Paralogue 21: Daughter to Dragons
"So let me get this straight. Not only did we find Gradivus in a village in Northern Ferox, but now we have Parthia from an abandoned castle." Chrom says as he rubs his eyes tiredly next to an intrigued Say'ri. Before him, Noire and Kjelle stood with said weapons in their hands. Frederick and Lissa stood behind Chrom with confused looks while Sumia rubbed Chrom's back. Lucina and Cynthia were busy trading glances between them. At the same time, Sora, Kairi, Robin, Tiki and their future kids stood to the side.
"Is there something special about those weapons, Chrom?" Kairi asks. While it was true that they could feel the power radiating from the weapons, it didn't explain Chrom's current reaction to them.
"Well, for one, they SHOULD still be in the vault in the capital." Lissa kindly informs. "Alongside the swords Mercurius and Mystletainn, the Wo Dao blade, the Wing Spear used by Queen Ceada, the axe Hauteclere and the tomes Aura, Starlight, Mjolnir, Valflame and Foreseti. Why they were out here, I have no idea."
"It can only mean that it was not as secure as we were led to believe." Frederick says with a scowl. "I shall indevoured to look over the vault for any weaknesses that need to be address as soon as we return." Chrom nods absentmindedly before noticing a look on both Robin and Tiki.
"Something you want to add, my friends?" Chrom asks inquisitively. The couple glance at each other before turning back to Chrom.
"If I may, but I think it would be best if we took those weapons out from the vault. We will need any and all advantages against Grima. And if they are anything as how I remember them, they will be a great help to us." Tiki says, her eyes holding a nostalgic glint as she remembers said weapons used in the past.
"I agree with Tiki. Having those weapons will aid us a great deal." Robin adds before looking to Say'ri. "Are there any such weapons in Valm Say'ri?" Say'ri glances at Robin before nodding her head.
"Aye, we do. The Royal Sword and Beloved Sofia, the blades of King Alm and Queen Celica, the lance Rhomphai and the Radiant Bow. If my memory serves, I believe it was sent to Ylisstol at the behest of the Dynasts to prevent the rise of another Walhart."
"Can't blame them for that. After what Walhart did, anyone would be eager to prevent the rise of someone like him." Kairi agrees with a nod of her head. Sora nods his head in agreement before looking at Chrom.
"So, what are you going to do? Kjelle and Noire will use these until we defeat Grima, so who would be using the others?" Chrom casts a glance at Sora before holding his chin in thought as he ponders the question in his mind.
"We can decide on that when we return to Ylisstol." Chrom says. "While I agree that the weapons should be used, it's pointless to debate who should use them until we return. For now, we have two locations left to investigate, starting with this abandoned manor." He looks at the map before them, two areas highlighted in red. One was a desert located to the east in Ylisse, while the second was just above the Ferox wall. Where they currently were. "Lucina, can you tell us how many of your friends are left to find? I know you have stayed quiet for obvious reasons, but I feel they are moot by now."
"You are right, father." Lucina admits, ignoring the look Cynthia was giving her. "At this point in time, we are missing two of our friends. And while I have no problem saying their names here, I would rather they remain unknown to everyone else, until we find them." At the nods of agreement from around the room, she continued. "The first is a talented mage called Luarent. He has mastery over wind magic, and had managed to rediscover the magic that Lind used."
"You mean Aura and Starlight?" Tiki asks, eyes wide. "But those spells had been locked away in their books since the fall of Mateus. And only Lind knew how to use the spells."
"Try telling that to Mr Spectacles." Cynthia says with a huge grin. "Whenever he encountered something he didn't know, he would spend his every waking moment trying to figure it out. The only thing he ever gave up on was the Keyblades, for several reasons." Lucina, Caelum and Oceania chuckle at Cynthia's nickname for Laurent while Morgan raises an eyebrow, missing the joke.
"Reminds me of Miriel." Kairi comments with a knowing smile. "So, who is the last one?" Lucina turned to answer but was suddenly interrupted when Anna burst into the room.
"Sorry to interrupt, but we have a problem." She says with a hint of breathlessness. "Risen have been spotted entering the manor just a few minutes ago. And they entered en-mass like a fire sale was happening."
"Risen? Whay are Risen going into an old manor?" Sumia asks, puzzled. Chrom only narrows his eyes before looking around the room.
