Back again. This time I'm sick. I went this whole year with nothing and these last few days just threw a wrench in that. Thanks, holidays. You bring sick family members together at the greatest of times.
Anyways, I hope you all had wonderful holidays. Here's to that New Year. May it bring more joy than the last. Also let it destroy all forms of sickness. I'm sick of being sick.
Big thanks to all of you reviewing this fic. You're all great. Seriously, go and tell someone you're great because you are.
I'll respond to a couple of reviews now before the start of this simply because. Feel free to skip past.
SilverFlameHaze: Understandable. I can't lie and say they're the best for me to write either. I definitely feel it shows. My calling seems more in the fantasy realm as well. Still, I started this fic with a set path in mind and I'll stick to it until the end. Even if I may stub my toes a few times along the way.
JDS: Never knew this before. Interesting to say the least. Either way, it's best to go based off his character I'll be portraying him as on whether or not he's trustworthy. I won't say any more than that.
Thanks to everyone else that reviewed again. I don't mean to offend if you wanted me to respond to you and I didn't. If it's a question you have, simply shoot a PM.
Anyways, no more boring talk. On with the show I suppose.
Italics will be character's thoughts and /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ will indicate a scene change.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem nor do I own anything I else I may reference. I only own my OCs.
Village Flower
"You son of a-!" I shot my body up to a sitting position with a quick and sudden action. When I realized that I was seated in a bed, I looked around for Janus. Instead, I only found the room I was given to sleep in Regna Ferox and Sully holding open my door.
"Well, you seem wide awake," Sully stated as she stopped mid-way in her attempt to open the door.
I felt slightly embarrassed by my sudden outburst as I forced a small laugh, "Sorry, I was just having a dream I guess."
Stupid piece of… He just threw me back in here without as much as a warning! I'll get you back for that…
"Well, dream or not! Doesn't mean you get out of our group expedition!" Sully motioned for me to get ready and follow her out of my room.
I did exactly as she told and grabbed my gear to follow her out.
Outside of my room was the giant himself, Kellam. He was already wearing all of his armor just like Sully. I could assume they both got ready before they tried to come and wake me up.
"So is this our group or something?" I asked.
"What? You don't want to be on our team?" Sully asked me with a slight scowl.
"No, no! I was just wondering is all! Still, I'm surprised you remembered our buddy Kellam here," I said to Sully as I pointed over to Kellam whom was now next to my side.
"Actually, I had to remind her," Kellam pointed out as Sully tried to merely laugh it off.
"I was just about to go find ya when you snuck up on me! That's all," Sully said as she patted Kellam's armor.
Kellam smiled, "Oh, well… I guess that means I won't have to get ready so early next time. Thanks, Sully."
"Um… Yeah, no promises though," Sully said as she tried to not let Kellam know she was lying.
I held in the desire to explain to Kellam that what Sully had said was probably a lie in fear of getting another knuckle sandwich from her. Rather, I decided to inquire on what it was our group had to do.
"Anyways, exactly what is our group's mission? I'm guessing we're heading to get an ingredient for Miriel, but which one exactly?"
"We're in charge on acquiring some moondrop flowers. Shouldn't be too hard I'd imagine. Apparently they grow in Ylisse so the hardest part will be getting to the area," Sully explained.
"And Kellam's paired with us?! Sorry, big guy, but you don't look suited up for a long march in that armor," I pointed out to Kellam.
"Don't worry about me. Actually, it's not that hard to move around in this stuff when you get used to it," Kellam replied with a somber smile as he showed he was still able to move slightly unencumbered.
Is he made of muscle?! Is his armor just air?! I'd pull multiple muscles if I tried to move in that armor!
Despite me being flabbergasted as to how well Kellam could move in his large armor, Sully started to walk off expecting us to follow, "Hey, we got the shortest distance to cover anyways. We might be able to make it back in time for dinner if you two kick your butts into gear."
Not wanting to make Sully wait, both me and Kellam hurried to catch up with her. Once we did, we continued on our way out of the castle until we were stopped by a familiar friend standing by the front gate. We had managed to exit out of the castle before we were stopped and were currently only standing within the castle's walls. The ground seemed to be carpeted with a layer of snow out here.
"Heading out now are we?" The very beard man himself intercepted our group before we could make it out the gates.
"Yeah, you comin' with, Auden?" Sully asked as she crossed her arms with a smirk glued to her face.
Auden looked to be exasperated as he reluctantly shook his head, "I would gladly, but I'm sure you can understand me when I tell you that I cannot."
"Why's that?" I chipped in a question.
