DISCLAIMER: FIRE EMBLEM AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO NINTENDO. THEY ARE QUITE AMAZING. LET'S ALL PRAISE THEM FOR A BIT AND HOPE FOR AN EARLY LOCALIZATION FOR THEIR LATEST SEQUEL.
A/N: Upon observation in the game and further research, I found that I had misdescribed the 'Bolganone' in the last chapter. Rather than a blast of flame, it actually erupts from the ground and outwards. I edited that in the last chapter and I made sure to properly describe it here.
Smoldering Resistance 3
The Shepherd's mages were leading the Ylissean magic division against the Valmese's. It was long ranged warfare, although they did have the trouble of frequently dealing with the many Valmese soldiers attempting to rush at them.
At the far side of town, Miriel, Henry and Ricken had their backs up against a wall. Right beside them, across the street, were the stairs leading up to the walkways atop the city walls. The stairs were guarded by several Knights.
The Valmese mages had taken positions atop the walls and for good reason. They weren't easily reachable by the forces on the ground and their clear view of the battlefield, save for some buildings, allowed them to pick off targets from a distance. Right now, they were dealing with the Ylissean archers and mages, the only ones among the enemy able to retaliate from their attacks.
Miriel wiped her forehead. "These Valmese believe themselves to be quite the masters, flaunting around their Arc magic like so. Powerful as the spells might be, their casters sorely lack the necessary finesse. " she uttered unimpressed.
Henry poked at Ricken's bloodied robe. "Nya ha, I think they'd look their FINESSE-T, dead on the ground." he laughed.
Ricken awkwardly laughed his joke.
"Hush you two, we must make quick work of those mages. Tharja and the others have got quite the plate full with both ground forces and mages at their throats." Miriel said, peeking at the enemies.
"We need to take out those Knights first." Ricken whispered.
"Hehe, leave it to me. I've got something I've been dying to try out." Henry chuckled.
He crept up to the edge of the wall and stuck his head around the corner. The Knights were on guard, waiting for any Ylissean soldiers that may try to head their way.
He walked out and whistled to them. The Knights turned to the white haired man and readied their lances.
Henry opened a deep purple tome and smiled. "This is going to be great!" he exclaimed.
Just as the Knights were about to make their way over, they found themselves ensnared in some sort of black fog that covered the ground beneath them.
"What the hell is this?" one of the Knights cried, trying to pull his leg out of the dark mass in futility.
The black mass on the floor grew and swallowed up the Knights in an instant, a dark cloud hovering around their bodies.
"Goetia!" Henry yelled, snapping his tome shut.
Purple lightning exploded around the cloud as it began to twist around violently.
The Knights now lay motionless on the ground as the cloud dissipated.
"Whoa.." Ricken said in awe.
Miriel raised a brow, before adjusting her glasses. "Indeed. Where did you come across such a spell? I hope you don't mind if I were to examine that tome later."
"Nya ha, not at all lady! I just did some fiddling with my Nosferatu tome! Just a little something they taught us back at magic camp." Henry said matter-o-factly, with a finger in the air.
"I thank you in advance. Now let us get back to the matter at hand." Miriel said as she made for the stairs.
Ricken paused, "Umm, there's a lot of them up there. Wouldn't it be best if we called for some back up?"
Miriel stopped. "While we are pressed for time, I'll have to agree with you. Henry, we will wait here. Would you be so kind as to alert Tharja and the others that the entrance to the stairs has been left unguarded?"
"Got ya!" Henry said as he sped off.
"Henry's kind of strange... but he's pretty cool." Ricken said.
"Yes, heaven forbid what would happen if he was still allied with Plegia." Miriel agreed.
"Blood... and then more blood..." Ricken smiled nervously at the thought.
Robin and the group were sprinting down the streets in pursuit of the Dark Knight, Farber.
"Nowi, any sign of him?" Robin yelled to the now reptilian girl hovering above the buildings.
"I see him! He's running across the rooftops with the guy with the weird hat!" she yelled down below.
"Which way are they headed?" Robin panted.
"Umm let's see.. East! They're going East! Should I go after them?" she asked.
"No! Not yet! Farber's got some really powerful magic on him. You definitely don't want to go for him alone."
Lucina made a turn, "This way! We can cut them off!"
They followed her and dashed down the street and into a tight alley. They shuffled through sideways towards the opening.
As they exited, they could see Farber and the Trickster sprinting across the roofs beside them.
"Damn, I can't use my magic with the buildings so close by." Robin said, keeping the people inside in mind.
Gregor sped up, "Lon'qu, use the arrows!"
"While running? I can try." he said as he pulled an arrow out from his quiver.
