A/N: Oh gods, I am so sorry about this. I ended up getting sick this week, followed by me pretty much being unable to do finish this chapter due to other reasons. And then I suffered from obscure amounts of writer's block.
So yeah, I'll explain more on the rewrite later, and I'll likely start it shortly after this chapter.
Er, start it, that doesn't mean that this is over. After this, I'll still have a couple of more chapters. Maybe I'll even have a sort of alternate ending, considering that you readers have stuck with me for a while. Let's face it, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have typed this.
Then again, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be so desperate for reviews in the first place...
Either way, thanks.
Now if you don't mind me, I'm going to go back to ripping my hair out at the fact that nobody reviews. I'll never be over that.
Ravel
"Damn it!" Jafray dodges a blade and counters. "Where are Niro and Calina?!"
Good question! "I have no idea! They need to get here soon, Gorge has already been injured multiple times!" Those staffs can heal injuries, but they don't help the blood loss... But it does help that there are three healers, if we count Anna.
A burly fighter lifts an axe toward me, which I block with my Levin Sword.
He swings it, the blade of the axe making contact with... Shit...
There goes my sword..
I look up toward the man, a grin passing over his face.
I pull out Draiotoll, an equally menacing grin passing over my face.
He barely manages a scream as I plunge my sword through his heart. Huh. It almost seems like Draiotoll is growing with me.
Nice.
It's like-!
Gah... Damn it...! All confidence immediately wiping from my mind, I slowly turn to see an arrow piercing my shoulder.
I look up, seeing an archer in front of me.
"FUCK YOU!" I hear Geoff yell. I look over to him, turning back to the archer...
Who now has an arrow in his neck.
O...Kay...
I cringe as I feel someone grab the arrow.
"Sorry." Huh? Is that Alyss- AH GODS DAMMIT OWOWOWOWWSHITFUCKGAH!
Okay... Okay... That's... Better... "Thanks." I groan, before rushing back toward another man.
I pull out Draiotoll and sprint toward him, with my adversary lifting his weapon to decapitate me.
I sidestep the swing, leaving his side vulnerable. Logically, I slash him in said location.
He screams in pain and jumps backwards, taking an arm and covering the wound.
I laugh. "Do you cultists truly believe that you can defeat us?"
The man flinches as he gazes upon his wound. Despite this, he looks back up toward me and responds. "I have no chance. Yet I know that our leader can."
I grin. "No. No they can't. You're having trouble against merely us, and we have the rest of the Ylissean army heading straight toward us."
"It is amusing how you believe that Ylisse is coming to assist you. Just like I once believed in Naga. The little that you know." He smiles and- GAH!
I jump backward, taking my sword and slamming it against his. The collisions continue for a minute.
This is getting way too simpl-
DAMN!
I land on my back and look up toward him. "Seriously? Is kneeing even allowed?!"
He smiles and balances on his sword. "All's fair in war."
Damn... He lifts his weapon, before bursting into sinister laughter. "It is an honor to have defeated the descendent of the general." he laughs.
I close my eyes again. Because I when I close my eyes, it causes miracles to come out of nowhere. I pray to my random luck...
I hear a thunk, followed by the man's weight falling on me.
"Well, this looks familiar." I hear a friendly voice laugh.
I open my eyes, only to see Jafray standing above me.
Heh... Haha... That is kinda funny. I reach out and grab his hand, being pulled onto my feet in a grin.
And by the looks of it, the main crowd is collapsing. Maybe we won't even need the-
"Well done, Heroes of Myra."
Huh? Who...
"Jafray? Who said that...?" I look toward him in confusion.
"I have no idea." he mutters.
The bizarre voice laughs. Before a glow envelops the ene-
Holy shit.
Shit.
SHITSHITSHITSHITSHITSHIT!
The enemy crowd nearly doubles in size as a large group of dark mages warps into the enemy lines.
At the front, sits a man with a familiar hood.
