Where to go next with the story?
Chapter 105 - Paths of Retreat (Harpstring Moon)
"We need to decide on our next course of action," Seteth said to Byleth, Judith, Anna, and several others in attendance. "We are in no condition to face the Imperials in another large battle."
"Agreed," said Judith. "Gilbert, rest his soul, may have slowed them down at the bridge, but the Imperials are bound to start nipping at our heels again soon."
"I suggest that we withdraw to Garreg Mach. The defenses there will provide us a bastion against the Empire's assault."
"Not the best idea, Seteth," said Anna. "The monastery doesn't have nearly enough to treat all of the wounded we're carrying, nor enough food to support everyone we've got. And if we hunker down there, the Empire could easily trap us inside."
"Not to mention the Dukedom," said Sylvain. "If they were to move toward the monastery from the north, we'd be totally surrounded."
"Do you have any alternative in mind?" asked Seteth.
"Yeah," said Anna. "We head for Derdriu. The city's a port, so it gives us a lot more options. Goods coming into the city could help us patch up our wounded, and the Empire won't be able to fully surround the city since it's right on the coast."
"But we'd be putting the people who live there in danger!" Hilda protested.
"It'd be the same story if we went to Garreg Mach, Hilda," said Ingrid.
"What if the Empire goes to the monastery?" said Caspar. "If we're not there to defend it–"
"I doubt we'd be able to hold them off even if we were there, Caspar," said Leonie.
"Logically speaking, I agree with Anna's suggestion," said Lysithea. "Our options would become too limited if we tried to dig our heels in at Garreg Mach. Its central position in Fódlan would prove to be our undoing if the Dukedom were to coordinate with the Empire."
"So we just ditch Ferdinand and the others?!" Caspar said, nearly shouting. "Just like how we left so many behind over the Airmid River?!"
"Caspar!" Catherine shouted, silencing the teal-haired fighter. After a moment, Catherine then said, "I'm just as pissed off about it as you are, but I can see Anna's point. If we're ever gonna turn things around, we can't afford to act solely on emotion."
Caspar scowled after a moment, knowing Catherine was right. The fighter stepped away from the meeting, knowing he was in no state to contribute to such a crucial decision.
As Caspar left the discussion with Hilda in tow, Byleth contemplated the options Anna and Seteth had suggested. Anna was right about their supplies at the monastery. Even with what Judith had brought with her at the start of the Lone Moon and the contributions from local villages, it wouldn't be nearly enough to support the army they now had. The monastery's fortifications also were not something they could rely on to defend their position. And though the Dukedom hadn't made any advances on Garreg Mach, she knew that could change quickly.
Anna's suggestion to go to Derdriu made more strategic sense. The city was a vast port, so the Empire could not surround them on land. Merchant ships frequented the port, ensuring there was always an abundance of supplies. It would also give them an escape route if all else failed. Ships docked in Derdriu's harbor would be able to transport them away from Fódlan, yet that would again mean abandoning others to the Imperials.
From a logical point of view, Derdriu was the clear option. But in her heart, Byleth did not want to abandon Ferdinand and the others at the monastery to the enemy. They had put their faith in her cause, and to leave them behind would be to betray their trust.
Yet, as she thought back to the Battle of Gronder Field, Byleth felt as though she had already betrayed the faith they had put in her.
They had trusted her to win the war. They had trusted her to defeat Edelgard.
But in sparing the Emperor's life, she had failed them.
"Lady Eisner?" said Seteth. "Lady Eisner?"
Byleth did not respond to him, stuck in her regret.
She was suddenly jolted from them when Anna put her hand to her shoulder and gave her a brief shake as she said, "Hey, Byleth? You there?"
"Ah, Anna," Byleth stuttered. "Sorry. I was just–"
"We know, By," said Anna. "But you're the one calling the shots here."
Anna didn't know how much that sentence stung Byleth at that moment. The Archbishop looked to her comrades as they awaited her decision.
Byleth took a deep breath, knowing the only choice was one she would regret.
"We make for Derdriu," said Byleth.
As she expected, Seteth did not look appreciative of the decision. But the advisor nodded his head and said, "Very well, Lady Eisner."
"Have a messenger sent to Garreg Mach. Ferdinand needs to know what's happening and to be ready to evacuate the monastery if necessary."
"Right away," said Shamir.
