Chapter 27: Toppling a Giant
The door to Telgam's spire flew open as Sanaki practiced her mastery of Elwind upon it.
The Coalition's chosen platoon inched into the tower, knowing that the conquest of what seemed to be a simple structure would certainly bring hope to the citizens of Begnion that the Empire could be saved. After all, if the Citadel of Telgam was in Coalition hands, there were few fortresses close to that strength baring its path.
Micaiah stepped in first, knowing that she risked getting arrowed the moment she walked in, and found the first floor rather dark. She immediately fired a Thani spell in front of her, and waved for Volke and Sothe to rush to her before she could get captured. Thankfully, the spell blinded a few advancing enemy thieves, who had hoped to rob her blind and cut her down with their knives. The spell also blinded a nearby Marksman, who would have provided those thieves with supporting fire.
Tormod and Muarim came in moments afterwards, and the young fire sage began to provide his comrades with the light they needed. Having had more experience than Micaiah with such matters, his magic could outdo any torch, and he could afford to use that magical energy without being unable to fight.
As she heard Tormod's flames, Sanaki smirked. The fire that sprang from his palms was a tiny flare compared to the scorching oblivion that was Cymbeline. She strolled into the tower, with Sigrun and Tanith hastily following suit.
Soren and Lucia sprinted in, with Dalia charging in after them and Tauroneo clanking forward in the rear. With Rolf supporting Tauroneo, and Jill, Haar, Ike, Geoffrey, Elincia, and Tibarn entering, they had quite a strong cast of veterans.
The bottom floor had two sets of stairs going upwards, showing the sheer size of Telgam's tower. Ike and Elincia gathered a team to go for one set, while Sanaki and Tibarn formed the other team. Though Ike was his brother, and Geoffrey was about to be his brother-in-law, Soren felt it best to join Sanaki's group, with Lucia naturally following him, thinking along the same lines.
Micaiah, feeling that Ike would need that fire support, decided to head with the Crimean hero along with her majesty Elincia. Geoffrey ran off to help Elincia, and Tormod brought Muarim along to support Sanaki. Dalia, Rolf, and Tauroneo went with Ike, while Jill and Haar decided to join Tibarn, and so the two groups split off, each hoping to surprise the enemy from two flanks.
However, just when Ike reached the bottom of the steps he was assigned to climb, he heard the flapping of wings.
"I will not be left to watch while you go on your way. I'm supporting you, and that's final!" Reyson hissed.
Vika groaned. Tibarn and Tormod had thought it best to have her serve as Reyson's new guard, and she had agreed figuring that it would be an easy job... Now she wanted to hit herself for being so wrong.
"We lack fliers, so it would be nice to have you two support us. Master Reyson's galdr would be especially helpful." Tauroneo commented.
Dalia shrugged her shoulders and turned to Elincia, who was no doubt the main authority of their team.
"We definitely would be augmented well with your help. Thanks for coming, Reyson, Vika."
"It's nothing..." Vika shook her head with an annoyed look.
"No need to thank me... I'd feel chided if I hadn't come along." Reyson fluffed his feathers.
As the warriors within Telgam's tower ascended the tower's floors, their comrades also found it necessary to draw their arms.
"Enemy troops have surrounded us! I don't think we can wait for Soren and the others... We'll need to formulate a counterplan quickly." Janaff muttered.
"I think it's best to improvise, at this point." Ranulf groaned loudly.
"You seem to forget that I am here." Zelgius spoke with a straight face. "Ranulf, it may be best for you to gather teams to guard the other three gates. I alone will protect the eastern one."
"Most of the enemy will be coming from that direction... Are you sure that you'll be fine?" Janaff raised an eyebrow.
Zelgius laughed. "There's really no need for you to worry."
Skrimir growled. "No matter how proud you are, beroc, you'll be alone. Enemy troops could skim past you if they had enough numbers. I'll go smash a few of their skulls in too."
"That's more like it..." Janaff gulped, while Ranulf just shrugged.
The horde descended upon the citadel.
