Chapter Twenty Three ~ The Ashen Wolves
(A/N) Thank you all who keep tuning in to this story! Reading your reviews has been heartwarming and inspiring. Much love to you readers. I hope each one of you has been keeping safe in the crazy world! (Edit - Had to refresh this chapter something was off with the draft version - Sorry guys!)
Rahzel and Ryu - I definitely won't be abandoning this story, I can assure you that. Just may be slow again with my new job going forward. I haven't gotten into student's dialogue with the Ashen Wolves just yet so I can't say for sure if I'll follow specific dialogues :3 -p.s. You're going to have to remind me about the bet with Catherine and Shamir. I'm sure I wrote it down somewhere but my notes are a bit in disarray at the moment.
NyanCat - I'm not giving Sylvain any breaks as you'll come to find out in this chapter! xD I won't be including the other classes in the Ashen Wolves DLC just to change things up. But to make up for that we will have papa bear Jeralt make an appearance!
Osheana259 - For paralogues, I am planning to do them! And I'm happy you enjoyed the lyrics I was just inspired by Jeralt and Byleth's father-child relationship :3 I'm also glad you like Anna making more of an appearance as I plan for her to show up more as the story progresses overall. As for the DLC, as some readers haven't played it I'm going to stick with just the Blue Lions (keeps things different enough and leaves out interesting dialog for readers to still discover once they get to play it!)
Jessie - I'm happy you enjoyed the previous chapter. I definitely want the students to bond more. I'm enjoying the Ashen Wolves so far and have to concur that besides Dimitri, Yuri is coming in as a close second!
Heavy chains clinked as Balthus rolled his broad sturdy shoulders. The Abyssian strode forward, setting himself in front of his companions, who in turn stepped back into the shadowed depths of the enormous chamber.
The Abyssian rogues under Balthus's command filed into the torchlit chambers from different dark passageways. The burly young man noted that the Professor didn't seem the least bit surprised at the sudden appearance of additional cloaked rogues. Then again, Balthus should have expected an experienced mercenary to be wary of such. Good, it meant this fight would be a refreshing challenge. And Balthus was indeed eager to test his might against the infamous Ashen Demon.
As if sensing its master's vigor for battle, the Vajra-Mushti gauntlets flared a bright fiery hue. Balthus let out a low vibrating growl as he felt the power emanate.
Byleth's dark steel blue eyes roamed over the burly man's gauntlets, taking in the glowing clawed weapons adorning his fists. Relics? And they were activated so that meant he...
'Sothis? Can you feel out that man's Crest?' Byleth inquired the slumbering spirit in her mind.
'Hold on…' Sothis replied with growing concentration. Byleth could feel tendrils of invisible magic reach out towards the Abyssian. 'Ah, yes…the Crest of Chevalier...and the dragon of snow…'
Crest of Chevalier? Byleth was unfamiliar with that Crest. But she could feel the power emanating from the young man...waves of a cool crispness, like snow…
Byleth noted that the rugged Abyssian was now smiling smugly as he rolled his gauntlet ladened wrist.
Remembering that she had her cubs to direct, Byleth quickly shifted her focus away from the grinning young man and onto her awaiting students. "Dimitri and Ingrid, you and your partners will take the left. Felix and Sylvain, you'll take the right. You are all to employ non-lethal force," Byleth finished. While she had no idea to what extent the Abyssian's and Rhea's arrangements were, the young woman would take a page from her father's playbook and not incite further animosity towards the Blue Lions.
"Ashe," Byleth indicated to the grey-haired archer who had automatically situated himself at the Professor's side. "This time I want you to work with Mercedes to provide more cover for Ingrid."
Ashe's lime eyes widened at her instruction and his mouth automatically opened to protest at leaving her un-supported. But, the young archer's mouth snapped shut as he gave Byleth a nod. Ashe was to leave the Berserker for the Professor alone to tackle...
Byleth would not have her students by guinea pigs to those Abyssian's Crest imbued gauntlets. However, how would a silver sword stand up to a relic? The young woman didn't want to have to buy another blade so soon, so she would have to be more tactful about this…
"Non-lethal force eh? Quite the confidence," Balthis called to the young woman as he shifted his weight onto his left leg. "But you're not going to let me test out your students? Shame, some of them look like they could use a little roughhousing," Balthis added with a hungry wolfish smile.
"Your first lesson," Byleth stated calmly as she unsheathed her gleaming silver sword. "Don't prey upon a Professor's pupils." While she proclaimed this, her face was as still as a chiseled mask, yet the Ashen Demon's eyes glowed in the firelight; a fiery spark of warning. And without a word, Byleth shot forward with extreme speed.
