Chapter 23: An Ill Presage
The sun sets over the camp, nestled in a rare patch of forest. A river flows nearby, where Lucina stands, looking at her reflection as the water rushes past. Her thoughts entwined in a never-ending duel on what to do.
"Gold for your thoughts?" Kitai asks, walking up next to her, eyes fixed on the horizon.
"Was I that obvious?" Lucina asks, a small smile forming on her face before vanishing.
"We've know each other since childhood. I like to think we can tell what the other is thinking by now." Kitai replies, folding his arms. "So, your mind's made up?" His voice was neither accusatory nor hard. But soft and gentle.
"Yes." Lucina replies, voice firm. Kitai looks at her for a few seconds before turning his gaze back to the horizon.
"Everyone will hate us for this. Even if its to save the future." He replies before letting his arms drop to his side. "But even so, I'll stand by your side. No matter what." Lucina breath's sharply at Kitai's declaration, a small tear dropping from her left eye before vanishing as fast as it came.
"Thank you, Kitai." She says before giving him a nod. Kitai returns the nod before the two walk along the river. But before they could get far, Oceania and Caelum stepped before them. "Step aside, you two. We have to do this." Caelum and Oceania shake their heads at her before Oceania steps forward.
"Lucy, we can't just stand by and watch you do this. Even if its for the best, do you really think this is the only option?" She pleads gently.
"I understand what I am going to do is wrong on many levels, but I can not see any other option." She replies, voice hard. "Robin is at the mercy of Validar. No matter what he will do, he WILL murder my father. Even if we know he would never do it of his own free will."
"But you saw how he resisted him back at the palace." Caelum counters. "Even if Validar tries that again, Robin wouldn't fall to the same trick twice. We all know he's smarter than that."
"Validar has all five of the Gemstones now. He could easily use them to boost his own magic and overpower Robin's free will. Even if Robin has Naga's blessing, Grima's blood still flows in him." Kitai counters back, silencing Caelum. Lucina sighs bitterly as he speaks again.
"Please understand you two. I don't want to kill Robin. The very idea of striking him down, the same man who had helped not only my father, but the whole world, sickens me to my very core. But what other option do I have? If I don't, then the 'us' of this time will only suffer the deaths of our parents again!" She takes a moment to breath before looking back at the twins. "Your parents are already captured by Validar. And we have no idea what is being done to them."
"But they are not dead." Oceania says with fire in her eyes. "If they were, we would not be alive. We haven't been born yet."
"All the more reason to see this though. If we go there now, we will only be repeating history." Kitai fires back. Oceania looks at her cousin before breathing deeply. Opening her eyes, she stares directly at Lucina, a final question on her lips.
"Your mind may be set on this, but what about your heart? Is your heart okay with killing him? Is it okay with killing Morgan and Marc as well, who have not been born yet either?" Lucina and Kitai's eyes widen in realisation as Oceania takes another step forward. "If you kill Robin now, you may also stop Grima but you will also be killing Morgan and Marc. And what about Lady Tiki? She has finally found someone who can live with her after all these years of loneliness. Will you also take that away from her?" Lucina opens her mouth to respond, yet her voice dies in her throat. Kitai doesn't look at his cousin, instead looking to the treeline nearby.
"Lucy, please tell me." Oceania asks again, stepping in front of Lucina and placing her hands on her shoulders. "Is your heart okay with this or not?" Silence falls around them as the river nearby continues to flow gently.
"Of course…" Lucina whispers quietly, gripping her hands tightly with her eyes closed shut. "Of course I'm NOT okay with this!" She shouts while opening her eyes. "How could I EVER be okay with this?! I know in my mind this is the only way forward, and yet…" She closes her eyes again, breathing deeply. "How can I harm the man, the one we looked up to, who has done so much for something he has no control over? How could we ever HATE him for that?!" Oceania looks at her, eyes locked, before finally breaking into a small smile.
