Part One: Concepts of A New Dawn
Harpstring Moon
Chapter Three: Diplomatic Needs
After celebrating with the Emerald Sharks Maira left for a mandatory meeting with her father and the other professors. Before the meeting Wynne approached Maira.
"Did your house make it through?" Wynne asked.
Maira nodded her head and smirked.
"Is that a small smile? I never thought I would live to see the day." Keera laughed.
"Those kids really are starting to rub off on you." Wynne smiled.
Byleth cleared his throat to let the faculty know the meeting had begun.
"I am pleased to announce that each house managed to defeat the Monastery's guards in battle. While that month the battle was to prepare students, this months' assignment will be less forgiving. A council of people from all six regions have all come together to give tasks for each of your houses. I will assign each house's tasks individually, so if the rest of you would give me the room with Maira I would appreciate it." Byleth announced.
"I wonder what our assignment is going to be. You better not let any of those kids die out there!" Sothis yelled at Maira.
"Maira your house will be traveling to the Naval Meritocracy to quell the remnants of the Western Church. Their attempts to reinstate the Kingdom as the Holy Kingdom has made four regions uneasy. Their base of operations being in Meritocracy land is making the Meritocracy upset and the Holy Church State does not appreciate the threat to their power. You will set out to Kapena later this month to rendezvous with reinforcements. From there you will take out the people in the Western Church. You may have to meet with Oceania, the current Supreme Leader, so have Finn help you with that."
"So interesting the petty politics that play into human decisions." Sothis remarked. As Maira turned to leave, Byleth stopped her.
"Maira, has Sothis come to visit you?" Byleth asked nervously.
Maira looked at her father.
"I am so flattered that he wants to know how I am doing. Tell him that I am flattered." Sothis said cheerfully.
Maira relayed this information to her father.
"I am so happy to hear that. The goddess has blessed you, make sure to use the power that comes with that wisely."
With that Maira was dismissed. She left to tell her students the news of their next mission.
"We will be visiting Kapena! I wonder who they will be having work with us?" Finn smiled. "That means that I can introduce you to Oceania. This will be a lot of fun Polopeka."
"My mom should like you, you work just as hard, if not harder than her." Atamai said.
"The Western Church's base is in my father's territory. It is my duty to defend it." Penina added.
"We all will be happy to help you, Penina. I just think that it will be weird, this will be most of our first times fighting to kill." Fiafia said.
"I know that they are hurting the balance right now. But should they really be killed?" Kai asked.
"We are not the ones who make that call, but maybe one day we will be. First we have to get through this." Olaga said to Kai.
"We all have a lot of different ideas on this. I personally see how they need to be taken out. Sometimes people need to be sacrificed in order to defend the peace of everyone." Finn said solemnly.
"How could you agree with that! These are lives just being taken away because they don't fit the direction of Fodlan!" Keola yelled.
"I have to agree, the only reason we are going on this mission is because the Holy Church State felt threatened." Malosi was surprised by Finn.
"The lives of a few for the peace of Fodlan. If the Western Church merged with the Kingdom the Meritocracy would lose power. From there the other regions would fight to force the Meritocracy out and force make the Kingdom weaker. The amount of lives that could be lost there is immeasurable. Do you see how important it is that we do this?" Finn reasoned.
"I guess, it just is hard to stomach." Keola replied.
"I guess that's why you are number one. I'm sure not even Penina or Atamai thought of that." Malosi reluctantly agreed.
"I was withholding my opinions!"Atamai was offended.
"Atamai, I didn't think about it like that. You were always worse at tactics compared to Finn and I, so don't even pretend." Penina sighed.
"Everyone calm down. This isn't until the end of the month, so let's get some training done so we don't join na liki o ka poe make." Finn instructed.
"Why do you insist on using the language of our ancestors? It just makes us seem like we aren't from Fodlan even more." Atamai complained.
"It is part of our culture, it has to be preserved. Now everyone is dismissed." Finn waved them off. "What do you think, Polopeka?"
Maira sighed, she didn't know what to make of the whole situation. Maira had lived to serve her father, but now that she was serving larger forces she felt like a pawn sometimes. So she was honest and told Finn that.
Finn smiled, "Yeah, I feel that way too sometimes. Thanks Polopeka, you helped me out."
