Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem or anything associated with it.
A/N: Welcome to the LAST chapter of the Path of Radiance Saga! I must say, this has been an interesting journey with all y'all, and it's even crazier considering I graduated this year. Looking back, Blue wolf has kind of become something different for me. It feels yet so real (although it's obviously fake) to the point where I would see an altered version of the game...But I digress, I sincerely hope that all of you enjoyed this journey as I have, and never forget to fave, review and follow. ON WITH THE STORY!
XXXXX
Early next morning…
Today was the day. The day that everyone in camp had been waiting for since the beginning of this terrible conflict that has claimed lives and transformed the very continent.
Today was the day that the Mad King's War would end.
Oddly enough, Khimari didn't feel anything of the sort when he woke up early in the morning. He felt...peaceful. The usual anxiety that he would think should accompany the short amount of time left before attacking the main castle of a lunatic crazy king guy who locked him in multiple sets of chains, insulted his family and comrades and almost turned him into a brainless beast courtesy of some nutty professor didn't really materialize. "Hm...maybe I'll get there when we start fighting," he decided, shrugging it off. Looking over at the slightly snoring Ranulf, he decided to head out and let the cat get as much sleep as he could. It was only a little ways past midnight, anyways. The sun wouldn't be out for at least another hour...maybe two.
Exiting the tent, he worked his way out of camp proper into some neighboring forests, taking refuge at the trunk of a tree. Doing three circles as if he were going to sleep, he laid down and began to think once again about what he would do with his life after the last battle. More and more, he found himself wanting to go back to Gallia with his dad, and live a relatively normal life. Not that he had anything against the Greil Mercenaries; they are family, but passing up a chance to work with Ranulf in the capital felt like a dream come true.
Then there was his mother...She was alive and well in Hatari. She had been searching for him for so many years, despite most people over thinking he was probably dead or something. He had to go and find her…
Or...he could ignore everything and try to stay with the Mercenaries and hope that everything would return to normal. With Ike in management, taking around odd jobs, pranking Boyd and flower picking with Mist. Life as usual didn't sound nearly as bad as it did before the war.
"But...it's not going to be the same, is it?" he thought to himself, thinking of what his father told him about the Gritnea Tower situation. Trying to return to the way things were would never work. Everything has changed, and that's reality. He just had to keep moving and let life live itself.
With a heavy sigh of frustration and relief, he had finally made his decision. At that moment, a familiar presence had entered the area, probably searching for him. Rolling his eyes, he let out a small howl to let him know exactly where he was. A few moments later, he turned to the right to see a red mass of fur enter his vision. "Hey, Tora. Can't sleep?"
"Not quite, I feel quite rested." Must be a wolf thing, then. Never understood why they got up in the middle of the night like they slept through the whole day, but ends up cranky anytime someone interrupts their sleep.
"What do you plan to do after this war?" The red wolf looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Are you going to return to the desert?"
"Probably...most likely...Though I don't exactly know what we would be doing that would be different. Freeing Laguz slaves, vigilante stuff, taking care of Rikari…"
"Only now you've talked personally with the Apostle and she'd likely make you want to do something to make good on her promise with Serenes and Laguz equality and all that stuff," the prince mentioned. "Didn't Tormod say something about an offer she made with Maurim after the whole fat senator thingy happened?"
"Yeah, she said we'd be her eyes and ears outside of the senate. Pretty obvious what that means." Snorting in laughter, Khimari let his tail wag until it hit the tree right behind him.
"Stupid tree…"
"What are you planning to do? I heard about a big fight in the meeting room last night over it," Tora mentioned, making Khimari whip his head over.
"How did you know about that?"
"Well...Janaff pestered Ulki about it until he told him, then he told Rikari, and Rikari sucks at keeping secrets," he casually drew about it. "I'd never thought one of Rikari's best friends would be a hawk over a century old," he sighed.
"They are a handful, aren't they?" Khimari laughed. "I guess you all would have to pay some visits to Phoenicis every now and then."
"We'll have to see about that…Don't avoid the question. What are you planning to do after all this mess is done?"
"WOW, you are a true wolf. Anyone else would have completely forgotten that," the blue wolf complemented, laughing his tail off. "Welp…"
"Are you going to find Nailah?"
"...Yes, but first...I think I'm going with Dad to Gallia. Though...I have something else to take care of before I set off to find Mom," he said, lowering his eyes and quieting to a mere whisper at the end of his sentence. Seeing that his prince was in deep thought, Tora readied himself to leave.
"Well, whatever the case...Always make sure to visit our little compound when you can...I'm sure Rikari and Tormod would appreciate it," he offered, before walking away.
"Tora...you aren't slick," the wolf snickered. He would want Khimari to visit just as much as Rikari and Tormod, but wouldn't admit it. That red wolf was as crafty as ever, he had to admit. "Well...enough of that...How's Ike?" he asked himself, before deciding to get up and see for himself. Once again sneaking around the camp sentry, he found his way to the commander's tent before long and let himself in, as usual. To his surprise, Ike was awake, but quickly closed his eyes to pretend that he was sleeping as soon as he realized it was Khimari coming into the tent.
Pretending to play along, the wolf padded up to where Ike was "sleeping" and sniffed him a couple of times. Then, Khimari gave him about three licks on various parts of his face, making sure that the slobber would remain after the fact. "Wha-ugh! Khimari!? What are you doing in my tent?" he asked/shouted/whispered.
"What are you doing pretending to sleep? I'm not as dull-headed as Boyd, ya know," he said, transforming into his Beorc form. Back in the day, when someone told Boyd to see if either he or Ike were sleeping, he would barely check, only looking for closed eyes. That meant that the two adoptive brothers got away with a lot of stuff when Boyd had something to do with finding them.
"Probably shouldn't have known that wouldn't have worked...Well, I'm up now...What did you want?"
"Just a wellness check before we go fight the big bad rooster." Ike rolled his eyes and scoffed at the nickname for the Mad King Ashnard himself.
"You're not nervous or anything?" the Beorc asked. "I feel like I could jump out of my skin at any moment."
