Part One: Concepts of A New Dawn
Wyvern Moon
Chapter Nine: Monster Hunting
With Byleth currently gone to chase a lead down, the professors of the Officer's Academy work tirelessly to bolster their defenses in case of an attack. When Byleth finally did return he was brought up to speed by Maira and Wynne. He consulted the Council of Six to decide what to do and they agreed not to hand him any more assignments until the issue was resolved.
"What did the Council of Six say?" Wynne asked Byleth when he returned.
"They have agreed to let me use the house to figure out what threat we are dealing with." Byleth explained.
"So we are on our own." Maira inferred.
"Yes, it would appear we are. I do have missions for the houses though. More than I would like to admit. Wynne, you and your students will be departing for Alliance territory. Count Gloucester may know something but he is currently under attack, you will meet with Claude and defend him. He should reveal something." Byleth instructed Wynne.
"Of course Father."
"And Maira, your students are going to the Empire. There are monsters similar to those that you faced with the Royalists running rampant in Hevring territory. From my mission this past month I have uncovered Seth was behind inciting the Royalists. If that is true then there may be a clue there." Byleth told Maira.
"Father, why does Seth want to kill you?" Maira asked.
"I don't know. I have made plenty of enemies and I am willing to bet the answer to that lies in the past." Byleth answered cryptically.
"Until we get those answers we must focus on finding Seth and ending this." Wynne said.
"Yes, you are right. We can not fail." Maira agreed.
"Good. I trust both of you. Now go." Byleth dismissed them.
"What's it going to be this month?" Fetu asked, afraid that Maira would be handing out an impossible assignment.
"You can sound a little excited, Fetu. This is our chance to repay our Headmaster and help defend the Officer's Academy." Fiafia scolded him.
"It is nothing too complicated. We will be moving to Hevring territory to rout monsters suspected of being connected to Seth." Maira explained.
"He has such an evil sounding name." Kai cowered.
"That's for sure. I need a nickname that strikes fear into people's hearts like that." Olaga said.
"When you become General Ikairo I think that will ring scary enough." Atamai commented.
"Ignoring them. Is there anything else we can do to help?" Finn asked. "You saved us multiple times, now it is our turn."
"No. When Lawe and Hukai Hukai will help to guard this place. Lawe will be accompanying us." Maira said.
"The Legendary Lawe." Penina said with awe. "She is a force of nature. One of the first heroes of the Naval Meritocracy."
"I can't wait to see her fight. She invented the class she is. Now it is widespread but her combination of wyvern and dark magic is, well, incredible." Keola agreed.
"If they are sending her then this is serious." Atamai said. "We should train very hard so we are at her level."
Train they did. First they all got a promotion. Finn became a Captain, his first physical class. He rode an apukohai. The mounted ability of aquatics is that they gain extra resistance, but when in water they take no damage from magic attacks. Atamai became a Valkyrie, the movement afforded by the horse and the longer reaching magic made him powerful. Fiafia lost her mount, becoming a Swordmaster. Olaga became a Grappler to focus more on Gauntlets. Penina finally became a Trickster, and when she learned Foul Play she was more than happy to add that to her tool box. Fetu was promoted to a Bishop, he was the big healer of the group. Keola also gained a mount, he became a Wyvern Rider, he took to the air and was powerful with an axe or lance. Malosi became a Warlock and continued his focus on magic. And finally, Kai became a Sniper, his bow prowess increased, he was becoming very strong.
The magic units started to finish off learning spells. Finn learned the last of his Reason spells. He gained access to Ragnarok, Excalibur, Bolting and Ke Kai. The top tier elemental magics of four elements. Atamai learned Hades Ω and Aura. He had no more spells to learn. Penina learned her last Faith spell, Warp, a very useful skill. Fetu was close but still hadn't learned anything. Malosi learned Ragnarok and Silence completing his spell list. They were all set for battle, but before they set out for Hevring territory they had a different battle.
"Malosi, how dare you, you fiend!" Fetu dramatically yelled.
"What?" Malosi was already annoyed.
"How could you not tell me about the grand theaters in Alisi territory?" Fetu sounded truly hurt.
"How can a supposed lover of the stage not know about the Alisi theaters?" Malosi shot back. "And it's not like it matters given the state of them."
"What are you talking about? The stage always matters!" Fetu exclaimed.
"There aren't any shows. The theaters have been overrun with old Royalist forces. My mother has decided not to drive them out because she is a supporter of the Royalists." Malosi sighed.
"This is a TRAGEDY!" Fetu shouted. "We must go at once!"
"Hold up. You want to go rout the Royalists? That my mother supports." Malosi was confused.
"But of course. We must save the stage. The show must go on." Fetu shouted while rushing out.
"That's not good. I better go warn the professor. Fetu is going to get himself killed." Malosi sighed. "Actors, why do they have to be so dramatic?"
"I don't see Fetu." Maira told Malosi when they arrived at the theaters.
"There. He got himself kidnapped by the Royalists. And is that my mom?" Malosi's eyes widened. "This is bad. She is colluding with the enemy."