He looked at me for a moment before turning his head as though he was directing my attention somewhere. When I turned to see what it could be, I only saw a figure that could be best described as Raimi from afar standing atop one of the walls surrounding the castle.
"I'm not catching your drift," I turned my attention back to Auden expecting a less subtle explanation.
Sully face palmed next to me as Auden simply grinned at my bewilderment.
Is there something I'm not catching?
"It's not something I could've expected you to understand anyways, Vince. I'm an old bird you see. A bird that's been flying for probably too long. My wings simply can't keep up with you youngsters anymore. I think it's about time that I found myself a nice cage, maybe find myself a mate and settled down," Auden explained his I suppose "simplified" version.
I blinked once after hearing Auden's long winded and strange explanation. A few seconds passed by as we all stood in silence and I blinked again. Still, not a single word was spoken as I could only blankly stare forward. A large gust of cold wind blew by the four of us in front of the castle's gates and I blinked again. Finally, it all hit me at once.
"A-Are you getting married?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs startling a bit of the wildlife hanging around the castle.
Surprisingly, it was Auden that shut me up before I could continue in my uncontrolled state. He quickly placed a hand over my mouth before saying, "Hey, not so loud there! It's not exactly known to the other party yet!"
He took a side glance to check on whether or not Raimi heard my outburst, but everything seemed to be normal on her part of the wall. When he managed to confirm this he audibly sighed before removing his hand that had silenced me.
"So, if it's something that isn't set in stone yet. Why inform us?" Sully managed to recover herself after she seemed to be almost in pain from I suppose my actions.
Auden looked rather shocked as he turned to Sully, "Well, that's because you all are my friends! I wanted to inform you all and wish you good luck before you set off."
"More like we're your only friends," I plainly stated taking into account the beard man only seemed to hang out with us for the most part.
Another pained expression glossed over Auden's face before he recovered with a smirk, "Come now, Vince! Surely you jest! You must know that the great Auden himself has loads of companions!"
"Nobody with loads of friends would state that they have loads of friends," Sully pointed out before I even had a chance to.
Me and Sully are thinking the same thing? That's rather shocking.
Again, Auden looked pained by our words as his head hung low, "How come everyone else was so much nicer when I told them this?"
Sully and I both looked to each other with our arms crossed across our chests before we gave Auden a shrug. Before he could react, however, the giant Kellam appeared behind him and rested both of his hands onto Auden's shoulders. Shockingly enough, Kellam actually seemed to stand taller than Auden now that I got a good look at their heights.
I will firmly stand by my statement that Kellam is a giant.
"I think it's great that you're trying to get married," Kellam stated with a somber smile that seemed to bring tears to Auden.
"Oh, big guy! I don't even remember your name, but you're so much nicer than my student Vince! And after all the secret training I gave him too!" Auden sobbed onto Kellam's armor as he embraced the giant in a large embrace.
Sully turned her head slightly to me as I rolled my eyes at the sobbing old man in front of me.
"Uh, I've told you before. My name's Kellam," Kellam silently attempted to inform Auden but was drowned out by his sobbing.
"Right, right. Callum, you're a nice guy," Auden released Kellam from his embrace and gave him a solid thumb up.
"But my name's-" Kellam tried to correct the beard man, but Sully started to push Kellam out the castle's front gates. Shockingly, she was able to do so with very little effort despite Kellam's attempts to fight it.
"Well, you've wasted enough of our time. We're heading out so just man up and do your little marriage thing already," Sully spoke back to Auden as she continued pushing the giant out the gates.
The two of them quickly started to get further and further out of sight as I was left back with Auden. I started in a walk towards the gate past him before I stopped shortly before it. Turning my head back to face him, I questioned, "So, was this your allotted business here?"
"Part of it, yeah."
"I see."
Some more silence passed between the both of us before I turned my head back around. Sully and Kellam were even further ahead of me as it seemed Sully didn't want to wait.
"Well, best of luck to you then," I extended my left arm directly out to my side and gave a thumb up back to Auden, "and I expect a front row seat to the shindig."
After I had finished talking to the beard man, I started in a jog to catch back up with my companions that were further ahead of me. Somehow even though I was certain that I was far away from him, I could hear him laughing heartily behind me.
Once I did manage to catch back up with the others, we made our way back to Ylisse. Today must be considered a warm day for everyone in Regna Ferox because I didn't immediately start shivering upon exiting the castle. The sun being directly above us in the sky might actually have something to do with that.
Nonetheless, we had begun our attempt to find this moondrop flower we needed for Miriel.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Sully, how much longer?" I droned from the back of our small expedition party.
