Time to see who else showed up for the reunion. Sorry, but it's not going to be everybody.
Chapter 3 – Hunting by Daybreak (Ethereal Moon)
Annette squirmed as much as she could in her bonds. The petite mage had gotten herself caught by the thieves hiding in the monastery town, only managing to take down one of them before another had grabbed her from behind. It was her own fault, she thought. She had been so eager to see the others again that she had rushed in without thinking.
Now she looked up at a female rogue as she inspected the massive war hammer that Annette had brought with her, the Heroes' Relic Crusher. The rogue seemed wise enough to avoid touching the weapon, but the whistle she made was one that showed the thief's interest.
"Gotta say, that's an awfully big hammer for you, tiny," said the rogue. "Bet it'll go for a lot on the market." The rogue then sauntered over to Annette as she licked her lips and said, "And I'll bet the Imperials will pay a bundle for a pretty thing like you."
As the rogue said this, she started stroking Annette's waist through her white dress, bringing a faint blush to the mage's cheeks. The woman was eyeing her far too creepily for Annette's liking.
But as the rogue was distracted by the short girl, Annette saw a familiar face sneaking up behind the woman, his footsteps silent as a cat's.
"How's about we see how pretty I can make you, little girlie?" the rogue said evilly.
At that moment, just as the rogue was about to reach for Annette's chin, Felix wrapped his palm over the woman's mouth and drove his blade into the thief's ribcage. The rogue went wide-eyed in panic as she tried to scream, but Felix's hand muffled her cries. She struggled for only a few seconds, and then went limp in Felix's grip.
As Felix silently set down the woman's corpse and then went to work cutting Annette's bonds, Annette gasped in relief and said, "Thanks, Felix."
Ignoring her thanks, Felix said crossly, "I told you not to go ahead without me."
"I'm sorry. I know, it was stupid of me. But I just had to see if the others were here."
Felix gave her a glance but said nothing to reprimand the girl. He knew it wouldn't do to shame her for her nostalgia. In truth, he too was eager to see if anyone else had shown up. The heir of Fraldarius wore pieces of Hoshidan armor he had collected over the years and had four blades strapped to his sides, with one in his right hand as he cut Annette loose.
Just as Felix finished cutting the last of Annette's bonds and helped her to her feet, the two heard someone skid loudly to a halt. Alarmed, they turned to see one of the rogues just before he put two fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle. Within seconds, the two heard more rogues scrambling to the scene. By the time Annette had grabbed Crusher and Felix had drawn a wakizashi from his belt and readied a dual-blade stance, they were surrounded by no less than fifteen of Pallardó's goons.
"Look at what we've got here!" said one rogue. "Someone tryin' to play the hero!"
The other rogues jeered and chortled as they brandished their weapons, while Felix's eyes darted from side to side as he held both blades in his hands. Annette did her best to stay close to him, holding Crusher close to her chest despite its weight.
"Felix… what do we do?" Annette asked nervously.
To her surprise, Felix smirked and said, "We let the others join in."
Annette and the rogues each made a look of confusion before an arrow streaked out of a nearby tree and struck one of the thieves in his left eye, killing him almost instantly. Alarmed, the rogues turned to see who the assailant was just as Caspar came roaring out from behind a wall, leaping toward a rogue and cleaving through him with a mighty swing of his axe. This was followed up by a second arrow that hit another rogue in his neck, and by now the rogues and Annette could see Petra perched on one of the branches.
"Caspar! Petra!" Annette said in surprise.
The two did not reply but gave affirming smiles to her. Caspar was dressed in heavy leather and fur armor, while Petra wore a revealing Brigid garb that exposed much of her voluptuous body and gave her full freedom of motion.
"GET 'EM!" shouted one of the rogues, prompting the others to charge.
Felix immediately rushed forward at a rogue and delivered three lightning quick slashes to one rogue, slicing open his chest. He then whirled around, parrying a blow with his wakizashi before slicing his attacker's arm and then his throat. At the same time, Caspar slammed his shoulder into an archer, knocking him down before burying his axe in the man's back. Another rogue moved to stab Caspar from behind, but he was pounced upon by Petra, who drove her hunting dagger into the nape of the man's neck.
Then, as another shout made Annette realize she wasn't contributing to the fight, she spun around and cried out as she swung Crusher into a rogue's collarbone, breaking it and caving in the man's ribcage. Another rogue came rushing at her with his axe, too fast for Annette to raise her weapon again, so she released her hold on the Heroes' Relic and dodged back. She then countered with a Cutting Gale spell, blasting her attacker down in a lacerated heap.
Another rogue roared as he swung his blade repeatedly at Petra, who nimbly dodged each strike. After a fourth missed blow, Petra jumped forward and twirled as she slashed the man's eyes, his mouth, and then his throat.
Then, just as he finished decapitating another rogue, Caspar shouted, "Who's next?! Get in line!"
The rogues were awestruck at being so readily handled by the four former cadets. One of them shouted, "Pull back! Pull back!"
