Chapter 45: Basement Brawl

"Constance will be leading them in through there." Yuri pointed towards the opposite end of the chamber as they entered, the group of individuals looking around as they did. Claude let out a whistle as he examined their location.

"I wasn't expecting something like this…" The Golden Deer remarked, placing his hands on his hips "When you said a place to ambush them I was expecting something like a network of caves and corridors…this is an arena." he paused, moving his hand up to cup his chin as he stared around the location with a more critical eye "Or maybe something else?"

"Indeed." Dimitri agreed easily, the boy looking just as stunned as his counterpart "It looks as though it might have been an old chamber for gathering, perhaps anyway." he added on as he ventured forth, examining the statues - both ruined and whole - with a critical eye "Some of these figures I do not recognise while others I do."

"Given the nature of Abyss being directly beneath the Monastery, perhaps it was the first place the Church of Seiros occupied." Edelgard suggested, looking across the expanse of the large area with a frown "Although it clearly has not seen occupation in some time."

"You got that right." Yuri remarked as he walked forwards, leading the others to the centre of the chamber "When I first found it, it was in much worse shape than this. A lot of it was covered in debris so when I had free time I'd get some help and clear away as much as I could." looking over his shoulder, the boy gave a half-smirk "The initial plan was to turn it into extra living space for the people…a bit ironic a living space is about to become a tomb though."

"That's rather dark humour." Claude snorted, shaking his head "Although to be honest, it does look like it's very well connected." he pointed across the entrances to the chamber lining the walls "I assume those lead to different points in Abyss?"

"They do." Yuri nodded his head "Just don't go wandering off down them, wouldn't want you getting lost now would we?"

"Perish the thought." Claude grinned back "I'm curious but I'm not that curious." he noticed Hilda giving him a smile which just screamed disbelief. "What?" he placed his hands on his chest "I'm not."

"Sure you're not, Claude." Hilda rolled her eyes "Sure you're not."

"Joking aside, this is certainly a good place to launch an ambush." Dimitri remarked as he looked around, placing his hands on his hips "I can already see at least a dozen places to hide and await the arrival of our enemies." he paused, looking towards Byleth "Is that right, Professor?"

"Thirty-one." She just stated in response, still looking around the room before her eyes darted back to Yuri and the other Abyssians "How will you keep them from retreating?" she eventually asked.

"Glad you picked up on that." Yuri replied with a casual smile "Constance is going to lead them on so many twists and turns that even if they do run away from us when the ambush begins, there's no way for them to avoid getting lost in the tunnels of Abyss itself." waving his hand, the boy waved his other arm around the room "They'll either die in here or more likely starve to death out there."

"Hmph, I would not leave it up to chance." The eyes of everyone fell onto Goetia as he still examined the room "The luck of humans is a fickle thing and there are much simpler methods of preventing retreat from this location."

"Oh?" Yuri raised an eyebrow at him with an odd twinkle in his eye "Like what?"

Goetia remained silent for a few moments before he turned away from the boy and towards the exits of the room. "I'm going to require something living."

"...Sparkles, you're in a room full of 'somethings living'." Claude dryly remarked "We're going to need something more than that."

"I'm planning on killing it and draining all the blood from its body." Goetia elaborated, looking towards Claude "Unless you are volunteering Von Riegan-"

"I'll find you a rat." Claude hurriedly answered while looking around, Goetia merely stared at him in silence for a second before he muttered something under his breath at high speed and his eyes locked onto a small pile of debris around a dozen metres from them.

Flicking his hand, the rocks were violently blasted back by a gust of wind, exposing several rats to the outside world. The vermin hissed and squealed in surprise from their refuge being suddenly destroyed before attempting to scamper away. They barely got a few metres before they ground to a halt, as if becoming lethargic then collapsing to the ground. The only indication they weren't dead was their little chests moving up and down.

"They will do." Goetia grunted, walking over to them and waving his hand, their little bodies floated up and followed after him as he made his way to the far end of the room and the nearest exit.

The others watched him wander off with the rats in silence before Hapi spoke up "Is he really going to just kill all those rats?" she asked with a note of puzzlement.

"Probably." Edelgard replied with a tone of indifference "Not that I see much harm in it."

"And what is he going to do with the rats?" Constance asked with a hint of dread "He said he required blood from them."

"Probably for some wacky spell." Claude shrugged "Honestly, he'd probably tell you what it does if you asked him but I'm getting the strong feeling that asking him is just going to lead to an answer which is mildly disturbing." the boy grimaced, "Especially if it apparently involved blood."

Ashe looked in the direction he had walked off, pursing his lips with a hint of anxiousness to him "S-should someone ask him?" he eventually asked "Because it sounds like dark magic…and the Church doesn't really like that sort of thing…"

"We're not exactly in a place the Church likes either." Yuri pointed out, throwing a hand in the direction of Goetia "The way I see it, as long as it works out in Abyss's favour then it's fine…and as long as he sticks to rats." the boy added on as an afterthought.

"I very much doubt he will use human blood." Lindhardt replied through a yawn as he rubbed his eyes, then looked to Harold, the Knight jogging after Goetia.

Harold flinched at the sound of a meaty crunch, he had no doubt what it was as he approached Goetia, the man already staring at the wall with his back to the Knight.

