, but Robin converges a majority of his forces on London, essentially capturing London and defeating Marcus.
"Damn it all, I lost! It was so close too!"
Robin then extends a hand, with Marcus returning the handshake.
"Don't sell yourself short Marcus, you had a much better grasp in Resource Management than I did. You managed your resources well to adequately defend all your settlements."
"Well, it looks like we both learned something new." Marcus returned with a smile.
"Speaking of which, since you lost, I have to name the losing condition."
Marcus held his breath at the statement, hoping it wasn't something bad or embarrassing.
"Go buy Mikah some flowers."
"What?"
"You heard me, go buy her some flowers. She's coming with us in a few days to negotiate with Flavia, and you should get her a parting gift."
"Wait, she's leaving?" Marcus asked in surprise. "How did I not know of this?"
"Well… You are rather out of touch with diplomatic events." Robin added bluntly.
"When will you leave?"
"At the crack of dawn in two days, we are merely making preparations for the Exalt and her subjects."
Marcus thought of what to buy, but his thoughts were interrupted by Robin.
"Well, since we're done… The sun has still yet to rise and the Shepherds are still asleep, want to have another go?"
Marcus looked at the board then at Robin. He smirked and replies.
"Sure, but I would like to choose a different faction."
Robin grins as he patted himself on the back. Little did Marcus know that Robin actually gave him the identity of his admirer, Marcus just needed to read into it more. But for a brave knight, Marcus was surprisingly dense.
Chrom yawned as he woke up, the sun had finally shone down his window. He scratches his eyes and gets into his outdoor attire, which was basically his combat attire. He walks to the kitchen but then he hears a shout in the meeting room.
"I WIN!"
Chrom peeks in to see Marcus celebrating and Robin shocked over his defeat.
"How could a single civilization field so many men?" Robin muttered as he saw the endless armies belonging to Marcus.
"What are you two doing?"
"Defeating Robin at his own game!" Marcus added enthusiastically.
"That was not fair! Your military greatly outnumbered mine!"
"But isn't that your specialty?" Marcus asked smugly. "Just a few minutes ago, you were shouting TIME TO TIP THE SCALES."
Chrom looks at the game and takes a look at the cards.
Regna Ferox
Religion: Nagaism
Military Strength: Powerful (50,000 men strong); Superb mercenary units; Poor siege weaponry
Special Military Units: Foreign Recruits, Feroxi Gladiators and Khan's Escort
Trait: Aggressive, Protective
Economy: Adequate, Mostly tourism
Main Resources: Animals, Entertainment, Mining
Population Satisfaction: Content
Halidom of Ylisse
Religion: Nagaism
Military Strength: Feeble (7,000 men strong); All-around military; Poor siege units
Special Military Units: Pegasus Knight, Elemental Mage and Shepherds
Trait: Peaceful, Diplomatic
Economy: Prospering, Heavily relies on trade
Main Resources: Animals, agriculture and mining
Population Satisfaction: Happy
Chrom noticed a green cover on both, indicating a combination or alliance between the two nations. Chrom then looks at Marcus' card.
Roman Empire
Religion: Roman Catholicism/Paganism
Military Strength: Overwhelming (250,000 men strong) Superb infantry, Numerous auxiliary units, No flying or magical units
Special Military Units: War Elephants, Roman Legionaries, Praetorian Guard
Trait: Disciplined, Protective, Imperialist
Economy: Prospering
Main Resources: Manpower, Agriculture, Mining, Entertainment and Maritime
Population: Uneasy
Sweat dropped down Chrom's head as he saw that Marcus had the advantage of numbers while Robin had the advantage of quality.
Chrom saw the casualness between Robin and Marcus, not used to seeing such a friendly Marcus. He thought about and also realized that Robin was one of the few people Marcus had willingly befriended and bonded with. An audible growl can be heard in the room and Marcus immediately stood up.
"I'm getting hungry, I'll go grab some food from the mess hall."
As Marcus went out, he greeted Chrom with a smile and ran out. Before Marcus exits, he sticks his head through the doorway.
"Hey Robin, let's make this a regular thing!"