"No, strangely enough, I've been peaceful this entire morning...Granted, I'm not a commander of a mercenary group and an entire combined Army whose lives and success largely depends on your ability as both a leader and a fighter. I don't have to make those kinds of decisions, so no pressure," he shrugged after naming all of Ike's struggles and daily stresses oh so casually.
"...Thaaanks…" he dryly said. "I definitely forgot all of those things and more that have been taking my sleep away for Ashera knows how long."
"No problem!" the wolf chipperly replied. "Let me know if you need a reminder, and I can tell you everything you need to know about your crazy life."
"My crazy life? This has been more of an adventure for you than it's been for me," Ike countered. "You went behind enemy lines, found more wolves, you ran into your own Dad-literally, and-"
"Walked into him, technically. I wasn't running in the Gallian royal hall," Khimari corrected.
"And found a girlfriend," Ike finished.
"You could have a girlfriend, too, if you weren't so dense."
"Who are you calling dense?"
"You."
"What in-What are you talking about?" Ike redirected, not even motivated to continue with that argument.
"Princess Elincia is heads over heels for you. Any nut with eyes could see it," Khimari revealed, making Ike's eyes grow wider than fireballs.
"What!? Is this a prank?"
"Did I give you anything to eat or drink? Did I throw a pillow at your face? Did I slap you with a rabbit? Did you see a ball with exactly 17 lines on it rolling past you the day before? Did you see me steal some of Reyson's feathers and douse them in vinegar? I believe the answer to all of those questions would be no, so no, I did not prank you, yet."
"..." Ike couldn't do anything but stare at the wolf after such a rant.
"Cat got your tongue?" Khimari joked.
"I…"
"Yup, he's broken," the wolf decided, before suddenly slapping the Beorc right in the face.
"Wha-ow!" Ike yowled, returning a hard punch to the wolf's face.
"Crap! That hurt!" Khimari hissed before punching Ike in the face. Before long, the two got into a fight, scrapping in a small (but hushed) ball of punches and slaps. Eventually, the wolf won out after punching the mercenary leader in the stomach.
"What...in the world...did you do that for?" Ike asked while they were both taking a breath.
"To get your mind off everything for a second. Even when we were cubs, you always would overthink something...Strange considering you have a brick for a head," the wolf jabbed. "Feel better?"
"...Yeah. I'm ready for the battle. We can do this."
"Perfect. That's the single-track minded Ike I like to hear. Now, the sun is coming up soon, so I'd suggest going to find people to get this Army awake."
"Go wake them up," Ike said, eager to get the wolf out of his tent so he can get away from this craziness. He found himself entering a state of confusion as the wolf simply stood and stared at him with a blank expression. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"...You want ME to go wake this army up?" he asked, already knowing what would come next. Ike quickly cleared his throat and shook his head realizing that he almost unleashed a monstrosity that could be compared to Ashnard onto the Crimean Liberation Army. Khimari never wakes someone up normally.
Never.
"I cancel that order. I'll go to General Tanith instead." With that, he rushed past the smirking wolf to get the army ready for the final battle in the heart of Crimea. Doing a small jump of victory, Khimari went over to the tent of the cranky and pessimistic mage that everyone knows and loves.
Walking in without permission or warning as usual, the wolf was greeted by the sight of the mage lying down, with a singular book right next to him. Stopping right in front of Soren, he picked up the book and put it right next to his nose. Sniffing it two times, he chuckled as he put it back where he saw it.
"Soren, get up. We have to talk and you're not sleeping."
"I should have known such a basic trick would prove too simplistic to fool you," the sage sighed, raising up from his fake-sleep position.
"Are you feeling better? I'm sorry about...last night," Khimari started.
"I'm...ready to go onward with the rest of the battle preparations."
"Okay, let's take a different approach," the wolf breathed, rolling his eyes and scooching ever so slightly closer to the Branded. Putting his tail on Soren's hand, he used it as a guide, taking it off and slowly raising it until it touched his nose, at the same moment his and Soren's eyes directly met. Giving a small smile, Khimari watched the relentless storm of emotions flying in the mage's eyes. "How are you?"
"How...am I?"
"Yup!"
"I'm…" Soren couldn't find the words, it seemed like to the wolf. He kept looking away, as if looking for the answer in the tent would make it magically appear on the walls. "..." Biting his lip, his eyes eventually found their way back to Khimari's unwavering gaze. "I'm...tired," he sighed, finally letting his metaphorical walls down.
"Poor thing. You've worked yourself to death."
"I'm not a child, Khimari." Laughing, Khimari gave the "not a child" a great hug.
"Remember to take it easy sometimes, Soren. Everyone needs a break sometimes."
"Why...are you telling me this?"
"Well, it's because…"
XXXXX
A short while later…
"How's everything coming along, Ike?" Khimari asked, running up to the Beorc general.
"The soldiers are getting in formation. Can you go into the Laguz units and do a final check before we start our march?"
"Say no more!" Ready to rush off, Khimari came to a screeching halt a split second later when his name was yelled out.
"Khimari!" Ike called. Coming back over, the wolf simply tilted his head in wait for the question that Ike had to give him. "Is Soren okay? He came a little late today to the last council meeting."
"He's perfect," the wolf grinned, before running off to find Giffca and his father. He found them in front of a giant mass of organized tiger and cat Laguz.
"Remember, we are the front line attackers on the castle's walls," Giffca said. "We are to give our bird brethren a guard by taking out the archers and ballistae. Fight strong and valiant! Show King Daein that this war was his greatest mistake!" A chorus of cheers broke out after the black lion's statement.
"Cool, that was inspirational," the wolf commented, padding up to the two. "Ike wanted to know if you were completely prepared on your end before we started the march."
"Yes, young wolf. Our forces are ready at his call." He then turned to a certain blue cat. "Ranulf! I believe it's time for you to go with your son."
"Yes, Master Giffca!" Ranulf said. "Looks like-"
"Hurry up!" Khimari yowled, already padding away from his dad. "You're moving like a dead fish!" Ignoring the small outbreak of snorts and chuckles, Ranulf sighed loudly and slightly jogged to meet with his son's pace.
"I'm going to have to teach you some manners after this," the cat said. "Wouldn't do to have such disrespectful children."
"We'll see if you don't throw your back out, old man," the wolf threw back playfully.