"I understand this might not be appealing to see for some." Goetia suddenly spoke without looking behind him "Some humans find the sight of blood disturbing." he paused "Given your profession, I doubt you are one of them."

"Yeah…" Harold nervously chuckled, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck "I've seen a couple skirmishes from bandits. Although…" he gestured to Goetia and flinched at another crunch "N-not really something like this…" he watched as Goetia raised a blood covered finger and approached the wall before writing symbols into the brickwork.

"S-so…" Harold coughed, pointedly not looking down at the body of the rats "What um…what are you doing?"

"Witchcraft." Goetia replied without pausing in his work, the symbols of '🜁' and '🜂' was painted on the wall directly next to the entrance. Removing his hand from the wall, he held the flat of his palm above it before he chanted. The blood inscription glowed briefly before it settled down.

"So…what does it do?" Harold nervously asked "Looks…violent?"

Goetia spared the man a glance over his shoulder "It will just prevent those who enter through this entrance from leaving as long as they remain alive." he explained, already moving off to the next entrance. "That symbol relates to the element of air, which in turn is related to life. And the the other relates to fire which is the duality of creation and destruction." he returned to work as he set about killing another rat "It acts as a bounded field to prevent life from leaving under threat of pain."

Harold paused "...Pain?"

"Considerable pain." Goetia explained further "Witchcraft is related to sacrifice as a founding principle. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the effect of the spell. Had I used a greater animal than a rat I likely would have been able to cause those who breached the barrier to die."

"...Anyone who breached the barrier?" Harold asked with a pointedly nervous expression before he slowly raised a hand and pointed at himself "I-including us?"

"Hm? Yes." Goetia nodded his head "Which is why I utilised something as lacking as a rat. They do not carry especially pure magical energy within their body."

"Rats are magic?"

"Everything contains mana to some degree. It is a living being and therefore can be harvested accordingly." He explained as he stopped in front of the next entrance and got to work painting the symbols "The purity of the magical energy differs from being to being however. Humans are the most readily available source of high quality magical energy but all manner of blood can be used in the same fashion with different results." he paused, frowning "A…comparison would be the difference between iron and steel. They are both metals used for weaponry but steel is undoubtedly superior."

"Huh." Harold blinked, reaching up and scratching his cheek "I…didn't know that. I guess it makes sense…I think?" he remained silent for a few moments before shaking his head "Sorry, I still don't understand it all that well."

"It is through no fault of your own." Goetia dismissed easily "Your chosen profession does not touch upon the magical arts so it is understandable you would be ignorant as to the basic principles of Magecraft. The fact you are not a mage is the only reason you are excused from this." a frown came to his face "Most work I have seen of Magi here has been shoddy."

"Really?" Harold asked, tilting his head "I didn't think it was that ba-ah, right…not a mage so I probably don't know." Goetia hummed in affirmation "Should I be quiet?"

"You can speak if you wish." Goetia idly commented "I am proficient in multitasking. Although I doubt what I have said has registered to you on any level."

"Not really." Shaking his head, the gatekeeper looked around "...Didn't really think I would be doing this when I accepted my role as your observer."

"What were you expecting?" Goetia found himself asking, mildly curious "Furthermore, why did you volunteer to observe me?"

Harold shrugged "I just figured you could do with a friendly face is all. Some of the other guys aren't really all that personable. They aren't bad once you get to know them." he hastily added on "But you don't really get all that many foreigners actually in Fodlan…the only ones we've ever actually seen have been Almyra and they're…well…" he gave a nervous chuckle.

"...Hmm." Goetia merely hummed in response "And my first question?"

"Well…I don't know." Harold replied "Really, I just thought I'd stand around and maybe talk. I think sitting down and talking is really the best thing two people can do." the man placed his hands on his hips "I don't know…seeing all those future leaders just speaking with each other like their friends feels nice to me. Like we can all do better."

He turned back to Goetia to see the man staring at him with a blank expression "...I mean, that's just what I think anyway."

"It is naively optimistic." Goetia bluntly remarked, looking back at his work "...Your wish is just ordinary. As are you…just an ordinary human…" he muttered quietly "Perhaps that is why I do not find your presence a bother."

Harold stared at him in silence before he smiled at the man "I like your company as well Goetia!"

"Don't get conceited. I merely stated I didn't find you offensive." Goetia remarked "That is not an indication of affection."

"I know." Harold's smile didn't waver "But I still like to think you're a good person."

"...That depends upon the definition of 'good'." Goetia hummed in response "But I consider my actions to be right purely because they are my actions."

"I wish I had that much self-confidence."

"It becomes no less irritating when you see individuals take paths you would not take yourself." Goetia scowled "It becomes…incredibly vexing."

"I guess?" Harold shrugged, unsure of how best to respond to that point "I've never really met someone I disagreed with that much if I'm being honest with you here. I guess maybe a bandit or something but they've got to have a reason, right?" he ventured "I know I have to stop them but maybe they have a good reason for what they do? Like the people attacking this place, they must have a reason, right?"

"They likely do." Goetia replied "But the reason itself does not matter as of now. All that matters is the result and the consequences of said result." finishing the next symbols and enchanting them, he turned to the guard "Humans have many reasons for doing many things. They are neither good nor bad, they simply are. The only being who can truly decide which is right and which is wrong is a being with the true almightyness which causes the laws of the universe to bend to their will." he began to walk away "Any being with such power would naturally be correct in whatever decision they made through sheer might alone."

