Things were quiet the next morning as the trio worked to process what had happened during the night. At first it was easy to do as they were a mess and the need to clean up outweighed any other priority, but after securing clean clothes – something which Fie especially needed – and taking good long showers, all that was left was for the trio to seek out breakfast. And that was when the awkward tension set in.
For two of them, at least. "Well, I had fun."
"Fie, please." Laura moaned out in dismay. She looked as red as Rean felt.
Of course as was often the case that only served to give the shorter girl walking between them extra incentive to continue. "It's like you were a completely different woman last night..." Shaking her head she turned her attention to him. "Which do you like more? Meek adorable Laura or the powerful aggressive Laura?"
"Fie!"
His traitorous mind couldn't help but recall the spectacle. He had seen traces of Laura's more forceful personality before, but to see it fully in action as she completely dominated Fie...
"Rean!" He couldn't help but flush as the two girls read his mind, one with amusement and the other in embarrassed horror.
Seeing that Fie still looked like she wanted an answer he decided the best course of action was to remain noncommittal. "I uh... I like all of Laura. I'm happy with whatever she wants to do."
"Boring." And yet Fie didn't seem discouraged at all. "So how about you? Never thought you would use your powers like that."
Now that the elephant in the room was brought up the swordsman couldn't help but frown. He had never considered that other emotions beside rage and anger could be a catalyst for his mysterious power, but in hindsight it made sense. It simply required a powerful emotion to overwhelm him.
And the show he was forced to watch most certainly qualified. The sheer lust he felt in the heat of the moment...
He coughed in a feeble attempt to shake away those horny thoughts. "M-Me neither. I guess it's a good thing we found out about it now?" Now that he knew he could try to ensure it never happened again. He was just glad he never lost control fully. Speaking of which... "I-I didn't hurt either of you, did I?"
"Nah. It was fun. Being a little rough is a nice change of pace. Just try and lay off the transformations next time, yeah?"
With one confirmation he turned towards Laura. Despite the awkward atmosphere his fellow noble only smiled gently. "You could never hurt us, Rean."
Laura's words triggered a memory. Most of the events of the previous night were a lusty haze in his mind, but one thing stuck out clear as day. When he had lost himself to his power the situation could have become dangerous, but despite being completely helpless before him neither girl showed a hint of fear in their expressions. Maybe they weren't thinking clearly given the erotic situation, but there was no doubt in his mind that they trusted him implicitly, even in such a compromised state.
That simple thought caused his heart to soar.
There weren't many people currently in the cafeteria when they arrived, but even in the sparse room Rean couldn't help but feel something was off. Everyone inside looked so lethargic as they shuffled around to and fro. Conversations were few as people slowly chewed on their food. And when the three of them entered the room all eyes trained on them before glancing away awkwardly.
A glance towards his companions showed an equal level of bewilderment. Without any other idea the three proceeded to grab their food. There were a few tables open, but the one that was currently seating just Emma and Celine called out to them and so that became their destination.
"O-Oh! Um... M-Morning, you three..." A flustered witch greeted nervously.
Like everyone else the young witch seemed especially tired that morning. "Are you alright?" Fie asked straight out.
"M-Me? I'm fine. W-What about you, Rean?"
That was odd. Why was she singling him out? Even Celine had briefly paused in consuming a large fish to stare at him. "Huh? Yeah, I'm-"
Oh. Oh no.
The weird looks. The concern. The exhaustion. All of it clicked into place in that moment. The noble swordsman found himself unable to speak as horror and humiliation threatened to consume him.
Fie must have figured it out at about the same time as he did as her head crashed into the table before releasing a miserable groan. "Well.. damn." Unlike him she was still capable of coherent speech, but even the former jaeger could feel shame.
"H-Huh? W-What's going on? Why are you-" Laura's innocence was a sight to behold for the few blissful seconds it took for her to follow suit in realization. Were the circumstances not so dire Rean would have found amusement in the way she froze before slowly reddening to the point where her face was as radiant as any of her signature attacks. He was actually starting to worry that she might faint from sheer embarrassment.
Right now he was desperate for a distraction. Anything to get his focus off the looks being directed his way and the shame coursing through his veins. He glanced towards the door-
And was surprised when Towa burst through. At first he thought Aidios had answered his prayers, but upon witnessing the flustered and panicked state of the second year he felt a pit forming in his stomach. "I-It's terrible! We got an emergency report in from the Twin Dragons Bridge. I-It's Celdic! Celdic was set on fire! By the Kreuzen Provincial Army!"