"And to think, I didn't expect you to get this far. Yet your stroke of good luck ends here." My jaw drops faster than Gorge on a sugar high.
It's...
"Don't just stand there, Ravel!" Jafray yells. "We have to keep fighting!" My eyes widen and I shake my head.
He's right. Gotta focus.
A few magic blasts come in our direction, sending Jafray and I in a dodging madness.
"Yet you still resist?" The hooded man reappears at the front of the crowd.
The magic blasts cease.
"I'm sorry, giving up isn't in the job description." I grin. I hear some cries of agreement from the others, causing a powerful wave of confidence to rise through me.
"Then may it be the death of you." he takes out a tome, some kind of dark one, and opens it.
Hmph. The grip on my sword tenses, and I glare at the man.
"Grima, you aren't strong enough to defeat us yet. How about you go hide behind your followers for a few more years?"
The other mercenaries agree, I'm pretty sure they didn't actually understand that he really is the vessel of Grima.
Grima simply smiles, not making any action.
"Hah! I'll destroy you faster than my lunch!" Gorge! NO!
"NO! GORGE! DON'T!" I hear varied versions of the sentence from the other mercenaries
I reach out an arm and rush toward the knight.
"Fool." Grima mutters. He opens up the tome and mutters a few chants.
The tome lifts into the air, before a barrage of needles rise out of it and rush straight toward Gorge.
Oh gods, NO!
The needles hit Gorge directly in the chest, leaving a gaping hole in it's place.
"G-GORGE!"
I run up to his limp and bleeding body, my jaw dropped and hands shaking.
"Do you continue to defy me?" Grima laughs. "Do you wish you join your moronic friend?" he puts away the tome, instead pulling out a sword.
...
The others back away, pulling Gorge's body away from the battlefield.
What...
I feel someone put a hand on my shoulder.
I look over, seeing Geoff, mount-less and appearing near tears.
"We will kill you Grima. For Gorge, and for Ylisse." he yells in fury.
I turn back around and nod. "That's right. W-We'll... We'll do this for those who don't have a chance!" I wipe my face and run toward the vessel of the fell dragon.
Niro
Oh... Oh gods... "Where am I?" I ask a bit rhetorically.
I lean upward, clutching my skull.
Huh? I-I'm in a cell... For some reason. "Calina?!"
"I'm over here, Niro!" Oh, good. There's her voice. I spot some movement from the cell next to mine; I think that's her hand.
"Alright... Okay.. So what did I miss when I passed out?" This isn't good. We need to be able to get reinforcements for the others. And gods, we may very well be too late.
"The Lieutenant got angry and ordered us both here. The guard trying to get me in here thought he could try overstepping his boundaries. Let's just say that a little orphan is going to find a home soon." she giggles a bit, before moving her hand back into the cage.
...Not going to ask. "How long've we been in here?"
"Not too long. Maybe an hour? There's no guards, either. It would be a perfect opportunity for lockpicking if I-" she pauses, and I hear a bit of shuffling and scratching. "Shit." she groans.
"Forgot your lockpicks?"
"Yeah. There's nothing here to use either. These Ylisseans have some high-quality prisons. Definitely better than that Plegian dump." she sighs and I hear her roll over. "Great. We've failed Ravel and the others."
I frown and look down to the ground. "I know... They could all be dieing for all we know." Gods, what about Alyssa..? If anything happened to her... I... I'd...
My thoughts are interrupted by a loud sob.
Calina? "I-It's okay, Calina. You know what?! Forget what I said. I bet they are winning." I give a false grin, hoping for a small possibility of her going with it.
Yet it doesn't stop.
"I know that you want me to be happy, Niro..." she sobs, before continuing. "but my brother is all I have. The mercenaries in general were the only thing that I was ever really a part of. That's why... That's why I was so-" she sobs again, "unsure about all of this. I mean, why would Ravel be so desperate to help these people for free? Not have some fun?!" she bursts into more sobs, and I can practically imagine her curling in a ball at this point.