"Really?" Harold blinked "D-does that mean the Goddess is always right?" he asked as he jogged after the man "Because she-"

"Is not truly omnipotent." Goetia cut him off "Considering she is currently regarded as being away from Fodlan." he looked over his shoulder "Something regarding a slumber?"

"Yeah." Harold nodded his head "They say the Goddess sleeps and that the Rite of Rebirth is so that she will once again come down to Fodlan."

"What need does an omnipotent being have for rest?" Goetia asked, staring dead into the man's eyes for a few moments "Is she powerful? Undoubtedly so but all Gods have limits to their power. Even during their peak, the Gods in my…homeland had limits."

Harold remained silent, not entirely sure how he was supposed to respond to that. Considering it sounded extraordinarily close to blasphemy and yet there was something about the way Goetia spoke which just made him 'feel' as though he was correct in his statement. Perhaps a sense of authority he'd only ever gotten whenever he had seen the Archbishop speak.

"Come." Goetia waved his hand forwards "There are still other entrances to mark. Once I am finished I will explain the purpose of them to the denizens of this place."

"How come you don't call them Abyssians?"

"Because they do not come from the Abyss I know of." Goetia remarked "And they are not a separate species from the other humans as far as I am aware. Therefore there is no reason to differentiate them." he paused, looking back at Harold "Unless you would refer to those from the Imperial Captial as Enbarians?"

"Well…er…no?"

"No indeed."

"So how was the world's grossest finger painting session?" Claude asked the moment Goetia and Harold returned to the group, he gave the sparkly haired man a thumbs up while grinning "Fun time?"

"Probably not for the rats." Harold quipped, earning a few murmurs of amusement before he closed his mouth again.

"The sigils are set up around every entrance to this place I am aware of." Goetia informed them "Entry to this location is simple enough, once Nuvelle-"

"Ooooh! You're on the last name list!" Claude gave a wince followed by a sharp intake of breath "Tough luck."

"-be silent Von Riegan." Goetia continued on without missing a beat "Once Nuvelle brings the mercenaries into the chamber I will activate the field to prevent exit. I also suggest no one attempt to exit until I have dismantled the field either." he looked around "Unless you are willing to endure the pain it would bring upon you."

"So if we try to leave it's gonna hurt? Got it." Claude nodded before shrugging "I mean…I don't see why we were gonna leave before everything was taken care of in the first place."

"Unless Hapi sighs-" Balthus attempted to point out before Claude waved his hand.

"Aaaah, Sparkles will just zap it." The boy dismissed, earning a dull look from Goetia.

"I am not some common executioner, Von Riegan." He stated before his brows furrowed ever so slightly "What am I supposed to be executing?"

"She summons Demonic Beasts." Linhardt informed him, rubbing his eyes as he did so "Just by sighing to. I was curious about it but I wasn't expecting anything like that."

Goetia turned his attention onto the girl in question "...And you have an issue with mercenaries how?" his eyes narrowed "Would it not be simple to just summon a Monstrous beast at every incursion?"

"Yeah, maybe if I could control them." Hapi bitterly replied "But they just show up and go on a rampage if I sigh."

"So we are the unfortunate victims of incompetence then."

Hapi's eyes narrowed and her lip curled, irritation quickly washing over her features "Hey, you think I can-!"

"It wasn't your incompetence I was referring to." Goetia cut her off with a steeled tone of his own to match her rather aggressive voice, the anger seemingly left her in an instant, replaced by obvious puzzlement at his choice of words as Goetia watched her for a few more moments before simply looking away. "Her nature aside, at what point does your plan begin?" He directed the question to Yuri.

The violet haired boy was staring at him with a hint of suspicion before his features cooled "Right about now." he turned to Constance "Better get to it, your time to shine after all."

"Naturally!" Constance beamed, placing a hand on her chest "I shall play the role of despairing damsel as naturally as I ca-"

"Just…" Yuri gave her a strained smile "Just go…"

"...Very well." She clicked her tongue, turning away from him and walking towards the collection of mounts they had brought. Swiftly climbing atop one of the pegasi and snapping its reins. The horse spread its wings before taking off into the sky, letting loose a neigh it then shot off towards one of the tunnels and vanished off down it.

Ashe watched her leave before looking around "Is she going to be alright?"

"Who? Constance?" Balthus waved his hand "She'll be fine. Best mage I've ever met and those Pegasi are raised in Abyss. They know these tunnels just about as well as we do."

"Should probably set up positions." Byleth remarked, looking around "Wait for her to come back."

"Probably." Yuri agreed, nodding his head "...You're the Professor here." the boy gave her a sly grin "What are your orders?"

"He's a sly one." Sothis rolled her eyes at him "Rather shifty as well. Still, you are the one with the most experience with combat. I will leave it up to you."

Byleth wordlessly studied everyone present, she was well aware of the capabilities of Ashe and Dimitri, however she hadn't seen the Golden Deer nor Black Eagles in combat for some time and the battle of the mountain pass had hardly been one in which she could efficiently study everyone present. From what she could gather, Linhardt was a magic caster who could use reason and faith magecraft.