"You earned yourself a beat down after this," Ranulf promised, shaking his head. A smile adorned his face, strange considering this was the single most consequential day of the entire war.
Walking forward, they found themselves right outside of a mass of soldiers. On the other side of the field, was where Ike stood alone, most likely waiting on the rest of the Greil Mercenaries to assemble. "Hey, there's Ike. What's he standing over there for?" Ranulf asked.
"I don't know, but let's see if we can get over there...Is that Elincia walking up?" the wolf said, pointing past the large crowd. Standing up as tall as possible, Ranulf made out the green-haired princess making her way to the front of the army, seemingly filled with nervousness as she faced the Crimean Liberation Army.
"...Ahem! ...Hear me! Brave fighting men of Crimea! Much have you lost in service to your land. Hear me! Beloved friends of the laguz! You, too, have given all for our fair cause. Hear me! My trusted company of old! You men of Greil did see me to this day. I stand before you made of flesh and bone, alive because you risked your lives for me. A word cannot my thanks express in kind…"
While Elincia was speaking, Ranulf and Khimari took the time to sneak past over to Ike, though they both paid much attention in shock to the complete character shift from the princess they had protected the entire time.
"We march today into the jaws of fate; our enemy lies in wait o'er this hill. If on the 'morrow, Ashnard lives no more, my fondest dream is to among you walk and give you each my heartfelt thanks anew. Let not this dream dissolve into despair! We will defeat the dreaded king of Daein! We will reclaim this land we hold so dear. Lend me your strength! Lend me your weary hearts! Today we make our fate for good and all. One life can make a mark upon this world. One life can move the wheel of history. Be that one life! Fight well! Fight brave! Fight true!"
The entire camp, Laguz and Beorc alike, fell into a chorus of cheers and chants. Morale boosted to a great high as a positive wave of energy radiated from the soldiers. While everyone was cheering and screaming their faces off, the father and son made their way over to Ike, who himself looked vastly impressed and pleasantly surprised at the event they just witnessed.
"Wow, Ike. Your girlfriend is one heck of a speaker!" Khimari teased. The Beorc simply rolled his eyes at the wolf, already expecting some sort of smart-mouthed reply from the prince.
"Anywho...Where did that speech come from!?" Ranulf asked incredulously ."It was magnificent...The princess seems to have grown stronger as well, it seems."
"Well, she didn't have much of a choice, considering the circumstances," Khimari replied. "She had to grow a lot in a short amount of time."
"It's said that we have to grow into the roles that we are given, isn't it?" Ike continued, a small smile on his face. "Elincia will make a splendid queen." When Ike finished saying that, both Khimari and Ranulf stopped in their tracks, before looking at each other. They seemed to be having a silent conversation before turning back to Ike with a look of disbelief.
"What? That's just what Nasir said!"
'That makes a lot more sense,' both Laguz thought at the same time.
"It's true! Don't give me that 'I don't believe what I just heard' look!" he complained.
"So Nasir said it?" Khimari repeated. "Good, I thought someone kidnapped you for a second."
"What a relief!" Ranulf piggybacked. "I thought the world had finally gone past saving." Embarrassed and highly irritated, Ike turned away from the two laughing Laguz and decided to gather the waiting Greil Mercenaries for their final battle.
"Stupid cats."
"I'm a wolf, thank you very much." Breathing loudly through his nose, Ike turned back around to the two.
"Shut up and come with me. It's time." Recognizing it as another victory, the wolf gave a celebratory high-five to his father as they followed the slightly irate general. Besides, it was showtime.
The last battle was about to be underway. In a matter of short minutes, Ike, Khimari and Ranulf had reunited with the rest of the Greil Mercenaries, waiting patiently with Titania and Soren at the front of the determined group.
"All right, let's go!" Ike commanded. "This ends today!"
"I'm ready," Titania said, her hands tightening around her axe as her eyes shone with a flaming conviction of reclaiming her country away from the mad tyrant ruler of Daein.
"I have everything I need," Soren added, ready as well to finally put this war behind him.
"Very well, we're ready to-" Ike was cut off by a raised hand from his deputy commander.
"Say, Ike. Since this is going to be the last battle...Instead of just orders, why don't you give a word as well?" Ike instantly disapproved of the idea, and quickly moved to deny it.
"I think Princess Elincia has said plenty enough!" he tried to divert.
"I want to hear what you have to say, brother!" Mist put in. "Father always did it, didn't he?"
"You want me to say something...like father would have done?" Ike asked, getting more contemplative as the moment passed. A nod and a hum of encouragement from Mist seemed to have sealed the deal. Nervous, Ike exhaled with a big breath. Khimari put his hand on the commander's shoulder to give some support.
"Go speak," the wolf said. Without context, it may have sounded commanding. However, Ike knew better. It was his moment and his adopted brother was all the way behind him. With a nod and a smirk, Ike made his way to the front of the forces and waved to get their attention. Quickly, the excess noise dropped to a whisper. Everyone in the clearing eagerly awaited what was coming next.
Clearly nervous, Ike cleared his throat before he began to speak. "...hey there," he started, making Khimari quietly slap his forehead in disbelief.
'He cannot be serious…' the wolf thought. He quickly prayed that the commander would be able to pull himself together before he ended up making a complete fool of himself. That wouldn't happen, though. He knew Ike too well to give up on him now.
"Before this final fight...I only want to tell you one thing. I don't want to hear of any of you dying on me! We all...have only one life to live! Don't waste it." He then closed his eyes and took a heavy breath. "For a time like today, for a moment like this...our blood ties do not matter. We are all family now. That's what...my father used to say."
"And today...I finally understand why he said it," he continued after a short pause. "We are a family. So, if you don't want to cause your family grief, don't die! Live! Don't turn your back! Keep up your guard! Use every ounce of strength you have! Sure, the way has proved long and hard, but the end is in sight! It's time to liberate Crimea and free our friends...and our families from Daein's tyranny! Men of Crimea! Laguz of Tellius! Greil Mercenaries! MOVE OUT!"
A roar of boosted morale and excitement unlike anything Khimari had ever seen exploded throughout the ranks. On the march to the capital, every step had a purpose. Every breath was essential. Every blink of the eye carried the weight of the entire continent. Every clank of metal meant the war was drawing ever so closely to being over. In the short march, the great Crimean capital of Melior stood before them.
