Chapter 12X: To Save a Peddler
The huge party of the two Lycian lords continue to journey further through the night into Caelin's borders in order to quickly make their way to the marquisdom of the one linked to Eliwood's father's disappearance: Lord Darin, marquess of Laus. However, as they were hoping for a smooth travel to their destination, trouble appears again in the night, the worst possible moment to encounter danger.
"G-good sirs! Please save me! I'm getting robbed! And murdered!"
"Murdered?" Lucas muses to himself.
Before the two lords came a civilian out of the darkness, being chased by ruffians as they pursued the civilian.
"Hey I remember you!" Farina exclaims as she rudely points to the cerulean-haired civilian, as he hid behind the pegasus knight.
"Get back here old man! We ain't done with you yet!" a ruffian swordsman appears with his steel sword in hand along with a couple of bandit mercenaries.
"You know this guy, Farina?" Hector asks.
"We bumped into him when I was warning the other village not so long ago with Dorcas and Bartre as Lucas directed. Who could've known karma would get him for being rude to people that he bumped into without sparing a quick apology," Farina explains and teases with a smirk, shaming the worried peddler that is chased by bandits.
"Well whichever the case, this guy needs some help over here, and we are not going to turn a blind eye like villains!" Hector rallies with Wolf Beil ready to fight.
"Yes, I agree," Eliwood follows as he unsheathes his rapier.
"Hmph, you think this is all I got on my sleeve? Let's see how you fare in the dark then, noble britches," the bad-mouthed swordsman taunts as he retreats into the great darkness of the night, accompanied by noisy footsteps and trotting sounds in the dark.
"Great, blindness, again. Matthew!" Lucas calls out as he remembers Matthew's adaptive vision in these types of situations.
"Yes yes, I know what you need," Matthew replies as he stands by Lucas to be his eyes in the dark battlefield.
"Lucas, what's our next move?" Eliwood asks nervously, knowing that they will be fighting in the dark.
Lucas thinks for a little bit, observing the man and the amount of items he is carrying. "I cannot offer much right now, my field of vision is quite limited. And I cannot strategize without seeing my opponent's pieces. But give me some time, just do not stray too far. I am looking at you, Pegasus knight."
"Lucas my friend, may I courteously ask that you lend me your little spyglass to see the surroundings? Trust little ol' me with this one," Matthew requests.
"Just don't lose it, I need that," Lucas replies as he hands it to Matthew to allow his field of vision to broaden with the help of the spyglass and his keen eyesight in blinding situations.
"Stay back, citizen, don't give us a hard time please," Ren pleads to the fidgeting peddler as he readies his lancereaver and his iron sword for battle.
"This won't be an easy fight now," Dorcas replies as he readies his handaxe in a throwing stance.
"Whatever that comes, lemme at 'em! They can't kill me that easily!" Bartre roars with his broad iron axe in hand.
After a while of thinking Lucas responds to the group, "Serra and I will guard the civilian, so that he nor his wares shouldn't be injured or damaged in any way or form. The rest of you, form a protective layer around us. If any of you have the option to retreat, do it. Come here to Serra and she will heal you if necessary. Matthew, harass any archers you see. Riders, swordsmen and armored units, guard the entrance of each bridge. Rebecca, go with Eliwood, since he would most likely go off and do something dumb on his own anyway. Dorcas and Bartre, switch to your handaxes and throw them around. Knights, if you have any javelins, use them!"
"Wait! What about me?" Farina asks in wonder, noticing how she's not called for a position in the battle minutes ago.
"You? You're with me and Serra. Rather not take any chances letting you fly out blind in the dark when they highly likely have archers in their ranks," Lucas replied.
Lucas looks at the merchant and smiles. "Don't you worry sir. We are here to help you. So don't worry, we will protect you if whatever we can."
"Mister tactician sir, I hate to interrupt but I happen to barely spot a village out in the darkness with your little tool here," Matthew replies as he returns the spyglass to Lucas.
"Damn my luck. Save the village, Marcus, once a path is open, harass the soldiers on the way there."
"As you wish," Marcus responded while preparing his handaxe and heater shield for battle.
"Ughh, great," Guy grunts tiredly while wielding his killing edge.