He took aim at Farber shakily as he ran. He tried to calm his breathing as he zeroed in on the figure at the front. As he exhaled, he let go of his string.
The arrow whizzed through the air towards the Dark Knight's back, but was sliced in two, falling onto the roofing.
"Damn it." Lon'qu gritted through his teeth.
The Trickster whipped his sword around, looking at them from over his shoulder as he ran.
It was clear with what strength they had, they wouldn't be able to get to Farber without dealing with this man first.
"Robin, let me deal with him. Go after Farber." Lon'qu requested.
"...Fine, don't go dying on me." he said, trusting the man who had trained him.
Lon'qu smiled, "Do realize who you're speaking to, pupil?"
Robin grinned, "For a second there, I thought I was speaking to Vaike."
Lon'qu looked up," Nowi! I need you to drop me in front of that guy"
"Hmm? You won't mind me touching you?" she asked.
"H-huh? No, you moron! I-I mean, you're a dragon right now anyways... Just hurry and do it!"
"Hehe, alrighty. But if you try anything funny, I'll have to eat ya!" she joked as she glided down and plucked him by the shoulders.
Lon'qu fidgeted in her grip before settling down.
"Make sure you beat fancy pants good!" Gregor yelled.
They were soaring above the rooftops, headed for the two retreating figures.
Lon'qu knew it was unwise to take on both of the men, so he sought to separate the two.
He pulled out his bow, took aim at the Trickster and fired.
The Trickster, who had been keeping his eye on them sidestepped and resumed his sprint.
'Hmph'
Lon'qu pulled back on his bow again, this time aiming for Farber.
The trickster slowed down to deflect the arrow like before.
'Got you.' Lon'qu thought to himself.
He grabbed a grip of arrows and rapidly fired off shots towards Farber.
Like predicted, the Trickster had to halt his sprint in order to hit all the arrows aimed for his commander, the distance between the two of them growing as Farber continued on his way.
Farber looked over his shoulder to see the two in pursuit. He slowed down and pulled out his tome.
"Sir, I'll deal with them. There's more than just these two after us. Get back to our men!" the Trickster said.
Farber put away his tome and resumed running. "Very well. Make sure to deal with them swiftly!" he called back.
Lon'qu increased his pace, burning through his supply of arrows.
The Trickster jumped around slashing at them, keeping up with Lon'qu's unrelenting assault.
Lon'qu was only meters away from the Trickster. He exhausted his final arrow before yelling to Nowi, "I've got him, drop me!"
Nowi let go of his shoulders and Lon'qu fell onto the roof, the tiling sliding off as he landed. As he rolled forward, he unsheathed his Killing Edge into a swipe on the Trickster.
The Trickster blocked with his own blade and they immediately found themselves in a lock, staring one another down.
Nowi called down to him,"Sorry, I'd help you out but my Dragonstone's just about drained. I need to get back to the others!"
Lon'qu replied, his attention never leaving the Trickster," It's fine, I wanted him to myself."
"You better make sure you come back safely! Who else will I play house with?"
"K-keep it down! I get it, just go help Robin and the others!" he yelled in embarrassment.
Nowi nodded then flew off.
The Trickster laughed, "That's cute."
"Shut your mouth." Lon'qu muttered, pressing down on the blade.
The Trickster readjusted his footing to compensate for the pressure on the blade. "Heh, did I do something to you? Perhaps we've met before? You seem to hold a grudge."
"Don't be fooled, this is nothing personal. To be able to successively strike down arrows mid-flight, you're no novice with a sword."
"So you merely wish to test your blade against mine? How very interesting." he said as he slid his blade from the lock, jumping back. "Tell me, what's your name?"
"It doesn't matter. Only one of us will be walking out of this." Lon'qu replied, uninterested.
"Well said."
They both broke into a sprint towards one another, clashing their blades.
"He's still on the rooftop, but how to get him to us?" Robin asked aloud as they ran.
"Magic's ruled out, we don't want any collateral." Lucina reminded.
"No, wait... If I were to use wind magic like I did with you earlier, it wouldn't cause damage to the buildings." Robin spoke.
"But weaker wind magic is more of a burst than a concentrated projectile. You'll need to be a lot closer." she said.
Nowi flew back down, hovering beside them as they ran. "Lon'qu's off trying to be a hero. My Dragonstone's lost most of its power, so I can't be of much use for a while."
"Wait, how much time do you have left?" Robin asked.
"At this rate, only about a minute" Nowi said, observing how she felt.
Robin jumped onto her leg.
"Hey! What are you doing? I said I don't have much time left!"Nowi cried.
"Then hurry up and bring me in front of Farber. I just need one shot at him." Robin ordered.
"Hmph, everyone's awfully bossy today. Well, whatever." she huffed.