I gaze at the ground. "I disagree."
"What? We wouldn't be here if Ravel decided for us to be normal mercenaries!" she wails a bit.
"Exactly. And if it weren't for Ravel, Ylisstol would be barren. One life is nothing in the shadow of millions." I smile and look toward the ceiling. "Someone close to me said that once."
"But still-!"
"No. Still is for pricks. We just need to have faith. Naga's gonna find some way to help us." I grin. "Our ticket out will be just around the corner."
"No it wo-!"
Wait... I quickly silence her.
"Are those-?!"
"Footsteps, yes." I nod. "I don't hear the clank of metal either, don't think it's a guard."
I hear her gasp, yet I silence her again as the footsteps get closer.
"Surely I must have left the keys here..." Wait a minute... Is that Robin?!
An impossibly large grin passes over my face as I see a white-haired man pace into the hallway.
"Ah, here they ar-!"
"ROBIN!" Calina and I scream.
Robin jumps, pulling out a dagger in our direction. But then he calms after seeing us. "Oh, I-It's just the prisoners..." He sighs then reaches for a key sitting on a nearby key rack.
"Robin! Don't you remember us?!" I yell.
A look of confusion spreads across his face as he looks at me through the bars. After looking at us for a few moments, his face lights up with recognition. "Niro?! Calina?!"
I give a sigh of relief. "Yeah! It's us!"
"How did you end up in here?! Where are the other mercenaries?!"
"That's how we got in here actually. There are a bunch of Grimleal trying to invade the city, and we got arrested when we tried to warn the guards!" Calina explains.
Robin's eyes widen. "Grimleal?! On the day of the royal wedding?! Oh gods of all days!" He pales, only to have his face calm a miniscule bit. "At least I don't have to give Chrom's speech..." He then shakes his head. "No, this is serious! I'll let you out!" He takes the keys and quickly unlocks the doors.
We quickly climb up and race out the door, awaiting command.
"Just follow me." Robin turns around and races down the hallway.
We follow for a while, until we arrive at the exit.
"Where are they now?!" Robin asks in panic. He quickly approaches the tower door and yanks it open, before shuffling outside.
"They're positioned at the bridge on the Lake of Tears. They're fighting as we speak!" I say through gritted teeth.
"Alright! We can't let the public know about this. We're going to need to get a troop to accompany us to the Lake of Tears." he nods, before turning toward the palace. "Follow me." He runs in the palace's general direction, before motioning toward it.
I nod, running toward the castle.
We immediately reach the side of the castle, a few guard approaching.
"Sir Robin!" they go into a salute, one appearing to be the leader walking to the front. "Why are you not at the ceremony?!"
"The ceremony doesn't matter right now! I need to have the Fourth Branch of guard to head to the Lake of Tears!"
"Lake of Tears?! Why is th-?"
"There are Grimleal rebels heading toward the city! We are going to have to get just enough troops to keep everything in order."
"Should I contact Lord Chro-?"
"NO! DO NOT TELL CHROM!"
"If you insist, milord. Yet aren't you supposed to give his speech?"
Robin freezes. "D-Damn. Didn't think about that." He stops for a second to think, before sighing and bowing his head in shame. "I don't want to lie to him, but tell him that I'm allergic to shrimp."
The guard nods, before turning and marching toward the castle.
As the man leaves, Robin immediately rushes into the room.
Whoa. This is a lot bigger on the inside... Seriously? What is this place? A hall made out of solid gold?
Robin quickly gazes around the room, soon spotting a couple of people talking on the other side of the hallway.
I remember that man... Lon'qu... I think. There's a woman next to him. What did Ravel say her name was? Susan?
And that last person is-
Damn. That's not good.
"Lieutenant Marcus!" Robin rushes toward the guard. "I need you to gather the Fourth Branch of the Ylissean Guard immediately!"