Within the next hour, orders were given to the men and women of the three armies, who began marching northeast toward the capitol of the Leicester Alliance.
…
Meanwhile, in the Oghma Mountains…
Brigitte hissed as pain shot up her leg. She had already injured it at Gronder, and having to move through the rocky terrain of the Oghma Mountains wasn't making it any better.
There wasn't time to treat it, though. For the sake of the other survivors, she had to put up with the pain.
At least it wasn't icy anymore, she thought. When she and the other divas had crossed through the mountains during the Guardian Moon, the passes had been covered in ice and snow. The route would've been impassable to their force during the winter, but the spring thaw made it just barely traversable. Even then, it was a grueling march, and they still had a long way to go before they reached Garreg Mach.
The opera matron looked back at the others as they moved behind her. About 400 other survivors from the Battle of Gronder trailed behind her, including Loyalist and Alliance troops, led by Yuri and Constance. Over half of them were laying in ramshackle carts or limped alongside them. They had been separated from the main force and, not knowing the fate of the others, had chosen to withdraw to Garreg Mach through the mountains, hoping the Imperials wouldn't pursue them.
In one of the carts, an unconscious Bernadetta winced in pain as Yuri checked her wounds. The archer had nearly been killed by one of the meteors at Gronder Field, with only Constance's healing magic sparing the heir of House Varley's life.
Scowling, Brigitte wished she had been the one to take that hit instead of Bernadetta. Though she had tried to protect Bernadetta from the meteor, the shut-in's life was still in jeopardy. They had to make it to the monastery soon or she feared they would lose her.
"Are we there yet?" asked one of the soldiers, whose eyes were blindfolded due to wounds to his face.
"Would you stop asking that already?" said another soldier, who held her hand to her forehead.
"It hurts…" groaned another wounded soldier.
The soldiers continued with their complaints and bickering as Yuri strode toward Brigitte. Normally, the opera matron would've been annoyed to work with the rogue, but there was no room for their bad history now.
"How're they doing?" asked Brigitte.
"What do you think?" answered Yuri.
"You sure we're going the right way?"
"Absolutely." Yuri pointed to a pair of distinctive crags and said, "See that marker there?"
Brigitte turned to see what Yuri was pointing at and spotted a makeshift flagpole flying a tattered grey standard with a wolf symbol on it. An additional piece of wood was affixed to it, pointing to the north.
"My rogues placed those flags to mark the area a few years back. Judging from that one, we'll reach the monastery by sunrise if we keep up this pace."
"Then we gotta get there by sundown."
Brigitte was about to urge the others to move faster, but Yuri put a hand to her shoulder and said, "Brigitte, I know they're in bad shape, but going any faster's gonna make it worse."
Brigitte was about to argue with Yuri when a voice said, "Boss? Hey, Boss!"
The two saw one of Yuri's rogues pointing toward a nearby outcropping. They turned as a group of men dressed in black furs and leathers emerged from hiding spots, brandishing weapons at the column of wounded soldiers. There had to be at least seventy of them.
One of the leading bandits snickered as he moved his arm, and both Yuri and Brigitte saw a distinctive black tattoo on his arm. It was of a scorpion with blood dripping from its stinger. The other bandits also bore the distinctive mark on their arms.
The symbol was one they knew all too well. It was of the Black Scorpions.
"Oh dear, we have stumbled headlong into certain doom," Constance said drearily.
The soldiers who could still fight drew their weapons. They outnumbered the bandits, but they had no idea if there were more of them in the rocks.
Readying her war hammer, Brigitte said bitterly, "Great, just what we needed."
"Well, would you look what we've got here," said one of the Black Scorpions. "The Savage Mockingbird herding a group of wounded lambs right before us."
"Been itching to kill something today," said another Scorpion.
Brigitte was about to retort when Yuri murmured, "Don't do anything stupid. I know you hate these guys, but we don't know if there's more of them around."
"Kill'em!" shouted one of the Scorpions, prompting the others to howl for blood as they rushed toward the procession of battered soldiers.
With no time to set up a defensive formation, the soldiers moved to engage the brigands as best they could. They outnumbered the Black Scorpions, but their wounds and fatigue negated most of their numerical advantage.