She hoisted him up and flew towards Farber.
Farber saw the two appear before him and wasted no time firing off his tome from the edge of the rooftop.
Nowi evaded the lightning with expert aerobatics.
"Woah! Hey! I'm still here!" Robin yelled as they flew upside down.
"Stop whining! This guy's trying... to kill me and I've only got... a few seconds left." she breathed, the Dragonstone's depleting energy showing its effects.
They weaved under another Arcthunder.
"Nowi, throw me!"
"Huh!?"
"He's aiming for you! I can still get a shot on him."
"Alright, just don't go blaming me for anything!"
She tossed Robin towards the rooftop as another bolt of lightning zipped past.
Farber was too caught up in trying to shoot the beast down to react to Robin who had been falling next to him.
Robin fired a burst of elementary wind magic, just as he came crashing down.
"Waggh!" Farber cried as the gust of wind threw him off the roof.
Nowi swooped down and grabbed Robin.
She glided back to the street just as she morphed back into her humanoid self, sending them tumbling across the floor.
Robin moaned on the ground, Nowi on top of him.
He tousled her hair. "...Good work."
She looked up, clearly exhausted, and smiled cheekily.
Lucina, Gregor and Say'ri ran up to the two, helping them up.
"You got him." Say'ri praised.
"Yeah, but that won't be enough to put him down." Robin said, grabbing his sore shoulder.
The group recovered and ran up to Farber, who was just getting up from the fall.
"You dastards just won't let up." he spoke.
"Do not resist. You will not be slipping away anytime soon." Say'ri said angrily, blade drawn.
Farber drew his sword, tome in opposite hand. "Heh, why use wind when you could've very well killed me with lightning or flame? You're compassion is your weakness. I could care less about what happens to a few people and buildings." he said as he shot a Bolganone. The flame erupted from the ground and swept horizontally across the street forming a wall of fire.
Having blocked them off, Farber turned around and began heading towards the battlefield.
A burst of wind extinguished a portion of the wall as Lucina ran through and slashed at him.
Farber stepped back, blocking her strikes. He took aim and unleashed another fissure of flames.
Lucina rolled away as Say'ri leapt at Farber from his blind spot. She cut over his already wounded shoulder.
Farber growled in pain, before slamming the hilt of his blade against the side of her face.
Say'ri was knocked to the ground.
Farber spaced himself away, trying to avoid any other surprise attacks.
He quickly exchanged tomes for his Arcthunder as he scanned their movements.
Robin put out the rest of the fire, Gregor running over to help Say'ri up.
"Be cautious, he's using his magic in tandem with his sword." Robin said. Seeing Farber holding his yellow tome, Robin too swapped to his Arcthunder.
"Then we can't give him the chance to use any magic. Let's attack him all at once." Lucina said as she charged.
Farber shot an Arcthunder towards her. She jumped over it, spinning vertically in the air with her Falchion slicing towards him.
He stopped it with his blade.
'Damn, can't hit him with electricity with their blades locked. ' Robin thought as he came running at him from the side with his Bronze Sword.
Robin swiped upwards, tearing at his shirt and cutting into his arm.
The strength in Farber's other arm waned and as his blade lowered, Lucina headbutted him.
Farber fell backwards but flipped a meter away to his feet in recovery.
He shot another bolt of lightning that hit Lucina's Falchion.
"Aghh!" she groaned as the current traveled up her arm. She dropped the sword and tried to shake off the numbness.
Robin dashed at Farber, trying to cut the man's throat.
Farber leaned back, barely dodging the blade.
Gregor leapt in and swung his sword. It sliced through his tome, rendering it useless.
Robin plunged his sword into Farbers stomach, but Farber tried to sidestep the thrust and it missed his vitals.
Farber collapsed on the floor, clutching his side. Blood drenched his shirt.
Before they could finish him off, a blast of flame impacted the ground in front of them knocking them back. Yet another wall of fire separated them from the downed Commander.
Robin turned to see 5 Dark Knights galloping down the street to their location. The Valmese had apparently noticed the lights show Farber had put on and had sent a group to scout the area.
"Everyone, pull back into the alley!" Robin yelled as they retreated away from the enemies.
The Dark Knights rushed to Farber's side.
"He's injured! Take him to a Cleric!" one of the Knights said as he hoisted Farber onto a horse.
They looked around to see that Robin and the others were gone. They turned and fled with their commander.
In the alley, the group was catching their breaths.
"How is your arm?" Say'ri asked while she rubbed her bruised cheek.
"It's fine. The feeling is coming back." Lucina breathed. "He was a lot tougher than I expected."