But, much like her father, the young man was solid, sturdy, and batted away her sword's needling with his massive gauntlets as if she were a mere pesky mosquito! The chamber filled with the echoes of clashing metal as the shadows of the Blue Lions danced with cloaked rogues. Meanwhile, Byleth continued to find an opening, but two orange glowing claws swiped at her, making it nearly impossible.
It was like dueling a great big bear, who had upgraded its claws. The weight of the gauntlets, nor his stamina, were not a problem. Wearing out her opponent would not be an option here. And each contact with the reinforced gauntlets left a small chip in Byleth's silver sword.
Quick spins to get out of reach offered her a moment to reassess the burly Abyssian. And as he flexed his shoulders with an eager smile, the chains upon his chest glinted in the torchlit, catching the Professor's interest.
An idea struck her, and Byleth charged against, though this time she feigned an upward slash with her sword, causing the young man to open his guard as he lowered his arms to block her Byleth. It's just a bit...yet still enough for Byleth to grab onto those forsaken clinking chains!
"What the?!" Balthus yelped in surprised as his own heavy metal adornment was yanked off his right shoulder trapping his right arm tightly against his side. Sudden shift in weight caused him to titter slightly off balance. And it was just enough for a swift kick to the back of his legs, to cause Balthus to fall forward onto his knees. The sudden contact of his kneecaps onto the cold stone floors caused Balthus to wince in pain.
"Well, I'll be damned," Galthus barked a laugh at the situation he found himself in. Never had he thought his own chain would be used against him as he was left kneeling on the hard ground. Instinctively, the young man made to push back up the chain to release his right arm. Though another surprise awaited him in the form of the sharp point of the silver blade pressed warningly against his throat, just below his Adam's apple.
"Alright, alright, I yield," Balthus remarked carefully against the prickled nip of the blade. As a show of good faith on his word, the burly young man lowered his left clawed gauntlet to the ground.
Byleth silently appraised him, her eyes searching for any hint of a lie, but the young man seemed honest and genuinely good natured. Slowly, the Professor lowered her sword and quickly peered back to asses the situation with her students.
A couple rogues had their weapons knocked away and had yielded, though Felix's and Sylvain's group were still in the midst of battle. Byleth noticed more arguing between the students than uniformed fighting. The Professor made a mental note to deal with this later.
"Call them off," Byleth stated with a jerk of her head back towards the battle behind her.
"Men!" The burly young man's voice echoed deeply against the stone walls calling to everyone's attention as they realized he had yielded to the Professor. "Stand down. Return to your lookout posts." The metallic clang and buzzing of magic instantly ceased as the rogues nodded in compliance and retreated back into the shadows.
"You know," the man continued, calling back Byleth's attention onto him. "No one's ever tried chaining me up before. I have to admit, I kinda like it."
The Professor didn't blush, she really didn't even bat an eyelash. 'Tough cookie, that usually works on all the dames…' Balthus thought as his grin faltered under the young woman's stoic gaze.
"What is your name?" The Professor asked with a slight inquisitive tilt of her head.
"Balthus," he simply remarked, even though Byleth gave him ample time to reveal his full name. Apparently that was not to be yielded, at least not right now. Though under Byleth's intense unwavering gaze, Balthus did add, "I'm part of the Ashen Wolves."
"Ashen Wolves," the young woman repeated as she watched Balthus readjust his chain, freeing his trapped right arm.
"Yep, we are the secret fourth house," He remarked as he gingerly rose to his feet. Balthus's dark eyes gaze nonplussed to see the surprised looks upon the students as they stopped to stand around their professor.
'The fourth house…' Dimitri mulled this over in his mind. He now recalled hearing about this. The Ashen Wolves, the fourth house who wore proudly the colors of silver, grey, and purple. Yet were bound by black chains, a lingering reminder of their unsavory history. "But why a secret?" The Prince asked, feeling very curious and still trying to recall where and from whom he had heard about the Ashen Wolves from.
Balthus just shrugged his massive shoulders. "That's something the others will fill you in on. Better hurry off now, they are waiting for you, and Hapi gets bored really fast," Balthus chuckled.
A few of the students exchanged glances between themselves, all wondering the same things, were the Ashen Wolves alright in the head or has the lack of sunlight affected them?
Quietly, the Blue Lions checked themselves over, handing vials of concoction and vulnerary to those running low on healing potions in their own satchels.
