Tori's notes: Okay, before this chapter gets started, I'm going to come out and say right away that I'm doing something different with this story; language barrier. Because all multiverses speaking Japanese is kinda silly, especially if a game is based off of Europe like the Fire Emblem franchise. So when a member of SEES is speaking Japanese, they will have their speech set like [this], with thoughts being [italicized]. The regular speech setting - "This" for speaking and 'that' for thinking - will be used for the Elibian language, or for the languages spoken close to it.
And with that, enjoy the chapter.
(?)
"Ninian, what do you think this is?"
The young woman blinked at the question, turning around. She was tucked away in a remote part of a traveling merchant caravan, her white and seafoam blue dress draped over the back of a carriage quite elegantly. Her pale face was framed by ice-blue hair, offsetting the deep ruby eyes that were filled with a solemn sort of worry as she watched the midday sky overhead. The moment she heard her name called, however, she tore her gaze away from the sky, and instead glanced around to try and find her younger brother.
"Nils?" She asked, slowly getting out of the carriage as to not tear her skirts. He'd wandered off with some of the merchant children earlier to go explore and see if there was any sort of fruits or vegetables to be brought back for the evening's stew, but judging from his voice, he was close by. Keeping her skirts gathered in one hand, Ninian walked through the convoy a bit, looking for her brother.
"Right here, sis!" Nils eventually called back, making her stop and turn to look. He stood at the outer edge of the caravan, pale green hair windblown as he readjusted the hair tie that kept it somewhat restrained. His yellow scarf seemed equally ruffled , but his shorts and tunic were still in fine shape. He was holding something dark blue in one hand, and he trotted forward. "Look; I found this near the shore of one of the rivers. What do you think it is?"
He held the dark blue object out to Ninian as he spoke, prompting the elder into picking it up. It almost seemed to be made of some sort of cloth, reminding her of a thin tent, but as she held it up it opened into a slight cap, almost like a metal curaiss, with a stiffened band on one side. "...? What in Naga's name …?" Ninian muttered, holding it by both the stiffened band and the looser fabric as she lifted it up to eye level. The symbol of rebirth rested over the stiffened part of the fabric in silver thread, which only made the object more confusing.
"... I … think it's supposed to be some sort of hat ..." The blue-haired girl said after a moment, tilting her head quizzically to try and figure out what her brother's discovery was. "But … I've never seen such a make before. Nor with the symbol for rebirth on it like this ..."
"Really?" Nils plucked the hat out of her hands and examined it for a few moments before putting it on his head, tugging it so the stiffened band rested over his neck. "It's … not very well designed. My neck is shielded but not my face."
"... Nils? I think you have it on backwards." Ninian shook her head and reached out, slipping her thin fingers through the gap that now rested at the front of the 'hat' and tugged it off of Nils's head. "It would make more sense for the stiffened part to … what's this?" She asked, having spotted the white flicker of fabric that hung out from one side. "It appears to have something written … Oh dear."
"What's wrong?" Nils asked, ruffling his hair.
"... I cannot read a word of what is written on here." The elder showed Nils the white fabric, and the green-haired boy felt his brain halt for a moment. Instead of the sensible letters that Nils and Ninian were used to reading, there was instead a series of lines, dashes, small circles and odd angles arranged into some sort of unintelligible pattern. Whatever it was trying to say was lost on the siblings, and Nils scratched his head.
"... Do you think it came from the Gate?" He offered after a moment. "You did mention that it felt like something else had been sent through after us ..."
"Perhaps, but why would anyone send such a bizarre hat through the Dragon's Gate, and nothing else?" Ninian replied, rolling the hat up and storing it in Nils's pouch. At his noise of protest, the elder gave a wry smile. "You discovered it, you get to keep track of it." Nils pouted, but didn't protest, and Ninian went to continue speaking when a soft whining noise reached her ears. "..?" Lifting her head, she turned to where she had heard the noise coming from, and walked towards it.
"Ninian?" Nils called out after her, following a few steps behind. Ninian held her hand up for a few moments to keep him silent, trying to home in on the soft noise as it gradually got louder. It … almost sounded like a dog, but a very strange, small one. After a few moments of searching, the blue-haired girl found the source of the noise, and almost did a double take. It looked like someone had shrunk a wolf down to the size of a cat, its white fur wet and muddy as it seemed to be tracking for something on the riverbank. A strange leather shirt – armor for a dog? - and a collar with metal wings on it stood out almost as much as Ninian's red eyes against the rest of her pale appearance, making her wonder just where the dog had come from.
"Little one ..." Ninian called out, kneeling down as she dug in her pack for the pieces of jerky she had left over. "Hey, what's wrong?" The dog seemed to hear her, because it's head lifted up to reveal red eyes – an albino? Just who had lost such a rare animal? - and a worried expression. It seemed to waver for a few seconds before trotting towards Ninian, ears perked forward to warn him of any noises. When Ninian held out the hand with jerky in it, however, it seemed to perk up more, and came closer. "It's alright, I promise. I won't harm you."
