Part Two: Jade Tides
Great Tree Moon
Chapter Fifteen: A Simple Handshake
With a massive victory over the Vanguard and Congregation everything was shifting in the Meritocracy's favor. The Abyssal Congregation completely surrendered when they learned of their leader's death. Two questions now loomed over Fodlan, what was the Meritocracy going to do with Abyss and how was the Empire going to respond to Edelgard's death? Trouble was also brewing to the south. The Holy Church State had finally taken the Great Bridge of Myrddin and now had a free route to Kingdom territory.
" I would like to congratulate everyone on our victory over the Vanguard." Finn smiled and complimented his friends. "We were able to completely crush the Vanguard and the reinforcements from the Abyssal Congregation."
"I am so grateful that you all put in so much work to reclaim my land." Olaga thanked the council.
"We would never let the Empire take it so easily." Keola assured her.
"Yeah, and we should really be thanking you Olaga. You have been working harder than any of us." Fiafia said cheerfully.
"In any case, I am sure you will be leaving us for a few weeks to get the territory together." Hukai said.
"Yes. I will be back as soon as I can but I am needed there. None of you get into too much trouble while I am out." Olaga told them.
"I will try to keep them all in one piece while you are gone." Malosi winked.
"Actually Malosi, I really just trust Penina and Kai with this. You have a habit of showboating to compete with Keola." Olaga replied.
"Thank you Olaga." Kai gave her a hug.
Malosi's mouth was wide open as he was deeply hurt by Olaga's comment.
"Anyways." Finn called everyone's attention. "We have to talk about everything else that happened after the battle. Atamai, can you give the report on the Empire?"
"Yes. The Empire has sent troops to attack our southern borders but haven't been able to mount a huge force after their loss." Atamai informed them. "Though I can imagine that it is putting stress on the southern Generals."
"It isn't much of a problem. Malosi, Olaga, and I have all synced up and are communally using our troops to hold them off." Penina told Finn.
"I appreciate that Penina. We will send more troops after this meeting, especially to Olaga's territory." Finn told them.
"Is the Empire attacking the Abyssal Congregation?" Kai asked.
"They have sent a few small forces, but the soldiers we have there have easily been able to hold them back." Atamai answered.
"What are we going to do with Abyss?" Fiafia asked. "They surrendered completely but I don't think we have the manpower to actually take full control of them."
"No, we do not." Hukai said. "But I'm sure Finn will make the decision when he speaks to their new president later this week."
"Yes, my mind is not made yet. And I'm sure they are just as anxious to hear what I decide." Finn rubbed his head.
"I think we should take over that land completely. It is better to control them to have them change their minds later." Malosi said.
"They might decide to fight back. And we can't afford to fight that battle." Hukai responded.
"Malosi is right. What is the alternative, to just let them go and not take revenge?" Oceania argued. "The choice is simple."
"Then what? Create new territories for new potential Generals?" Kai asked.
"We would be destroying their way of life. Sure we believe in the Meritocracy's system but they also have something that works for them. We would be completely upending how they work." Keola argued.
What Keola said really resonated with Finn. "Keola is right." Finn said.
"Then we are just going to let them go?" Malosi asked.
"No. I have an idea. When I meet with the president I am going to make a proposal, until then I need some time to think." Finn told them.
"Alright, if you say so." Malosi said.
"We have to believe in Finn." Maira told everyone.
Just then a messenger entered the building. He was dressed in the Kingdom's colors.
"Supreme Leader Finn de Costor, I have a message from His Majesty Johan Blaiddyd." the messenger kneeled.
"The king?" Kai asked. "What could he want?"
"I am intrigued." Finn said. "What is the message?"
"His Majesty asks that you meet with him to discuss a truce. He does not wish to fight anymore." the messenger said.
"Tell Johan to meet me where the Naval Meritocracy, Abyssal Congregation, and Kingdom of Faerghus meet. I will be there." Finn told the messenger. "You should rest here for a night."
"Thank you." the messenger said.
"Send another two messengers to Johan, I want to make sure he gets my message." Finn smiled to himself and chuckled.
"What is it Finn?" Fiafia asked.
"I think our luck is going to change." he said.
"Where is it!?" Oceania shook a soldier completely enraged.
"Oceania!" Maira yelled. "What is going on?"
Oceania's demeanor completely changed. "I was just asking this incompetent soldier what happened to Joyeuse."
"I told her that I don't know." the soldier said with tears in his eyes.
"It is alright. You may go." Maira said gently.
"What did you do that for?" Oceania asked.
"I put Joyeuse in the royal vault. It is safe, okay?" Maira gave Oceania a look.
"Yes, thank you." Oceania said before storming off.
"What is that woman's problem?" Sothis asked.
"I don't know. But I feel like it is important."
"How are you doing?" Wynne asked a tired Eliana.
