Sorry about the delay, but here is the next chapter! A bit on the short side though, it was a hard one...
Chapter 4: Warrior Realm
The wind blows harshly along the snowy path, the trees a mixture of white and grey. Trudging along through the snow, the Shepherds move onward towards Ferox as the vast wall separates them from Ylisse, and Plegia looms in the distance.
"I-i-i-its so cold!" Sora says while rubbing his arms desperately alongside Kairi, the two Islanders shivering from the winds. "This is why I prefer to stay in warm places any day!" Kairi hums in agreement before sneezing gently. Roxas is holding Naminé close as they and Virion walk near Sully's horse, shielding them from the wind, while the cavalier looks on defiantly in the wind's direction. He glances at the two love birds before shaking his head at them.
"If it's too cold, then stand next to one of the horses and get out of the wind," Roxas tells his brother, who turns around sheepishly as another blast of wind sends shivers down their spines.
"Oh, good point." he pulls Kairi alongside him towards Stahl as the wind begins to pick up again. "Never thought we'd go somewhere cold again. The last time was bad enough."
"Well, you two are Islanders, so it's not surprising that the cold doesn't agree with you." Stahl comments as he scans around the trees surrounding them. "surprised that your brother and sister are not affected, guess they have more tolerance than you, huh?" the two glance at their former Nobodies with pouts as they converse normally.
"You can say that again, Stahl. How do people up here even manage to live somewhere this cold anyway?" Kairi asks while holding onto Sora, seeking the warmth radiating from him. Stahl looks at her before shrugging.
"I don't know. We don't know that much beyond the border. The Feroxi like to keep to themselves. That's why some people call them barbarians, but really, they are all strong fighters. Another reason why we are going to them. They have no love for Plegia's current attrition, so having them on our side should stop any aggressive movements from them."
"Well, that's about as a good reason as any," Sora replies before looking ahead. "Still, that is some wall, though. It doesn't look like it will come down anytime soon." The long line of grey continues to grow until it towers over the trees, just as the wind continues to pick up, chilling everyone. "I wonder how Sumia is doing. We did leave her behind with that injured Pegasus before we moved on."
"Sumia will be fine. She is a lot like me, you know. Wanting to prove herself useful." Kairi replies, her gaze staring off as memories come back before a squeeze from Sora returns her. She looks thankful to him before another burst of wind hits the group, chilling them even more. Lissa, in particular feeling more like the two Islanders.
"Brr! F-F-Frebberick! I'm f-f-freebing!" she says while shaking nonstop. Frederick moves his horse between his charge and the howling wind, reducing her shivering considerably. She looks grateful up at Frederick, who nods before casting a glance at Chrom and Robin, the two of them seemingly unaffected by the wind.
"So, this is the fortress?" Robin asks as he gazes at the stone castle built into the vast wall, its length vanishing into both horizons. Chrom nods at him before looking at the fortress.
"Yes, the Longfort. It stretches along the border of Ylisse and Regna Ferox."
"Why did they do that?" Naminé asks, "I mean unless they felt threatened, it doesn't feel right to have a wall dividing a whole continent." Frederick turns to her with his usual look.
"You are right to ask such, Lady Naminé. The reason for this is due to the rulers of Ferox. They had grown quite wary of foreigners, regardless of where they come from. Still, don't mistake the lack of hospitality for open hostility... This simply calls for a bit of diplomacy." He turns to look at Chrom, who has a nervous expression.
"What's wrong, Chrom? You look nervous?" Roxas asks as the group converge near the end of the path near the fort. Chrom turns around before scratching the back of his head.
"Well, negotiation's not my strong suit, you see. But I'll still do my best." His gaze hardens before looking over the group. "Remember, everyone: your actions here reflect upon Ylisse. So don't do anything rash, and we will come out okay." The group nod collectively before walking up to the fort. Glancing at the top, moving shadows catch Roxas's attention. He narrows his eyes as more shadows move about, all large and bulky.
"Hey, something is moving up there." He points out, grabbing the others attention. Gazing, they are greeted by a row of heavily armoured warriors, clad in silver and green, with spears at the ready. One of the warriors walks up to the edge before looking down after removing their helm, revealing their bob cut blond hair and angry green eyes.
"Who goes there!?" she cries down o the group, anger encompassing her voice. The group take a step backwards at the sound of her tone before Chrom walks forward before stopping a short bit from the group.
"In the name of House Ylisse, I seek audience with the khans!" he calls out to them. The one in command looks at him before holding a clenched fist out to the men on her left. They hold their spears up, ready to throw them down upon him.
