(What is going on in my mind right now) *plays I LIKE TRAINS*
Thanks. That was a look into the mind of Tcc…..*cough*
Oh! I cannot wait! The Courtroom action continues! ….It may or may not involve a priest and me questioning my faith…*Looks back a few years* THANK GOD THAT'S OVER.
That meaning religion.
…
…
LINEBREAK
Chapter 6: Turnabout Witches?! Part 2
"Objection!" What could be if Barnham and Darklaw had a baby, Stellaris, slammed her gauntleted arm on the desk. She then continued to shake her head, "Witness! Is this true? Do you not know the order of events?"
"…." Peatrice remained silent.
I sighed, "Mrs. Garnal?"
"…Y-yes! I remember now!"
"Remember what exactly, pray tell?"
"The flash happened after the victim fell to the ground!" Stellaris frowned at Garnal's statement, "The experience was quite traumatic…It simply slipped my mind…"
The judge nodded, "Such an experience would terrify anyone, witness. Please amend your testimony."
...REALLY?! Judge! Dude! Don't get sympathetic!
Garnal nodded, "I was walking home after completing my daily routine in the market. I stopped at the bakery, sold fresh vegetables at the stalls and sold a few of my prized hens. Soon after, I entered the square only to witness the victim falling to the ground, unconscious before a purple light flashed. My initial reaction was to scream as loud as my lungs would manage."
Robin turned to me and said, "There's something there, I can almost grasp it, but what is it exactly…."
"Really?" I asked, "Maybe something with the victim?"
"Y-yes! That's it! Ask about where the witness and accused were during the crime!"
Rei nodded, "That's bound to be the key to tipping the scales in our favor!"
"…Rei?" I asked my friend, "What's with you and making all these weird scale and judgment related phrases or whatever lately?"
She shrugged, "I guess I just got this thing for scales and judgment…"
"Defender!" The judge bellowed, "Enough with the chitchat!"
"Y-yes, Your Honor!" I said meekly.
Stellaris smirked, "It seems that….What's your name, defender?"
"Erin Fedelta, Shepherd of Ylisse."
"Well, Ms. Fedelta, it seems that the defense isn't prepared…Even chatting amongst themselves!"
I made sure my face betrayed no emotion. My mind however…
OFMG! THAT BITCH! YOU UNDERESTIMATING ME?! YOU WANNA GO?!
…was another story.
"I assure you, Inquisitor Stellaris, the defense is more than ready," I looked to the stands and spotted some of the Shepherds before turning to the witness, "Ma'am, do you happen to know where the other witnesses were at the scene of the crime?"
Garnal shook her head, "I'm afraid I don't recall…Perhaps if I had a map or something to mark my location on?"
Stellaris nodded, "Your Honor, the Inquisition would like to present a map of the area."
"Permission granted," The Judge Ester said.
She pulled a rolled up piece of parchment, "This here, witness, is a map of the square. Could you please mark your location and the location of the other people that were in the area on here?" Garnal took the parchment and marked the spots, "Accused? Mark your location as well." Ygritte silently nodded and received the parchment from Garnal and quickly scratched in her location.
The map was given back to the Inquisitor, so she could look at it, before she passed it down to us.
I pushed it over to Robin, "Mr. Tactician, maps are your thing, look away!"
"…How is that even relevant?" He sighed, "Why are you even defending someone in court? Who in their right mind would hire you as their attorney?"
"…Someone who doesn't want to be burned to death?"
"All the more reason not to!"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…Hey…Something doesn't add up here…." Robin pointed at the accused's position.
Rei and I peered closer at the map as Rei said, "Oh yeah! You're right!"
The judge turned his attention to us, "If you will not participate and chat amongst yourselves, you will be removed from this court and the accused will be cast into the flames…."
I looked up from the map, "Your Honor, we found something that contradicts a very vital piece of evidence!"
See! We aren't "chatting amongst ourselves!"
"…Oh? And what would that be?"
I brought the map over to the judge because this isn't the game and no one can look at the same exact piece of evidence at the same exact time, "Look closely at the accused's position. The accused is to the left of the victim, if a spell was used it would most definitely hit the victim. But! There is one thing stopping that from happening," I pointed at the knight that stood in between the victim and the accused, "The knight."
