Let's go for some villain focus, shall we?

Chapter 22 – Espionage (Pegasus Moon)

Cleobulus watched from her hiding spot as the Church messenger stopped to rest. The soldier had gone off the roads to avoid being followed, but this did him no good against the Agarthan Arcus. Tracking and stalking were her specialty, and now her prey had made himself an easy target. He had no idea she was around. How could he when she was so far away?

All that was left was for her to strike.

The soldier took a swig from his flask as he leaned against a large rock, knowing he was going to be disappointing the others in the Church. The King of Lions had refused Lady Eisner's request, saying he did not believe she could be counted on to kill the emperor. Even though the rest of the king's war council had implored him to ally with the Church, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd would not be swayed, too fixated on his vendetta with Emperor Edelgard.

The messenger was thinking about how he was going to tell Lady Eisner the bad news when he heard a whistling sound, far too late to react. He only saw the arrow for a split second coming from a far-away hill before the projectile buried itself in his chest.

Cleobulus watched in satisfaction as the messenger lurched and then fell over. She silently congratulated herself on the shot; she had been about 500 meters away from the soldier. Even the best longbowmen among the human beasts could only manage 300 meters if they were strong, and certainly not with any degree of accuracy. Such a long-range shot was tricky, even for her.

Still, the job wasn't quite over yet. She had to make doubly sure the soldier was dead, and to make his murder look like the work of the Loyalists. The arrow she had fired was one of theirs, rather than the black arrows she favored, or the ones used by the Dukedom.

Ensuring there were no witnesses, Cleobulus stalked over to the dead messenger and, after kicking over his corpse, shot a second arrow into his stomach. The body made no response.

As she checked the body for any useful intel, she silently found herself wondering how Kronya was faring with her own task. Knowing her love of murder, she'd probably already blown her cover by now, Cleobulus thought.

…

Getting into the tunnels of Abyss had been child's play for Kronya, her Dark Gift letting her warp past the debris that blocked the tunnel leading from the ruined monastery town to the catacombs. Having used those catacombs extensively during her time posing as Monica Von Ochs, she knew the way through them like the back of her hand. The lack of lit torches was no hindrance to her either, her enhanced eyes letting her peer through the darkness as easily as day.

The Agarthan Nightblade was disguised to look like a refugee and lamented that it meant she had to dress conservatively. Why bother disguising herself if Cornelia had also told her not to do anything that could compromise her presence? Even if she did, it wasn't as if the humans would ever catch her.

Only one had ever managed to catch her, and that bitch was now six feet under, she thought. She still felt her blood boil at the memory. To be bested by a human was humiliating, to say nothing of how Solon had almost sacrificed her for his ritual. She wished she could've returned the favor on the Dark Bishop, but he had not survived his clash with the Fell Star.

She'd have to settle for getting revenge on Thales, the one who had ordered her death as part of Solon's trap, and the one who had killed the Fell Star. But even after five years of serving Cornelia, they didn't seem any closer to that goal.

The sound of voices snapped Kronya back to her task, using her enhanced eyes to peer down a long corridor. Through the wall, she could see two Abyssians chatting with each other. This wasn't unexpected; the rogues weren't so dumb as to leave the route unguarded. But they didn't know these tunnels like she did. And she knew of a lot of hidden areas which she could use to get past them.

Kronya vanished as she Blinked into another room. This one would normally have been inaccessible to the outside, blocked off by crumbling debris, but the old walls were no obstacle to her. She Blinked again after a short delay, this time appearing in an unwatched corridor between two iron gates. The guards obviously believed the gates didn't need watching, as anyone who tried to breach them was sure to make a lot of noise.

But not her. She would be in and out with no one the wiser.

She made another Blink, this time materializing in an abandoned room in Abyss, close to the underground village. Her eyes peered through the darkness and through the old brick walls and saw a score of people in various states of misery and famine.

Good, she thought. She'd blend in far too easily.

She made one last Blink, this time appearing in one of the rooms near the refugees, but with no one around to spot her. Immediately she hunched herself over and walked as though exhausted, intended to let her blend in with her disguise. No one gave her a second thought as she made her way through Abyss and up the ramp that led toward the Officer's Academy.