"It's his damn magic." Robin said in frustration, grasping at strands of his hair. "He knows I can't get too careless with mine, otherwise I would've taken him out by now."
"And that's exactly what makes you different from him." Lucina said.
Robin looked at her.
"Earlier, I could tell his words were getting to you. At some point it seemed like you were buying into what he was saying. From what I've seen, yes, you had numerous opportunities to take him down, yet you restrained yourself to make sure no one else in their homes got hurt." she said.
Robin smiled bittersweetly. " I admit, there were moments where I contemplated disregarding the houses... I.. I felt that if as long as I took him out..."
Lucina put her hand on his, which was curled into a tight fist. She looked at him firmly in the eyes, "All that matters was that you didn't. We've all had terrible thoughts run through our heads before, but what's important is how you choose to act upon them. It's much easier to be a bad person than a good one in such desperate situations. You picked the hard path, and I admire you for sticking to it." she concluded.
Robin smiled, a real one, as he closed his eyes.
He gently pulled her into a deep hug, taking her by surprise.
She was unsure how to react, so she had decided to just stand there.
"Thank you, Lucina. For always keeping me in check." he spoke with her in his arms.
"...I fear if I hadn't, we'd all be long dead by now." she muttered.
Robin laughed as he let her go. "Finally getting the hang of making humor and you choose the dark kind."
She smirked. "Let's get moving. We failed to stop him, so all that's left for us is to join the others in battle." she said walking ahead.
"She is right. Let us hurry to put an end to this." Say'ri said as she followed her.
Robin checked his pockets making sure nothing had fallen out during his various tumbles.
When he looked up, he saw Gregor chuckling and Nowi puckering up her lips. "You're different from other guys and I admire you for it." she cooed, completely warping what Lucina had said.
Gregor wrapped his arms around himself, simulating a hug. "Thank you for checking me out." he said dramatically, doing a poor imitation of Robin. Nowi snorted in laughter.
"Oh, shut up." Robin said irritably as he walked past the two.
The blades danced at extraordinary speeds.
Sounds of steel colliding echoed through the empty town.
Lon'qu panted, sweat dripping down his face. He ducked as another swing went across the top of his head.
The Trickster slashed at him again, but Lon'qu slanted his blade, sending it sliding off of it.
Lon'qu sidekicked the man sending him rolling backwards. The Trickster hopped to his feet.
The two paused, breathing heavily.
They had been going at it for the last 5 minutes. Neither had shown any signs of exhaustion until now.
"You're pretty good. You've been fighting your whole life, haven't you?" the Trickster said, wiping the sweat over his eyelids.
"That much is obvious. The sweat on your brow alone should tell the tale." Lon'qu said, catching his breath.
"That's not what I'm getting at. You feel raw, feral. It's all too familiar. After all, I was a fellow street urchin." the Trickster said with a smug look.
"Very perceptive." Lon'qu said as he narrowed his eyes at the man.
"Why're you wasting time with me? I'm sure someone like you would be much appreciated on the battlefield with your comrades." he asked.
"They can handle themselves. If you're having trouble me, you better pray you never run into them." Lon'qu stated with confidence.
"Heh, so what personal goal are you trying to fulfill? What are you trying to prove?"
"...You're right, but don't think for one second I'm doing this with only myself in mind. That staff of yours is a rare one. I've heard my wife mumbling about it forever. I'll take the chance and assume you're the only one among your men with such a tool. If I'm right, then I'm more than heping if I can ensure that you can't come to your master's rescue like last time."
"And if you're wrong?"
"It's as you say. To fight someone with such unorthodox skill like yourself will no doubt stimulate my growth. I need to get stronger to prove myself. I need to... make sure I'm worthy of protecting them..."
Thoughts raced through Lon'qu's head. He remember back to when he was but a boy, what he went through, what he lost. 'Ke'ri... I'm sorry...I'm sorry I was so powerless... But I'll be damned if I ever let a thing happen to Lissa.' Lon'qu thought with intense determination.
The Trickster got into stance. "I almost envy you. To be able to have such noble goals after crawling out of the shit hole we came from. I lack such morals. Seems I'll be scum to the end."
Lon'qu brought up his Killing Edge in front of him. "Spare me. You could've very well fled for your life, yet you chose to stay back and safeguard that dastard."
"Heh, so you're saying I've changed, are you?"
"Let our blades give you your answer." Lon'qu breathed before he charged at the man, blade thrusted outwards.
The Trickster ran towards the blade as he tilted his body to the side, scraping his own sword across it. As his sword traveled along the edge of Lon'qu's, he pulled it though and slashed at the Myrmidon's face.
Lon'qu pulled his head back last second, earning only a deep slice in his cheek.
