Chapter 9B: Late Arrival
You were closer to the fort than you realized. Within five minutes of walking, you can hear the sounds of battle. You hasten you pace, realizing you've made it in time. Mary stops you as you near the fort, the sounds of yelling now clear. From the brush, you observe the situation.
The wooden fort is large, almost the size of a small village. Too big for a force of your size to defend, but you can see why Horatio wanted to capture it; it will make an excellent staging post for your invasion. A wooden palisade forms the outside, reinforced with a set of spikes protruding from the base. The front gate is broken, with several large logs piled up as a barricade.
You can see Agni, Taika, and John atop the ramparts, firing spells at a slowly advancing wall of knights; you count about 2 dozen. Fortunately, you see no mages; they would make quick work of the wooden defenses. You can hear several horses galloping in the distance, and it sounds like a second battle is raging on some other wall of the fort.
(A) Make a break for the front gate and try to climb the barricade
(B) Crush the knight's rear before deciding how to proceed
(C) Try to signal your fliers
(D) Circle around through the tree cover (only covers two of the sides thickly, the other sides are more sparsely wooded)
Without hesitating, you charge the knight's column. They're so focused on the mages hurling spells down that they don't even notice you as you cleave the last knight's skull in twain. You don't even bother freeing your hatchet as you pull out your brave axe and chop into another's neck. By the time they realize their rear is under attack, you've killed or mortally wounded four of them.
Fumiko charges in, leaping over a knight's slash to land on his head. The knight begins flailing, trying to get her off as she bites and scratches away. Mary begins hurling spells along with the rest of your mages. Light, darkness, thunder, and fire seem to meld together as the knights are withered away in an elemental storm. You dispatch every knight that makes it to you, with the handful of javelins thrown at the ramparts harmlessly sticking into the palisade. A general finally seems to wise up, and hurls a javelin at Mary.
Mary gasps and tries to dodge, but the javelin goes right through her... and passes through the other side, hitting nothing but her dress. "That was myfavorite robe, you dastard!" The general's armor offers him no protection against the wave of dark fire Mary materializes around him. Your mages pick off four of the last five survivors with no problems.
Fumiko still rides atop the final knight's shoulders, clawing and biting at his neck. The man screams in panic, flailing his arms wildly. Fumiko finally seems to grow frustrated, and kicks off the back of his head, leaping to your side. "Blasted armor, I think I broke a claw on it..." The man runs screaming into the woods, and you decide to let him go; you actually feel a bit sorry for him, knowing what lies in wait.
"June!" Agni calls down to you. "We were beginning to wonder when you would be arriving! Your timing is good!" Taika stifles a laugh. "One moment waiting, please." He shoots a fireball into the air, and a moment later Dan appears. Agni shouts something to him, and he guides Shard over the barricade to you.
"It's about time you got here June. We were all worried when we heard you were injured. Looks like you brought us some help, too. Good, we'll need it. Let's get inside..." Fumiko takes a run at the barricade, bouncing from log to log until she reaches the top and reverts to human form. Taika and Agni are clearly surprised, but John reacts more noticeably, recoiling from her. Dan helps you and Mary onto Shard and flies you over the barricade, stopping to drop Mary off at the top. "I take it you'll want me to fly you to the captain?"
You briefly survey the surroundings. It seems most of the camp is devoted to tents and small wooden huts, with a handful of stone buildings. You see no other enemies threatening the front gate at the moment. You see pegasi flying off in the distance, and several people standing guard over a second gate on the far wall. You see no other entrances. You notice Anna and Jake's wagons sitting outside one of the buildings, with Walt standing guard at its entrance.
(A) Fly straight to the other wall
(B) Fly a sweep of the perimeter first
(C) Visit Walt, Anna, and Jake first
(D) Take one of the others with you (choose who, and a second option)
New Character!
Vine
Class: Laguz (bear)
Skills: Howl, Provoke
HP: ********
Str: ********
Mag: ***
Skill: ****
Speed: ***
Def: *******
Res: **
Luck: ****
"Take me over to Rain. I need to know what happened here. You five guard this gate!" Dan spurs Shard into the air.
"I can give you the basic gist of what happened: your new friend, that bear-man... thing. He smashed down the front gate for us, and we took out the fort's defenders. There were even fewer than we expected, probably because so many were out on patrol... Anyway, the forces that were sent to reinforce the fort are now trying to retake it. Rain can fill you in more."