And just like that all thoughts about the previous night fled his mind. It was all he could do to croak out an order to fly the Courageous towards the town, something which Towa had already taken the initiative to do. A glance around showed that everyone else was slowly beginning to stir into activity.
It was time for Thors to witness the true cost of war.
Fie was no stranger to war. Nor was she unfamiliar with the senseless violence that resulted of it. But as the young girl walked through the shattered remains of the once bustling market town she realized that for the first time she was feeling actual grief as she gazed upon the devastation with her own two eyes.
At first Class VII had been together as they worked to figure out what had happened. According to General Craig and Captain Claire the Kreuzen Provincial Army had engaged the 4th Armored in battle before a small detachment of Northern Jaegers and Panzer Soldats broke away in the confusion and made their way to the defenseless town in an act of terror. By the time the government soldiers were able to repulse the attack the damage had already been done.
And what damage it had been. Northern Jaegers were nothing if not efficient. Many of the buildings had been razed to the ground, and Celdic's pride and joy – the market square – was a pile of rubble.
But buildings could be rebuilt and stalls could be restocked. That could not be said about the actual casualties. In a way Celdic was fortunate – most of the injured would recover and the death toll was far below what one might expect from such an attack.
Unfortunately for the shattered community that one fatality happened to be the market manager, Otto.
During her month camping out here Fie hadn't had many opportunities to enjoy the town, but she knew well enough to know that Otto had been a father to the small community. He had also risked his neck to assist them as much as possible during their stay, ensuring they had the supplies needed to continue their mission. She barely knew the man, but would mourn him greatly.
Still, even if she no longer possessed the same level of cold detachment she possessed as a jaeger, the training and instincts were still a part of her. The time for mourning would come later. Right now her priority needed to be with the living. A part of her wanted to go to the church and help out there with the injured, but she knew her limitations. Save for some knowledge of medicinal herbs she would be nothing but a hindrance to Rosine and the others working hard to heal the hurt. Instead she found herself looking towards her friends.
Class VII had split up to take in the carnage for themselves and until Becky returned from seeing her family they weren't going anywhere. The town was small enough that she could see a few of them walking around, but it was one that she couldn't spot that she was most worried about. Still, Fie had a good feeling as to where she was.
As she walked towards her destination she couldn't help but think back to happier times. To think it had only been about a week since they had their impromptu date here. She still kept the silly little memento Rean got for her. To think that wonderful day could be replaced with... this.
She felt a little sick inside.
Her ultimate destination was Celdic's inn. Somehow that building had remained upright through the attack, even if the damage had been extensive. With one final glance towards the stricken town the young student made her way inside.
As expected, her target was sitting by her lonesome at the counter. Any other day and there would be at least three mugs in front of her, but right now it was completely empty. The inn keep was there too, but both women were so out of it that neither noticed her presence.
Something that changed as soon as she took a seat next to the older woman. "Huh? Fie?"
"Sara."
"Why are you here?"
The confusion woman's confusion caused her to roll her eyes. "To see you, duh."
"You're taking time away from your wild sex parties to seduce little old me?! Aww, I'm honored!" Sara made a big show of sighing dramatically. "Sadly, I don't think I swing that way, especially for someone as young as you."
Fie continued to stare blankly at her mentor. She knew very well that her teasing words were simply a coping mechanism. It was definitely something she would have done in Sara's place. "Trust me, I would much rather be with Rean or Laura right now, but here I am."
The teacher opened her mouth to retort, but Fie hurriedly cut her off. "You know what's about to happen, right?"
Sara seemed to understand the seriousness of the topic as she adopted a more somber tone. "You sure that's a good idea? Class VII had already been skirting the limits of their so-called third path as is. Intervening here will-"
The silver-haired jaeger couldn't help but snort in derision. "Think it's a bit late for that. With all the bleeding hearts in our class it's only a matter of time."
"Oh? Trying to act like you aren't one of them?"
She could only shrug, mentally conceding the point. Somehow against all odds she had become one of those bleeding hearts she used to think so little of.
"Hehe." Sara's amusement annoyed her. "You kids would make great bracers."
"Already heard it from Toval." She deadpanned. Best to not give Sara any ideas, especially as the thought did have some merit to it. Her future could wait until after the war and with input from those she cares about most.
Not wanting to lose control of the conversation she looked Sara straight in the eye. "You know we're gonna be going up against the Northern Jaegers soon, right?"
"...Yeah." Her expression didn't change, but there was a flash of something in the older woman's eyes.
"And? You gonna be ready for that?"
"Of course! I knew this was a possibility once I cut my ties with them." Sara answered, but it was far too quickly for Fie's liking.
"Sara..." She warned.