Their yells shattered the virgin silence of the night.
The screams of skewered beorc and the roars of scorned laguz filled the air as Coalition and Confederate troops wrangled for control of Telgam.
Yet, Ike and Tibarn tore through the remaining troops in the tower, and when they reached the top, they were blinded by a flash of violet...
And now for something rather important:
I'm getting exhausted, you guys.
I apologize deeply to anyone who might be reading this still, but I am a human being.
Human beings face fatigue at some point. It's a pain in the arse, but it exists. Don't deny that.
I have parts of the next chapter already written, and more parts of a chapter after that, and the titles for each chapter after this one, but I can't seem to fill in the holes easily enough.
I hate whiners, so I'll make this short.
It's boring when you're controlled by Canon, when you realize that you have to keep these characters that other people own in character, and that you have to make your newly created characters get along with already established ones.
That's why I signed up for Nanowrimo (National Writing Month), because I can write an original tale with original people, and I don't need to be limited by someone else's work.
I admit, Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn isn't a bad game. Voice acting is not an uncommon flaw. The only quip I have is the Support Conversations and the Characterization that tends to arise from them, but Shadow Dragon urinated on those two, so Radiant Dawn is honorable in comparison to that.
So, if you will, let me tell you the gist of what happens after this:
Bob's Faction, the Elder's Guild, reveal themselves after the Battle of Telgam. Led by Johan, a Dark Acolyte, their goal is to make the use of Elder Magic legitimate again throughout Tellius.
They lead two paths after one becomes a Druid. The Path of the Dark Acolyte, who master Wind and Fire magic along with Dark Magic and Staves in order to research how Anima and Elder magic can cooperate in nature, and The Path of the Necromancer, who master knives (ritual sacrifice) and thunder magic (think Frankenstein) to research how to perfect their studies of Dark Magic and the eerie nature of the Elder School. (Necromancers, naturally, also know how to use Staves as well as the obvious Dark Magic.)
Izuka was a Necromancer who betrayed the Guild, stole the forbidden Tome Balberith, and who continues the stereotype that Elder Magic users are pure evil, so the Elder's Guild wants him dead.
They sent Bob to check in on the Coalition and to have him kill off Izuka. Veyona, a Druid boss from Radiant Dawn, is another Guild Agent in Crimson Arrows. He fights Izuka and gets killed off relatively easily.
If this were a game, Bob could choose between the two paths in a branched promotion, kind of like how in Sacred Stones Knoll could become a Druid or a Summoner.
After the Elder's Guild gives all mages an additional Rex tome based on their highest Magic Skill Level (like Soren would get a free Rexcaliber, Sanaki would get a free Rexflame, Rhys gets a Rexaura, Bob gets a Rexnight, etc... And Johan also gives Bob Gelipnir, telling him to be very careful with him, yes the Tome's a "he"), the Coalition marches on Seliora.
Alviss is in Seliora, and Sigrun becomes unable to fight because she can't face Alviss in combat.
The backstory is that the two are childhood friends, but Alviss chose to stay in the Confederacy when Sigrun left because he did not want the commoners to face Lekain's brutality.
If Zelgius or Sanaki talks to him, or if Ike has an Info conversation with Sigrun and beats Alviss senseless himself (kind of like how you recruit Shinon in Path of Radiance), Alviss will join the Coalition. Alviss's main lieutenant Brutei, a Sentinel who actually defeats Boyd in a cutscene, becomes an NPC like General Tagio.
With Alviss as part of the Coalition, they make their final push towards Gaddos, but notice that Gaddos is under attack by Izuka's army. Feeling betrayed that Lekain hasn't handed him a single reinforcement since the attack on Nebula, Izuka decides to backstab Lekain when he needs him most and send his forces to conquer Gaddos.
Soren advises to let both armies waste each other on Gaddos, while the Coalition falls back to Telgam to prepare a final strike. Caineghis arrives with Giffca (if he "died") to help in the final fight.