Mercedes was carefully tending to what looked to be a burn wound on Dorothea's left forearm. The sight of the angry blistering skin caught Byleth's attention as they had been fighting non-magic users. So, why had Dorothea been hurt? The Professor's answer was sulking a respectful distance away from the pair; a look of guilt plaguing his usual carefree face.
"Sylvain?" Byleth spoke, nearly making the young man jump right out his armor in surprise. He had been so focused on watching Mercedes heal Dorothea, that he had not noticed the Professor walk towards him.
"Uh, hi Professor, good fight huh?" Sylvain tried to make a cavalier show of jaunty self as he ran his armored gloved fingers through his tousled red hair. But, his chocolate brown eyes were wrought with guilt. His gaze shifted back to the songstress.
"What happened to Dorothea?" Byleth asked gently without any accusation in her voice.
Sylvain's pauldron protected shoulders drooped as he sighed heavily. "I… I accidentally sent a fireball too close to Dorothea. It all started in that foggy forest back in Magdred. I was turning around to see a soldier pounce out of the fog onto Dorothea and I waved my hand to warn her but...fucking hell...fire shot out of my hand! I thought it was just a one time fluke, but it happened again during this fight. Professor, I never used magic before and...I don't even know how to control it...it just, happens…" Sylvain shrugged as he kicked a little pebble. "I now I've gone and hurt Dorothea," he added in barely a whisper as he kept his gaze downcast.
His whole visage screamed of dejection and worry. As if he were waiting for admonishment for not being perfect. It was an entirely different side of Sylvain's usual self.
'He has a lot of potential, but lacks discipline!' Sothis stated sagely in Byleth's thinking mind. The young woman concurred with Sothis. So now what could she do? Once back up to the surface, Byleth would make sure Sylvain received Reason magic tutelage straight away, but in the meantime...
"Uh...Professor?" Sylvain questioned for Byleth looked to have entered a dream...or was she coming up with some sort of punishment for harming another student? Sylvain knew he deserve it...
As if the redhead had burst her daydream, Byleth blinked and came to a resolution. "You will be fighting by my side here on out."
Meanwhile aboveground, the sun casted warm rays of light upon Garreg Mach Monastery. Inside the audience chamber were Captain Jeralt, Knight Catherine, and Archbishop Rhea. After their lengthy report about Lonato, Jeralt felt his soldiers ease from their tense posture. The Captain was about to entertain the pleasant thought that on the whole mission went without a hitch, but then heavy footsteps urgently made their way towards the chamber. How Jeralt could recognize the man's heavy footsteps was beyond him. Nonetheless, the Captain braced himself for what Alois was so frazzled about.
"Ah! Please forgive the disruption, Lade Rhea, Captain Eisner, Knight Catherine," Alois began as he burst into the audience chamber. Sweat had beaded upon his brow, his teal eyes were overbright, and his brown hair was more tousled than usual. "I have an urgent report!" Alois exclaimed as he slid to a stop in front of the trio, slightly out of breath.
"Please report, Knight Rangeld," prompted Rhea, without dropping her serene gaze even at Alois's urgent appearance.
"The underground...there has been another indecent...quite a large one really," Alois informed the group as he caught his breath.
"The underground?" Jeralt echoed questioningly.
This time Rhea's expression did falter as she pressed her lip together into a fine pencil thin line. "There is...an area beneath Garreg Mach," Rhea began...very carefully.
"That sounds like a possible danger towards security of the monastery and warrants I check it out," The Captain frowned at this news. Of course the monastery would have an underground area. Why had it escaped his notice in the past?
"I have things under control, Jeralt," Rhea remarked, letting slip a little hint of sharpness in her tone.
The use of Jeralt's first name did not go unnoticed as Catherine's brows knitted together. Her sapphire eyes bounced between the Archbishop to the Captain. Rhea rarely used first names with such familiarity unless the individual was very close to her. Suddenly Catherine became very suspicious as to how close Jeralt was to Rhea...
"Well, it doesn't sound like whoever is in control is doing a good job. I can extend my help and expertise," Jeralt pushed back as he folded his strong arms across his chest. If there were incidences occurring under Garreg Mach then Jeralt would put it an end to it. He wasn't going to turn a blind eye to such a safety concern, especially with Byleth staying here.
Silence filled the audience chamber as Rhea mulled over her decision. On one hand, had she the free choice Jeralt would have easily brought peace to the Abyss. He was as skilled a diplomat as he was with the sword. However, could Rhea risk Jeralt discovering what laid in the depths of the Abyss?