"If you ask me that one more time, I swear you'll wish I had punched you instead!" Sully shouted back to me in pure anger from atop her horse.
The sight of her fury jolted me out of my boredom but only for a moment as she turned away leaving me to try and find things to occupy my time once again.
We had passed Regna Ferox's borders and made it back into Ylisse not too long ago. The sun was setting on the horizon and that meant it would be getting dark soon as well. That didn't rightfully mean much, however. We had just made it out of the cold so the cold night wouldn't be too much different. The only change to the walk would be our lack of vision; luckily, we brought lanterns just for that reason.
Our march had been trekking along for a while now and both my mind and body were starting to feel it. My legs were slightly sore since I elected to walk instead of ride Choc. I thought it would be better to give the poor horse a break rather than force him to go back the way he had already tired himself out going through.
There was another reason I had decided to walk as well which reminds me…
"Kellam, you still there?" I called out for the large man in armor.
"Still right next to you," Kellam replied.
Unlike other times I've done this exact same thing, I wasn't as startled to find Kellam next to me. Whether it was from my sheer amount of boredom I was in or because I was getting used to finding Kellam so close by I wouldn't know.
After performing my routine checkup on Kellam, I focused back on the march. We had just made it back through the mountains we passed through on our way to Regna Ferox. Since we were just a small group, we were making better time than before even though Sully was the only one on horseback.
Still, just because we were making better time didn't mean it wasn't taking agonizingly long. Hours have passed by and the only action I've been able to perform is walking.
Left, right, left, right. Rock… Bigger rock. Crap, I'm bored.
Letting out an audible sigh, I attempted to distract my mind from complete boredom.
Coming from the modern world into a medieval styled one is difficult on the mind. What do people even do for entertainment half the time?
Seeing that I really didn't have much else for belongings in my possession, I went for the only other thing I was currently holding; my sword. I took the sword out of its scabbard and held it in front of me as we continued to march along.
I'd have to admit, this thing had seen better days than today. It seemed my sword was distinctly chipped in a couple of places along the blade's edges. Honestly, I haven't sharpened the damn thing not once since I got it despite having slight knowledge on how to sharpen blades. Somehow, I feel like not sharpening it has played a role in the condition it's in now.
Still, if I could avoid the chipped sections being struck, I think it'll last another battle or two. At least I should have long enough to sharpen it back to a better shape.
The day continued on as we marched through some open plains. I distracted myself from boredom by practicing spinning my sword around which I fumbled doing multiple times; luckily, I didn't manage to cut myself with the rugged thing.
Before long, the sun fully set past the horizon and it was fairly difficult at this point to see without a light.
We're going to need a lantern at this-
"Guys," A familiar voice spoke up as a hand stopped me from walking further.
The hand was definitely covered in metal and firm in its grip. It stopped me dead in my tracks causing me to almost drop my sword I was still trying to spin in my hands onto my feet. When I turned to see who had done it, I noticed that it was the giant.
"Kellam, what's the deal? You could've made me lose a toe!" I practically was shouting at him since he gave me a minor heart attack.
"Hm? What's the holdup this time? Is Vincent playing in dirt again? I told you that you could give him a good whacking if he was messing around," Sully had stopped and was slowly turning her horse around to face me and Kellam that were following behind her.
Sully's statements quickly brought my temper on the rise as I was quick to respond, "I told you once already, I was not playing!"
Sully, however, was equally quick to merely wave off my rising anger.
"No, I've been saying it for a while now. There's smoke over there," Kellam released his hand from my shoulder as he pointed out in a random direction. I followed his finger and tried my best to make out what he was pointing towards.
It's almost impossible to see out here. Way too dark to see even with a lantern that far. How the hell can he see when he doesn't even look like his eyes are open?! What kind of shenanigans is this?!
"Kellam, I think you're finally starting to see ghosts like yourself," Sully shook her head in disapproval after she wasn't able to see what Kellam was pointing too either.
"I'm serious, you guys! There's definitely some kind of fire over there!" Kellam was desperately pleading with Sully and me.
He's pretty sure of himself…
"Why don't we just check it out, Sully? It couldn't hurt to make sure," I made a grab for one of our lanterns and lit it quickly with some flint and steel.
"Fine, but if this is a colossal waste of time, you'll be put into double time to make it up," Sully also grabbed her lantern and lit it with zero effort before starting off in the direction Kellam was motioning to.
"I'm trusting you, Kellam. So point out the way," I motioned for Kellam to lead in front of myself.