"We can save Fetu and defeat them." Maira assured him.
"Alright. We can't let any escape. That means we need to lock them in the theaters before they realize what is happening. That way we can deal with them later." Malosi said.
"Got it. Finn and the rest will do that. You and I will get to Fetu and defeat your mom." Maira said.
"I guess there is no choice. Today I will become the General." Malosi shook his head.
Finn and his team worked as fast as they could. They dashed to make sure all of the doors to the theaters were closed, but it wasn't easy because there were two per each theater. And since there were six theaters it meant they needed one person to hold each door. Easier said than done. Regardless they started by having Penina Warp Atamai as far as possible. That way he could ride to the first door and keep it closed. Though he would have to really use his magic to keep his enemies away from him. Kai and Finn both went to the nearest theater and closed the doors. Holding them was slightly easier because they both had the range with either magic or arrows to help the other out. Fiafia and Olaga both started to head to the middle theater while Keola flew outwards to start attacking enemies before they could alert the people in the theaters. When Olaga reached her door Penina used Foul Play to switch positions. Now Olaga was in the perfect place to get to the door near Atamai. Penina was also perfectly placed because now she was guarding one of the doors. Fiafia also got to the last door and all of the units were in position. Keola flew high and shouted at Maira and Malosi.
"We are all in position. Take out the leader."
Before they did that they first freed Fetu. Maira rushed the guard directly next to him. With the power of Ultimus he didn't even stand a chance. Meanwhile, Malosi freed Fetu from his bonds and gave him a look. They were definitely going to talk about this later. When a guard approached them Malosi closed his eyes and chanted. The ground around the guard erupted in fire. The explosion was so powerful it shot scorched earth twenty feet into the air. It was more than enough to take care of the guard.
"I'll hold them off." Maira said, facing down an entire squadron of heavily armored Royalists. "Go take down your mom."
Fetu and Malosi rushed away, eventually they confronted General Alisi. She was a powerful mage in her own right. But to prevent her from striking them down with magic Malosi quickly cast Silence, preventing her from casting any magic. Instead she drew her sword.
"Malosi! You dare raise your hand against your own mother?" she bellowed.
"I do. I challenge you for your mark!" Malosi yelled.
As she charged him Malosi and Fetu both readied themselves. Fetu cast Sagittae to try to slow her down. But it was no use. She was still barreling towards Malosi. When she swung her sword down on him he blasted fire at it, stopping the swing. Instead of pulling out a weapon he countered every strike with Fire. Fetu kept using Physic to heal Malosi's growing wounds. But Malosi's strategy was working, the blade was heating up. When the blade was bright red Malosi dodged an attack and used Whirlpool, sending a blast of cool water right at the sword. This cooled the sword down too fast it shattered. General Alisi was now weaponless and still unable to cast any spells. Fetu cast Sagittae, knocking the General to the ground. Before she could plead, Malosi cast Ragnarok once more. The intense explosion disintegrated the former General, leaving nothing but ashes and a purple coral wand behind.
"Sorry Mom. You were bad for the Meritocracy." Malosi said, picking up the staff.
"I'm sorry about your mom." Fetu said to Malosi after the battle.
"I appreciate it. It was hard but it is the right thing to do. My family, my responsibility. This was my burden to bear and my territory to claim." Malosi said.
"And the wand?" Maira asked.
"My mother's mark. Pu'uwai, it means Heart." Malosi said.
"Shouldn't the wand, which embraces magic, be the mind?" Fetu asked.
"That is part of its story. Two wands were made at the same time. But only one could have the pearl that gives it power. One wand was made very thoughtfully, every detail was planned, while the other was made through instinct, through the heart. When you cast a spell you have to anchor your emotions, so the one made with the heart, this one, was the one that was given the pearl while the other wand was destroyed. This wand gives me a better anchor, increasing the strength of my spells and how many times I can cast them." Malosi explained.
"So what are you going to do now?" Maira asked him.
"I will return to the Academy. First I must deliver the Royalists to Oceania, then I will visit my father and allow him to govern in my stead for the time being. I should be back before the mission this month." Malosi told them.
"So I saved the theaters?" Fetu asked.
"Yes you did. You also forced me to confront my mother. I hope once you become a general of a region that occasionally you come down to the theaters. I would love it if you would perform for me sometime." Malosi smiled.
"I would love to!" Fetu smiled. "I knew I made the right decision running off like that."
"Yeah, never do that again!" Maira said disapprovingly.
"I can't save you every time." Malosi laughed.
"All of the houses are acting just as you expected Commander." a man told Seth.
"Wonderful. Have you procured the relic yet?" Seth asked.
"Yes. The plan is in order. By month end you will be inside the monastery." the man confirmed.
"Everything is falling into place. Father, I will have revenge for you." Seth closed his eyes.
"Commander, if you will be in the monastery this month, why not activate the relic and strike immediately?"
"An understandable question." Seth smirked. "There is something I must do, alone. Something I must prepare. Until that is done I can not tip off Byleth or anyone else."
"Truly wise Commander. Is there anything else you require?"
"Yes, gather some forces and start training them. I will send instructions on what to do with them soon enough." Seth said.