"I'll be glad to take you on anytime." Robin replied with a grin.
Marcus then runs off. Chrom stood there, a bit surprised by the friendliness between Marcus and Robin.
"Marcus is in a strangely good mood today. Of all the times I've hung around him, I've never seen him give off such cheerfulness."
"He's been having a lot of fun with the game and his mood has improved overall after that supposed vision of his."
"I have yet to know what he saw in that vision." Chrom commented. "It truly must have been something life-changing if Marcus suddenly became more cheerful."
Chrom and Robin stood idly before Robin asked.
"So, want to grab a bite?"
"Sure, let's go."
Felix woke up from his bunk bed, seeing that Rune had already woken up and left, he goes out to groom himself. He yawned as he went to a nearby spring. He approaches the spring but then sees a familiar face hiding in the bushes.
"Vaike? Is that you?"
The shirtless man jumped as he suddenly tried to do a hushing gesture, causing Felix to shut up.
"What are you doing here?" Felix whispered
"Oh, me? Nothing! Hehehehe!" Vaike replied rather nervously. "Teach was just lookin' at all the pretty flowers y'know!"
Felix raises a single eyebrow in suspicion, but ignores it, and makes his way to the spring.
"I wouldn't go there if I were you!" Vaike warned.
"Yeah sure." Felix replied dismissively while entering.
Vaike shook his head and sighed as he tucked himself in the bushes.
"Three. Two. One."
"EEEEEKK!"
"A pervert!"
Vaike watched in amusement as Felix ran away from the spring, completely embarrassed and flustered. Felix ran while covering his face as he blushed from seeing a little too much. Vaike could only chuckle a little before continuing his dirty business.
Robin walks out the HQ to only see Felix running like a madman.
"Er, Felix why are you—"
Felix seemed to be ignoring him as he ran away. Robin could have sworn that Felix looked a little red. He breathes in as he admired the nature outside the HQ. He sees Vaike skulking in the bushes.
"Vaike? What are you up to out here?"
"Eh? Me?" Vaike asked while popping his head out. "Nothin'! Har har! Yessir, just a whooole lot of nothin'!"
"Okay, now I KNOW you're up to something." Robin said while eyeing Vaike with suspicion.
"Nope, not me! Just lookin' at all these pretty flowers is all! Nice ain't they?"
Robin could hear the splashes and giggles from women, realize that the nearby spring had bathing women.
"Liar. You're trying to see who's bathing in the spring over there."
Vaike tried his best not to look affected.
"S-Spring? There's a spring?" Vaike tried in vain to act dumb. "Why, I had NO idea."
"Don't play dumb with me Vaike. Now stop leering and get back to HQ." Robin chastised.
"Aw come on! You're a man! You know how it is! Don't you ever—"
"No I don't. Thank the gods."
"Alright little goody two-shoes, I'll stop for now."
"Don't be so cranky." Robin chided. "Gods know what Chrom and Marcus will do to you if they found out you were spying on Mikah and Lissa bathing."
Vaike gulped as he realized the disastrous results of his little plan.
"W-Wait, how did you know who was bathing?"
"I know everyone's bathing schedule Vaike."
Robin and Vaike make their way back to HQ, but they are stopped by a large figure in front of them.
"Huh? What's that?"
"That's Sully's horse isn't it? Gods, but it's a fierce-looking brute." Robin wondered with a bit of unease. "Do you see how it's glaring at us? It's almost as if it thinks…"
Vaike looked ready to run as he quaked in fear.
"IT'S GONNA CHARGE! RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIIIIIIIIFE!" Vaike cried while speeding off.
The horse whinnied as it ran at them at full speed.
B-but I didn't do anything." Robin stuttered before fully realizing that he was about to get trampled. "Gyaaaaaa!"
Hagen walked around, looking for a good place to train, as the other Shepherds are too terrified to train properly around him, and the Danes were too busy with the other Shepherds for Hagen to get close. Hagen was satisfied to finally have some alone training time. Where he could no longer hold back, at least, he thought he was alone. Hagen hears the sound of clopping, looking at the distance to see the figure of Robin and Vaike, and a very angry horse behind them.