In Nebula, Micaiah's team mobilizes. Soren is chief strategist. Tauroneo is their main commanding officer. Elincia is technically Head of State even though Micaiah/Nolan/Tauroneo represent the Daein Liberation Army.
In Seliora, Sanaki's team mobilizes. Bastian is chief strategist. Zelgius is their main commanding officer (in Crimson Arrows The Black Knight is officially dead, or Zelgius just doesn't want to tell and blow the late Sephiran's cover, and Ranulf doesn't want to screw everything up by having Ike attack a crucial ally.) Tibarn is also in this unit as well.
Obviously, Coalition Veterans beside those listed (Geoffrey and Sothe with Elincia and Micaiah, Sigrun, Alviss, and Tanith with Sanaki, and other in character groupings nonwithstanding) choose their respective force, and both teams head out.
As they capture Nevassa, Soren confronts Izuka, who recognizes Soren's mark and reveals his true identity. Though Soren believes that his allies will betray him the moment they know who he really is, in reality none of them change their positions. Lucia remains by his side, as always, and there's an additional scene: If Titania, Lethe, Muarim, Zihark, or Shinon are on the field, they make a supportive speech baesd on their relationship with Soren. Titania talks about how Soren was a jerk but always kept his true colors as a Greil Mercenary. Lethe growls about how she hated Soren when they first met, but later came to respect him, and she would never trust the word of Izuka over anyone else, especially not over Soren's. Muarim talks about how Soren is a good man who went through hell, and there's no need for Izuka, the geunine Bastard that he is, to make Soren's life any harder for him. Zihark just scoffs and says that Izuka has no right to say anything since he's the true evil they've all decided to face. If multiple are deployed then a random one is chosen to speak.
(Note: I like making this sound like a Gamefaqs walkthrough. :P)
Shinon goes: "I always knew that there was something wrong with that whelp. Still, if you made me choose between a slimy sub-human raper (Feral One Drugs are basically rape), or a quarter-breed who's always been there when we've needed him, there's no need for me to think. Let me feather you first, then I can feel queasy about knowing what that whelp really is later."
In Sienne, Sanaki's team cuts through the streets of the city, and reach the Tower of Guidance. Only a small group (12 units) enter the Tower of Guidance, with Zelgius, Ike, Sanaki, Sigrun, Tanith, and Alviss as required units. The other six volunteer to join them. Numida dies at Sienne's main gate while Valtome dies at the Tower of Guidance's entrance. Naesala appears but will regret his decision once Sanaki beats him senseless and will be selectable upon entry to the Tower of Guidance. Again, if this were a game, the loss of any one unit forces the player to start from the beginning of the floor.
After each floor, two units leave the party to guard their rear. This continues until the beginning of the final fifth floor. (A cutscene shows Alviss and Zelgius telling the remaining four units of Ike, Sanaki, Sigrun, and Tanith to go ahead while they make sure that the reinforcements that the Confederacy continues to Warp in will be stopped.)
With only four warriors left, Ike, Sanaki, Sigrun, and Tanith are the last playable units in the final mission (Chronologically, Team Daein's conquest of Nevassa's streets starts first, then you have four floors of Begnion, then the cutscene with Alviss and Zelgius, then Team Daein's final mission to kill Izuka, then the FINAL mission of Sanaki and her lone squad.)
Once Izuka dies, Sanaki's in for a surprise.
The last of the Confederacy's honor guard stands before the four of them, with Lekain and Hetzel beyond that. If Alviss was rescued, then Hetzel can be recruited via talking with Sanaki (Hetzel will not attack Sigrun, Tanith, or Sanaki initially (AKA if they don't hit him first), but Ike's fair game.) 10 of each type of Confederate Unit (Saint, Seraph Knight, Marshal, Archsage, Sentinel) warps in every turn. In the first three turns, that means that the enemy gets 150 units that you have to finish off along with their initial fifty. Yes, this fic would be a Nintendo Hard game. But they're low level third tiers (at least the first five turns are) while you're maxed out at level 60. Thou shalt not complain.