"That's what I thought it be." She says, letting her shoulders go. "Believe me, Lucy, we know what you're feeling. But that doesn't mean we should give up when we still have options. Since when has that ever stopped us?" Lucina smiles at her friends' optimism before croaking out a laugh.
"Let's hope you're right, cousin." Kitai says, walking up to her. "No matter what happens, we cannot let Chrom, Sora, or Kairi die. No matter what." He looks towards the setting sun, arms crossed. "I'm not losing my parents again. Ever."
"Our destination is the Dragons Table, located just south of the capital." Chrom informs with a frown, looking over the map. Around him, Sumia, Riku, Lea, Say'ri and Flavia gaze over along with him, each with their brows furrowed. "I'm under no suspicion that Validar is not going to wait for us. Ever fanatic loyal to him will be there. Not including the Heartless and Risen."
"And that's not our only concern." Say'ri adds with a frown. "He could have just as many, if not more, ready to attack us from the back. We would be encircled with no option for retreat."
"But even so, we have to go. Sora and Kairi are counting on us." Riku reminds with his own frown. "Even so, it wouldn't hurt to have some backup for this."
"All the more reason that I'm here." Flavia speaks up. "The troops I have may be small in number, but they are all elites. They have been with us since Valm and beyond. But what I'm more worried about is Robin. How is he doing?" Chrom sighs loudly as Sumia pats him on the back, eyes never leaving the map.
"Well…he's doing better." Lea replies, rubbing the back of his head. "He's busy back to making plans, but you can see that he's still thinking about what happened."
"And who can blame him?" Flavia shakes her head. Suddenly, the door behind her opens up, with Robin walking into the room with parchments under his arms. "Robin. Glad to see you joining us." Robin nods at Flavia in appreciation as he steps up to the map.
"Sorry about being late. Just duelling with some unpleasant thoughts." He says, earning a smile out of Chrom and Sumia as he lays down the parchment. "I've devised a few plans for the battle, but…" He takes a breath before looking at Chrom. "First, I have a favour to ask…"
"As long as it's not a request to leave you behind." Chrom says with narrow eyes. Robin shakes his head in reply.
"It's not…though I did consider it. I can't hurt you if I'm not there in the first place, and whatever ritual Validar has planned wouldn't start without me. But…" He slowly rubs his head, pausing in his speech. "I can't run from Validar forever. And if I'm going to overcome him, my best chance is with you, all of you, by my side." Chrom smiles at Robin, happy that his friend is going to stand by them once again.
"But, that's where the favour lies?" Riku asks with narrow eyes. Robin nods at him with a look of resignation before looking back to the map.
"Yes. If Validar somehow does gain control over me… Promise me…" He takes a shaky breath before glaring right at Chrom. "Promise me you'll cut me down." Chrom and Sumia's eyes widen in shock at Robin's request. Flavia looks at Robin with complete surprise as Riku closes his eyes.
"You can't be serious, Robin?" Lea asks, flabbergasted. "You can't be asking us to kill you! This is a joke, right?!"
"It's not." Robin replies. "I promise that I'll resist him with all that I am. I promise you. But… there are other people involved here— too many people to ignore. And not just on this world but the countless others that shine down at us from the stars. You have a duty to protect all of them as well. And those who are yet to come." Silence reigns in the room as they process Robin's words, with only the sound of candles burning away breaking the quiet.
"You're right." Chrom finally says through gritted teeth. "The words burn my tongue, but you're right." He looks up at Robin, eyes narrow and determined. "But you mustn't let Validar seize control! Whatever it takes. Whatever the cost!"
"Chrom's right." Sumia says, hands pressed against her chest. "And it's not just because he's your friend. There are people here that look up to you! People who care for you as well! Just like how Chrom has a duty to Ylisse, you also have that same duty! You have to live for them and Tiki!" Robin holds a glance at Sumia, letting her words swim in his mind.