"Chief Hagen!"
"Save us, we beg of ya!"
Hagen stood still as Robin and Vaike passed him, while the horse went straight to him.
Sully was oiling her sparring weapons, the day was still young and she still had plenty of time to spar. The Danes were a refreshing addition to the sparring matches and so far they did not disappoint. But Chief Hagen was different, not even the Feroxi could compare to his potential fury. Hagen was literally a sleeping giant, and even Sully felt fear for the first time when she saw him. She felt a chill run up her spine as she felt a large presence behind her.
"Who's there!? I'll shove this weapon up your—" Sully growled as she turned around before fully realizing who she was talking to.
She saw Hagen standing tall in front of her, holding the leash of her horse in one hand, and the collars of Robin and Vaike in the other.
"Is this your horse?" Hagen asked.
Sully attempts to hide any emotion.
"Yes. What about it?"
Hagen then drops the two men, causing them to rub their bums from the pain of the fall.
"Your horse nearly trampled me while chasing these two men."
Sully glared at Robin and Vaike before realizing something.
"How the hell did you stop the horse from charging at you? They call her a demon for a reason!"
"I stood my ground." Hagen replied.
The three Shepherds stood there as Hagen left, dumbstruck by Hagen's nonchalant attitude towards Sully's horse. The horse itself seemed rather reserved when Hagen held onto it. Sully then remembers the two men Hagen dropped as she saw them trying to sneak off. Sully then cracked her knuckles as she approached the two men, who cowered in fear at her fierce demeanor.
"Now that he's gone… Why don't we start with why you two were being chased by my horse."
Robin whimpered while Vaike swallowed his saliva in fear.
Marcus dressed in his armor, he dons the gambesson and then he wears the chainmail. He puts on the individual plates and tightens the straps. He dons his Crusader Full Helm and his gauntlets. He jumps up and down to test his armor, he then dons Mikah's handcrafted tabard and gets ready to go out. Before he exits, Lissa stops him.
"Hey Marcus! Could you hand this letter to Felix? It's a delivery from the Farfort!"
"Sure, I'll hand it to him when I see him." Marcus smiled while receiving the letter.
He walks out to see Khalid leaning on a nearby wall. Marcus warily walks by as he kept his hand close to his weapon. As Marcus nearly passed him, Khalid spoke up.
"I apologize for belittling your comrades."
Marcus stopped and turned, surprised by the sudden apology.
"What did you eat this morning?"
"Look, I also hate you, so let's just cut to the chase. " Khalid said while walking up to Marcus. "Mikah insisted that both of us got off on the wrong foot, so we might as well be friendly for her sake. So let us call a truce for now."
"Maybe dropping the hostilities would be a good start." Marcus replied while removing his hand from his side. "Our mutual dislike can be expressed through more subtle means anyway."
"So, this is our first truce as Christian and Muslim." Khalid said while turning. "So be it."
Marcus and Khalid walked their separate ways, before Marcus turned around one last time.
"Just so you know, a lot of good men died when you took over Jerusalem."
"That's funny, because a lot of good men died when you took it back." Khalid added before walking away.
Marcus paused, before leaving, on his way to the Academy. He sees Mikah while walking to the stables. He tries to say hi but Mikah seems to be ignoring him as she walked away. Marcus, confused by her sudden ignorance, walks on, to see Rune talking with an obviously flustered Felix.
"Relax Felix, I'm sure you didn't mean it."
"Odin help me, I've never regretted my life choices until now…"
Marcus pauses, before approaching them. Tapping Rune on the shoulder.
"Err, a letter for Felix."
Rune takes a look at the address and then grins. He stuffs it in his pocket and says.
"I'll hand it to him later."
Rune then looks up and down at Marcus, seeing Marcus fully dressed in armor, as if he was going to battle.
"Why are you so heavily armored? Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the Knight Academy, since I am an enlisted member, I have to attend to training the students now that there's a war going on."
"Ah okay, good luck with your students then!"
Marcus inwardly groaned, it would be another boring day of sparring and formations. He never expected it to be so unexciting. But wait, maybe he could switch things up a bit. Rune and Felix will make perfect additions to sparring and will help teach the girls a thing or two.