The dog seemed to trust her, and ate the jerky while it's tail began to wag. Reaching out, Ninian scooped it up in her arms – oh Naga, it really was small – and after doing a quick check beneath the tail to see if it was male or female, she nodded upon seeing it was a male before settling him better in her arms. "Where did you come from, small man? I don't think I've ever seen a dog like you here on Elibe before, and you're much too matured to be a mere pup." She asked as she stood up, scratching the dog beneath the strange collar. Her nimble fingers found the strange clasp that held the leather shirt in place, and after a downward tug, had it undone. "That leather must be making you overheat."
The dog in her arms gave her a whine, and his red eyes showed a surprising level of intelligence as his tail kept wagging. Ninian had a feeling that he didn't understand a word of what she was saying, but he knew she was safe from the tone of her voice. He sniffed at her a few more times before resting against her, letting out a tired little sigh as she walked back to where Nils was.
Her younger brother blinked. "... Ninian, if that wasn't a dog, I was going to ask where you suddenly got a fur muff from." He laughed weakly, walking towards Ninian and the dog in her arms. "He's tiny. I didn't think anyone had fully mastered the size-changing spell to make a portable wolf." Reaching out, the younger started to scratch the dog behind the ears, prompting the small dog to wake up a bit. "Hey there, buddy. What were you doing walking around the riverbed like that, huh?"
The dog gave a replying yap, one that sounded almost too large for his small body to the pair's ears, before sniffing Nils's arm. His ears perked forward a bit, nearly climbing out of Ninian's hold as he homed in on Nils's bag. "What? Is he hungry?" The younger asked, looking to his sister for help. To their surprise, the dog shook his head, whining.
"... Maybe the hat you found, Nils?" Ninian offered, shifting so that the dog didn't squirm completely out of her grip. He seemed to perk up at that, tail wagging "Well, he seems to know something, so try the hat?" Nils nodded in reply, digging the deep blue fabric out and held it out to the dog. He sniffed the cap, tail wagging happily despite his sad-sounding whine.
"... perhaps it was his owners?" Nils offered, letting the cap drop onto the dog's head.
"Perhaps ..." Ninian nodded, shifting more as she heard the caravan head let out the trumpeting call that signaled the start of the day. "Ah … we'll be moving soon." The dog didn't make any effort to squirm out of her grasp. "Perhaps we should keep him with us until we find his owner again?" She offered, scratching him under the chin.
"... Ninian, we're on the run ..." Nils sighed, pointing out. "Do you honestly think a dog – even a miniature one – would be safe tailing along with us?" The white dog lifted his head at that, knocking the cap against Ninian's chest as his red eyes locked on Nils's. An odd, almost uncanny intelligence filled him, as if he was asking the young boy if he was doubting him. The stare was unnerving, and Nils had to break contact before long. "... That ..."
"I know; I felt the energy too." Ninian tightened her hold on the dog as she sped up towards the carriage she rested in, Nils at her side. Somehow pulling herself into place with a single arm, the blue-haired girl settled herself once again, Nils leaping up and landing in the seat next to her. "That's why we should keep him with us for now. Who knows what sent this dog our way."
"... Yeah, fair enough." Nils sighed, reaching out and scratching the dog behind the ear himself. "... But what are we going to call him? Snowy?"
Ninian could only laugh at the almost dirty look the dog sent Nils in response, his ears twitching in annoyance.
(?)
Something was poking him in the side.
Junpei groaned as he stirred a bit, back aching. What the hell had he fallen on? And what was poking him?
Now something was on his chest. Letting out an oomph as the air forced itself out of his lungs, the teen groaned a bit more and grimaced as whatever – or whoever – was sitting on him decided to start poking his face. He could feel the warm air on his face too, like someone was leaning over him. [.. Ugggh … What?] He groaned, eyes snapping open.
Only to blink in shock as a pair of wide green eyes filled up his entire field of vision.
The air in the next few seconds was full of shrieks and screaming as whoever was sitting on Junpei launched off of him, and Junpei scrambled backwards, both of them eventually hiding behind various parts of the house that they could reach. For Junpei, it happened to be an old chimney, and he had moved too fast to see what had been sitting on top of him and where it had fled to.
A quick silence filled the air as the dust settled, along with something metal – his Evoker, from the sound of it - clattered onto the stone floor of the house. After the sound of his blood racing started to slowly quiet down, Junpei shifted a bit, looking out from behind the chimney; the strange thing wasn't anywhere to be seen, so he slowly began to creep out. [Hello?] He called out, grabbing his Evoker and sticking it back in the holster. [A … Anybody there?]
His sword had vanished. [Great, I get sent to a parallel dimension and I'm all but weaponless.] He thought to himself, sighing. [And I lost my HAT too...] Now that was just adding insult to injury! Sighing, he went towards the covered window nearby, to try and see if he could get at least some sort of bearings as to where he was [From the look of it, this place is abandoned. Dunno about the time perio-]
His thoughts were cut off as a small face, one that housed those bright green eyes from before, appeared on level with his own apart from being upside down.
"You talk funny!"
Shouting and backpedaling in surprise, Junpei felt one of his feet slip, and landed on his ass.