"Stay sharp, Khimari!" Ranulf said as they marched.
"Always. Right back at you," he returned, before Ike called his name. Giving a quick smile, he ran up to the commander. "Yes, Ike?"
"In this fight….stay close," Ike said. "Not as an order from a commander, but from brother to brother. I have a feeling that we'll have to get through this together."
"Gotcha, bro," Khimari said with a small smirk. Before long, the gates to the capital were upon them.
"...ATTACK!" Ike's voice rang out as they began the most important battle of their lives. Immediately, bird Laguz and Pegasus Knights assaulted from above, taking out their artillery and siege weapons. Only moments after, the main ground troops broke through the capital to be met by hundreds, probably thousands of Daein soldiers.
Chaos befell the Crimean capital. Fights spread to every street, with the civilian population nowhere to be found, fortunately. Fighting through the front line of Daein soldiers with Ike, Khimari felt an especially heavy weight during the battle that normally wouldn't be there.
"Jump back!" Mia yelled a little ways from where he was. Taking the advice, Khimari saw himself out of harm's way as a powerful wind spell knocked over about twenty soldiers, throwing them in every direction imaginable. Looking back, he saw a small breeze of visible wind dancing around Soren. Going closer to the mage, he signaled to advance along with Ike and the other forces while keeping his distance in order to protect him.
A few moments later, three soldiers attacked the two. Quickly stretching his hand, Soren let out a Tornado spell, throwing the Daeins around once again like ragdolls. Right afterwards, two feral cat Laguz jumped from the same direction and tried to pounce on the chanting mage.
Coming to the Branded's defense, Khimari jumped between them, delivering a fatal claw strike to the throat of one before pouncing on the other. A quick bite to the throat stopped the Feral One's flailing, putting it out of its misery. "Don't get too flashy, kiddo," the wolf joked as Soren ran up to join with the rest of the unit. The mage simply rolled his eyes as the battle continued to advance deeper into the city. Strangely, the battle quickly wound down the closer they got to the capital.
For the final line of defense, there wasn't much of a concentrated effort by the Daein soldiers, Khimari noted. It's as if...Ashnard wanted them to get to the palace without much of a fuss. Then again...knowing that madman, that would be exactly what he wanted if it meant he could fight.
"Khimari!" Ike's voice called from a little ways ahead. Snapping out of his thoughts, he quickly bounded to the mercenary commander's position. "Report. What have you seen?"
"The battle's going smoothly...The Daein soldiers outside the capital palace are basically decimated. Gallian soldiers are leading the effort to rat out the remaining forces and our path to the palace itself is practically wide open…"
"Then we go straight to the palace. It's time to end this," he said, before raising his sword. "Crimeans, create a blockade to prevent Daein reinforcements from entering the main palace. Greil Mercenaries," Ike called out, "It's time...to end this war once and for all!"
Everyone that had been a part of the ragtag group that had stopped Daein at its every turn gave a shout of confidence and rushed forward into the capital palace. At first sight, everything made sense. A mix of elite warriors, most likely the Daein Royal Guard, and Feral Ones of all species awaited them. Their numbers weren't really the most, probably eighty at most, for a liberal estimate.
What instantly caught the attention of everyone, however, was the giant black dragon flying up to them slowly and menacingly, with a single figure on top of it. "Is that…" Elincia muttered out loud while Khimari's growl began to attract the looks of many in the group. Before anyone could ask the wolf anything, the Crimean Princess began to ascend on her pegasus to meet the man on the wyvern.
"Elincia!? Stay back!" Ike called, to no avail as the Princess ignored his warning.
"...Ashnard," she called, shocking everyone who didn't know how the Daein King looked in appearance, Ike included.
""THAT'S Ashnard?" Ike bluntly asked in the spur of the moment.
"Every inch of ugly and insanity poured into his body," Khimari growled to him in response as the two in the air had a conversation. It quickly became apparent that Princess Elincia began to get agitated, as she screamed for Ashnard's head. Nonetheless, that didn't materialize as the Mad King rode forward on his mount, effectively swatting her aside like a fly with a flap of its wings.
"Elincia!" Ike called out as the princess yelled, before being forced to meet gazes with the Daein King approaching them. As soon as he got close to land, Khimari jumped, with the intent of taking his head off. "Khimari!" Ike yelled once again as the wolf's claws met Ashnard's weapon, a freakishly large sword of great power.
"Is that any way to greet someone who gave you hospitality, wolf prince? Did your stay at Grintea Tower not prove to your liking?" Ashnard goaded, to great success.
"GO TO HELL!" the wolf roared, before having to be kept back by Mordecai, Maurim and Ranulf. With him out of the picture for the moment, the Mad King turned directly to his target: the leader of this so-called Liberation Army.
"Are you the one they claim is the son of Gawain?" Instead of replying to the question, Ike simply pointed Ragnell at the man.
"King Ashnard of Daein! You will die today by my hand!" he declared, much to the monarch's amusement.
"Oh? HAHAHAHAHAH!" he laughed, letting a great echo of derangement resonate in the air around the Greil Mercenaries. "I see the weapon you hold in your possession. A sacred blade, is it not? That is the only variety of weapon able to pierce my armor. Hmph," he grunted, his sick smile growing even wider. "It matters not the sword nor its reputation. Without an owner of great skill, it becomes nothing more than a shiny piece of blunt steel."
"You'll see how blunt my sword is for yourself," Ike shot back, already getting irritated by the long-winded tyrant.
"Before our great battle, I want to make sure my expectations are not disappointed. The soldiers around you all are my handpicked elite. How will you deal with them?" he asked, before giving another laugh. "I look forward to watching your performance first-hand. Don't disappoint me!" he said before flying to the back of his group of soldiers, taking a position at the castle entrance where he can overlook the entire place of battle.
"Any and all of you that have tasted war and know the feeling of battle...I ask that you lend me your strength right now," Ike rallied. "MOVE OUT!" he called, starting the final battle.
