The Dustbin
Day 51: Progress Report
12th of Guardian Moon, Midnight
A cold splash sprayed across his face. Roused from his lucid slumber, Aelfric lifts his heavy eyelids, only for his waking to be greeted by a group of masked people cloaked in hooded black robes.
"Wakey-wakey," chirped the Rabbit Mask (Bias). "Did wittle mista Cardinal sweep good?"
"Baby-talk aside..." the Skull Mask (Myson) remarked before breaking into a low chuckle, "... gonna be honest, you're fucked, pal."
Aelfric then sighed in reprehension before giving an uninterested look at them. "... What do you clowns want from me?"
"Ah, a few things actually," spoke the Doll Mask (Cleobulus) as she then scattered a parcel's worth of papers and loose texts before him. "... Mind tell me what you're planning with all of this?"
His heart quickened by a few pulses upon realizing that his kidnappers had broken into his vault of confidential text of his own interests revolving around the [Chalice of Beginnings]. "... I'll never tell you," he growled defiantly as he reclaimed his cool. "Whatever you're planning to do with my noble plan to bring back life... even with your worst, I'll never talk."
"Eh... about that," spoke Myson. "... Remember when I said that you're fucked?"
"What? Torture?" sneered the Cardinal. "Reaching for the lowest-hanging fruit from the get-go, aren't you?"
"No no, you have a point," sighed Cleobulus. "Torture is... rather gauche. I prefer more... humane methods."
But just as Aelfric was about to talk back more smack, the Dark Flier then takes her facewear off to reveal a familiar to the Deacon's knowledge.
"... Marquess Cornelia?"
With a chuckle, the Sage's eyes then glow with her custom Geas that allowed her to adopt her role as "Marquess Cornelia Arnim" in the Faerghusian Royal Court and let her net a more than a couple "double agents" within their ranks, including the current Regent himself. Upon locking eyes with her bewitching gaze, Aelfric, despite his innate resistance to all forms of arcane arts, ultimately succumbed to her arcane beguile by sheer force of her magical powers in a matter of moments.
"Now my dear Cardinal..." she commanded the entranced Deacon as she put her mask back on, "... Tell me everything of what the [Chalice of Beginnings] can do, where can it be used, which person are you planning it to use it on, why are you doing so in the first place, and how are you planning to execute it."
Myson lets out a whistle. "... Not gonna lie, but I kinda like her every time she flexes her magical power."
"I'd sooner covert to the Church of Seiros and stuffit with the nearest town drunkard than agree with you of all people..." Bias grumbled as she then began to reluctantly agree with her fellow Sage's statement. "... But, when you're right, you're right."
"Oh ye of little faith..." the cocky Warlock sighed condescendingly as he and the bratty Valkyrie watched their Dark Flier Sage do her work.
On the Way to the Abyss...
"You know, optics-wise, our last incursion wasn't so bad," Karna remarked as he and Topaz, now mutated into a Demonic Beast (still sapient and only now gained appetite for human flesh, which by Dustbin's standards, is a relatively low bar). "No actual casualties, two additional new weapons in the place of our damaged and old weapons, and we got the grail with the power of the Goddess herself within! Granted, a lot of us are not raring to go for another round of bloodshed, but I'd say, despite everything, we came out alright!"
"Some would... disagree," Toapz pointed out as she looked at her new digitigrade legs akin to a falcon's talons. "... Normally, I'm not the kind of person who'd worry about appearances... but even I'm started to be concerned of how others would perceive us solely because of how I look now."
"We'll deal with it when the time comes," shrugged the Professor. "Who knows, maybe Rhea can twist this into her personal PR stunt and use you as a prop and maybe we might get our own classroom or better yet, living space aside from that spare space in the shed."
"Not funny," growled the mutant Hassashin before shrugging. "... Still, will it be okay?"
Karna then brandishes his gifted flintlock pistol that he'd yet to fire today. "If anyone's got an issue with how you are now," he reassured as he reloaded his other pistol, "then they better answer to me."
Topaz smiles at the thought, with an unfamiliar fuzzy feeling welling up in her chest. "... I... appreciate it."
The Professor pats her on her back. "It's my job and choice."
As the two then entered into the vicinities of the Abyss, the whole place was stirred up in panic like a beehive being invaded by a voracious bear. The two blinked stupidly as both stared at the small-scale chaos happening before them.
"... You know," Karna remarked as both he and Topaz saw a pair of vagrants fight over a locked chest amidst the chaos, "... normally, I'd use this chance to let you slip by unnoticed."
Topaz shook her head in disgust as she saw a child cry before her mother, who was currently being beaten bare-handed by another woman. "... I can't bear to watch such pettiness continue."
Karna nods before raising his flintlock into the air before firing it, the shot's ringing forcing everyone to stop what they were doing and divert their attention towards Karna. "... Okay," he remarked as he reloaded his fired pistol, "can someone tell me..." the Professor then cocked back the hammer of his gun before pointing the barrel towards the crowd, "ON WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?"
"... Just who the hell is that-?" a man's question directed towards Topaz and her current bodily state was then cut off by another gunshot coming from Karna, with said shot cracking the ground before his feet, causing him to jump back before falling onto his rump.
"I'M THE ONE ASKING QUESTIONS HERE!" barked Karna as he established control over the situation. "Again. And this time. Use your earholes," he stated calmly as he reloaded his recently-fired gun. "What, the fuck, is going on here?"
Behind the pacified crowd, the Ashen Wolves came running towards both Karna and Topaz. "... Wow," commented Yuri as he and the others in his cadre looked on at the quieted rioters. "In a matter of seconds, you accomplished what took us four a good couple hours."
"Ah, good," Karna then turned his attention towards Yuri. "You there. Mind filling us both in on what had happened while we were gone?"
"Aelfric's been kidnapped," he bluntly answered. "The news got leaked while we were still investigating his disappearance, and we had to put that on hold and to go into crowd control duty."
Both Karna and Topaz then exchange a particular look with each other, something that the Ashen Wolves' leader took note of. "... Alright then, that explains..." he then looked towards one of the men with his pants dropped down to his ankles that was about to straddle a poor woman before himself, "... that. Given how this place ran prior, I kinda forgot that the Abyss was a slum first and a civilized commune second."
"Aelfric was a strict taskmaster, if anything else," Constance commented before sighing. "Little wonder that this place went to hell when our fearless leader is taken."
Topaz then sniffs the air, picking up a semi-familiar scent wafting through the air. "... Tell me," she asked the Ashen Wolves as she walked towards them, causing the miscellaneous bystanders to flee before her path. "... Was everyone asleep when you all first arrived here?"
"Uh, actually yeah," Balthus remarked. "The air smelled real weird but otherwise, we were the same when we first arrived back."
"Professor, it's him again," Topaz pointed out. "Given last month, this all but confirms that they're both in on this."
"Can someone like, tell me what's going on?" Hapi asked before yawning. "... Get the feeling that those two might know something that we don't."
"I'll tell you everything after we get this mess sorted out," growled Karna before shooting a look at the pants-less man and shooting his flintlock towards his direction, the lead ball only grazing off a piece of his ear, causing him to curl up and thrash about in pain. "Yes, that includes the rest of you. So cease your collective delinquency, or I'll happily serve all of your corpses as her dinner."
Everyone then looks at Topaz as she took off her veil and revealed her shark-like teeth behind her lips as she then let out a snarl. Everyone present immediately cleans up their act upon the threat of being eaten alive like livestock.
"... Holy crap," Balthus remarked as both Karna and Topaz walked past the now well-behaved crowd and the Ashen Wolves. "You didn't have to go that far-"
"And I'm gonna stop you right there," Karna then placed his finger onto the Grappler's lips to silence him. "... You saw one of them having their pants down and was about to mount a poor woman barely Constance's age, and I doubt that he tripped and feel over onto her by accident. If not, prove me wrong."