The Purple Lightning groaned upon realizing she wasn't gonna be able to just brush it off. "Ugh! Not sure what you want me to say! No I'm not looking forward to fighting them, but I'm also not gonna let them lay a hand on you or the others. That was how it was for you with Zephyr, right?"
"Dunno. Didn't really have much time to think about it. Xeno was gonna blow Machias up if I didn't move..."
"Hah!" Sara snorted in amusement. "That sounds like the Trap Master, alright." She looked down at her hands, as if willing a mug of beer to appear. When that didn't happen she let out a tired sigh. "It's just... I want to show them that what they're doing isn't right, but I know it won't matter. No matter how loudly I shout or how badly I kick their asses... They won't stop. I understand the desperation that drives them. They love North Ambria as much as I do..."
The older woman let out a miserable sigh. "...They are stuck on their destructive path and nothing I say or do will change that."
"Hmm..." Although the plight of North Ambria was foreign to her, Fie felt she had a good handle on what Sara was talking about. The Northern Jaegers were the lifeblood of that desolate wasteland. That being said... "I think you're wrong."
"Huh?"
She pondered her words carefully. This was definitely a Rean thing. "I'm not saying you'll be able to make them turn a new leaf that quickly, but I think if you try hard enough you might be able to get through to them. It might not be much, but I think you can nudge them onto the right path, at least a little bit..."
The former Zephyr member look away awkwardly. "...You did it for me, after all."
"H-Huh!?" Sara was speechless. Just great.
Fie tried to will away the painful blush forming on her face as she continued in a mumble. "...I don't remember much about those first few days after the Boss died, but I bet I was a wicked brat that whole time. Still, you never gave up on me. When you brought me to Thors you showed me a new way to live."
Mustering all of her courage she was able to stave off the awkwardness enough to look Sara in the eyes, a small smile on her face. "I'm pretty sure you saved my life."
The instructor stared at her for a long few seconds, eyes widened in shock. Until finally... "Bwahahahaha!"
"...Seriously?"
"Hahahahaha! S-Sorry! I-I can't... Hahahaha!" Class VII's annoying teacher looked about ready to fall off her seat. Fie's shove merely helped her along. Yet not even falling to the ground was able to halt her laughter for long. "Hahaha... Ow. I-I'm sorry, but t-that was the most corny thing I have ever heard in my life!"
In a purple flash she was back in her seat. Fie could only stew in anger as the woman took the time to wipe the tears out of her eyes. "Oh my Goddess, that was too funny. Rean really has been rubbing off on you, hasn't he?" She tilted her head in thought. "Although I guess he's done a little more than rub off on you considering what we heard last night?"
She grimaced in annoyance. "...Shut up, Sara."
"Sorry, but it's too damn funny! Since when did that moody pain in the ass girl start being all nice and supportive?!"
"Wouldn't need to if you weren't such a hot mess all the time." Despite the exchange the corner of Sara's lips were curled upwards, and Fie had a suspicion that hers were too. Their relationship might be completely messed up, but it was theirs. It almost reminded her of...
"I didn't mean to overhear..." The innkeeper said as she approached the duo, "but am I right in assuming that you guys are gonna be going after Duke Albarea? If you pull that off I'll make sure you have all the beer you could ever want waiting for you."
Sure the woman was looking at Sara, but... "Is that for me too?"
"Nuh-uh!" The teacher immediately shot her down, wagging a finger in her face annoyingly. "Not until you're twenty."
"Ugh. Lame." In two years both Rean and Laura would be drinking and she would still be stuck on the sidelines. How awful was that?
Amused laughter from the Celdic native drew both their attentions. "Hehe. Sorry, but you two remind me of a pair of bickering siblings. It's cute."
Yeah. That was it. Somehow Sara had become her big sister. Loud, annoying, and useless most of the time, but one that she cared about all the same. And one that she would fight to protect, even from her old life.
"Aww, hear that? She thinks we're like siblings?" With a flash of speed Sara reached over and tousled Fie's hair. "My cute widdle baby sister."
...Never mind. Nobody would ever want someone like Sara as their sibling.
Unbeknownst to Fie, she hadn't been the only one in Celdic working to support a friend in need, as on the other side of the ravaged town Laura found herself doing the same thing. Once the class had separated she had a hunch that Jusis would be in need of a friendly ear, something which was only confirmed further when she found her fellow noble trying to clear a pile of rubble in the market with his bare hands, heedless of his surroundings. "What are you doing?"
Jusis barely glanced at her. "There might be something I can salvage from this stall."
She shook her head, not that her friend could see as he had already returned his focus back to the ruins in front of him. "I doubt it. This stall was selling honey products in glass jars. I doubt there's anything worth salvaging from that."