Shooting forward full of controlled anger, Khimari took it out first on a Feral cat, splitting its belly clean open before looking to see both Ena and Nasir coming to join him. With the two Goldoans, he advanced to see a mini-unit of seven paladins quickly approaching them. Growling in irritation, the prince made the first move, throwing himself at one of them. Knocking the paladin off his horse, he quickly gave a killing bite to the neck to finish him off. Looking back, he saw that Ena and Nasir had already dealt with three of them, leaving only three left.
In an unspoken agreement, they each took one paladin to fight. Letting his opponent rush up to him, Khimari waited until he was about to be attacked. When the Daein soldier thrusted his lance, Khimari spurred into action, biting the pole of the lance and twisting his body, effectively disarming the man. Without giving any reprieve, the wolf jumped forward, giving a great wound to the Daein's back before slicing the man's throat.
Regrouping with the other two Laguz, Khimari took a quick survey of the battlefield. The "handpicked elite" of Ashnard were getting destroyed, to be blunt about it. Daein corpses quickly filled the palace garden, with most of the opposing forces defeated. Things seemed to be going well…
Getting a view of Ike with Soren, Mist and some others, Khimari quickly motioned for Ena and Nasir to regroup to avoid any surprises. Unfortunately, the wolf's intuition was correct as Ashnard himself left his little perch, directly joining the battlefield. Stepping forward, Ike met the King's challenge while everyone else had to stay back. This was the moment of truth. The fight that would determine the fate of an entire continent.
This was the final battle.
"I remember that stance well…" the Daein King remarked, as if reminiscing on old times. "So your father taught you swordplay, did he? That pleases me greatly."
"Mad King Ashnard!" Ike called, pointing his sword at the man. "I will end your reign of terror here and now!"
"You? End me?" he said as if it were a joke. "I want to see it. If you possess the strength to do so, then it shall be so. That is the defining principle of the world I wish to create."
"...What the heck are you talking about?" Ike said, completely taken aback by how messed up this man was in the head. Was he happy about the possibility of his death? Or was this another mind game meant to throw them off?
"You will see!" the King shouted with glee, riding down and initiating the fight. Swooping down, Ashnard's sword met with Ragnell and Ike knew firsthand the power that the Daein King possessed. It took almost everything he had to parry the blow. As the King was preparing to retreat for another assault, Ike unleashed a blast from Ragnell, the power catching the King directly and denting his armor. The King slightly wavered from the blow, but started to laugh even more, putting everyone on edge. "Yes, you are worthy. Show me all you can do, Son of Gawain!" he yelled maniacally, rushing down for another attack. Gathering the power of Occult, Ike waited for the right moment. As Ashnard attacked, Ike avoided the overhead blow, although he received a blow to the shoulder in the process.
With a blue flash, Ike jumped, dealing a direct blow to Ashnard's armor before kicking off of his wyvern mount to the floor. Not giving any reprieve, the leader of the Greil Mercenaries continued the assault, giving a mighty strike that was only just barely met by the King. Forcing the mount to jump back, Ashnard swung his sword in the air, producing a brilliant orange blast of energy. Unable to dodge, Ike tried to block the blow, being pushed back many feet as a result. With a tired huff, he rushed forward again, using Aether to deal great damage to Ashnard while healing his shoulder wound.
"Yes...This is what war is all about…" Ashnard panted like a dog happy to see fresh meat laid in its bowl.
"You're losing," Ike bluntly stated.
"HAH! I haven't seen all you are capable of, boy," Ashnard laughed, before taking out a piece of cloth. "I believe now is the perfect time to use this!" he said, unwrapping it to reveal Lehran's Medallion, glowing in all of its glory.
"NO! You blind fool!" Ike shouted, as the Daein King touched the medallion.
"Everyone, get away NOW!" Khimari yelled. Ike quickly seconded him.
"Ike, we have to call one of the battalion commanders, now!" Nasir said as the King's transformation was taking place.
"Ena, call Tibarn over as quickly as possible!" Ike said, before he, Nasir and Khimari stared down Ashnard as he transformed. His skin became as pale as snow, and veins started to bulge from his skin. His power increased tenfold, his aura one of pure bloodlust. Even the mount was affected, it's formerly red and black coloration being changed to black and green, and its eyes possessing a look of great pain.
Ahhhhhh…..The power...IT FEELS SO GOOD!" Ashnard yelled, his yell reverberating around the palace.
"Is...he's still sane?" Ike asked, amazed to see him look in control of his actions.
"He was never sane to start with," Khimari jabbed, walking forward.
"Ahh...The Prince of Wolves...You again? Have you not learned that dirty beasts like you are no match against me?" the King belittled.
"You are a stain in this world," Khimari spat. "You started a war for amusement, had countless people killed for nothing! You are beyond despicable!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!" he laughed, sending a wave of anger down the wolf's spine. "I remember someone else calling me that. A wolf with a silver-coat...more pure than the cleanest silver sword. He was a great fighter, one that gave me a thrill."
"You...fought Yohe?"
"The privilege of spilling his blood was a gift I'll never forget," Ashnard said. "If he didn't hold me for so long, your wretched queen would have been dead as well with the rest of your lowly race."
"SHUT UP AND DIE!" Khimari roared, jumping at the King despite Ike's warnings. In a full frenzy, he jumped and met Ashnard's sword. Being almost completely overpowered by the blow, he had to straighten himself to land on his feet before running back towards the King.
Jumping to the left to avoid a blast from the Daein King's sword that shattered a statue into pieces with pure force, Khimari jumped on the mount before pouncing on the King. Letting the mount crash into the palace wall by the right staircase, Ashnard jumped off and hit Khimari directly with his blade, causing a huge gash in the wolf's side.
Not even flinching, the rabid prince circled around the King, using his superior speed to get an opening. Pouncing, this time his strike connected with such force that a piece of his armor broke and fell onto the ground.
"Yes! YES! HATE ME! SHOW ME ALL YOUR POWER!" the Mad King screamed as Ike, Nasir and Tibarn rushed in to give the wolf back-up. The dragon Laguz gave a large breath that directly hit the King, causing much damage. Even then, Ashnard was able to avoid Tibarn's attack and return a hit on Nasir, who couldn't avoid it and suffered a large cut across his body that started to bleed profusely.