"... I retract what I'd said earlier," the large man relented upon realizing that without Aelfric's gentle touch, it was now Karna's firm hand (and guns) that kept a modicum of order within the now-leaderless Abyss.
"Good boy," Topaz remarked as she put her veil back on. "Now, where are the others?"
As the Ashen Wolves led the two towards the others, Karna then shoots off one final look that spoke the following without himself having to utter a single word.
"Try anything funny, see what happens."
The former rioters got the message and all silently agreed to be on their best behavior from now on. For however long it may hold.
As the two were guided through the Abyss by the Ashen Wolves, the two then took this time to survey their surroundings.
Previously, the Abyss, despite its disheveled and slapped-together appearance, an undertone of order was spotted within the structure of this underground expanse. The people from all possible walks of life, trapped within the borders of Fodlan, the Abyss was their home away from their ancestors' homes, and Aelfric, despite the man's enigmatic nature, was the lynchpin of law that kept this mob together in an orderly fashion.
Now with him gone, the Abyss has become no different from a regular shantytown. There was now no trust between its different inhabitants. Doubt and fear ran through the air like dust scattered about in this stagnant underground society. And while everyone looked relatively calm on the surface, it was all a mere facade. All it took was for one bad disagreement to get out of hand and set this place back ablaze once again.
To the Ashen Wolves, this was their darkest hour. But to Karna and Topaz, it was a typical Tuesday. But unlike prior instances, they acknowledge that the ones in the Abyss weren't as used to dealing with animosity on a daily basis, so of course they're less-equipped to deal with this stressful situation.
"Anyway," Yuri then opened the door leading into a building converted into a temporary field hospital, "here we are."
Both Karna and Topaz entered, greeted by the sight of the rest of the expedition team all situated here, all of them looking various degrees of sullen or downcast. Three in particular, Byron, Selene, and Ashe were all laid on their cots, all three of them bandaged up heavier than the rest and remaining unconscious.
"Good evening losers," Karna greeted rudely and on purpose. "I got the thing-"
"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Dimitri cried out as he stood up from the corner of the floor where he'd sat prior. "... We all got played. While we were away, the enemy took the Abyss' leader and now this refuge is on the verge of collapse!"
"Which one? De buildin' dat we're in or de people?" deadpanned Sorcha as she laid her back against the flat of her new [Adharma].
"Can we like... not talk?" Hilda remarked as she clutched her head in pain. "Today was already a huge bummer... and you're making it worse."
"Eh, I'm peachy," Cyrus shrugged, causing the Goneril girl to flip him off, to which he then drank from his gourd.
"Regardless," Edelgard sighed as she shook her head disappointment, "this whole operation was a complete wash. While we managed to secure the grail, we'd completely disregarded the Abyss being vulnerable to an enemy attack."
"I know," Karna replied as he smiled. "In fact, I was actually counting on the enemy getting the drop on us in the first place."
Everyone present then looked at Karna in complete shock.
"... Come again?" Linhardt remarked.
"Please tell dat me ears aren't working," Sorcha remarked. "... But did I just 'ear dat ye planned all of dis on purpose?"
"Your ears are working, I assure you," Karna replied. "Yes, I knew from the start that Aelfric was their real target all along, and that the enemy was outsourcing us to get the [Chalice of Beginnings]."
Everyone who'd heard such thing widened their eyes in complete bafflement.
"... You've got to be kidding me," Byleth growled.
He knew but he refused to tell us?! Sothis fumed. How irresponsible!
"But why?!" asked Dimitri asked. "Why run such risk?!"
"I know why," Claude remarked. "The Professor is trying to use the enemy's prepared bait meant to lure us and the grail out, only instead to use the latter as our own leverage against the opposition. Saves us the trouble having to actively having to chase them down and put them in a place where they're forced to set down conditions of the final battle rather then allowing them to disappear."
"And for the record, I fought those pricks ever since my first month on the job, starting with the Death Knight. Since then, I now have a good idea on how they operate," Karna revealed. "They strike fast, strike hard, and disappear into the night. Subterfuge and espionage are their greatest assets, but they're not exactly pushovers in active combat either, as evidenced by our last encounter. I'd say let them have what they want before we turn the tables on them at the last moment, for they're not the ones who leave their plans half-finished."
Edelgard then mulls for a moment before picking up what Karna has stated. "... So the infiltration into the Abyss-!"
"They already had their own inside men lying about here," Byleth pointed out. "Must've been the way how the enemy got in so easily. Probably gone with the wind at this point."
"De good ol' switcheroo," Sorcha commented. "Baddies made us think dat dey were afta' de same thin' like we were only to get wat dey really want underneath our noses."
"Question is, who did it? Who was capable of sending the entire underground into a state of slumber?" asked Claude. "Might be just my nose talking, but something about the smell being too clean feels... rather familiar."
"You're not exactly wrong," Topaz acknowledged. "This is definitely Plaguebearer's calling card since his last appearance a few months prior."
Everyone awake sans the Ashen Wolves widen their eyes in surprise of what they've heard.
"... Not him again," growled Byleth as she remembered having to invoke Sothis' Divine Pulse several times to undo the deaths of the students during their approach towards Remire Village.
"Is he with that Death Knight guy?" asked Hapi, to which both Karna and Byleth nod. "... Okay, then that's like... super bad then. The name 'Death Knight'... sounds scary."
"It is, but that's not the point!" Dimitri cried out as he stood up and walked up towards Karna. "Why didn't you tell all of us about your plans in the first place?!"
"There's a saying that 'to fool your enemies, fool your friends'," the Professor explained unflinchingly. "My plan counted on your ignorance, not your compliance, the latter of which the enemy could've easily picked up and relayed-"
"IT IS PRECISELY THAT AMBIGUITY WHY AELFRIC IS TAKEN HOSTAGE IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THE PEOPLE ARE NOW SUFFERING FOR IT!" the Prince pointed out. "IF SOME OF US HAD STAYED THEN-!"
"Then what exactly?" Karna interrupted, still retaining a cool, icy tone in his rhetoric. "Have that armored fuck cave your heads in like overripe melons while those of us stationed as guards are catching Zs?" he addressed the possible outcome to Dimitri's alternative. "... I fought that fucker first, and let me tell you, my guys got lucky with those respirator masks. You guys were on the same fucking boat back then, so who's to say that he didn't get much stronger and smarter, while your outcome had fewer numbers and and even fewer coordination? Think he will nice enough to spare you lot? Bullcrap. The only reason why no one in the Abyss died is because in their eyes, they're not worth killing. While we, the constant thorns on his and his benefactor's side, would've been not as fortunate."
The Prince of Faerghus took a step back at Karna dressing him down in a matter of moments. He tried to look to the others to if they had anything to say in his support, but so far, nothing.
Claude and Byleth looked away, silently agreeing that Karna's words had a point. Edelgard can do nothing but pity him. Hilda was too dumbfounded to say anything. The Ashen Wolves were still deliberating with each other if Karna's words were valid. And the awake members of the Dustbin (Vidar himself was too focused on watching over Byron) were looking at him as if he were human garbage.
Karna smirked at the boy's current look of indignation, still refusing to relent not because of what he'd said, but because he refused to acknowledge that he of all people, a person without any principles and honor, was right. "What's the matter, brat?" he tauntingly remarked. "You plan to punch me for it?"
Everyone goes into a state of alarm upon seeing Karna deliberately provoke the leader of the Blue Lions.
"Uh..." stammered Claude, "... are my ears playing tricks on me, or did he just started picking a fight with Dimitri of all people?!"
"I'll stop em before it gets out of hand," Balthus readied himself.
"Let me help just in case," Byleth reassured.
"Don't," Cyrus interrupted. "Let them have it out onto each other. Better out than in."
