Paralogue 2: The Secret Seller
Satisfaction. That is what Gangrel could feel flowing through his veins as he watches another Village burn to the ground. It was a pity that the Villagers managed to escape before he arrived, not that it mattered now that their livelihoods are now ash. But one thing still gnawed at him beyond compare. "Where. Is. Emmeryn?" he calmly asks a messenger next to him as Maleficent and Aversa stand on his sides. Pete stands nearby nervously, glad he was not in the poor soul's shoes.
"We believe she has returned to the Capital, my Lord, while Prince Chrom heads for Ferox." The messenger replies to Gangrel, his legs trembling. The king could only scoff as Maleficent walked up to him, her gaze cruel and malicious.
"Did your king ask for her whereabouts or for her to be brought before him in chains?" she asks with a cruel smile. The messenger could only stare in fear at the evil fairy before her staff glows in green fire. "Perhaps you would be more useful in a more suitable form." She casually comments as the fire engulfs the poor man; his screams echoed before being replaced by a hungry growl. Finally, the flames die away, leaving behind a Soldier Heartless standing where the messenger once stood. "There. Now go and join the others. We will march upon Ylisstol soon." The Heartless vanishes in a dark portal as Pete hides a shiver.
I'm glad she has not done that to me, but can I count on that luck forever? Oh, what I wouldn't do to see P.J again…
"Pete!" Maleficent cry shakes him from his thoughts as she walks up to him, a disapproving face glaring at him. "Stop your wallowing and get to work. The time for the light of Ylisse to be extinguished draws near!" Pete nods at her before vanishing into a Dark Portal. Maleficent could only sigh in annoyance with her only minion's incompetence. A straightforward task he was given, and he failed. How she wished she had her old council in these times. Well, all but Hook, that is.
"Why do you keep that fat cat with you, Maleficent?" Aversa asks in her usual tone. "Would it not be easier to do away with him and find new minions simply?"
"Would it be so simple, but that young brat had defeated my last council and any others who would have been worthy of joining. So, as much as it annoys me, Pete is the only one left."
"We have more important things to discuss that failing minion," Gangrel says as he looks over the burning Village. "Emmeryn has returned to the Capital. This is our chance to swoop in and take her. It is a pity that the Fire Emblem has made it to Ferrox, but with Emmeryn in our hands, Chrom will be dancing to our tunes. I will win in the end." He grins maniacally before letting out a wild laugh into the night. No matter what Chrom's tactician will come up with, Emmeryn will die.
A deafening silence hangs over the throne room of the East Khan as the Shepherds gather round. Under normal circumstances, they would be fine. Ylisstol was well fortified with towers and walls, its keeps well secured. But with the Heartless assisting Gangrel, those defences were rendered moot. What could last several months of siege now could only last a few weeks at best, a few days at worst. The Guardians themselves could only fear for the innocent people who would fall prey to the Heartless. Thankfully it seems the capital had been evacuated, but that was only a hollow joy. The weight of the situation was most evident on Chrom as he blankly stared at a wall as Robin and Lissa stood near him.
"B-but she's safe inside the castle, right?" Lissa asks, drawing the attention of all in the room. "Philia and the others will protect her! And Khan Flavia is assembling her best troops as we speak." Chrom doesn't even seem to acknowledge her outburst as Lissa seemingly gives up on him.
Until Sumia walks up to him, steel and fire in her eyes that had not been seen before, Chrom could only stare blankly at her before she balls one of her hands into a tight fist. "Snap out of it, Captain!" she yells before throwing a punch right into Chrom's left cheek. As Chrom recoils from the blow, shock, as well as a bit of dent in his pride, everyone else could only look on in amazement and dumbfoundedness. Even the guardians were at a loss at the brazenness of Sumia's action.
"OW!" Chrom exclaims as he rubs his aching face. "What the hell was that for!?" he snaps at Sumia, who seems to blink for a moment before her face dawns into realization, and horror.
"Oh no! …Did I do it wrong?" she asks to a dumbfounded room before she clarifies that Philia told her that a good slap would sometimes break someone out of their doldrums. Kairi could only shake her head before walking up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Sumia, while you're intentions were good, it's supposed to be with an open hand. Instead, you just punched him with a closed fist, with your gauntlet still on…" she points to her hand as Sumia looks over her silver gauntlets, as she blushes embarrassingly at the situation.