The judge's eyes widened, "Inquisitor! Did you know of this?"
"N-no, Your Honor! This is the first that I am hearing of this! I hadn't even known that the knight was a witness," Stellaris stammered.
"I will overlook this for now….Bailiff! Find that knight!"
"Witness, state your name and occupation," Stellaris said to the knight.
Is it necessary for the knight to state an occupation?! We can all tell that they're a knight!
"Certainly," The knight said through their helmet in a seemingly fake low voice, "My name is Mel Spechimen and I am part of the Knights of Inquisition."
…"Mel Spechimen?" More like Male Specimen, am I right? ….Wait. I don't think…
I looked closely at the witness. They wore a stupid cloak that was clipped to the front of their armor so I couldn't tell their gender from the design of the armor…
Meh…It's probably not important…
Stellaris nodded, "Honorable knight, please begin your testimony."
The knight saluted, "I was performing my usual patrol of the town square when I met the victim. She was a kind girl. I would be the first see her every day in the square selling flowers during my patrol. As usual we would exchange a greeting and I would be off to continue. This day was different however, our usually greeting was interrupted by that witch attacking her."
"I assume that you're referring to the defendant?"
"Yes, Inquisitor."
The judge nodded, "Defense, you may start your interrogation."
"Ask about the meeting," Rei suggested.
"You were patrolling at the time the incident took place?" I asked the knight.
"Yes, it was my usually noon patrol."
"And you say that you are the first to meet her every day? Is there a reason why you are always the first to see the victim?"
"The town square gate is closed until noon since the caretakers are cleaning, tending to the gardens and feeding the animals that live there," The knight explained, "I meet the victim every morning at the gate to open in for her."
"I see…That makes sense," I paused and though before continuing
…Wait. I remember now! The knight at the scene had a female voice and this should be that same knight!
"And one more thing. Can you please clarify your gender witness?"
The witness winced and removed her helmet.
Everyone in the gallery gasped and began murmuring as they realized "Male Specimen" was a girl. Pfft.
"Order! Order in the court!" The judge said before let himself look surprised, "Witness, is there a reason why you didn't share your gender with the court?"
"….I never really thought that it posed a problem and was obvious," She said in the same low/croaky voice, "I'm simply getting over a bad cold…" before clearing her throat.
Excuses!
"Yes, and while we're on the topic," Stellaris said, "I'd like to bring in a second witness at this time."
...I HATED that so much in the game…Oh gods…
The judged nodded and a priest entered the room.
"Begin your group testimony," Stellaris said before turning and noticing my look of annoyance, "What is it, Ms. Fedelta? Are two witnesses at once too much for you to handle?"
"Oh, on the contrary! I was worried you might slip up and make me have too easy a victory!"
The knight stated her testimony again before the priest spoke up.
"I was in the square on my way to the temple. It was routine. Usually I would be there about a minute or so after the knight opened the gate. I would then greet the flower girl and Ms. Mel. But this cursed morning the girl, Naga bless her, was knocked unconscious. I did witness the flash of light…but there was something else. It seemed as if the spell was used for a purpose other than harming the girl."
Robin leaned forward, "Father, what do you mean 'It seemed as if the spell was used for a purpose other than harming the girl?' What exactly did you see?"
I smiled.
Good 'eye,' Robin!
The holy man tilted his head in thought, "What exactly did I see? Hm…Well, other than the flash that occurred after the girl fell, I saw something glint in the sunlight. Metal maybe? Or was it Naga's divine intervention?"
…Who concealed their gender and is wearing armor?
…
…
I need definitive proof though…
"Father," I said to the priest, "Do you truly believe that it was Naga's 'divine intervention?'"
"Of course! You're not a spiritual one, are you, child?"
"I wouldn't call it that, Father…"
Flashback….
A teacher was in the middle of a lecture. One about…religion.
"All the proof is in here. In this bible. Proof that God created us all…"
Being the smart aleck I am, I decided to question said teacher, "Um…I know we're here to learn religion and stuff…but what if that book was written by some loon who wanted people to believe in some overlord? I mean, God could exist, but he could also not, right? I'm not trying to be THAT person but….How exactly do we know that that book is proof? As human beings, we're supposed to question things and beliefs…I can't explain it…"
The room remained awkwardly silent…
"Like, why'd he make us do this stupid workbook for Confirmation?!"