"I'm telling you, you'll see. I know something's going on over there," Kellam walked forward unerringly in the direction he was so focused on.
What's the deal here? Couldn't we have just found some flowers and be done with this? This is ridiculous. I swear, I'll start a flower shop so fast just so that I don't have to go looking for them again.
A good few minutes of walking through these open fields continued on without much difference. We followed Kellam's leading around the edge of the forest as we slowly curved around it. Nothing was spotted within our lantern's gaze as we marched. It looked like Sully and I were starting to feel like we were being led on a wild goose chase.
"Kellam, I understand that we don't notice you a lot and that you'd probably like if something was less noticeable than you; but that doesn't mean you should go making up stuff," I stated as I continued to shine my lantern around our party.
"No, no. There! Look over there!" Kellam was distinctly at least a couple of decibels louder than usual as he pointed off the distance for the second time today.
"Where are you looking this ti-" Sully strolled her horse over to Kellam's side to get a better understanding on where he was pointing when her eyes widened.
I took note of this reaction and followed Kellam's finger to whatever he was aiming at. Similar to Sully, my eyes grew wide as I saw what we had been going towards this whole time.
The orange blur, bellowing smoke rising up into the sky only to be pulled off by the wind, and the agonizingly muffled screams; it was a village fire. I wouldn't be able to forget the first time I was caught in one. Its moments were permanently stored away into my mind's reservoirs to forever scar me.
The fire seemed to be only just now picking up into gear which would mean Kellam spotted this out the very moment it was starting. The smoke was blowing directly over into the middle of the plains we had been marching through which must've given him a good header on where to go.
"Sorry, I ever doubted ya, big guy. No more wastin' time. Get your butts into gear! This is what we Shepherds are trained for!" Sully wasted no time in having her horse gallop straight for the village.
Sully's tendency to simply be gunho about a lot of these battles puts me off balance slightly. I mean, certainly I can handle fighting and even having to kill a few bandits. My will to do so is absolute at this point. I've done it plenty of times by now. I've worked it out with my guilty subconscious that it was for the greater good.
So why can't I follow after her?!
Although I wanted to run in behind Sully, my legs failed to respond to my commands. I felt as though I had gained a couple hundred pounds in the matter of seconds. Not even my arms could be moved at this point. I was completely frozen.
Will there be bandits? Would I have to see it again? The bodies of innocents? Powerless individuals caught in this bloody mess.
My grip tightened around the handle of my sword as I gritted my teeth. The beating of my heart increased in pace as I felt it harder to keep it under control. Fear was welling up in my chest. A final attempt to will my body forward was poured directly into my legs. All of my thoughts were concentrated solely on continuing on. Still, I was glued to the ground as I was forced to watch Sully disappear into the inferno of a blur that used to be a town.
No, no. I can't. If I do, I'll die. There's so few of us. We can't save them all. Maybe a few, but not all. It's hopeless. There's no point.
My knees were starting to buckle. I almost felt like letting out a small laugh from my inability to find courage. Kellam was looking back to me. He looked to be saying something back to me; I was unable to make out the words.
Suddenly, I saw a villager collapse a good distance in front of Kellam. A bandit was in hot pursuit to catch the individual.
Female? Probably old enough to have a kid. The poor soul…
There wasn't anything I could do. The woman would die and I would be forced to relive this moment for my failure.
The bandit closed in on the woman. I could hear him manically laughing from here. Kellam made a mad dash to save the woman as soon as possible. There was no hope. He would never make it in time even despite the fact the woman was desperately crawling towards him. He could attempt to toss his spear but if he missed there would be no do over. He hadn't brought his javelins with him so he would be throwing an unbalanced weapon towards the bandit. It would be a shot in the dark at this point.
Closing my eyes, I readied myself for the painful death cry to arise. I knew that it would be coming and I would rather null my senses as much as possible. Seconds seemed like minutes as I awaited the sound. Nothing happened. I cracked my eyelids opened and what I saw shocked me.
A boy that couldn't be any older than me had stepped into the bandit's path. He blocked the bandit's sword with what seemed to be a pitchfork. The bandit's blade was caught in the prongs of the pitchfork. I'm certain of it, he was wearing a pot. Even I could make out that feature of his attire from this distance.
Is that… No, it couldn't be. Donnel?
The two of them looked like they were locked in a power struggle. Both of them were trying to disarm the other even though I don't think Donnel even understands the meaning of a disarm yet. It didn't take long, however, for the bandit to get tired of wasting time as he threw a punch directly for Donnel's face. It connected with little problem and sent the village boy to the ground.