Grumbling in pain, the dark-haired youth was pushing himself up when that same voice – young and feminine – started laughing, and he looked up in time to see a flurry of cream-colored feathers drop down from the rafters. Confused, he looked down, and stared; a little girl – about six or seven – stood in front of him, those bright green eyes dancing as she hopped over to him. A little brown cloak covered a fawn overall dress and purplish undershirt, her hair a bright raspberry color. Her boots matched the dress, and she had a little green bag tied at a belt around her waist. Tapered ears poked out from her mass of hair, and she trotted right up to Junpei with a grin that showed sharp teeth.
[Oh dear no I don't want to be eaten by something small and adorable!] The dark-haired teen thought, tempted to back up. The little girl seemed to sense this, and she pouted.
"Don't run away! Fae just wanted to get a better look, because Fae doesn't see a lot of funny looking humans like you!" She huffed, tiny little arms propping themselves on her waist. "Fae hasn't even seen Plainspeople that look like you. Did you crawl out from under the earth? You're long and skinny like the palm tree around the oasis."
[I have no clue what the hell she's saying to me.] Junpei realized after a moment, blinking. [Then again, I guess parallel universes speaking Japanese is kinda stupid and contrived.] Sighing and shifting upright more as he continued to rub his sore bottom, Junpei looked around; it didn't seem like there was anyone else besides him and the little girl here, and she was watching him with great curiosity, her head tilting to one side.
[Ummm …] Looking at her, Junpei gave a weak laugh, wishing he had his hat to hide behind. [Is .. there anyone here? Like your parents or something? Or … .you really do not get a word of what I'm saying do you?] He tapered off at the end, seeing the way the little girl's face just changed to look like someone had given her a slice of lemon.
"Fae can't keep up; You're talking too fast for Fae to keep up!" She huffed, lower lip sticking out. "Maybe you're an older dragon like Fae?"
[Fae?] Junpei asked, confused. She kept saying that word... [What's Fae?]
"Fae is Fae!" She replied, hopping a bit. "Fae would like to be Fae too! Fae wants to know who you are, Mr. twiggy palm tree."
[Oh dear merciful … is she talking in third person!?] Junpei groaned and slapped his forehead with a palm; not only was he stuck talking to someone in a COMPLETELY different language – it wasn't even close to English, which he had SOMETHING of a grasp on – but it was a little girl who was most likely not a master of the language herself. And she had sharp teeth; what was she, some sort of super adorable alien that dropped people's guard with her cuteness before biting them?
Fae – Junpei was just going to assume she was Fae – seemed to huff more, but her next comment was cut off by a door near the front of the cot opening. She seemed to jump back at at that, green eyes wide, making Junpei blink as a shadow fell over him. Swallowing in nerves, the dark-haired teen began to turn around.
Standing in the doorway was a man so immense the teen was almost certain he was half grizzly. His tanned skin rolled over several prominent muscles, tattoos in black in curling around his biceps. A loincloth and sandals were the only form of clothing he wore, and his blond hair was tied back in a ponytail to reveal a stern, strong face.
[… Okay so if I had to choose between Grizzly Man and cute little alien killing me I'll take being eaten by the cute alien.] Shuddering, Junpei found himself frozen in place, the large man walking into the main part of the house.
"Fae." He said, voice deep as he focused on the little girl. "You know you're not supposed to be leaving Arcadia."
"But Fae was boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooored." Fae pouted, cheeks puffing out as she crossed her arms over her chest. If Junpei wasn't terrified for his safety, he would have found it downright adorable. "And Fae found a strange twiggy man!" She pointed at Junpei as she spoke, bringing the Grizzly Man's attention to him. "Hawkeye, can we take him home?"
Grizzly Man – Junpei thought he was named Hawkeye – arched an eyebrow as he looked Junpei over. It was only now that Junpei saw the broad axe the man held in his right hand. "Fae. Humans aren't pets." He pointed out, reaching down with a hand the size of Junpei's head to lift the teen onto his feet. "No matter how strange looking of a human he may be."
"He even talks funny" Fae nodded, and Junpei blinked to see her hovering on his eye level again. After a moment's confusion; he saw how; Fae had a pair of small, cream-colored wings growing from behind her shoulder blades, the tips of her secondary feathers sky blue. She seemed oblivious to his staring, because she gave him another toothy grin. "Fae thinks the Elder or the Archsage could understand him."
"Perhaps." Hawkeye gave a nod. "Master did speak of a strange activity going on on the Isle of Valor ..." Shifting, Hawkeye gave Junpei a hard stare, making the teen swallow.
[Okay, I don't know if you can understand me …] Junpei began, holding up both hands to show that they were empty, [but I just kinda got shoved through a doorway with dragons on it and blacked out, and woke up with little miss Fae poking me in my – HOLY SHIT IS SHE A LITTLE DRAGON!?] The thought flashed through Junpei's mind and out of his mouth, and before he knew it, he had somehow managed to scale up onto Hawkeye's shoulder, only to bang his head on one of the rafters.
