CHAPTER 13

When the mercenaries and most trustworthy of allies reached Port Toha, Crimea's westernmost port city, Ike noticed that the villagers were going about their daily business, not even worried about King Ashnard's invasion of Crimea. Deputy Commander Titania decided to then stock up on supplies that the group of mercenaries would need for the months-long trip to the great Begnion Empire. Ranulf, who was cloaked up, decided to go along with Titania for the items. Ike then decided to go with Ross, Samantha, and Lorriane to ask questions about Daein invading Crimea and what the townspeople of Port Toha thought.

"So… what are your thoughts on the war? You knew they were coming." Samantha said.

"Yeah." Ross said. "Ever think about fleeing Crimea?"

"Flee? Flee?!" asked the merchant at a shop. "Don't be absurd! As long as we can live a little happiness, we're seemingly not going to care. But if those Gallians invaded us… BLEH! THAT would not be a good sign of life. Those dirty, filthy, stinking sub-humans don't even deserve to live. They are a bad influence. ALL OF THEIR KIND ARE !" This prompted Ike, Samantha, Ross, and Lorriane to leave.

"Wait a minute, I– ugh…" said the merchant.

"Are the townspeople like that, Samantha?" asked Ike.

"To tell you the truth… yes." Samantha said. "I visited this place when I was a young child. I was scared when I saw a laguz of the beast tribe being pushed around like some sort of rock. It was scary, indeed…"

"I see…" said Ike. "It must have been really scary for you then."

Kamaria then showed up with a sword she was not able to use. She then asked Ike if he would take it.

"Um… sure…" Ike said.

"Hey, I'll take it instead." Ross said. "After all, I promise you, when we run into pirates on the sea, we'll need a sword like that to take them out."

"OK!" said Kamaria.

Ranulf later came back with Titania. However, Daein soldiers invaded the port right after they came back.

"We have heard there were some Crimean scumbags around here." said a Daein Sword Knight on horseback. "This port… is closed!"

"Ships will also not be allowed to set sail either! The harbor is also closed!" said a Daein soldier.

"Ridiculous!" said Ranulf.

Soon, a young woman bumped into Ranulf. However, the consequences were coming towards him deeply.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I should really watch where I am going next time!" said the woman.

"Blast! They're gonna get it this time…" Ranulf said.

"Wait a second… EEEEEEEEK! SUB-HUMAN! IT'S A SUB-HUMAN! EVERYONE! COME QUICK! "

"I'd better go." Samantha said. The whole townsfolk then gathered around Ranulf, saying racial slurs in front of him and pushing him around.

" SUB-HUMAN! SUB-HUMAN! SUB-HUMAN! " the townsfolk chanted.

"How dare you come prowling in our town, you monstrous beast!" said an elderly man.

"Yeah! GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE, YOU SUB-HUMAN PIECE OF FILTH! " said an elderly woman. A young couple then started to push Ranulf around. An elderly couple then started to pick up rocks and throw them at Ranulf.

"What the hell is going on here in this town?" asked a merchant selling food. "Sub-human! It's a sub-human!" said the fruit and vegetable-selling merchant as he noticed Ranulf.

" OOOOOOOH! FOOD! Quick, lads! Get the food! Get the food!" shouted an elderly man. Everyone started to grab food from the cart. Ike was getting even more angry.

"What… are they doing?" asked Ross. As he looked towards Samantha, he saw that she started to cry.

"I… I… I will never forgive these people! EVER!" hollered Samantha. " EVER! "

The villagers then started to tie up Ranulf in ropes and throw food at him, including eggs, tomatoes, and one elderly milkman even poured milk all over Ranulf in the hopes of killing him.

" STOP! " Ike hollered. "Get your hands off of him! Leave him alone!"

"And why would some human want to protect some filthy sub-human?!" asked a lady.

"Because this is what we beorc call pure racism towards the laguz!" responded Ike.

"You call them sub-humans in this town, you filth!" said a man.

" EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE HELL UP ALTOGETHER! " Ike hollered.

"Hey, the Crimean royals had sub-human companions, right? So, these are the scumbags that the Daein troops are searching for!" said a man. He later called out for a Daein soldier telling them to kidnap the army Ike was leading.

" ARE YOU PEOPLE THAT INSANE OR SOMETHING?! " asked Ike. "Your king was murdered by Ashnard, and now you are going to cooperate with these scum?!"

"We wanna see you and the sub-human scum die!" said a Port Toha vigilante.

"You are the most unforgivable people I have ever met in my life!" Ike hollered.

"Port Toha really has some rude and unforgiving people…" said Marcia.

"Yeah, really." said Izzy. "Just why don't these people give a damn about the laguz anyways?"

"Don't know," Ross said. "But it traumatizes my sister a lot. She hates racism and racist remarks towards the laguz and beorc and anything racist about laguz and beorc in particular." That was when Ross revealed that he and his siblings grew up in a racist village, filled with all kinds of people who hated the laguz changelings. Everyone was in shock. But Ross then told everyone to drop the subject and focus on the battle they were fighting in.

Later on during the battle, a lance-wielding paladin on horseback went to a house. That house had Greil's killer, the Black Knight, inhabiting the vacant home. He then decided to give out an order: The Black Knight shall not step out until the general has been encountered by the Crimean soldiers. The Black Knight gladly accepted this order.

Then, an army of lance-wielding Wyvern Riders flew into Port Toha, hoping to help out the soldiers that were battling Ike's army. One of those wyvern riders was a young, red-haired girl named Jill Fizzart, daughter of General Shiharim Fizzart, who rode to battle on a green wyvern unlike the other Daein soldiers who all rode black or gray wyverns. Her general was a eyepatch-wearing axe-wielding Wyvern Lord named Haar, who did ride to battle on a black wyvern, like some the other Daein soldiers did. However, in Haar's typical fashion, he was asleep.

"Commander Haar!" shouted Jill Fizzart. "Wake up!"

" Yaaaaaaaaawwwwnn …" Haar said as he yawned. "Wh-wh what happened?"

"A sub-human has been spotted upon these grounds of Crimea." said Jill. "We must kill it!"

"Must not." Haar said. "Let the general take care of everything…"

"Haar, stop it." said Jill. "Battle glory awaits us here in Toha."

"Jill, please. Go fight a soldier or lance a peasant or something." Haar recommended.

"Fine, Haar. Do your own thing then, you sleepyhead!" Jill hollered. Haar later flew away.

"Damn." Ike said. "Reinforcements on wyverns. What do we do now?" he later asked himself.

"I suggest we leave them." Isaac suggested to Ike. "They, like other flying soldiers, are vulnerable to wind magic and bows and arrows. However, them being on dragons makes them vulnerable to thunder magic as well. They do, however, possess great defense with their wyverns and strong spears." Isaac later calculated. "So, let's not mess with them as is."

"I see…" Ike said. "So, we don't provoke them, or they will provoke us… is that what you are saying?"

"Yes." Isaac answered.

Ike later went with Soren to attack the enemy general. When Ike asked questions to the general on the black horse with silver armor, that was when trouble began. The two began fighting until the general was dead.

"Close call right there, huh, Ike?" asked Soren.

"Yeah." Ike said.

"Worthless scum. All these soldiers and they are still having problems?" asked the Black Knight. "I would help, but I shall not."

"AH!" Ike screamed. "It's him!"

"Is that the man who murdered Greil?" asked Ross.

"Yes! Yes!" Ike shouted. "Let's get out of here!" Ike and company later escaped onto the ship where Ranulf and a man named Nasir were waiting for them. The roughly two-month journey to the Begnion Empire was just about to begin.