"Um… It's the thought that counts?" she sheepishly asks before several of the Shepherds break out into laughter. Of COURSE Sumia would do something like this. No one was laughing louder than Flavia, though, who had entered the room just as Sumia punched Chrom in the face,
"What's wrong, my dear prince? Sometimes love hurts! You're lucky to have strong women like these and not just dainty flowers about." She comments loudly to the room as Chrom and Sumia blush furiously at her comment. Flavia's face turns sombre, though, as she walks towards Chrom. "I bring news. The Feroxis army is mobilizing as we speak, but there is trouble in the north. Bandits and Risen are raiding several of our villages and thus cannot send troops to help. So it leaves us in a bind of choosing to honour our alliance but lose out people, or help our people but fail to help you."
"In that case, allow us to help you." Chrom offers to a surprises Flavia. "Even though Emmeryn is in danger, she would understand if we were delayed to help. After all, if she were here, she would do the same." Flavia could only smile at Chrom offer before nodding in acceptance.
"Very well, in that case, I am happy to accept. The nearest village is to the northeast of here in a forest. Please, Chrom, help our people." Chrom nods before ordering the Shepherds to move out. It is time to honour their alliance.
"Naminé, we need help here!" Xion cries as she carries an injured merchant over to a makeshift hospital as others are gathered around. She nods before finishing wrapping up her current patient arm. Of all the things to find out here, an injured caravan of traders and their guards was not one of them. As she rushes over, she can see Cordelia closing the eyes of one who did not make it, pain evident in her eyes. Worry about healing others hearts later. She chastises herself before focusing on the merchant Xion had brought over. These people need our help.
As she tends to the merchant's wounds, she spies Chrom walking over with a disgusted look with Robin, Sora and Kairi. "Did you find out who caused this?" she asks while her magic seals the cuts on the merchant's arms.
"We did. It's the band of bandits that Flava asked us to deal with. They have set up a blockade and are posing as tariffs, asking for toils to allow them to pass. This is the result of what happens if you can't pay." Chrom replies while casting an arm over the merchants.
"What gives them the right to do this?" Kairi asks, anger laced in her words. "These people are doing everything they can to survive, and yet they think they can just steal away their very way of living?"
"Which is why we are going to put an end to this," Chrom replies. "If they think they can get away with this while a war wages on, they are in for a big surprises. Robin. Got any plans for us." The tactician looks at Chrom with a glint in his eyes.
"Oh, I have a few, but they depend on the situation at hand. We may need to split our force in two, but it shouldn't be a problem." Chrom nods before looking over the column again, anger in his eyes, yet relief mixed in.
"I suppose we should count our blessings; these bandits don't know how to control the Heartless."
"Even if they did, they wouldn't last long," Sora comments before folding his arms. "It doesn't matter how strong a person's heart is; if they are careless, overconfident or weak, they will be consumed instead. And something tells me these bandits would be an easy meal for them."
"That's a bit disturbing…." Chrom mutters to himself. "And the fact that Gangrel can control them makes it even more so, but we can worry about him later. Right now, that village needs our help." He turns to the Shepherds, his eyes narrow. "Everyone, we move out now. The soldiers will remain here and tend to the wounded. Shepherds, on me!" Everyone cries and affirmative before continuing to march, a confrontation with the bandits inevitable."
Well, I'm not going to be selling anything around here…. A red-headed merchant thinks to herself as she looks at the scared villagers around her. Her hair is tied up into a high ponytail, with her eyes the same colour as her hair. She is wearing the same Trickster uniform as Gangrel, only modified for women, with the collar a bright yellow with a dark red cape. The rest of her Uniform is primarily red with a yellow stripe on each shoe spanning the whole length from knee to ankle, while a similar strip of yellow dons the front of her tunic. Her wrist guards and belt are silver, a steel sword is attached to her waist with a small bear keychain on the end, and a heal staff is stored on her back. Those bandits are ruining my business, time I dealt with them personally. She nods to herself before walking over to the village entrance, seemingly invisible to its inhabitants.