One night when Maira was going over lesson plans Wynne stopped by to talk about the missions of the month.
"Hey Mai, I heard about your mission. My class is going out to Empire territory to protect the Emperor's caravan through the new Aegir territory. Some people aren't thrilled about the son of Duke Aegir taking control of former Hevring land. It seems every class has a political mission." Wynne sighed. "How do you feel about that? It is really stressing out Dad."
"It has to be done." Maira responded.
"I thought you might say that. And we both knew what we were going to be getting into at the start of this but it just happened really fast." Wynne said. "Well it looks like you are busy so I am going to let you be. Bye Mai."
After Wynne left Sothis spoke up. "Your Father, stressed? I never saw him stressed, even when in battle. Something bigger is going on, I can feel it."
Maira agreed with her.
"Keep your guard up. If your dad is stressed then you should be on high alert."
Maira agreed, it really was rare that her dad was stressed out. She wondered if something else was going on beneath the surface.
"Hey Penina, do you want to spar with me?" Olaga asked.
"Ahh!" Penina yelped. "I mean, hey Olaga. What are you doing?"
"Penina, are you okay? You yelped." Olaga asked.
"I did not yelp! You just took me by surprise. Now excuse me I have, uh, chores to do!" Penina rushed away.
"Okay. Wait, you never answered my question about sparring." Olaga followed her. She pursued Penina as she rushed back to her room and closed the door. "Penina, are you avoiding me?"
"What!? No, that would be crazy." Penina said from behind the door.
"Really, because you are hiding in your room right now." Olaga sighed. "If you don't want to talk to me then you don't have to. Goodbye, Penina."
"Olaga wait!" Penina opened the door. "Okay, maybe I have been avoiding you, but only a little bit!"
"Why? I thought we were friends."
"We are! It's just, the last time I sparred with you I was sore for weeks all over. I had to miss my sister's wedding because I could barely get out of bed." Penina explained.
"I do not hit that hard! Though I guess I did notice that you weren't at her wedding." Olaga admitted.
"Listen Olaga, I will be happy to spar with you. I just need some time to clear my calendar first." Penina smiled.
"Okay, I can live with that. Though next time don't try to hide behind a door, I could just break it down." Olaga laughed as she walked away.
"Ha ha good one." Penina laughed. "Wait, she wasn't serious was she? Olaga! Were you serious about that!"
Afterwards Penina was in the library when she ran into Finn.
"Hey Finn! What are you studying?" Penina sat in the chair next to him.
Finn looked up and smiled. "Oh hey, Penina can you help me out with something?"
"Sure, what are you working on? Tactics, magic, staffs? I could give you a few pointers, your form has been kind of poor lately."
"No! I don't need help with any of that. And my form is just fine by the way." Finn defended himself.
"Sure it is." Penina winked. "So what do you need help with?"
"It is kind of embarrassing but you have helped me out with worse before so, just promise you won't laugh."
"I promise Finn. Now what is it?"
"So I saw a girl that I thought was cute but I got all tongue-tied and embarrassed myself. So I tried to see if the library had anything but all I got was this dumb book about how dating is like military tactics." Finn gestured towards the book in front of him.
"Oh Finn! Of course I will help you. Here, next time you see that girl ask about her day. Talk to her and casually talk about how you are going to be the Supreme Leader of the Meritocracy. If you just talk about yourself and show in general interest in her she will realize how awesome you are." Penina explained.
"Wow. Thanks Penina, I guess I am awesome." Finn was shocked.
"Hey don't get too ahead of yourself buddy. Now go out and find her."
"Thanks Penina!" Finn hugged her. "I think she might be in the dining hall. I'm gonna go try and find her."
As Finn left Penina looked at him. "I can't believe he never realized how awesome he is."
After that Penina was just roaming the halls when someone called out her name.
"Penina!" a cheery voice called.
"Who is it?" Penina asked.
"It's me, silly." Fiafia responded. "What are you up to?"
"Not much Fi. I just need a nap, my brain hurts from all the studying. So I will see you tomorrow." Penina explained.
"Aww… that's too bad." Fiafia sighed.
"What is it Fi?" Penina asked.
"I was just wondering if you would go with me to talk to someone."
"Who?"
"Well I was super happy with this one guy but I found out that he wasn't who he said he was." Fiafia explained.