"Don't forget, we are here as well." Riku says, opening his eyes. "I'm going to steal a line from Sora, but our friends, our bonds, are our strengths. And they will always triumph over control. Never forget that."
"I won't." Robin replies, opening a parchment roll. "Now then, here's one strategy I have for when we are outside the Table…."
The sky is clouded in a shroud of darkness. Lightning thunders in the distance as the Shepherds and Guardians march on. Behind them was the detachment brought by Flavia alongside Priam's unwavering mercenaries. No one said a word as they marched through the sands, their destination slowly appearing over the horizon.
And yet, a curious sight awaited them. For across the vast dunes of sand and rock, lines and lines of people stood in transfixed gaze at the Table. All murmuring in harmonious chant.
"Okay…what's with the freaky conga line?" Lea asks as they pass by the onlookers who either ignore them or did not know they are there. "Don't think this is what I had in mind for a 'tower of evil' type of place."
"Are all these people followers of Grima? There's so many of them…." Chrom observes, walking past a man staring off at the tower. Lissa looks at the man curiously before taking several steps back.
"Okay, I am officially freaked out. How much farther do we have until we reach the table?"
"Not far. All that's left is the hill before us." Chrom replies, marching his way to the top of a dune hill. Reaching the top, he is greeted by a vast plain covered in stone ruins leading up to the tower entrance. Lightning rumbles above as his eyes pick out shadows dancing amongst the ruins. "Just like we thought…." He mumbles before looking to his right. "Validar has left the Heartless outside. It's all but certain he has more ready to attack us from behind."
"He wants us to come at him." Robin says, looking over the area. "He would have left enough to slow us down but leave a small enough gap so that some of us could break through. Not that all of us could fit inside anyway. It's unnerving how easily I managed to read him…."
"About that, are you okay with who is to infiltrate?" Riku asks to his right. "Are you sure you want Tiki to be out here?"
"I am." Robin quickly replies. "I don't want her to be there in case Validar gains control over me." He closes his eyes at his comment. Chrom and Riku look at him with narrow eyes before Chrom places a hand on his shoulder.
"I understand, my friend. If that is what you want, I won't argue." Robin gives Chrom a thankful look before turning their gaze back to the entrance. Their eyes narrow at the sight of a familiar Dark Flyer hovering above the entrance. "Aversa. She's in charge of the outside forces."
"Validar has probably told her to wear us down before we reach him." Riku says, looking over the stone ruins. "This is going to be hard."
"Indeed." Chrom moves forward, drawing Falchion before turning to face the army. "Everyone, we march forward. Steady pace. Do not break ranks unless told so. We are not rushing into any traps today."
With silent determination, the army moves forward. The sides were flanked by crumbling ruins and dancing shadows. And at the far end, hovering over them like a spectre, was Aversa.
"Ahhh, Lord Chrom. I see you have finally arrived. Although a bit quicker than we had last thought." She says from above, patting the neck of her mount.
"We're not here to talk, Aversa." Chrom hisses, pointing Falchion at her. "Where is Validar?" Aversa frowns bitterly at Chrom as she continues to lunge on her mount.
"How rude… Is that any way to treat your guide?" She asks. "No matter. My Lord is waiting for you inside. Along with the Fire Emblem and your two companions. And I assure you, they are being treated with the utmost respect we can afford."
"I find that hard to believe, witch." Riku snarls. "Get out of our way, or we will force our way."
"My, my, are we so impatient to see the end? We all should know what happens here, yet you rush here regardless… Are you so eager to meet Lord Grima already?" Aversa asks with a sly smile. "Or perhaps, you believe you can change fate?"
"We almost did with Emmeryn, but we were successful with Gangrel and Walhart." Chrom retorts. Aversa shakes her head at them with a look of contempt.