"Magecraft?" Sothis voiced in her head with no small degree of amusement "I believe someone might be rubbing off on you."

"Mages?" She pointed at Linhardt, then to Hapi, the red haired girl nodded in response. "Reason or Faith?"

"Dark." Hapi replied without batting an eye "Coco is better at reason."

"Hmm." She then looked towards Dimitri and Harold, both of whom were obvious spear wielders. It made them good support for close range fighters to keep away other threats. "You." she pointed at Harold "When Constance returns, support her."

Harold blinked before slowly nodding his head "Alright, Professor." he stood to attention, tightly gripping the spear in his hands.

"Claude, Ashe." she looked at the two archers "Distance fighters. Deal with other distance fighters."

"Take out archers and mages, got it." Claude nodded his head, Ashe giving a similar gesture.

"Hilda, Edelgard, Yuri and Batlhus." She looked at the pair of them "Focus lone targets. Keep them from grouping up." the four nodded - Hilda looking exhausted already - in response to the commands. "Hapi, Linhardt…Goetia." she looked at the four mages "Break up large groups. Keep them confused." she paused, then pointedly looked at Goetia "In underground. Keep damage to a minimum."

Goetia raised an eyebrow at her "You think me stupid enough to bring down these ruins atop our heads?"

"No. Just be careful where you aim." She looked away before he could reply and towards Harold "Pass those orders to Constance as well."

"Yes, Professor."

Dimitri looked around "Should we attempt to find cover Professor?" he asked, frowning "While this spot provides us able viewing of our surroundings, it does leave us rather expo-"

"Jörðin fæðir múr." Goetia cut him off before he could finish his sentence, pointing towards the ground and chanting in a language none could recognise "Vernda bandamenn." he continued on. The others watched as the stone at their feet seemingly shifted and morphed as if it turned to liquid, the brickwork devolving into simple clay before it started to rise up as if being pulled, shaping itself into a wall around a metre off the ground before halting.

"...Nevermind then." Dimitri sighed in a tone that made it obvious he wasn't surprised in the least, the same couldn't be said for the Ashen Wolves who just stared at the wall with naked surprise.

"What the heck was that!?" Balthus shouted out, pointing at the wall and then at Goetia "D-did you just grow a wall out of nothing!?"

"No." Goetia frowned, "I returned the brick to its cement nature and simply shaped it to better suit its new purpose." he gestured to it "That being a form of cover for you."

"Why is no one else freaking out about this?" Hapi asked, looking towards the students with a slightly shocked look "He just grew a wall."

"Yeah…Sparkles does that." Claude shrugged "Honestly? Between this and watching him just cook a demonic beast with a single spell, then there was that whole business with the Rebellion." he muttered the last part under his breath so as to avoid directly mentioning it to Ashe "Between him and Teach? I'm kinda setting the bar for being shocked really high." he raised his hand for emphasis. "Even you summoning Demonic Beasts by sighing isn't that big of a shocker to me. A little unusual but…yeah."

"...You're all crazy." Hapi flatly remarked "All of you."

"...Yep!" Claude admitted without even a hint of shame "But we're the right sort of crazy!"

"Speak for yourself Claude." Edelgard huffed "I believe myself to be of perfectly sound mind."

"Yeah." Hilda crossed her arms and gave him a smirk "It's just you that's crazy."

Claude sighed loudly, shaking his head and turning to the Ashen wolves with a wry smile "Trust me, we're all a little crazy."

"Hmmm." Yuri just let out a hum as he stared at Claude with an amused eyebrow raised before letting out a mirthful huff and shifting his attention to Byleth "So? Our positions?"

It was difficult to tell whether the silence was awkward or not, considering it was a group of around a dozen people all sitting inside a small walled off area waiting for the arrival of individuals who were being paid to kill them.

Claude passed the time by sitting cross legged and tapping on his knees with his eyes occasionally wandering upwards to the ceiling and around the large chamber itself. He was more curious as to how many other ruins were in Fodlan like this and more importantly, why they were abandoned in the first place. It didn't make sense to him why you would leave a perfectly good city.

Fair enough that Abyss wasn't exactly the cleanest place in all Fodlan but he was sure that if enough work was put into it then it would probably end up a passable location to live in. Certainly no worse than any of the other downtrodden area's in Fodlan at least. Which just made him all the more curious as to why it was being occupied by the sort of people that were living here.

"Hey." Claude eventually allowed his curiosity to win out, the others turning to him "Why do you think this place was abandoned?"

"Does it matter?" Hapi bluntly asked, raising an eyebrow.

Claude shrugged "It might, also just looking to pass the time while we wait." he looked to Yuri "You said it as Aelfric who set this place up right? He ever say anything about how he found it?"

Yuri pursed his lips "He never really talked all that much about it, just said that he found some old documents mentioning an underground city and investigated it on a whim. As for why he decided to actually stay and keep coming back…" he shrugged "I never did ask him about that. Although I'm thankful he did at least, gives us lot someplace to be."

"Huh, that's nice of him." Claude leaned back, smiling to himself. Edelgard didn't wait long before adding in her own two coins.

"Certainly an act which was surprising of the Church." The Heiress commented as she looked out, leaning against the wall with thinned lips "Especially if Abyss is populated by 'sinners' and 'heretics' that the Church usually has little time for."

