A/N: I'm incredibly sorry about the late chapter! This one fought with me and fought with me until I rewrote it thrice, more or less. I'm still not quite satisfied with it, but this will do for now and will definitely see some very heavy editing and revisions past what I caught before releasing it. With that in mind, I probably should actually take my month or so in order to build up a backlog for this story once more for more consistent upload times.
If you do like this story and want to find more stories by other authors that don't necessarily write Fire Emblem related stories, swing by the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord Server (Code: 9XG3U7a). There are plenty of brilliant writers there in the process to telling their own stories or having already told their stories and it's a pretty nice place. They also have a Podcast on Spotify called the Fanfiction Treehouse Podcast if that interests you. With that, onto the Chapter.
To Nicola's credit, he made it twenty-two days before things were turned on their head. The day after his audience with the Exalt he was given his writ and led to the royal archives, where he realized he had a lot of work ahead of him. The archives were a dusty mess, with numerous scrolls and parchment sheafs haphazardly spread across the tables and floor. Ground-to-ceiling shelves lined the walls of the circular room, nearly all of them filled with old books that hadn't been opened in years based on the thick layer of dust coating them. The singular lamp in the room, lit by magic rather than flame, had been knocked on its side at some point and never picked back up, likely due to the same disuse that had befallen the archive in particular. The adjoining library was in far better condition and saw regular use by people that appeared to be high ranking mages or political figures. Both possibly, Nicola hadn't really paid any attention to them beyond cursory glances.
The servant leading him gave a polite bow and a nervous smile. "Is there anything else you need, Sir Nicola?"
"...A bucket, a mop, many towels and water," the Summoner listed. Research and study was important, but he wasn't going to be remotely productive in a room that made him want to sneeze on sight.
The next few days were devoted to Nicola cleaning and organizing the archive with help from various servants. He hadn't expected the help, though he welcomed it once he was several hours in with a clean table, mostly clean floor and the lower half of two shelves wiped down. Evidently, they hadn't expected him to try cleaning the room on his own.
"This isn't a single person task," one told him.
"You're a right mad one to think you can handle all of this," another said.
"I'm surprised you got so much done in a short span of time. Best get some rest, good sir," commented a third. More came along to help as well, but at different times further in the week.
Even with the help of eight or so people at any given point, the task still took six days of hard work cleaning and organizing to finish properly. By then, Nicola had become well acquainted with many of the castle's servants, noting their names and faces. There was Graham, who'd led Nicola to the archives; Artel, an elderly man who had once served as a knight for the halidom some decades back; Wyck, a 'Feroxi Barbarian' who'd come to settle in the halidom after making her fortune as a mercenary; and many others. Nicola had garnered a fair amount of favor from them by working with them and offering help when he passed by them in the castle's halls. Conversely, his standing with the church continued to plummet. He paid that no mind.
Once the archive was cleaned and organized, Nicola began looking into the documents in the circular space. As it turned out, finding the documents he was after was its own challenge. six days of moving old tomes and rolls of parchment around with limited success was draining. He found snippets, tiny scraps of knowledge hardly sensible enough to make sense of and stories. There were many stories, most faded and worn, while others had sections cleanly cut and removed from them. The most helpful tidbits he could find were often in the latter category, with large sections of pages so cleanly removed that Nicola only realized they were gone when the text he read abruptly skipped forward. Then there were the burned texts, blackened and so very brittle that he had very little confidence in moving them for fear of destroying what information they held.
"I'll definitely need to bring this up with Emmeryn," the summoner sighed, closing yet another incomplete lead. This one spoke of an old labyrinth on the far side of the continent where an evil god had once resided, then cut to it being vanquished by the 'Kingsfang' from across the sea. That sounded remotely familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly why it did at the moment. It had to be a blessed or divine weapon at least, but there was no record of any beyond the Falchion that he'd seen thus far. By this point he'd gone though maybe a fifth of the first book shelf, the first of thirty or so. It helped that he read quickly and that most of the materials present were incomplete.
"Sir Nicola, are you done for the evening?" The summoner perked up at the voice that called out.