"Not very well. I finally understood what you were going through when your father died." Eliana responded.
"It is hard to lose a parent. But we must push onward, the threat that the Meritocracy poses is too great." Wynne tried to encourage her.
"I know." Elina nodded. "Instruct the generals to hold out for as long as they can. We are going to start training up as many soldiers as we can to support them and hopefully break through."
"Of course Emperor."
"It is just so sad that Finn fell victim to it all. I thought he could have risen above it." Eliana smiled sadly.
"I thought my sister would rise above it as well. But when the time comes, we have to be ready to put them down, for all of Fodlan." Wynne said gravely.
"Yes, I guess we will. Thank you for sticking by me, my teacher." Elian gave Wynne a hug.
"There is nowhere else I'd rather be." Wynne said.
"This is truly an interesting proposal." Constance, the new president of the Abyssal Congregation said.
"All I ask is that you consider it. It may be our solution to peace. I want to preserve your way of life and culture, and this is the best way to do it." Finn told her.
"I will heavily consider it, though it isn't really my choice. Wonderful as I am, the decision relies on the Congregation voting for it, though I will endorse it." Constance smiled.
"Thank you. If they vote yes, come to where the Kingdom, Meritocracy, and Congregation meet at the end of the month." Finn informed her.
"Why there? The Kingdom doesn't factor into this." Constance was confused.
"Johan has asked to meet with me. He will be there and hopefully this proposal can include all three of us." Finn said while crossing his fingers.
"You are an ambitious young man. And once again you have my apologies for Yuri and Akemi." Constance looked down.
"And you have my condolences." Finn sighed. "Now I am sure you must be on your way."
"Yes I do." Constance looked up. "Good luck Finn."
"Your Holyness, we have intercepted a message between the Meritocracy and the Kingdom, they are planning to meet." an experienced soldier told Demeter.
"Will the King and his father be there?" Demeter asked.
"Yes, they were both requested for the meeting."
"Then we will be there as well. Instruct our army to change course accordingly, if we crush the Kingdom now then taking the Western Church should be significantly easier." Demeter laughed.
"Of course. It shall be done."
"Get ready Johan. We will seize our land from your betraying hands."
"Hey Lawe." Fiafia skipped over to a seated Lawe.
"Hello General Quinas." Lawe stood respectfully.
"Oh you don't have to be so respectful. It is just little old me." Fiafia smiled.
"You are a General, it is improper to call you anything else." Lawe argued.
"You need to have some fun." Fiafia noted. "Now that we hold the Abyssal Congregation, this big mining system is open. I hear it is filled with glittering gems as big as fruit. Do you want to come with me to check it out?"
"How did someone as careless as you become General?" Lawe shouted. "Seriously, you want to leave to go check out some cave?"
"I just wanted you to relax." Fiafia got quiet.
"Relax!" Lawe yelled. "We are at war! It is like you got the position just because you were Finn's classmate."
"I earned this position through my own skill." Fiafia argued.
"What skill?" Lawe asked.
"You are so mean?" Fiafia ran away crying.
"Someone needed to tell her." Lawe assured herself.
"Good, Lawe, there is some trouble and I couldn't find anybody." a soldier started talking to Lawe while she was talking to Maira.
"What is it?" Maira asked.
"The Empire broke through in Abyss. They took over a gem system. The people there are trying to resist but they can barely hold out."
"Would you say that the gems are large?" Lawe said in a very annoyed voice.
"As big as fruit I would say."
"I am going to assume you haven't seen Fiafia in a few days." Lawe turned to Maira.
"No, last I saw she was going to go somewhere." Maira responded.
"She is in the cave system. Gather anyone you can, she might not last much longer." Lawe rushed off.
"Get back! I am General Quinas, you will not advance any farther." Maira and Lawe heard Fiafia's voice echoing through the caves.
"She is somewhere in here." Maira said.
"Yeah. But it is so dark that I can barely see five feet in front of me." Lawe said.
"We have to find her somehow."
"This cave system is pretty large. We should split up and look for her. If you see any Imperial soldiers, take them out." Lawe said.
"Got it. How did you know she was going to be here?" Maira asked while admiring the gemstones in the walls.
"All I will say is that I owe her an apology." Lawe said while taking off on her Wyvern.
There was fierce fighting throughout the cave system. Everyone could hear the clashing of weapons and the dying screams of soldiers but no one could actually see it. All Lawe was focused on was finding Fiafia. If a soldier got in her way she would grab her axe and take pleasure in taking them out quickly with a few attacks. She didn't cast any spells though because she was too worried to focus on them. Finally she did find Fiafia attacking what looked like an enemy commander and three soldiers holding five commoners hostage.
"Look at the mess you've gotten yourself into." Lawe yelled as she summoned a huge blast of demonic insects to attack the soldiers with Swarm Ζ.
