Chapter 23: Wavering Resolve
Relene slowly cleaned herself after taking down her fortieth kill: a Sentinel who had recklessly charged at a weakened tiger brother of hers as the Gallian Royal Army pushed towards Fortress Tanas.
It was strange that she hadn't had much time to talk to anyone during this war. She remembered Ranulf and Lethe's tales about both the Gallian Civil War and the Mad King's War, and how their comrades had gotten closer to one another because they were able to comfort each other during the horrific slaughter that surrounded them.
Yet, just before the Gallian army crossed the western mountains, she actually had the chance to speak to Zihark
Tigers, cats, and various beorc rushed to their respective Hawk, Falcoknight, and Dragonmaster partners for transit over the mountains.
Relene stopped halfway before she reached her partner, for she spotted Zihark preparing himself to ride with Marcia on her pegasus.
In a matter of seconds, they made eye contact.
"Zihark, I, I'm so sorry..." She mumbled.
"It's nothing. You were right... People wouldn't have accepted us..." He smiled a joyless smile.
"But that's not what really matters! I let fear block me from what I should have done."
"... Don't let yourself get distracted, Relene. Soon we will strike Tanas, and if you're not careful, you'll fall pray to the fire sages that have resided there."
"Eh?"
"Oliver was a man who kept various laguz as slaves. Because of that, he had plenty of Snipers and Fire Sages to watch over his bird and beast laguz 'collection.' I have no doubt that they're still crawling around somewhere in that castle."
"Zihark... You fought him?"
"Not exactly. Thankfully, I didn't actually engage him personally, I was cutting down a mage while Oscar and Ilyana struck him in a pincer maneuver. I watched Ilyana wince as she got hit by his spell, which somehow healed him slightly. Oscar had got him with a Killer Lance, which took him down, but that spell was fierce... I think Rhys called it 'Nosferatu' or something. Anyhow, you might see that spell in action again. Oliver might be gone, but I'm sure such a great palace has not been abandoned."
"If we stay together, there shouldn't be any problems, right?"
Her eyes watered as she recalled the rest of that conversation. He just smiled and chuckled a little and replied: "Heh, perhaps."
Perhaps... That was rather cruel of him to say so. Perhaps, as though all those years they had spent together were nothing. He even added a fake smile to crush her further. Yes, she was in the wrong, but could he somehow forgive her and not give her some fake smile to hide how he really felt?
Suddenly, she heard a clank from her right, and a deep howl. Turning her head, she spotted Lethe striking the helmet of an enemy Marshal with her paw. Before Relane could help her friend, Lethe growled again and smacked the Marshal frantically until his helmet became loose, exposing parts of his neck. Lethe quickly bit down on her foe's exposed neck, tearing his Jugular vein and killing him quickly.
As her foe fell, Lethe leapt off the corpse and glared at Relene. "What were you thinking? This is a battle! If you don't pay attention, you will die. He was closing in on you from your right, but you didn't seem ready for him. It's a good thing I was nearby!"
"I'm sorry, Lethe."
"Sorry? What kind of response is that?! You could have been killed! Can you imagine how any of us would feel... To lose one more of our own to those Confederate bastards?! Don't let yourself fall so pathetically, Relene!"
Relene smiled. Lethe had a very harsh tongue, but she also had a heart of gold. In the end, it was the latter that counted a lot more.
As he tore through another wave of enemies, Ike's thoughts began to wander a bit.
He had been the person in charge, the go to guy during the Mad King's War. As the Civil War in Gallia raged, he had been the front-line beorc general and was most revered by practically every single veteran in their force. Needless to say, in two wars he was the chief hero and, at least in the eyes of his soldiers, their finest warrior. If there was an enemy any particular soldier couldn't defeat, well, then they knew that they could count on Ike to take him down.
But here, in this current conflict, it seemed like he was simply one of the officers in a vast army. The Coalition did not revere Ike much. Of course his safety was essential for victory, but he was no longer the glorious hero of Tellius. No doubt Crimea admired Ike for saving the nation, and Gallia thought highly of Ike's bravery and lack of racism, but the Coalition as a whole did not worship Ike as though he was a God among mortals. He was just one of their Generals, a man who was skilled at leading troops and fighting in battles, and thus someone of notable worth within their ranks. That was all.
Granted, he never asked to be Tellius's continental hero, but somehow it felt flattering for him to be in that position. Though he never really demanded anything from anyone, he preferred having that attention: that recognition that he was the main sword behind the restoration of Crimea and the fall of Daein.
Strangely enough, that honor went to Soren.
