Chapter 20B - Ice and Fire
You are now Doran.
After the successful escape from Antea, you've led your band to the southwest, towards the small town of Carpus. If all is going well, you should rendevous with June's group, and from there march into Meridia to end this, once and for all. You aren't sure exactly where you're going, but you have a plan to figure it out: just keep heading along the path of greatest resistance.
The march itself has been surprisingly dull. You've run into a few pockets of Valerian troops and Risen in equal measure. Most of the towns you've come upon are deserted; at first, this was worrying, until you learn the populations were safely reloacted to a few larger towns and forts. The archbishop says short prayers for all you come across, and you can see their morale returning at the news of his survival, even moreso when they see the legendary Falchion.
There is no sign of the massive horde from Antea; with any luck, they have no idea where you are. The weather itself seems to be on your side - a gentle snow serves to hide your trail as you travel. Unfortunately, a day's march from Carpus, a sudden burst of snow halts your advance. The sheer force of the icy wind forces your fliers to the ground, while your visibility drops to a few yards. You notice Fumiko and Hallow sticking to their animal forms, and can't help but feel a bit jealous of their thick fur coats. You break out your map and re-calculate your position, estimating the path to the nearest village.
What should have taken an hour takes the entire afternoon. Finally, Fumiko catches a scent and guides you to a half-buried village. Luckily, you discover a barn with its doors left half-opened. A bit of digging gets you inside, and the doors close behind you. The inside warms quickly after lighting a small fire, and your mounts are happy to find some fresh hay.
You establish a rotation of people to tend the fire and watch for Risen. You consider setting up your bedroll, but exhaustion gets the better of you and you slump over into a bundle of hay. Sleep finds you quickly.
Unfortunately, it doesn't last. Charlotte startles you, shaking you awake in the dead of night. "Doran... Noise, roaring. Outside. Far, but not too far."
You briefly wonder if the sound could have been a trick of the wind, but the look in Charlotte's eyes has you worried, so you force yourself up. You climb to the barn's loft and peer out a window - the wind is no longer howling as it was before, though snow still obscures your vision. You can see the outlines of a few buildings in the distance, but you can't see to the edge of town. At least we can use our fliers again... You listen for a few seconds, but hear nothing.
(A) Dismiss it and relieve Charlotte
(B) Stay up with Charlotte (+support)
(C) Wake everyone and put them on alert
(D) Send a small scouting party (choose Rain, Fumiko and Hallow, or Walt and Jayce)
You stay in the loft, peering out into the darkness. The snow reflects what little light the crescent moon provides, making a harsh contrast with the dimly illuminated buildings. "Charlotte, could you wake everyone up? Tell them to be ready for a fight." She nods, then slides down the ladder.
You can hear the others gradually stirring below as Charlotte wakes them. You ignore the noise, focused on the world outside. You strain you eyes, looking for any subtle movement; listen for the slightest shift in the wind. As it turns out, you didn't need to be watching too closely - with a loud roar, a pillar of flame erupts in the distance, just beyond the edge of town. The light briefly illuminates a few figures, but you can't make them out at this range. You can tell that was no normal fire; you quickly think through all the fire spells you know, but you can't think of any that appear in quite that pattern. You're also not sure about that roar, it didn't sound quite like a wyvern...
(A) Lay low, hope the fighting passes over you
(B) Lead a scouting team out (Saul, Praven, Syrene, Fumiko)
(C) March out in full force
You decide to go scouting, and quietly climb down the ladder. You signal to Saul, Praven, Syrene, and Fumiko, then walk over to the door. The others stand ready, waiting your orders. You signal them to wait as you push open the door. Your scouting team sneaks out behind you.
You make towards the where you'd seen the flame, sticking close to the buildings. You try to stay quiet, but your footsteps are amplified in the snow. Only Fumiko, in the form of a white fox, seems to be silent; you almost lose sight of her despite knowing where she is. As you stumble through the blinding snow, you suddenly find yourself staring at a Risen. Fortunately, he seems to be facing the other way.
You freeze, and the others with you slow to a halt, the Risen not quite visible to them. Praven stumbles, and falls on his face. For a second, you worry the Risen will hear. The Risen is so focused on whatever his target is, he charges off without noticing. You track his path, trying to determine what he's after. A large shape is briefly outlined as flames erupt from its mouth, and you can tell in an instant that it comes from a dragon.