Lon'qu didn't even flinch as he pulled his own blade back and slashed the man across the chest.
The Trickster gave out a yelp as he slid back, wiping over his new wound. He was losing a tremendous amount of blood, evident by his blurring vision. He saw Lon'qu jump in the air and twirl, bringing his blade down with the built up momentum.
The Trickster dove out of the way, Lon'qu's blade cracking the tilings on the roof.
Lon'qu, seeing the Trickster's movements become more sluggish, rushed him with a flurry of strikes.
The Trickster backed away, blocking with one hand on his sword, the other trying to stop himself from bleeding out.
He deflected one of Lon'qu's hits to the side and kicked him in his right shoulder.
The force of the kick spun Lon'qu around, the blow to his nerves causing him to drop his sword on the tiling.
Lon'qu turned to see the man sprinting towards him for a reverse grip slash.
Lon'qu somersaulted backwards from the upward swipe, his right hand grabbing his blade as he flipped.
Once back on his feet he quickly thrust his sword into the Trickster's exposed chest, this time drawing blood.
The Trickster coughed blood onto Lon'qu's coat, as he was held standing up by the blade impaling him. His grip on his sword weakened, dropping it.
Lon'qu pulled his blade out from the man's chest, the Trickster collapsing onto the roofing.
"I hope you got your answer." Lon'qu spoke as he sheathed his blade.
The Trickster smiled contently, blood dripping from his mouth. He shakily reached for the staff tucked into his belt and tossed it to Lon'qu's feet. "...I'm sure your wife... would love it..." he mumbled as the life drained from his face.
Lon'qu wiped the blood from his cheek as he reached down for the staff.
He picked up the dead Trickster and carried him over his shoulder as he hopped back down onto the street.
He set his dead foe on a nearby bench and headed off to join the rest of the Shepherds.
Olivia weaved through the attacks of the Valmese soldiers as if dancing. She left precise, lethal cuts on them as she spun by.
An Arcwind slammed into her back sending her flying over the crowd.
Cordelia glided by on her pegasus and caught the dancer, setting her on the seat behind her.
"...Thank ...you!" Olivia said. The blow had knocked the wind out of her. She desperately tried to catch her breath.
"Don't mention it. Get ready, we're going back down." Cordelia said as she tugged on the reins of her pegasus.
They landed immediately, avoiding being shot out of the air. They galloped at high speed, trampling down the Valmese in their path, Olivia cutting down those who stepped out of the way.
On the other side, a Dark Knight had knocked Donnel to the ground with a Bolganone. Although not a direct hit, the street violently fracturing beneath him had sent him to his back. The pure heat from the flame left him with a nasty burn on his leg.
The Dark Knight trudged over on his horse. He took aim, looking to incinerate the immobilized boy.
He released the fissure of flame but it scattered in different directions before it could reach Donnel.
Maribelle had rushed in and used her Ward staff to create a momentary barrier, shielding Donnel.
Panne bolted at the Dark Knight, propelling him meters away with a kick from her hind legs. The Dark Knight crumpled on the floor, ribs sure to have been cracked.
"Ah ah ahhh!" Donnel yelped from the searing pain on his leg.
Maribelle grabbed his hand and squeezed, pulling out her Mend staff. "Be still, Donny" she spoke gently to him.
Donnel bit at his shirt as she healed his burn. The skin over the wound closed up, leaving only a red mark and a soft stinging.
Donnel breathed a sigh of relief. "T-thanks ma'am" he panted as he got up.
Maribelle whacked him softly with the staff, before smiling at him.
Explosions could be heard above. Miriel and the others had led the Ylissean mages up the walls, and were flooding in from the north side of the elevated walkway.
Less and less magic was being fired onto the streets, as the Valmese mages turned their attentions to the Ylisseans who had zeroed in on their positions.
Mages from both sides were thrown onto the streets below as the two forces fought for dominance of the town walls.
"Archers! Hit them while they're occupied! If we have control over the high ground, this battle is ours!" Flavia boomed.
The archers rained their arrows down onto the Valmese atop the walls. The Valmese began firing back, fighting two fronts from their positions.
Inside the Valmese barracks, Farber pieced on his Dark Knight armor. His wounds had been treated by the Valmese clerics and despite their objections, readied himself to ride into battle.
The door opened. "Sir, the Ylisseans are attempting to take the walls." a Valmese Knight reported, saluting his superior.
"Hmph, ready our barrels of oil. I need you and your men to douse as many of the shops and homes as you can with what we've got."
The Knight shuddered. "S-sir? But the town!"