…
The room erupted in laughter.
"…Just keep doing what you're doing, Ms. Fedelta…." The teacher murmured.
"YES, SIR! RELIGION TEACHER, SIR!" I yelled and saluted smartly.
Flashback end…
"…Defense….Defense!"
"YES, SIR! JUDGE ESTER, SIR!"
The whole gallery sweatdropped.
The judge sighed and offered a reluctant smile…SCORING POINTS!
We sat in the trial for about another hour…BOOORING! Why'd I agree to this?!
….
….
Robin immediately jumped up in his spot and turned to Rei and me, "I've got it! Present this," He picked up the purple gem that we had received as evidence a while ago. When touched and used it would leave an almost permanent purple residue on any surface that isn't skin… "Present it to Ms. Mel. Do that, and we have this trial in the bag!"
"…Robin! You tactical genius you!" I gave him a friend hug and turned to face the judge and prosecution, "Your Honor, the defense would like to present evidence that the defendant is not guilty and that someone else is!"
The judge narrowed his eyes, readying his hammer…sorry, gavel, "Oh, and who's the true culprit?"
…Rei, Robin and I pulled another 'Objection!' pose and pointed at….
"Your Honor, the true culprit is none other than….."
…
….
…..
"Ms. Mel Spechimen!"
"…." The accused remained silent, "…Father, I would like to repent for my sins…"
WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!
She's admitting it?!
The priest turned and looked at the knight in surprise, "Y-you mean….?"
"Wi–Accused, please explain!" The judge demanded.
"Yes, Milord," She bowed her head, "I was worried that my beloved was seeing Ms. Flora Fauna. As a Knight of Inquisition I shouldn't have let my anger at that possibility get to me. That spell I used was a teleportation spell. I originally set out to…get rid of the victim, but came to my senses right before I landed the final blow. I'm willing take the befitting and all punishments for my dishonorable actions…"
She bowed again before she was surrounded by a circle of mages that were all holding Fire tomes.
"….And so the accused had been proven Not Guilty and in this turn of events, Ms. Mel Spechimen shall be burned my fire for a more painful and slow demise as requested by herself," The judge said and brought his hammer down, signaling the mages to fire…
There were no screams, no wails of pain…Not even the smell of burning flesh. Rei was nowhere to be found.
…
Rei? Where'd she go?!
…
"LIBRA IUDICIUM!" I heard Rei yell as some form of yellow, spherical force field formed around her and the knight.
….
….
….
WTF.
Oh…Now Chrom's down there…
"Stand down! This is not a fair trial!" Chrom yelled angrily as Rei's force field dissipated, Falchion drawn while he stood in a defensive position, "This is no form of fair punishment. The exalt would want this to be settled peacefully!"
"Prince Chrom, what is the meaning of this?! You nor your sister have power in these lands!"
"If Emmeryn heard of this, she'd take away the 'Storyteller's' land! It's as simple as that. Let Ms. Mel go, banish her if you will, but if you harm her in anyway, we will resort to violence!"
The mages fired again.
"IT'S NOT WORKING!" Rei yelled in panic, "WHAAAT THE ACTUAL–"
"Rei!" I yelled as I ran into the line of fire without thinking.
All the sudden I got a weird feeling, like I could pull something off that's similar to what Rei did. What was it exactly?!
"ERIN! WHAT ARE YOU–?!" Chrom yelled as the flames neared.
I processed the scene in slow motion as I yelled something out…
"AQUARIUS AMOR! PROCELLAE!" (That was not a typo)
A mixture of air and water surrounded us and shot outwards as the blasts hit, soaking everyone, but us to the skin.
"Well, that was refreshing," Rei said.
"Hey! That's my line!" I pouted.
"Guards! Get them!" The judge roared.
Chrom looked around frantically for an exit before spotting one and yelling, "Shepherds! Retreat!"
I looked at Mel, "Hey! Mel! Better run, eh?"
She smiled shyly before muttering, "Yo ho, yo ho…It's a Shepherd's life for me…" before we ran after our group.