As the tension between Karna and Dimitri began to escalate, everyone present instinctively took a step backwards in fear of what would happen next.
"... Please," growled Dimitri, "... don't make me hurt you-"
Karna replies by spitting onto the Prince's face. "Try me, pork chop."
The next second, Dimitri hand was balled into a fist before slugging it towards the hooded Professor as hard as his rage could carry it. However, right before Byleth can wind the clock back with Sothis' Divine Pulse, Karna catches the punch with a single hand, the impact behind the blow being completely nulled.
In reference, Dimitri's punches were recorded having the force of a cannonball shot out of a 10-pounder gun, enough to destroy a solid brick wall. However, Karna made it look as if he simply caught a ball thrown by a mere child.
Everyone, including Dimitri, looked at him in complete shock of what he'd just done, as the hooded Professor smirked even wider. "Oh Dimi..." he chuckled as the Prince tried to pry his fist out of Karna's hand, only for it find it stuck around in his fingers as if they were welded onto his hand like forged iron, "... The Archbishop punches harder."
As Dimitri then saw Karna wind back a punch of his own, he instinctively raised his other arm over his face to block the incoming attack, only for said incoming punch to be a feint, causing Dimitri to keel over as everyone then witnessed the Professor deliver a swift and brutal kick to the Prince's groin, with an audible *crack* sound coming from the Prince's pelvic bones splitting in two.
The end result was Dimitri on the floor, twitching like a fish out of water, both of his eyes rolled back, and foam spilling out of his dry and silent screaming mouth. Every male who'd witnessed this act (sans Karna and Vidar) instinctively clutched their privates in a collective phantom pain.
"Now everyone..." Karna pointed out as he kept kicking the downed Prince, "this is what happens, when people screw with me. If anyone's got issues with how my plans work, then listen up, because I have an insurance."
Edelgard twitches in suppressed rage, but was still willing to listen to his so-called "reason."
"Aelfric's a hostage, yes. But here's the question," Karna began, "if they wanted him dead, do you think they would've, I dunno, killed him in his sleep along with everyone else if bloodshed was their objective, or are they simply spiteful enough to kidnap him first and then kill him later? And if they wanted to know, do you think that they would've only emptied his study of all the research materials and left his dead body in there? There's gotta be a reason why he was also taken."
Yuri picks up what he was implying. "... He's too valuable of a hostage and that the enemy needs someone with firsthand knowledge to translate the notes," he pointed out. "The nature of this operation isn't a guerrilla shock attack but rather a covert extraction, hence they opted to not overburden themselves with the task of wanton slaughter and focus solely on making Aelfric their own."
"Question is, for how long?" Linhardt pointed out. "Valuable or not, that 'insurance' isn't enough to ensure his safety. Even the smartest or the most well-organized of cabals have that one member who's both dumb and spiteful enough to kill him for a quick laugh."
The Ashen Wolves then look at Karna, the latter of which looking unfazed at his claim. "... Are you insinuating that you know something that we don't?" Constance remarked. "Regardless of the enemy's value of Aelfric's expertise, surely he can't hold out forever!"
"Not me," Karna rebuffed, "but rather, Aelfric knows more things that we don't, something that I picked up on during our pre-deployment briefing."
"About what?" Balthus pointed out as Karna then took out the [Chalice of Beginnings], its divine power radiating from its make.
"This thing," Karna answered. "Now normally, an artifact with this much power... would have some rules to use it properly," he stated. "But, when I tried to ask Aelfric about why he needs to have it, all he said was that this thing needs to stay out of the so-called 'wrong hands' and nothing beyond that."
"Come to think of it..." Hapi ruminated, "... yeah, he was kinda being evasive when we tried to ask more about this [Chalice of Beginnings] before this whole clusterfuck happened. Almost like if he doesn't want us to know the full story."
"Sound familiar?" asked Karna, to which people like Byleth and Edelgard immediately thought of the Archbishop, something that the hooded Professor took note of. "Now that's using the good ol' noodle! And if I'm correct, then then enemy is just as clueless as we all are, and will be most likely and only considering offing Aelfric around the tail end of whatever they're planning. And in order to do that, they need us to deliver this grail, preferably without struggle. Hence, I propose the following."
"Which is?" asked Claude.
"Recuperate and then engage the enemy at their beck and call, the latter of which, we let the enemy decide the terms and conditions of our next encounter," said Karna. "Once the time comes, then we fight and kill whatever gets in our way."
"And if not?" Linhardt pointed out.
"There's no 'if not' in this timeline," Karna rebuked. "The enemy is also on the same borrowed time as we are, so don't worry your pretty little head over that little what-if."
"I get it," nodded Claude. "It's a game of Chicken. Whoever blinks first is the loser."
"Sounds good to me," shrugged Hilda. "So now what?"
"Me and the ex-sellsword will tell Rhea about this worsening situation as soon as we file in our progress report," Karna claimed as he then looked towards Byleth, flipping him off. "The rest of you, rest up until the time comes. I'll contact Manuela to make some room in the infirmary for the injured, for there are better places to nap than in the underground. No offense to present company."
"Some taken," Yuri flipped off the hooded Professor.
"Which then leaves you four in charge of this place in the meantime," Karna pointed out. "Surely, Aelfric, being the strict taskmaster that he is, would've had to have some contingency plans in case of his possible absence, right?"
The four then mull before answering. "... Come to think of it, indeed," Constance remarked. "I think the written instructions are somewhere within his study, assuming if the enemy didn't raid all of the bookshelves..."
"We'll go look for it," Balthus remarked. "See you guys when you're ready."
As the Ashen Wolves left to get their reference book, the rest in the interim hospital all stare at each other blankly.
"What about Dimitri?" said Edelgard.
"Eh, let him walk it off," Karna dismissively remarked. "I'm citing that as 'disciplinary measures of him being a prissy little bitch' in the report."
The two Professors then first head out as Cyrus then loaded the wagon with the three unconscious students before placing the burden onto Darius' back. "Don't worry pal," he reassured, "there'll be plenty of fresh grass to graze on once we get out of here."
The group then make their way back up to the surface and were the Abysskeeper was waiting for them.
"Glad to see that you're alright," Karna complimented.
"Not me," the Brigand shook his head in disappointment. "... Can't believe I was caught napping on the job."
"Well, couldn't be helped," shrugged Byleth. "Just do better next time, alright?"
He nods before letting the group through, grumbling to himself slightly upon seeing Cyrus trying to fit the cart carrying the three bedridden students through the gate, the edges bumping into each other as he tried to align them both properly.
"... Want me to help you carry them back up?" asked the Abysskeeper.
"Yes please," Cyrus then carried Byron and Selene over his shoulders with the sentry carrying both Ashe and Dimitri in his arms as they abandoned the cart and walked upstairs.
As the group trudged back to the surface in grim silence, only Karna himself was in a relatively stable mood, something that bothered Byleth.
"... You know, you could've just started out with Aelfric being fine to save everyone the heartache," the Professor pointed out.
Karna blinked stupidly before replaying in an incredulous tone. "... If it came up!"
Post-"Interrogation" of Aelfric...
"So, how did it go?" asked Myson as Cleobulus came out of Aelfric's cage.
"The poor Cardinal is now a drooling mess," the Dark Flier replied with a small sigh. "The Geas was a little too powerful for him. But all of the corresponding information regarding about this [Chalice of Beginnings] has been confirmed by our analysts to be true. I'll be sure to submit our findings by the end of today."
"Thank you," said the Warlock as he then looked into the cell where the Deacon was kept in, the poor bastard now incoherently mumbling to himself while his eyes were glazed over like a dead fish's. "... Geez, I'm getting soft enough to pity you."
The brash Sage then leaves the man locked up by his lonesome while spinning the key ring (for both the cage and anti-magic collar) around his finger.