Farber put on his shin guards. "Worry not, it's merely a deterrent if things fall out of our favor. A last resort to get them to pull out. However, if they fail to comply with our demands and we end up going through with it, send a handful of cavalrymen to ride out and spread word that the Ylissean forces have ransacked the town. The Ylisseans are trying to uphold their image as 'saviors'. Even if our forces fall here, it would spell defeat for them if the town were to go up in flames. They'd have both us and the people of Valm to deal with if things come down to it."
The Knight was hesitant, but complied with his Commander's orders.
Farber finished equipping himself and made for the stables.
Chrom's Falchion tore through the Valmese Knight's armor.
Sumia charged in with her pegasus, skewered the Knight with her lance and tossed him forward.
On the ground, the Knight tried to pull the lance out of his bleeding chest, but was ended as Chrom lunged in and buried his Falchion into his gut.
Chrom pulled out his Falchion and the lance, tossing the weapon back to his wife.
Sumia caught the lance and slammed its side onto another Valmese soldier that tried to slash at her mount.
"Chrom!"
Chrom turned his attention to the voice.
Robin and his group came running towards them, cutting through the sea of enemies.
Chrom hugged Lucina and ruffled her hair as she came up to him.
"You guys made it! Virion and your forces rushed in from the west a while back. You weren't with them so I began to fear the worst." Chrom spoke in relief.
"There's been a setback. We couldn't take out their commander in time. He was rescued by a group of Dark Knights. He should be heading here in a matter of minutes." Robin said.
"That's a shame, but all I care about is that you guys got back in one piece. Hey... where's Lon'qu?" Chrom asked as he looked over the group of 5.
"He stayed back to hold off a troublesome foe that had been guarding Farber. Don't worry, not just anyone can take him down." Robin spoke confidently.
"Sounds like him. And who's she?" Chrom asked pointing at the Chon'sin women.
"This is Say'ri. She's part of a resistance movement against the Valmese. She helped us out earlier. Say'ri, this is our commander and the prince of Ylisse, Chrom."
"It is an honor. I wish to fight by your sides, if that would be no trouble." Say'ri said as she held out a hand.
"Anyone that helps my friends and daughter is a friend of mine. Welcome aboard." Chrom said as he shook her hand.
Robin spoke up, "What's the situation?"
"We've got them on the ropes. Our mages are trying to take hold of the town walls. We just need to keep fighting!" Chrom yelled as he ran behind them and cut down a swordsman who tried to catch them off guard.
The enemy came at the group from all sides.
Robin pulled out his Bronze Sword and parried an incoming strike. Lucina jumped in and cut deep into the Valmese soldier's back.
A hatchet was thrown at Lucina. Sumia rode in and knocked it away with her lance.
"Mother!" Lucina called, gratefully.
"Don't worry! I've got you!" Sumia called back with a smile as she went to go take care of the Valmese Fighter who had thrown it.
"Commander Farber!" a Valmese swordsmen shouted.
Farber had stormed the battlefield on horseback. With him were 5 other Dark Knights.
They rode into battle, annihilating the Ylissean forces in their way with their tremendous magical power.
"Here he comes!" Robin yelled as he ran towards him.
"I've got your back!" Chrom said, following the Tactician.
"As do I!" Lucina said in pursuit.
They fought through the Valmese on their way to Farber and his guard.
The Dark Knights fired their Bolganones in sync at the trio, hoping for a quick finish.
Robin shot an Arcwind along the ground, halting the advancing pillars of flame.
Chrom and Lucina dashed over the cracks in the floor as they charged at a Dark Knight side by side.
Lucina ran ahead and slid under and past the horse, cutting at its legs.
The horse collapsed to the ground as Chrom dove at the Dark Knight riding it with the tip of his Falchion.
He pierced the Dark Knight's throat and quickly pulled the sword out as he rolled away, just barely dodging an Arcthunder.
One of the Dark Knights fired repeatedly at Chrom, who dashed in a zigzag motion to avoid the bolts.
Robin sidestepped several Arcthunders as he rushed at the Dark Knight shooting at Chrom. As he came behind the Dark Knight's horse, he vaulted up in a spinning horizontal slash at his back. The Dark Knight dropped dead on the ground.
Another Dark Knight took aim at Lucina who got up from the floor beside him. He fired off an Arcthunder point blank, but Lucina quickly swatted his arm away with the flat side of her Falchion. She brought the blade back around and severed the man's arm. The Dark Knight screamed in agony, grabbing at the stub. Lucina put him out of his misery as she slashed his throat swiftly.
In less than 20 seconds, only two more Dark Knights remained, with Farber at the back.
Farber pulled out his sword. He charged at Robin and released a Bolganone. The flame ripped ahead and Robin rolled out of its path. As soon as he got up, Farber galloped by and slit the side of Robin's arm. Robin doubled over, grabbing at his arm.