We had all gotten the caravan, horse and convoy and immediately fled from the village. That was certainly one helluva ride! It was like any old chase from any movie. Like Aladdin…
But the biggest mystery is how the town got here. It didn't look like it was governed by stories…Maybe the people had some freedom? Still, something seemed off. I can't explain it, but it did.
I looked back towards the village as I walked beside the caravan. I gasped at what I saw. It was gone. It was like it never existed in the first place…I could feel the memories of it slowly slipping away as well, becoming blurred, but still there, just altered. Even Mel was gone. Though one thing was still clear to me. Rei and I had done something. Something out of the norm. Something…odd.
I decided to let go of the feeling as Chrom walked up to me. From the way he held Falchion, I could tell it was dire. How? It's pretty easy to catch onto his habits after a week. Rei, Brandon and I have this secret book with traits listed for each Shepherd. We have this plan too….But you'll hear about that later.
"Erin?"
"What is it, Princey?" I asked.
"What you did back there…What was that?"
"Oh…That? I'm not quite certain myself. I don't even think I could do it again…" I shrugged, "So how'd we do back in that trial? I felt like I'd send Ms. Ygritte to the flames any second by accident…"
Chrom sighed, "So you don't know what you did? ...Anyway, what you, Robin and Rei did back there was…heroic in a sense."
"Heroic?" I said as I crossed my arms, "Really? I thought that was your job, O Fearless Leader."
"I mean it. It takes a sharp mind (And many, many Phoenix Wright games) to defend someone in such a way."
"Nah, it was all Robin and Rei. I just did all the talking and made them do cool poses!" I said with a laugh, "….Just like when we were home…." I said sadly before forcing a smile, "A-anyway…What can you tell me about Labyrinthia?"
"Not much. It was abandoned long before the Hero-King Marth was even thought of. Wiped off the map."
"Weren't we just there? Didn't Emmeryn give the Storyteller that land?"
"Where? What land?"
"Labyrinthia?"
"What?"
What?
…
What land?
...
Where'd I get these clothes?!
…
Am I forgetting something here?
Meh. Must be nothing.
I thought as I continued to march near the prince.
No! It is not over yet! This is a change of scenario/character PoV note that will happen after the main part of the chapter is over!
And so the mystery of Labyrinthia comes to a close as our heroes lose all memory of it. What is the cause of such a thing? What exactly happened in that courtroom? Find out next time!
Libra and Aquarius stood from their respective thrones and flashed out of the room, meeting where the desert met the ocean. This spot was their usual place to go when they were to speak privately. No Zodiac could enter the area uninvited.
"So...Our Hosts have realized their true power," Libra murmured, "Judgment day will soon arrive."
"Not for a while, Sister," Aquarius said as she looked out across the ocean, "Still, the ranks of our lost brothers and sisters need to be filled."
"By whom?"
"Normally, the Host is chosen by their birthday, as well as strength, skill and mental capacity," She turned back to her sibling, "Although, now drastic measures must be taken,"
"You mean you're going to choose him in order to bring your beloved back?"
"Yes, he has enough courage, strength and skill. His mental capacity could be laughed at, though his never was…It isn't as big as the other Hosts," Aquarius sighed, "but I need him by my side. We would always lead together, it's hard to do without him."
"I understand, Sister. What of the other Zodiacs?"
"They will all be chosen in time…"
"We must be hasty, Vaatu could awaken Grima soon."
Aquarius shook her head, "No, he doesn't have that power. He'll need help from….an…avatar."
Lucas's PoV
Olivia and I had just finished a dance routine for the West Khan. He loved those way too much. Though I think he only watched them because of Olivia…
Anyway, it was a typical morning. Dance for the khan and then other stuff. I know. Our life wasn't very eventful yet. The war hadn't started since the tournament hasn't happened yet. That means Lucina hasn't visited the khan and all that.
Normally I would spend my day in the library trying to find out as much about this world as I could. Other than that maybe I'd learn how to cook, Olivia insisted, or I'd teach her how to not be so shy. Fortunately, it seemed to work. Unfortunately, it only worked with me.
Currently, we were cleaning up the pasta sauce that I somehow made explode by some twisted miracle. I swear, these gods hate me.
That's when Basilio comes barging in.