"Elfie is different from your usual Church stooge." Hapi remarked bitterly "He actually cares about the people rather than just putting on a show for the masses."

"That is a rather…cynical way to think of the Church." Dimitri replied slowly "What has brought about this opinion?"

"It's just how the Church works." Hapi shrugged, leaning back and closing her eyes "If they actually have use for you, then they'll just use you up like a tool and throw you away. If they don't? Then they just don't care as long as you obey them."

"That's…really pessimistic." Ashe stated, staring at her with a mildly troubled look "You don't really think something like that, do you?"

Hapi opened her eyes and turned to him, giving a slightly raised eyebrow and scanning his expression for a few moments before her lip curled into a frown "You're naive freckles."

Ashe frowned and opened his mouth, Goetia spoke before he had a chance to however.

"Why does that trouble you?" He asked - not actually looking at her - suddenly, causing her to blink and turn to him. "The act of usage of another person? Why does that trouble you?"

"Huh?" Hapi blinked at him, squinting her eyes "Are you asking me why stabbing someone in the back bothers me?"

"No, I am asking why the act of using another human for your own purposes troubles you." He finally turned around, staring down at her with dull red eyes "I am curious as to where you draw the distinction."

"The what?" Hapi scrunched her face up "What are you-?"

"You are clearly in friendly relations with the other denizens of this place." He stated "From a certain point of view, you are simply using them to fulfill the basic emotional requirements of a human being. If you did not need those requirements met, you would not interact with anyone." he paused "Or is it the act of no longer requiring their use which is offensive to you?"

"...You lost me." Hapi frowned "And I'm not using them, I-"

"Yes you are." Goetia sported a similar frown now "Denying it is pointless. The human animal is a creature which thrives on social interaction. You are using them for this emotional need just as they are using you. Whether you are aware of it or not is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Or perhaps it is the conscious act of using another which disturbs you. Which would make our presence here hypocritical."

"Excuse me-?"

"You are using us for your own aims in dealing with the attackers of this…place." His eyes briefly roamed the room before returning to her "Are you not using us for as long as you need before discarding us?"

Hapi's frown was now a scowl "I am not. You offered-"

"And you accepted. You made a conscious decision to take our aid and now are using us for your own aims." He shrugged "I am merely curious at what point you intend to decide you justify your actions."

"I'm not going to stab you in the back when this is all done." She got out through gritted teeth, now looking more annoyed than anything else "And we're not lying about having you help either."

"Are you not?" Goetia raised an eyebrow "So it becomes acceptable if the admission is made prior to the act of usage?"

"What?" Hapi turned confused "Wait…no, that…"

"Hey." Balthus spoke up, glaring at Goetia "Leave her alone."

"I am examining the concept of 'using' she seems to find disturbing and attempting to understand why she does so." Goetia stated without taking his eyes off the girl "It is a curiosity as to why she feels-"

"Goetia." He paused, looking out of the corner of his eye as Byleth turned her head to look at him "Not now. Battle coming up."

Goetia remained silent, locking eyes with her for a few moments before he let out an uncaring hum in response and turned back to face the rest of the chamber "Very well. I have posed my question."

Byleth watched him for a few moments longer before she silently looked away from him, returning to her watchful duty. Hapi continued to glare at Goetia's back for a few moments before muttering under her breath. "Exactly what someone who uses people would say."

"Of course I use people." Goetia replied, clearly having heard her "I have never made an effort to deny that. It does not mean I do not value their existence. In some capacity, they all have worth in my eyes."

"Oh?" Hapi grunted "Doesn't sound like it."

"That is because you are ignorant to my thoughts." Goetia replied back just as swiftly "Having spoken to me for a grand total of six minutes."

"...How about we just calm down a little." Harold raised his hand in a placating manner "We're all on the same side here-"

"No we aren't." Hapi snarked, giving him a mild glare "You're on the side of the Church after all. The fact you're here and watching him-" she threw a glance at Goetia "-means that the Church is already using him and waiting to be rid of him."

"That isn't really why I'm here." Harold quietly replied "At least…I hope it isn't." he frowned, looking at Goetia in silence.

Byleth stood up straight, pointing to one of the far exits "Constance is back." the others swiftly leapt to their feet, Byleth pointing out spots for the students to rush to as Dimitri, Edelgard, Balthus, Yuri, Hilda and Harold all jumping to their feet and vaulting over the wall and rushing off to different spots around the chamber, rushing down the staircases before she soon followed after them.

A distant neigh was accompanied by Constance Pegasus rushing headfirst out of the tunnel, soon breaking off into the air at a considerable height before swooping down and spinning around to face the exit.

The clatter of boots came next, the makeshift team watched as over a two dozen mercenaries came pouring out of the tunnel into the open, soon scattering about before sliding to a halt. The man at the front - better armoured by the others - raised his hand and caused those behind him to stop moving.

The armoured man walked forwards before he called out "Alright…you just show us to the treasure and no one gets hurt."

"Ohohohoho!" Constance let out a bellowing laugh as she held the back of her hand in front of her face "I believe it is you that shall find yourselves hurt! You will not find it so easy to escape from the darkest depths of Garreg Mach!"

The leader clicked his tongue in response "Have it your way then, damn brats!"