"Just Nicola, Cordelia, and I'm just about done," Nicola returned, placing the book back in its place on the book shelf. They'd gone through this song and dance many times over the past eight days. The Pegasus Knight had been assigned to keep an eye on him by Phila when she wasn't needed on patrols or training. The Wing Commander explained that Cordelia needed the break, else she would have trained herself until she collapsed. Because he was the Exalt's guest, the redhead treated him formally, despite his protests. Beyond that, she was an affable person and they had sparred fairly often in the early morning.
"Good. Commander Phila wants to see you."
"What? Why?" Nicola perked up. That was new. Generally Phila was acting as Emmeryn's shadow or leading the aerial knights. For what reason would she want to see him?"
"She didn't say, but she had a rather serious look."
"She always has a serious look, Cordelia." The red haired woman gave him a pointed look. "Fine, let's go see her."
"Thank you for not being difficult."
Cordelia led Nicola through the castle to just outside the Exalt's chambers, where the Wing Commander waited. She nodded as the pair came into view, eyes locking on Nicola.
"It is good to see that you are well, Nicola," the older woman greeted. "Thank you for bringing him, Cordelia."
"Of course, Commander."
"Likewise, Lady Phila."
"Just Phila, Nicola. I am of no noble origin and you are not under my command." Nicola swore he saw one of her lips curl upwards as his eyes narrowed slightly.
"Phila then. Did you need something?"
"Yes. In a few day's time there will be a large-scale training exercise for the Pegasus Knights. I would like you to act as one of my assistants on that day."
"Sure." Nicola shrugged.
"Becaus-" Phila paused. "You agree? Truly?"
"I've nothing better to do and it will be a good change of pace from what I have planned until my next meeting with Emmeryn."
"You have my thanks."
"Think nothing of it and I'll need nothing in compensation, for the record."
Phila and Cordelia shared a look. Eventually, the commander spoke again. "Very well. I will not offer you a monetary reward for assisting us."
"Unless I'm being asked to do this as more than a one off thing, I don't need any form of payment. I'd be doing it out of self-interest to further my craft, helping out others is a bonus."
"Indeed. Your sparring sessions with Cordelia are the reason I've called upon you in the first place. I believe you can provide some insights that can help some of the more senior knights out where they are stuck, though I do not believe many will adapt to the way you fight. Conversely, they may be able to provide insights into your fighting style and help you improve as well."
"That's the idea." Nicola nodded "Is there anything I'd need to know before the day of? Also, why ask me so close to it? I imagine there were more people you had in mind rather than someone like myself."
"One of the usual aides had to step down due to health complications this time around," the knight explained. "Had I not chanced upon you and Cordelia sparring, I would not have asked you. There is another person coming to act in the same role as you do, but very very few can follow them."
An adept spearman and a master spearman then. Phila would also likely be teaching, given her role as leader of the Pegasus Knights and Nicola could tell from how she carried herself that she was no slouch either. Perhaps, he'd get to have a match against her someday and see how good she was for himself. That being said, he was more curious about the arrangement now than he had been moments before.
"So I'm the more reasonable example to look at while this other person is the gold standard so to speak? Aside from yourself, that is."
"Yes. From what I've seen, you are well versed with a spear, but she dwarfs you in terms of skill," Phila replied. "Normally, getting a hold of her for such things is nearly impossible with how often she travels, but she appears to be visiting the capital for a few weeks and agreed to take some time out to help."
The Wing Commander hadn't mentioned her own skill level there, but Cordelia was nearby and it was probably best to not measure oneself before someone you were teaching. That made him even more curious in regard to how strong she was. Her and the mysterious other assistant. He'd definitely want to challenge her just to see how out of his depth he was and how much he could improve.
"Will I need to wear anything in particular? I don't exactly have anything that would be considered battle ready at the moment, but I can get something together tomorrow if need be."
"That would be preferable. Wear something you don't mind getting damaged or dirty, not anything you'd want to wear casually. If necessary, we can provide you with a uniform to use for the day."
He thought about it for a few moments. "That would probably be easier for me. I can probably find something on my own, but I'd rather not say that only for something to come up that prevents me from doing so."