"Nasir, get out of the battle!" Ike commanded as Khimari and Tibarn kept the assault on the King. The white dragon seemed like he didn't want to, but agreed and went back to where the rest were at the palace entrance for healing. Turning back to the fight on hand, Ike sent another blast of Ragnell, not trusting a head-on fight. The King countered it with his own blast, which completely swamped Ike's own and sent him flying onto his back with large bleeding on impact.
Seeing Ike blown back only served to enrage Khimari even more. Howling with pure rage, he renewed his assault on the Daein King, occasionally scoring a minor cut or scratch on the man's skin. Every time the King's blood was seen he would get excited and attacked even more ruthlessly. He wouldn't stop, on the blood of his great-grandfather, on the blood of Greil, on the blood of all his murdered people, until he removed this deplorable thing from the world.
Jumping back, Khimari let Tibarn attack from overhead before using the distraction to attack Ashnard from the back. Piercing the human's armor, he narrowed his eyes as blood splashed from his back. Turning around, the King hit Khimari with the blunt of his blade, sending him all the way to the wall between the two staircases.
Getting up after the impact, he quickly saw a blue flash in his peripheral vision. Looking over, he saw Lehran's Medallion. Ashnard must have tossed it after he got his power boost, Khimari rationalized.
"Let...me...help…" the voice that Khimari remembered from so many times before called out to him. Looking over, he saw a tiring yet relatively unharmed Tibarn and a somewhat bloody Ike struggling to keep Ashnard from getting to the rest of the group.
"...Okay," the wolf agreed, before touching the medallion. The blue flames of the medallion lightly coated him as Khimari felt an ancient power coursing through his very blood. "Ashnard!" he yowled, grabbing the King's attention.
"YOUR TIME IS OVER!" he yelled as he rushed the King, not taking his blue and now red eyes off his target for a second. Meeting with the sword of the Mad King, Khimari broke through and gave him a claw slash that easily pierced his armor, leaving a gash on his side far larger than any other of the wounds Ashnard already had. "Ike!" the wolf called as he gathered the power of Occult.
Khimari howled as the Daein King advanced towards him, the blue aura around him glowing strongly. Meeting the first strike, a blue puff emanated from where the two attacks clashed. Refusing to be outdone, Ashnard moved in for an amazingly swift side strike. Khimari blocked it once again, a blue burst emerging from the point of contact. The wolf then jumped back, before shooting along the ground and slicing Ashnard's leg. Turning around, he jumped on the monarch's back and gave a vicious bite to the shoulder, making the man shout out in...glee? Anguish? The wolf honestly couldn't tell.
Jumping off, Khimari let Ike take advantage of Ashnard's lack of focus. Due to the shoulder injury, Ashnard was ever so slow with his strike, allowing Ike to get past his guard and deliver the final blow through his heart.
Time stopped.
No one moved.
Everyone held their breath.
After what seemed like an eternity, time moved again. Ike removed the sword from Ashnard's body, letting it fall down to the ground, along with his terrible sword. "Now...It's...finally over," he said, panting heavily. Just then, he saw Ena approaching Ashnard's mount. "Ena! Stay back! Th-"
"Give it a rest, Ike," Khimari interrupted, now in his Beorc form. "That's her fiance."
"What? But…"
"Ashnard caught him and turned him into a Feral. He was his "personal mount" to use," Khimari spat in disgust, while internally debating on whether or not to kick the Mad King's corpse out of pure spite.
"Then that means…"
"Even as he lays dying, he can regain his sanity," Nasir entered, limping forward. Looking back, Khimari saw Reyson and Leanne talking to each other. As if they felt his stare, they both turned their soft gaze to him. Without a word, he just nodded and turned around to see.
"What are you doing?" Ike asked as the two herons started to approach Ena and Rajaion, the dragon laguz turned insane by Ashnard.
"Let it happen, Ike," Khimari said, knowing that this has to be done. "It's so he can finally have rest."
A few moments later, they began the Galdr of Rebirth. As they continued their song, a large sense of peace covered the body-filled palace garden. Khimari closed his eyes as he relieved his moment of finally being completely free of the heinous influence of the drug of the Feral One by the song, just as the black dragon was experiencing right now. The wolf could empathize with what he was going through...and would hopefully be one of the few who ever would.
'Where...did he go?' the wolf thought, thinking of the mad scientist. Now that it came to mind, he never found the crazy man in the tower, meaning that he must have escaped in all the chaos. He sincerely hoped he would never have to see that disgusting excuse of an organism ever again in his life.
Just as he finished the train of thought, Reyson and Leanne had finally restored all of Rajaion's mind. He changed back into his Beorc form, a man with orange skin and long hair strikingly similar in color to that of Prince Kurthnaga. "I wonder…"
"What? Did you say something, Khimari?" Ike asked.
"Hm? Oh, just me thinking crazy again…" he waved off, but he couldn't shake off the resemblance between him and the dragon prince.
"...Ena…" Rajaion weakly said, clearly not fully recovered from the physical and mental strain of the drug. It was still enough for the pink dragon to break out into tears of joy.
"Oh, you do recognize me!" she cried in pure happiness.
"You...were put...so suffer….because of me...I'm...sorry," he forced, before breaking out into a few coughs.
"Oh...Rajaion," she whispered, holding him tightly.
"Let's return to Goldoa...the two...of us…"
"Yes, I'll go anywhere my love, as long as it's with you," she proclaimed.
"From this day…" Khimari zoned away from the conversation when he noticed Mist looking all over the courtyard. Walking over to her, he tapped her shoulder.
"Are you looking for it?" he asked. She only nodded in response, continuing her search. "It should be over by the staircase," he helped, pointing over to the spot he last remembered. Sure enough, the bronze medallion was in that direction.
"Here it is!" she said, running back with the bronze keepsake in her hands. The blue flame that had originally surrounded it had disappeared, leaving only the small material in its stead.
"What happened, Mist?" Ike said, walking up to the two.
"She found it," Khimari answered, pointing back to the medallion.
"Mist...that medallion is-"
"Yeah," she interrupted, not wanting to hear what she already knew. "I know." She looked around a little bit more until she found the figures of both Leanne and Reyson. "Leanne! Reyson!" she called.
The two Serenes royal herons came over upon hearing her call. "What is it, Mist?" Leanne asked.