"More mercs will be coming from the other entrances." Yuri called out "Watch them as well!"

"Wipe them out!" The merc leader shouted out, thrust his sword towards them before instantly breaking for cover as Claude and Ashe started to pepper him with arrows. The man raising his wooden shield to try and block them as he rushed to the nearest pillar for support.

The men behind him were less fortunate, having been caught out in the open as Constance thrust her glowing sigil forwards, the symbol breaking apart into wisps of glowing light which shot across the room as they tracked down the nearest mercenaries to them. The dark armoured men attempted to follow their leaders suit, the few closest to Constance could do little as the bright wisps slammed into them.

The magical attack sent them stumbling as it burnt into their armour and caused them to hiss as they rushed off to the side. Constance snapped the reins of her horse to change direction as the archers took aim towards her.

They were able to let loose a few arrows before they were forced to seek cover behind the rubble as Linhardt launched several fireballs towards them. The burning orbs slamming into the ground near their feet and slashing fire over their boots.

"Corff carchar gwaed." Goetia muttered out, the sigils painted on the walls glowed as the blood marking sprung to life, a thin barrier of red light briefly flashed over the entrances before fading from view. The act was so quick that no one noticed it at all. Content, Goetia decided he would observe how the battle played out for the time being. His direct intervention was hardly necessary after all.

Harold spun the spear around his head before swinging it forwards, slamming the blade directly into the mercs head and splitting it open. The gatekeeper was swift to move onto his next target as he rushed through the battle towards Constance.

The next attacker was an axe wielder, he frowned. Troublesome opponent to deal with when armed with a spear. The man rushed him with the two handed head, swinging it down towards Harold as he approached. Harold sidestepped the blow, the axe sweeping just past his face before he slammed the side of the metallic grip into the side of the man's jaw. Something crunched as a result before he released a low groan, his left hand coming away from his axe and towards his jaw.

'Big mistake.' Harold thought to himself as he drew the spear back and thrust it downwards into his adversaries foot. The spear easily penetrated through the leather footing and nailing the man to the ground before he ripped the weapon clean, the man recoiled and dropped his weapon in shock. Harold swiftly captialised on this by drawing the spear back again and swiftly thrusting it into the man's throat before pulling it clean.

He turned away and swiftly located Constance as she unleashed another barrage of light orbs towards them, running forwards he called out to her "Lady Nuvelle!" the blonde haired woman jolted in surprise at the call before looking to see Harold rushing towards her.

"You-!?" She gawked at him "What are you doing-"

"The Professor wants you to target the large groups and keep them split up." Harold informed her swiftly "I'm here in case any get too close."

"As if any could approach me!" Constance replied in a mildly affronted tone of voice "But I suppose if that is what you have been ordered to do, then you may have the honour of dealing with the stragglers from my magic."

Harold nodded his head in response, spinning his spear and scanning for any targets.

Not that there were any, the mercenaries were either pinned down fighting the other students or being kept in cover by the flying spells or arrows.

Claude loosened another arrow, the projectile finding its mark and penetrating through the archer's head and out the back of his skull as he dropped down. The boy turned towards the space behind them as he could hear distant voices and the clatter of footsteps.

The boy rushed over to the opposite end of their little fort and squinted his eyes to get a better look, soon seeing nearly twice as many mercenaries come rushing out of the entrance behind them. "We got more coming in from behind!" he called out, already nocking an arrow and loosening it towards them.

The arrow flew true, slamming into the throat of a merc rushing down the stairs and causing him to fall onto his back while clutching at his neck.

Hapi span around to face them, the girl frowned before she moved to stand next to him. Her hands cloaked themselves in a malevolent purple cloud before she thrust it forwards. The ground split open near the mercs as the Banshee spell came into effect. The dark portal unleashed a swarm of eerie violet orbs which instantly attacked the nearby troops and caused them to let out shouts of alarm.

"Mage!" The man who looked like a leader shouted out, pointing towards Hapi "Archers!" Hapi took that as her cue to duck down low, much like Claude did as the bowmen instantly started to loosen arrows towards them.

Goetia remained still, not even attempting to move as the arrows closed in. When they were barely a foot from his body they seemingly struck an invisible barrier before bouncing away and clattering to the ground harmlessly.

"Hm?" Turning to face the direction of the attack, Goetia levelled them with a thoroughly disinterested expression before looking down to see Claude stare at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey…Sparkles." Claude chuckled "Don't suppose we can have some help?"

Goetia stared at him in silence before raising his eyes towards the advancing group, still not bothering to move as more arrows harmlessly ricocheted off his personal shield. "Very well." he eventually replied, raising his hand and flicking his fingers upwards.

"I swear I saw it hit him!" The man shouted out in irritation as he watched another arrow just bounce off the man with glowing hair "It's like it just isn't reaching him!"

"Doesn't matter!" One of the swordsmen shouted out as they rushed past "He's not attacking, just get to him and-" they were cut off as the ground suddenly warped itself. Brick rippled and splashed like water before erupting upwards in the shape of a spike. Or dozens of spikes. The swordsman who had charged instantly found themselves turned into a literal pincushion as the spikes erupted from the ground and skewered their body in dozens of places and hoisted it into the air.

The others who were nearby froze at the sudden display, watching with mouths agape in horror as the body went limp and the sword slipped from its hands before clattering loudly against the ground.