Soren was Ike's brother, and that would not change. Though they might not have had the same lineage through blood, the two men had stood by each other since they could remember. Ike would never think of turning his back on Soren, but it was a bit unnerving to have his 'throne' snatched away from the mage. To be honest, he was a little jealous, and this jealousy bothered him.
Everyone seemed to be turning to Soren, as though his mind could lead all of them to victory over the Confederacy. Even the Daein soldiers in their ranks, who knew that it was Soren who guided the destruction of their nation, counted on Soren to save Daein from Lekain and Izuka's clutches. Soren was their new hero. Soren's mind was their new divine entity. Soren would be their shining candle amongst of sea of Confederate darkness.
Soren... Soren... Soren....
And Ike was sick of that.
Still, Soren was the only person Ike knew who would never fail him. Even Titania's strength could wane. Even Mist could get cut off from him. Even Tanith could be easily taken out by a swift arrow. But Soren, no, even if Soren lost three of his limbs he'd still come crawling over to help Ike. Greil's son knew that the raven-haired sage would do at least that much.
Ike sighed as he slammed Ettard into another charging enemy grunt. There were times when things shifted around due to the whims of fate. Perhaps the sudden rise of Soren's popularity was one of those things. It would be better to support Soren instead of keeping such jealousy after all...
As the walls of Tanas castle came into view, several people shivered at the memory of what conspired there:
"Geoffrey... Don't leave my side." Elincia shivered slightly as their forces assembled before the citadel gates.
"Your majesty?" The knight blinked.
"Listen to me... What Oliver kept in that castle..."
"Say no more. If it was even half as horrid as Gritea Tower, I would still be firmly at your side. You need not worry, Elincia."
"Geoffrey..."
"Lyre, remember to keep your ears and eyes focused at all times. You never know when an Elfire will come flying your way."
"Lethe?"
"Let's just say that there were more Fire Sages than even Calill could handle." (1.)
"... I'll take your word for it."
"It is rather unnerving to come back here."
"I know what you mean, Ulki. I swear, if another freak with a Killer Bow shows up..."
"Janaff, you should help our main force spot any soldiers in the corridors ahead. We do not want another incident in which a Sniper tries to pick us off."
"Of course, Ulki, but stop being so paranoid. It's not like you wouldn't hear an arrow coming, right?"
"... I was talking about the time when that Sniper was going to hit you and you were too busy staring straight ahead to notice him."
"... Shut up..."
With a slash from Zelgius's silver blade, the gates of Oliver's mansion flew open.
"Remember, everyone, we will split into several small veteran groups. The main army will wait outside in case enemy reinforcements arrive. If we need your assistance, we'll cast Shine or something through a window or two. Oliver's mansion is quite large, and he had a variety of soldiers to help watch over his laguz slaves, and though our last assault was a success, I doubt they're all finished.
"It is very likely that this mansion was never abandoned, judging by the number of enemy troops that attacked us during our approach. Stay on your toes, and watch your backs. Even in groups, there is still a chance for us to be ambushed. As long as you stay vigilant, we should be able to come out of this alive and well. Forward!"
And with that, Soren raised his tome, signaling everyone to slip through the gates and into the enemy castle. Once they took the Citadel of Tanas, the Coalition would finally have a foothold on Begnion proper.
"Did you hear that?" A Begnion sentinel asked his colleague, a particularly well armored Marshal.
"I didn't hear anything, Roger... Roger?" The marshal turned to look for Roger. Strange, Roger had just gotten a bit worried, which was unlike him, but now he was nowhere to be seen.
The marshal shrugged his shoulders, and when he turned around his face met the blade of an armorslayer.
With one slash, Stefan brought down this enemy soldier, and, waving his hand, called Tormod and the others to him.
"We've gotten this far, and if we break into Tanas we'll be able to get enough supplies to help the others fend off the Confederate army. We've got to move fast."
"Right, Stefan." Tormod nodded. "Muarim, Vika, you two ready for this?"
Muarim nodded. "Little one, you must be careful."
Vika smirked. "Say the word, boss, and I'll swoop down on another one of these suckers!"
Tormod laughed. "Settle down, Muarim, be more like Vika. Yeah, it might be dangerous, but who ever said that we're afraid of danger?"
Muarim put on a worried face, while the other two were more than ready to move ahead.
Jill shook her head.
A sniper had spotted her, but as he was blindly rushing towards her, Zihark pounced on him from a darker part of the hall. She paused for a bit as allied soldiers ran past her. This place was far different from the massive villa she had once stormed and helped capture.