"What?" Reyson translated.
"Here you go," she said, extending the medallion in her hands.
"Oh!" Reyson said in surprise.
"This belongs in Serenes Forest...My mother was only holding it for Lillia," Mist said. Khimari could see the pain on her face as she had to give away one of the only keepsakes her mother had, but she knew that it was best for the medallion to be with the Herons, its rightful owners.
"Thank you, little Mist," Leanne said, which was echoed by Reyson.
"Khimari!" another voice yelled. Looking over, he found Rikari running over to him, followed by Ranulf and Tora. "Are you okay?"
"I'm just fine, kiddo. How about you?" The orange wolf just gave a hearty nod in response, somehow full of energy until he realized something.
"What...do we do know?" the young Laguz asked.
Khimari couldn't help but give a laugh at the question. Even after all the crap that happened today, Rikari wasn't ready to go to sleep for a couple of days. 'Please don't tell me I'm that old already…' he thought in his head.
"Now...we get to work."
XXXXX
Three months later…
After the fall of King Ashnard and Daein, the continent of Tellius had tried its best to attempt a return to normalcy. Everyone that had made up the Crimean Liberation Army had gone their own ways, working with their respective countries, as well as the rest of the countries on the continent to navigate a world without war.
For Khimari, that had meant a countdown until the day came. The day where he would begin a new chapter of life, one that would be completely different from the one he had known for most of his life. Tomorrow morning, his father would come back to take him to Gallia since Crimea's rebuilding process had proven to have gone smoothly. Elincia was officially crowned queen of Crimea a few days ago, and every diplomatic thing had gone smoothly, for what the wolf prince had seen and heard.
Now, after another day of rebuilding, the wolf sat at a tree right outside Melior, a small walk away from the Royal Palace that now was in Crimea's hands once again. He found himself humming the song that he would sing with the medallion in his hands so often before the war started. Even now, it was strange not having the medallion with him or Mist. He supposed it was just another thing he'd have to get used to.
"Thinking about something?" a voice broke in. Looking up, he saw it to be none other than his adopted brother.
"Oh, just me being crazy again, Lord Ike," Khimari joked, much to "Lord Ike's" annoyance.
"You know I hate that name. I could never survive a lifestyle of a Lord," he complained.
"When did you plan to give it up again? I know you'll burst your head wide open if you have to show up to any more of those meetings," the wolf laughed.
"Hopefully, only another month or two, then I can renounce my status and disappear…" Ike whispered, so no one around could hear. That was pretty unlikely, however, considering they were outside the city. Even then, one could never be too sure.
"Hmph. You're a funny one!"
"You're one to talk, you crazy furball." After they shared a small laugh, Ike looked up towards the orange sky. "So...you go tomorrow?"
"Yup. Dad's coming in the morning...Then to Gallia land," he sighed. He didn't regret his decision in any way, shape or form, but that still didn't make departing from the Greil Mercenaries any easier.
"How's Nephenee doing?"
"I visited her a few days ago. Thankfully, everything's going good, although I don't think a few people in her town are so keen on us dating. We'll just play that by ear though...Besides that, we already said goodbye. She gave me this," he said, holding up the orange handkerchief that she always tied around her neck. He had since tied it around his upper left arm. "Did you and Elincia finally sleep together yet?"
"Wha-No!" Ike said, completely caught off-guard by the question. His brain couldn't even come up with a coherent response as the wolf was laughing too loud for him to think straight. "Sh-shut up!" he said with a red face.
"Comedy gold!" For that little show, he was awarded a punch to the shoulder, courtesy of the Hero of Crimea himself. "Hmm...I wonder how life is going to be in Gallia...probably more hectic," he remarked, confusing the Beorc.
"How would it be more hectic than here?" Ike asked.
"Skrimir," Khimari simply said. "We've already fought three times and I've only been to Gallia twice since the end of the war. Once for a Laguz meeting and the other as a messenger. Dad wasn't lying when he said that he was a hothead."
"Did you lose?"
"Of course not! He got his but handed to him all three times," the wolf said proudly, leading his surrogate brother to roll his eyes with amusement. "But even then, fighting every day isn't what I quite had in mind. Lions are heavy, too. I almost sprained two of my paws pushing him away one time."
"I suggest you get to work then instead of being lazy here," Ike joked.
"Haha, very funny. If I weren't so tired from this reconstruction stuff I'd throw one last prank before I leave…" The thought of a prank of the magnitude Khimari was suggesting severely worried Ike. The mercenary commander silently thanked Ashera that the wolf didn't have the energy to go through with it. "Welp…"
"Do you know what you're going to do down there?" Ike asked.
"Well, pretty much be a regular Gallian citizen," Khimari shrugged. "Dad said I'll be helping him with Skrimir, and I'll help Reyson and Leanne get accustomed; not like they need it after almost three months. Besides that...probably being a messenger for King Caineghis so Crimea and Gallia have steady communication."
"What about Hatari? Are you going to…" Ike couldn't bring himself to finish the question. He didn't have to. Khimari gave a great sigh at the question. It had been one that he couldn't even bring himself to answer whenever he thought about the topic.
"I'll...have to put it off for a while. I know where to start now, which is good. Even still, things are still too new for me to be wandering off to who-knows-where. It's better I stay in Gallia for now...When I do leave, though, I'll have to visit Rikari and Tora…" he said, thinking of the other two wolves that returned to their compound. After the war, they, along with Tormod and Maurim, were contacted by Apostle Sanaki herself to lead private investigations into possible ongoing cases of abuse and other illegal activity regarding Laguz. "Hopefully, Tormod will have finally got his growth spurt by then."
"Doubt it," Ike bluntly stated, drawing a grunt of laughter from the wolf prince. "How about the other kids? Where did they go?"
"Oh, the little ones? Well, let's see...Sothe is back in Daein. Apparently, he's looking for someone, as well...I hope that he finds her."
"Who do you think she could be?"
"If I remember right, she was like his sister or something...Only time will tell, I guess," he shrugged. "Akiza, the little red cat Laguz, is back in Gallia, naturally. She's training with Ranulf until I get back. Then, she'll be introduced to hell once again."
"You never get tired of torturing people, do you?"