You move closer, telling the others to stay clear, trying to get a better grasp of the situation. As the dragon comes into view, you can tell he isn't doing very well; several open wounds are visible, and he is obviously fatigued, reacting slower and slower to the attacks of the seemingly endless Risen. You can't tell how many there are, as they seem to materialize through the wall of snow.
(A) Call to the dragon, tell him to retreat towards the barn
(B) Stand and fight
(C) Leave him to his fate
(D) tactician: stay hidden in the snow, have Praven use physic and try to pick off Risen
(E) tactician: send someone to the barn to call for reinforcements (Syrene)
You look around for a secluded spot. Finding a small gap between two houses, you signal Praven to hide and start using his physic staff. A dim glow surrounds the dragon. He whirls around, confused, only to be set upon by more Risen before he sees you. You order Syrene to go for reinforcements, then start trying to determine where the Risen are coming from. You notice a pattern, as the Risen seem to favor attacking from one side and then the other. You dispatch Fumiko and Saul to a nearby house, telling them to break through a door, then watch through its northern window.
Shortly afterward, you hear a sound of crashing wood, then shattering glass and the roar of a dying Risen as flames seem to appear from nowhere. The dragon appears more confused, but he seems to be fighting harder than before. Some of his old wounds are closing, though the constant stream of Risen keep leaving new ones.
Syrene returns with the rest of your group. You assume they know what is going on, but they still react in awe at the sight of a dragon - those that didn't fight one back in Terranus, at least. You send Charlotte to watch Saul and Fumiko's backs, leave Praven with Walt, then move to a better vantage point. Taika seems to be having less difficulty seeing in the snow than the rest of your group, so you keep her with you, as well as Rain to help run orders to anyone who needs to move.
Cynbel and Harrow flit around, suddenly leaping through the flurries to kill an unsuspecting Risen, then disappearing before the others can react. Jayce rushes through pockets, hacking away and luring the rest into narrow alleys, where they find your mages waiting to incinerate them. At this point, the dragon is no longer merely holding his position and defending himself, but actively hunting Risen. He seems aware of your presence, but does not acknowledge you, beyond not attacking any of your troops that stray too close.
As the flow of Risen begins to slow and the battle shifts in your favor, you suddenly smell something unusual. Rotten flesh, but not the stench of a normal Risen; somehow, the smell fills you with dread. As if on cue, the snowfall ceases. You quickly scan the dim battlefield and find only a few Risen left, nothing unusual. A shadow passes over the ground, and you snap your head skyward. Silhouetted against the night sky is another dragon, large and grey. You're no expert on dragons, but you're fairly sure that's not a normal color...
The dragon you've been aiding shoots to the sky, making a beeline for the hulking form above. You see him pause for a second, then roar in what you can tell to be a combination of rage and anguish. The grey dragon launches a dark, swirling mist, slamming into the red dragon. The red dragon is knocked backwards, and for a second you fear he will fall. He recovers, then charges at the grey dragon, flames spewing from his mouth. The two swirl above you, locked in a battle of flames and shadows.
Your archers and mages could probably help, but you worry about antagonizing the red dragon, and there are still quite a few enemies on the ground. Rain still hovers nearby, Falchion drawn.
(A) Send Rain to reinforce the red dragon, concentrate on the ground
(B) Cluster your archers and mages to provide cover fire for the dragon while your melee units guard them
(C) Leave the red dragon to his own devices; mop up the ground forces before worrying about them
This seems like a good opportunity to test the Falchion's power, and Rain's ability to wield it. "Rain! This is why we unsealed the Falchion!" She doesn't need any more encouragement, shooting into the sky like an arrow.
As much as you want to watch the battle in the sky, you know you need to attend to the ground as well. You continue to guide the battle from afar, occasionally glancing skyward. A few of your ground troops take some wounds, but they all cover each other well. Saul takes a particularly grievous stab from a Risen, but Charlotte jumps in before you have time to give any orders, easily cleaving the offending lancer before tending Saul's wound.
Once you are sure the ground battle is heavily in your favor, you allow your attention to wander upwards. The red dragon is taking the brunt of the damage, with Rain occasionally diving in when she sees an opening to exploit. The dracozombie seems to instinctively withdraw from her attacks, as if Falchion is pushing it away. From your distance, it is hard to make out the damage, but you can tell her attacks are having a strong effect on the beast.