He sets down, and Rain flies down to meet you. "June! Oh, gods, June, you had us all so worried..." She wipes her eye. "Ah... We'll have to catch up later. Dan already told you what happened?"
"A little bit, but I need details."
"Right. Well, Bud and Syrene are up on the wall with Jessup. Wendy, Haley, and I are covering the skies, the enemy had a few wyverns, but they pulled them back. The rest of our troops are waiting in that building over there." She points to the building Walt's guarding. "Dan's been patrolling the walls to make sure the enemy don't try to break through."
"They've got about two dozen cavaliers circling the fort looking for a weak point, but I've been keeping pace with them, and they're hesitant to try anything."
"We barricaded the front gate where we smashed it, so they've seemed more interested in this back door. We've managed to hold them off so far, but they've been at it for hours. Our troops are getting tired, so I sent anyone we could spare to rest up."
"Do we have any idea how many there are?"
"Maybe three dozen soldiers and fighters, a few mages and priests. Plus the two dozen cavaliers."
(A) Try to isolate and destroy the enemy's patrolling cavaliers (June, Rain, Ferris, Alyssa, Syrene, Dan, Walt, Mary)
(B) Attack the enemy's main force while the patrol is on the far side (Choose 12)
(C) Wait for the enemy to make the first move (Choose as many to patrol as you want)
(D) Tactician: Try to lure some of the forest's monsters out, maybe they'll help (or maybe not) (Choose 4 or less)
(E) Custom strategy
"First we're going to take down those cavaliers. Dan, go grab Mary. Rain, I want you with me as well." You call up to the ramparts. "Syrene, saddle up!" You hear a snort behind you and feel a warm breath on your neck. Marth heard your call and came running; you're not sure how a heavily-armored horse was able to move that silently. You mount up and head for the stone building.
As you approach, you realize this is the armory. More than that, you see Walt has helped himself to Carcina's stores. He salutes as you approach, and you notice he has repaired his armor with pieces of Carcinan mail. It makes him look larger and more intimidating than before. In addition to a steel lance and a short spear, he still carries the poleaxe you lent him.
Walt has promoted to halberdier!
Walt can equip poleaxe as a special weapon!
You gather with your strike team by the destroyed front gate. You sent Agni and Taika to rest, though John elected to join in guard duty on the far gate. You've asked Vine to clear the barricade as quickly as possible, and to stand by to rebuild it. When you asked, he merely looked you up and down, and nodded; you've yet to see him shift into human form. Your group stands by the barricade, quietly.
Rain and Dan fly over the wall as the cavaliers come around the corner. Rain stays low to the ground, and falls from her mount. She doesn't get up, and Dan swoops low to rescue her. The enemy cavaliers come rushing for the easy targets... and fall right into your trap.
Rain leaps to her feet just as the leader, a dark-clad great knight, bears down on her, barely avoiding being trampled. Shard flaps his wings and screeches as Dan grabs Rain's hand and takes to the sky. With a powerful dig, Vine hurls several of the logs forming the barricade to one side, and your strike team floods out of the gate. The cavaliers turn to meet you, but you and Syrene cut through their lines before they can come about.
Walt meets the charging cavaliers head-on, hurling a short spear before bracing his poleaxe. One cavalier tries to run, only to be met with a dark glyph appearing before him. His horse rears back in surprise, offering him no chance to dodge the dark flames which shoot out. Somehow Alyssa manages to mount one of the paladins' horses, and she stabs him repeatedly in the back. Ferris strolls into the midst of the cavaliers, easily weaving through the strikes which come his way, and countering with several slashes of his own. When the enemy tries to retreat, Rain and Dan intercept them, while you and Syrene switch to your bows and perforate their backs.
All in all, you pick off 20 of the 25 cavaliers, with the last few escaping down the trail. "I bet those dastards will run all the way back to the capital," Walt says with a dismissive snort. You turn to enter the fort, only to see a flaming arrow whiz into the sky. Something's happened at the other gate...
You have Rain, Dan, Walt, Alyssa, Syrene, Vine, Mary, and Ferris, as well as June.