"Hey man, save that for bigger and badder guys. Take this for the meantime," Ren advises as he hands out to Guy his iron sword in mint shape for combat.
"Um, sure, thanks," Guy thanks as he takes and wields the iron sword while keeping his killing edge as his sidearm.
"Don't mention it," Ren smirks as he wields both his killing edge and his lancereaver for battle while reserving the armor-slaying sword for another time.
"Get ready, here they come!" Lucas rallies with the stern warning and his steady emblem lance as the bandits swiftly pop out of the darkness from various sides, converging on two ends of their large party's detectable position.
Like ravenous wolves out for blood, bandits swiftly pop out of the darkness in dirty boots or trotting hooves aiming for the party's frontline defenses from the north and south. On the south, the swordsmen, the pegasus knight and the armored retainer engage against waves of bandits wielding swords, lances and spears that overwhelm their position if not for Rebecca's ranged support and Serra's healing. Whereas for Lucas' side in the north, he is managing well against the horse-riding bandits wielding swords, lances, and bows with his team consisting of a pair of axemen, a formidable paladin, a nimble cavalier, a wary thief, and the two lords under his commands to hold their ground protecting the cowardly civilian
"Let me take care of this!" Hector roars with a great war cry as he blasts his way against two cavaliers off of their mounts and throws a handaxe to decapitate a bandit nomad from afar. Marcus, seeing this as his chance to warn the village, then bolts away on his armored steed while pushing back enemy bandits with his huge heater shield and slashing some along the way with his steel sword as he trots towards the village in time.
"Well, that matter is taken care of, but what about us?!" Matthew deadpans as he dodges and rips off a bandit nomad's carotid artery while clutching a deep wound on his side, standing by as he does his duty.
"We will hold for now. Now retreat to Serra. These pests won't be much of a bother for now. That's an order," Lucas commands as he pulls out his bloodstained emblem lance off of a bandit nomad's corpse, and curses in what is considered vulgar in Bern as he sees that his spear was showing definite signs of damage from overuse.
"T-thanks my friend," Matthew reluctantly replies as he goes back worriedly to the spoiled cleric while clutching his wound.
"Well now! Allow me to save you!" Serra brags with pride as she uses her staff to emit healing magic upon Matthew's injury, slowly sealing it at an instant.
Meanwhile, things are getting heavier on Ren's end, as he was fighting the match of his life.
"Heads up!" Farina calls out to Ren as she twirls and throws a flying javelin towards an archer aiming for Ren.
"Thanks for the save!" Ren replies while slaying a spearman with his battle-worn lancereaver.
"No proble–" Farina, silenced from the sudden pain, was thrown off of her pegasus with a handaxe lodged onto her shattered back, making the horse arch back and making the rider hit the cold earth.
"Farina!" Ren calls out to the bleeding rider while trying to get to her position with Guy taking his place against a couple of brigands. "Let me in on this one!"
"Dammit!" Hector curses as he notices the blue-haired tomboy fall from her winged mount and quickly gets to the crash site. Lucas, having seen Farina fall onto the ground, angrily threw his javelin at the bandit who threw the handaxe, impaling him instantly to the ground.
"Hey! Stay with us! You're gonna be okay! Serra, get over here now!" Hector orders removing her armor before sealing Farina's back injury with some vulnerary ointment as he helps her sit upright until Serra comes.
"Whoa my goodness! You need great attention!" Serra comments with worry as she heals her with healing magic and seals her wound, but not easing the great pain she had. While Hector looked on with worry in his eyes as Lucas pulled his almost broken javelin from the bandit jogged immediately to see the fallen rider and was about to issue the order to retreat.
"Hahahahahaha! Weaklings! Prepare to meet your maker!" The bandit boss yells out as he brandishes his steel sword, making sure that his presence and Lucas's horrible luck well known to the group.
Lucas sighs in annoyance as he twirls a javelin hard and swiftly throws it at the arrogant bandit swordsman, impaling his beating heart to the ground in the process. He walks away but not before muttering. "Don't yell unless you are about to kill me."