"Understandable, I will see what can be prepared in such short notice. In the future, should you be requested a second time, you'll be informed far sooner and your measurements will be taken if you require a uniform at that time."
"Right. I'll be seeing you in a few days then."
Cordelia noted the look they shared at that moment. They'd left something unsaid there that she wasn't privy to. Then again, she wasn't privy to a lot of things pertaining to Nicola. She'd been assigned to watch over him at the Wing Commander's request, as both a bodyguard and assistant to a degree. The former was largely unnecessary, what with his fighting ability, while the latter never really came up aside from when he asked about the halidom. Still, Lady Phila had been clear that she was to stay at his side when she wasn't training, drilling with her peers or retiring for the evening. Or training by herself when their heckling became too much. In that respect this assignment was helpful in maintaining her peace of mind, as strange as it was.
Phila dismissed the duo not much later, bidding them a nice evening. As they walked back to the guest room, Nicola made some small talk with Cordelia.
"I wasn't expecting to be asked to help out with training in a few days. Is that common?"
"No, not particularly. Large scale training exercises often take the form of field training or aerial mobility exercises. Exercises like the upcoming one are held once, occasionally twice, a year. That being said, I'm also curious about why the Wing Commander would have requested you when there are other spearmen she could have called on."
"I'm in the same boat there. I'd like to say I'm alright with a spear, but nowhere near mastery."
The red haired woman stopped and gave Nicola a sidelong glance. "Having three distinct forms of spearmanship you can use is 'alright' and not mastery?"
"Four actually, but that's exactly why I'm not a master. Versatility is good and it's helped me out a great deal, as you've seen. The issue is that by not focusing on one particular style I'll always fall short to someone who has."
"I would argue that your ability to switch between them near seamlessly is a rather large step in the right direction."
"Perhaps, but the fact that it's not a seamless transition is an issue in itself. You've taken advantage of that in our spars."
"And you've tightened the gaps in your form in response and have still managed to secure a victory, even when imbalanced," Cordelia huffed. That was actually rather infuriating. She could see what Nicola meant when he said he wasn't quite seamless enough in his style transitions, but that didn't stop him from shifting gears from fast and erratic to faster and like a leaf in a breeze or slower and much more precise. As they sparred more often, she had taken advantage of the openings he had when shifting styles, but he'd begun tightening his stance and adjusting to her in response. That made her frustrated to no end, the speed at which he seemed to be growing even as she learned and adapted his techniques to use against him. Then there was the style he'd only used in their first spar, which she didn't fully recall with how fast he'd disarmed her in that particular bout. It felt like there were three of him, then suddenly she was on the ground with a wooden spear tip pointed at her face.
"Regardless," she continued, "You're more skilled than you give yourself credit for, to the point that calling yourself mediocre is frankly insulting."
She had a bit more to say than that, but held off when the spearman winced.
"That's not my intention, it's just..."
"You've very skilled people you compare yourself to, I know. Still, be careful as to whom you say that around," the redhead breathed. "While you mean no offense, many people can and will take offense from your words."
"I- sorry. That's rather insensitive of me isn't it?"
"A bit," Cordelia nodded, breathing deeply as they reached the guest room. "Just try not to keep doing it. It's fine to express that you have room to grow, anyone who doesn't has either hit a wall or is conceited in their skill. Say that all the time and someone is going to snap at you, especially when what you say isn't exactly true. I wouldn't say that I'm the best warrior, not compared to my seniors and others who have more experience than myself, but I wouldn't say I'm particularly unskilled either. Regardless of that, you've managed to best me in each of our bouts and have improved from them just as much as I have."
Nicola made a noncommittal sound at that. She was correct in that regard, both of them were learning and growing from each bout. The only reason he'd continued to win against her was because he was able to adjust and adapt to her faster than she could adapt to him.
That was the crux of the issue. It was hard for her to adjust to Nicola changing styles when they fought. In one moment he'd be fighting in the same style he used to demolish training dummies and in the next moment it would seem like he was floating on the wind or a whirling mass with no openings in sight. Cordelia had grown accustomed to his basic style and had even taken a couple of his techniques and made them her own to a degree. Her round sweep needed a bit more speed on the rotation, but her vaulting slashes were flawless. That didn't really help her when he matched her variants of his techniques then continued them in different forms, but he hadn't met many people that could who weren't equal or greater than him in skill. In Cordelia's case, it wasn't a lack of skill, she just couldn't keep up with him for very long before he began to overwhelm her.