"We don't have time to waste. We need to head into the manor now and eliminate the Risen before they finish whatever it is they are doing." Chrom turns back to Anna. "Who's on watch at the moment?"
"Ricken and Nowi at the moment." She replies with her business-like demeanour. Chrom nods before looking to Sumia.
"Sumia, I want you, Frederick, Say'ri and Cynthia to stay here and keep watch for anymore Risen. I doubt that they are the only ones in the area. Meanwhile, I'll take everyone else in this room and head in with Ricken and Nowi." Sumia looked ready to protest, but reluctantly agreed. A manor was no place to fly a horse.
"You know I hate it when you leave me behind, Chrom. But I can see your point." Sumia says with a frown before hugging her husband. "Just be safe, okay?" Chrom returns the hug, affirming that he will be, before Sumia leaves the room with the chosen few, leaving the rest alone. They had a mansion to clear out.
Dark hallways lit by blue flames flicker in the old mansion. The inside lit in a dark blue and purple hue. Statues and stone gargoyles line the halls, overlooking a deep red carpet as steel chandeliers hang from above covered in cobwebs. The silence was broken by the sound of feet hitting the stone floor as a young woman rushed down the hall.
Her brown hair, tied into two braids that stretched down to her sides, framed her face as two long ears stretched from her head. A single cowlick extended from her head as she franticly looked around. Her red cape twists around her white blouse as her hands, covered in brown gloves, grip on a green Dragonstone. A small red bag hangs from her hip, and her legs are encased in similar boots to Tiki and Nowi, a deep red with pink trim. Taking a moment to calm herself, she slows down before stopping in the middle of the hall.
"All right, Nah… You can do this. You're strong! You're brave! You… EEEEEEEK!" Nah's self-confidence speech was abruptly interrupted as the poor lighting illuminated a shadow growing before her. She sprints down the hall without taking a chance before rushing into an open room. Slamming the door shut, she takes a moment to view her surroundings, finding herself in an abandoned bedroom before having a moment of realisation.
"Wait a minute, what am I doing? This is silly. I can turn into a dragon… What am I worried about? And besides, I've faced worse things than this." She chastises herself with a smile before turning back to look at the door. "Now, how do I even get out of here? Every time I find the exit, it just vanishes." Suddenly, growling could be heard outside the door, as Nah quickly shuts herself up and holds her breath. Tense seconds pass until heavy footsteps move away from the door, leaving her alone again. "And how did these Risen find me? I can't fight without bringing the roof down around me. Why did mother not teach me how to control my size when I transform?" She bemoans as she flops on the bed. Unbeknownst to her, her scream from earlier had caught the attention of others.
"Did anyone else hear that?" Sora asks the group as they scan the entrance foyer. The manor doors open wide. Before anyone could answer him, the doors slammed shut, leaving them in the purple hue of the mansion's interior.
"MEP! W-w-what happened?!" Noire squeaks as everyone turns to the entrance. Kjelle, Lucina, Oceania and Caelum rush over to open it, only o find the door unmoving.
"The door is jammed. Some blackheart must have enchanted it." Kjelle informs with a scowl as Noire shrinks on herself. While the twins walk up to her and pat her on the back, Chrom gives out a resigned sigh.
"Nothing we can do about it now. For now, our focus is on the Risen inside and the source of that scream." Glancing around, he saw it was in a traditional two-story house, with a possible third floor in the attic. Looking towards Robin and Tiki, it seemed they had come to the same conclusion.
"We'll have to split up if we want to find the source of that noise." Robin says as he glances around. "Chrom, you explore the second level with Lucina, Ricken, Nowi, Noire and Kjelle. The rest of us will explore this floor before moving up to the attic and link up with you."
"Alright." Chrom agrees with a nod. "Be careful. We will be fighting at a disadvantage in here, and Ricken is the only one with a Mend Staff. Do not do anything careless." With acknowledgements from all round, the group split up, unaware of a presence looking over them the entire time.
While Robin's group explored the bottom floor, Chrom led his group to the second floor and down the right hallway, weapons drawn. They had no idea how many Risen were here, not where they were, but they were not taking any chances. But it had only been a few seconds before something unnerved them.
"Is it me, or does this hallway look bigger than it should be?" Ricken asks as he looks around them. He was unsure what he saw, but his eyes told him they were walking in a hall as big as one would find in a castle. Nothing that the outside conveyed to them.