The blonde noble didn't speak, but he must have heard her words as he began moving towards another ruined stand with single-minded determination. She might have even allowed him to continue, had the sight of crimson not caught her attention. Quickly she caught up to him and grasped hold of his wrist. "Let me go!" He hissed as he tried to yank his arm away.
This time it was she who ignored his words as she turned his hand upward, exposing a bloodied limb covered in cuts. Had he really been so dogged in his actions as to not notice the state of his own body? Fortunately it hadn't yet reached the point where it couldn't be healed with arts, but at the rate Jusis was going that wouldn't be long.
Jusis flinched slightly under her accusatory look, but the fire burning inside him would not be quenched so easily. "Let me go." He all but hissed. "I need to help these people."
"Even at your own expense?"
"This is nothing compared to the pain these people went through!"
She would readily admit she had no idea what was going through his head right now. The scene of carnage around her was horrifying, so the knowledge that the one who ordered such an atrocity was his own flesh and blood must have made it all the worse. So even if she couldn't understand his current mindset she could at least understand why he was acting like this.
Still, he was acting irrationally at a crucial moment. "...And what if you hurt yourself to the point where you can no longer hold your blade?"
It was a simple statement, but the way Jusis' eyes widened made it apparent it hit home. She knew deep in her heart that there would soon be a reckoning for Duke Albarea, and the mere idea of him not being able to partake was akin to pouring icy cold water on himself. The young noble staggered back, away from the rubble, but not before punching it in frustration. "...Dammit!"
It was good that he was no longer hurting himself, but it was painfully obvious that the youngest Albarea was still filled with righteous rage and needed to be calmed. "We should go find Elliot or Emma to take a look at your hands. After that I swear that we as Class VII will find a way to bring your-"
"No! I refuse to let any of you get hurt! This is my battle! I'll-"
Whatever else Jusis wanted to say was forever lost as Laura's patience met its end and she did the only thing she could think of in the heat of the moment. She slapped him. Hard.
"Jusis Albarea!" Her father always used her full name whenever she did something wrong. Perfect for right now. "How dare you insinuate that this battle is yours alone! Take a look around you! Do you think the people of Celdic would agree that this fight belongs solely to you?!"
She took a deep breath, which served to calm herself. "I can only imagine how difficult this is for you right now. What your father did is abhorrent and will never be forgiven. But his sins are not yours to bear! You aren't the one responsible for this atrocity!"
The scion of House Albarea stared silently at her as he nursed his face, prompting her to continue. "...If you wish to seek justice for his crimes, then that's fine. But do not sever the bonds you have made to do so. We're your friends, after all. I believe we've already made it clear that our burdens belong to all of us. Let us help you."
With nothing else to say she was left waiting for Jusis to respond. Initially he said nothing, which served to create an awkward silence. Finally, just as the wait was becoming unbearable... "The others are right. You do have freakish strength."
"...Huh?"
"I know I was acting irrationally, but did you really need to hit me that hard?" He groused as he continued to massage his face. "I think one of my teeth is loose now..."
"O-Oh. I-I'm so sorry!" Laura flushed in realization. She hadn't meant to use her full strength like that! "My hand just kinda... slipped?"
Even in her head she knew that was a lame excuse. She really needed to work on her restraint lest the 'freakish strength' label spread away from just Class VII.
Her classmate sighed heavily. "Agonizing pain aside..." The stare he graced her with was none too pleased. "...You're right. Adios I am such a fool. To think I was so selfish as to want to do this alone... Ignoring the fact that I alone lack the means to pull it off, there are so many people that my father has wronged. Rean especially after what he did to Ymir."
The swordswoman smiled in relief at seeing her friend back to normal. "I am sure he and the others would forgive your moment of weakness."
"Everyone except Regnitz perhaps. He would never let me live this down. Promise you won't speak of this matter to him?"
Laura snorted. Of course that was his greatest concern. "My lips are sealed."
Again a silence descended upon the pair, but this one was less awkward. The good mood dimmed as they glanced around and recalled the tragedy they now stood in, causing Jusis to sigh once again. "I... I am unsure what needs to be done." He admitted at last.
"Pardon?"
"I know what my father has done is unforgivable and that he has forfeited all right to be Duke Albarea any longer." His fists clenched and for a moment Laura was concerned he might fly into a rage again, but instead he just sighed tiredly. "And with my brother leading the Noble Alliance... Suddenly my future has become rather murky."