"Hey, are you and Felix doing anything right now?"
"Er, no. We are just awaiting Chief Hagen's orders for today." Rune explained.
"Why don't you come with me? The students could certainly learn a lot from you two." Marcus offered.
Rune then looked at Felix, who still seemed embarrassed by his encounter in the spring. Rune then says.
"Well, Felix needs to clear his head, so why not?"
"Okay, let's take a cart there."
Rune and Felix arm themselves with their weapons and follow Marcus. Marcus, Rune and Felix walk to the side of the road and hail a passing ox cart. The timid ox cart driver shakily asks.
"Is this a s-stickup?" he asked while raising his hands in surrender.
"Relax sir, my comrades and I are merely looking for a ride to the Knight Academy."
"Oh, I'm so sorry milords! I didn't know that you were from such a prestigious area!"
"It's all good, just please take us there."
They ride at the back of the cart, with Rune feeling curious about where Marcus was taking them.
"What is the exact nature of this Academy?"
"Well, it seems to have only female students for undisclosed reasons. The academy itself is dedicated to training elite soldiers by the masses. Though they are not as skilled or battle-hardened as your average Feudal Knight."
"Ah, that's okay, we didn't start out well-trained either." Felix added in.
Marcus was visibly surprised by this.
"B-but aren't you Vikings? The feared raiders of the monasteries?"
"That's Felix and I, but back home, our fathers and mothers were cod-fishers and goat-herders. We are merely supporting our families by raiding."
"But, what about Chief Hagen? He seems too powerful and well-built to be a mere chieftain of cod-fishers. I'm sure there are more like him!"
"Hagen… He was different. People say he was chosen by the gods, to carry their legacy. His size was above that of even the tallest Vikings. He stood out as the strongest and most dangerous fighter among the Danes. Whenever he raided, people would claim that he was the devil-incarnate in battle. And that was what inspire Hagen to wear the horned helmet. He wanted his enemies to fear him, his horned helmet only reinforced the fear he instilled. He was known as the Great Plunderer or the Ofsalegur ræningi. A name that can cause panic and sow disorder. A name that inspires surrender and summons armies."
Marcus was surprised, the Vikings weren't the feared demonic warriors he was told about in his days with Julian. His silent thought process was interrupted by the jerking of the wagon
"So… You raid out of necessity?" Marcus asked, wishing to know more about the truth.
"Yes, even Chief Hagen only raids when necessary. Usually when harvest is plenty, Hagen would rather just stay home than raid. But if times are hard, he will do anything to sustain his people."
"Why were you out at sea before you ended up here?"
"Chief Hagen had plans to set up colony in Scotland. We took a handful of bachelors to pillage the Scots, but never got there."
"Won't there be panic or disorder in your village?"
"He had already appointed someone to take his place as he believed that he wouldn't be coming back. I didn't think that he would be right."
"But what about you and Felix? Aren't you both skilled warriors?"
"That's because we have spent time training and raiding while also cod-fishing and herding. We may be Vikings but we still have to sustain ourselves."
"B-But—" Marcus stuttered before feeling the cart go to a quick halt.
"We have arrived milords!"
Marcus and company dismounted the cart, Marcus hands the cart driver a few coins before going in to escort his companions. At the gate, the guards stop Felix and Rune saying.
"'Ey! We don't allow people like you in 'ere!"
Marcus sets down the weapons and says.
"Don't worry, these men are with me."
"But—"
"No buts, they are my guests and you will treat them as such."
Marcus brings the two to the sparring arena and leaves them by the benches.
"Please wait here while I fetch my class."
Rune and Felix sat idly. Rune took a moment to admire the aesthetics put into the whole school grounds. Felix just sat there, bored out of his mind. Felix stands up and says.
"I'll be over there hitting those dummies if you need me." he said while pointing to the far end.
Rune was left in his seat, but he suddenly felt the need to go. He sneaks off behind a tree and relieves himself. He walks back to his seat, to see a girl had taken it. He only saw the behind of the girl, so this is what he could make out so far.