After surviving for three turns, the Elder's Guild arrives with Johan (playable, maxed stats in almost everything with Magic starting at 50), and comes with 5 Dark Acolytes, 5 Necromancers, and 10 Druids. Now that Izuka's dead they're free to emerge and show what's right. These numbers of Guild troops continue to arrive per turn, and are Partner Units, making the battle not as difficult when you've got meatshields to help hold off the enemy, Meatshields that can heal.
When Two-Thirds of his forces have been wiped out, Lekain attempts to use Yune's power to become great, and the cutscene reveals Leanne's beaten form behind him, holding the Medallion. Lekain snatches the Medallion from her and becomes UBER Lekain, with the same glowing eyes as Berserk Ashnard. If Hetzel is still alive on the enemy's side, he joins immediately regardless of Alviss's recruitment out of sheer fear once he realizes what he's done.
At this point, only Sanaki can legitamately kill Lekain. If anyone else does he gets revived with full HP and receives a damage output boost because he's totally pissed.
Once Lekain falls, the battle's lost and won.
All couples get together. Soren/Lucia and Muarim/Lyre being the default couple at this point. Oscar/Astrid, Tauroneo/Titania, Ike/Tanith, Alviss/Sigrun, Sothe/Micaiah, Geoffrey/Elincia, and others also show up as well since this is a fic and not a video game no matter how I advertise it like one.
Elincia makes a joke about breeding Strategists. Geoffrey and the others aren't amused.
WEAPON RANKINGS LIST:
Dark Magic Tiers:
E: Flux (A violet orb appears before the user, then a dark circle appears and sweeps along the ground to the enemy, then the orb sinks into the ground and reemerges in front of the enemy, smashing into him/her and exploding violently.)
D: Gespent (Purplish acidic clouds ram into the enemy. A circle must form under the enemy first, making this spell much slower than Luna.)
C: Luna (Magic circle(s) appears on enemy(ies). Violent beams and orbs of dark energy strike enemy repeatedly. High chance of vaporizing important blood vessels and organs (aka high crit chacne.)
B: Eclipse (Magic circle appears under enemy. Gigantic violet yet black orb crashes into enemy, and stays there for several seconds as it eats the enemy's flesh.)
A: Fenrir (Magic circle appears under enemy. Violet beams and orbs fly from above and crash into the enemy, followed by a wave of acidic purple clouds that slam into the enemy's face.)
S: Ereshkigal (A gigantic magic circle appears under the enemy. This is followed by a meteor shower of black orbs, a "rain" of dark beams of energy, and a final gigantic orb that crashes into the enemy from directly above their heads.)
Omega: Rexnight (Dark beams trap the enemy, springing from above ground and all around them. Thousands of shapes created by dark energy appear from underground and strike the enemy, followed by a final piercing beam from above that tears through the enemy's spine.)
Special: Gelipnir (Tome of Vengeance) (A large magic circle appears under the enemy. From underneath the enemy, dark arms and hands grab them and make them immobile. This is followed by an Ereshkigal like parade of dark magic that strikes the foe, ending with an Eclipse like orb crashing into the enemy and eating the enemy's flesh. To finish this off, a huge beam of dark energy shoots upward and vaporizes everything caught within it. As the body is wiped clean and the soul tries to escape, a long arm with a big hand grabs the soul and drags it off to hell. This tome will attack anyone who harms the innocent, even if it has no user as long as the criminal is in range, and if it is used against an innocent person it will kill its user. The tome is known for absorbing vengeful souls to boost its power, hence its name, yet it releases them once its vengenace is fulfilled. Created by Johan, it's purpose is to bring a form of cruel justice to the world. Villains, crooks, and wrongdoers, beware. The Well Intentioned Extremist Tome is here to kill you all.)
Forbidden: Balberith (Tome of Fury, also known as Death's Grasp) (Dark acidic clouds cover the foe's vision, and a gigantic dome filled with dark energy appears, trapping the enemy inside. The dome will slowly condense until the dark energy crushes the victim inside. Few have survived this horrifying tome.)