One of the soldiers yelped as he was knocked down by a Scorpion. The brigand snickered loudly as he raised his axe while his opponent scrambled to defend himself. Before the Scorpion could finish him, Brigitte's hammer slammed into his head, smashing his skull. Nearby, Yuri dodged two slashes from another Scorpion before slashing open the bandit's chest. Constance, who moved to a spot in the shade, shouted as she blasted three Scorpions with a fireball. Before she could gloat, however, a crossbow bolt whizzed an inch by her head, prompting a surprised yelp and for Constance to take cover.
The battle descended into a confusing melee as the Black Scorpions pressed their attack, despite that they were outnumbered and sustaining rapid losses. Yet with their initiative, the bandits soon reached the carts of wounded soldiers, who pleaded in vain for mercy. One Scorpion stabbed a badly wounded Loyalist woman to death, only to have his head cleaved off by an axe.
Seeing the Scorpions attacking the wounded, Brigitte rushed to drive them away. As she ran, she saw one cut through a wounded soldier as the bandit made his way toward the cart where Bernadetta lay defenseless.
The Scorpion saw Bernadetta and was about to finish her off when Brigitte threw her hammer at him. The Scorpion dodged the weapon and turned as Brigitte continued rushing at him. Before he could raise his weapon, Brigitte's fist smashed into his face.
As she landed punch after punch on the bandit, Brigitte said, "YOU! STAY! AWAY! FROM! HER!"
With her last word, Brigitte landed a heavy blow that sent the Scorpion to the ground. The bandit groaned in pain as Brigitte caught her breath. The sounds of battle began to die away, replaced by cheers from the soldiers. Brigitte spun around to see seven of the Black Scorpions fleeing from them. The rest were either dead or mortally wounded.
This jubilation was cut short as Yuri shouted, "Stay on your guard, people. Their friends are probably not far off. We need to move before they catch up to us."
As the soldiers went to aid their new casualties, Brigitte turned back to the Scorpion who had tried to kill Bernadetta. He was writhing on the ground from the beating she had given him. The opera matron grabbed him by the collar and hauled him to his feet before slamming him into the mountain wall.
"Where's your boss?" Brigitte snarled. "Tell me and I'll make it quick."
The Scorpion chuckled after a moment and hissed, "Go to Hell…"
Brigitte heard him unsheathe a blade. Surprised, she looked down, expecting him to try and stab her.
Instead, the Scorpion swung the knife into his own gut and then pulled, tearing a large wound in his stomach. Shocked, Brigitte dropped the man, who collapsed and laughed his last as death claimed him.
Brigitte stared at the corpse for several seconds, appalled by his suicidal fervor, and angry that she had missed a chance to find the man responsible for her brother's death.
…
Kantus watched through a spyglass as Yuri led his wounded troops on their journey toward Garreg Mach Monastery. The leader of the Black Scorpions had watched the battle through his one good eye. Even leading men and women who were wounded and exhausted, the Savage Mockingbird had once again survived facing his subordinates.
That said, the encounter hadn't been premeditated. His gang had been moving through the Oghma Mountains to launch a raid into House Gideon's territory. The fight had been a result of pure coincidence.
However, Kantus was not about to let such a defeat stand.
Scowling, he lowered his spyglass and turned to his minions.
"Gather the gang," he said. "We owe the Mockingbird a visit." He then gestured to the men who were fleeing back toward the camp and said, "Oh, and put those cowards to the sword while you're at it."
Obediently, Kantus's lackeys rushed to gather up the other Black Scorpions and execute those who had retreated from Yuri and Brigitte. As they did, Kantus looked down at the various trinkets strapped to his belt, centering his view on one half of a brass coin tied to an old string.
Remembering the one he had taken the token from, Kantus snickered to himself.
Sorry this one was delayed AGAIN. Motivation can be a serious problem at times.
If you need to imagine the voice of the Black Scorpion leader Kantus, listen to Kano in Mortal Kombat 11. Kano's easily one of the most vile characters in the MK universe, and I feel his voice will work for Kantus. Appearance-wise, though, I'm not sure what I'd go for as a reference.
Also, yeah, I spared Bernadetta and Brigitte. Bernie's definitely not in a good way, though. She won't be fighting for a while.
This chapter is mostly filler, but we'll be getting to more dramatic stuff soon. I just need to not get distracted by Honkai Star Rail. I just recently started playing it and it's GOOD.
See you all next chapter.