"You mean your victory over sad little Gangrel? Or perhaps Walhart's defeat? I will admit they ended far quicker than how they were originally supposed to end, but those were meant to happen regardless. They were preordained. And if it was not for that traitorous cat, he would not have had to step in to remove Emmeryn from the game." She glares hatefully at Pete, who shrinks under her gaze before Isa and Vaike pat him on the shoulder. "Even so, this entire gathering is the result of your actions as well. For when you struck down Gangrel in that fated battle, his demise threw Plegia into chaos. It drove the people to Grima… And now, their life force and rancour can be laid before the fell dragon en masse."
"Wait…" Aqua says with dawning realisation. "This place, the Dragon's Table… This is where—?"
"Grima feeds!" Aversa cries in joy, throwing her arms into the sky. "We Grimleal have gladly offered ourselves to him for ages. Hearts, minds, souls, and even our bodies. All for him. Even now, they pray for his return… Today the Table overflows with bounty, and their prayers will be answered!" She drops her arms to her sides, turning her gaze back to Chrom. "You did us a favour when you removed Walhart, the big bully… He intended to destroy Grima as well, you know…A pity he failed to explain that part of his plan to you." Hands clench as Aversa flies higher into the sky, pointing a hand towards a swirling mass of Darkness before them. "Master Validar is not to be disturbed. But fear not. I have brought the Deadlords to keep you entertained."
"What!?" Virion shouts out in alarm, startling those around him as twelve warriors emerge from the inky Darkness. General, Bow Knight, Warrior, War Cleric, Sniper, Dark Knight, Paladin, Sage, Swordmaster, Sorcerer, Valkyrie and Assassin. "Good heavens…it really is them…I thought they were a myth!"
"Virion…" Ventus says while jabbing him in the arm, breaking him from his stupor.
"My apologies…" He replies before glancing back at their new foes. "The Deadlords, or rather, the Twelve Demon Generals, were referred to in the Genealogy of the Holy War, a popular tale. To think they would be brought to life as Risen…."
"Indeed, dear noble." Aversa reveals in glee. "These twelve generals were great warriors in life… and even great, now, in death! I would introduce them one by one, but well, as you'll see, they're not much for talk. Besides, you'll meet them all soon enough!" And with that last proclamation, Aversa vanishes into a Corridor of Darkness.
"Damn!" Chrom angrily yells before looking back to the Deadlords marching towards them. All around, the shadows danced and turned, Heartless-Risen swelling in the black mists. "We can not afford to be losing time here!" He glances around him before looking at Robin, seeing his friend's eyes narrowing in thought with a grimace. Clearly, he was trying to plan a way out for them as well. And yet…
"Chrom, take Robin and whoever you can, and enter the Table." Tiki suddenly says, startling both him and Robin. "We cannot afford to waste time in this engagement. Validar clearly intends to weaken us all to make his plans succeed. We will hold back the Deadlords and the Heartless."
"Are you sure?" Chrom asks before seeing the look in Tiki's eyes. The same look he saw in Sumia's eyes when she had decided on something.
"We will be fine." Riku says, catching his attention. "We've faced harder battles than this. Stopping Validar is more important." He pauses for a moment before looking Chrom in the eyes. "You trust us after all, don't you?" Chrom looks at him with shock, processing his words for a second before Riku dashes forward, parrying a blow from the Paladin as the Deadlords attack. "GO!"
Despite wanting to argue back, Chrom ran forward with a grimace with Robin close behind. Lucina and Lissa follow quickly after them, joined by Owain, Caelum and Oceania. The Warrior Deadlord tries to stop them, only to be bashed aside by Terra's shield before he, along with Naminé, Lea, Say'ri, Zack, Ven and Honō, chase after Chrom and the others.