After taking care of the boy, the bandit continued towards the woman. Luckily, Donny had bought enough time for Kellam to catch up. The bandit was practically shoulder checked by Kellam's giant shield as he was sent flying back in the air. Now being collapsed on the ground, the bandit scrambled to defend himself. He had no chance to do so though when his chest was pierced by Kellam's spear.
They saved her? There was no way…
Kellam seemed to hold a short discussion with the woman and what looked to be Donnel before pointing off towards me in the distance. Shortly thereafter, what I believe is Donny came running over to me. He kept a hand on his head to keep his pot from falling off the whole way.
"Pardon me, sir. That big ghostly fella' told me to get you movin your hooves!" The boy I will presume is Donny was practically pushing me to go forward.
"My hooves?" I finally managed to take a step forward thanks to his pushing.
"You know! Your trotters! Your dogs! It's as easy as leading a pig to its slop!" He rushed in front of me and started to jog in place.
It was slightly amusing watching Donnel attempt to show me how to walk in the few short seconds that it was happening.
He has more resolve to go on than I do. Hmph…
I took another step forward followed by another. Soon, I was fully walking forward with my sword gripped tightly in one hand and my lantern in the other. I passed by Donnel who seemed perplexed by my movements.
"You alright there, sir?" He questioned me as I passed by.
What was it again? Ah, that's it.
"Whatever happens, happens," I mumbled as I kept walking forward.
"You've got a weird noggin' there, sir," Donnel sounded confused.
I may not save all of them, but damnit, I will save whoever I can. I'm not going to die. No, I don't ever want to die. My resolve to do so is absolute. My will to continue on is sealed. No turning back. I will live!
I set my lantern down and diminished the flame. I took a sudden deep breath and gripped my sword with both of my hands. In a quick motion, my body erupted into a full-blown sprint. I was charging towards the burning village without a second thought. I wouldn't let my past fears consume me again.
In little time, I had made it to the outskirts of the small village. My eyes darted from building to building. Some were blazing in a bright flame; others were already collapsed in burnt ruble. A few buildings, however, were still completely intact. As I was scanning the solid buildings surrounding me, a window in one of them broke into shards as something was tossed out it. The object landed a few feet away from me allowing me to identify it.
A frying pan?
Following the flying frying pan, a woman screamed as she stumbled out the buildings door. A bandit was in pursuit of her.
No more thoughts. Take care of the problem.
I was swift in my charge. It took me no less than a couple of seconds to cover the ground between me and the bandit. He swung towards me with his broadsword to which I sidestepped it easily.
Unrefined swordplay. Punish him for it.
After his sword was finished in its swing, I took the chance. Now being positioned on the bandit's side, I swung for his back earning a good chop directly through his armor. My blade cut into him and more than likely damaged more than a few vital organs. He let out a final cry of pain before slumping to the ground in front of this house.
"Thank you, sir! Oh, praise your good deeds! May Naga bless you!" The woman praised me for what I had done.
I returned to her a somber smile, "You should head out of the village for now. Wait outside of it for a while until its safe. The Shepherds will handle this."
"You're a part of the Shepherds? Thank goodness! We're saved!" The woman heeded my orders and ran out of the village as fast as possible.
I felt a distinct pleasure in hearing how pleased she was that I was a part of the Shepherds. I was a Shepherd that had saved her.
Before I could be lost in my ego, I noticed a figure approaching me. It had just passed the woman that had went running out of the village.
Donnel?
Sure enough, it was indeed the kitchenware wearing boy himself. He came running to me with his pitchfork in one of his hands and his other hand holding his pot on his head. When he arrived to me, he sounded like he was out of breath. I waited a few seconds for him to catch his breath as it seemed he had something to say. When he managed to do so, he straightened himself and saluted me.
"I'm sorry, sir, if I'm in your way but I would like to lend a helping hand!" He sounded more upright than usual. There wasn't as much farmer boy in him as there usually was.
"You'd like to help? With what?" I asked.
Donnel seemed to manage to loosen up as he noticed I was willing to hear him out, "It's just… They got my mama, sir. I reckon they ain't exactly gonna be friendly folk with her either."
"So you'd like to help save her. Am I right?"
"Well, that's what I reckon I want to do. Gosh, I'm not sure," Donnel tried pulling his pot hat further over his head when he noticed one of the burning buildings collapse from lack of stability.
He's second guessing himself after he just saved that woman out there? I guess when put on the spot he'll act but otherwise he's unsure. If that's the case…
"We haven't much time for this. Either I will be saving your mother alone, or with your assistance," I extended my hand to Donnel for a handshake, "What do you say?"
