The Oaths that spur her Onwards
"Lead them to victory. To freedom." Those were Conrad's last words to me before he died in my arms, leaving me in command of the Resistance's forces. I'm not Conrad, or my father, or Raubahn. I'm myself, and I suppose that would just have to do.
After licking our wounds, we began our counterattack, blissfully aided by their main cannon having been disabled. We found Fordola in the control room, but just as we were trying to capture her, she escaped with the help of some new, unknown power.
Once Castrum Abania was in our hands, everything went quickly. And while our gathered forces amassed in the Lochs, the Scions moved to rescue Krile from deep within Ala Mhigo's residential area.
There, we found Fordola...and finally beat her.
But the true battle had yet to begin.
The hum of Magitek pervaded the air as she stood in the center of the large hall that had once been a temple of the Fist. Now these halls that must have once teemed with disciples old and young were empty and draped in the ominous red light of the construct in front of her, covered from top to bottom in rows of cylindrical pods.
S'eni shifted her eyes over to the singular open pod where Krile was currently seated, looking utterly exhausted, with Alphinaud not moving an inch from her side.
She shuddered at the thought of what her friend must have endured in there. Not to mention all the other poor souls still stuck in there.
Maybe...
"I know what you're thinking, but it's already too late," Thancred said while stepping next to her and crossing his arms. "Krile was the last to be placed in there and had the Echo on her side."
"Yeah...I figured as much," she replied, balling her hands into fists. All that just to give pure-bloodedGarleans the ability to wield aether. And—
She glanced over her shoulder to look at Fordola as Lyse hoisted her to her feet by her bound hands and began pushing her towards the exit.
—apparently more.
Whatever it was that they had done to her, it had made her frighteningly powerful in a very short amount of time. Almost like...
"The Echo..." she mumbled.
"What was that?" Thancred asked.
"Nothing." S'eni shook her head.
"Well then." He uncrossed his arms and looked towards Alphinaud and Krile. "As happy as I am to see Krile again, I think it's best if we leave and let the Resistance handle the rest here."
"Hm. Raubahn and the others will want to know what transpired." And about that ominous power Zenos seemingly acquired according to Fordola.
They walked over to the two of them.
"Krile, are you alright?" she asked.
"I should be fine to walk," the Lalafel said and slowly rose to her feet with Alphinaud's hand. "Just don't ask me to cast any healing spells."
"Don't worry, we should be fine. And if all else fails, Alphinaud can carry you."
"Inde—wait what?"
A giggle escaped Krile at his reaction. "Alright. Let's go. I've seen enough of this place to last me two lifetimes."
As soon as they had stepped out, S'eni took a deep breath, glad to be out of that suffocating place and Krile too began to look much more lively as they walked through the streets of Ala Mhigo's residential district.
The soldiers of the Resistance had fully taken control of the area by now and were patrolling in search of any Imperial troops that might have escaped. Here and there, a few brave citizens had stepped out of their homes to see what the entire fuss was about.
"What's happening? Is there going to be an attack soon?" she heard a woman ask.
"Please, get back inside. It's not safe," a Resistance soldier replied.
"No way!" a burly man all but shouted. "Give me a weapon! I'll make those bloody bastards pay!"
Others were soon joining him in his demand, eager to finally take the fight to those that had oppressed them for so long.
"They certainly don't lack in spirit," Thancred noted. "If only that alone was enough to win a war."
"Yes. As it stands, a lot of them would most likely get in the way rather than be of help," Alphinaud said. "We were lucky that our attack has gone unnoticed by the main force inside the city proper."
"If they aren't just pretending," S'eni then said and their expressions darkened at the same time.
For all they knew this was all part of what Fordola called the royal hunt.
A moment of silence passed before he spoke up once more. "Nevertheless, there is still much that needs to be done. Once the Alliance has breached the main gates, the Resistance will push through the entrance here."
"Then I'll remain here," Thancred said. "My search led me into the city proper, and my familiarity with their defenses might prove useful."
"Very well, I shall instruct Arenvald and his unit to support the Resistance as well." He turned to look at her as Thancred turned a corner to look for M'naago. "They were tasked with securing the Aetheryte if I recall correctly, so we should head there."
And that's exactly where they found the three of them. Almost as soon as he laid eyes on Krile, Arenvald practically threw himself onto the ground in front of her.
"Thank the gods, Krile," he breathed out. "It's so good to see you. I was fearing the worst..."
The smaller woman smiled and began to stand on her tiptoes to pat the much larger, but also younger, man on the head. "It wasn't your fault, and you came to save me—all of you. Thank you."
Arenvald smiled.
"Now, what of Y'shtola and the other wounded? Have they made it to Mor Dhona alright?" Krile asked in a more serious tone.
"They're all safe and sound."
"Ocher Boulder and Clemence are seeing to them," S'eni added with a smile of her own. "Y'shtola say hello by the way."
"Does she now?" The Lalafel gave her a knowing look. "Glad to know you checked up on her."
S'eni narrowed her eyes at her friend's insinuations but otherwise didn't say a word. Luckily for her, Alphinaud was already addressing Arenvald, so neither of them really paid attention to their little exchange.
"We will leave for Porta Praetoria to join the main host. I would have your unit remain here with Thancred to support the Resistance."
"Understood! We won't let you down."
The young Elezen gave him a long look. "...And don't do anything reckless. We both are far too young to die."
"Right right—" Arenvald nodded. "No noble sacrifices. Got it!"