(A) Send everyone straight through the fort
(B) Circle around the side of the fort; if the enemy's attacking, attack their flank
(C) Split up (Rain, Alyssa, and Syrene can go back through the gate, then Ferris rides with June and Vine carries Mary to the flank.)
You pull Ferris onto Marth and tell the others to head to the gate. As an afterthought, you call to Vine as he tosses a log back into place. "Hey, can you... er... Can you carry Mary and ride with me?"
He glares at you for a moment. "You would do well to remember that I am no beast of burden, beorc, but I have no qualms with carrying my daughter."
Your group circles around the fort. Vine struggles to keep pace with you initially, unused to running with a rider, but manages to find his stride. When you reach the other side, you see a large hole has been smashed into the gate. A large log lies to the side. Enemy soldiers funnel into the breech as fast as possible, but your forces hold them at bay. Holland stands in the center of the hole, using shield and armor to deflect every attack that comes his way. A few enemies manage to squeeze past him, but your other warriors intercept them.
Vine gently lowers Mary to the ground, then thunders into the enemy force on all fours, roaring You follow behind him. He grabs the first enemy he gets his hands on, hurling him several feet into the air. He crashes behind you in a heap. A few enemies turn to fend him off, but you ride over them, both you and Ferris cutting into the enemies. A halberdier charges Mary, but she hurls a ball of darkness at him. He stumbles, but recovers and keeps charging. Mary stumbles backwards and trips. The halberdier bears down on her, but suddenly dozens of needles of pure light surround him and pierce his armor. He yells in pain and falls, sliding to a halt mere inches from Mary. She glances up to the ramparts to see John lowering his hand, a scowl on his face.
"June!" Rain calls down to you. "The other gate! Someone's coming in!" You hesitate for a second; several more enemies are still attacking the broken gate. "Wait... Valerian armor! It's the invasion force!" With a cheer, your troops rejoin the fray. Cavaliers and pegasus knights rush to join you, and soldiers, mages, and archers follow close behind while fighters and knights escort a convoy into the fort. You easily mop up the few remaining enemies; three manage to escape, the invasion force's cavalry ride them down.
"Well met, Lady June. It appears we arrived just in time. Never a dull moment with you, is there?"
"Horatio! You're timing is impeccable. We-"
Horatio clears his throat uncomfortably. "I'm afraid I must ask you to call me general, milady. I'm a bit of a... stickler for titles."
"Ah... My apologies, General." His grin returns. "I guess I need to report everything that's happened? Well, I was... wounded -badly - so we'll definitely need R- Captain Rain to join us..."
He waves dismissively. "You captured the fort, and with no losses; it looks like you even got a few new followers. Everything else is unimportant, so long as you get results. I'm sure you're exhausted, go rest up, or celebrate, whatever you do. We'll be waiting here two days for the rest of our invasion force and supply convoy."
"Understood. Thank you... General."
(A) June/Ferris A
(B) June/Alyssa B
(C) June/Syrene C
(D) June/Agni C
(E) June/Jayce C
(F) June/Holland C
(G) June/Mary C
(H) June/Fumiko C
(I) Rain/Haley B
(J) Rain/Agni C
(K) Rain/Walt C
(L) Bud/Wendy A
(M) Bud/Syrene B
(N) Haley/Walt C
(O) Haley/Holland C
(P) Wendy/Dan C
(Q) Wendy/Jayce C
(R) Wendy/Vine C
(S) Ferris/Walt C
(T) Alyssa/Syrene B
(U) Alyssa/Walt C
(V) Alyssa/Holland C
(W) Jessup/Syrene B
(X) Jessup/Agni C
(Y) Agni/Dan C
(Z) Agni/Jayce C
(AA) Agni/Taika C
(AB) Walt/Holland C
(AC) John/Taika C
(AD) John/Mary C
(AE) Mary/Vine B
(AF) Mary/Fumiko B
You excuse yourself from the newly-promoted General Horatio. You don't make it ten steps before you notice Mary and Fumiko sitting beside a small campfire, chatting. You head over to speak with them, but stop when you overhear their conversation.
"I'm so excited!" Mary is literally bouncing as she speaks.
"Calm down, dear, we've barely even started," Fumiko replies calmly.
"But I haven't been around other hum- er, other beorc in years!"