He looked at my hand for a moment before glancing back to my face that was completely stone serious. When he appeared to have made up his mind, I could see the fire light up in his eyes.
Donnel quickly hocked a loogie into his hand and gripped onto mine with the very same hand. I was slightly taken aback by this action but remembered that he was a farmer boy after all. When the handshake was finished, I was quick to try and wave off some of his saliva.
"Name's Donny- I-I mean Donnel, sir! I'll help save mama or my name's Archibald, and it's not!" Donnel hefted his pitchfork up with both of his hands and got ready to follow me.
I don't even… I'm not sure that means he will help or he won't. Whatever. He already spit in my hand. That must mean yes, right?
"Name's," I look down to my hand and noticed that there was still some saliva on it that I quickly wiped away, "Vincent. Stay close by, Donnel. Also, let's leave the hero stuff for another day, alright?"
Donnel nodded his head in understanding before I set off to continue running through the village. He followed close behind me like I informed him. Without wasting another second, I scanned around us as we ran through the village. I was just beginning to think it was a little to desolate for a bandit attack when a crack of lightning flew past my face.
My first instinct was to stop on the spot. Doing so, I turned my head to see where the attack had come from. A mage looking bandit was holding a yellowish book in his hand as lightning crackled off the other. The bandit appeared to be female with long dark violet hair and after confirming the color similarities between this bandit and the last couple, I could presume that these were definitely Plegian bandits.
The female mage let out a sadistic laugh in my direction before signaling for a couple of other bandits behind her, "Go ahead and crush their skulls would you, dearie? If you don't, I might have to shock both you and them."
What seemed to be her grunts were quick to follow orders. They hoped to and came rushing past her. The mage, on the other hand, looked like she was prepping another spell as she exited out of the alleyway she was standing in.
Shit, 3v2? Hardly good odds here. Not to mention I can't put too much pressure onto Donny.
The first bandit to come running past the mage went straight for me with his hand axe. The other bandit seemed more interested in going after Donnel. Donny looked to be ready enough for the attack so I didn't want to worry too much about him.
The bandit that was charging for me went straight in for a crack at lobbing my head off. I stepped out of his range just in the nick of time as I felt the wind from his attack rush past my face. These bandits seemed incredibly sadistic since just the thought of attacking me pleased the man in front of me.
With another swing of his axe, the bandit tried to chop directly into my neck and shoulder. I had to continue backpedaling in order to stay out of his range.
He doesn't seem too have any clear intention of letting up. I can't get into his guard like this.
The bandit in front of me looked like he was ready to go all day with his swings. Another one from the left; a second one followed directly after from the right.
Now!
Seeing the chance, I went straight into his guard after he finished his wide swing from my right. I stabbed forward with my sword in my right hand as I grabbed onto his hand axe with my left. Both succeeded and I had stabbed the bandit in the gut. Even though I had done so, however, the bandit seemed to be in a rush of adrenaline as there didn't look to be a single ounce of pain in him.
The bandit grinned wildly at me as our faces were mere inches apart. Before I could think of another action, his head connected with my own. I reeled back from the attack as I released his hand axe and withdrew my sword.
The headbutt he delivered me definitely cracked my forehead somewhere as I could feel my life's liquid crawl down my face. However, the same injury was on the bandit in front of me. A small amount of blood crept down to his mouth and he creepily licked some of it. I felt the urge to be disgusted by this man, but repressed it seeing that it would do me no good right now.
Damn, that hurt. Alright, just have to finish him next time. No prob-
My thoughts were cut short as I could see a blinding light flying towards me. I didn't need to be told twice that it was the very same lightning I saw before.
I made the only move I could make in the time. My body sidestepped to the right in order to get out of the way, but was a little too slow. Part of the bolt collided into my left arm. A wave of pain traveled directly from the point of impact throughout my whole body. After the sudden pain died down and my senses wheeled up again, I could feel the scorch mark left on my arm.
That is not going to be pleasant in the morning.
The bandit directly in front of me laughed at my pain and quickly leaped towards me. I hadn't much time to do so, but I managed to duck under his attack and stab for him. This time my attack was aimed higher than before as I intended to kill him.
Without a doubt, I fell the bandit as my sword pierced through his upper chest and his body clumped forward onto my own. I struggled to toss him to the side thanks to my injured arm and glimpsed the violet mage smiling wickedly at me.
"Did that sting? Maybe you'd like another sample? Or perhaps," She shifted her stance and faced towards Donnel whom was struggling to fend off the other bandit, "your friend would like a taste."
