Part One: Concepts of A New Dawn
Horsebow Moon
Chapter Eight: The Battle of the Six Houses
After the ambush the Emerald Sharks rushed back to Garreg Mach so Maira could be nursed to health. At the same time Atamai informed Byleth of what occurred. Out of concern for his daughter he opted for there not to be a mission this month. Instead he decided he would be bringing back a long standing tradition, the Battle of the Eagle and Lion would be returning. Renamed the Battle of the Six Houses the classes would all be clashing in one huge battle in the ruins of Garreg Mach. Luckily Maira woke from her slumber early in the month so she could train her students. Though first she had to speak with her father and brother.
In the infirmary Wynne was slumped over in his chair. He had been taking care of his sister since she had been brought back to the monastery. Just then Maira began to stir.
"Wynne." she said softly.
Wynne shot up. "Maira! Thank the goddess you are up! Nurse, go get my father. Hurry!"
"Of course sir." The nurse said before bolting over to the Headmaster.
"You sure gave me a scare. Father too! We were all so concerned. When I saw your hair and eye change I knew what happened. The Sword of the Creator awakened something within you, didn't it?" Wynne asked.
"It's not the Sword of the Creator. It is Ultimus. I don't know how I know that I just do. I think that it chose that form for me." Maira said, it was all giving her a headache.
"What do you mean it chose?" Wynne asked.
"I think that the weapon adapts to the user. I think it has its own kind of intelligence. That or Sothis saw that form to be more fitting." Maira directed her last comment toward Sothis.
"It wasn't me. I knew that the weapon was special, but I didn't think it could change its form like that." Sothis explained. "Though I think the user affects it. When your father used it it was part of him. When the first user took it the Sword was crueler. It acted independently, it obeyed him, but it had a mind of its own."
"What is it like now?" Maira asked.
"I think that is up to you. Though you are more expressive than both of them so I believe that the sword will reflect that." Sothis answered.
"Maira!" Byleth cried when he entered the infirmary. "Good you are awake. I was so scared."
"Father!" Maira was surprised by his show of emotion.
"You know my hair also changed color. But that was when Sothis faded." Byleth said.
"He is concerned for me! How cute!" Sothis said happily.
"Sothis is very much still up here." Maira pointed to her head.
"Good. Well when you are ready your students are waiting for you. They are all on edge right now. As for the ambush, we will speak of that after this month." Byleth said. "And Wynne, how will your students beat hers if you are here instead of training them?"
"My students will be fine. Your students don't stand a chance Maira. A pity we can't duke it out with them." Wynne winked before leaving.
"What is he talking about?" Maira asked.
"This month all of the houses will be engaged in a mock battle. The professors will not be participating. You all deserve some rest." Byleth said.
"Are you sure we can't talk about the ambush?" Maira pleaded.
"Yes I am. I will be going to chase a lead this month. I leave you all here so the monastery is a little safer." Byleth explained. "Now I must go. When you are ready, go see your students. Ultimus is already in your room."
"If your father is going to chase a lead then it must be starting to get serious." Sothis said.
"We will be ready." Maira assured herself.
"Professor, I am so glad you are okay!" Fiafia rushed to Maira and gave her a big hug while the rest of the Emerald Sharks gathered.
"Maira Lawe and I are so relieved to hear you are feeling better." Hukai said.
"You sure scared the bejeezus out of these guys for a second there." Lawe added.
"Never do that again. Don't even pretend to do that." Fetu scolded Maira.
"If Fetu is telling you not to act then you know it is serious." Atamai joked.
"It sure was scary, I'll tell you that much." Keola agreed with Fetu.
"We all knew you would pull through though." Malosi said.
"You are truly strong Professor. And seeing you single-handedly take down that golem. It was inspiring." Olaga said with awe.
"Yeah, not even Finn was able to take down a golem by himself." Kai remarked.
"Needless to say it is great to have you back." Finn smiled. "We were all really worried for you. And we are all equally glad that you are back."
"It's good to be back. Though I hear I'm a little late. We have a mock battle to train you all for don't we. Don't think for a second we can settle for anything less than first." Maira smiled.
"Yeah, the Emerald Sharks are going to prove that we are the best house here." Finn smiled. "Let's do this!"