The Deadlords realise where Chrom and his group are heading and rush to stop them, only to be halted by Riku and the others. While Riku engaged with the Paladin in a jousting match, Aqua was busy in a war of magic with the Dark Knight, with water and fire erupting into steam with each engagement, with the General locked between them in a fight with Frederick. Vaike leapt at the Warrior as Libra locked axes with the War Cleric while Roxas and the Sniper played a game of cat and mouse between the ruins. The Sage was busy testing its dead wits against Miriel while the Valkyrie launched thunderbolts towards Maribelle, while Gaius and the Assassin were in a blade lock. As for the Swordmaster, it and Lon'qu were in a standoff, blades sheathed and stances set even as the battle raged around them as the Heartless made their move.
Reeling his horse around, Riku made way for another pass on the Paladin, its corrupted lance of darkness pulsing with energy. Way to the Dawn clashes against the lance, waves of darkness reverberating from it as the two pass each other again. This had been the fourth pass now, and neither seemed to be gaining the upper hand. To an outsider, at least. Unbeknownst to the Deadlord, Riku had been testing its reaction, seeing how much 'intelligence' it had retained in death while Stahl rode around them, keeping away any opportunistic Heartless-Risen away. And now he had found his answer.
Pulling himself into another charge, he takes his hand off the reigns and grabs Braveheart on his side. Just as before, the two clash once again, with the Deadlord managing to cut Riku across his right cheek. But it was the opening he needed, for he was now in range to slash Braveheart across the Deadlords side, slashing its arm off in the process. Left armless and stunned, the Paladin could only watch in muted silence as Stahl came in from the side, slamming his silver lance into the Deadlords chest.
As Riku takes a moment to relax as the Paladin vanishes into Darkness once again, an explosion erupts to his right as Aqua and the Dark Knight continue their exchange of magic. The visible sweat on Aqua's brow indicated her struggle, yet she was advancing on the Deadlord regardless. With Stormfall in her left hand, she sends a storm of water again towards the Dark Knight, who intercepts with a torrent of flames as usual. Only for a stream of ice to come from above as Xion fly past. Distracted by the sudden appearance of Xion, the Dark Knight was unaware of Aqua racing towards him, Stromfall aimed at his neck. Soon the Dark Knight was nothing but a vanishing cloud.
The General, noting their fellows' deaths, charges Frederick with primal rage, axe swinging. Frederick narrowly avoids the blow, the axe head screeching against the armour on his leg as he retaliates with his sword swing. Unfortunately, his blow was too shallow as the Royal Sword merely scratched across the edge. The General knows this, as it turns around to strike once again before facing Priam before him, Ragnell in hand. Even though the once legendary blade had long lost its enchantment, it was as sharp as ever as it cleft the General's shield in two. The Deadlord backs away, reaching for the lance on its back before finding itself pinned to the ground by both Panne and Yarne. It was all it saw before Frederick rode it and pierced its skull with his own axe.
Swinging Hauteclere with all his might, Vaike slams into the Warrior Deadlord with a furious swing. To its credit, the Warrior manages to withstand Vaike's attack, holding him back. However, it was not expecting Severa to rush in from behind and slash at its legs with Beloved Sofia. The holy blade of Queen Celica tears through the Deadlords legs, forcing it out of balance as it falls to the ground. Vaike swings close behind as it lies helpless on the ground.
For his part, Libra is forced back by the wild swings of the War Cleric, and his back is pressed against a stone wall. The War Cleric, seemingly drunk on its incoming victory, presses forward with its attack, locking its axe with Libra's. Until a blast of wind nicks it on its side, courtesy of Ricken. With the Deadlord on the ground, Libra wasted no time returning the War Cleric to the beyond with a swift strike across the back. Taking a moment to breathe, he yelps as an arrow of Darkness shoots out of the ruins next to him, and two arrows of light fire back in retaliation.