Upon being alone, Aelfric snaps out of his delirium and catches his bearings. "... That was close," he remarked. "... My acting aside, that woman's hypnotic powers are truly frightening."
He then tried to cast his spells to free himself, but the collar welded around his neck prevented the flow of mana from within his body and expelling themselves outwards. He then tried to struggle his hands free, only to find the bindings rather tight, enough so to feel his hands going numb from the lack of blood circulation.
"Just my freaking luck..." he muttered to himself before accidentally cutting himself on a sharp piece of rock that grazed his hand. "... Was that-?"
He then turns his head back to spot a sharp shard of rock jutting from the wall between his cell's bars.
"... Well what do you know," he smirked to himself as he began making his own plans with said rock.
Elsewhere in the base camp, Bias was talking to Solon over an orb that acted as their long-distance communications device. So we lost two operators and two Crest-adjacent arms during your prior incursion but successfully secured our scholar and his written materials related to our object of interest?
"Yep, confirmed and translated," Myson remarked. "Shame about our losses, but that's war, I suppose."
"And [Hermes] is now completely totaled," pouted the young Valkyrie. "All that time spent and invested into R&D, wasted!"
It did its job, and you made sure to not let such technology fall into enemy hands, said the old Sage. Save for one. But given that it's rudimentary at best, I'd say the potential losses could've been much worse.
"Tell me about it," she whined. "I heard that fighting the Dustbin would result in a complete and utter disaster, but I never thought it'd be that bad! I mean seriously! The whole cavern ruins wasn't a ruins, it was a zoo!"
Solon's projection then looks towards Myson. "... Could've fooled me. All I felt was a lot of rumbling. For a second there, I thought it was Bossman's [Quake Σ] going off nearby."
Welcome to my life, deadpanned Solon. I had to deal with them since their arrival.
"Preach it, old man," agreed the Warlock. "... Getting back on topic, you should know that Cleo's flexing kinda turned the bookworm into a drooling mess. I mean, we got the info, but the poor fucker is one step away from being a vegetable."
And the information? the old Sage asked.
"Cleobulus is writing it down as we speak, and despite everything, I think the guy in the cage will be alright enough to talk tomorrow," said the Warlock. "So yeah, we're cool. Probably."
What of our remaining operators? asked Solon.
"Well, to put it bluntly, not exactly preem," Bias stated. "Kronya's [Kharga] blades are destroyed, but still can be repaired with the time we're given. However, she herself ain't doing too hot now that the gonk that did her in a month back is now more or less, a Demonic Beast with human-like proportions, and still got her monkey-ass kicked. Don't ask me why, but all I heard was that she was the one that ate Periander alive."
"And regarding Anacharsis..." Myson looked to the side as he scratched the back of his head, "... yeah, half of her face got fucked up and her right finger was allegedly bitten off right before her [Geri Beil] was snatched from her and whacked it across her head with its flat. Not to mention, the same bitch that ate up Periander also bit off her wyvern's wing off of his joint right before it shit the bed..." he grumbled to himself, letting the losses mull in his mind. "... At this rate, Conquistador's looking more like a feasible frontline replacement."
Solon lets out a sigh before speaking. ... I'll be sure to send replacement Chrome for tomorrow's shipment. And another wyvern. Unfortunately, it'll have to be completely organic.
"Thanks old man," Myson replied. "We'll be sure to plan out our next attack after us three rack our brains together."
"C-YA," Bias then cut the feed before turning back towards her fellow Sage. "... Seriously? That new kid?"
"It's either that or Plaguebearer," Myson pointed out. "Last I checked, his automaton horse is still going through extensive repair and upgrades after it wiped itself out two months back."
Bias groans in frustration. "Then he's going on foot then. Not like getting past his [Sandman] gas is a picnic. Better to have more meatbags out in the open then a deficit."
"True that," said the Warlock. "... I'll check on the others. You make sure that our things are still in working order, aight?"
"Don't forget, you're feeding that Deacon fuck tomorrow," the bratty Valkyrie pointed out as the two left.
13th of Guardian Moon, Afternoon
"... So I have been told," Rhea grimaced as she looked at the written report while Karna and Byleth were standing before her in the audience chamber.
"You look displeased, given the contents of our report," Karna pointed out. "... Is something bothering you?"
"If you're concerned about the recent destabilization of the Abyss, I already had Seteth work on it," the Archbishop replied before looking towards Karna. "... It's just that one of you two had physically assaulted a student!"
"Said student that can punch hole clean through brick walls..." Karna scoffed, showing zero shame at what he'd done.
"Normally, I'd fire you for that stunt," Rhea threatened, "but, given that only you would be able to stomach the gall of using both Aelfric and the [Chalice of Beginnings] as leverage against the enemy, I'll consider clemency if you explain yourself."
"Just taking care of a problem that was surely to occur down the road, ma'am," the hooded Professor. "Mr. Alexandre Blaiddyd is clearly hiding some emotional issues that would and will compromise his overall performance in the long run. I had to teach him a lesson of having him leave his feelings at the door and learn to stick to the plan."
"That he had no consent nor knowledge in or of..." Byleth rolled her eyes.
"By nearly ending the royal bloodline?" Rhea raised an eyebrow. "Last I checked, the current King is a Regent."
"Well, can't he just pump out a kid of his own?!" the Professor replied. "Last I checked, Rufus is Lambert's older brother!"
"No, he's impotent," Rhea revealed, much to Byleth surprise, something that the Archbishop gave her a look for. "... Come now, it's practically an open secret. The constant womanizing his him overcompensating for inability to raise his own flag, but's that's besides the point!" she then turned her attention back towards Karna. "You nearly ended the bloodline for a disciplinary measure!"
"Come on, he's tougher than he looks," Karna defended. "The kick I gave him? I literally did to the Death Knight two months back. That caved in his codpiece and ruptured both of his testicles! Suffice to say, the fact that only his pelvic bone broke... I'm both impressed and disturbed."
No one needed to hear that, gagged Sothis.
"Point being, a lesson in pain was required for the dear Prince," Karna stated. "Royalty or not, no one, and I mean, no one, messes, with my plan. I'll do whatever it takes to ensure that my enemies are dealt with in the most efficient, and the most painless way possible. And I don't care how many bodies I have to trample over to get to it. Sound familiar?"
Rhea grounded her teeth behind her lips. "... Cheap bastard."
"I learned from the best," he replied. "Timing is of the essence, Archbishop! Rash decisions equals death!"
"I'll keep that in mind," deadpanned the Archbishop. "... Anything else you would like to bring up?"
"This," Karna then takes out the [Chalice of Beginnings] before them, its holy presence causing both Rhea and Byleth to slightly recoil before it. "This whole mess started when Aelfric told us to find and bring this thing back to him, as since getting my hands on it, I've been thinking; what is he planning to do with this artifact of great power? Surely, he claims that the 'Chalice of Beginnings cannot fall into the wrong hands.' His words, not mine. So tell me, if this thing cannot be destroyed because of the Goddess' powers, then what is this thing capable of that the enemy sent a giant-ass golem that can fly along with their own boots to the ground?"
"Yeah," Byleth grimaced at the thought of coming to agree with Karna of all people. "Aelfric like, didn't explain crap to us of what this grail is capable of. I know that it's powerful, but what is that kind of power meant to be used for?"
"And you better not be pulling any wool over our eyes, Archbishop," Karna explicitly stated. "Lives are at stake, possibly more, if you don't tell us the full story. You lie to us and people die as a result, then blood will be on your hands. My plans, through as they may be, require fine tuning from more context."
Rhea growled at Karna's last statement. "... And why should I rely on your plan of all things to save lives?"