As the dracozombie becomes more and more wounded, rather than slowing down, it seems to become stronger. Its moves become sharper, more agile than something that size - particularly an undead - should be. Its attacks start to knock the red dragon back harder and harder, and it seems to be struggling to stay airborne, even with Praven and Rain both healing it. Finally, it launches into a dive straight towards the red dragon, unleashing a stream of dark mist. The red dragon is engulfed by the blast, vanishing from your sight. Before the mist clears, a young male appears, falling from the sky.
Rain sees him and dives after him. The dracozombie sees him as well, and pursues the two of them. You reach for your tome, waiting for them to come closer. As they near the ground, you decide they're close enough. You launch a bolt of lightning, barely missing Rain, straight at the dracozombie. It makes an awful roar as it impacts, breaking off its dive. Rain manages to catch up to the falling boy, grabbing him and pulling up in one smooth motion. As she passes by, skimming the rooftops, she lets him fall towards you. You stagger backwards, catching him and nearly falling yourself. Taika grabs you and helps you keep your balance as Rain turns about to charge the Risen dragon.
The beast readies itself for her attack, preparing to unleash another blast of its shadowy breath. Rain keeps herself on course, Falchion at the ready. As the monster attacks, she raises the Fire Emblem. For a moment, you lose sight of her in the dark, then the dark mist stops. Rain hovers in front of the dracozombie, the Falchion embedded in its skull. She pulls it free as the monster begins to lose its form, flying a brief victory lap around the town before alighting on the roof next to you. "How is he?" she asks. Watching the fight above, you'd all but forgotten the unconscious boy in your arms.
A brief examination shows he's as bad off as you expected. His breathing is shallow, and he doesn't respond to anything you do trying to revive him. The only thing you have left to try is an elixer, but with how rare they are, you're hesitant to use them on a perfect stranger...
Use elixer (stock: 1)?
(A) Yes
(B) No
By now, Jake's come by to scavenge the battlefield for anything useful. You call down, telling him to toss up your last elixer. He disappears for a second, reappearing with a small blue satchel. He throws it up to you, and Taika grabs it. You hold the boy up while she pours the elixer down his throat. He doesn't respond for a moment, but you can see some of his more noticeable wounds start healing. After a few seconds, he starts coughing and opens his eyes. He looks up at you for a second, and you expect him to say something. Instead, he starts struggling, panicked.
"Easy, easy," you tell him. "You're badly wounded."
He rips one of his arms free and stares at it. He breathes a sigh of relief and you notice an amber stone clenched in his fist. He stops flailing and you help him stagger to his feet. "I suppose I should thank you," he mutters. You can't quite gauge his tone, but it seems an odd mix of frustrated, annoyed, and paranoid.
"Think nothing of it," Rain tells him. "Protecting people is our duty. I'm just sorry we didn't get here sooner."
He glares at her for a second, then his expression softens. "As am I." He looks towards the snow stained with the dracozombie's liquified remains.
"Did you know him? Or... her?" Taika asks.
"Dunno," the boy answers. "They were twisted beyond recognition. Nothing left of whoever it was, just rage. Hatred." He sighs. "Your people were the same. How could this happen? What were those things?"
You exchange a glance with Rain. "You don't know? The dead have been returning for almost two months now. We call them Risen."
The boy snarls suddenly, then regains his composure. "Yes, well, I've had very little in the way of news for the last month. I've been... gone."
You want to ask what he means, but think better of it and change the subject. "Do you have somewhere you can go?"
He shakes his head. "Dunno. I went back to where I was taken, but my tribe's moved on. Or they were all killed."
"We'll give you any help you can, but I'm afraid there's little we can do at this point," you apologize. "We think we've found the source of the Risen, and we've precious little time."
"Guess I'll go with you," he says, looking over your party. You notice his eyes pausing on Fumiko and Harrow. "I can't exactly search with these cursed things attacking me at every turn. Besides, it seems a good way to blow off some steam."
"Are you sure?" you ask. "I don't want you feeling like you owe us anything."
"Don't worry, I don't," he answers haughtily. "My name's..." He pauses thoughtfully. "You can call me Drake," he concludes.
New Character!
Drake
Class: Fire Manakete
Skills: Outdoor Fighter, Armsthrift, Zeal, Anathema, Tantivy, Odd Rhythm, Wyrmsbane
HP: *************
Str: *********
Mag: *******
Skill: *****
Speed: ****
Def: ************
Res: ********
Luck: ******
Time for supports again. Pick 6.