Even before she had joined Cornelia's cause, she considered herself a stellar actor. Years of practice with Cornelia, however, had made her far more convincing than she'd ever been when serving Thales. It was funny, she thought. She had originally derided Cornelia's "training" as a waste of time and energy, and she had only done it because the Magistra ordered her to do it. Reciting human literature and practicing dance? She had thought these lessons useless, and that Cornelia was only making her do it for her amusement.

But several successful operations later, she learned their value. They let her deceive and dupe her victims and their protectors time and again. In the rare cases where she'd been forced to fight her targets more openly, rather than stabbing them behind closed doors, she hadn't been forced to use her Blink to avoid an attack. Doing so while in disguise when people could see her would've proven problematic.

Cornelia was a strange master at times, but her methods worked. And it was thanks to her lessons that Kronya now found herself inside Garreg Mach Monastery once more. The buildings weren't as damaged as she had expected, with workers and knights repairing them as best they could in the bitter cold. Kronya didn't feel the chill of winter as she moved silently, avoiding the attention of anyone who might be too nosy. Cornelia had strictly ordered her not to kill anyone, lest she leave any trace of her presence.

She hated it when Cornelia gave her that order. It was no fun when she couldn't stab someone on a mission. But her memory of the one time she had disobeyed that order reminded her of how terrifying Cornelia could be towards insubordination. In any event, she didn't see anyone who was worth killing. Just your run-of-the-mill soldiers, knights, and a couple of faces she recognized from her time as Monica Von Ochs.

Kronya had never really taken the time to learn their names, having considered them inconsequential before. But there was that one girl, Leonie. She remembered how the orange-haired girl had raged at her in the Sealed Forest over the death of her mentor, Jeralt. It had driven Kronya to a fit of laughter back then, the notion that a commoner with no Crest could ever hope to match her in a fight. She probably still couldn't, but Kronya didn't have the luxury of testing that theory right now.

The whinny of a horse caught Kronya's attention as she skulked around the small market at the main entrance. There were refugees and workers around, so she didn't stand out as she spotted the Crusader named Catherine dismounting from her steed. The blonde woman ran into the monastery as one of the knights tended to her horse. Kronya followed Catherine into the main building, avoiding the attention of one particularly annoying gatekeeper in the process.

But as she saw who Catherine was about to speak to, Kronya's eyes widened in surprise and anger.

It was the Fell Star.

She was alive.

And at her side were the other two women Kronya hated the most: Dorothea, the singing whore who used to be Edelgard's best friend, and Anna, the redheaded merchant who had figured out her Dark Gift.

"Catherine, you're back," said Byleth. "I was getting worried."

"Sorry about that, Lady Eisner," said Catherine. "Judy and I had to make a stop in Derdriu to speak with Claude. By the way, nice get-up. I almost mistook you for Lady Rhea for a second."

"Oh, well, um…" Byleth stammered a bit as Dorothea giggled at her.

"Well, spill it," said Anna. "What'd Judith say?"

Catherine took a moment to look around, checking to see if anyone was listening. Yet the Crusader and her allies remained oblivious to Kronya's presence as the Nightblade crept unseen through the shadows of the monastery.

Catherine then said, "Judy said she'd be willing to lend us 3,000 of her troops, but she'll need to gather them in Ailell over the month."

"Ailell, the Valley of Torment?" asked Anna. "Helluva place for a rendezvous."

"I've never been there," said Byleth. "Why is it called that?"

"Ailell's a volcanic wasteland on the border between the Kingdom and Alliance. Practically no one lives there, and you'd need a very good reason to want to go through it."

"Why would Judith suggest it, then?" asked Dorothea.

"It's far enough out of the way that most armies wouldn't bother scouting it."

"Judy said we should meet her in Ailell at the end of the month, on the 28th," said Catherine. "In the meantime, Claude said he'll do what he can to keep the pro-Imperial houses of the Alliance occupied so House Daphnel's army isn't spotted."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Byleth. "Having Claude's aid would be immensely helpful."

"He can't send his own troops here, though. It'd draw a response from House Gloucester and their allies. He also wanted me to tell you he's sorry he couldn't make it to the reunion. He wanted to go, but he couldn't risk it."

"I see…"

"Judy also had something big to tell us." Catherine looked around again to ensure no one was eavesdropping. "She told me Lady Rhea's being held somewhere within the Empire."

The eyes of all three of Kronya's hated enemies widened at this news.

"Are you sure?" said Dorothea. "How does she know?"