The girl had brown hair which was a bit unkempt. She seemed to be wearing emerald-colored armor. She had no weapon by her side, but had a book that she seemed to be hugging tight. Rune sneezes a bit, causing the girl to jump out of her seat. She hits some nearby equipment, which nearly falls on her but Rune takes the brunt of the force.
A small bag fell on his helmet.
"Ow."
A slightly bigger bag fell on his helmet
"OW."
A gigantic bag suddenly crushes him.
"OOF!"
The girl looked in absolute horror at Rune, who was pinned on the floor. Rune could see more of her face this time. The girl's bangs covered one side of her face, but he got to see her milky blue eyes. Her hair length barely reached her neck, with her sidelocks simply hanging. She gave off a very timid and silent aura, judging by how shy or agitated her reaction was. She seemed so embarassed by her blunder judging from her red cheeks, well, cheek, since half of her face was covered by her hair.
She steps forward to try and help him but trips forward. Rune quickly removes the burden on his back and catches her in his arms. This leaves the girl flustered as she tried to quickly leave his arms. She then lands on her bum and accidentally drops her book. Rune sees this and picks up the boo. He sees that the stranger looked desperate to get the book back. Rune hands it to her and she averts her gaze in shyness.
"T-Thank you…" she said softly.
Rune could barely make out the expression of gratitude. He then extends a hand, which the girl hesitantly holds on to and gets pulled up.
"What are you doing out here? Are you a teacher?"
"N-No…"
"Are you a student then?"
"Y-Yes…"
"What's your name?" Rune asked kindly.
"L-Layla…"
"Okay Layla, be careful next time."
Rune turns around but he could hear her barely audible voice say.
"Um… Thanks for the sav—"
Rune's eyes widen as he saw one more item about to drop on her, he rushes to push her out of the way. She sees in absolute shock, another weight falling onto Rune, pinning him down.
"A-Are you okay?" Rune breathed out while on the floor.
"I'm good. But you didn't have to do that for me…"
"Actually, I was hoping if you could do something for me…"
"W-What is it?"
"Could you help get this thing off me?"
"Okay class, today you'll be dueling with some very special fighters!" Marcus announced while bringing the knight students with him.
"Is it Prince Chrom like you promised?" one student asked.
"Haha, sorry but no. Prince Chrom is too busy for—" Marcus said before stopping to see Layla trying to pull off a huge sack from Rune's back.
"Uh…" Layla blushed while averting her gaze.
"Are you just gonna stand there and stare?" Rune breathed out. "Get this weight off me!"
Rune, Felix, and Marcus stood in front of the class of female knights. Layla hid behind Rune as Marcus gave his lecture.
"Now girls, meet Rune and Felix, two very experienced and somewhat professional raiders."
The girls seemed a bit surprised, one girl raises her hand, it was Haru.
"Do you have a question, Madam Harriet?" Marcus asked, saying her real name.
"They're raiders, as in, they're plunderers and pillagers? Those guys who steal and burn?"
"Uh yes?"
"That's not possible! Raiders are supposed to be ugly and brutish! These men look too handsome to be raiders!"
Felix snorted in response, with Rune just giving Marcus a deadpan look. Marcus then groans and decides not to answer her question.
"These men hold legendary reputation in fighting professional armies. So that means they have faced fighters like YOU." he said while pointing to the class, making them flinch.
"So first, to start this off, I'll show you how to deal with warriors like these. These aren't your run-of-the-mill barbarians, these are very skilled fighters. So Rune, would you kindly show these girls how to truly handle an axe?"
Rune steps forward into the circle, leaving the flustered Layla. He then draws his twin axes and starts swinging them. He gracefully moved, swinging his axes with skill and agility. The girls were thoroughly impressed by this. Now Marcus walks onto the circle with a shield in hand, he bangs his sword against his shield and says.
"Now Rune will show you how he deals with well-defended opponents."
Rune runs forward and strikes Marcus, prompting Marcus to raise his shield in defense. Rune then uses his axes to hook onto Marcus' shield and pull it off. The girls looked shocked to see such a masterful maneuver by Rune.