"Because you brute-forcing the issue without my delicate touch, underhanded as it may be, will result in Aelfric getting merked along with countless others, and since this artifact can't be destroyed by conventional means, we better know what this thing can do before the enemy gets the drop on us again. And during that next time, none of my plans will work when the power of the Goddess is in their hands or worse, other parties hear of this thing's power and all hell will break loose. I'll let you decide how you want this situation to end."
The Archbishop, upon even thinking about the Agarthans getting the power of the Goddess in their hands of all places, or the fact that another War of Heroes will break out over the [Chalice of Beginnings] becoming public knowledge, almost retches before ultimately relenting. "... Very well," she then looks around before leading the two elsewhere. "... We must talk elsewhere, lest eavesdroppers get wise."
The three then walk towards Rhea's personal bedchambers, the owner locking the door before moving her dresser in front of it. She then walks to the windows, closes all the blinders, turning the whole room dark. The Archbishop then takes out a sheathed sword before poking the ceiling to check if anything or anyone were sitting on the panels.
"There," Rhea then partially sheathes her sword before striking a piece of flint, its sparks lighting a candle. "... Now there's no one here but us."
The three then sit down around the lit candle as Rhea begins to tell her knowledge about the [Chalice of Beginnings] to the two Professors.
"Both of you, swear to me, as hard as it may seem," she stated. "Whatever is said here, must not be heard beyond the scope of this mission. Understood?"
"Understood," nodded Byleth.
"I'll try my best," Karna remarked. "Given what's worth."
Rhea sighs before started. "As you two already know, the [Chalice of Beginnings] is an artifact that houses the power of the Goddess herself, but how it came to be is yet to be disclosed to the public."
"What? Did she like cast some sort of magic onto it?" asked Byleth.
"Close, but no," Rhea replied. "The artifact started as a mere drinking vessel. That is, until the Goddess' own blood filled its contents as her symbol of self-sacrifice to enrich this land that later became Fodlan, turning a dead, desolate wasteland into a bountiful scene of nature."
Karna whistles. "Well that doesn't sound so bad!" he pointed out. "So why not make that info public?"
Rhea's face then begins to pale. "... It's what people tried to use the Goddess' power of creation with it."
"Oh boy," Byleth remarked.
"The [Chalice of Beginnings]... was used by the Four Apostles," Rhea explained. "Aubin, Noa, Timotheos, and Chevalier, the four of the most pious of worshippers of the Goddess sought to return the Goddess back to these lands after her disappearance-"
"Lie," Karna pointed out. "The informations between the Four Apostles course of action and the objective of the grail correlating to the state of its intended objective of creating life contradict with each other. That just leaves only the state of the Goddess herself. What has driven the Four Apostles to the point where they sought out a life-creating artifact for a higher being that's only disappeared? Are they truly desperate... or is the Goddess truly beyond just mere 'disappear'?"
The Archbishop clicked her teeth in frustration. "... Can't hide anything from you, can I?"
"Only if you say the wrong thing," Karna stared daggers at her through the dimness. "So, what happened to the Goddess? And just for good measure, can you tell us what the Goddess' name is? I know that I'm technically privy to this information, but a lot has happened, so a refresher is needed. That and well, I'm using it as a litmus test to see if you're lying again."
Rhea sighs before clarifying. "The Goddess... Sothis... is dead."
The whole room falls silent as the Church of Seiros' patron figure of worship's corpse.
"Elaborate," Karna glowered.
"... The [Chalice of Beginnings]... is made manifest from the Goddess, Sothis' sacrifice," confessed Rhea. "Her blood, her very soul... has created this world and all of its inhabitants. She's become creation itself. But there are those who seek to resurrect her... so that the Goddess may guide us out of the chaos of this era and into a new age of order..."
"Heard that the War of Heroes wasn't exactly a picnic," commented Karna. "Was it really that bad?"
"It was hell on earth, straight up," answered the Archbishop. "Then came the discovery of the grail by the Four Apostles."
... May be obvious, but I get the feeling that it went horribly wrong, commented the supposed Goddess taking refuge in Byleth's mind. I mean, I'm still here, floating around looking pretty.
"They tried to replicate the Goddess from her body to her very soul with Sothis' own powers within the [Chalice of Beginnings]..." shuddered Rhea. "... What they've unleashed was nothing more than a monster."
"... Oh come on," Karna shook his head in disbelief. "A Demonic Beast?!"
"The very first of its kind," confirmed the Archbishop. "If there was any good that came out of it, it was that the War of Heroes ended because of the Four Apostles' involvement. The remaining Ten Elites after Nemesis' decent into madness fought off the first horde before succumbing to their wounds. After that, the Four Saints rallied the survivors and reduced their populace down to a more manageable level. So goes the first attempt to bring Sothis back into our world. In an effort to resurrect the Goddess, a Devil was born it its stead and has since plagued our lands without end."
Karna mulls for a moment before giving his answer. "... Logical," he replied, much to Rhea's relief. "Although true, I guess fate isn't without irony."
Both Rhea and Byleth raise their eyebrows.
Oh boy, groaned Sothis. I smell a rant incoming.
"The Four Apostles, the most ardent worshippers of the Goddess Sothis, lived by her word and deed since their inauguration, were driven so desperate by the hell known as 'reality'..." he chuckled, "... to the point where they chose to play god rather than suck it up. Granted, I do not envy where they were, nor I feel sympathy for their circumstances, but if the Church of Seiros was built upon this legacy of hypocrisy, then no wonder why you chose to keep this out of the public discourse."
"... Nevertheless," Rhea defended herself, "we worshippers still try and live our lives the best we could-"
"Faerghus has effectively launched a genocide campaign onto both Duscurians and Sreng's various nomad clans in her name," pointed out Karna. "The Leicester Alliance effectively practices slavery under a different, less abhorrent label of 'civilizing' Almyran orphans as a twisted form of irony and indirectly contributing to the cultural genocide for Almyran minority tribes happening near Goneril's borders since time immemorial. And the Adrestian Empire, despite appearances, is nothing but a sinking ship of a nation, lashing out at its neighbors, and while Brigid drew first blood, getting Dagda involved and ultimately turning those two nations into colonies is really just smoke and mirrors hiding behind even more smoke and mirrors that's hiding their internal fragility."
"What are you saying-" Byleth's words were then cut off by Karna shushing her.
"So with that said, I suppose you do have some truth to your words," Karna smiled, the dimness hiding the utter malice behind his serene expression. "The adherents of the Goddess are truly living by her most ardent apostles examples. As fucking hypocrites."
All Rhea could do was look away in shame at the highlighted legacy of hypocrisy.
"But that leaves me with one more question..." Karna asked. "... The names, Aubin, Noa, Timotheos, and Chevalier... and the Ashen Wolves..."
As both Karna and Byleth now stared at Rhea, she reluctantly give them an answer.
"... Yes," she confessed. "I allowed Aelfric to create the Ashen Wolves to protect the direct descendants of the Four Apostles, under undocumented reports and falsifications of their deaths. The Abyss seemed like the best place to hide them among the crowd of vagrants."
"Sans Byron and yours truly," Karna pointed out. "Although in my case, I was kidnapped to another country and sold as a slave, so, yeah... Worked out in the end?"
"Seems like this whole arrangement was one giant logistical disaster in the making," Byleth commented. "Then again, you didn't know or assumed that the [Chalice of Beginnings] was lost forever, right?"
"Imagine what happened to me when Aelfric told me of this a year ago," Rhea stated. "In fact, I was the one who repaired the Altered Golems Marcelle and Simone back to working order for that reason. Seemed like a good idea at the time."
"Next time, add a disabling option," Karna snarked. "But, given how your brain works, I assume that you didn't so that the enemy wouldn't have an instant kill-switch for your security measures. Better to possibly damn everyone then to throw us a bone, amirite?"
"At least you understand, like we all do," nodded Rhea.
As the three then sit in silence in near darkness, a feeling of awkwardness sets in.