"Of course. We shall succeed."
"Yes, I feel that we shall." Seth smiled to himself.
Once they arrived in Hevring territory they made their way to the coast where the monsters were the worst. The beasts were giant wolves. They were monsters of pain, they didn't care for anyone or anything, just how to hurt. There were eleven of them stalking the beaches, one for everyone.
"This should be simple." Maira stated.
"Yes, each person is to take down one beast. By now you should be strong enough to do it." Lawe added.
"Why couldn't there be a good strategy, this is so boring and simple." Penina complained.
"Sometimes it's better not to overthink." Keola said. "We just need to take care of this and try to see if there are any clues."
"Exactly, keep your eyes out to see if you can spot any odd details." Finn instructed.
"And stay safe." Maira finished the meeting with that. Everybody separated to face a monster.
Kai did better than he expected. He situated himself in a high tree and waited for his beast to come close. When it did he started his attack. He used 'Uhane and quickly shot two arrows. As if it was magic, two arrows protruded from the beast's eyes. It started to thrash and knocked down the tree Kai was sitting in. Kai leaped from the tree, shooting arrows into the monster's back as he fell and landed on the beast's back. He switched 'Uhane for a simple steel lance and stabbed the beast in its skull. Just like that, Kai took down the beast.
Malosi appeared directly in front of his beast. He wasn't afraid. Pu'uwai was helping to steel his nerves. When the monster rushed him he leaped into action. He started by casting Fire and aiming for the beast's head. It was a direct hit which forced the beast to change course. While it did Malosi waved his hand and cast Whirlpool. Water erupted from the ground and swirled around the beast, encasing it in water and slowing it down. To finish it off, Malosi really focused, he anchored himself to the staff and let loose Ragnarok. The immense heat of the spell made the monster only able to whimper before he fried.
Keola took an offensive stance. He started with his silver lance. He instructed his wyvern to fly straight towards the beast until the last second where he pulled up, narrowly avoiding the bite of the monster. He then plunged the lance into the monster's back. The pain caused by this made the monster writhe. Keola switched to his axe and flew towards the monster again. This time he swung the axe right into the creature's head, ending the fight.
Fetu was a healer. So the fact he was taking on a monster was incredible to him. He focused on Nosferatu and Sagittae. Nosferatu was useful as a way to regain health while also temporarily blinding the monster. Each time Fetu would run to where the monster didn't see it. Then he would cast Sagittae, the three arrows would always hit directly in the monster's side. After a long back and forth of Nosferatu then Sagittae or Bolganonne Fetu was able to bring down the beast.
Penina also took advantage of Nosferatu. The first time she cast it just to see if the monster would be affected. Then, when she knew it would work, she cast Nosferatu then jumped on the monster's back. Once on top she used Cutting Gale to call wind down on the creature, stopping it from moving. Once she knew the monster would get up she unsheathed Manao and chopped off the monster's head in a single stroke.
Olaga was very impressive. She used her steel gauntlets against the monster. She got very good at dodging the incoming attacks and then punching the wolf creature straight in the face. Each time she punched she not only scared the creature but shocked it. It didn't know how to respond, it didn't understand how one human could be fighting it with their fists. Olaga eventually got on top of the wolf, grabbed the snout, and yanked upwards, this sudden jerk actually killed it. Olaga had defeated the wolf with nothing but her gauntlets.
Fiafia's sword technique was more refined now. She had purpose behind every attack. She knew what she wanted to do in every slash. Right now her purpose was dodging and ducking to avoid all of the attacks coming her way. The wolf was clawing at her but she went through the claws and slid under the wolf's head. With one slash she slit the wolf's throat and managed to escape before it crashed on her.
Atamai had no problem. He taunted the monster with a blast of Miasma Δ and then told his horse to gallop as fast as it could as the monster gave chase. Atamai was able to focus, calling upon the dark forces and used devastating spells. When he cast Dark Spikes Τ it almost killed the monster. Eventually Atamai reached a point where the monster didn't have enough energy to keep moving. Then Atamai unleashed a terrible spell. With Hades Ω he unleashed the souls of the underworld in a frightening upwards spiral ending the monster.
Finn simply walked to the beast. First he summoned Excalibur, unleashing the full force of the wind, then he cast Ragnarok, the force of the flames was only being increased by the roaring winds. Then Bolting, summoning lighting from the sky and striking the wolf. For his last spell Finn released the monster from all of the other spells, then he cast Ke Kai, the full force of water erupted from the spell. Tons of water splashing outward, overwhelming anything in the way. With four spells the beast was dead.
Lawe was impressive to watch. As she soared high she cast Death Ι on the monster as Maira kept it distracted. Maira and Ultimus were doing serious damage though. But before Maira ended it, Lawe did, from the air she summoned a very powerful dark magic spell, Kraken Κ. From the spell a large black tentacle shot out and into the monster's heart. The spell extracted its lifeforce and returned it to Lawe, healing her.
The battle had been won. But there were no clues to be found. Something told Maira that trouble was brewing, and all of this was just a distraction from the main event.