"Oh! I get it, you need me to rough him up don't you." Penina winked.
"No, not at all. He is my brother, or at least I know that now."
Penina gasped. "I'm sorry you say what?"
"This guy befriended me and we have been friends for months but recently he told me he is my long lost brother and I just want my friend to help me talk to him." Fiafia clarified.
"Of course. Let's meet with him soon." Penina agreed.
"Really? Thank you Penina, this is a big help."
"Anytime Fi, I am always here to help you out." Penina smiled.
"Doo de doo de boo boo ba." Fiafia was humming in the halls when she ran into Olaga. "Hi Olaga! Isn't the weather nice today?"
"Hey Fiafia. I am just trying to study so if you wouldn't mind." Olaga hinted.
"Oh, of course. I will be quiet and make sure nobody interrupts you."
"That works for me." Olaga smiled. "Thanks Fiafia."
Fiafia was just standing there watching as Olaga studied. Then she started to softly hum. Olaga looked up at her. "Do you want to sit?" she asked.
"Oh no. I like standing. Besides, it will help me see anybody that could bother you." Fiafia was smiling.
"Suit yourself." Olaga returned to her studies. Then Fiafia started to hum again. "You know, I just remembered that I scheduled sparring practice. I should go."
"I'll come with you and make sure nobody breaks your concentration." Fiafia insisted. The pair both went to the training grounds. As Olaga was lifting an incredible amount of weight Fiafia took that moment to try to start a conversation. "You're so strong Olaga, how did you get this way?"
"A lot of practice." Olaga grunted.
"You must be so sore all the time. If you ever need some tea just ask me. Ooh that rhymed and I didn't even try."
"Actually tea might not be a bad idea sometimes." Olaga conceded.
"Wonderful! Now if you spend all your time training, when do you meet boys?" Fiafia asked innocently.
"What!?" Olaga yelped and lost focus. She dropped the weights on her foot. "Oww! For the love of…"
"Oh! Olaga you have to be more careful. Here let me get you some of that tea." Fiafia rushed off.
"That girl I swear." Olaga muttered to herself. "She is going to be the death of me."
"Hey Olaga, you really worked yourself hard today. You don't always have to push yourself to your limits, you know." Finn scolded her.
"Easy for you to say. Everything comes so easily to you." Olaga shot back.
"Hey, you know that isn't true. I work just as hard as any of us." Finn responded.
"Oh really?" Olaga sat up. "Then you have worked yourself until you are so sore that you can barely muster the strength to walk."
"No I can't say I have."
"Then you can't talk about working as hard as the rest of us, can you?"
"Just because you've worked yourself into a state of exhaustion doesn't make you a harder worker. There were days, before I got the intervention from Oceania, where I trained for hours without having eaten for weeks. Days where I had to choose between having fun and eating. So I know a little bit about working hard."
"Finn, you know I respect you for that but come on."
"No you come on! You had a choice in how hard you could work, I didn't. And I came over here because it is my duty not only to help you as a member of this house but as my friend. Because I don't have the luxury of being bedridden because I have to constantly think about not only how I spend my time but how the rest of you spend yours."
"I guess I never thought of that." Olaga said quietly.
"People rarely do. Since you look like you are better I am going to leave you to rest. Next time don't work yourself so hard, I need you at your best." Finn said and then left.
"Hey Fi! How's Hukai, the two of you really get along don't you?" Finn teased.
"HEEMP!" Fiafia yelped.
"Heemp?" Finn questioned.
"I mean, nothing is going on with Hukai. No interesting information at all. He totally is not my brother." Fiafia's eyes widened. "Dammit!"
"Excuse me. You say what?"
"No one is really supposed to know that so if you could just not say anything that would be awesome."
"When did you find out? Please tell me nothing happened between the two of you first."
"Of course not!" Fiafia exclaimed. "I found out pretty recently and still don't really know how I feel."
"How long has it been since you have seen him?"
"I mean we have seen him pretty regularly. He was always the guard that watched over us."
"I am starting to think that wasn't an accident. Wasn't it your mom that arranged our guard?"
"It was." Fiafia's eyes widened. "Do you think she knew?"
"I think it is a possibility. I'll check with some of my friends in the system to see what they can find out." Finn ran off.