"You're not wrong, Ricken." Chrom replies, equally unnerved at the sight before them. "Just what dark magic is doing this? Lucina?"
"I don't know." Lucina replies with uncertainty. "We had never heard of anything like this in our timeline. Then again, this place held no strategic importance, so we never bothered to explore it." She sighs deeply before looking around them. "I'm starting to wonder if we should have."
"Incoming from the front." Kjelle suddenly says as she slams her shield into the ground, startling Noire. Lucina was about to ask what before looking down the hall, a group of Risen rushing towards them. Not wasting any time, she joined Kjelle on the left while her father took the right. Noire, Ricken and Nowi stand behind them, Nowi taking on her dragon form but smaller than usual to accommodate the interior size. Still, she could not take flight without slamming into the ceiling.
As the first of the Risen charged towards them, a trio of reanimated Swordmasters, Chrom and Lucina, switched to their spears before holding them forward alongside Kjelle's. One would think they would stand their ground at the charging Risen. Still, an arrow zooming past Lucina's cheek, courtesy of Noire, signalled an unsaid sign as the trio dashed forward in a Sonic Blade attack.
The moment the three bolted, Ricken unleashed a powerful attack, Rexcalibur, into the Risen at the far back. This was followed closely by a blast of fire from Nowi, splitting the remaining Risen into two groups of three. Noire unleashes another arrow into one of the straggling Risen. Kjelle engages the second one as the father and daughter duo charges at the two separated groups, Falchion's gleaming. The shambling corpses didn't stand a chance against the veteran fighters as they soon vanished again into a purple mist.
"Hmph. Weak." Kjelle says dismissively as she picks her shield up from where she slammed it. "The Risen of our time were more of a challenge."
"That's no excuse to get careless, though." Chrom says. "I'm sure Sully has already beaten that into your head." Kjelle, for her part, took a thoughtful look before nodding in acknowledgement. "Good. Now, let us keep moving forward. We still have Risen to eliminate and find a way out of this place."
"What about behind that door?" Nowi suddenly says, pointing a wing towards a nearby door. "You think there could be something behind it?" Chrom glances at the said door before narrowing his eyes.
"There could. But be ready." He says before walking over to it, Falchion in his hand. Lucina and Kjelle lank him on either side as Ricken, Nowi and Noire stand behind him. Approaching with trepidation, Chrom grips the handle with a stern grip. Taking a calming breath, he opens it before receiving a scream to his face.
"You think Chrom and the others have found the Risen yet?" Sora asks as his group wanders around the bottom floor of the mansion. "We haven't found any of them at all on this floor."
"I find it hard to believe they would all be on one floor. But I am starting to find no other reason for their absence." Robin acknowledges with a sigh. Before any could say anything, a scream echoes through the hallways around them. Reverberating throughout the empty halls.
"That's the same scream we heard when we entered the mansion!" Kairi identifies with concern. The group sprinted toward the scream without saying anything, finding themselves back in the foyer with the stairs. Not pausing for a second, they sprint up the stairs before rushing down the left hallway.
"Um, what's with this hallway?" Morgan suddenly says, glancing around them. "This does NOT look like something you would find in a mansion." The group suddenly stops before looking around them, gasping at the change of scenery. Instead of the violet hallways they were exploring, they now found themselves in a stone hallway one would find in one of the abandoned castles they had fought through.
"Okay, what is going on?" Oceania says with confusion in her voice. "What sort of magic could do this?"
"Illusion magic." Sora says with narrow eyes. "That has to be one way the hallway looks like this." Oceania seemed to agree with her dad until Caelum tapped his knuckles on the floor.
"If it is illusion magic, then it's VERY convincing. The stone feels like actual stone." He says, drawing the attention of the others. They do their own checks, with Robin and Tiki reaching out for any traces of magic only to find nothing.
"Well, scratch that theory then." Morgan says with hands on hips. "What now, dad? Do we double back or press on?" Robin places a hand on his chin before thinking. They were in a peculiar situation, stuck in a castle hallway with no guarantee that going back would return them to the mansion. Reluctantly, he made his decision.
"We continue onward. Hopefully, the others can link up with us. If not, then we can only hope that whatever is keeping us here is at the end of this tunnel." With no other choice, the group proceed onward, cautious glances cast towards any and all shadows around them. After what felt like half an hour, they find themselves in a large open area. The rocky walls and granite platforms indicated that this was a mining pit. If the scattered mining tools littered around were of any indication.