Oliver's old palace had large halls, and there seemed to have been new renovations that made them even more expansive, and new paths had been formed. Because of this, there were both more areas from which the enemy could pounce, and more places from which they could ambush their foes. With this sort of terrain, it became a must for each soldier to be far more observant. With enemies lurking in the dark, one had to be more than careful.
Haar had gone with another platoon, leaving her with Zihark among other comrades, like Laura. She trusted Zihark, and felt that Laura was a good person, and she knew that Soren would not have paired her with incompatible people, but still she felt that she'd be safer by Haar's side.
Still, even though Haar wasn't with her at the moment, she'd see him once Tanas was taken. She had to believe that...
As Tauroneo clanked ahead, with Rolf right behind him and Lucia and Soren watching their rear, the squad heard a flapping of wings from behind him.
"Sorry for breaking ranks, Soren..." Tibarn muttered, giving the veteran squad a light jolt, "but someone insisted on coming."
A beautiful heron hovered next to the great hawk, and immediately transformed back into Reyson. Naturally, the four veterans were glad to see an old comrade.
"Tibarn and Caineghis wanted me to wait in Gallia, but to wait in Gallia while my sister is in enemy hands is preposterous! My Galdr can help hasten our advance, so please take me along."
Lucia shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see anything wrong with it."
Soren nodded, and Tauroneo spoke. "Just stay behind us, Reyson. Remember that potent though your songs are, they cannot actually destroy the enemy. 'Sorrow' does have its limits, after all."
"Of course... But don't expect me to just be a dead-weight!" Reyson squawked.
Ike's sword tore another Marshal in half, and the young Crimean found this 'task' of his rather mundane. Was he meant to just hack off another few heads or limbs in the name of saving Tellius? Was that the purpose of his existence? Damn! If this was what Ashera had in store for him, then he would not continue to live in this foolish charade.
No, he would make a new path for himself! He would stop being Crimea's tool and start being someone who played by his own rules, as he ought to have done from the start! He was Ike, son of Greil, not Ike, Geoffrey wannabe! Geoffrey was Crimea's tool, and Ike was his own man!
It was at that moment when an Elfire spell flew past his ear, startling the General. As he staggered to the side to avoid the blow, a blue shape pounced past him and struck the mage down. The shape was Ranulf in cat form, and Ike's friend turned to the younger warrior with a confused expression on his face.
"Ike, you feeling alright?"
Ike took one look at Ranulf's expression, and sighed. So this was fate: he was meant to be Crimea's tool after all. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Let's keep on going."
Oh, well, at least he was getting paid something for all this.
Lyre hissed as her head darted back and forth. Since their squad had come across another intersection, Lethe and Rhys took one way, leaving her to move forward with Sothe. Now Lyre didn't mind Sothe, as he seemed to be a nice guy, and he seemed to worry about Micaiah a lot, which showed that he was caring. Yet, she was used to fighting alongside her sister and not some random acquaintance of Lethe's.
Their enemies just kept on coming, charging at them with the fervor of an angry bull. But it was clear that they were also just as idiotic.
Wave after wave of halberdiers and paladins fell before the pair, and Lyre could swear she saw Sothe yawning as he cut down another soldier.
She couldn't help but wonder how she could remain so calm. Yes, as a Gallian she was trained for war, but each kill left a scream, and each kill left so much blood...
It was cruel, really, how she could so easily kill so many people who wanted to serve their country so badly, even if their leaders were wrong. It was cruel how she couldn't seem to feel for those she killed. Lyre shook her head. Had she really become so cold?
At that moment, the ground underneath her began to shake, and Lyre screeched. Her paws were burned by a sudden Bolgagone spell.
Before the magma could erupt from the ground and engulf her, which would complete the spell, Lyre heard a roar and a streak of green flew past her eyes, tackling an enemy archsage who was incanting that cursed fire spell.
That growl sounded familiar, and a streak of fire from a distance had Sothe yelling: "Tormod! Is that you?!"
"Tormod...?" Lyre mumbled. Something about that name sounded familiar.
"Lyre, are you alright?" The green shape began to move towards her.
"Muarim!"
1. Yes, I played FE9, and, no, I don't remember seeing so many snipers or sages in that chapter, but this is a dramatization in a sense, making our hero's exploits so much more amazing than they already are. Therefore, I hope that you play along, fellow fans who played Path of Radiance. Those who played Radiant Dawn probably didn't find the Oliver/Tanas chapter with that many snipers/marksman/sages/archsages (never actually played FE10), but I hope you'd understand that supposedly Oliver would have enough soldiers of certain types to fend off "pet" laguz, even though he could use laguz weapons.