Walking out in front of the gates, she is greeted by the sight of several brigands and thieves, all ready to plunder the village. She could only shake her head in disgust before narrowing her eyes. "Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid this village is closed." She says while drawing her sword. The bandits laugh at her as their leader walks out towards her, seemingly amused by her proclamation.
"Well, aren't you a fetching young thing?" he says while looking her over, a sadistic gleam in his eyes. The red-haired warrior looks at him disgusted, noticing the look in his eyes. "And fetching you things fetches good coin. In fact, the gold you net from the slavers will build Vincent a fine home!" he cries in joy as the bandits ready themselves to charge. The woman, for her part, remains calm despite the vast number difference.
"Careful, love. Us traders are known to make some very deep cuts." She replies before settling into her stance, holding the blade in a reverse grip. The leader shrugs dismissively before ordering the attack before turning away to re-join the rest of his host. They could drag her to him when they were done. The trickster glares at her attackers before smirking to herself. "Well then, let's see how much you boys have!" She rushers forward at them, catching them off guard before swinging her sword, striking two down before the others charge at her. She could only grin as the brigands charged at her. Either way, this would be profitable in some capacity.
The sounds of yells and screams were the first thing the Shepherds heard as they neared the forest. Hastening to the sound, the Shepherds rush forward with no plan of attack until they reach the zenith of the hill. Before them lays an ocean of forest, the village nestled near its end along a river, its wooden walls still standing and its door still closed while a large group of bandits circle it. There lies another hill range to their right, where the main Bandit force stands, overlooking the village. Glancing around, Robins mind races to form a plan.
Alright. We have a large group of bandits at the front of the village, while the leading group is holding out on that hill. The wooden doors of the town can last only so long against a force that size. Robin grits his teeth before glancing over the Shepherds. He smirks a little before turning towards Chrom as he stands at the front. "Chrom, I have a plan."
"Those words are music to my ears, Robin. Let's hear it." Chrom replies while he turns around. Robin nods before turning back to look at the Shepherds.
"Frederick, I want you to take all our mounted warriors and charge at the bandits surrounding the village. Chrom will lead the rest in attacking the Bandits on the hill. Uphill battles are disastrous for cavalry." Frederick opens his mouth to object but sighs regrettably before shaking his head. Robin turns back to Chrom, who nods in approval before calling out to the others, they have a village to save.
Swinging her blade down on another foe, the red-haired trickster takes a moment to look around her surroundings. So far, she had managed to slay ten of the bandits, yet more seemed to melt from the trees. She grunts in annoyance before readying her stance again, intent on defending the village. Her foes prepare themselves to charge at her until the ground starts to vibrate as the sound of hooves echoes from the trees. Suddenly, yells of surprise and fear cry out from behind as Frederick bursts from the trees, with Sully and Stahl on his left, Riku and Panne on his right and Maribell behind them, ploughing through the bandit's line before reaching her, forming a protective ring.
"Are you alright?" Riku asks while he glances around at the bandits, their bravado replaced by annoyance at the unwanted help. The trickster looks at Riku before glancing around to the rest before shrugging nonchalantly.
"I'm fine. It's nothing I can't handle. I can keep hacking away at these low lives as I hack at prices." She comments, leaving the six baffled at her choice of words. "Anyway, we can exchange names later. We have a village to protect first."
"Yes, of course," Frederick replies before staring down at the bandits. "Well then, shall we?" He points his spear at the rouges before motioning his horse forward into a charge, ploughing through them like water. Panne, for her part, was acting like a giant furry bussaw, tearing through them and trees with ease. Sully and Stahl fell back on their tried and true hit and run tactics, dashing through them with quick strikes, sometimes with an accidental Sonic Blade as Riku tears through with his own Dar Aura. Maribell, for her part, stayed close to the trickster, knowing that her simple staff would not last long against an axe or sword.
Moving her horse to the left to avoid a blow, she watches as the trickster makes short work of the brigand before she turns her attention to the cavaliers. Raising her staff, she reaches out to heal their minor wounds and replenish their stamina as the bandit's numbers decrease. Confusion ravages the ranks, as some cry out why their forces seem to abandon them.
"They're breaking! Run them down!" Frederick cries as he leads a charge against the rouge as Panne charges by his side. Sully, Stahl and Riku follow suit, swiftly breaking into their formation and sending them running. Frederick nods with satisfaction before turning to the trickster. "May I trouble you with helping us assault the bandits main force? The sooner we route these villains, the better."