Rain/Agni B
Rain/Charlotte B
Rain/Doran A
Rain/Harrow C
Rain/Drake C
Syrene/Cynbel C
Syrene/Harrow C
Agni/Jayce C
Agni/Harrow C
Agni/Drake C
Walt/Jayce A
Walt/Holland C
Jayce/Harow C
Holland/Fumiko C
Holland/Charlotte B
Holland/Saul C
Taika/Cynbel C
Fumiko/Cynbel C
Fumiko/Harrow C
Fumiko/Drake C
Cynbel/Charlotte C
Cynbel/Doran C
Charlotte/Saul A
Charlotte/Doran B
Charlotte/Harrow C
Saul/Doran C
Doran/Harrow C
Doran/Drake C
Harrow/Drake C
After the battle, you order a quick sweep of the surrounding area. Once you're sure there's no Risen army laying in wait, you move everyone back to the barn to try to salvage the night's sleep. On edge, you volunteer for first watch. From your perch in the loft, you notice you aren't the only one having trouble sleeping. Aside from Jake sweeping the battlefield for anything valuable, you notice several members of your group head out for a bit of air.
Drake checks over his shoulder for the umpteenth time as he leads Fumiko and Harrow behind a small shed. Finally sure his little band wasn't followed, he turns to the pair. "Tell me truly, are you here of your own will?"
The question catches Harrow off-guard, but Fumiko seems unsurprised. "I am here to support my daughter and avenge my husband," she answers without hesitation.
Harrow pauses for a moment. "My duty is to remove this blight," she answers. "These people have the same goal. Besides, they took me in after my pack..." She trails off and shakes her head, her tail dipping low.
"Your pack?" Drake asks.
"My family, my friends. They were... driven insane. These beorc released them from their suffering."
"But you follow their orders like a d-" Drake begins accusingly, but Fumiko cuts him off.
"I choose to obey, because I trust Doran as a leader. I trust the others, as well - as warriors, and as people."
Drake closes his eyes for a moment before continuing. "Very well. So long as it is of your own will, do as you please."
"'As I please?' Very well." With that, Fumiko takes the young manakete by the shoulder and steers him back towards the barn.
"W-what are you doing?" Drake sputters, trying futilely to escape.
"You look like you haven't slept in days," she says, pressing on with her charge in tow. "You're going straight to bed. And your clothes... I'll have to wash them. In the meantime... Ah, Harrow! Could you search around town for some clean clothes Drake could wear?"
"Hm? Oh. Yes, of course," Harrow answers distantly before shambling off.
"I'll have to ask Doran to detour by a stream or lake. Well, it'll give you a chance to bathe, as well."
"H-hey! It's freezing out he-"
"You breathe fire. You'll be fine. Now march, young man."
"'Young man?!' I'm at least a century your elder!"
"And still a child, by manakete standards. Now quiet down, you're being loud enough to wake the dead."
Jayce ambles into an abandoned house, Walt in tow. "So, you and Taika, huh?" Jayce asks as he punches Walt in the shoulder. "Never knew you had it in you."
"W-what are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me! You and a lovely young lass, alone in the woods late at night? I don't have to be a genius to know what's going on there..." Jayce adopts a stern expression and stares at Walt.
"I-I... um... We were just..."
Jayce can't keep up the facade and breaks into laughter. "I'm just messing with you. But seriously, congratulations."
"Er... thanks?"
Jayce stands an overturned chair upright and takes a seat. "Can't believe an ol' stick-in-the-mud like you found a girl before me. Oh well, nothing for it but to redouble my efforts!"
Walt groans as he takes a seat next to him. "Honestly, if you spent as much effort training as you did wooing, you'd be unbeatable."
Jayce waves dismissively. "I've just about had my fill of fighting. Maybe you're cut out to be a career knight, but I'm..." He trails off. "Back when it was saving fair maidens from bandits, or killing these stupid Risen... Well, that's one thing, but I never want to fight against other soldiers again."
"Jayce... You know we'll probably have to fight through the Meridian army, right?"
"Yeah. I know. Don't worry. I'll just keep thinking about the endgame. After we smash this... Bune thing, we'll be able to make peace, right?"
"Yeah," Walt reassures him.