"Interestingly enough, I do. It's tiring trying to come up with new ways to make people suffer...learn. I meant learn," Khimari fixed, seeing that the word "suffer" would not be an appropriate word. Also made him sound like a complete lunatic.
Well...that was up for debate as it was, but moving on.
Ike gave a small yawn as nighttime started to overtake the day. "Welp, time for little Ikey to go to sleep," Khimari joked.
"You say that like I'm still a child."
"You're my little brother. You'll always be a child."
"It's only four months, for the last time."
"Four months is four months. Shut up and deal with it." Refusing to deal with the wolf for any longer, Ike decided to start the walk back to the palace. "Hey, don't leave me!" Khimari yowled, jumping up to catch up to the mercenary leader.
XXXXX
The next morning…
The time had finally come. Next to Khimari stood Ranulf, who had arrived just a little while earlier to give a report to Queen Elincia. Now, it would be time for him to leave. All of the Greil Mercenaries were in front of him as they stood at the gates of Melior.
"So...this is goodbye, huh?" Ike said, not sure what to say in moments like these.
"We're gonna miss you, Khimari," Gatrie said.
"Good riddance," Shinon rudely remarked. "Can I go now?"
"Shinon!" Titania hissed, quickly shutting the sniper up. Satisfied that she wouldn't be hearing anything else out of him, she walked up to the wolf, with tears in her eyes. "Take care of yourself, okay? Don't be afraid to come and visit whenever you want."
"Of course, Titania," he said, giving her a big hug. From the beginning of his time on Tellius, she had quickly became the mother of the group. Being separated from her would definitely be hard. After the hug ended, he looked over to see the three brothers Oscar, Rolf and Boyd standing close by. Boyd and Oscar both had sad smiles on their faces, while it looked like Rolf was trying to do everything in his power not to cry.
"Do you...really have to go?" the little archer asked.
"Don't worry about it, kid," Khimari reassured. "Just do your very best so I can see you again, okay?"
"C'mon, Rolf, suck it up!" Boyd said, full of humor like always.
"Best of luck to you, Khimari. Hopefully, we can come together again like the old days," Oscar added.
"I really wish it happen sooner than later," Khimari responded, before seeing Mist in a similar situation as Rolf. "Is that a tear I see?"
"What? No! I'm not crying! It's just...really dusty!" Mist tried to play off. With a smile on his face, he picked her up in a big hug. "Khimari! Put me down!"
"Not until I say so," he denied, holding her up for a few more moments. When he felt like it was enough for the little girl, he put her down. "Now take good care of Ike, okay? You know how scatterbrained he can be sometimes."
"Hey!" Ike yowled as the group broke into a small chorus of laughs at their leader's expense. Looking to the right once again, he found Soren and Mia, the only ones that hadn't said anything yet. While Soren's face was stoic as always, Mia had a great smile on her face.
"Next time I see you, we're gonna have an awesome fight! I'll show you, then I'll be ready to beat Ike!" she enthusiastically said. In response to her challenge, Khimari gave a toothy smile.
"You're going to have to beat Ike before you get anywhere near beating me," he said good-naturedly. Finally, he laid his eyes directly on Soren. "We...already talked. You do what I told you, okay?"
"...Yes, Khimari," the mage said, cracking a small grin.
"Did Soren...just smile?" Boyd said, in complete shock. "And it had nothing to do with books?"
"Boyd, shut up!" Mist yelled, bonking him on the head. Rolling his eyes, Khimari gave Soren a quick wink before turning back to Ranulf.
"Alright, I'm ready."
"It was good to see all of you again. Best wishes to everyone. Ike, sorry to bother you like this, but if you could send my last regards to Queen Elincia and the others, I would very much appreciate it."
"Don't worry, Ranulf. It's no trouble at all." With no words left to say, the two Laguz transformed, their blue fur seemingly a reflection of the great sky above them. Turning around, they started to walk before breaking out into a full run. "Bye, Khimari!" Mist yelled as loud as she could before they completely got out of earshot.
A few moments later, the howl of a wolf pierced through the air. As Khimari felt the wind run through his fur and the grass beneath his feet, he couldn't stop the tears from falling from his canine face.
XXXXX
The moon shone brightly, illuminating the night sky with its radiant beauty. In the dead of night, a figure stood outside at a small pond, with their eyes closed. While thinking, an outside disturbance had shifted his attention. Turning around, he narrowed his eyes upon seeing who had the gall to walk on this land unannounced.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry for breaking the rules, but spare all the punishment for now, please. I'd rather not have to go through that painful experience again." The newcomer had then taken a large breath before speaking again. "I have a few questions, and I have a feeling you're the only one who can answer them. I would like to get the real answers as well, if you don't mind."
"Speak, boy," he simply said, wondering about what in the world could possibly warrant this trespass.
"Alrighty, I'll get the big question out of the way. Who's Yune and how does she know you?"
XXXXX
A/N: AAAAAND THAT'S ALL of Path of Radiance! Now, before I get started on Part 2, there are some life updates I must give.
First things first, CORONA SUCKS! I really shouldn't have to explain that, but alas, here we are. On a bright note, I finally graduated from high school (even if it was on a powerpoint video), and I'm college bound. Now if only certain people would stop acting like a mask is poison and put it on their friggin face so I don't have to be stuck inside that would be really great...I already gained 15 pounds since the shutdown in March, and I was supposed to gain that weight in college, NOT before.
As for the story itself, I should be able to get somewhat into Radiant Dawn before college starts. Not going to lie, even with all the time on my hands, I was stuck on how to end this for quite a while. Fortunately for everyone involved, I have the next part pretty nicely planned out! So assuming that I can get my fingers ready to type, I should be busting out chapters every couple of days! Now that I updated Naruto a bit (I'm still on the fence about Blazing Light), I feel better about focusing all of my attention on this story. No matter what, I'm committed to seeing this through to the end.
When college actually starts, I'll probably be writing for Blue Wolf on the weekends, as well as whenever I get off time (Looking at my class schedule, it looks like Wednesday and Friday afternoon.) In order to break off some costs and not be drowned in student debt, I'll be doing work-study, so I'll be working as well. We'll just play that one by ear, so whoop-dee-doo.
With that...Until next time…
Blizzard, out!