"Hey!" Fiafia called after him. "Thanks Finn."
"I'm so sorry. I can't believe we got the order all wrong again! Please let us bring you another meal, no charge." a young waiter apologized to Fetu.
"I can't believe you didn't get it right!" Fetu said dramatically. "I clearly asked for the duck confit cooked with a RED wine sauce, not a WHITE wine sauce!"
"I will be right back with your meal." the waiter said.
"How many free meals have you gotten out of him?" Finn approached Fetu.
"I don't know what you are talking about Finn. It is not my fault that the service here is awful."
"Uh huh. Then why have I been watching you change your order for the past hour just to get more food."
"Ummm… I do not know what you speak of." Fetu looked down. "Alright, fine! I just wanted to practice my acting. And I figured if I got a free meal out of it that would be perfect."
"More like ten free meals." Finn remarked.
"Hey! Just because I am an artist, it doesn't mean I have to be starving."
"Here is your meal!" the waiter came back. "Your duck confit with a red wine sauce."
Fetu ate most of it and gave a mock sigh. "Young man, I clearly asked for duck breast cooked in a red wine sauce."
"I am so sorry! This time it will be perfect."
"Hey it's okay. This time write down the order to make sure you get it right. Make sure to have Fetu sign off on it so that you know everything is great." Finn suggested with a smirk.
"That is a great idea." the waiter's eyes lit up.
"It hardly seems necessary." Fetu glared at Finn.
"No, we want to make sure we get it right. I will be right back with some paper."
"See ya Fetu. Have a nice dinner." Finn laughed.
"Jerk." Fetu muttered.
"Oh god! Why hast you forsaken me! Why must the wind blow against my face? Why must the tide pull and push? Why do the flames burn brighter each time I blow upon them?" Fetu was reciting words in the courtyard.
"Why must people be so loud?" Atamai said grumpily.
"Ah, Atamai. I hadn't noticed you. What brings you here?"
"I have to work in the garden today. The plants won't water themselves. Don't you have choir practice today?"
"It is possible that I am taking an absence from my required duties."
"Wouldn't choir help you with your dream of becoming an actor?"
"For your information I have a big audition coming up and it requires me to memorize these lines. Now if you'll excuse me I have work to do."
"Not so fast." Atamai exclaimed. "Why don't you rehearse your lines while I work in the greenhouse? I can read the lines of characters that are talking to you."
"Atamai Navean! Do you have an interest in acting?" Fetu smiled.
"I have an interest in helping a friend. Though that interest is quickly disappearing."
"I accept. Though I will have the occasional note on how you read the lines." Fetu added.
"I expect nothing less." Atamai sighed. "Now come on, I have plants to plant."
"Ah Professor!" Fetu limped over to Maira with a crutch. "I couldn't possibly train today. My good friend was moving so I attempted to help him lift some of his heavier items and I hurt my leg."
Maira gave Fetu a look. She could see that little beads of sweat were starting to form on Fetu's forehead.
"Professor, why are you looking at me like that? It is the truth. It is simply impossible for me to lie."
"Isn't acting lying?" Maira asked.
"Acting is not lying!" in Fetu's excitement he dropped his crutch and stood perfectly fine on both legs. "Acting is an art of portrayal. It is not as simple as lying, it is movement, you become your character."
"Your character can walk." Maira remarked.
Realizing that he had dropped his crutch Fetu gasped. "It appears my injuries have been healed. What a miracle this is! I must go spread news of this to my friends and family. I couldn't make it to practice."
"I expect you at the training grounds in an hour." Maira walked away.
"But Professor! What about my tale of woe?" But the professor was already gone. "I wonder what kind of excuse I can come up with in an hour?" he asked himself.
"Malosi!" Fetu called out to his friend. "I have been looking all over for you!"
"Why have you been looking for me?" Malosi asked.
"I want to change your life." Fetu said dramatically. "I am going to teach you how to be an actor."
Malosi laughed. "Thanks Fetu, but I don't think acting will really be a useful skill for me."
"That is where you are wrong my friend." Fetu declared. "You wish to be part of the political realm, correct?"
"Correct." Malosi confirmed.
"Well, politicians are just really good actors."
"Really? And how did you come to that conclusion?"
"In order to get what you want out of people you have to act like you care about what they want. To get people to like you, you need a carefully crafted character that invites people in."