"See? Rune here actually knows how to fight professional soldiers, and here is how you deal with him as such."
Marcus then nods at Felix, gesturing him to enter the arena.
"Now what if you're outnumbered? Most of the time, if you're opponents are mindless brutes, your pure skill will save you, but what if you're facing two skilled and smart opponents, here is a demonstration of such a spar."
Marcus puts the shield on his back and holds his sword with two hands. Rune and Felix dash forward to confront Marcus. Marcus parries a strike from Felix and kicks him back. Rune then does a flurry of overhead strikes, before Marcus stops his rhythm of attacks with a half-sword block, before sliding his blade to hit the face with the pommel. Rune fell on the ground, stunned, Marcus attempts to finish him off, but Felix comes in and stops the strike and pushes Marcus back. Marcus regains his footing and switches his grip, holding the sword by its blade, and thrusting it, hitting Felix's face with the pommel, before swinging a mordhau strike at Rune, who was about to attack him.
The girls clap at the display, seeing Marcus take down two opponents, but he dismisses their praise.
"Don't be so hasty, these two were just holding back."
"Don't give us false modesty teacher! You were amazing!"
"No, they were holding back. I know for a fact that these two can do better. I'm just showing you what it's like to face multiple opponents."
Felix and Rune then stand up, acting as if nothing happened. Marcus then says.
"Okay everyone, we will be dueling with the supervision of Rune and Felix, behave yourselves okay?"
"Yes sir!"
Marcus watched as Rune and Felix were swarmed with girls practically asking them to train with them. Marcus saw the familiar face of Layla sticking close to Rune, seemingly attached to him. Marcus chuckled before feeling a tap on his shoulder armor, to see Frederick behind him.
"Oh Frederick! What are you doing here?"
"Chrom asked me to check on you since you are training our reserves."
"Yeah, it's becoming rather difficult with all the other teachers being called to action."
"I have to compliment your effort in giving these girls some variety in their training, our knights have yet to be familiar with the fighting ability of the Danes."
"Your praise is appreciated."
"And that reminds me, could you show me your technique?" Frederick asked with curiosity. "I'm rather curious about your fighting style as of lately."
"Of course Frederick, I'll show you some of my moves."
"Gladly."
Frederick draws his Silver Lance while Marcus drew his sword. Frederick gestures for Marcus to make the first move, Marcus tries a strike but Frederick parries it. Frederick tries a thrust but Marcus backs up and grabs the lance, but Frederick's solid grip prevents Marcus from taking his lance. Marcus then holds down the spear and decides to hit Frederick in the head. Frederick dodges and pokes his spear at Marcus' side.
"I win."
Marcus rubs the spot where Frederick poked him, a visible scratch was seen on his armor.
"Well played, care to have another go?"
"With pleasure."
A few sparring sessions later…
"Well anyway, that's all for today everyone! Please thank Felix, Rune and especially Frederick for joining us today!"
"Thank you!" the girl expressed while waving at them.
The three gave them a nod and a bow. They both exit the training grounds and make their way to the outside of the gate.
"Now girls, grab your belongings! You are dismissed."
The girls genuflect with their right hand on their chest, a gesture of respect. They then leave, taking their weapons and belongings with them. Layla prepares her weapons and stuffs them in her satchel. She walks to the gate with the guard saying.
"Be safe Layla!"
"T-Thank you!"
"Tell your father that I enjoyed our drinking session last night!"
"I-I will!"
She walks home, holding her diary tightly. She thinks back to how her day went so differently compared to before. She thought it would be another flavorless diary entry, but Rune's arrival changed everything. He was interesting, and not too aggressive. He was also very helpful and kind with the way he saved her multiple times. He also was very kind in his approach in training her when they sparred together. He certainly had brightened her day.
Unfortunately, her daydream is interrupted by the arrival of some boys. They wore armor with a certain symbol, meaning that they hailed from another academy. They wore an evil grin as the leader walked up saying.
"We've been waiting for you Layla."
Layla quaked in her boots as he said.
"We finally know your secret, rotten Plegian scum."
Layla froze.