In terror, the five remaining rogues fled back into the town.
Now with a moment of respite, Caspar turned to the others and said, "Everyone alright?"
"I am having no injuries," said Petra.
"We're fine," Felix replied. "Nice work, you two."
As Caspar gave Felix a thumbs-up, Annette wasn't sure which left her in more disbelief: the fact that their friends had come to their rescue, or the fact that Felix was complimenting them.
…
Dorothea scowled as a pair of arrows struck her ward spell, the barrier raised just in time to keep the projectiles from striking her. She was forced to drop it immediately afterward, however, as another rogue with a sword rushed at her and swung for her right leg. She angled Joyeuse to deflect the blow, leading it to slide past her leg. She then jumped back, spacing herself away from her attacker before she raised Joyeuse and stabbed the man through his left lung. The rogue collapsed as soon as Dorothea ripped her blade from his chest.
Byleth shouted as she lashed the Sword of the Creator's whip form to cut down the two archers who had fired at Dorothea. Before she could withdraw it, another archer fired an arrow at her, but Byleth leaned back and avoided being shot in the neck. She swung her blade at the attacker, cleaving him in half from head to groin.
The greenette knew she should have been more careful. She had wanted to get to the town as quickly as possible to aid the incoming students, but this led her and Dorothea to walk right into an ambush set by Pallardó's men. And this time, they were outnumbered almost fifteen-to-one.
She had no time to curse her own eagerness. For now, all she could do was fight.
"You're mine!" shouted another rogue as he raised his axe, intent on burying it in Byleth's skull.
Byleth whirled around to face the rogue and was about to counter the attack when a Miasma Δ spell slammed into him and sent the brigand to the ground. Surprised, Byleth turned just as an arrow flew out and killed another rogue.
The rogues, realizing they were being ambushed, broke off their attack and ran for the town, with one taking an arrow to the back of the head.
Dorothea was both overjoyed and bewildered as she turned to their saviors and said, "Leonie! Lysithea! You're both here!"
Byleth smiled as she added, "I'm glad to see you two made it."
Irritated as she stepped out from cover, Lysithea said, "We should have come late. The instant we arrive, we're neck deep in battle."
The white-haired girl rubbed her forehead in exasperation for a moment. She had grown far taller over the years, but her body retained a childlike figure in her violet and white dress. A veil was arrayed in her hair, while the staff Thyrsus glowed in her grip. Leonie, meanwhile, was dressed in lightweight leather, black shorts and an orange tunic, an arrangement clearly meant to pay homage to her deceased mentor, Jeralt. She held a well-made steel bow in her hand and had a short blade strapped to her hip.
"Professor, where have you been?!" Leonie said indignantly. "You've been alive all this time and you didn't tell us?!"
"L-Leonie…!" Byleth said nervously.
Before Leonie could question her further, the four women heard another shout come from town, along with the clashing of steel. They looked down at the town and, to their surprise, they saw a host of cavalry and infantry charging into the streets. Flying above them was a single black-winged Pegasus, whose rider sent a blast of fire down at the thieves below.
"We'll talk later!" Leonie snapped. "We've gotta get down there!"
"Agreed," said Lysithea. "I'm sure the others will be eager to hear your tale as well."
Nodding to them, Byleth turned to Dorothea as the singer said tearfully, "You really showed up…"
"Sure, we did!" Leonie replied. "We all promised to come back today, remember?"
Dorothea was speechless at this. She turned to Lysithea, who smiled with a nod.
"Thank you… Both of you…" Dorothea said with a sniffle.
…
Pallardó could not believe his rotten luck. Just after he received word that someone had rescued his gang's only prisoner, he and his men were beset upon by a force of no less than sixty soldiers and twenty cavalrymen, all bearing the standard of House Aegir. The only exception was a lone Pegasus rider, a blonde woman wearing a pink minidress and a leather breastplate, who was raining spells down on his troops. The Aegir cavalry were being led by a handsome man with long orange hair and dressed in a noble's armor. Pallardó's gang was already reeling from losses inflicted by the new arrivals, and now this force from House Aegir threatened to wipe out his men.
"Forward! Crush their ranks!" shouted Ferdinand, spurring his men onward as he charged atop his horse toward the thieves' line.
Ferdinand was thankful he had come early to Garreg Mach. His small force had camped a few miles away, as the scion of House Aegir had suspected a trap. He had all but confirmed it when he encountered Linhardt while scouting the monastery town, as the scholar had seen the thieves arriving earlier. Linhardt was now behind the rest of their formation, ready to assist as needed with his magic. Ferdinand had been surprised to find Linhardt was one of the early arrivals.
As the crack of lightning arced overhead, Ferdinand looked up at Constance as she sent a Bolting spell down upon a makeshift tower the rogues had built. The rickety structure burst into a shower of splinters and rotting boards as those atop it fell. The orange-haired Paladin was thankful the sorceress had stayed by his side all these years.