Farber circled around and dashed at the tactician.
Robin dove for one of the fallen Dark Knight's tomes.
He flipped onto his back and fired a Bolganone of his own straight for Farber.
Farber pulled back on the reins. The horse yielded backwards, standing on its hind legs as it narrowly avoided the smoldering earth ripping below.
Chrom ran to Robin's side, helping his friend up.
Lucina was caught between the two remaining Dark Knights, struggling to move out of their line of fire.
Bolts of lightning ripped across the sky towards the Dark Knights, frying them.
Lucina looked up and across to see Ricken, Miriel, Henry and Tharja atop the town walls. Their forces had successfully claimed the walls.
With the Ylisseans boasting superior numbers and positioning, the battle would soon be coming to an end.
Farber scoffed and turned tail up the street, some of his men following suit.
Say'ri, Lon'qu and Lissa came running up to the trio.
"Lon'qu, you made it." Robin grinned, before wincing at the cut on his arm.
"I hope that it's not too surprising." he smiled. "Lissa?"
"Right!" Lissa said as she tended to Robin's wound.
Lucina came up to them. "Farber and about 20 of his men fled deeper into town. Should we follow?"
"Absolutely, as soon as Robin get's patched up. We need him ready with his magic." Chrom said.
Lon'qu pulled out something from within his robe and handed it to Lissa.
"Is this... a Rescue staff!? Where did you find it!?" Lissa said, as she excitedly examined the staff.
"A gift, from that Trickster." Lon'qu said.
"Good thing you managed to recover it. It'll prove handy in tough situations." Robin said, rubbing over the smooth spot where his cut had been. Unfortunately the healing did little to fix the tear in his coat.
"Yeah it will!" Lissa exclaimed as she kissed Lon'qu on the cheek. Lon'qu fidgeted a bit. Since marrying Lissa, his gynophobia had improved dramatically. He still showed little hints of uncomfortability here and there, but was for the most part 'cured'. It was a fact that many among the Shepherds still often joked to him about, much to his chagrin.
"Okay, I think our forces have pretty much got this wrapped up. Let's go after Farber." Robin said as he pulled out his Bronze Sword.
"Alright. Lissa, stay by Lon'qu." Chrom said to her.
Lissa stuck her tongue out.
The group ran up the street Farber and his men had retreated to.
They spotted a few soldiers far up the street turn left and down another road.
"Hurry! We're catching up to them!" Chrom said.
As they got closer to the street the Valmese gone down, they noticed a peculiar odor lingering in the air.
"What is that?" Lissa asked, sniffing the air.
"I think it's.. oil!?" Robin said. "I've got a bad feeling about this."
The group hurriedly turned the corner to see a line of Valmese soldiers on the street ahead of them.
Behind them, Farber was standing over a trail of oil, holding up a lit torch.
They noticed many of the buildings have been splashed with oil, lots of it spilled onto the floor and ran down the street.
"Farber! What the hell are you doing?" Robin yelled.
"Listen, and listen well, Ylisseans. Take your forces and pull out. If you refuse to do so, this town will go up in flames." Farber said calmly.
"You're mad! What of all the people in these houses?!" Chrom boomed.
"That depends on how you choose to handle this situation. I'd much prefer to keep this town intact, but if need be, I'll take you down with us." Farber spoke.
"You believe this fire will take out all of our forces? Ridiculous!" Lucina shouted.
"There is more than one way to beat an opponent. Of course I don't plan on taking you out with this. However, what will the people of Valm think of their Ylissean neighbors if they were to hear that you razed an entire town, killing thousands? Good luck on your way to the capital. Even the most peace loving of citizens will surely take up arms against you in outrage."
"Your fear us joining up with the Resistance and seek to divide us? A sound strategy, but to consider massacring innocent lives to achieve it is beyond tasteless." Robin spat.
"Do not think for one second that we will allow you to get away with this!" Say'ri cried in anger.
The group steadily advanced towards the line of Valmese. The soldiers raised their weapons.
"Did you not hear me? Stand down! One wrong move and I drop this torch!" Farber yelled to the Shepherds.
The Shepherds halted.
Chrom gritted his teeth in frustration.
Robin scanned around, racking his brain for anyway to solve this dilemma without retreating or getting the citizens caught up. And then...
'I've got you, you dastard.' Robin thought.
He walked up to Lissa and whispered in her ear.
Farber was growing restless with their defiance. "This will be my last warning to you! Take your men and leave! Do you not wish to rescue these people!?" he yelled.
Robin glared at him. "Oh, I'll do some rescuing alright. Lissa, now!"
Lissa raised her staff in the air. It shimmered with a faint light.