The guard and the Shepherds turn, all of them except for Lon'qu gasping as they spot us.
"What?! How did these two escape from the prison?!" the Lieutenant pulls out a spear, pointing it toward us and rushing toward us.
I smile. "Is that a good way to address the Heroes of Myra?" Calina giggles alongside me, as I reach out and push down Marcus's spear.
Just as Robin leads Marcus away, the latter is still gawking at the whole idea, Susan and Lon'qu approach.
"What?! What are you two doing here? Why do you need the guard?" she appears... surprisingly panicked... Huh.
"That's classifie-!"
She frowns and grabs at my collar. "If my friends are in trouble, you will tell me NOW!"
I shrink a bit. "Ravel and the others are defending a Grimleal invasion..."
Susan gasps rather loudly, while Lon'qu simply frowns and closes his eyes.
"W-What about the wedding?" Man, she's pale. But.. The wedding?! That's what you're worried about? Just- ... Nevermind. "I was supposed to be one of Sumia's bridesmaids!" OH. That explains the fancy dress.
"I mean, the wedding's still going to-!"
"No! If my friends are getting killed, then I'm coming with you!" she turns toward Lon'qu, putting a hand on his shoulder. And... Did he just flinch? "Lon'qu, you understand, don't you?"
Lon'qu nods. "It would be foolish of me to let you go unguarded. You will have me by your side."
"And Gregor!"
All four of us turn to see a burly mercenary standing at the doorway.
"Gregor...? What are you doi-?!"
"Gregor has been itching for fight since war ended! It would be stupid of Robin to not let Gregor go!" he pulls a random cup out of nowhere and drinks from it, before laughing for a second.
I smile. All seems to be going well.
Hrm? Footsteps?
Oh- Ah, Robin's back.
Before Robin can even open his mouth to speak, Susan prances up to him. "Robin! Gregor and Lon'qu and I are coming with you!"
He frowns. "I would, but it's not like we can think of a decent excuse to have four of The Shepherds disappearing last minute."
...
"Blame it on the shrimp." Calina blurts.
Murmurs of agreement spread across the hall as she says this.
"Alright, the shrimp it is." Robin shrugs.
Ravel
Gah... Damn it!
I jump away from a nearby spell, quickly losing my footing and falling onto my stomach. Fortunately, I hit the ground just quickly enough to dodge another spell.
I quickly jam Draiotoll into the ground in order to pull myself back onto my feet. And it works.
The now fresh flow of blood generating my head is washed away by a few raindrops.
Wait, raindrops?!
Oh no... Good things never happen in the rain.
But... The bad things have... Already... Happened...
Shit, Gorge. Shouldn't have let you do that...
"Ray! Snap out of it!" Geoff rather weakly limps beside me, clutching his arm. "We've got more important things to worry about. Ayla's last staff just broke. And we've been cut off from some of the others."
Damn! This isn't going well at all!
Oh gods, what the hell am I doing wrong?!
Why do I have to go through with this?!
WHY DON'T YOU ANSWER ME, JEREMIAH?!
Gah! Forget it! I need to fight! Can't stop to feel... Can't cry... No sadness...
No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.
I take my sword and try to slice off a man's arm, cringing as I feel the resistance of bone.
I close my eyes as I pull out the sword, instead aiming it for the neck.
...Direct hit. Damn.
I just... Need to keep... Fight... GAH!
Arrow... In... Foot... What the actual hell?! "Couldn't you morons have aimed better?!" I yell into the crowd of enemies.
... Provoking doesn't seem to work.
But s-shit.. Need to get that thing out of me.
I turn and hop toward a nearby stump, a part of me hoping that they fail to see me through the rain. But considering they are only against a handful of people, I really doubt that they were focusing on anyone else besides me.
I groan, reaching out and wrapping a hand around the arrow. I brace for pain, quickly snapping the arrow into two and pulling it out of my foot.