"... Fae, did you hear him say … 'duuraagoon?'" Hawkeye asked, arching an eyebrow. Junpei shuddered a bit at that; he had made sure to use the Western variation of 'dragon', not 'ryuu', in case this universe knew what a dragon was. Judging from the way Hawkeye was speaking to Fae, and the way the little girl was nodding, he'd made a good call. "... He must be taken to my Master, and with due speed."
"But there's a sand storm coming." Fae fluttered over to the window as she spoke, moving the cover enough to look outside. "Do we have to go underground?"
"Yes, Fae, underground we go." Shifting a bit, Hawkeye had his axe transferred to his free hand and was gripping Junpei onto his shoulder to make sure the dark-haired teen didn't get away. "Go and open the doorway, please."
"Okay~" Fae gave a nod and fluttered over to the center of the cot, pulling aside a rug that Junpei was certain weighed too much for a little girl to move so carelessly. A second later, when Fae was flapping those tiny little wings more to open a heavy wooden trapdoor, he swallowed nervously once again as he remained pinned; if he put up too much of a struggle, Hawkeye might feed him to Fae.
[Okay, wherever I am, I probably shouldn't put up a lot of resistance; they might very well be taking me into a dragon's den.] He thought to himself as Fae got the door open, revealing a fairly dark drop. [And I have no clue where everyone else is; for all I know they might be where these two are leading me an – oh holy crap he's jumping!] Bracing himself as Hawkeye landed hard on a stone walkyway, Junpei shuddered as the bear of a man walked a few feet while the door creaked shut above them.
A second later, Fae flew by, holding a ball of blue and yellow flames between her hands. "Fae will light the way!" She laughed, bright green eyes showing nothing more than joy and excitement. Giving a weak laugh as Hawkeye carried him, the dark-haired teen swallowed as his eyes followed the little girl, Hawkeye's heavy footsteps echoing in the stone chamber.
Junpei was certain he had fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing he remembered was the sound of rushing water. Confused, he lifted his head, only to blink as a soft blue light washed over him. Hawkeye and Fae – whose little fireball had burned out or been dispelled – now stood at the foot of a gigantic, underground chamber that seemed filled with water, platforms and architecture built on the mirror-flat surfaces. Small waterfalls cascaded down from holes in the far wall, and it was an interesting change from the empty stone chamber Junpei had been hauled through for the entire trip there.
Hawkeye continued walking, carrying Junpei down towards the centermost part of the chamber, where a good-sized cathedral stood. Junpei couldn't quite see what rested in front of it, but a feeling of calm was beginning to steal over him.
"Ah, good, Hawkeye, you found one of them." An elderly man's voice reached out over the water, soft. "Bring him here, and then you can return to Arcadia. Fae is free to wait here if she wishes, or she can return to Arcadia with you; forcing her to go with you will only make her pout and we both know it."
Confused, Junpei yelped a bit as Hawkeye lowered him into a small chair in front of the cathedral, a silver table with several scrolls and a pot of tea sitting on top of it in front of him. The large man gave a nod to someone Junpei couldn't quite see before leaving, Fae following him after a moment, her gaze darting back towards Junpei every few moments.
[… Hello?] Junpei called after a moment of silence, looking around.
[Welcome, young man from the Outrealms.] The calm voice from before returned, and when Junpei blinked, the chair across from him was occupied. In front of him sat a man with a long, white wizard's beard, deep blue robes that reached the floor, and a wooden staff held in one hand. Deep eyes stared at Junpei from behind bushy white brows, and a soft smile turned up the corner's of his mouth. Smiling more at Junpei's stunned face, the wizard gave a nod. [It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.]
(?)
Akihiko was getting frustrated.
Huffing, the silver-haired teen squirmed more, trying to get comfortable on the cot that he had been given; he had been found by a strange group of men and women in religious robes, white trimmed in soft violets and blues, half unconscious outside of their abbey. They spoke in what he thought was a corruption of Latin, but he couldn't be certain – it had taken Mitsuru turning into a drill sergeant for him to get a basic grip on French, so she had given up on Latin – and Shinji wasn't around to confirm it for him.
The thought of his best friend made Akihiko cringe. He hadn't been with the group when Ikutsuki had shoved them through the gate, so who knew where his best friend was. For all Akihiko knew, Shinjiro could be dead in a dragon's gullet somewhere, and he had no clue what happened to him.
[No, stop that, Aki.] He hit himself. [Shinji'd pitch a fit if he heard me being so depressed again. It's frustrating enough that you can't leave yet because the monks or … clerics or … priests … or whatever religious people call themselves are worried you have a closed head injury or something.] Sighing, Akihiko flopped over on his other side, nursing some of the bandages the monks had wrapped around him.
[Where the heck am I?] Akihiko wondered after a moment, dark grey eyes looking around. [And where's everyone else?] Nobody had really made a comment about his silver hair, at the least. They had made some comments about his facial structure overall, but after thinking it over, they had looked closer to European; Mitsuru had shown him a picture or two of her French mother, and while the people weren't exactly French, they did seem European. [It would explain why they didn't understand what I was saying when they first found me.]