It was as if a signal had been triggered the moment the sword hit the ground.

Within seconds, dozens of thin spikes erupted from the ground and began to skewer people at random. Bodies were hoisted into the air like freakish puppets as the spears of dirt ripped into them before stopping.

Well over half of them had been wiped out within a few seconds.

"W-what the shit!?" The leader exclaimed in horror "What the shit!" the man scrambled to his feet having fallen over, looking back towards the small fort in the centre of the chamber. He watched as the man with glowing hair simply lowered his arm and turned away from them.

"Fuck this!" He cried out, spinning around and rushing back the way they came "No treasure is worth all this! Run! Run away!" his voice spurred on the others to retreat. Whether it was their leader's fear or just their own, it was as if they couldn't get out of the room fast enough.

That soon turned to dread, the moment the first man passed through the precipice of the entrance, glowing symbols lining the door suddenly appeared. A thin red light struck the man as he rushed through the door before he collapsed face first onto the ground and started screaming.

It wasn't just that he was screaming, it was that he continued to scream while showing no signs of stopping. The thin wisps of red light clinging to his body as his skin started to redden in places as he rolled around on the ground, his screams turning to a hoarse groan with no sign of stopping.

Claude cringed as he raised his head, the sounds of the screams were disturbing to him at this point. Looking at the rather grotesque display of bodies run through on pikes of brick and left to hang.

"Hey…Sparkles." He pointed to the far door "Can you-"

A flash of golden light shot across his head to the screaming man, the moment it touched him the beam passed straight through his head and caused the screams to go silent, the man falling to the ground now thoroughly dead.

"They will now understand there is no escape." Goetia replied to the unasked question "That is why I did not set the barrier to kill instantly." he looked across as more entered from the third entrance "They will either surrender or die at this point. It is up to those who live here to decide which."

"Still…" Claude grimaced "A little brutal…"

"Fear is a necessary motivator for the flight or fight function of most animals." Goetia explained "I have already demonstrated that their option for retreat is no longer available to them. Meaning they will now have to fight. It will allow the people here to deal with all the intruders without exception."

"Hm." Claude merely hummed "I guess." he muttered drawing an arrow "Certainly an effective motivator at any rate." nocking it into the bow, he pulled the string back before loosening it. "As for why you didn't kill all of them?"

"I do not need to." Goetia replied "And experience in combat is still valuable." he raised his lone hand towards the next group, his extended finger locked onto one of the individuals at the front before it unleashed a thin beam of light from it. The attack instantly cut through the man and dropped both his halves to the ground before they rolled down the stairs.

"They're coming in from the left!" Ashe called out as he pointed his bow in the direction Goetia was facing, the students below were already mopping up what was left of the initial attacking force as they repositioned themselves to attack the newest arrivals.

Goetia charged up another beam of light, cutting down several more attackers before he lowered his hand. His eyes fell upon Byleth as he watched her charge across the width of the chamber with the glowing 'Sword of the Creator' in hand. He could already see she was channelling divine energy into the blade, although he doubted she understood quite how to draw out its full power.

At any rate, she was more suited to combat and therefore he suspected combat was the easiest way for her to draw out her full potential.

The other students were following behind her, Goetia noted that Harold still appeared to be alive and uninjured.

A pleasant surprise at any rate.

AN: Yep. Fight scene is split into two chapters but hey, we get both character interactions and a show of Goetia just killing people easily.

We even get a Harold scene! Everyone forgets that to be a Knight of Seiros you have to be really skilled. Harold - while a humble gatekeeper - is still literally the first line of defence for the Monastery in the event of an attack.

You can't expect him to be a pushover.

Also three hopes makes him so damn cool.

Omake: Co-workers visit.

"...I am going to need a very good reason as to why I am looking at…whatever this is." Seteth demanded, placing his hands on his hips and gesturing to the other individuals in the room "And why did you immediately seek to hide them away?"

Goetia stared into Seteth's green eyes for a few moments before he replied "I…was asking why they were here."

Seteth raised an eyebrow "And what is your connection with this band of…" he looked past the tanned man at the group "...Colourful women?"

"Connection?" The woman with large horns dressed in a rather revealing outfit gave a coy smile "I suppose you could say…I still have a part of him inside me…" she very pointedly rubbed a hand across her belly while giving a slightly mischievous grin "Although I've never had the full being enter-"

"Be silent wench." Goetia stated without even turning around "Your wiles might have fooled that oaf Zepar, but I am neither stupid nor lecherous enough to fall for your attempts at seduction."

The woman merely shrugged her shoulders uncaringly. "They all say that at first…" she idly replied, her tongue briefly darting out from between her lips to wet them "However, they all eat out of the palm of my hand eventually…"

"I suppose that is to be expected of a rather selfish little thing like you." The white haired girl with red eyes - seemingly wearing less while floating on a bed of blue flames - remarked with a dull voice as her eyes contained only disgust as she stared at the horned woman. "Always gorging yourself like that, you'll end up choking or bloating and falling apart." she paused before her lips turned into a grin "On second thought, why don't you do it? I think it would be a good laugh."

"Tch." Seteth turned from the duo of odd women to a third one. His expression flattened instantly.

"Goetia?"

"Yes?" The man looked at him in a questioning manner.