"... Well, at least we know what the grail can do," Karna remarked as he put away the divine artifact back into his person. "The power to create life... well it's good thing I'm more of a person that prefers to break things rather than make em. Or make things that break other things faster."
"And why are you a Professor again?" asked Byleth.
"Because I prefer to function in organized society and have a stable roof over my head without having it collapse on top of me," he replied. "That said, I think we can all agree to my plan of using both Aelfric and the grail as leverages in case the enemy tries to get the drop on us. Sound legit?"
Rhea then glowers at Karna. "First, you're apologizing to Dimitri for what you had done to him."
"Kay," Karna nodded without complaint.
"So like," Byleth then looked back at the blocked door, "... can we go now?"
"Ah, right," Rhea then moves the dresser out of the way before unlocking the doors and blowing out the candle. "Remember, don't tell anyone."
Both Professors nod as they leave the Archbishop's bedchambers. As the two of them walked towards the infirmary, Byleth then looked at Karna.
"... You know, I'm the kind of person who judges people by their actions and not by their reputations," she pointed out. "Throughout my months observing you, I'm utterly baffled."
"How so?" Karna asked.
"You... are weird, straight up," Byleth claimed. "One minute, I see a genuinely good person through a facade of a complete curmudgeon. The next second, I see a complete asshole who has no remorse of kicking a puppy because he can. And suddenly after that, I can see a broken man who's lost too much in his life that genuinely wants to die, but also revels in inflicting death onto others... Karna, just what are you really?"
"Easy, I'm all of the above," he bluntly answered. "Being human means that the privilege of feeling, doing, and expressing whatever and however you want. I don't stick to one personality and build myself up from there. I genuinely despise people who cling onto one chapter of their life and make that their hat, hence why I respect Byron but not Dimitri. Both lost everything on their one bad day, but whereas the Prince remained as a boy forever trapped in the burnt-out ruins of Duscur, Byron accepted his lot and adapted, becoming stronger for it. I'm not just jerk with a heart of gold nor am I solely an unrepentant jerkass. I'm all. I'm never one. I accept my life as a series of different chapters of a greater narrative that is my own life."
"Not everyone can," Byleth pointed out. "You don't see me spitting on every weakling I come across."
"I don't," Karna defended. "I only pray that their deaths are quick and painless. See? Even I can be merciful!"
"Proving my point there," groaned the ex-sellsword as she and her colleague stand before the infirmary's doors. "... Look, just don't be a dick, okay?"
"No promises," Karna then opens the door, finding Selene, Byron, Ashe, and Dimitri all laying on their cots. "Hey beautiful people! How you all doing?"
"Used to it," grumbled Byron as he looked at his bandaged stump that was once his left arm. "Manuela said that she'll arrange me a metal prosthetic by the end of this week. Still doesn't change the fact that my magical output is now reduced to half."
"Me head's still throbbin'..." Selene mumbled before gazing towards Ashe. "... Tho methinks dat being saved by dis Knight-wannabe was de only reason why I'm still intact."
Ashe nervously chuckles. "... Well, we both got lucky," the boy's gaze then turns towards Karna, immediately turning hostile. "... I heard what you've done."
"To who?" he replied. "Dimitri or the people involved in my plan? And before you say anything, you come up with a better plan besides 'there should've been a better way'."
The Sniper grimaces before looking away, refusing to acknowledge that he was right, despite the truth being in full support of Karna.
"And as for you," Dimitri twitched upon his voice being directed towards him. "... I'd like to apologize."
The Prince then stupidly looked up towards the hooded Professor. "... Come again?"
"I acted out of line when I physically assaulted you," stated Karna. "But as a Professor, my obligations required that I keep you kids from doing stupid shit spurred by your emotions. But kicking you in the nads was a step too far and I almost ended your bloodline."
"No... it should be I that should apologize," Dimitri bowed his head. "... I just couldn't bear the thought of people suffering from our actions, even if its for the greater good."
"You don't need to apologize-" Ashe was then cut off by Selene shushing him.
"Let them," Byron remarked as he rolled back under his covers. "Those two need to apologize to each other in order to gain an understanding."
Karna sighed at the Prince's own apology. "... You're a good person, there's no doubt about," he pointed out. "But even with the strength to back it up, your heart is basically the same that it was during the Tragedy of Duscur. You're still a brat enslaved to his own trauma. And that, I can understand, but if you won't let go of your prior position... then take heed to the following two things I've learned about life."
... Confusing as always, Sothis shook her head. Either tear him down or build him up. Pick one, dammit!
"First, the truth will never be lost, only that it will take a while to come to your door, and the rate of when it'll arrive is not for you to decide," stated Karna. "The second, is that no matter what kind of hell you may have suffered, there are others suffering much worse, but are either better or worse off for it, so don't consider yourself the center of the fucking universe, because you're not."
Byron raises his hand as an example before withdrawing back into his sheets.
"But you're a brat, meaning that you can still improve," Karna reassured. "Granted, you had the strength to punch down walls if you tried hard enough. And me getting punched by Rhea a lot prior? Yeah, I'm not a fan, but one can't grow up to be a man without taking a few lumps to the head."
"... And to be fair," Dimitri nervously chuckled, "I was acting out of line when I threw my fist at you, a Professor."
"Aw come on, you're a damned Crown Prince of Faerghus!" Karna chuckled before slapping him across his back. "Grow a backbone!"
Byleth then leaves the infirmary, but just as she opened the doors, she spotted Edelgard and Dedue waiting outside.
"... Heard everything?" she remarked.
"No comment," Edelgard replied before immediately leaving.
"His highness is my priority," Dedue remarked with a slight glare. "Position be damned. I will have recompense."
"Congrats then!" Karna cried out from inside the infirmary. "You get to be the Blue Lions' plus one! See you down underground, chump!"
Both Byleth and Sothis are left stunned at this sudden turn of events.
... Again, I can't get a read on that guy, commented the spirit.
... Me too, agreed Byleth. ... Think the Black Eagles and the Golden Deer can each get a plus one?
26th of Guardian Moon, Morning
Almost two weeks had passed, and during the interim time, the following occurred.
The Abyss was now under provisional government collaborated with the Ashen Wolves and Seteth's bureaucratic measures both supported by Aelfric's contingencies. However, the general atmosphere was still uneasy. Several of the inhabitants, while stopped mugging each other, still had the untrusting gazes fixed upon both the Knights of Seiros and each other. Those who refused of this new/temporary arrangement has now fled the Abyss, taking their chances elsewhere rather than under the direct hand of those who indirectly made their lives a living hell on the surface.
Byron had quickly adjusted to using his new left prosthetic arm, even going far as to jury-rig a [Magic Staff] into said prosthetic to allow him to use magic with both of his arms, albeit at a 75% of the original output, and plans to add future improvements in the meantime. As for the rest who were in the infirmary, Dimtiri was able to walk again after his bones healed at an alarmingly fast pace, Selene and Ashe were the last ones to recover, on the account of both of them being near an explosion that could've killed them if it weren't for Ashe's quick thinking. Together, both finished rehab and were released a week into their visit.
As for Karna and Topaz, the two spent most of their time in the Abyss searching through Aelfric's raided study for more clues to both get a better idea on what the enemy is planning and how Karna can supplement his plans to future-proof any incoming deviances. Topaz herself, due to her composition, was now a member of the Abyssian society due to her mutation, and that the Church doesn't need a PR disaster during this time of impending crisis happening below their feet. She herself was okay with this arrangement, save for the fact that now she has to actively resist the urge to eat the people that annoy her. So far, no casualties. Or bodies.
"Come on you son of a bitch..." muttered the hooded Professor as he opened every drawer, chest and hidden compartment found throughout the study. "Surely, that many people couldn't have carried off that many papers during a kidnapping, right?"