Sighing more, Akihiko eventually stood up and started pacing; he couldn't get comfortable on that cot. He wanted to punch something, but the little room he had been given was small and quaint, like the orphanage he and Shinjiro had spent their childhood in. a small alcove in one wall held a statuette of a gentle looking woman with a staff over a decapitated dragon, small candles and a sprig of lavender arranged around it. [Must be a saint or something.]
Sighing in frustration, he let his hands clench into fists for a few seconds before unclenching them before settling on the cot again. [I'm gonna go stir crazy in here!] He muttered after a moment, getting up to pace a few seconds later. The sound of a door opening and closing made him pause, as did soft footsteps heading towards his room.
An older man dressed like a bishop entered the room a moment later, eyes soft. "Ah, you are the strange young man the members of the abbey found." He said, giving a polite bow of the head. "I am Father Yodel, a senior Bishop in the service of St. Elimine. If there is a way you understand what I say, perchance I can ask for your name?"
Akihiko blinked; he didn't understand what the man was saying, but his voice was friendly. He didn't sense any hostility in his voice, and Pollux had settled down for the moment. Had he been asked for his name? "... Akihiko." He replied after a moment, giving the bow he knew would have been a proper greeting to someone in a high position back home.
"An even odder name." Yodel chuckled, eyes gentle as he watched Akihko straighten up. "So you are indeed from a foreign land, perhaps one that not even the most adventurous merchants can find. What brings you here to the shores of Elibe?"
[A madman and a gateway through dimensions.] Akihiko replied, having no other way to explain himself or being clever. Yodel didn't seem to understand him, but he gave a nod at the teen's frustration. A spark of inspiration hit him at that, and he shifted more; perhaps there was a chance they had found Shinji? [But I am looking for someone, and he'd probably could explain things better.] At that, Akihiko paused; shit, how tall was Shinji again? His friend was always hunched over nowadays, and he still had an inch over Akihiko in height anyway. Taking an estimate, the silver-haired teen waved a hand about four to five inches higher than he was. [He's about yay high, always looks like he's pissed off, tannish skin and dark brown hair, light eyes, wears a lot of reds and browns, answers to Shinji?]
Yodel tilted his head to one side, a confused expression spreading across his face. "Young Master Akihiko, just what are you trying to speak of?" He asked after a moment, letting both of his hands grip the staff he held. "Are you trying to describe someone? Your language is far too unusual for me to understand."
"So this is the newcomer, Yodel?" A newcomer's voice distracted Akihiko, making him look; a younger man was approaching, his hair a finer shade of silver than Akihiko's. He wore deep purple and black clothes, fancy lavender armor trimmed in gold covering his tunic. His eyes were an intelligent gray, lighter than the teen's, and there was an air around him that felt incredibly regal. "I can see what you mean; he does look like I could have been a relative of his."
"His tongue moves so fast, it's almost as if he fears a bird with steal it from his mouth." Yodel sighed, amused. "He did give me a name; Akihiko, although I'd be hard-pressed to spell it for you." Nodding, the bishop gave Akihiko a nod. "Young Master? This is Count Pent of House Reglay, Mage General of Etruria, and one of the finest gentlemen I have ever met."
"You flatter me, Yodel." Pent laughed, shaking his head before looking Akihiko over; the teen's shirt had been discarded for the monks to tend to the injuries he had, and Akihiko had thrown off the spare shirt he'd been given a while ago. "You seem to be a fighter, Akihiko, from the scars you're boasting. And strong arms too." As if in test, the general reached forward and tapped Akihiko's arm.
The teen didn't remember swinging until Pent was holding his fist in one hand, an eyebrow arched. "Well then, you're an interesting fellow!" Pent laughed, clearly amused. "That was one fast swing, and from the left side; I don't encounter too many left-handed warriors. A lot of the nobility have it in their hands that the left-hand is more prone to doing evil deeds, for some bizarre reason." He seemed even more impressed, watching Akihiko closely as he flexed a bit to get the arm away. "You've been training for a few years, haven't you?"
Akihiko grunted a bit, surprised; the newcomer had caught his swing without even blinking. True, Akihiko swinging with his left hand seemed to surprise him, but not by much. Scowling, he swung with the right, which was dodged just as smoothly as the first one had been caught. This never happened, and all the frustration that had been building up since his arrival was starting to cloud his judgment.
A series of attempted swings later, and the next thing Akihiko registered was stars in his eyes as he crashed onto the floor and banged his head on the cot he had been given. Yodel let out a tittering noise as he knelt beside the teen, healing him. Pent dusted off his hands with a chuckle, grey eyes pleased. "So his hand-to-hand combat is very impressive for his apparent age; is he fourteen? Fifteen?"
"I was thinking eighteen myself, but until we can understand what he says, who can say for sure." Yodel gave a sigh, shaking his head. "Please, warn me before you start testing him as if he were a recruit in the future, alright? I about had a heart attack when you tripped him up."
"Many apologies, Father Yodel, but he seemed agitated about something." Pent gave a polite bow in apology. "But really, he's interesting. Granted, probably not for under my command – he seems happier to hit things than stand at the rear and lob fireballs into the fray – but I'm sure Douglas would love to try and teach him a few things. The nobleborn lads normally start complaining when he makes them run laps."