The owners of said arrows were the Deadlord Sniper and Roxas, who had been joined by Virion as they hunted each other amongst the stone ruins. Arrows fly as they embed in the walls around them, some nicking the clothes and armour. One arrow nicks Roxas's knee while another removes Virion of some of his hair. Growing tired of this game, Roxas draws Oblivion and runs out into the open, parrying the next arrow fired at him on instinct. Watching where the arrow came from, Virion fired one the moment he saw it leave, managing to hit the Deadlord in the shoulder. The arrow, glowing with holy light, gave it away as Roxas ran towards the wounded Deadlord, Oblivion in hand. It never got to fire back as Roxas cleaved its bow and body in two.
Meanwhile, Miriel was busy holding back the raging storm of lighting from the Sage with her own storm of fire. So great was the raging force that any approaching Risen-Heartless would be blasted back. But even so, Miriel was still human while the Sage was already dead. She could feel the exhaustion building up as she focused on keeping her attack on point. At least it would have been before Laurent joined his mother with a storm of wind, fulling her flames and overpowering the raging thunder from the Deadlord. Forced to take cover from the roaring blaze, the Sage moves behind a stone wall as the fire licks around him. Unbeknownst to the Deadlord, he had fallen into a trap set by Henry as the black jaws of a Ruin spell bite down on the Sage. With its legs trapped by the dark magic, it could only stand helpless as Olivia appeared beside it and slashed its head off.
As for Maribelle, she found herself in a similar situation against the Valkyrie. Their powers equally matched. It seemed as though the Deadlord's endless stamina would win out until Cordelia attacked from above with her own lightning. Forced to split its attention to the front and above, the Valkyrie stood unaware of Donny lining up a shot on its side until an arrow struck its dead horse. Thrown from the saddle, the Deadlord glares towards Maribelle before it is consumed by her raging fires.
While Gaius was finding himself coming close to death more times than he could count, considering the number of cuts lining his outfit. The Assassin was showing its learned craft, its strikes aimed at either his vital points or her joints with clear precision. It was only thanks to his speed that the only damage he received were the cuts. Yet his stalling was also filled with purpose as he led the Assassin straight into the path of Nowi, Nah and Tiki. The Deadlord, sensing the danger it was walking into, attempted to fall back but was grabbed by Pete, who threw it towards the three Manaketes. And with a single blast from all three, the Deadlord was no more.
And as the battles around them raged, Lon'qu, with Wo Do in its sheath, staired off against the Swordmaster. A wind blows past them as they wait for the other to move first, even as Lon'qu's comrades thought around him as the Heartless danced around the Swordmaster. Suddenly, a shot from Noire flies between them, landing into a Neo-Shadow behind them. From that unannounced signal, the two dashed against each other, drawing their blades before landing in their opponent's spots. The sound of steel slicing from the air echoes around them as they silently stand before the Swordmaster falls to the ground and vanishes. Fallen by Lon'qu's recently learned Zantetsuken Counter from Ventus.
"That's the last Deadlord!" Riku calls out, seeing the Swordmaster's defeat. "Those of you that can, into the table and help Chrom and the others!" He glances around, seeing the Heartless around them, pinning them and the men Flavia had brought with her being pushed towards the entrance. Yet as he looked around, he noticed someone was missing. "Where's Flavia!?" He calls out before striking at a Heartless Cavalier.
"Dunno!" Sully calls back, dashing through the Heartless lines before appearing to his right. "Haven't seen her since those Deadlords attacked!" Riku narrows his eyes in worry and alarm. Had something happened to her while they were focused on the Deadlords? But they would have heard something from her men. But before he could think about it anymore, lightning thunders above them as the table seems to crack and crumble. The dark clouds churn and stir as though they are being mixed as bolts of purple lighting strike around them.
"No… It can't be!" Tiki cries out before dodging a piece of stone falling from above. "We must pull back now, or we will be crushed!" The Shepherds, Guardians and Flavia's men, initially confused at Tiki's words, followed her orders regardless as the Tabled fell to pieces around them. But as they fell back, a great shadow fell over them as one thought coursed through everyone's minds.
What had happened inside the Dragon's Table?