"Hm? A taste of what? How pathetic you're gonna look when we kick your ass?" I asked with a smug smirk.
The violet haired mage was sent into a deep rage by my statement, "Kick my what?! We'll see about that when you're friend is charred!"
She lashed out a bolt of lightning that soared even faster through the air than the previous two. It was heading directly for Donnel's backside; that is, if Kellam wasn't standing in the way.
The bolt of lightning scorched into Kellam's shield as the giant peered over from the other side of it.
"It's rude to attack others that don't know you're going to," the giant plainly stated.
Isn't that kind of what you do a lot of the time?!
"W-What? Where did-" the bandit mage was at a loss for words when another surprise snuck up on her.
"I've gotta say, it would be nice to see your ass get kicked," A familiar red headed knight spoke up from behind the mage.
Sully's sword was lowered directly at the mage's head from atop her horse. The mage was shivering in fear.
"Although, I think you'll have to deal with my sword instead. Taste my steel!" Sully struck the female mage across the back seemingly killing her in one swing as she collapsed lifeless.
The only bandit left in the vicinity then was the one Donny was in a tussle with. It didn't seem to be going his way entirely. He had the bandit's blade caught in his pitchfork like the other time, but this bandit definitely had more upper body strength than Donny.
Kellam was about to move in to help him when I gripped onto him.
"Hang on. Let him handle this," I told him.
I know it seems bad to leave an untrained fighter fending for himself, but I learned for myself in a similar way. Also, I didn't want Donnel to feel like he was helpless and needed to be saved.
"You're a cold bastard sometimes, Vincent," Sully spoke up from where she struck down the mage.
I shook my head in disagreement, "No, this is how he needs to learn. Whether he's a fighter or a quitter."
The bandit and Donny continued in their struggle. Finally, the bandit swung his blade to the side in order to free it from Donny's pitchfork. Realizing this, Donnel retracted his pitchfork surprisingly. He freed the bandit's sword on his own accord. As the bandit grinned gleefully at this, he went for an attack towards Donnel. The kitchenware wearing boy backpedaled dodging the attack as if he had done so before.
He's a fast learner! Guess he had the aptitude skill for a reason.
Adjusting the pot on his head for a mere second, Donnel got the same fire in his eyes that I had seen earlier. If looks could kill, his would certainly maim someone.
"Gosh darnit!" Donnel roared out as he charged towards his attacker.
The bandit was completely ready for the charge, however. He readied himself to block the attack by locking himself and Donny into a power struggle like before.
Like predicted, the bandit's blade was caught in the middle of the pitchfork's prongs. With all of his force, the bandit pushed back against Donny. Except, Donny's charge wasn't stopped. It wasn't deterred in the slightest by the bandit. Donny used all of his strength to push his pitchfork towards his attacker. The bandit's arms buckled under the sudden force and bent back allowing for Donnel's pitchfork to pierce through him. With a final grunt, the bandit fell backwards with Donnel's pitchfork still sticking out of him.
Donny was panting heavily as he released his grip on his pitchfork. He fell backwards onto his butt as his pot fell off as well.
Knowing now that his fight was over, I approached him on the ground and kneeled down next to him.
"Did I… did I do it? Is he… dead?" Donnel asked me.
I smirked to the village boy before handing him his pot that had fallen off, "Yeah, you did great there, Donny. Come on. Your mom is waiting, you know?"
Donnel nodded with a grin and took his pot. He reequipped it onto his head and I extended a hand to help him up. He hastily grabbed ahold of it and I hoisted him up. We then walked back over to Sully and Kellam.
"Well, you village boys sure know how to get along," Sully stated with a grin.
"Huh?" I was confused.
Village boy? Oh, right! I said that I came from a mountain village!
"Well, it's only natural I guess," I attempted to recover.
Sully laughed at me, "You two look like two peas in a pod if you ask me!"
Donnel and I both exchanged looks at each other.
Are we that similar? Huh… I don't see it.
Donnel seemed to come to the same conclusion as I when we simultaneously shrugged earning even more laughter from Sully and even a bit from Kellam.
As if right on cue to end the laughing, however, a wood beam fell next to us from one of the burning buildings.
"Right, we've still got a village to save people. What are you still doing!? That's an order to get moving! Now!" Sully shouted at the three of us as Donnel and I were quick to salute her.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
After finishing searching for more Plegian bandits we went directly into the next step. The next step took well into the morning of the next day; putting out the fires.