"Can you at least wait until I begin teaching him the basics in speech?" Yodel shook his head in amusement. Pent laughed and nodded, holding up his hands in surrender. "But do send Douglas down here to see him soon, General Pent. It would be good to get his opinion of the lad before you throw him in with the nobleborn lads."
"Ah, they'll be more upset that there's a young commoner keeping pace with them at the least, if not besting them." Pent chuckled more as he left. "It might actually encourage them to work a bit harder, and that will make Douglas's day in a right hurry." Yodel shook his head with a soft chuckle, helping Akihiko up onto the cot.
"Rest some, Young Master; I'll send one of the younger acolytes up with dinner when it is ready. I'll make sure it's something meatier than just a small meal, seeing as how you'll hopefully be with other young fighters soon." Akihiko, even though he couldn't understand the bishop was saying, nodded and rested against the cot. The back of his head still smarted, so perhaps he could rest and get that to stop at least. Yodel gave him a gentle smile before patting his hands and leaving, quietly shutting the door.
Waiting until he was gone, Akihiko rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, nerves filling him. [Dammit Shinji, where are you?] He whispered before closing his eyes, ready to rest.
(?)
Today had NOT been Mitsuru's day.
Scowling, the red-head crossed her arms over her chest as she looked around the cell she had been given. After waking up in a marshland after Ikutsuki's betrayal, the heiress had stumbled about, cursing the loss of her Evoker to the swamplands as she tried to figure out where she was. She had also lost her rapier at some point in the chaos , leaving her with just the dagger she would use to parry. Swearing in French, she had tried to find where she was, Penthesilea scanning around to try and find the others, to no avail.
And then someone riding on a miniature dragon had decided to harass her.
Huffing and flushing at that, Mitsuru decided that perhaps she had been a touch rash. The man in armor had been speaking a corrupted take on Latin, which she could speak, but her temper was so fried and he was being so rude, calling her a brothel girl and a pig... She had called him things her mother would have scolded her for, and then slapped him across the face.
Then she had gotten herself thrown in a small cell in a border patrol castle, leaving her glowering at the guards, one of which had gotten a taste of her nails for trying to cop a feel. She was fairly certain he was scared of her, if the way he kept glancing at her in her cell was any indication. Why they were holding her hostage, she didn't know, but now that she had somewhat calmed herself, Mitsuru was ready to argue her way out of this dank place.
At least, she wanted clothes that weren't soaked with swampland muck.
"Commander Vaida, the woman's a nutcase!" Oh, there was the man who had insulted her in the first place.
"And You know what, Gavin? You have the manners of a pig. Shove off until I talk with her, and once I get her side of things, I'll decide on how to punish you for being a royal arse to a lass." That voice was new, feminine, quite coarse, and reminded Mitsuru of a very put out etiquette instructor she had once had as a small girl. Shifting a bit, Misturu tried to make herself look as presentable as possible as the Commander she was apparently going to be talking to arrived.
The gate to her cell opened, and Mitsuru looked up to see a woman in red and black armor enter the cell with her, her blonde hair cropped short. She looked hard and stern, and a wry smirk crossed her red lips as she crossed her arms over her chest before looking Mitsuru over. "Well, I'll really have to slap Gavin and the rest of the lads here for not getting you a change of clothes. It's hard for a woman to keep her dignity if she's covered in muck." The blonde woman let out a bark of a laugh before leaning out of the cell, shouting orders to fetch Mitsuru a change of clothing.
"You are .. not quite what I was expecting." Mitsuru replied, speaking slowly; her Latin was rusty, and the way they were talking felt almost closer to Italian at times. Who knew if she said something that was offensive. The woman who was speaking with her, at least, seemed amused.
"Why're you talking like you've been trapped in a cave for the past four hundred years?" The blonde woman asked, settling down in the cell once again.
"I'm … Not from around here." Mitsuru admitted with a sigh, shifting. So they were speaking closer to Italian, but at least they understood what she was saying. "My … my friends and I were separated when we arrived."
"So there's more of ya, eh?" A wry grin spread across the other woman's mouth. "Hopefully not all of 'em landed face down in the Bernish muck; the king's been oddly paranoid as of late, and a bunch of foreigners dressed as oddly as you are would probably give the old bat an aneurism." Letting a chuckle escape her, Mitsuru lifted her head as a new man in armor approached the cell; his hair was a shocking emerald green, a streak of white to one side. "Ah, thanks, Heath." The blonde woman took the clothing he offered her. "Go let the lads know I'm still talking with our friend here, and she's not a raving madwoman. Let them know to focus on the wyverns we just caught off the mountains; that young female is a feisty one."
"Understood, Commader Vaida. Ma'am." The knight – Mitsuru registered his name as Heath – bowed to them both before leaving, and the now named Commander Vaida offered Mitsuru the clothes.
"Thank you." Shifting a bit, Mitsuru fidgeted and glanced out the cell door; there didn't appear to be any of the men around, and Vaida had turned to give her some sense of privacy. Not wanting to remain in the muddy clothing longer, Mitsuru changed fast, approving of the clothing that she had been offered. It was a simple pair of breeches with a female tunic to wear over it, the fabric for both thick and wooly, the breeches dyed a stormcloud gray color while the tunic was red trimmed in black. "This seems … rather warm for the season." She commented as she readjusted her belt and boots.