"To be fair, everyone was asleep," the little mutant Hassashin pointed out. "That's a generous window of time they provided themselves with."
"I know, but still!" Karna exclaimed before shutting the chest lid. "... Maybe we're looking at this wrong."
"Meaning?" she asked.
"Okay, so pretend like we're the enemy, seeking out the [Chalice of Beginnings]," he stated as he tried to mentally recreate the scene of the crime. "Now, what kind of materials would we be on the lookout for, as related to the grail?"
"All academic text related to said grail," pointed out Topaz. "Research papers, archaic text translations, all sorts of papers and/or texts that Byron would gladly sell his soul to get his hands on."
"Which then leaves one more thing," Karna remarked. "What would they disregard?"
Both Karna and Topaz mull over the possibilities that are related to the [Chalice of Beginnings] that the enemy might completely overlook. "Solely academic..." she muttered to herself. "... What else can be written down that can be related to the grail... that the enemy deemed as unimportant-"
During her mull, Topaz accidentally trips over the chest that Karna had closed prior. "... Ow," she groaned, "how embarrassing."
"Wait a minute," Karna then spotted a small discoloration jutting below the chest. "What the heck is that?!"
The two then move the chest out of its way to find a hidden compartment door. Without hesitation, the two tug on the handle, only for it to be locked, causing Topaz to rip the door out of the ground through its locks and find a bundle wrapped in a linen cloth tied around a hemp cord. She then takes it, unravels the covering, and finds a booklet with most of its pages written in deeply.
"... This is a diary," Topaz remarked as she leafed through the pages, vaguely making out Fodlan text with her incomplete knowledge. "It dates back years... about Jeralt and his wife... named Sitri?"
Then the realization hit both of them like a meteorite fallen from the heavens as they made the connection between the [Chalice of Beginnings] and Aelfric's recently discovered personal motivations. "... Now I understand why he's keeping it hush-hush about the grail," he mumbled as he took the diary and shut the door before placing the chest over it. "... Should've seen it coming, but given how much of a soy-boy he looked, I never thought that the son of a bitch would even think about going through with it!"
"Perhaps further study is required-" then from the corner of her eye, Topaz spotted a glimmer heading towards them. "LOOK OUT!"
She then tackles Karna down as an arrow with a slip of paper tied around its shaft stakes itself right above the Professor's head. "Why me?" he groaned as he retrieved the arrow and read the attached letter, which had the following written:
Bring the [Chalice of Beginnings] located at the deepest level of the Abyss or Aelfric's life shall be forfeit.
You have until the end of this month.
Here's proof that we're serious.
Then another arrow flies into the open window before landing next to where Karna's face with at. Attached to the end of the cord tied around it dangled an adult's severed pinky finger, the blood dripping from where it was cut off from.
"Today's the 26th..." Karna then counts the days up to end of this current month. "... Welp, four more fingers until he loses his entire hand and then his head," he remarked. "We should probably tell the others."
Soon after, the two of them make a request to Seteth and the Abysskeeper to gather the expedition group along with their new members. Shortly after, they all gathered inside Aelfric's raided study to have some privacy. Before the meeting began, Karna then makes a private request to send Jeralt and his men as backup in case things get dicey, to which the adherent complied and filed the request.
Among the new lineup were Dedue, due to his insistence of remaining near Dimitri; Hubert, for the same reason as Dedue; and Marianne, due to the previous incursion having not enough active healers resulted in all of them nearly getting killed.
"Thank you all for coming," Karna addressed the group before turning to Byleth. "For the new blood, you gave them the rundown, right?"
Byleth nods. "They know enough to get the general idea."
"Reason matters not," Dedue firmly states. "Wherever his highness goes, I follow."
"I myself like to see the enemy quashed, to ensure they don't come back to haunt us," Hubert remarked semi-sinisterly.
Marianne then looks at Topaz and her newly-mutated state. "... I'm sorry for what had happened to you."
"Worry not," Topaz reassured. "I assure you, I'm still me."
"Alright, back on topic," Yuri stated as he looked at Karna. "What brought on to bring us all here?"
"This," the Professor then shared both the letter detailing the enemy's terms and Aelfric's severed pinky finger, the latter of which the female members of the groups (sans Byleth) recoiled at the grisly token.
"Like seriously?!" Hilda gasped in horror. "Who does that?"
"Bandits, debtors, or anyone fucked up in the head," Balthus pointed out. "It's a common scare tactic when it comes to their act of holding hostages, sending cut off fingers one by one for each day missed to their close ones. Weirder that it didn't happen sooner, but I guess we made them blink first."
"We're not blinking back," Karna stated. "They're blinking to make us blink at our most vulnerable. We're moving out on the 30th. We still need to prepare, for once we go in, there's no retreat, and the enemy will most likely bring the best they have to get their hands on the [Chalice of Beginnings]. We're not going in half-cocked with our pants down. Either we all live or all of us die on that fateful day, no in-between."
I'll be damned if I let the latter happen, Sothis remarked.
"So given that this is his pinky finger..." Yuri remarked as he gleaned at the severed digit. "... That leaves us with four more days. Yeah, 30th sounds great."
"I for one, damn you for using him like that!" Constance snapped at Karna. "Surely, you overlooking this blatant act of barbarity cannot be permitted!"
"It's war, lady. Barbarity tends to be the norm," Karna smirked. "And besides, he lied to all of us, and got himself sacked because of it. I'd say that he's contributing in his own way in a just of a manner possible."
Dimitri tried to protest, but he held himself back from saying anything rash lest it jeopardized the mission, something that Dedue took notice of.
"That messed up view of karma aside..." grimaced Byleth, "at least we know where the enemy is heading."
"How can you be so sure?" asked Hubert. "Do you not suspect that it may be a trap?"
"They can't afford a rash ambush because of this," Karna then took out the [Chalice of Beginnings]. "One slip-up on either of our sides, then this thing causes a jeopardy. All organization will be for naught, something which neither we or the enemy can afford."
"Coming from a person whose whole hat is to sew as much chaos as possible with his mere presence, your words hardly sounds genuine," commented the dour Dark Bishop.
"Believe in what you will," replied Karna. "The mere involvement of this one thing increases the complication of both sides' involvements. What we don't need is another bug in our clockwork, because if so, literally everyone within the scope of having this thing within their reach will die."
Hubert concedes. "Fair enough."
"So, how are we to go about this?" asked Claude. "I mean, what do we do to get stronger in the meantime for our o'fated final battle?"
Yuri then raises his hand. "I have something in mind," he stated as he got up from his seat. "Everyone, follow me."
The group then walks out of Aelfric's study and towards where the Ashen Wolves' dorms were at. Compared to the rest of the Abyss, this pocket of residence was better kept and maintained, with nary a rubbish spotted in the place's hallways.
"Haven't seen this place before," Byron remarked.
"We just moved here," Hapi pointed out. "Bit of a fixer-upper, but we made it work. ... Okay it was mostly Balthus."
"Hey, I offered to help," said the Grappler. "And besides, I ain't the kind of person who'd say no to more workout!"
Constance then leaned in towards Yuri to whisper something into his ear. "Are you sure about this?" she asked. "Can we trust them with that much power?"
"It's either that or the Abyss and everything above it will end up as a gaping crater," Yuri replied.
"You know that we can all hear you, right?" Topaz remarked.
"Patience, kiddos," Yuri remarked as he then opened the door, revealing a walk-in storage space with the shelves aligned to the brim with [Master Seals].
"Holy supercrap," Byron's eyes widened like plates, just as everyone else's. "This many?! In one place?!"
"To be fair, they're all under-the-shelf merchandise that we've intercepted in the Abyss," Yuri explained. "About half of these are jury-rigged to have rare vocations within them. Anyway, one for each, and that's it. Don't try and get smart, I'll know."
"Call dibs on the War Monk," Balthus remarked as he took one off of the shelves.