"Not another step, my bold lad! I've lancers at the ready!" the group stand shocked at this. They hadn't even gotten in yet, and already they were ready to throw spears at them.
"Wait, hold on!" Sora says, moving forward a bit from the group. "Were not your enemy! We only came here to talk about Plegia's recent bandit attacks in Ylisse!" the knight looks at Sora before scoffing at him.
"So you may say, but it is in MY interest to keep brigands like you out of Regna Ferox!" she bites back at him. Sora shakes his head before turning back to the group, shrugging.
"At this rate, we are going to get drawn into a fight," Roxas says while his left hand moves towards his bow. "Why do they think we are brigands?"
"Maybe Plegia has done some banditry while claiming to be from Ylisse?" Kairi suggests. "If what Frederick has said, then if Plegia wants a war with Ylisse, then it would want Regna Ferox to stay out of it."
"That makes sense, Kairi," Sora says with a nod before glancing back at Chrom as he tries to plead with the fort commander, who continues to rebuke his claims until she gives out the order to attack. Then, suddenly, a shower of spears come raining from the keep towards Sora and Chrom.
"Sora!" Kairi cries out, grabbing his attention. Seeing the incoming spears, Sora deftly dodges out of the way before the spears land. Sora quickly glances over to where Chrom is, only to not see him there as the spears impale the ground where he was standing. A few white feathers float gently onto the floor as several of the guard's point upwards. Following their gaze into the sky, the group couldn't help but smile.
With Chrom as her passenger, Sumia flew around on top of a Pegasus, flying high in the sky.
"Sumia rescued Chrom!" Kairi cries out in happiness.
"Nice work, Sumia!" Sully calls out to her as she guides the Pegasus into landing next to the group. Kairi walks up to her as Chrom disembarks, a slight tint of pink on his cheeks as he stares at Sumia.
"I told you, didn't I, Sumia? All you needed was an opportunity." Sumia looks at her with a grateful smile before nodding. She then turns towards Chrom, turning her smile bigger.
"Oh, Captain, I'm so relieved I made it in time." Her comment snaps Chrom out of his gaze before returning it with an equally grateful smile.
"That goes double for me, Sumia. And this-" he gazes over the Pegasus before the realisation hits him, hard. "Is this the same ornery Pegasus we met on the road!?" the Pegasus looks at him before nudging him with her head. Kairi giggles at the Pegasus before gently stroking its mane.
"She's certainly a sweetheart, isn't she." She looks at Sumia, who agrees with a hum. Chrom looks at them, then gives his thanks to them again, to which Lissa points out that the Pegasus seemed to be blushing at the praise.
"Chrom, they're coming!" Robin sudden shout alerts them to the current problem. Small gates at either side of the main entrance open up, allowing several guards to spring forth. Chrom's eyes narrow before calling the group to get ready. They are doing this the Feroxi way. A sudden change in the wind catches Robin's attention before turning around, for a large cloud of white is quickly falling upon them. Robin's eyes widen in surprise before a plan form in his mind.
"Chrom, we have a blizzard coming this way. We can use it for cover to avoid their lances from above and move to one of the entrances to get on top." Chrom castes a glance at the approaching storm before nodding at the tactician. As the Feroxi warriors begin to charge at them, the blizzard washes over the area, covering the place in a thick cloud of white. While the guards struggle to move, the Shepherds bunch up and begin moving to the left, towards one of the open port calluses to enter the wall. All the while, they could feel eyes staring at them from the storm.
"Why do I feel like I'm being watched…?" Chrom asks as the blizzard wind's around them.
"You feel it as well, Chrom? Sora asks from his right; Chrom turns to look at him before nodding. While the group struggles forward from the blizzard, no one sees a form appearing in the mist, its shape large and bulky as the armoured knights on the wall.
"As much as I don't mind us using the storm as cover, but are we even nearing the wall?" Kairi asks as the storm grows slightly thicker, no one noticing the shadowy figure walking right in front of them.
"Um, sir?" a small voice echoes through the snowstorm, catching the group attention, just. "…Sir! Right here, sir!" Chrom looks around, eyes narrow.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" he asks as the rest look around, eyes piercing through the snow, until suddenly, a man in a giant suit of silver armour with orange highlight appears right in front of them, wielding an iron lance a shield as big as him. His hair is black a smooth like a ball, and his eyes are closed. He looks at Chrom with a bemused expression.