"Bah, you're in the mountains; it's always gonna be colder up here." Vaida countered as she turned around, sitting back down. "Now, unfortunately, I'm going to have to go through the formalities; while I highly doubt you're a spy from somewhere far away – at least, not a spy; Gavin said you spoke in a random language to him before you slapped him." The blonde grinned at Mitsuru's flush. "But, as I said, the King of Bern's been an odd, crotchety bat as of late."
"So I have to be taken in for questioning?" Mitsuru sighed, already wondering as to how she was going to explain herself.
"No need to haul you to the capitol; I've got you here." Vaida shrugged. "I can do the questioning here, and if you're not a spy, I can let you go and the king doesn't have to be any wiser to your arrival." Hesitating for a moment, Mitsuru gave a nod of understanding, and settled into place. "Huh, that's when most people start panicking, impressive, Ruby."
"I truly have nothing to hide." Mitsuru replied, not minding the name Vaida used to refer to her; a Japanese name would stand out like nothing else in this strange world. [Well … I suppose having to hide that I came from a world beyond this one doesn't count. I did say I came from somewhere far away; it's a lie of omission, true, but I'd rather not be locked up for being mad.] She told herself mentally, answering the questions as Vaida gave them to her.
"... Huh, you really don't have anything to hide." Vaida nodded after a moment, face set in a stern line as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And your group of friends sounds interesting. What was a group of mercenaries like you doing coming to Elibe, then?"
"... To be honest, we had no intentions of coming here." Mitsuru admitted, tugging on the curl that fell over her shoulder. "The ship we were on was destroyed, and we all made for the first landmass we saw through the waves."
"There was that massive storm a few days ago off the coast, true." Vaida gave another nod. "So not only are you lot lost as to where you're going anyway, but the group of you are scattered across Elibe?" At Mitsuru's nod, she growled. "Blast; that's truly frustrating, and you seem confused enough by the situation that I can't say without a doubt that you're a spy. You don't seem like the type of person who'd do well as a spy; someone gets you on your pride, and you seem like the type to throw all caution to the wind."
Biting back a wince at how eerily perceptive the woman was – she was a general, so that did make sense that she should be able to read her soldiers so well – Mitsuru gave a nod. "I mean no disrespect, but I would like to leave and find them, so we might leave and head for our actual destination once again."
"Can't say I blame ya there. Gavin didn't exactly give you a good first impression of the knights of Bern." Shifting a bit, Vaida nodded. "Well then, Ruby, I suppose it's fair I let you go. Your dagger will be outside of the door as well with the traveling cloak, and I'm certain Gavin'd be willing to compensate for his lack of manners." At this, she gave a wolfish grin. "You're not the first lass he's given problems, so it's time to remind him that he needs manners when talking to people who aren't his superiors or comrades."
"I … Thank you." Giving a bow of the head, Mitsuru stood up after Vaida did. The blonde woman gave her a wry smile as they both left the cell, Vaida heading off to presumably get on the solder 'Gavin' about his attitude. Mitsuru's dagger was indeed waiting for her, along with a wool traveling cloak that seemed to be lined with some sort of fur; she couldn't tell exactly what kind, but it was soft.
Pulling it on her shoulders, Mitsuru shivered as a blast of cold air hit her; a glance around showed that there was an open door, several men and women in armor resembling Vaida's scurrying about, all of them with a miniature dragon – wyverns, Mitsuru reminded herself; Vaida had mentioned wyverns – close at hand. All of the soldiers seemed adjusted to the cold, and were pulling off cloaks like the one Mitsuru had been given as they walked past.
It didn't take Vaida too long to return with a small pouch full of gold and directions to the main path out of the mountains. She continued to refer to Mitsuru as 'Ruby', but at this point, the redhead didn't mind too much. That sort of name would provide good cover, and it would hopefully give her enough space as a 'freelance mercenary' to avoid any suspicion.
Content after a moment, Mitsuru started to head out in the direction she was pointed in, noticing with interest that there still seemed to be a few of the wyverns wandering about without the tack that she had seen on those with the soldiers. Perhaps these were captured ones for new recruits to practice on? The thought crossed her mind as she heard a high-pitched shriek up ahead, spotting several solders shouting and beginning to run about. It was soon obvious as to why; one of the wyverns, a deep russet color to its scales, had broken free and was causing havoc.
Not knowing what compelled her, the redhead raced forward and leaped onto the beast, wincing as she felt some of the scales cut through the cloak she had been given. Several of the soldiers had run off, fearing being bitten obvious on their faces. Scowling more, Mitsuru bit her lip before placing a hand on the wyvern's neck. Calling up Penthesilea to the best of her abilities while keeping the Persona concealed, a task that was surprisingly easy, she shot a blast of cold air into the wyvern's scales, bypassing the armor to hit the skin beneath.