Focusing on the battle, Ferdinand lunged at a fleeing rogue and pierced through the woman's back with his lance, then wasted no time in looking for another foe. He and his men had the upper hand, but the fight was far from over. For the sake of any others who were coming to the reunion, he had to ensure all the bandits were cleared out of the town.
The sound of rushing wind caught his attention after he stabbed a second rogue. Ferdinand turned to see an Excalibur spell sweep several rogues into the air before dropping them harshly onto the ground. At first, Ferdinand thought it was Linhardt's spell, but realized the healer was too far away for such an attack. Seconds later, Caspar, Felix and Petra were upon the stunned rogues, cutting them down like scythes to wheat. Annette was with them, readying another spell.
Caspar looked up and said, "Hey, guys! It's Ferdinand and Constance!"
"Focus on the battle, Bergliez!" snapped Felix as he slashed down another rogue.
"Oh my…" Constance said gloomily. "Never in my wildest dreams did I dare hope anyone but us would arrive on this day."
"Still as dreary as ever, huh Constance?" said Annette.
"That goes without saying," said Linhardt, who had ridden up next to Ferdinand at this moment.
"Linhardt, you actually made it!" said Caspar. "I thought you'd sleep through this whole thing!"
Linhardt could only frown at this jest as Caspar laughed.
Then, as soon as she finished off another rogue, Petra looked to the east and, in surprise, said, "Everyone! I am seeing the Professor!"
Surprised, everyone turned just in time to see the Sword of the Creator lash out, slashing down two more rogues. It was followed by a trio of arrows, two of which found their marks, and a Swarm Z spell that sent three more rogues screaming to the ground. The remaining rogues continued to flee from Ferdinand's troops, giving the students a moment to speak with their teacher.
"Professor Byleth! It's you!" Annette said with joy.
Linhardt then said, "You're alive after all. Well then, I am quite pleased with my choice to come here."
Constance, who had flown down into some shade, said vigorously, "Professor Eisner! Truly it is a blessed day that we should cross paths once more. Blessed for you, that is. Ohohoho!"
As Byleth couldn't help smiling, Leonie said in annoyance, "Hey, what about us?"
"It is not as though we are of no consequence," Lysithea said in similar annoyance.
The others were about to apologize to the two members of the Golden Deer when Felix said, "Good to see you here, Dorothea. And you, Professor Eisner."
Dorothea stepped out from behind Byleth as everyone turned to her.
"Dorothea! Oh, it's so good to see you again!" said Annette.
"I have happiness– um, am happy to see you again, Dorothea," said Petra.
"It is good to see you both well," said Ferdinand. "I am so glad I get to fight by your side once more."
"Yeah, just like old times!" added Caspar.
Dorothea could hardly believe everything she was hearing. Everyone was so happy to see her, despite that they must have known that it was her promise that led to this debacle.
"Everyone…"
Dorothea was about to say something more when a timid voice said, "D-Dorothea…?"
Surprised, the group turned to see two new figures emerging from the shadows. Dorothea's eyes widened as Yuri and Bernadetta stepped forward. The leader of the Ashen Wolves was dressed in the finery of a dashing vagabond while Bernadetta wore a purple minidress with similarly colored shorts, her hair finely washed and combed. Like Lysithea, she was also much taller than she had been five years ago, but her body had slightly more mature curves than the white-haired mage. A quiver of arrows was strapped to her thigh for the bow in her hand.
"I-Is that you…?" Bernadetta said in disbelief.
"Bernadetta?" Dorothea replied in equal surprise.
Hearing her voice was all it took for Bernadetta's eyes to well up with tears. She then wailed as she rushed forward and, to everyone's surprise, hugged the singer as she buried her face in Dorothea's chest.
"DOROTHEAAAAA! I thought you were dead! I thought I'd never see you again!" Bernadetta cried.
"B-Bern!" Dorothea stammered as Bernadetta continued to sob into her bosom.
Then, overwhelmed by the girl's crying, Dorothea couldn't help sniffling as she wrapped her arms around her. As she did, Yuri looked to Byleth and gave her an affirming nod, clearly glad to see the teacher alive and well.
But the moment was short-lived as, suddenly, a loud crash startled everyone. The group turned to see Ferdinand's troops were, to their dismay, retreating from their previous attack.
The cause became evident a second later as a pair of Dire Wolves smashed through the corner of a shop. One of the giant wolves snapped its jaws over one of the House Aegir soldiers, the man screaming as he was mauled to death. As this happened, two more Dire Wolves appeared, with one pouncing on a cavalier and his horse. The steed tried to escape, but both it and its rider were soon being ripped apart by the gigantic wolves.
As the students readied themselves for battle, they heard Pallardó shout, "Now you brats have gone and done it! I guess I'll have to bring the Empire back your heads instead of taking prisoners! They'll still pay up! Sic 'em!"
The wolves, obeying Pallardó's command, charged toward Byleth and the others.
Sorry if someone you were expecting didn't show up, but I have my reasons. You'll find out more as we keep going.