"I'm standing in plain sight, sir. Right he-" he says before the group collectively scream at his sudden appearance. The Feroxi warriors searching for them in the blizzard look at each other with puzzled expressions, even those up on the wall glance down, slightly worried. Recovering from the shock, Chrom nervously chuckles at the armoured knight.
"Oh! I-Is that you, Kellam? When did you arrive?" the knight in question heaves a sigh before explaining he had been with them ever since leaving Ylisstol. The guardians look at each other, befuddled. How did they not notice him at all? Kairi closes her eyes to feel the light, only to find it as dim as his presence!
"Forgive me, Kellam, it just you're so…quiet," Chrom says to the knight apologetically before he chuckles good-naturedly.
"It's quite all right, sir. I've been told I'm easy to miss."
"Still, having you here will make things easier for us, Kellam," Robin says, his eyes glancing around the blizzard surrounding them. "This storm will pass soon, and we need to be inside the wall before it does. Stahl, Sully, and Frederick won't be able to enter with their horses, and losing Frederick's armour would be a blow. Having you with us will make reaching the top a lot easier." While Robin goes over the plan, Sora casts a glance at the wall, barely seeing through the snow. He glances at his hand before clenching it, feeling some power still usable, even in this sealed state. He looks to Kairi and Roxas with a questioning look before nodding in the direction of the wall. They both glance at it before nodding confidently.
"Robin, we may have a way to make it easier," Sora says, grabbing the tacticians attention. "If it works, we would like you to send Naminé up with Sumia's help." He looks at him puzzled before nodding at him. Sora then runs straight at the wall with Kairi and Roxas, confusing the rest bar Naminé. The moment Sora jumps at lands on it, the familiar feeling of flowmotion takes over as the blue hue envelops him. The Shepherds look on amazed as the three of them then sprint up the wall towards the top before vanishing into the roaring storm. Chrom snakes his head quickly before looking toward Sumia.
"Take Naminé with you and help them atop the walls, but watch out for archers." Sumia nods at him before motioning her Pegasus over to Naminé and helping her up. The two fly up towards the top while the rest move to the entranceway, the three on horseback staying outside as the Feroxi warriors begin to catch up to them.
Flying above the storm, the two riders glance down onto the wall. Sora and Kairi are in the front, disarming fighters that charge at them while Roxas is in the back, loosing arrows of light at any of the armoured knights charging at them. Regular arrows would have bounced off the thick curved armour, but they were nothing but paper for Roxas and his arrows of light. Sumia nods to Naminé before lowering herself onto the wall, allowing the cleric to jump off and move to their aid, already casting healing magic on the two fighters and replenishing their stamina, before Sumia returns to the skies as a few arrows zip past her.
She glances at the offending archers before seeing them both get rendered unconscious by Sora, who turns his attention to another knight charging at him before taking an arrow to the leg. He glances at Roxas, nodding in appreciation before moving back to join Kairi. Gazing from above, Sumia notices two mages moving to strike from the side. Motioning her mount towards them, she readies her iron lance before hitting the two from behind with the blunt end. Glancing around, the numbers against them continued to come unabated, pushing them towards the edge of the wall. The leader of the warriors looks at them, impressed.
"Your strength is impressive. So few can scale the walls of the Longfort. But it is over. All that awaits you now is a long fall." So she says before pointing her lance at them. Until a fiery explosion sounds behind them, turning around, Raimi could look in shock as Chrom, and the rest of the Shepherds emerge from the entrance, weapons drawn.
"Charge!" Chrom says before lunging at Raimi, Falchion scraping against her iron spear. The rest quickly join him, with Robin and Miriel launching balls of lightning and fire at the knights, knocking them onto their backs. Vaike swings his axe down on several spears, separating the points from the shafts. Virion launches several arrows apo the mages, knocking their books out of their hands. Finally, Kellam charges through the line of knights like a boulder, reaching toward Sora and the others. They nod with appreciation before beginning their counter-attack. With Roxas loosing arrows into the knight's legs to immobilise them, Sora and Kairi dash at the axe wielders and archers, relieving them of their weapons or sending them into an unplanned nap. All the while, Chrom and Raimi duel each other, her spear forcing Chrom back with its reach while Falchion leaves several noticeable cuts in the spear's shaft. He is soon joined by Sora, who leapt into the air to attack from above, disorienting Raimi as Chrom moved into to strike, splitting her lance in two. Shocked at the turn of events, Raimi glances around her forces, seeing each of them either weaponless or unconscious as the Shepherds move to surround her, weapons drawn.