"You sure that's a good idea, Frederick?" Riku asks as he moves towards him. "You remember what Robin said about uphill battles, right? We won't be able to charge against them as well as here."
"I know, but we will have the element of surprise on our side." Frederick quickly replies, earning a thoughtful nod from the Keyblade Master. Then, he turns his attention back to the trickster, who currently had placed a finger on her chin as she thinks for a few moments before nodding with a smile.
"Sure. These rouge are bad for us merchants anyway. Kill all our businesses." She starts running into the forest before turning around to look at the group. "Well, you gonna stand around all day or are you going to show them who's boss?" The group look at each other before shrugging, following the trickster as she sprints ahead of them, her speed easily matching that of their horses.
Everything seemed to be coming up, Victor. Here he was, at the head of his portion of their joint forces, about to ransack a village to the ground while also selling a fletching thing on the market. That new home they talked about would be coming true with the profits from this! At least, that is what should be happening.
"How have they not brought her over yet?" he asks the men around him. They have sent several more to assist, yet there is no thick plume of smoke rising from the village, nor the fletching one in chains. It was very odd. "They should have been back by now." The men around him could only shrug until the sound of wings flapping in the air drew their attention. Looking up, they stare in shock as Sumia, Cordelia, and Xion charge at them from above, slashing at them with their spears. "Calm down! It's only three of them. Surround them and pull them off their mounts!" his men move as ordered until two arrows, one made of light, fly past and embed themselves in two of his mercenaries. A blast of wind, fire and electricity shortly follow, disorienting them as Chrom, Sora, Kairi, Vaike, Gaius, Kellam, Donnel, and Lon'qu charge out of the nearby woods. Lissa and Naminé hide back in the trees along with Ricken, Robin and Miriel, as Virion and Roxas unleash arrows from atop the tress branches.
Victor could only look around in anger as the Shepherds plough into his ranks like farmers harvesting wheat while the Pegasus riders strike from above. Then, grunting in annoyance, he charges into the battle himself, his axe falling upon an unexpecting Donnel before being intercepted by Sora's blade.
"Not on my watch!" He says as he pushes the big guy back. Victor is unimpressed by this as he proceeds to swing wildly at Sora, his axe forcing the teen to step back least he loses his head. An arrow from Roxas impacts the bone skull on his left shoulder but fails to pierce it as Victor laughs.
"Give it up now! I was born a Victor, and victory will be mine!" he boasts as he brings his axe down on Sora, barely missing him as he splits open a rock behind him. Unfortunately, he fails to notice Kairi and Lon'qu approaching from the side until he feels their blades slicing into his left side and leg. Victor grunts in pain before hitting them with the back of his hand before a blast of fire hit his right arm. He shakes the pain away, only for Kellam to bash him with his shield and send him to the ground. He struggles to stand, only to see Sora and Chrom charging at him from both sides before they slash him across the chest, ending the fight.
Victor could only gasp in shock as all feeling fell away. Tumbling to the ground, he stares at the sky as snow lightly falls, his vision cloudy and morphing. "I… I see an open field. Vincent… Such beautiful flowers…" he smiles slowly as he breathes his last. The rest of Victors forces break and run after seeing their leader fall, vanishing into the snow-covered hills. The last of them pass over the hill as Frederick and the others arrive on the scene.
"Are you alright, my lord?" Frederick asks as the two groups converge. Chrom waves him off dismissively before ordering everyone to make for the village. It was time to let them know they were safe.
"A thousand thanks, good sir." A merchant tells Chrom as his caravan from before walks into town, the merchants eager to start peddling their wares. "I'd feared our goods would spoil before reaching the market."
"Don't worry about it," Sora replies while placing his hands behind his head. "This is the sort of thing we do all the time. Anyway, best you get moving." The merchant thanks Sora and Chrom again before leaving for the village centre as Riku, Robin, and Kairi walk up to them.
"That takes care of this problem, but there are still some areas left," Riku says while crossing his arms. "I heard of risen attacks hitting some of the villages nearby. So we should make that our next destination before returning to Flavia."