Meanwhile the groups surround themselves around Farina, concerned about her wellbeing. After a few minutes of Serra healing Farina, the said pegasus knight winces and groans from the fading pain as Serra patches her up with the assistance of her master Hector. Farina looked around confused, seeing a mark as she was trying to find her pegasus before Hector coughed making her aware that she was near naked from the lack of armor.
"Gosh, thanks big guy–I-I mean, milord," Farina thanked while trying to cover herself and her injury.
"Don't sweat it, it happens sometimes in battle. Don't push yourself when it too much," Hector gallantly assures while holding Wolf Beil over his shoulder, making Farina quickly hide her blush from her brawn-minded master's kindness.
"Hoho, got the hots for the–" Ren teases before getting a punch in the face from the red-faced pegasus knight and gets thrown into the nearby stream from the power that an embarrassed Farina exerted.
"Phew...that...hurt," Ren groans as he spits out spring water and swims out of the stream, left all soggy and wet. "Crud."
"Wouldn't do that if I were you," Guy comments upon Ren's self-made misfortune and laughs along with Matthew as Ren walks around in his drenched clothes. Lucas even laughs softly from chancing upon his sworn brother's misfortune.
"You definitely deserved that," Lucas deadpans with his arms crossed and a content smirk on his face.
"Oh shut up," Ren barks.
"Hey hey, enough already with the pleasantries, now we got to deal with this little man for blocking us in the middle of our journey," Hector reminds before turning to the civilian they've risked their lives to save, scaring him in the process.
"Um, sorry sir about my friend, he is just rough at times," Eliwood assures before nudging Hector in the gut.
"Oh thank you kind man! I am eternally indebted to you!" the cerulean haired-civilian thanked with a deep bow.
"However, from the way I see it, you don't look like any normal civilian at all. Seems suspicious to me," Lucas warily points out with his arms crossed as he examines the civilian's attire and tone of speech.
"How rude! But...I can understand what you are getting at, young man. My name is Merlinus, and I am a travelling merchant of sorts," the civilian answered with pride.
"So what, you got your wares, books, knives and stuff to trade?" Hector deadpans upon noticing the huge backpack that Merlinus carried with him.
"Hector! I'm sorry mister, he sometimes does not look like he cares, but that's just a part of his brash side," Eliwood assures before getting a head smack from his blue-haired brute of a friend. "Who's side are you on?!"
"Well, he is actually not in the wrong. Oh wait! Forgive me for my rudeness, but may I ask for the names of my saviors?" Merlinus courteously asks.
"My name is Eliwood, son of the marquess of Pherae," Eliwood replied.
"I am Hector, brother of Uther, marquess of Ostia," Hector gallantly replies.
"Pherae!? Ostia!? Hohoho! Fortune has truly smiled upon me today! Two lords of the great Lycian Alliance, coming here to my rescue! Oh what joy! Please let me join you!"
"Aaaand, we have a gold digger," Lucas says after the merchant made his remark. "Next thing you will say is that you needed to help us so that your business would be the only one needed for the kingdom."
"Oh but you are wrong my friend!" Merlinus answers back with a bit of passion in his voice. "I am a merchant, specialized in trade and commerce. I was heading towards Lycia and…"
Upon hearing of Lycia, Lucas's face goes from slightly irritated to a certain calm. With a calm and steady voice he asks the merchant. "Why are you heading there? What is your business there?"
"W-well, as I have said, I'm a travelling merchant and I have intended to sell my wares wherever I go. But to be able to meet two noble lords from two great houses of Lycia, oh what joy it is! Please let me join you in your journey! I promise that I shan't be a disappointment in the group!" Merlinus begs towards the two lords and the stoic tactician as he lets out a sigh.
"You know, we could use the assistance of a good manager for any sort of supplies that we might be able to keep along the way, and perhaps ease our load of having to carry excess luggage in the midst of battles. Alright, welcome aboard Merlinus, " Lucas reluctantly permits, expecting great things for the gleeful peddler.
The peddler gasped before rejoicing gleefully before talking with the two lords for his future plans in staying with the group.
"Sir Lucas, I have returned!" Marcus calls out as he gallops back to the group after warning the village while carrying a pouch having the size of a cannonball.
"First, I already said to not address me as sir. Second, what's in the bag?" Lucas blatantly asks after noticing a huge pouch on Marcus' steed.