"Then your claims were…true…" she mumbles to herself before falling to one knee. She turns around to look at one of her subordinates. "Order the rest of our men to stand down. They are no imposters." The subordinate nods before calling down the wall to the ones still fighting beneath. She turns her gaze towards the Shepherds before bowing to them. "A thousand apologies, Prince Chrom. I truly took you for brigand impostors."
"It is quite alright, commander. Brigand attacks have been on the rise these past few months, so it was perfectly natural to suspect us of being so." Chrom quickly dismisses with a wave of his hand. Raimi looks up with a fire in her eyes.
"But my lord, no frauds could ever wage a battle as you just have! No brigands could replicate such tactics and skills." She recompiles herself before bowing again. "I will send word of your arrival to the capital and escort you there personally." Chrom graciously nods to her.
"That would be most appreciated, thank you." Raimi bows once more before moving to leave, her armour clanking away as she walks. Sora turns to the rest with a bemused expression.
"Wow. One minute she's ready to spear us, and the next, she is praising us." Roxas turns to look at his brother with an inquisitive expression.
"Well, maybe they rely more on the show of strength than words? It would make sense for a warrior kingdom to value a person's weight with a sword than how good they can say a speech." The guardians all nod to each other at that comment, for there is still so much about this world they don't know about. A sudden gust of chilly wind breaks that line of thought as the guardians are immediately reminded they are not on a tropical island and are in the middle of a wintery forest as they begin to shiver again.
"Anyway, can we please get going, Chrom? I've had enough standing out here in the cold." Lissa pleads with Chrom while rubbing her arms, with several of the other Shepherds voicing their agreement. Chrom nods before leading them into the Longfort. The warmth of the inside greats the warriors with open arms as fires roar around them. In the middle of the hall, Sully, Stahl, and Frederick converse before greeting the other Shepherds, their mounts eating away happily at the straw nearby.
Looking over to her left, Kairi sees Sumia by herself, grooming her Pegasus while complimenting it. A smile crosses her face as she walks up to her, one of her hands playing about with the Paopu fruit emblem hanging on her waist. "So, you feel more confident now, Sumia?" the Pegasus knight turns to look at her with a grateful smile.
"Yes, I do. Thank you for the talk we had back at the camp. I won't deny I still feel nervous, but now that I can fight, I am no longer bound by fear and doubt. I will keep on flying to keep Ylisse and Chrom safe." Kairi nods at her before turning around to leave.
"Um, before you go, can I ask you something." She turns back, wondering what it is that the knight wants to ask. She opens her mouth to speak, only to close it again and shake her head. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. I'll ask later." Kairi looks on bewildered as Sumia moves over to the other horses before Kairi moves to join Sora and the others.
"What was that you pulled off during the battle anyway?" she overhears Robin asking Sora as she approaches them. Internally she winces. They can't just talk openly about the Keyblade here. Robin is trustworthy, but there were way too many ears here to talk about it. She looks at Sora, who was busy thinking of a way to explain it.
"It is something they learned during their travels a year ago," Naminé interjects; they turn to look at her. "They were training to deal with the threat of a mad ruler along with our other friends when they discovered they could run up walls. It's not something anyone can learn, unfortunately. I know I can't do it." Sora, Roxas and Kairi mentally sigh in relief at Naminé explanation. Robin stares at her for a few moments before nodding at her.
"Alright. If that's the case, then I won't ask anymore. But I hope you don't mind if I use your abilities for future strategies. Having you able to run up walls will help if we encounter any fortifications in the future."
"Of course, Robin," Sora replies before seeing the tactician off to speak to Chrom, before turning a relived face to Naminé. "Nice one, Naminé." Naminé smiles at the comment before noticing the worry on Sora's face. "How long do you think we can keep it up? Emmeryn, Chrom and Lissa know about the truth, but no one else does. Sooner or later, they will find out."
"I don't know, Sora. It's the same with our mission. So far, only Emmeryn knows, but Chrom deserves to know as well." Kairi adds on with sympathy. "And it will only raise more questions when the others arrive." She turns to look at the two former Nobodies with worry. "Did master Yen Sid say who would be coming next?" Roxas looks at her before shaking his head. The group sigh before the sound of metal clanking against the stone ground grabs their attention. Coming from one of the entranceways, Raimi walks up to the group.
"If you will, please follow me, Prince Chrom. I will lead you to the capital now." Chrom looks at her before nodding, motioning to the group to join up before heading out.
Yep, the KH crew can still uses Flowmotion. Updates will return to the usual next Monday, hopefully.