"Ah..." His worry made sense. She had been groomed since an early age to one day succeed her father and be the next Viscountess, but that was not the case for Jusis. To suddenly find himself staring down the position as the next Duke Albarea after spending most of his life being the unwanted second son had to be daunting. "I cannot fathom the task that lay ahead of you, but perhaps I can offer a piece of advice?"
His silent nod prompted her to continue. "It might be painful, but I think you should look around and commit this atrocity to memory. These may very well be your people one day and it will be your responsibility to make things right for them. Right now they are hurting and in need of help. Help that only the lord of this land can provide. So long as that remains your focus I have little doubt that you will do the right thing as Duke. And naturally if you do that you can continue to count on the support of the Arseid Viscounty."
"Ways that I can help these people..." Jusis paused as he adopted a faraway look in his eyes. Laura was certain that he was already considering different plans to that effect. After a few seconds he seemed to snap back into the present as he shook his head. "Perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves. The best way to help these people right now is ensuring Father cannot harm anyone else ever again." He let out a wry smile. "Naturally I will be counting on you and everyone else to ensure we are successful in that endeavor."
"I am glad to hear it. While I consider you to be a good friend, your father is an abhorrent man. I am... looking forward to bringing him to justice." She had trained hard to not allow emotion to cloud her judgment, especially on a battlefield, but right now it was proving to be rather difficult.
She was going to relish using her blade to cut through Helmut Albarea's twisted ambitions.
"Juuuuuuuuusis!"
"What are you doing over here, Albarea?"
In the distance they watched as two of their classmates approached. While Millium was bounding forwards with her usual exuberance Machias contented himself with a leisurely trot. With a smile Laura turned to her fellow noble. "Never forget that even if you do succeed your father as Duke Albarea that you will always be surrounded by friends willing to help shoulder your burdens."
"Are you implying that I am friends with Millium and Regnitz? Perish the thought!"
Unlike his classmates, Rean had elected to depart Celdic shortly after learning the full story of what transpired. While he wasn't entirely sure in what form Class VII's next action would be, he was positive that it would be against Duke Albarea and the Kreuzen provincial army. It would be a daunting task, but one he knew they could pull off.
And his role in that future operation would almost certainly be as the Ashen Awakener. Thus he had returned to the Courageous's hanger to prepare for the battle to come. And this time he had an ace up his sleeve.
Valimar's new weapon would almost assuredly be the catalyst to any change in outcome his next battle would have over the previous one. While at its core it was still the same type of Spiegel short sword he had been using, the edge of the blade was entirely different. George had done a remarkable job applying the chunk of zemurian ore onto the existing weapon, creating something entirely more powerful.
According to Emma and Celine the new edge would be able to channel Valimar's mana better, further enhancing the already sharp blade to even greater heights. With it he was certain he could cut through any soldat that opposed him – even another Goliath type like he had previously fought against. Still, the heart of the blade was still just standard steel so he would need to exercise a little restraint lest it broke again.
In an ideal world they would have had the time to visit the other three Spirit Shrines. With that much ore George would have had no problems constructing him a Valimar-sized tachi that could stand against Crow and Ordine. Sadly, Duke Albarea had forced his hand with his actions.
Despite having only seen Jusis' father a couple times in passing there were few people that Rean currently hated more. Seeing Otto as he rested his final rest was not only a tragedy in itself, but it reminded him of that awful moment when he saw his father lying motionless in a pool of his own blood. Had one of those bullets hit a rege closer to his vitals-
The swordsman felt the familiar bubbling of the dark power that resided within and was forced to take a moment to calm himself. He had already suffered one too many mishaps with that energy, no need to risk any more. The fact he was able to maintain control after bearing witness to the devastation in Celdic was a testament to just how far he had come and he refused to loosen that grip now.
No. In the upcoming battle he would win with skill, not anger. And not only would he win, but he would win on his own terms. These last few days had had enough death in them already. He would not allow another Vulcan to happen.
"This time, I'll be ready. I swear it."
He didn't realize he thought that out loud until he heard the familiar chime of Valimar waking. "I believe you will be, my Awakener. You have grown considerably since you first awakened me. My power – as ever – will be at your disposal."
"Haha. Thanks, Valimar." Despite being a machine he couldn't deny the comforting effect his partner's words had on him. Valimar and the others all believed in him. He would not let them down. "We'll be riding into battle soon. I'll be counting on you."
"Acknowledged."
Finally finished Reverie (I was playing on Abyss so it took me a solid 107 hours for full completion). Amazing game. I had such a blast playing it. Thankfully there were no weird curve balls that will affect what I have planned for my stories, but lots of things to incorporate if (when) I get there.
Time to begin the wait for Kuro!