*VWOOOSH*
"W-what!?" Farber cried as he found himself warped to the ground in front of Robin.
Robin held his Bronze Sword in reverse grip with one hand, the tip pointed at Farber.
"Checkmate." Robin muttered as he used his free hand to drive the hilt of his blade down, forcibly slamming the sword through the armor and into Farber's heart.
"Grapgh" Farber choked out, as blood dripped from his mouth. He dropped the torch onto the dry ground and Lucina stomped the flame out.
Farber lay dead on the floor.
The Valmese soldiers dropped their weapons and got down on their knees. "W-we surrender! This was his idea!" one of the men stammered. They've seen the Shepherds in combat. Although they outnumbered them on this street, they knew very well they were no match without their commander.
"That was some fine thinking!" Chrom grinned as patted Robin on the shoulder.
"Indeed." Say'ri agreed, smiling.
"Thanks gods Lissa was here. And Lon'qu for getting a hold of that staff." Robin said.
"This battle has yet to end. Let's bring this to a close." said Lucina
"That's right. Let's take these guys and head back to the others." Chrom said.
The enemy commander had fallen. Like predicted, the fighting continued.
But after 20 minute, the remaining Valmese troops were either defeated or surrendered to the Ylissean forces.
The Valmese soldiers were disarmed and lined up against the town walls, under surveillance by the Ylisseans.
They would remain there until a proper way to detain them was thought of.
Ylissean cavalry rode through town, heralding the defeat of the Valmese forces.
Slowly, the townspeople began exiting their homes, cheering for the Ylissean forces.
Despite the damage to the town, the people welcomed the Ylisseans as their liberators from the Empire.
They aided in tending the injured and had helped to set up shelters for them.
The people also supplied the soldiers with generous portions of food in thanks.
The Shepherds and Khans were gathered around in the former Valmese barracks celebrating the victory.
"Damn good work, everyone! It was a tough battle, but we pulled through!" Chrom said as he held up his mug of alcohol.
Everyone cheered, lifting their own mugs.
"We'll be staying in town for next few days to recuperate, so feel free to take some time to yourselves. You've all earned it." Chrom spoke.
Robin took a sip from his mug as Sumia walked by. "Robin! I'm glad you're safe!" she said as she hugged him.
Robin patted her on the back from the hug. "Same to you!" he smiled.
Sumia let him go. "Thank you for looking out for Lucina. I told Chrom we had nothing to worry about." she smiled.
Robin laughed, "On the contrary, it's her that's been looking out for me recently."
"Ohh? What do you mean?" Sumia asked mischievously.
"Hah, it's nothing. Cheers!" he said, bumping her mug with his, and taking another drink.
Sumia pouted, but quickly chugged her drink as well. She waved at him then went to meet with the others.
The Shepherds went around congratulating one another on a job well done.
"You did good out there." A feminine voice spoke.
Robin saw Lucina sit down in the chair opposite from him.
"Right back at you. It's a shame my plan ended up folding on itself though." he smiled.
"Regardless, your quick thinking won the day yet again. I especially like that one line. 'I'll do some rescuing alright?', was it?."
Robin's face went red.
Lucina continued, "That 'Checkmate' of yours was also a nice touch."
Robin sunk in his chair.
"But like I said... your swordwork still needs some improvement." she said, sipping her drink.
Robin rested his head in his palms. "You just can't give me a break can you?"
"Just a word of advice that can potentially save your life." she said.
"How about a rematch then?" he smirked.
"Depends on whether or not you intend on running your mouth mid-fight again." she smirked back.
"Haha, I think I've learned my lesson." he laughed.
"Then I accept your challenge." she said.
Robin extended his hand.
Lucina reached out and shook it.
Robin heard Stahl and Vaike calling him over. "Looks like I'm needed. I'll catch you around." he said, patting her shoulder as he left.
Lucina smiled as she sipped the rest of her drink.
A/N: And it's over. Pretty long chapter too!
Henry gleefully destroys some enemies.
Lon'qu got a nice one on one with that Trickster. For some reason I couldn't help but imagine Zoro from One Piece when I wrote that part.
That slippery dastard Farber got REK'D at the end, but I think he put up a good fight.
Hope you enjoyed the bits of fluff sprinkled through the chapter.
I've made the 'Rescue staffs' a rare commodity in this story. After all, the last thing I'd want to write is a battle with enemies teleporting everywhere...
In regards to Beastones and Dragonstones, I've made them to be somewhat 'rechargeable' instead of simply breaking after a certain amount of uses. Kind of like they use it for a while, then have to wait for it to restore some of its depleted energy.
The Ylisseans won the battle and will now enjoy some time in town before heading off.
Next couple of chapters will be pretty fun, so stay tuned!