"Oh..." Fumiko seems distressed. "That's right, you haven't left the forest, not since... Ah..."
"Since my real parents were killed. You don't have to... I've put it behind me, Mom. If it weren't for Dad, I'd be dead, too. You two took me in and raised me, trained me, cared for me like I was your own daughter. You'll always be my mother, the fact that we're different isn't going to change that."
"Oh, Mary..." Fumiko wipes away a tear, then pulls her daughter into a hug. You notice her ears perk under her kerchief, and she releases her to address you. "Oh, hello June. How's your shoulder?"
"Better, thanks. I owe you my life." Fumiko smiles and waves nonchalantly. "I'm... sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. Mary's... Well, how long has it been since she's been around other beorc?"
"Almost ten years now," she answers. "Since I was eight..."
"Wow..."
"Well, Mom and Dad don't really trust most beorc... They've got a few friends who visit sometimes, lumberjacks and travelers, but most beorc don't really get along with laguz."
"Oh... By the way, I wanted to ask you about your magic..."
"Oh, don't tell me you're one of those people that think dark magic is evil?" You notice Fumiko trying to hide a smile as Mary enters a passionate tirade. "It's not evil, it's just... different. I mean, light magic can be used to hurt people, just as dark magic can be used to help people. Or your axe - you choose to use it to help people, but how many are used to bring death and destruction? It's all a matter of the user's intentions, how the tool is used, that determines its good or evil! You'll understand someday, good and evil can't just be clear-cut decided by what's dark and what's light."
You nod. "That's... I actually just wanted to tell you it's really interesting. I've never seen anything like it."
"...Oh."
"I've got to go take care of Marth, but I'll talk to you later, Mary. Goodnight, Fumiko." Fumiko gives you a polite nod as you start searching for your horse.
"Ready? Triangle attack!" Rain dashes forward. Dan readies his training axe to parry her lunge, when suddenly Haley and Wendy speed from behind her, cutting from both sides before Rain strikes head-on.
"HRK!" Dan managed to dodge the first strike, deflect the second with his axe, but the third caught him full-on in the chest, and he barely keeps his seat. "Ah... Sorry, but I've got to call it a night..."
"That's alright, Dan. Thanks for helping us with target practice." As he flies off, she turns back to her partners. "Excellent work tonight, girls. I think..." She notices Wendy looking glancing down, and follows her gaze, finding Bud at the end. He's doing his best to make it look like he's restringing his bow, but he keeps glancing up. "Well, that's enough for tonight. Wendy, you're free to go and do whatever you want. Haley, I want to speak with you for a moment."
Haley, Wendy, and Rain gained the skill Triangle Attack!
"You wanted to speak with me, Captain?" Haley asks once they've landed.
"Oh, it's just been so long since we've had a chat. I wanted to ask how you've been feeling lately."
"Oh, I've been feeling fine, Captain! I mean, I'm a bit worried about fighting in a war, of course, but who wouldn't be? But I'm making a lot of friends, and Fare and I are closer than ever!"
"Hm... That's good to hear. I was just a bit worried about you since this is your first campaign. Though, I can't say I've ever been involved with an invasion myself... Still, you're still barely a rookie, but you've grown so much so fast."
"Well, I have to keep getting stronger. You and June are counting on me, and now it's like all of Valeria's counting on me, too!"
"Oh? Well, just remember that those who try to carry the weight of the world tend to get crushed."
"Aw, don't worry about me, Captain! So long as I can keep charging forward, I don't have to worry about all that stuff. Just focus on what's in front of me, and everything else will take care of itself, right?"
"I wonder... Oh, Walt," she turns to face the approaching halberdier. "Something I can help you with?"
"I was hoping you could help me a bit. Normally I'd ask Holland for training, but this is something I think you can give a bit more perspective on."
"I see. Haley, I'll talk to you in the morning, go get some rest. You've earned it after that." Haley throws a hasty salute before heading to the stables. "So, what do you need, Walt?"
"I noticed you seem to transition from fighting on horseback to fighting on foot rather quickly. But when I was fighting those spiders, I noticed I was having trouble adjusting. I was hoping you could give me some pointers to fighting unmounted."
"Oh, I see. Well, I'm sure I could give you some tips. But I need to warn you: people say my training can be a bit rough."
"That's just the way I like it."