She wasn't expecting the creature to take off flying in response, shrieking in an attempt to get her off as she shifted from trying to calm it down to holding on for dear life as it took off flying, heading for the mountains as several of the soldiers shouted in panic. From what Mitsuru could catch of their shouting over the wind, it sounded less like they were accusing her of theft as they were cursing the wyvern being too wild to tame, so at least she wouldn't have an army after her for theft.
After who knew how long, she grew agitated. [Listen to me, you gigantic scaled annoyance, you are going to land and let me off of your back!] Shouting in Japanese, she called up Penthesilea again, and this time threw a Bufula spell at the wyvern's head. The sudden impact and cold seemed to surprise it, making it turn to look at her … just in time for her to throw another ice block into it's face. [Land, damn you!]
It seemed as those the massive blocks of ice to the face had worked, as the wyvern began to spiral in for a landing. Once it had landed on solid ground, the wyvern lowered itself onto its haunches to let Mitsuru slide down onto the ground. Checking the pants, she winced; the thick fabric showed some tears from the flight. A low croon made her look up in surprise, finding the russet creature looking at her in concern. [… Did it not realize I was riding it until I threw magic into its face?] The redhead wondered, reaching out and patting it on the head. [But at the same time … why is it being so complacent with me when it was causing the guards terror?]
The wyvern crooned more under the patting, shuffling and settling down more. It didn't seem as wild as it had back at the mountain fortress, and a glance at a pair of shockingly intelligent eyes showed a flicker of respect and curiosity. "... Did they blindside you when capturing you?" She asked after a moment, running a hand over the ridges that covered the creature's head. A soft growl was her response, and after a moment, she started scratching; much to her amusement, the wyvern started wagging its tail. "Hehe, aren't you a gigantic puppy dog?" She commented after a moment, calming the beast more.
[I suppose it would be cruel to just let her fly back, only to be captured again.] At that, Mitsuru paused; when did she decide the wyvern was a 'her'? Was it just seeing some of her own attitude in the creature? As if in response, the wyvern lifted her head more to nuzzle against Mitsuru's face. Yelping a bit, she shook her head. "... Well, I don't know what I did to earn your respect like this, but if you wish to, you can come along or fly where you wish." She said after a moment, adjusting herself. "I need to find a town to rest at, and get some food."
The wyvern nodded at that, and began to follow Mitsuru as the redhead got onto the path. Turning her head when she realized such, she chuckled. "Well, if you insist." She sighed, earning a happy growl as the russet beast sped up a bit to keep pace with her. "But I'm going to need to name you; calling you lizard just seems rude." At that, she started to think, keeping her eyes scanning for any thieves that might be lying in wait. After a moment, she turned to her scaly companion. "How about 'Hippolyta'?"
To her shock, the wyvern nodded her head, tail swishing behind her again. Chuckling, Mitsuru gave a nod. "Very well then, Hippolyta; on the list of supplies to get at town, I'm adding a saddle for you." She stated, brushing her hair out of her face. "... And something to restrain my hair; won't be able to see a thing if its all loose like this while flying." Hippolyta's response was another nod, still trotting along beside her.
[… Well, I've always wanted a pet... I guess a Wyvern counts.]
Tori's Notes: Not going to lie, the scene where Junpei was meeting Fae was my favorite part of writing this chapter. Also I'll explain why Athos appears to be speaking Japanese at a later date, but for now? It's wizard hax.
But yes, these first few chapters will be setting up where the members of S.E.E.S wind up on Elibe, and chapter four we'll pop back to Iwatodai to see how badly things are fairing over there. *shot* And no, Yukari's not dead either; I'll get back to her and the other two members of Strega at chapter four, but Takaya is officially dragon food because fuck Takaya.
Now, minor things;
-Mitsuru's wyvern was impressed by her being ballsy enough to throw a pair of ice attacks right in her face, which is why she mellowed out so fast; her new riders is every bit as stubborn as her, and Hippolyta likes that.
-I know I didn't mention Akihiko's Evoker at all, but there is a good chance the monks sensed the negative aura it let out and destroyed it, with him not noticing yet. Junpei and Koromaru still have their own, and Mitsuru's was lost into the muck of Bern's swamps.
-As far as name translations go, I know Yodel's name has been localized as Jodel in Awakening, but Jodel is also the name of a Nazi so fuck that; sticking to Yodel. And Fae is Fae because Fae is a fae folk, plus I think of the musical scale when I hear 'Fa'.
-For a bit of explanation in regards to the 'duuragoon' line with Junpei and Hawkeye; Japan has both Ryuu (竜 or 龍), which is used to describe the oriental dragons more often than not, alongside 'doragon' (ドラゴン), which is more often than not used for western style dragons. Junpei was using 'doragon' due to the dragons attacking Iwatodai being western in appearance, and 'duuragoon' was Hawkeye repeating it to Fae. Granted, my Japanese is not fluent, but those seem to be the most common ways of saying dragon; correct me if I'm wrong, please. (politely)
And with that, I'm going to savvy off for now; enjoy, and I'll see you guys next chapter for the next four I'm dropping off into god knows where on this continent. (Well, I know, but I think the locations might surprise you guys~) Tata~