Light Magic Tiers:
E: Light
D: Shine (Similar to Path of Radiance's Shine. Spears of light skewer the enemy from twenty directions.)
C: Nosferatu
B: Purge
A: Aureola (Huge Ball of Light smashes into the enemy, with about fifty beams following and ramming the enemy into the ground. Alviss starts out with this tome.)
S: Luce (Light beams spring up from the ground to surround one enemy, then a gigantic one comes down from the heavens and vaporizes the enemy. If he/she's still alive after this, they're either a boss or just lucky enough to have ridiculously high RES.)
Omega: Rexaura (Huge Ball of Light crushes enemy. Plasma begins to swirl around the enemy and glows extremely brightly. The enemy slowly gets burned to death. Basically an Aureola with a smaller radius but more focused attack. Larger radius than Luce, however.
Special: Ivaldi (Tome of Trust) (Dozens of light spears hit the enemy first, followed by light beams from the heavens that fry anything in their wake, then several gigantic light balls (think Aureola) smash into the enemy, then light beams pummel them to the ground, then survivors are surrounded by plasma and burn. If anything's still alive, run, because it's definitely invincible! This tome can only be used by Micaiah. If used against an innocent person it will refuse to function. When the Coalition marches towards Nevassa, Tomenami appears running after them and gives Micaiah this legendary tome.)
Unique: Thani (Tome of Purity) (Same as Radiant Dawn version)
Mixed Light/Dark: Valaura (Tome of Praise) (Same as Radiant Dawn version. The purplish hue of the spell reveals the dark, acidic cloud magic mixed in with the light.)
The Three Schools of Anima Magic:
Wind School:
E: Wind
D: Elwind
C: Arcwind
B: Blizzard
A: Gale (think Excalibur from Fire Emblem's 8 or 11, otherwise think Green Hurricane... Tornado is a higher tier only because it is a focused attack.)
S: Tornado
Omega: Rexcalibur
Fire School:
E: Fire
D: Elfire
C: Arcfire
B: Meteor
A: Char (Think Foreblaze from Fire Emblem's 6 or 7. Otherwise think Fire raining from the heavens.)
S: Bolgagone (Higher tier because it is far less predictable. (Who would expect the ground to give way and fry you to death?))
Omega: Rexflame
Thunder School:
E: Thunder
D: Elthunder
C: Arcthunder
B: Bolting
A: Shock (A series of thunderbolts rains on the opponent. Meant to be a stronger variant of Arcthunder that is more unpredictable.)
S: Thoron
Omega: Rexbolt
Basically, when it comes to Anima, A level Magic is a lesser tier than S level magic only because in most situations, A level is not as effective at wiping out certain targets. In terms of raw strength, both are quite comparable.
For example, Tornado can take down commanders and disrupt formations. Gale only tears single formations apart. Disrupting formations can leave terrorized survivors that can demoralize the enemy, or kill officers and thus allow you to recruit individual soldiers. Char is just not as unpredictable, and Shock is just an amped Arcthunder while Thoron can trap foes in its swirling lightning.
Wind Special: Smack (Fist of Aeolus) (Soren's trademark tome. Huge blast of concussive air hits enemy like a cannon and tears through all enemies that are in its way for quite a long distance, depending on Soren's magical reserves and the amount of energy he put into it.)
Fire Special: Cymbeline (Ashera's Fiery Wrath) (Sanaki's trademark tome. Huge meteor smashes into the enemy like a nuke, killing anything caught in the blast.
Thunder Special: Torpadine (The Sparks of Science) (Lekain's trademark tome. Unlike other Saints he can use Thunder magic. Mix Rexbolt and Shock together and add more sparkly goodness along with a series of chain lightening that rams into the foe in the shape of an electric stingray (Torpadine).)
I might elaborate on the summary by adding chapters, or I might not. Depends on my mood. This is my final Fire Emblem fic and I thank you for reading it thus far. Farewell?
Fin?