Maira trained her students hard. She wanted to win. She had no intention of losing to Wynne, or the other professors. After she passed out she felt the others saw her as weak, like she couldn't handle Ultimus' power. She wanted to prove all of them wrong by her students coming first in the Battle of the Six Houses. But as they became more powerful she had to remind herself what magic the magic users knew. Finn had access to Fire, Wind, Thunder, and Wai from his Reason progression, and Nosferatu, Seraphim, and Heal from his Faith progression. For Reason Atamai had learned Miasma Δ, Banshee Θ, and Dark Spikes Τ. In Faith he learned Nosferatu and Sagittae. Penina knew the Faith magic Nosferatu and Physic, as well as Reason magic she knew Wind and Cutting Gale. Fetu had the most extensive Faith spell list by far, he knew Heal, Recover, Physic, Nosferatu, and Sagittae. On the Reason side he had only learned Bolganonne. Malosi had learned Nosferatu and Recover for Faith and Fire, Bolganonne, and Whirlpool for Faith. All of them still had a few spells left to learn but they were getting close to their full potential.
And for all of them the combat arms that they were using were starting to ramp up in power. Finn used Fancy Strike, a Staff move that increased power with Charm, Soulsweep, an attack that increases in power with magic, and Air Slice, a combat art effective on flying units. Atamai didn't have many choices, but he used Tempest Lance and Frozen Lance whenever he had to use a lance. Fiafia used Swords and Lances so her combat arts reflected that. Fiafia used Sunder and Haze Slice with her Sword and Knightkneeler with her Lance. Olaga switched between Axes and Gauntlets but primarily used Gauntlets. So when she used Gauntlets she would use Rushing Blow to attack, and if she ever got into a bad spot she would use Healing Focus. For Axes she would usually use Spike. Penina used Soulblade, Windsweep, and Grounder as her Sword combat arts. The only combat arts that Fetu knew were Curved Shot and Schism Shot. And those were only used if he had to use his bow. Keola knew Diamond Axe and Wild Abandon as his Axe combat arts and Vengeance as his Lance combat art. Malosi didn't even know a combat art. Kai used Waning Shot and Encloser for Bow combat arts and Tempest Lance for Lance combat arts. All of them were really coming together.
Maira was roaming the halls late one night when she saw Finn on his own near the pond. He was feeding the fish and appeared to be deep in thought. Maira wondered whether or not she should speak with him, and eventually decided to talk to him.
"What are you doing here all alone?" Maira asked him.
"I was wondering when someone would find me out here." Finn smiled but didn't look up from the pond.
"What are you thinking about?" Maira asked him as she sat down next to him.
"I don't think that you really want to know, Polopeka." Finn sighed.
"Why do you call me Polopeka? Atamai said once that it came from your heritage and that it means Professor, but why call me it?"
"That actually gets to what I was thinking about." Finn said.
"It does?" Maira was confused.
"Yes. Not many know the culture of the Outsiders. It is actually the predominant culture in the Meritocracy. I come from a race of nomads, people of the sea who spent their whole lives restless." Finn talked with some sadness.
"It sounds like they were a very interesting people."
"They were, and still are. It bothers me that the Outsiders are called Outsiders. The race must have a name but it has been lost to time. The nomads that settled here were an offshoot, they had gotten lost and were brought here by Oceania. Then she created the Meritocracy." Finn said.
"What does that have to do with why you call me Polopeka, or what you were thinking about?"
"I call you Polopeka to cling to and promote my culture. For people to ask questions so I can explain the language. It all has to do with the future I want to promote in the Meritocracy." Finn was more passionate now. "I want everyone to understand the culture of the Outsiders, and all the other cultures in the Meritocracy. There are people from the Empire, I want people to know about their customs. There are devout worshippers, I want people to know about that. I want everyone to accept everyone else. And I want the other great powers to do the same."
"Those are noble goals." Maira said. "I hope that one day, I can help you achieve them."
"Really?" Finn asked Maira, looking at her for the first time since she sat next to him.
"Yes, that is what my father wants too. For the Officer's Academy to be a place where people from all over Fodlan gather and accept each other."
"I really appreciate that Polopeka." Finn said seriously. "I trust you."
"Good. Now tell me more about the Outsiders. What were they like?" Maira asked, genuinely interested.
Finn smiled. "Alright, one story. Then I have to go to bed."
Finally it was time for the Battle of the Six Houses. The house leaders all met in the centers, accompanied by their professors for Byleth to explain the rules.