"Hey! You won't believe who just knocked Lon'qu flat on his back! Meet 'Marth,' West Ferox's new champion!" He smiled broadly as 'Marth' stood behind him before looking at the state of the castle's kitchen, "What did you make explode this time?"
Olivia sighed, "Well, Lucas made pasta sauce explode somehow…I don't understand how someone could be so ungifted…." She immediately covered her mouth, "S-sorry!"
"…It's all right, Olivia. It's unfortunately true…" I said.
At least it isn't as bad as Sully's…I hope…
"Hm…Get some drinks ready! This week, we celebrate! Our new champion and the coming up tournament!" Basilio guffawed before leaving the kitchen.
"It's going to be a long night. I'm probably going to be stuck with clearing everyone out. Since I don't drink…" I sighed before turning back to the mess.
"…You and me both…I'll probably be hiding actually. Basilio and his drunk friends get a bit frisky sometimes…" Olivia murmured.
"Don't worry Olivia. I'll keep you safe…" I muttered subconsciously.
Olivia just 'meeped' at this.
Dylan's PoV
"Welcome to Ylisse, Dylan."
Huh? Who the hell is this? Where am I? And what did they do to my copy of Fire Emblem: Awakening?!
"My name is Ate. Don't worry it'll only be like that while you're in Ylisse."
Okay…Still…What did you do to it?!
"Each person gets their own story within their copies. In order to verify that it's yours though, you must scan your finger. Once it begins it will show you your first encounter with the Shepherds, but only after it happens. You will also be able to check in on the other heroes' stories if you go to the 'Friends' menu."
O-other heroes?! You mean, I'm not the only one here?! Why am I here?!
"I'm afraid I can't tell you all that yet…"
What do you mean you can't tell me anything?!
The screen flashed off as I heard footsteps behind me. I quickly stowed the small, fragile system before whirling around to see a very familiar woman.
"What are you doing here, stranger? These grounds are the training grounds for East Ferox's finest. All intruders will be dealt with accordingly," She reached for a silver sword.
"Woah, woah. Please put the sword down," She stopped moving her arm and narrowed her eyes, "I've…uh…come here to participate in the tournament. I apologize for intruding, but I'm not from here. So naturally, I'm a bit lost."
"Well, you're in the right place, stranger. I'm Flavia, the East Khan of Ferox."
"My name's Dylan. Nice to meet you, Khan Flavia."
Flavia smiled, "Ha! Flavia, will be fine, Dylan," She began to walk towards the palace that was behind the training grounds, "Aren't you coming? You said you wanted to partake in the tournament. Let's see what you've got! Maybe you have the makings of a champion!"
? PoV
"SHE IS THE ONE…..!"
…
…
…
"SAILOR MOON!"
"AGH!" My twin screamed.
"…Chillax, Severa! I'm just adding a little levity to the air!"
"By singing the Sailor Moon theme?! I don't care if your name is Serena! Father shouldn't have taught you that song!"
"Yowch, Sis. Can you be calm for one second?!"
Here comes tsuntsun…
"Hmph…" She hmphed, "Mother was always calm…Stop trying to be like her, Serena! You even decided to become a pegasus knight!"
And now comes deredere…
"I mean it'd be all right if you did! But I wouldn't care!"
"Whatever you say, Sev."
"Do you think I'm lying?!"
"…Aren't you just a ray of sunshine," I said. There was no need to put a question mark at the end of that sentence. It's too true...
I really ran out of ideas for this chapter. I didn't really want to progress much with the story either, just introduce some characters. I have one slot open for an OC. I will only accept a female one that's sent by PM this time around. I need to level it out and non-PMing is such a hassle. Their Zodiac can either be Virgo or Scorpio.
I mean no religious offense! I'm just a person who questions everything. I do truly believe and all that!
Aquarius Amor! Procellae! : Roughly translates to 'Aquarius's Love! Hurricane! Which is sort of like Nayru's Love in Smash.
Libra Iudicium: Roughly translates to Libra's Judgment. Basically like...I dunno...Oh! Spiky Shield...I think that's Chesnaught's move in X and Y. Except it isn't spiky.
Elements:
Aquarius - Air/Water
Libra - Earth/Fire