"Good. And after that... Well, I'll cross that bridge when we get to it." After a few seconds of silence, he perks up. "So, what're you and Taika doing after all this is over? Are you leaving the military, or is she leaving her school?"
Walt sighs heavily. Before he can answer, the door opens. The pair reach for weapons before they realize it's Harrow in the doorway. "Oh... My apologies," she mutters. "Please, excuse me."
Jayce jumps up. "No worries, we were just on the way back. But what are you doing out here?"
"Fumiko asked me to find some clothes for Drake..."
Jayce scans the room. "Doubt you'll find anything small enough in here. Pretty sure these guys didn't have any kids - only two chairs at the table."
"Oh..." Harrow says, turning away.
"Hang on, I'll help you look." As he dashes out after her, he calls over his shoulder. "You've got a tough choice ahead, Walt! Let me know if you need to talk about it."
"Please, do not trouble yourself," Harrow says.
Jayce shrugs as he scans the houses. "Many hands, light work and all that. Besides, how could I sleep knowing a lovely young woman is out, all by her lonesome?" Harrow doesn't respond, and Jayce ends up chuckling nervously as he looks around. "Let's try that house over there," he finally says.
"Why that one?" Harrow asks.
"Someone's been climbing the tree in the yard. See all the broken branches? I'm willing to bet they've got a few kids. C'mon!"
It only takes a few minutes for the pair to find a child's room in the house. They take a few pieces of clothing. As they leave, Harrow stops, turns back, and places a few gold coins on the dresser.
"Well, that was nice of you," Jayce says.
"Is this not how your customs work?"
"More or less," Jayce answers with a shrug. "What about laguz? You don't use gold?"
"I suppose it varies between tribes, but mine only used gold when dealing with beorc."
"Actually sounds kinda nice," Jayce muses. "Anyway, let's get these clothes to Drake and get to sleep. Long march ahead, and this snow's not going to make things easier."
The two find Drake outside the barn, speaking with Agni - Drake seems unimpressed. Jayce and Harrow wait a bit for them to finish their conversation.
"It is so fascinating," Agni says. "I would be very interested in learning about your dragonflame."
"It's nothing special," Drake shrugs. "Though I suppose it would seem so to a beorc."
"Of course! I have been studying years to master fire magic, and you have been born with the power over it. If you would please, teach me about your dragonflame's power."
"There's not really much to tell," Drake answers. "We manakete just... know how to breath fire. Or ice. Or something else. It's not something you can teach, it's just something you know. Like how to eat or something."
"I am being sorry," Agni apologizes. "It is just that I am dependent on spells and spirits to be able to use fire, while you are able to use it without the help of others. If only there were a way I could be study this power..."
"Look," Drake says. "I don't mind if you watch me while we're fighting, but don't expect me to go out of my way just so you can try to learn some magic tricks or something."
After a few minutes, everyone wanders in from wherever they've been and things quiet down. It takes some time, but people start to relax and nod off after the fight, leaving you to your thoughts. You spend a few hours running over potential strategies, maps of Meridia, trying to guess where the enemy would deploy their forces... Your watch shift comes and goes, and you don't realize it until you hear whispers down below. You can't help but eavesdrop.
"Charlotte," Saul whispers. Leaning over the loft's edge, you can see her tossing around and whimpering. "Charlotte," Saul repeats, placing a hand on her shoulder.
She snaps awake, grabbing his wrist. For a second, she seems to be somewhere else entirely, a terrified expression on her face. The moment passes quickly, and her expression softens. "Saul..." she whipers.
"You were having a nightmare," Saul tells her.
"I... know." Charlotte answers. "I'm starting to... remember. Who I was. Slowly. It's coming, in waves. But there's still... things I can't... remember. Things I... shouldn't."
"Charlotte..." Saul whispers, almost as if he were talking to himself. "What happened to you...?"
Charlotte stares off into the distance. "After you left, I was... running. I remember running. And then I... I found something. Something terrible. Something even the Risen were afraid of." She clutches her head. "It saved me, protected me until you came back, I know it did, but... why? It wanted something, but I don't... I can't remember what!"
Saul pulls her into an embrace, and she slowly calms down. "I'm sorry," he tells her. "So sorry we left you alone. But I'm here now, and I won't leave you again..."
You rouse your troops early in the morning. You turn towards the rising sun and start marching. For better or worse, this is the beginning of the end...
End of Chapter 20B