"Why am I getting a sense of déjà vu?" Sora asks while looking behind them. Before he could ask any further, Robin indicated them to get down before crawling slowly to the edge. Below them was the horde of Risen that had entered the mansion from before, standing around a strange artefact.
It was teardrop in shape, patterned as though it was made of dragon scales. The stone was a deep grey, with the outlines a glowing white. The image of a dragon's head was emblazoned on the front, the same colour as the outlines giving it the appearance as though it was bone. The moment she saw it, Tiki gasped in realisation.
"It's a divine stone!" She says in a whisper, grabbing the attention of the others. "It holds power given directly from Naga herself! It is the most powerful of all Dragonstones!"
"Then we can not let the Risen have it! If they take it, who knows what they will do with it!" Robin hisses with narrow eyes. "I know Chrom told us to wait, but we can't risk it. Tiki, you engage them first while Morgan and I provide cover with magic. At the same time, Sora will take the others, charge them at the centre, and head for the stone. The moment you grab it, we fall back until we find Chrom. If the Risen chase us, we can hold them back in the narrow tunnel."
"It's risky, but it's our only option." Tiki says with a sigh. "We can not allow them to ge their hands on that stone." With silent nods, the group prepared to charge as Sora drew both weapons. Speed and surprise were their advantages, and they would take every advantage they could get.
"NOW!" With Robin's shout, Tiki changed forms and shot into the air before launching a blast of holy fire at the Risen horde. The Risen were taken by complete surprise, failing to sense their approach as a portion of their numbers succumbed to the flames. This was shortly followed up by bolts of lighting from Robin and Morgan as Sora, and his family charged into the Risen lines, weapons gleaming.
"This is going too easy." Morgan says as she and her father glance over the fight. "Something is wrong." Robin nods his head in agreement, noting that Kairi has managed to grab the stone from its pedestal. But just as she and the others started running back, three pools of darkness erupted around them before three tornadoes of darkness with glowing yellow eyes emerged from them. Twisting and bending as though there were alive.
"Demon Towers!" Sora shouts in alarm as the tornadoes of darkness swirl around them. The glowing eyes fixed on them. The four try to move but are quickly surrounded by the Towers, the Shadows that make them off, peeling off them before advancing towards them.
"Damn it! We have to destroy those things!" Robin grunts as he unleashes a Thoron at the Towers. Only to gasp as they seemingly open up and allow the blast to pass through harmlessly.
"Those things, they aren't a single mass. They are made of individual heartless." Morgan says as she rubs her head. "At least, that's what I remember. I think. If only I could remember the weak spot…." Robin narrows his eyes as he looks over the Heartless. No matter the foe, they always had a weakness. But this foe, which could seemingly bend and twist, seemed to defy all customs! Just as he wracked his brain, a sudden blast of wind from a secondary passage grabbed his attention. To his surprise and imminent relief, Chrom's group and another girl rushed out to join the fray. Nodding to Morgan, the two rush down the slop as Tiki flies to join them. "Chrom! Thank Naga, you're here!"
"Robin! What's happening?!" Chrom asks as he looks at the swirling mass of darkness before them.
"It's a Demon Tower." Tiki says in her dragon form. "It's trapped Sora and the others, and I fear what will happen to them if we are not fast enough."
"Is there anything we can do?" Ricken asks as he looks at the Heartless, his wind magic doing nothing to the creatures.
"There is." The mysterious girl says. "If we use our dragon breaths simultaneously, we can take them out." The trio look at each other before looking back to the girl, but she quickly shakes her head. "There's no time for an explanation! Sora and the others won't make it unless we do it!"
"Very well." Tiki replies as she flies to the top of the cavern. Nowi joins her in her own dragon form shortly after as the mysterious girl turns into a dragon herself. Her scales were a deep red, while her underbelly was a light pink. The edges of her wings were emerald green. The three dragons look at each other before nodding as they turn their heads downward. As one, they unleash a joint blast of fire at the Demon Towers, the holy fire engulfing the Heartless as it screeches in pain. Soon, the Towers retreat, significantly smaller than they once were, as Sora and his family appear unharmed but exhausted.
"Thanks for that." Sora replies with some deep breaths. "Those things are so annoying. Even more so when we are shackled like this."