Alphinaud then turned towards Krile and her once more. "Well then, let's be off."
If there was an area that truly represented the harshness of Gyr Abania, then it had to be The Lochs. Dry and arid as the rest of the region, it was surrounded by mountains to the west and north, while the south and east were home to steep cliffs that lead into the land below, obscured by thick clouds.
And at the center of it all, white fields of dried salt glowed in the bright afternoon sun and the hot air rippled over the lake that gave this area its name, Loch Seld. A remnant of the Sixth Umbral Calamity, it once served as the source of one of Ala Mhigo's greatest exports as well as a natural line of defense since it forced anyone that wished to attack head on to traverse the large stone bridge leading up to the city's main gate.
S'eni watched as the Alliance's vanguard began to make its way across it.
"Not much longer." She looked up and over her shoulder to see Lyse approaching her. Her friend smiled at her and sat down on the ground next to her. A sigh passed her lips as she turned her head to look out towards Ala Mhigo. "This is it. I still can't believe it."
"Well, you better believe it. Because it's very real," S'eni said with a little grin.
"I know," her friend chuckled. "I pinched myself a couple of times to make sure I wasn't dreaming."
Lyse's smile fell. "I just wish Meffrid and Conrad could see it."
"I'm sure they are with us in spirit. Like Yda." She pointed at the Ala Mhigan dress that the other woman was wearing right now. That seemed to cheer her up once again.
"Yeah. You're right."
Silence set over them for a moment while they listened to orders being given below them.
"You did really well against Fordola, by the way," S'eni then said.
"I couldn't have done it without you," Lyse replied, waving off her praise. "And if not for your training I doubt I would have stood a chance at all."
"Still, you learned quickly. You've been a good student."
"Thank you, Master." They burst into laughter.
"What do you think is going to happen to her?" she asked after they had calmed down once more.
"I don't know." Lyse's ponytail danced a little as she shook her head. "She has a lot of things to answer for. The blood of many people, even that of her own comrades, is on her hands. All I can promise is that she will receive a fair trial."
"I'm glad you managed to hold back. It's all too easy to get swept up by vengeance." Her mind wandered back to Estinien, who had spent most of his life seeking vengeance on Nidhogg. Even she had not been immune to that desire in the days after Haurchefant died, so for Lyse to withstand it with her wounds still so very fresh was admirable.
"If we want to build a better Ala Mhigo for everyone, we have to break free of this cycle. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. We still have to take care of one thing," her friend said and returned her gaze towards the city, standing tall and proud. Her eyes came to rest upon the palace at the very top, overlooking everything.
S'eni followed her gaze, expression darkening as she recalled what Krile had told them earlier; about the experiments that had been done to the former leader of the Skulls.
Just what are you planning, Zenos? She found herself wondering.
Footsteps made both of them turn around and they saw Alphinaud walking over. "The main host is moving out," he announced.
As if on cue, a horn was blown. It began.
"We better not keep them waiting then," S'eni said and rose to her feet.
"I should get back to the residential area as well." Rising as well, Lyse dusted herself off a little. "Thancred and the others are waiting—hm?"
The other woman paused when she saw S'eni hold out her arm, fist closed.
"Well, don't leave me hanging." she nodded towards her fist.
Lips curling into a smile, Lyse extended her arm and bumped their fists together. They remained like this for a moment, looking into one another's eyes, before moving in for a hug.
"Thank you, S'eni. For everything. I don't think I could've ever done this without you," Lyse told her, voice barely above a whisper.
"I would've been a pretty lousy friend if I had let you do this all on your own."
A small laugh escaped her friend, followed by a nod and a squeeze. "Be careful."
"You too."
Without any other words exchanged between them, they separated, and after one last, lingering look, Lyse left.
Turning her head towards Alphinaud, she shared a nod with him. "Let's go."
As the two moved to join up with the main host, S'eni found herself looking up towards the palace high atop Ala Mhigo, her eyes narrowing with determination.
As the Alliance prepared their final assault on Ala Mhigo, a lone figure stood upon the walls of the royal palace. Where the rest of the city was awash with soldiers giving and receiving orders and the metallic groan of Magitek echoed through the streets, this spot, at this very moment, was absolutely calm.
A sudden gust of wind made long, blond hair flow in the air and light blue eyes narrow ever so slightly as they looked out past the fields of salt where the savages were amassing. From here, they looked nothing more like bugs to be squashed, cattle to be slaughtered.
They did not understand him.
But among them was one that did, one woman that shared his love for battle, if she admitted it or not.
His eyes turned away and towards the Royal Menagerie; the perfect stage for their final contest.
Zenos smiled, turned away, and began walking back inside at a leisurely pace. He was in no hurry after all.
As he reached the throne room, he was met by one of his officers. Another one that would not, could not, understand him.
"My lord, your orders?" he asked while saluting.
"Prepare the city's defenses, we shall await them with all we have to offer," he replied.
"As you command. Shall...shall we send out the Ferae Dominatea?"
He considered for a moment.
"Savages against savages...it might make for an amusing distraction for her. Very well."
Another salute, and he was left alone.
Slowly, he walked towards the throne and sat down, crossing his legs after he had done so.
"Will you fall before we even get the chance to meet one more time, or will you cut a path of destruction through the entire city just to sink your claws into my flesh?" Zenos wondered aloud.
Only silence answered him.
Closing his eyes, he rested his chin on his fist and smirked.
"Let the hunt begin."
A little in between update before Friday. Nothing to see here. :)