"Hm... Cordelia, I'll tell you what. Once the training exercise passes and I've had a few days to rest and have my audience with the Exalt, I'll go running with you in the mornings before we spar. That should help with your stamina. Beyond that, it's just a matter of getting adjusted to swifter opponents."
The redhead grimaced in response. "Running is what I'm weakest at. I'm slow and I get tired easily."
"Everyone's like that at first, sometimes for a long while. You eventually get better at it."
"Did it take you very long?"
"Getting better at running? No, that came to me pretty naturally, along with climbing and swimming. Flexibility and limberness were my weaknesses, to the point that I'd call my time spent working on both of them a major ordeal." He grimaced, remembering the less than pleasant period of time spent holding stretches he wasn't sure were natural for the body.
They went back and forth for a few more minutes before Nicola entered the room and bid Cordelia a good evening. That night was dreamless, like every other one had been since he'd gotten the dream charm. That felt like a mistake considering it was supposed to promote good dreams, but it was still better than nightmares or sleepless nights.
The next day went by fairly quickly. He was woken up just before dawn to be fitted for the uniform he'd be wearing the next day, after which he made his way to the archive to continue looking into the 'Kingsfang'. When Cordelia came to retrieve him for lunch- she had learned he would forget to eat if he was left to read for far too long- she also brought along his uniform, a wrapped bundle of cloth and leather tied with twine.
"Don't go easy on me if we end up facing one another tomorrow. If possible, use the full extent of your abilities," Cordelia requested as they returned from a light meal of soup and fresh bread. "I'll be giving it my all as well and I'd like to see if I can outperform myself from our first spar."
"Are you sure?"
"I wouldn't ask if I was not."
"Very well then. Just remember to breathe," Nicola replied. Beyond that, the rest of the day went by quickly. Very little came from his reading that night as he continued looking for more details on the 'Kingsfang' and anything similarly described. Unfortunately, the records he could find along the first shelf appeared to no longer have anything of use. Perhaps it was time to move one to the next shelf. Nicola brushed the thought away after a moment. He needed to be thorough with this, as slow going as it was, else he'd look over something crucial.
"Not tonight though," the young man said to himself as his escort arrived. The walk back to the guest room was quiet, but not awkwardly so. In a way, Cordelia and Nicola had grown comfortable around each other, but they weren't friends. At best they were acquaintances and sparring partners. That didn't stop Nicola from noticing that Cordelia looked troubled or tense when bringing up her peers, but it wasn't his place to pry. Not without good reason at least.
"Good luck tomorrow, Cordelia."
"The same goes to you, Nicola." With that, the two separated and retired for the evening.
The next morning Nicola woke to loud banging on the door. If he was correct, the sun hadn't quite risen and there were still several hours until the training exercise began... He hadn't overslept had he? No, he had a fairly good internal clock and it wasn't exactly screaming at him at the moment.
"One moment," Nicola yawned, tossing the uniform on. It consisted of a dark blue tunic with a vertical white stripe running through its center, navy colored trousers, a blue and white striped belt and a pair of grey knee high leather boots. Once the belt was buckled and the boots were tightened, Nicola opened the door to see a cross looking Phila. The cross look softened to a more neutral expression when she saw that Nicola was fully uniformed.
"It's good to see that you're awake and ready," Phila stated, gesturing for Nicola to follow. "Come, we must familiarize you with the venue and go over what you will be doing today. You will not need your spear, a temporary one will be provided once we arrive, and Cordelia has been informed that I will be escorting you this morning."
Nicola nodded and walked in line with the Wing Commander, waving at servants as he was led out of the castle and past a set of barracks. Beyond the barracks was a fairly large open space akin to an arena. The ground was dirt and grass, mostly flat and cleared of all stones. A set of weathered stone bleachers lay on either side of the area, curved and sloped just enough for the faint breeze to whisper a soft song. The sun had yet to crest over the horizon, bathing the area in waning starlight as a magenta glow rose from behind the forested hills in the distance. Nicola thought it to be a beautiful sight, but the location wasn't quite right to truly enjoy such a scenic view.