"H-How did you—"
"It wasn't hard, we found out about your true heritage when we took some pages from your father's journal."
Layla didn't know what to do, her secret lineage was bound to ruin her.
"P-Please don't tell anyone…"
"Oh we won't tell, we just need a little… something in return."
Layla noticed a bulge in the group of boy's pants.
"No… You can't."
"Actually, we can. No one will care about you, you're Plegian, we can do whatever we want."
Layla tries running, but more boys surround her. They hold her down as they begin tying off her armor. She felt helpless as she felt her clothes being torn apart by the lecherous men holding her down. That was until…
"Get off her."
The boys froze to see Rune, with his two axes in hand. They all laughed and said.
"And what's a barbarian like you going to do about it?" the leader taunted.
Layla witnessed Rune suddenly growling, his head suddenly started twitching. His pupils contracted, giving him a predatory look. He started running in with his axes. The leader then shouts while pointing at Rune.
"Ready your weapons and confront this—"
His words were interrupted by a swift axe to his neck. Rune roared in rage as he saw more of the men come at him.
Rune breathed heavily as he stood over the mountain of corpses. His eyes dilated and his breathing slowed. He looked at the carnage and cursed himself for overdoing it. He looked to see Layla, wide-eyed at what he did. He sighed as he pulled her up and said.
"Be careful next time, okay?"
He walked away, but he suddenly felt Layla's arms wrap around his torso.
"P-Please, don't leave me like this…"
Rune unwrapped her arms and put his hand on her shoulders.
"Don't worry, I'll take you home tonight, just show me the way."
Layla's eyes brightened with a smile growing on her face.
As they walked home, Layla had wondered why Rune was there and why he did so much for her. He barely knew her and yet he killed for her sake. She tugs on his arm and asks.
"W-Why did you save me?"
"I meant to go back and get something I left, but I saw you in trouble along the way."
"B-But why fight for me? Why go into a rage for my sake?"
Rune grimaced as he explained.
"That was what you call a berserkergang or going berserk. I am a berserker warrior of my clan and I can summon a great wrath in combat."
"But how did you get so angry?"
Rune remembered the first time he summoned his rage, it wasn't the best memory but it was the day his Berserker spirit had awakened.
"STOP DOING THAT TO HER!" a ten-year old Rune cried. "GET OFF MY SISTER!
"Oy, Rollo, shut the welp up." the man said while continuing to hold down the older sister and do unspeakable things to her.
Another man comes in and slaps Rune, causing him to fall and watch in horror as his dear elder sister was being raped. Tears rolled down his eyes as he felt helpless, hopeless, and heartbroken.
So he screamed.
The men watched as Rune picked up a knife in his rage and wildly stabbed all the men in the room. He was covered in blood, but he didn't stop until every perceivable threat was vanquished.
He returns to normal, seeing the carnage he caused. Then, a younger Chief Hagen walks into the room and looks around. He calmly looks around before walking out. On the way, he whispers something to the parents of Rune, which Rune was barely able to hear.
"He certainly is of your blood. And he has potential."
The parents run in to check on Rune and his sister. While they tend to them, Rune asks.
"What happened father? Why did I do that?"
The father sighed as he told his son.
"Son, that was your berserker rage. It is something that runs in our family and yours has finally awakened."
Rune was shocked to hear the legendary berserker name as he looked around at the results of his rage. He looked at his hands and no longer saw a child's hands but the hands of a potential berserker. He had no words as he saw his elder sister cry her heart out from the traumatic experience.
"It takes a lot to anger me." Rune said before adding. "But what happened back there made me vengeful."
"T-Thank you…" Layla shyly said while cheeks reddened.
"It's the least I could do for you."
And that's it! Now just some notes to add.
Layla is NOT a major OC, just a chapter OC that'll probably get some screentime when I do a later chapter.
My interpretation of the Berseker is a genetic, self-induced fit of rage that can only be awakened by traumatic events.
Siege of Ylisse will be coming by the end of March. Update on A Stray Ashigaru will be two weeks from now. Meanwhile, why don't you read my For Honor stories? They're pretty creative.