"Good, I knew you would be here." Fiafia smiled while pulling her pegasus' wings in and pulling everything tight to avoid a javelin that the commander had thrown. She used the momentum to close the distance and jumped off the pegasus to get really close to the guard. Meanwhile, the soldiers were recovering and Lawe was starting to deal with them. She sent her wyvern to terrorize one soldier while attacking the other two head on. She pressed her hands together and blew out sharply. A spell glyph appeared in front of her and above the two soldiers a spiky dark entity appeared and sent dark energy down on them. The spell, Death Ι took down one soldier but the other was rushing toward her. He punched her in the stomach and started a kick to the head but Lawe brought her large axe up to block the kick. The soldier cut himself on the axe and Lawe swung again, lodging the axe deep in his shoulder. Lawe turned to face the other soldier but her wyvern was currently feasting on his corpse.
Fiafia was having success with the enemy commander. She had disarmed him and was standing over him with her sword at his throat.
"Tell your soldiers to retreat and you don't die here." Fiafia threatened.
"Stay and fight, and we massacre your pathetic forces." Lawe walked over with her wyvern close behind.
"Retreat!" the commander yelled. "All forces pull back!"
"Good choice." Fiafia smiled.
"All Imperial forces have been repelled." Lawe reported to Maira and Fiafia.
"Good, now I have to ask Fiafia, why were you already in combat gear?" Maira asked.
"Well after Lawe yelled at me I went for a swim in my favorite lake and when I heard of trouble here I jumped at the chance to prove myself." Fiafia said shyly.
"Ugh, you put yourself in so much danger General Quinas!" Lawe yelled.
"I just wanted to prove that I was capable of being strong like all of you are!" Fiafia argued.
"Everyone knows you are strong Fiafia. I'm sorry that I questioned that, I was just upset." Lawe explained.
"You think I'm strong?" Fiafia was shocked.
"Yeah, it is rare I see someone of your skill level." Lawe admitted. "It's just that I had tried to become a General and I was denied."
"Oh, I didn't know that Lawe. I'm sorry." Fiafia said.
"It's not your fault. Seeing you fight today I know that you and the rest of the Generals all earned your spots. I am just happy to fight alongside you." Lawe smiled.
"Is that a smile?" Fiafia started to smile.
"Hopefully not the first today. You still have to show me around these caves." Lawe started to laugh.
"Yay! This is going to be so much fun. I already found a gem I am going to take home but you have to get one too." Fiafia started to rant about the caves and Lawe walked away with her laughing. At the end of the day they both came out of the cave with an experience and knowledge gem.
With the end of the month nearing, Finn takes the Emerald Shark Squadron to Ikairo territory to get Olaga before marching north to meet with Johan and, hopefully, Constance where the three nations meet. Unbeknownst to them, history is about to be made, and they are about to be met with another force.
"King Johan, Dimitri, it is good to see you on friendly terms." Finn said respectfully.
"It is good seeing you as well, Supreme Leader Finn." Johan extended his arm for a shake.
Finn shook his hand and then started to ask questions. "Now why have you called us here?"
"We don't want to fight you, Finn. But our people have publicly stated that they want the Western Church to be part of the Kingdom again. If you can cede the Western Church to us then…" Johan was interrupted by Dimitri.
"He isn't going to give us the church." he said while staring at Finn.
"No, I'm not." Finn said. "But I don't want to fight with you either."
"Finn, if you aren't going to give it to us then we have nothing else to speak about." Johan said sadly.
"Do you know why I called you to this particular spot?" Finn asked Johan.
"No, why?"
"Because I have a proposal, and it requires all three of us to be here." Finn pointed to Constance and a small squadron of soldiers as they came to Johan and Finn.
"President Constance?" Johan was very confused. "Why are all three of us needed?"
"I am not sure. I am but a roach compared to you two shining examples of brilliance." a dejected Constance said.
"Can you please explain what is happening here?" Johan was starting to get impatient.
"Today, with President Constance being here, the Naval Meritocracy and Abyssal Congregation are merging. Both nations will retain their systems of leadership and come together in a Fodlan Coalition. The Meritocracy and Abyss will each be given a representative, the Supreme Leader of the Meritocracy and the President of Abyss. Together the leaders will form a council to decide how to act. It is a tight unity designed to bring equality and unity to Fodlan." Finn explained.
"And you want the Kingdom of Faerghus to join?" Dimitri asked.
"Yes. This is more than a military alliance. It is protecting our cultures, land, and ideals while also promoting unity. If you join then the Western Church is not mine or yours, it becomes the property of Fodlan Coalition. It becomes ours. We can create a world where we all exist on the same level and each nation comes together to make decisions." Finn spoke passionately.
"What if you are attacked? If you need an immediate response, what are you going to do?" Johan asked.