"That doesn't feel like politics." Malosi argued.
"So when your father and Atamai's mother engage in recreational activities, you think that is for both of their fun?"
"I guess not." Malosi relented.
"Then we are in agreement. Soon we will start acting lessons for you. I expect you to be a model student."
"Atamai, I would like your perspective on something." Malosi approached Atamai.
"Did you get into another spat with Keola?" Atamai smirked.
"No! Well, yes. But that isn't what this is about."
"I'm all ears."
"Do you think that if a parent does well, they should be able to give their child a better life?" Malosi asked.
"And why do you want my opinion on this? Isn't Finn a better candidate?"
"I think you would have a more interesting take on this."
"And why is that?"
"I think that because of who your mother is, you would have a different take."
"You mean that because my mother never acknowledged me until I succeeded in something, I would have a different viewpoint. You mean because I got better treatment for my condition then other kids would have, that I would have a different outlook." Atamai started to raise his voice.
"I don't mean to upset you. I was just interested in hearing your side of it all."
"Well I apologize but I have work to do. I will see you around." Atamai said in a huff.
"Well I could have handled that better." Malosi muttered to himself.
"Professor, I have a question for you." Malosi announced.
Maira looked up from her book and gave him a puzzled book.
"What do you think of my ideology? That those who are successful should be able to give their children an advantage."
"Why me?" Maira asked.
"You have not lived in any of the six major powers so you don't have as much bias as everyone else."
"I disagree with it." Maira responded.
"And why is that?"
"It results in a system that makes it harder for anyone to thrive."
"While a valid point I feel it is more beneficial. It really causes people to have to work. To get ahead you have to work for a better life, meaning those that rise are the best of the best and have new perspectives other leaders can't have."
"Like Finn?"
"Exactly! Finn works because he came from a place that most of us never experienced. A society with classes means that it is easier to solve the problems of the society."
"But wouldn't a society without classes mean that there aren't the problems that would be solved in a society with classes?"
"I never thought about that. Thanks Professor, I am going to think on that." Malosi left Maira alone.
"It is interesting, I will give him that." Maira admitted.
"Arghhh! Why can't I do this? Finn made it look so easy!" Atamai screamed as he tried to practice some lance maneuvers.
"Are you okay?" Maira asked.
"Professor!" Atamai yelped. "Yes, I am fine. I am just having some difficulties handling the maneuver you were demonstrating in class."
"Need some help?"
"Did Finn need help?" Atamai asked.
"You two are different." Maira sighed.
"If Finn didn't need help then I don't need it. I am just as good as him." Atamai readied himself to try again.
"There is no weakness in asking for help. In fact there is more honor in that than trying to be someone you aren't." Maira stated.
"I know." Atamai sighed. "I just refuse to be less than Finn. He beats me at everything. Even my mom sees more potential in him than she does in me."
"If you need help you know where to find me."
"You know what." Atamai paused. "This is dumb, Professor, will you help me out with this. I just can't get the hang of it."
Maira smiled. "Absolutely."
"Hey Kai." Keola said in passing while heading towards the dining hall.
"Hey Keola. Can I talk to you for a second?" Kai asked.
"Sure Kai. What do you need?"
"I just wanted to say thank you for not treating me like I am weak. You talk to me like I am supposed to be here and I appreciate it."
"Kai. You do belong here." Keola said. "You earned your spot here and everyone knows that."
"Everyone knows that I am taking my brother's place. I got in by luck."
"Kai, nobody thinks that. Everyone likes having you around and we all think that you deserve to be here." Keola assured him.
"Everyone asks me how my brother is. I love him but he should be here and not me. He earned it."
"Kai you know how I feel about passing down status."
"I don't see what this has to do with that."
"You are not here because your family, your brother or your parents put you here. You are here because you are so important you were ranked high enough that you could come here. That is because of how amazing you are." Keola insisted.
"Thanks Keola. That means a lot."
"Anytime. Whenever you need someone to talk to I am here Kai."
Maira had been teaching her class well during the month. The first week of the month she went around to talk to some of the students and see if they needed anything. She ate meals with a few of her students and also spent some time fixing some minor problems that some of the students had. She found out who wanted to join the choir, she found the extra fishing rods, and she found a recipe book for cooking classes.