"I think we should res for a while first, Riku," Kairi replies. "We just came out of a large battle after a long march. That's not including the help we gave to the caravan before we got here."
"Kairi is right. We should rest for a bit before moving on. No more than a day, I would say." Robin agrees before looking out to the rest of the Shepherds. "Even if a part of me would rather head out now, doing so on fumes would be the worst decision I'd ever make."
"Agreed, we could use the rest. Tell the rest to take as long as they need, but the moment we are rested, we move out to stop these risen attacks." The four nod at Chrom before noticing the trickster from before walking up to them, a massive smile on her face.
"Well, it seems you've done a big kindness to my fellow merchants. The name's Anna." She introduces herself. "Some folks like to call me the Seacret Seller. Next time we meet, I'll be sure to cut you an extra-special deal."
"Why does she remind me of the Moogles?" Sora asks Riku and Kairi under his breath. They could only shrug in response to his question. Best leave that answer unsaid.
"Anyway, there is something you should know about those Bandits. You only took out one of their leaders." Anna informs the five. They look at her with wide eyes. "Yeah, the other person is called Vincent. Rumour has it he looks exactly like Victor, only with some colour difference. And a few more rumours that I'd rather not get into. Anyway, since Victor is dead, don't be surprised if you find him coming after him."
"If that's the case, do you know where their hideout is?" Chrom asks. Bandit groups this large must have some sort of base. Anna hums to herself for a moment before nodding.
"Well, it's just gossip, but there is talk about some old ruins to the north of here that have some unwanted gusts living in its halls. You could try there."
"Thank you," Chrom replies before bowing to her, followed by Sora, Kairi, Riku and Robin. Anna waves them off before walking into the forest, seemingly melting into the trees. The group dispersed with Sora and Kairi walking off to examine the markets while Riku went looking for Xion to make sure she wasn't causing any mischief to the others. Robin decided to look over some more notes as Chrom retired to an inn room, sighing heavily.
"That took out more than I thought." He mumbles before a nocking comes from the other side of his door.
"Chrom? Are you in here?" Sumia's voice calls from the other side. Chrom calls in affirmative, allowing her to enter with a pie. "There you are. So, um… here. "She hands it to him, steam still freshly coming off it. "I made you a pie." She says while her cheeks are tinted pink. Chrom accepts it, commenting on the smell coming from it. "Well, I should hope so. I noticed how tiered you looked after the battle, so I made something that my mother always made that perked me right up. Rhubarb-and-fiddlehead pie!"
Chrom blinked twice at the pies name. No mutton, goat or BEAR? When asked, Sumia said that meat was the worst thing to have when tiered and that this pie would make him right as rain. Something her mother always said. Chrom comments that his old nurse used to say the same thing when he was young. Sumia smiles before remembering to clean her horse, bidding Chrom a good day. After she left, Chrom could only look at the pie, and wince.
"Gods, I HATE Rhubarb." He mumbles. He briefly thought of throwing it away, but when thinking about how much effort Sumia put into this, he just couldn't. So, biting the arrow, Chrom forces himself to eat it. But to his surprise and delight, he found it not bad. Before he knew it, the pie was gone. Deciding to grab some rest, he lays down on the cot and closes his eyes with a smile on his face.
"WHAT!?" Vincent's cry echoes through the ruined keep as the remaining bandits from Victors forces arrive. "You are telling me that Victor, my darling Victor, is DEAD!?" The men around him shiver in fright as a small dark aura forms around him.
"Y-yes, boss. We saw it. A boy with blue hair and another with spikey brown hair did it. Also, there was this chick with red hair in a pony tail who stopped us getting into the village." The rouge reports as he slowly backs away from his other boss, the aura around him growing even thicker.
"Oh, so they were the ones who did it. Well, they are about to find out just how big of a mistake they made." He mumbles as dark portals appear around him, realising the Heartless. The rest of the bandits shake in fear as the Heartless rise around their new master. His sadness, along with the darkness in his heart, rage and festers before they turn their eyes on them. Then, with a sickening screech, the Heartless lung at the bandits, as Vincent continues to weep. "They will pay. Oh, they will pay!" a sadistic grin forms on his face as the Heartless swarm around him, eager to do his bidding, yet also keen for his heart.