Ch26_The Trickster
Thank you everyone for your continued support! Special shout out to Antex-The Legendary Zoroark and KittyKat-Belle 3 Now to introduce Yuri and get this Abyssal party going!
While the mages took care of the pegasi, Byleth led Dimitri, Dedue, Ingrid, Sylvain, and Felix against a band of swift slashing rogues. The Professor had quickly paired Dedue with Ingrid, herself with Dimitri, and Sylvain with Felix.
Longer reaching weapons with their shorter counterparts, Sylvain mused as he gripped his lance tightly. 'Alright, I got this,' the young man exhaled before launching himself at the nearest rogue.
'...you're chaos…' a voice murmured in his mind as glimmering ruby eyes flashed in his thoughts. Grunting aside the memory of Hapi, the red haired student parried an oncoming attack with his lance. 'You don't even know me,' the young man huffed, yet he felt the palms of his hands twinge in pain from his halfhearted block.
"Sylvain!" Felix snapped at his partner. The red haired cavalier nearly found himself impaled upon another rogue's sword had Felix not intervened. "Get your head in the game," the swordsman growled.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Sylvain grumbled back, not noticing that dark steel blue eyes had taken notice of his wayward fighting.
"Gautier! To me! Dimitri, go to Felix," Byleth's voice commanded above clashing metal and hissing magic. Sylvain cursed under his breath as he quickly but carefully switched with Dimitri. The blonde gave his old friend a confused shrug as he sprinted towards Felix. For the Professor to make the students switch pairs in the midst of battle...Sylvain must have messed up royally.
"Protect me," Byleth stated as she lowered her guard...in the midst of a raging battle.
"Wha? What!" Sylvain gawked as he held onto his lance, staring bug-eyed as he watched the Professor sheath her sword and just stand in front of him without a care in the world that her head might get sliced off. Speaking of which, a rogue had just lept up into the air behind Byleth with his gleaming blade arching down.
"Prof...shit!" Sylvain growled the rest through gritted teeth as he pushed past the young woman and parried a rogue's blade with all his might. Byleth continued to just stand there, watching stoically. Why in Fódlan's name was she doing this?! But Sylvain couldn't spend more time on the thought as he pushed back upon the rogue's sword. The opponent stumbled back a couple of steps, giving the cavalier the time and space to attack.
Now it was Sylvain's turn to whip around his lance, and with as much force as he could muster, slammed it into the rogue's side, sending the man's body tumbling onto the floor like a rag doll until he came to a halt with an aching groan.
"Better," Byleth simply as she appraised the bewildered red-haired student.
The battle had been won. Or so it seemed until the sound of thick heeled boots clicking against the ancient cobblestone grew louder as someone strode leisurely towards the Blue Lions. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Drolled a confident male voice, as if he were a cat who happened upon a mouse in a food coma. "Some kids from the surface trying to see if they can figure out the mysteries of the Abyss?" Inquired the echoing shadow. "Unfortunately, we like to keep our secrets."
Out from the tunnel behind Constance emerged a slender figure. Light lilac short hair matched the hue of his cape, hiding a weapon from view. He came to a halt near Constance, his keen lilac eyes were highlighted with light fuchsia.
The large chamber was momentarily silent until Ashe's soft, yet hesitant voice asked, "Y...yuri?" The archer was staring wide-eyed at the newcomer. In turn, Yuri's complexion paled at the recognition of the archer, as if he were seeing a ghost.
"You know him?" Questioned Annette, who was at the archer's side.
"Know him?" Ashe repeated with brow's racing across his forehead. "Had it not been for Yuri, my sister, brother, and I would have starved on the streets...or worse. He taught me how to survive...but Yuri, the Savage Mockingbird...here?"
At the name, Savage Mockingbird, steel blue eyes flashed warningly.
"Little Sparrow," Yuri breathed into the haunting silence. He made to take a step forward, had Byleth not stepped sideways to protectively block Ashe.
"Humph," Yuri exhaled as his lilac eyes narrowed at Byleth's movement. "The Ashen Demon," the young man noted coolly, though his eyes now icy, had betrayed a fleeting emotion that may have been jealousy. "Shall we have a bit of fun with each other?" Yuri suggested as he unsheathed a silver sword and slid into a stance with his left foot forward, lightly upon the ground, readying himself to push off.
Wordlessly, Byleth mirrored his motion, and the pair met halfway as their silver swords clashed with metallic clanging. His movements reminded Byleth of another swordsman, Jeritza...but the masked man did not spend his energy unless required. Meanwhile Yuri was in a constant state of movement, rhythmically as his feet tapped against the ancient cobblestone floor.
The young man swished about his cap, hiding his blade momentarily from view before lashing out, trying to catch Byleth off guard. He was quick and perceptive, but there was something else at play that was unusual. The closer Byleth neared the young man, the colder she felt. The icy sensation began to seep into Byleth, making her feel slow and sluggish. How? How was it that she felt so cold near Yuri?
'The Crest of Aubin, the Ice Dragon...Byleth you must remain sharp! Alert!'
Stay sharp? But how? Byleth's mind felt so dull that even Sothis's voice sounded distant. Stay...sharp...an idea came to the young woman's mind, and Byleth angled her sword away from where Yuri stood. The move caused Yuri to arch a questioning brow at the Professor, but what she did next made both his eyebrows race upwards upon his forehead.
Byleth brought her left hand up to the gleaming blade, and cut the palm of her hand, eliciting a collective gasp from her students as blood began to seep from the wound.
The pain seemed to awaken the young woman, rouse her from the growing stupor the chill had caused. Yuri must have sensed the shift in Byleth, for he lept away, giving himself more space between them and he calculated his next move. But the Ashen Demon gave no quarter. Egged on by the pain of her self-inflicted wound, Byleth gripped the bloody hilt of her sword, moved with inhuman speed and pounced upon the young man like a lioness.
Yuri fell hard upon his back against the ancient cobblestone. Before he could scramble to his feet, the young man felt the heavy weight of Byleth holding him down. She clutched the sword with both hands above her head, readying to plunge the blade into him. And in the split second, Yuri saw the Ashen Demon for what she was…eyes dark and emotionless, face stoic and expressionless. Blood trickling down a silver blade.
"Professor! No! Please stop!" Cried out Ashe's pleading voice. Tears prickling at his lime green eyes.
Yuri gasped, for the tip of the gleaming silver sword hovered an inch above his nose, a bead of crimson blood threatening to drop. Byleth blinked, then blinked a couple times more as if she had been sleepwalking this whole time. Weight shifted off of the young man as Byleth rose. Then she did something that surprised him even more. The Professor offered him her non-injured hand to help him up.
Accepting her proffered hand with an amused, albeit slightly twisted smile, Yuri stated as he rose to his feet, "Alright Professor, welcome to the Abyss." The young man turned their conjoined hands into that of a handshake.
The events down in the Abyss were going to become even more...interesting...
Whew! I hope you enjoyed Yuri's introduction and tie to Ashe; indeed more to come on that topic! I also hope you enjoy the spin I put on the different Saints' Crests and how Sothis can feel them out, as well as give Byleth information about them.
Now to start the Abyssal investigation!