The week after, Maira had Mae teach a seminar in order to increase some of her students' Faith and Lance skills. Mae was happy to do it and in return Maira made sure to give a seminar to her students on Authority and Reason. With half of the month being over Maira decided to schedule another skirmish between the Monastery Guards and her students. This one was not as official or difficult as their last skirmish. Maira just wanted to make sure they had combat training before their fight with the Western Church. So she and her class moved to the ruins of where Garreg Mach once stood to fight the Guards.
The small skirmish taught Maira one thing, they needed to work on their communication. It had been difficult to keep Malosi and Keola next to each other to form a defensive front because they couldn't start bickering. This meant that when someone near them needed healing, Fetu or Penina couldn't hear them. They were lucky that Finn was close enough to shut Keola and Malosi up and reorganize everyone to save them from complete annihilation. This was also a week before their real fight with the Western Church. Needless to say Maira gave the group a long lecture on battlefield behavior and how to act with fellow soldiers. Everyone seemed as ready as they could be so Maira marched with their caravan to Kapena to meet with Oceania.
Kapena was beautiful. It was the City on Water. The metal streets of Kapena floated magically on the water and the central market was beautifully lined with precious gems and silver. Finn was having a fun time showing Kapena off to Maira. Maira was definitely impressed by the city. Her favorite part of the city was the capital building, it was made of teal crystals and rose in spires. The sun glittering off of it seemed to light up the world. As Maira stared in awe she could see a beautiful woman dressed in a shimmering white dress and tiara walk out of the building with two fierce looking guards. When she approached Maira and her students Finn knelt before her.
"Oh, Finn. This really isn't necessary, you know." the woman smiled.
"Sure it is. I have to show respect to our Supreme Leader, don't I." Finn got up and hugged her.
"Well given how well I hear your training has been going she might not be for much longer." one of the male guards said.
"Mother is still strong enough to stay in power for a little longer Hukai." Atamai declared.
"Atamai don't be rude!" Oceania looked to Maira. "I hope he doesn't cause you too many problems."
Maira shook her head.
"Well that's surprising. I hope to chat with you some more when you get back but right now I should send you on your way. There have been some military demonstrations where you are going. That is why I am sending Hukai and a small squadron to aid you. There should be a system of small tunnels that you can capture to fight the leader of the bandits."
"How small is a small squadron?" Olaga asked.
"Olaga!" Penina yelped. "Don't be rude!"
"Olaga has a point." Oceania sighed. "Due to our political standing we can't expend many soldiers so when I say small I really do mean small."
"I'm sure we can do great even without a bunch of reinforcements!" Fiafia cheered.
"And of course anything you can spare is greatly appreciated." Keola said.
"Exactly, I really am happy with how you can help." Malosi agreed.
"Again apologies for our lack of help. But I trust you all can tough it out and get rid of the problem."
"And on that note I will lead you to the tunnel system. We must depart soon." Hukai cut the conversation.
"All of you be safe. And Polopeka, lead them well." Oceania said with concern.
They trekked through the dark and damp tunnels for what seemed like weeks but in reality was only a little more than five hours. When they finally got a glimpse of light Hukai and Maira told the class to hold their position while they scouted ahead. They emerged in the back of the grand cathedral, out of sight of a small crowd of troops heeding the words of an important looking mage.
"My disciples! We have stood by too long while Rhea has denounced our power. Soon we will come to a deal with the Kingdom and reclaim what is rightfully ours!" the man preached. After the troops finished cheering the man continued. "Even by holding our position now we are showing the weakness of the Meritocracy cretins who threaten everything we know. We are proving ourselves to the king."
"These fools really are just blindly following aren't they. I bet they don't even know their leaders true motives." Hukai sighed. "And I don't particularly care for his prejudices against our country."
Maira also thought that the man was vulgar. She didn't understand how he could harbor so much hate for other people. He was supposed to be a man of the goddess. A goddess who loved all people.
"I am going to have my troops lock the building down so none of them can escape. Hopefully, we won't have to kill all of these soldiers, as long as we capture the leader we should be able to subdue the rest peacefully. Get your students ready and I will join you shortly with some reinforcements."
Maira nodded and the two split up to get their people ready.
The students and their professor emerged from the tunnels and snuck behind two rows of pews in the back.