The most difficult part about being a Shepherd is the cleanup after a mission, I swear! These fires are not easy to take care of with just a bucket of water. Still, we did manage to quell the flames and save most of the houses. Roughly a quarter of this village must've burnt down. Not to mention that it was agonizingly painful to find some villagers were killed during the raid. There wasn't an awfully large number, but it was a number nonetheless.
The villagers asked us if we would like to stay for the funerals, but we had to politely decline. Finding the flower was our top priority and we already wasted enough time.
That was about around the time that we were about to start heading out. Of course, we weren't able to do so until Donnel said his good byes.
"Oh, my little Donny's going out on an adventure! Now you make sure you eat plenty of vegetables or else the Brussels sprout monsters will come and take you away at night," Donny's mother informed her son as though he was still a child.
"Shucks, mama, you don't have to say it so loud," Donnel was incredibly embarrassed by his mother's actions as any young boy with a mom like that would be.
"You be safe now ok, Donny," Donnel's mother embraced him into a hug before releasing him and sending him off with a wave.
"Don't play in the mud too much, and remember to bathe for cryin' out loud!" Donnel's mother continued to shout as we left the village.
Sully and I held in the urge to burst into laughter at Donnel's embarrassment. After we calmed ourselves and his mother wasn't in audible range anymore, I turned my head to him.
"You sure you want to be in the Shepherds? Let me be the first to tell you it's a lot of work," I pointed out as I tried to stretch out the pain in my shoulders still.
"Course I am! This is like a dream come true! I git ah learn about all kinds of things now! Like that stack of papers you got from the lady! She shot lightning from her hands!" Donnel looked like a child experiencing his first ever rollercoaster. He was ecstatic about the thought of what could be and what couldn't.
Glancing to the 'stack of papers' as he called it in my hand, I realized he was referring to the magic tome I had swiped off that bandit mage. I still couldn't make out a lick of what was in it, but figured it was valuable either way.
Thinking about the magic tome, it made me remember that my left arm got scorched by the chick. The villagers were nice enough to apply some kind of ointment to the burn and bandage me up, but it still stung.
"You mean this tome? Yeah, that chick was pretty electrifying. She definitely shocked me to attention," I replied jokingly with puns.
Donnel was surprisingly fast to catch on as he laughed, "I get cha. It all sure was a shocking experience, wasn't it?"
Donnel put heavy emphasis on the word shocking which caused me to chuckle in response.
Terrible puns have to be the best ones.
"Sorry, to bust up the fun, but we still have a flower to find damnit!" Sully was quick to get back onto the mission.
"Right, we still haven't a clue where it could be around here," I replied dejectedly.
"Ya'll lookin' for a flower?" Donnel asked.
"You got any ideas, metal head? We're looking for a moondrop flower," Sully returned.
Donnel sparked up at Sully's statement and hurriedly ran off in a random direction, "Come on! I know the way like the back of my pig pen!"
Without much else of a lead, we followed the local village boy as he rushed into the forest that was at the side of his village. We continued in our pursuit after Donnel and almost had lost him at times.
Finally, we caught back up to him and he pointed us out to a grove of white flowers. The flowers seemingly glowed as beams of light fell onto them through the roof of the forest.
"They definitely match the description," Sully dismounted from her horse and pulled out a bottle.
She plucked a few of the flowers and gently placed them into the bottle.
"A day in this shouldn't be bad. Plus, we got well over the calling order," Sully walked back over to the rest of us with a grin as she held up the bottle now full of flowers.
"Ya'll came out here for these flowers?" Donnel decided to ask as he started to lead us out of the forest.
"It's a long story. Either way, good work there, Donny," I pulled Donnel into a loose headlock for a second as we continued forward out of the forest.
With our ingredients collected, that only left the others to succeed in their missions. We'll then be able to concoct some kind of antidote to save Chrom!
Vaike, I swear. You'd better not screw this one up!
There's another large update for all of you.
Seriously, I just killed myself to finish this thing. Hope you liked it.
I can't quite tell if it's fully fluffed out at the moment. Let me know if there's some glaring error or horrible grammar usage somewhere.
Anyways, I finally did the first paralogue and we in return get Donnel. Things can't get better than that can they? Ok, maybe they can, but until I see Flying King Robo Santa Jesus I will stand by this being as great as things will get.
Vincent's getting more and more battle hardened. Whether or not this is good or bad is up to you to decide.
Some references and quotes thrown in here. Point them out if you spot them!
I'm sure we can all tell who gets the next chapter's spotlight.
My mind can't find anything else to talk about so I think that's it.
Leave a review on what you thought about the chapter. Don't be afraid to send a PM with ideas or questions either.