"The sky is rather nice at this time of day, but that is not our reason for getting here so early," Phila said offhandedly, watching the first rays of dawn flash across the sky.
"If I had a sketchpad," Nicola muttered in reply. He took a moment to shake his head and tap his temples. "Sorry about that, seeing the sky like this made me want to draw. Sadly, I've no sketchpad and this isn't the time to think about that. I take it this is the place. No gimmicks I need to worry about or anything, I imagine."
"There are two things," Phila replied. "The first is the wind. Throughout the day the wind will grow in strength and ultimately become a whirling gale. Should you be having a bout during that time, we may need to suspend it due to the wind impacting your ability to move as you wish. Such gales last for minutes at most, depending on the weather."
"How much of a change will these gales bring about?"
"Enough to provide the more tenured knights in my order the equivalent of being mounted. If you believe that is unfair or unreasonable to deal with, we can halt any bouts you may have during such a gale. For the less experienced knights, bouts will be halted so they aren't unduly hurt."
So this place was blessed by the wind or the spirits within it, if they were present on Ylisse. Considering Nicola had been able to reach the spirits of light or something similar weeks ago, something like them had to be in play. The wind being able to provide the equivalent of flight in an area that was otherwise sheltered from it by multiple structures made that incredibly clear. Nicola was fine with that, he'd adapt as needed. When he told the Wing Commander that she explained the second property of the area.
"Impacts here are severely reduced due to lingering magic from centuries ago. This will turn most strong hits into more moderate blows, but I would recommend not utilizing your full strength behind your strikes if possible. The magic is old and falters on occasion and I would rather not have to deal with large injuries. Some in my order have the ability to heal, but not all do and it's rather taxing."
Nicola nodded along. That was reasonable and it wasn't like he used his full strength when sparring anyways: it was rather unsporting to hit someone with enough force to stop a bear in its tracks, let alone with the force required to kill one. Still, it was reasonable for him to rein in his strength a bit more just in case. Besides, he really didn't want to make more waves than he already was by remaining in the capital.
As he thought that, the wind began to stir. The once quiet song on a breeze rose into a haunting melody as the air gathered and swirled. Nicola felt lighter, as if the wind was trying to pull him from the earth, like it was asking him to let go. And so he did.
Immediately Nicola was airborne and tumbling around with no sense of direction. He let out a startled cry as he tried to right himself only to go careening to the left. He swept out his arms and managed to stop spinning, just in time to nearly crash into the bleachers face first. Fortunately, Phila was there to catch him.
"Thanks for that," Nicola sighed in relief.
"What implored you to try to take to the skies as you did," the taciturn woman scolded, setting him on the ground gently. Saying the wind asked him to apparently wasn't the correct reply. The Wing Commander sighed in response. "Next time think before listening to the wind."
When Nicola nodded, sat for a moment then leapt into the air, she knew this was going to be a long morning. The next few minutes were spent teaching Nicola how to keep himself upright in the air, which he managed to do- albeit shakily- just as the first gale died down. By the second gale he could do that and move around on his own accord to a limited degree. By the third he was able to move in all directions with relative ease, though his downward movements were less controlled descent and more plummeting like a stone. By the time of the fourth gale, when many of the Pegasus Knights began trickling into the area, he was able to zip around and turn on a dime.
Throughout this Phila frowned. Nicola had caught onto flying nearly as fast as Cordelia had, which was already abnormally fast. The difference was that Cordelia had experience from riding her pegasus long before she'd been brought here and he did not. The only thing he hadn't attempted was fighting in the air, but it looked like he'd catch onto that soon if given the chance. He had asked many questions, some of which flew over her head. She wasn't certain anything like wind spirits were present in the halidom or they were silent if they were. She was even less sure about asking the wind to create a perpetual gale.
"He's a natural," commented a hooded woman, stepping out from the Wing Commander's shadow. Phila grimaced, she hated it when she did that.