"Don't thank me. Thank the Manakete who joined us." Robin says, indicating with his head at the ruby dragon as she turns back to her human form. But before Sora or Kairi could thank her, Caelum and Oceania had already hugged and enveloped her.
"Nah! We looked all over for you!" Oceania says as she and her brother envelop the girl in a hug. A bit too tight of a hug.
"It's nice to meet you two, but can you let me go so I can breathe!?" She asks, muffled, prompting the twins to let go of her with sheepish grins. Watching the scene unfold, Sora and Kairi turn to Chrom, waiting for an explanation.
"Let's just say we found her in the most unexpected way." He says with a small grin.
Flashback.
Nah was still sitting on the bed, pondering how to escape from this trap of a mansion. Lost in her thoughts, she was broken out of them when she heard shouts outside the room. Walking up to the door, she placed her ear on the side, straining her ear to listen. But all she could hear was muffled grunts and a clash of swords.
"What is going on out there? Curse these ears! Why can't I have any super hearing if they are longer than normal?" She moans to herself before stepping away from the door. She couldn't hear the sound of combat anymore, so whoever was outside had won. "Maybe they are trapped like me? Well, safety in numbers, I suppose. Naga, I hope they are friendly." She muses to herself as she moves to open the door.
She was not expecting it to suddenly open right in front of her with a large man standing before her. Armed with a sword and spear and wearing an expression of annoyance. In this situation, Nah could do the only thing that came to her mind.
She screamed.
"Eeeeeek!" Her scream echoes before her as she backs away, hand reaching down to the Dragonstone on her hip. She was about to transform into her dragon form before the armoured stranger raised his hand.
"Wait! I'm a friend! We're here to help." He says quickly with wide eyes. Clearly, he was not expecting this either. It seemed to calm Nah down as she put the stone back on her hip and took a deep breath.
"Whew, good thing you spoke up there… I was about to melt you with my breath." Chrom gives her a puzzled look before the realisation dawns in his eyes. He was about to speak more before Lucina entered the room.
"Father, what's going on?" She asks before her eyes fall on Nah, widening in recognition. Before Chrom could answer, Lucina had already rushed into the room to envelop the young Manakete in a hug. "Nah! It's so good to see you again!"
"It's good to see you again, Lucina." Nah replies, patting Lucina on the arm as she lets her go. Her eyes fall on the others outside before freezing when Ricken and Nowi enter the room.
"Erm, is everything alright?" Ricken asks as he and Nowi look at Nah. Nah casts a glance at Lucina before looking at Kjelle and Noire. Sighing resolutely, Nah steps towards the couple.
"I am. But there is something I have to show you. The both of you." She says, a slight hesitation in her voice. Ricken and Nowi look at each other while Chrom gives a knowing look. With a sigh, Nah opens up the bag on her hip before removing a wedding ring and showing it to Ricken and Nowi.
"Hey! That's the same as my ring!" Nowi says, removing her left glove to show her ring. The couple shares a glance before turning sorrowful eyes onto the girl, who nods sadly before moving the ring close to her chest.
"Yes. This is your ring. It's a memento of the both of you, from… the future. It keeps me safe now that…. Now that you're both gone." Nowi glances at the floor before walking up to Nah, placing her hands on hers holding the ring.
"I think it's very sweet. I can see how much you treasure it. But now that you're here with us, you don't have to hold back." Nah looks at her with a quizzed look before Nowi clarifies. "What I mean is your tears. If you're sad, you can talk to me. I cry all the time, dear. Trust me on this. Holding things back won't make you stronger."
Nah struggled to keep a straight face, trying to prove she was strong. Be she couldn't. Eventually, she burst into tears, cloning onto her mother as her feelings poured out. Ricken, not wanting to let Nowi shoulder the tears, joins his wife and future daughter as the rest look on. They would have stayed like this if the sudden noise of battle caught their ears, ending the reunion abruptly as they rushed to the sounds of battle.
Flashback Ends.
"And that is when we found you here." Chrom finishes before tilting his head to the cave they were in. At least, were in. Now they stood once again in the manor foyer, the stairs leading to the second floor collapsed and un unsalable. "And now I have had enough of this place. Shepherds! We're leaving!" No one argued with him as the group immediately left the manor, the front doors opening without a fuss.
No one saw the glowing blue butterfly looking at them from the ruined chandelier. And no one heard the soft sound of a woman giggling as they left. No one but Naga.