"Jessup? Are you up here?" Syrene climbs the stairs to the ramparts. "Ah, there you... Er... What are you doing?" She finds him kneeling in prayer.
"Hm? Oh, hi Syrene. I was just saying a prayer for everyone we killed tonight."
"Praying for the enemy, huh...?"
"Well, I figure that if I'm afraid to fight, afraid to die, there must be people like that in their army, too..." Syrene waits for him to continue, and an awkward silence follows. Finally, Jessup stands. "It's the least I can do. I just hope one of them has the decency to do the same for me when I die."
"Jessup, I told you, I won't let you die. Not if I can help it."
Jessup smiles. "Thanks, Syrene. But, will you promise me one thing?"
"Yes?"
"I don't want to be a Risen. If anything does happen to me, at least make sure I can rest in peace."
Syrene stands in silence for a moment. "Alright, Jessup. If you'll do the same for me."
Jessup shudders. "All right. Deal."
Wendy takes her time tending to her pegasus. When she comes out of the stable, she's not surprised to find Bud still waiting for her. "Still pretending to work with that bow, huh?"
Bud chuckles shyly. "Was I that obvious?" Wendy nods. "Sorry, but I really love watchin' you fly. You're so graceful, flittin' around like that. It's kind of amazing to watch."
Wendy walks over and sits beside him. "I know how you feel. I remember watching the older knights while I was still an initiate and just thinking how much I want to be able to fly like them."
"Well, I can't say I'm exactly keen on flyin'. I mean, flying with you's all well an' good, but I certainly don't want to go it alone."
Wendy hesitates for a moment. "It sounds to me that you're not interested in the pegasus so much as the rider..." Bud turns a bright shade of red, but Wendy smiles. The pair sit in silence for a moment. "Well, I can't say I mind." She stands up, and starts to walk away. She goes a few feet, before she turns and walks back. She quickly leans down and gives Bud a peck on the cheek. "That's for not killing that horse earlier," she calls as she runs off.
You're surprised to find Ferris in the stables helping Marth out of his armor. When you step into the room, he quickly draws a wooden sword and points it at you. Recognition flashes across his face and he lowers his blade. "Oh, hey June. I thought you were Alyssa trying to sneak up on me."
"Er... No. Why are you...?"
"Oh, I just figured with your shoulder hurt, you didn't need to be swinging an axe around and taking all this armor off. I've got to say, I was pretty worried about you back there."
"Ah, don't worry. My shoulder's fine, and the poison's worn off. Fumiko did a good job." You roll your shoulder. "A bit stiff, but it should be fine after a good rest."
"Heh... Tough as ever. But, man, when I thought you'd been turned into a Risen, I... Ugh..." He looks away for a moment.
"I... understand how you feel. When I saw you like that, I... Well..." You can feel yourself starting to blush.
"Hey now, no need to be upset, it was just a stupid dream. I'm still flesh and blood, see?" He reaches out and raises his hand to your face. As he gently strokes your cheek, you feel your heart skip a beat. Everything seems to stand still as he starts to move closer...
And suddenly a knife appears at his throat. "You lose," Alyssa states matter-of-factly. Marth snorts beside her. Ferris opens his mouth, closes it, and reopens it, before sighing loudly and hastily withdrawing from the room. Alyssa smirks at his back. "Thanks for the help, June. I've been trying to sneak up on him for... Hey, something wrong?"
You instinctively turn your back. "Uh... No, I was just... Er, we were... Um... Marth... Armor and... stuff..."
Alyssa sits in silence for a moment, before throwing her arm over your shoulder. You detect the slightest hint of a laugh in her voice. "Don't tell me I interrupted something... personal?" When you don't answer, she stifles a laugh. "Well, looks like our fearless commander's got a crush, eh?"
"I... Er..."
"Oh, I know that look. You charge down giant spiders without so much as batting an eye, but when it comes to that guy, your heart's all aflutter, weak knees and all that?" She pulls you around to face her. "Well, it's nothing to be ashamed of, you know. Look, if you ever need some advice, just come find Big Sis Alyssa, alright?" She winks.
"So... I guess you have someone like that too?"
Alyssa chokes audibly. "Oh... Look at the time. Got to go!" She seems to vanish into thin air.
End of Chapter 9B