"Oh this? This is what the village left as a parting gift for us. Inside the bag is 5000 gold coins. We won't need to worry about replenishing our supplies for a while," Marcus assures as he lays the pouch on the ground, shocking Lucas with the weight it has.
"Whoa, okay, Merlinus, your job," Lucas commands, making Merlinus carry the heavy pouch of gold coins for safekeeping as the manager of the group's supplies.
As the group went back to their deployed tents, Lucas had this small gut feeling. He couldn't really describe it but for now he should check up on Farina to make sure that she was doing fine. He removed the bandage he had wrapped around his arm, it was a surprise that it did not fall out during any of the skirmishes that had happened recently. That weird dream he got a year ago, he had gotten no closer into trying to find out who that woman was, or what the thing written on his arm was but no matter where or how they looked, it seemed that no records of a mysterious green haired girl nor his new strange tattoo exist. It was kind of frustrating heading towards a lead where a library would be in but only to find out it didn't exist. His thoughts then drifted to Lyn, and how she was doing in these uncertain times. He was so distracted with his thoughts that he didn't realize he bumped into someone until the said person cried out.
"Hwah!?" the blue-haired tomboy cries as she tries to jab Lucas in the gut from being startled until she sees the stoic tactician and pulls back her fist. " Oh hey! Sorry 'bout that."
"Oh, it's you."
"What ya doing here? Wait, are you perhaps eavesdropping or something? What a pervy side you must have for someone as cold as you are?!" Farina teases with a sly smirk as she chuckles, making Lucas sigh in frustration.
"I could say the same for you, Farina." Lucas deadpans at what the pegasus knight said. "Aren't you supposed to rest?"
"Ah–well….I did rest! But I just wanna take a stroll for a bit! Please don't tell anyone, else my employer will kill me financially!" Farina begs with her hands clasped.
"A stroll when you clearly fell on your back? Interesting indeed." He says making sure that she is ok for duty.
It was then Lucas noticed a small mark on her shoulder, almost as if it were branded on her left exposed shoulder on her deltoid. Farina then notices a similar tattoo on Lucas' forearm as he holds his chin in deep thought from looking at hers as well.
'That mark…' Lucas thought as he was about to say something about it when Farina asked first.
"Cool tattoo you got there! Where'd ya get that!?" she complimented.
"Tattoo?" It was then Lucas remembered that he removed his bandage and immediately tried to hide it before Farina stopped him by grabbing his forearm to look at the said tattoo. Knowing that the pegasus knight would get the wrong idea, he decided to tell her everything he knew.
"Truth be told, I am clueless as to where or how it got on my arm as well. It happened when I was on the verge of death, and I had this strange dream of a weird girl on an ancient throne. Muttered some weird things about being a chosen hero. Next thing I knew, I woke up with it," Lucas explained briefly.
"Oooh, spooky," Farina comments as she shivers playfully like getting goosebumps from the story Lucas tells by his experience, making him roll his eyes.
"Well, guess you had something similar, considering the fact that you were injured badly in that last fight, at least that I suppose," Lucas theorizes while holding his chin. "I am curious about something, were you about to die? At least from what you know?"
"Huh? 'Bout that, I uh–"
"Hey! Farina! Aren't you supposed to be resting!? Why are you out in the ope–" Hector pauses from seeing how he interrupted a conversation between Lucas and Farina, startling the tomboy in the process. "Ummm…"
"We will talk about this at a later time, you should probably leave." Lucas says wrapping his arm at the sight of Hector with the bandage before Hector could see the mark on his forearm before smirking and preparing to leave.
"See you in the morning, at least, if you don't die by your employer." He then leaves the pegasi knight to her fate.
Farina, in response, gulped and mustered her courage as she walked back to her strict, but laidback employer, prepared for what is coming to her.
"I thought I already ordered you to retire for the night after Serra was done monitoring you. Come now, we don't have all night," Hector reprimands before getting into his tent.
As day breaks once more and the team pack up for their next destination, Lucas, Eliwood, and Hector, and their huge army march on to the borders of the militant warlord Darin, the marquess of Laus, in hopes of learning about clues of Eliwood's father's whereabouts.
Chapter END