"I know this is some of your guys' first time fighting to kill. Be careful everyone!" Finn whispered.
"Making children fight! I hope your dad knows what he is doing." Sothis said to Maira. "I will give to you the same powers I once gave to him. The power over time. This power is limited though so you must not rely on it."
It was time to emerge from behind the pews. By now they knew that Hukai had surrounded the building and the class stood up ready for battle.
"Sorry to cut your speech short but we are here to put an end to this." Finn yelled.
"Meritocracy troops! My subjects, it is on you to defend me from these cretins." the man screamed.
"At least he has some consistency with his insults." Finn muttered. "Everyone stay safe, stay close, and stay vigilant."
Their odds were not great. They were outnumbered quite a bit and had formed a wall separating Maira and her students from the main man. But Maira was being smart. Right now it wasn't about breaking through. She had her magic and bow units keeping the soldiers from rushing them to stall until Hukai could break in behind their lines and start a two pronged assault. Stalling was difficult with the mages in the back constantly healing the soldiers. When a soldier was feeling brave enough they would rush forward but Olaga, Maira, and Keola would take them out before they could get to the more fragile classmates. All in all, the class was actually holding the lines quite well. The only problem was that the magic was starting to run out and everyone's weapons were starting to become really worn down.
"Professor, I don't know how much longer we can hold down the fort here. I'm feeling kinda worn down." Malosi said after blasting another enemy with Miasma Δ.
"Fiafia, when is your boyfriend going to save us!" Fetu exclaimed.
"Ew! Gross, he is NOT my boyfriend!" Fiafia exclaimed while healing Keola's wounds.
"The question still stands." Finn stated. "When is Hukai getting here? We could really use the extra offensive power."
"Did someone say my name?" Hukai said while entering.
"More troops. Father! Save us!" One of the soldiers yelled.
"Damn! Burn them all down!" the man yelled. The mages were no longer going to heal the troops. Instead they were going on the offensive and attacking.
"Finn!" Keola called. "Let's help Hukai out!"
"I'm with you!" Finn yelled back.
The two of them rushed into the center of the troops where Hukai was coming from behind. Using the brief opening that the three of them had created, the class used it to split the troops up and force them into corners. Atamai and Kai were more focused on holding back the mages with their bows. The fighting was fierce for a few moments but the class was fighting well and they were able to subdue the troops quickly while Atamai and Kai finished up with the mages. Together they advanced on the man in charge and though he put up a surprisingly good fight he went down to a hit from Kai.
"How could we lose?" the man said while clutching his wounds. "You cretins! You took everything from us."
"Hardly." Hukai sighed. "We are just looking out for our own. And you have threatened everything."
"My disciples will keep fighting."
"I hope not. I want to preserve your way of thinking, your customs, your personalized religion. I can make them see some sense. I am going to solve this peacefully. There is no more need for bloodshed." Finn said.
"You fool!" he spat. "Everything is resolved purely through bloodshed. That is how the world works."
"That is a sad way of thinking." Fiafia said.
"Times up." Hukai said. "C'mon guys. Let's talk to the others."
So they left the man there to die. Finn was able to talk down the rest of the troops and resolved things peacefully.
"Followers of the Western Church. Do not be afraid! We do not want to harm you, I can assure you that you are in safe hands. Lay down your weapons and we can peacefully find a way to integrate your religion into the way of the Meritocracy." Finn promised the remaining followers.
"I get you don't like the guy but you have to admit he is pretty selfless. These people are a threat to the way of life he loves so much yet he still wants to integrate them into his society." Penina said to Atamai.
"He is an idealistic fool. I bet my mother will try to negotiate with these people for months only for them to fight again." Atamai countered.
"I think I am a little more convincing than that." Oceania appeared.
"Mother!" Atamai was shocked. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see what the future of the Meritocracy looked like and I have to say I am quite impressed." she smiled. Oceania walked to stand behind Finn. "I understand that you are wary of our people, we came out of nowhere and took this land. But I believe in a dream, the dream that we can all coexist peacefully. In fact that dream belongs to the young man standing beside me. My country doesn't want to fight anymore, and we won't. Just think about joining us."
And with that the Emerald Sharks walked away from the Western Church hoping that they would come to their senses and peacefully join the Meritocracy.