"House leaders. You will be leading your classmates to fight the other houses in these ruins. There will be no maiming or killing of any kind. You may all only use training weapons and your professors and delegates may not assist you. This is for students only. The winner is the last one standing. Now I am off, there is something I must attend to." Byleth announced and then warped away.
"Alright guys. We will be taking our leave now. We will be watching but not intervening." Wynne said as the professors cleared out.
When they were gone the house leaders all looked at each other.
"I hope we all fight fair and honorably. I wish you all the best of luck." Johann said.
"Why do I feel the fair and honorably bit was directed at me. I assure you Johann there are no schemes up my sleeves." Leon defended himself. "Well maybe one."
"Well I definitely have one. Watch out Leon, we are going to prove our superiority." Akemi smirked.
"Pleases Akemi. Don't bluff, all the schemes in the world won't help you win this. My house fully intends to win. Do not forget that." Eliana said.
"I will never let the Scarlet Crows win, or the Emerald Sharks for that matter. Victory will come to the Silver Snakes!" Demeter claimed.
"Demeter your house is mostly brawn with no brains. All of you should watch out, the Emerald Sharks have something to prove." Finn said and then the house leaders all returned to their classmates. When the siren rang, the battle commenced.
"Alright team, from what I've gathered the Silver Snakes are going to target the Scarlet Crows first, then they will be going after us. The Blue Lions will probably defend until near the end of the match and the Golden Deer and Indigo Bison are also going to go at it." Finn relayed what he thought was going to happen to his friends.
"We can't underestimate the Blue Lions then. If they have a full team at the end of the match and we don't we won't last very long." Olaga said.
"Then we should strike at them. They won't be able to handle all of us." Keola suggested.
"But that could mean some of us might have to tap out." Kai countered.
"We could always wait until two groups fighting each other have weakened each other enough that we can take them both out quickly." Atamai said.
"That's good but how do we handle the Blue Lions, we will have expended more energy than them." Malosi countered.
"And even then there are another two groups in play." Fetu added. "We could just play dead and then at the very end attack."
"Playing dead isn't very fun. We should try a head on assault." Fiafia said.
"But attacking from afar and weakening enemies is more safe." Fetu countered.
"We should do all of it." Finn finally said. "Atamai and I will go soften up the Blue Lions. We will keep our distance and make sure we are never in danger. Kai and Malosi you do the same, but throw your attacks at the Golden Deer and Indigo Bison, make sure whatever schemes they cooked up don't work, that will throw them off balance. The rest of you will make a full assault on the Scarlet Crows and Silver Snakes. Though you will wait until they have weakened each other. When you are done, march to Kai and Malosi. Then we will all regroup and make our last stand against the Blue Lions."
"A genius plan. I will open a telepathic link between Finn, Kai and I. That way we always know what is going on." Penina readied Manao and the blade shimmered.
"It worked." Penina said to Kai and Finn.
"This is always really creepy." Kai complained.
"Kai, if things get dicey don't be afraid to retreat. I want you and Malosi around as long as possible." Finn said to him.
"Understood." Kai nodded his head.
Finn clapped his hands and they all split up into their teams and ran off.
Kai and Malosi found their target first. The Golden Deer and Indigo Bison were already locked in combat, and the Golden Deer were winning. They had managed to set up a net around what appeared to be the Indigo Bison's trap. So when Akemi went to activate her trap she was caught instead, as were Mel, Ailen and Karsa. The net also seemed to be blocking any magic from being cast in it.
"The Golden Deer are advancing on them. What should we do?" Kai asked.
"Let's set a trap of our own." Malosi suggested. "When the Golden Deer are engaged in full fighting, shoot the net and bring Akemi and them down on them. The Indigo Bison will surge outwards and do most of the work for us, and we can strike from the shadows."
"That is brilliant. I'm going to set myself up on that rock. Where are you going to be?" Kai asked.
"I'll stay here. Cover me if anyone gets too close and I will make sure no one approaches you."