"Is there a woman here not dressed inappropriately?" He asked, pointing towards the third woman. Goetia turned to face them, she was wearing a metal bracer around her chest and little else. Long red ears extended from the top of her head which split off into large poofy things at either side of her as she was seemingly drenched in a flowing crimson liquid. The blonde woman gave Seteth a passing glance before she opened her mouth to respond.

"Don't even think about speaking, whore." Goetia turned around and glared at her, Seteth openly gaping at the rather blunt and crude insult he used "Your pitiful mockery of my grand plan is an insult on a personal level. It is only that killing you here and now is a level of effort you do not deserve that stays my hand."

"Hmph." The blonde woman scoffed, looking away from him "Do not think me so base. Your plan was a pitiful fantasy."

"Your plan was non-existent beyond simple satisfaction. There was nothing to be gained in the least." Goetia curled his lip in disgust "You are filth below humans."

"Fou! Fou!" Seteth turned his eyes onto the small white squirrel as it seemingly cheered in agreement while glaring at the girl before it turned towards him and tilted its head "Kyu?"

"Yes, Cath Palug." Goetia sighed "He is."

"Fou?"

"No, I don't know."

"Kyu! Foooou!"

"I doubt it very much."

"Ara?" Seteth was getting tired at this point, turning to the final woman in the room and just staring at her. "So he merely wears the guise of being a human?" the pinked haired woman wearing…some manner of white uniform with a cap stared at him with intrigued glowing eyes that just put his hairs on end. "How interesting…I wonder why?" she grinned "Perhaps better to control them?"

"Fou."

She turned to the small being and frowned "Really? Not all of us need to disguise ourselves so pitifully."

"I do not even know why you are here." Goetia frowned as he looked at her "Your foundation is built upon a lie you tell yourself, there is no cause for your appearance."

"I feel as though there is." She argued back "And really? Just because your pitifully naive plans burnt up in smoke like your father doesn't really mean you have to take it out on the rest of us." she placed a hand on her chest while giving an expression of mock pain "Words hurt."

Goetia stared at her in silence for a few moments before opening his mouth.

"Don't be rude everyone." Seteth nearly jumped out of his skin at the voice behind him, spinning around and doing a double take at the woman in a woolen purple sweater with pink cross shaped eyes and light grey hair. Although what attracted his attention most of all were the two giant horns sticking from the top of her head and curling backwards. "We're all here to just talk." she paused, looking at Seteth and giving the man a very motherly smile "I apologise for being so rowdy."

"I-it is quite alright…mrs?"

"Mrs?" She giggled "I haven't been called that before. I like how polite you are, it shows your a well raised young man." she smiled at him "I'm sure your mother is very proud of you."

Seteth blinked slowly "I…am not sure." he replied "I never asked her…" he muttered out before shaking his head and looking at Goetia as the kindly woman walked past him and took a seat near the others. The clear shift in her rather mother aura to the overwhelming hostility of the others - minus the strange white pet and the pink haired woman - was rather jarring. "What is this?"

"...A gathering of co-workers in the loosest possible term." Goetia replied slowly "Although most of us are…retired."

"Hmph." The horned woman scoffed, "I merely like to think of it as a sabbatical." she groaned and stretched her arms while fluttering her eyes at Seteth "My Master just works me so…rigorously that I barely get a moment to myself…I can't even remember the last time I got a full night's sleep."

Seteth stared at her with a raised eyebrow "Th-that…what?" he looked at Goetia, as if demanding an explanation "What?"

"...I fear my co-workers are mainly idiots." He replied "Given I am the only one who put effort into my plan."

"I-" The blonde woman attempted to speak again.

"Shut up, whore." Goetia snapped at her "You just stole all my idea's for yourself and made them worse." she closed her mouth and glared at him. "Masquerading your pitiful little worms as Pillar Gods." he sneered "Have a sense of originality, you even borrowed your appearance from Amaterasu. You haven't a shred of originality within your entire being."

Seteth pursed his lips "...Goetia." he got the man's attention again "Frankly, I am not currently caring as to why they are here…just keep them away from the students until they leave." he gestured to them "Most of them are dressed like…ladies of the night." he muttered, then looked to the woman in the sweater "Not you, Mrs." he added in a very respectful tone "You are free to remain as long as you behave."

"Thank you." The woman smiled at him "I am Tiamat by the way."

"Seteth."

"Seteth." She nodded "You're a very polite young man, aren't you?"

"I…am not quite that young." He chuckled "Although I am happy to know the years haven't caught up with me yet."

"You look stressed." The white haired girl suddenly spoke up, giving Seteth an appraising look "...Do you want to be spoiled?"

"...What?"

"Leave him be, Kama." Goetia sighed "And if you make an attempt on him, Kiara…I will kill you."

"Oh?" Kiara chuckled "Will you use your hands to choke the life from me I wonder? We…your hand anyway…" she smiled "Who knows where its been…"

"You said they were co-workers?" Seteth asked with a strained smile.

"...Different sectors." Goetia replied while not meeting his eyes "...Myself and Cath Palug are the only males." Seteth looked at the small squirrel, then back at Goetia.

"...I see." He coughed into his hands "Well…carry on then." he frowned, shaking his head and turning back to the door "What a peculiar bunch of characters."