"Dark Flier for me," Constance took one from the shelves.
"Guess Valkyrie's for me," Hapi mumbled as she took her own [Master Seal], "... wonder if I can get my hands on a horse."
"Welp, I know what I'm going with," Yuri then takes one labeled with "Trickster" on the shelf. "Alright guys, we'll finish changing into our Master Classes for free while you guys get to pick. But remember, one for each of you. I'll know if otherwise."
The remaining students then began to pick out their classes from their free [Master Seals]. "... Do you think Seteth will approve of this?" asked Linhardt as he took one for himself, already deciding himself as a [Holy Knight].
"I'd be more concerned of the others' envy at us getting ahead," Hubert pointed out as he chose a Dark Knight profession. "I'll be sure to break the truth of what had happened, if the higher powers permit such thing."
"Eh, let em talk," Hilda brushed it off as she took a War Monk option. "... Kind of a shame that I can't promote into a War Master."
"I agree," nodded Byron as he saw Marianne took the Holy Knight option like Linhardt, with himself still mulling over which class to choose. "Seems like this continent's class branching has its deliberate flaws skewed to certain genders and specialties. I myself, wish that I can be a Gremory to utilize both my magics to their fullest, but alas."
"Well, you guys will probably figure something out," Ashe remarked while he changed into a Bow Knight.
"I have nothing to say to you lot," Dedue coldly remarked as he changed into a Great Knight before leaving with Ashe.
Claude then picked out three [Master Seals] before handing two of them to Edelgard and Dimitri. "Welp, we'll leave you guys to your own devices," the leader of the Golden Deer remarked. "Just be sure to take your time while I have some fun with my fellow student body, alright?"
"Claude, this is serious," said Edelgard. "Our choice must be wise and practiced upon. Only one chance, remember?"
"I agree," nodded Dimitri. "... I'm admittedly nervous on which class I should be taking."
"I know mine," Byleth then immediately then transforms herself into a Mortal Savant. "Flexibility is power. Power is flexibility. Time to practice my Black Magic along with my swordplay."
Eventually, all that remained in the [Master Seal] storage compartment were the Dustbin.
"... Ugh, all of dese Masta Class options are bull," grumbled Sorcha. "Seriously, why dun't day 'ave a class dat lets me swing a sword without havin' te ride a horsey or throw fireballs? I can't do de latter even if I tried?"
"Wait, you guys can't use magic?" Byron remarked.
"Nope," Selene remarked as she considered Bow Knight but veered towards Falcon Knight, having a hard time choosing between the two options. "We literally can't cast a single spell."
"Myself included," Topaz raised her hand. "It is rather odd that most non-Fodlaners can't use magic. I mean, I saw Dedue have some gifts for the arcane, but I think it's because he might have some Fodlan blood in his veins."
Vidar grumbled to himself incoherently as he chose War Master for himself. "... My blood... pure Duscur," he grunted. "... Me remember. Family... chieftains... shamans... for..." his grunts became more pained as he tried to remember what his family worshipped as shamans, only to come up short, causing him to desperately gasp for air. "... Still can't... remember... everything."
"Well, at least you found yours," Cyrus then looked towards Bow Knight before changing into it. "It'll come back eventually. I'm sure of it."
"Welp, you two go on ahead," Karna remarked as he then took five [Master Seals] for himself.
"Uh, Professor," Byron spoke, "you know that it's one per person, right?"
"I know," he nodded, "but who says that you can't expand the options provided?"
"Meaning?" Sorcha raised an eyebrow as he then began prying open said seals with his bare hands.
"The rest of you clear out," Karna ordered as then casting his own magic onto the gem. "... Say Byron, you said you wanted to be a Gremory to better utilize your gifts, right?"
The resident bookworm then realizes what Karna was trying to do now. "Oh, I see," he then led the rest outside as he knew what the Professor's "work" would entail. "How long?"
"One day for each," the doors of the storage room then closes shut before the Professor as he got to work modifying the [Master Seals] to better accommodate his students' unique tastes.
The deadline for their next battle was the 30th of this month.
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: So yeah, the theme of this chapter is about lies and hypocrisy used by everyone. Karna reveals that he withheld vital information from the rest of the group to make sure that there wasn't a leak. Rhea is lying twice to cover her ass and not reveal the full truth. And Byron is lying by not saying anything in front of Dimitri while they're in the same room. And Aelfric's dishonesty forced Karna's hand to lie in the first place, with him also lying to the enemy about his own bodily status while he plans for an escape. Simply put, everyone is lying or hiding something because people are too nosy and the other person wants the former to stop.
Oh, and with the absence of Aelfric, the Abyss is now reverted to a state where it was like before he took charge of it. Really no different from an ordinary wretched hive of scum and villainy.
So, yeah. Karna's basically a character that plays the whole "Omniscient Morality License" and "Blue-and-Orange Morality" tropes to their hilts. He abides by little to no rules imposed upon him (at best, he's doing a lip service), but is pragmatic enough to "play along" if it means that he'll benefit in the long run. Obnoxious to all concepts of self-righteousness and general ethics, the only things that he values are his relationships and the people that he cares for, and all that it threatens his peace of mind rooted from those two values of his is something that he cannot abide by and makes plans to remove in the foreseeable future. That said, he's also an immature manchild who holds petty grudges and more than willing to act upon them, but can provide genuine wisdom of the harsh realities of life and the world around them rooted in his travels.
In short, Karna's a living paradox and an all around gadfly ala Socrates who upsets the status quo, albeit a really dark example.
Philosophical jargon aside, this whole chapter is one giant intermission setting up the Abyss Arc's final battle! And yes, prepare for OC Master Classes since the canon Three Houses Classes weren't as accommodating/gender-inclusive as Fates. And like Byron said, he wants to be a Gremory, so I'll make him one, dammit. Further Support Conversations will occur after the final battle is done and over with.
Until then, see you all soon in the next chapter. Here's the character stats:
Anyway, just for reference and the fact that I have little else to talk about, here's the character stats:
Karna: Level 38 Warlock (still yet to be promoted)
Byleth: Level 35 Mortal Savant
Edelgard: Level 37 Fortress Knight (still yet to be promoted)
Dimitri: Level 36 Lord (still yet to be promoted)
Claude: Level 35 Sniper (still yet to be promoted)
Hubert: Level 33 Dark Knight
Linhardt: Level 33 Holy Knight
Dedue: Level 36 Great Knight
Ashe: Level 34 Bow Knight
Hilda: Level 38 War Monk
Marianne: Level 35 Holy Knight
Yuri: Level 36 Trickster
Constance: Level 35 Dark Flier
Hapi: Level 35 Valkyrie
Balthus: Level 37 War Monk
Byron: Level 37 Warlock/Bishop/Dark Bishop Hybrid Build (still yet to be promoted)
Vidar: Level 40 War Master
Sorcha: Level 39 Hero (still yet to be promoted)
Selene: Level 37 Sniper/Pegasus Knight Hybrid Build (still yet to be promoted)
Cyrus: Level 39 Bow Knight
Topaz: Level 43 Assassin/Playable Demonic Beast Hybrid Build (still yet to be promoted)
References:
- Karna's suggestion to move to Manuela's infirmary from the Abyss is a reference to Fire Emblem Awakening's iconic quote from Chrom: "There better places to take a nap then on the ground, you know."
- The reference/cover story of Sothis' blood being used to create the [Chalice of Beginning] is a reference to Christianity's Holy Grail, where it was a mere cup until it was filled with the blood of Jesus Christ during his crucifixion.
- Karna's criticism on why he doesn't like Dimitri ("... a boy forever trapped in the burnt-out ruins of Duscur") is based off Damian Wayne/Robin V's criticism of Batman being "A boy forever trapped in an alley" from the Robin 2021 comic.