I shudder at the pain and blood seeping across my foot, and instead focus my attention to the enemy general. The future Robin. Hierophant. Grima.
"You'll pay." I swear under my breath.
I take Draiotoll and hold it into a charging position, sprinting toward the man.
He's turned around, blasting the crazy god magic at who-knows-who.
"For Gorge!" I scream. A grin passes along my face as my sword makes contact with the back of his neck and-
W-Where'd he go...?
GAH!
My vision immediately goes white and my hearing is reduced to a light whir.
I feel myself tumble across a surface... Ground..? I.. I think so.
Guh... Must... Sur...vive...
I reach out and feel along the ground for my sword, soon finding it. I grab it, weakly trying to balance myself onto my feet.
Not too easy when you're half-blind and half-deaf.
Just... Just got to...
Guh... I lose my balance, my energy feeling almost entirely sapped.
"...v..l...!" W-What...? Who said that?
Whatever else the person said comes out completely unintelligibly, yet the laughter that occurs afterwards is perfectly clear.
I slowly and weakly look upward, seeing the faded figure of Grima smiling above me.
"To think that you still try to fight. It is meaningless." he smiles.
N-No... "It's not..." I cough up a bit of blood, yet simply ignore it as I try to finish, "Meaningless... You are..." I try to force myself onto my feet, yet I quickly stumble back downwards.
He laughs, before pulling my sword from my grasp. He looks toward it, staring at it's details. "I remember when your great-grandfather forged this sword..." he grins, pointing the blade at me. "I have longed to have it's power returned unto me." he pulls it back, putting his palms on both sides of the blade. "And now, I will do just that."
"N-No...!" It barely escapes my mouth as the hierophant kicks me. Memories of the flashbacks that had occured... The actual importance of all of this. It comes rushing in at once.
"You are powerless to stop me." he grins. The sword has already started to lose it's glow, presumably it's enchantments. And it's... more dull.
I reach out to him, attempting to try and bring him off of his feet, yet as I get closer, he appears to get farther.
Eventually, Draiotoll becomes a dull gray, after which he points the blade at me. "Now, it is time for your demise." he lifts the blade toward me, myself being powerless to stop it.
I hear him laugh one last time as the sound of blade cuts through the air.
...
Nothing.
What is...
I half-consciously look upward, seeing Grima standing above me. The sword's still in his hand... Yet... I then notice the sword poking out of his stomach.
W-What...?
"So it appears that your luck has gotten the better of you." Grima smiles, entirely unshaken by his wound. "Perhaps fate has given you some spare time."
Just as he finishes, Grima quickly disappears into a wave of magical runes, Draiotoll dropping to the ground in his place.
I feel my consciousness drifting just as I look up at the figures swarming toward me.
Is this... Death...?
A/N: Wow. That is the only way that I can sum up this chapter.
Remember how I said that I had ended up with writer's block? Well I'm glad I got over it, because I'm seriously glad how this chapter had turned out. Admittedly, it's not perfect, but it still felt damn wonderful to write. Even the part where I fell unconscious again felt kind of good.
Anyways, this is where you would probably want to know about the rewrite. And that's what I am going to tell you.
First thing's first: I am going to request that I could have a Beta-Reader. I've never actually had a Beta-Reader before... So I pretty much have no idea how it works. There's going to be a chapter or two after this, so that will be more than enough time to contemplate.
Second, I am going to shorten this arc by a lot. It feels a bit like there are too many OCs and such, and thus this arc feels like it takes too long. Especially when you remember that most of this story so far has taken place in the timeskip. So yeah, some of these chapters will likely be shortened or else gotten rid of entirely, which may or may not affect some of the OCs.
Come to think of it... That's kind of it for now.
But still, I cannot thank you reviewers enough for your support. Especially to the ones that suggested some useful things to me. Now if only there was more of that.
Anyways, I'll have another chapter soon. Once again, don't expect a specific date.