"One of Judy's spies saw Lady Rhea being dragged off by the Empire after the battle five years ago. She doesn't have an exact location for where they might be holding her, but…"

"At least it narrows down the search a lot," said Anna. "No wonder you guys never found her after all this time."

"We'll get her back, Catherine," said Byleth.

"Damn straight," said Anna. "I still have a boatload of questions I need her to answer."

"Should we tell the others about this?" asked Dorothea.

"Judy suggested that we play it close to the chest for now," said Catherine. "We don't want the Empire finding out that we know they're holding her."

"Oh. I guess so…"

"We still haven't heard anything from our messenger to the Loyalists," said Byleth. "He should've been back by now…"

Kronya knew they would never hear from that messenger. Cleobulus wasn't the type to let her prey escape. And if she had done her job right, these fools would think the Loyalists had murdered their messenger once they found him.

As Byleth, Dorothea, Anna and Catherine continued to converse, Kronya felt her blood boil at the sight of them all. It sickened her to know the Fell Star lived. She found herself reaching for Athame, wanting to plunge it deep into the Fell Star's spine.

She wanted her dead. She wanted all of them dead. She wanted to see their corpses bathed in their own blood.

But that wasn't the mission. She wasn't there to kill them, but to gather intel. And even if she did strike, Kronya thought, she probably wouldn't come out of it alive. She recalled the Fell Star's unnaturally fast reflexes, not only catching her surprise attack, but catching her immediately after she had Blinked to avoid her. She still didn't know how the woman had managed it. No one had ever anticipated her like that.

And even if Kronya somehow managed to gut them all and escape, she knew Cornelia would finish her where Solon had failed.

Kronya moved her hand away from her Agarthium dagger and slinked back into the shadows. It would take her another ten minutes of skulking unnoticed before she made her way to a safe spot. She vanished as she Blinked into a closed-off chamber, one she had used in the past to communicate with Thales. As she expected, it was empty.

She reached for her communicator and activated it. Several seconds passed before the holographic image of Cornelia appeared before her, ensuring their connection was secure. They couldn't risk one of the other Agarthans tapping into their call.

"Report, Kronya," said Cornelia.

"She's alive. The Fell Star lives," said Kronya. "She's the one leading the Church now."

"So soon?" Cornelia asked in slight surprise. "I thought she'd be down for at least another five years. Someone must have helped her. What else have you learned?"

"They're going to be joining up with an army from House Daphnel on the 28th," said Kronya. "They're meeting in Ailell."

"Ah, very clever of them. But they'll be sealing their fate there. I'll dispatch Lord Gwendel to intercept them. Either he wins and we eliminate Judith Von Daphnel, or he dies, and it'll make replacing Count Rowe that much easier. You've done well, Kronya. Return to Fhirdiad as soon as possible."

"Can I first run that bitch through? I still owe her for–"

"No. I'd rather the Fell Star live for now." Kronya growled for a moment, prompting Cornelia to say, "Kronya, I know you're frustrated, but if all goes well, we'll be able to inflict a fate far worse than death upon her. Doesn't that sound more satisfying?"

Kronya paused for a second and then said, "You're right. I want her to suffer, not just die. Her and her friends."

"Good. Get back here as soon as you can. Cleo's already finished her part of the job. The Church won't be getting any help from the Loyalists for now."

Shutting off her communicator, Kronya disappeared into the shadows of the monastery's depths, with no one ever being aware of her presence.

Our heroes and the Black Eagles aren't the only ones who will be getting character development. I've even got a little reserved for TWSITD.

I don't intend to make Kronya or Cleobulus feel like sympathetic villains, but giving them some character development should hopefully make them feel like more satisfying characters. After all, the Agarthans were pretty shallow in the game. Hopefully this is a good start.

Also, Cleobulus's shot at 500 meters would be very impressive for a bow user. Medieval longbows could only manage up to 300 meters, and definitely not with a high degree of accuracy (hence why they went for large volleys). Even modern day bows can't manage half a kilometer in range (AFAIK), but this is a fantasy setting, and the Agarthans have technology on their side, so Cleobulus managing that shot shouldn't be too outlandish.

The term "Dark Gift" is one I came up with for describing the various special powers that the elite Agarthans have. Kronya's is called "Blink", while Cleobulus's is called "Phase".

Finally, please don't go thinking I insulted Gatekeeper-kun. Kronya thinks he's annoying, not me.