"Forgive my intrusion on your discussion, but that is a national emergency and will be dealt with by a nation. The council can decide to send more aid how much and from who." Constance answered Johan.
"You lose nothing and gain everything. We would have an obligation to protect each other." Finn added.
"This is a big decision my king." Dimitri looked at Johan.
"It is, but it is also a simple decision. If we can unify Fodlan and break down the walls around us then we have to." Johan said and Finn smiled.
"I will pass the papers around, when you sign you are pledging your nation to Fodlan Coalition and the promise of a greater future." Finn handed the papers to Johan.
"As King I must do what is right for my people. With this signature Fodlan becomes my people, by the strength of the lion and the kings before me I pledge the Kingdom of Faerghus to Fodlan Coalition for the best possible future." Johan signed then gave it to Constance.
"Though I am unfit to even be considered to join such a great unity, I still sign these papers to pledge the Congregation and the President placed at its head to work for the betterment of Fodlan through the Fodlan Coalition." Constance signed and handed the papers to Finn.
"I am the strongest the Naval Meritocracy has to offer, so I stand tall with my peers to make decisions with the best of the best for the unity and beliefs of all in Fodlan. I pledge my obligation to tirelessly seek the best cultural understanding and unity throughout the continent." Finn signed then shook hands with both Johan and Constance.
"Are you sure you only invited two nations to this?" Dimitri asked Finn.
"Yes. Why?" Finn asked.
"Because the Holy Army is marching for us." Dimitri pointed to Demeter leading her force toward their position.
"They must have intercepted a messenger." Maira chimed in.
"Well then, this will be the first battle for the Fodlan Coalition." Finn said. "I hope you all came armed."
Dimitri and Johan both pulled out their lances and Johan got on his horse. Johan's lance was also a relic. All of the lance was made out of the bony material. The head of the lance was a conical shape coming to a very sharp point. Constance summoned a spell glyph and prepared herself while all three armies drew their weapons.
"Charge!" Johan, Finn, and Constance all said in unison before engaging the Holy Army in battle.
To the north Demeter was leading the army with Shamir and Cyril by her side.
"What are our orders?" Shamir asked.
"Focus on the Kingdom, we need to kill the King. If we can do that then the Western Church should be easy." Demeter ordered.
"What of the Congregation and Meritocracy?" Cyril asked.
"If they get in your way then crush them." Demeter said.
Fighting broke out across the field but the true spectacle was at the center where Demeter, Cyril, and Shamir were all going head to head with Finn, Johan and Constance. Demeter's gauntlets, Pata, were made of the same material as Grioavalr and Johan's lance Gungnir. The gauntlets had these long claws coming out of them and they were very dangerous. Johan fought with her as Constance took Shamir and Finn took Cyril.
"I will never give up, this fight is for Lady Demeter." Cyril yelled as he charged towards Finn.
"You should never charge a mage that knows Excalibur when you are on a wyvern or pegasus." Finn chuckled as he summoned a blast of Excalibur causing the wyvern to spin out of control and knock Cyril high into the air before falling and dying on impact.
"That was wonderful, Finn. I don't see how I could ever compare." Constance said while using Fimbulvetr to attack Shamir.
"Constance, cover Johan and Dimitri's retreat. My forces can take care of the Holy Army." Finn told Constance.
"I am not going to leave you here." Johan grunted while narrowly avoiding a lunge from Demeter.
"She is here for you and Dimitri. We can handle this but we also can't lose you, now go!" Finn yelled.
Constance blasted Shamir one last time with Bolting and forced her to escape. "Alright, I don't see how much help I could be but regardless I will go to defend the King."
"Great." Finn pulled out his relic and blasted Demeter away from Johan with Riptide.
"This is not your fight, Finn." Demeter grunted while getting to her feet.
"Actually, as of a few moments ago it is." Finn engaged Demeter directly. Demeter attacked with Pata but Finn knocked her hand away with his staff. He kicked her in the chest and sent her tumbling backwards but it didn't stop her for long. Demeter unleashed her personal combat art Dragon Fang and leaped upwards with dragon wings propelling her upwards as she crashed down on Finn. But Finn attacked her as she was coming down with a blast of Riptide. She was knocked out of the air. He summoned all of his might into Ke Kai and sent a wall of water barreling down on Demeter but she stood her ground. It was too late for her though. Her forces around her were crumbling.
"I won't lose." Demeter said to herself.
"Give up Demeter. You can join the three of us." Finn offered.
"No! That land belongs to the Church and only to us. We will get it, this isn't over. You have only seen part of our forces." Demeter laughed then turned into a small dragon, flying off.
"Where is she going?" Maira asked.
"I knew this was too small of a force. She wanted a fortress before trying to get the Western Church, she is going to get Arianrhod." Finn shook his head.