"Will do. This seems doable." Kai smiled. He rushed to his new position as Malosi watched the action. The Golden Deer were skilled combatants, as were the Indigo Bison, the problem was the Bison were surrounded. Leon was ruthless with the bow. He had better aim and power than Kai. And he seemed calm under pressure. He commanded attention, and his classmates listened to him. When he gave the order the more physical units rushed forward. And it was the perfect opportunity. Kai let his arrow fly and the net came crashing down. The Indigo Bison were disoriented but Kai's barrage of arrows and Malosi's fire magic raining on the Golden Deer gave them time to regroup. Three of the Indigo Bison had already been knocked out. Kai knocked another one out by accident, but was able to knock out two Golden Deer before they started to catch on. When Leon figured out there was a third party he started to scan for where they were. He saw Kai and readied his arrow. But two blasts of fire from Malosi and Leon was knocked away and forced to tap out. The Golden Deer put up their best effort, and brought the Indigo Bison down to two members, Akemi and Linda but ultimately they were the first team out. Kai communicated with Finn and he told them to pull back to help the main attacking team, because they were in trouble.
Eliana and Demeter were scary commanders. They were both strong, intimidating, and smart. Right now Eliana had the upper hand because her team wasn't blinded by Demeter's rage. She kept her cool. Both sides had taken heavy losses, half their teams were gone. That is when the Emerald Sharks charged. In the beginning it worked out. Olaga and Keola picked off the more injured members while Penina and Fiafia worked on attacking the others and Fetu healed. But when Eliana realized they wouldn't win if they fought two sides she ordered the Scarlet Crows to focus on the Emerald Sharks instead of the Silver Snakes. Demeter's side did the same but she still focused on Eliana. Their combined force were a huge problem. Now the Emerald Sharks were outnumbered. They were forced to shift into fighting more defensively, they guarded Fetu as he healed and refused to lose ground. An attack from Otto almost took out Keola but Malosi and Kai arrived right then. They concentrated their arrows and magic on Otto and sent him flying into Claire knocking them both out. With the addition of Kai and Malosi the tides turned. They whittled down the Scarlet Crows and Silver Snakes until only Eliana and Demeter remained. They let them duke it out while Penina and Kai talked to Finn. Finn told them to take them both out then split up. So Malosi and Fetu cast Bolganonne together and the amplified fire magic knocked both house leaders out. Kai, Keola, and Olaga ran off to hunt down Akemi while the rest hurried over to Finn to confront the Blue Lions head on.
The Blue Lions were very good at being defensive. The saving grace of their attack was that Atamai knew Banshee Θ. When he used it the ground beneath them opened to release dark energy so they had to break formation. When they did that Finn would target one person and let loose with all sorts of magic. They played it slow. When the Blue Lions would start to move towards them Finn would cast Wai or Wind to knock them back. They just had to take the hits and try to figure a way out. But once the main attacking force arrived it was over. Finn and Atamai cast so much magic that they couldn't hold their position and the attacks from Penina, Fiafia, Fetu, and Malosi just obliterated them. In a matter of minutes it was over. The Blue Lions couldn't last. When Kai, Keola, and Olaga finally found the remaining Indigo Bison they didn't last either. And with that the Emerald Sharks were declared the victors. Green lights streamed over their heads. All students were called to the center where Maira and the Emerald Sharks stood and were going to give a speech when something happened.
A black mist erupted behind Maira. Maira instinctively brought the Sharks back, away from the geyser. When the geyser stopped there was a man standing there. He was very muscular. He wore armor with no sleeves and he had a tattoo on his right shoulder of the word BETRAYAL. He wore a scarf that covered his face from chin to nose. He had the blackest eyes. Like a starless night. His hair was spiky and brown. He gave an aura of hatred, like he was going to destroy everything.
"Who are you?" Maira demanded, readying Ultimus.
"Those bandits couldn't stop you from retrieving that. A shame. My life would be easier had they killed you there." the man said slowly and cruelly.
"You are the man responsible for those bandits, and the ambush!" Wynne accused him.
"Yes demon spawn. That I am. One of you was supposed to die there. A pity my trap failed." he said sadly.
"My classmates almost died because of you." Finn shouted.
"I do not care about your classmates. What I care about is bringing Garreg Mach Monastery down. And I am sorry I didn't answer your question Maira. My name is Seth. And I hate you." Seth started to cackle. "Now I must take my leave but know I will end the monastery, and I will end the Headmaster with it." With that the mist returned. Maira threw Ultimus but missed. She tried to go backwards with Sothis' power but it wasn't working.
"His magic is counteracting my powers. He is no ordinary human." Sothis explained.
When Byleth returned, he and Maira would have much to discuss.