"You know I dislike when you do that, Guardian," the Wing Commander frowned. "When did you arrive? I expected you earlier."
"Around the time the third gale started up," the hooded woman replied. "Had to check on a few things and visit a few places, see if they were the same as I remembered."
"And were they?"
"For the most part. My old haunt's become a den for thieves and the like, but I distinctly recall you asking me not to clear out such things."
The remark was barbed, but Phila expected it. "Because you'd cause more harm than good, or do you not remember the inn you put out of business when you became aware several gangs were running a black market out of it?"
"I had my reasons."
"Your 'reasons' sent us on a months long hunt to track down the ringleaders and jail them. We were perhaps a week away from catching them all before you intervened and smashed through several walls."
"Ah right, that." The hooded woman shrugged. "I could have been more discreet there. That aside, you've accepted a man into your ranks? I thought that was impossible on this side of the world."
"I have not and it is to my knowledge."
"So he's wearing your uniform, but not a pegasus rider? He needed a uniform I take it."
"Indeed. It was the easier option and he hasn't complained."
"Mm. Some of your knights have their eyes glued to him."
"I've noticed." She had and so had Nicola. He chose to ignore them as the winds died down, while she looked on impassively. Some of the stares were critical, watching his flight and looking for any flaws in his movements to capitalize on. Others were more surprised, seeing an unknown figure floating on the fading breeze like a leaf. A scant few ogled him, taking his form and only that into account. The fewest were those that appeared to recognize him and those were accompanied by hushed whispers.
"Isn't he the apostate the priests mentioned?"
"I heard he's blackmailing the Exalt and keeping Lady Phila busy so she can't do anything."
"I've seen him around with Little Lady Genius. You think they're a thing?"
"As if, it's an assignment from higher up. Plus, she can do much better than that."
"Can she? He's a bit of a looker..."
No doubt if she could hear the whispers Nicola could as well, though he didn't let it show. He'd been hearing rumors and whispers about himself since Cordelia had been assigned to escort him from place to place. Most were harmless, like him being sent as an envoy from far across the sea to offer goodwill to the Exalt or a foreign noble visiting the halidom for an extended period of relaxation. Some were salacious, the most popular of which being that he was the not-so-secret lover of the Exalt coming to be with her at last. The fewest in number were malicious, often stating that he was holding something over the Exalt's head to gain preferential treatment or otherwise twisting her into doing his bidding. All of them were nonsense, but that didn't stop rumors from spreading as they were wont to.
Once the wind faded back to a soft whisper Phila called Nicola over. She introduced the Guardian, who gave a slight bow that Nicola returned. She then motioned for him to stand by her side before asking him a final question.
"Nicola, do you have a surname?"
"Yes," he half-asked in turn, prompting the strict woman to elaborate.
"Calling you by your name without title is ill-fitting in this particular setting. I understand that you dislike being called 'sir,' but it is required here. Rather than call you 'Sir Nicola' I'd prefer to call you by your family name."
"Ah." A faint frown tugged at his features, but it didn't linger. "It's Apollonia."
"Then for the duration of this exercise you will be called 'Sir Apollonia.' Is that fine with you?"
"It'll have to be."
"Chin up kiddo," the Guardian replied, tone flippant. "You impress enough people here and they'll start calling you something else like 'Guardian' or 'Windseeker' or 'Wall Crasher.'"
"I'd rather not be called a Wall Crasher," he remarked. The Guardian's voice sounded familiar. He'd definitely met her before, but he wasn't quite sure where.
"Don't crash through many walls then." "Don't break them down on purpose and you should avoid such a title."
Nicola couldn't argue with that advice. In the meantime, Phila cleared her throat and drew the attention of each Pegasus Knight present. She scanned over the decently sized group and nodded to herself once she was sure each of them was watching her.
"It is good to see each of you on this day," she began, addressing the whole crowd. "Some of you are newer members of the Pegasus Knight Corp while others are seasoned fliers with numerous years of service in the halidom's name. Regardless of that, you have all been called to this exercise to assess your skill levels on an individual scale and as a way to further your training by facing each other and those who fight differently from what you are used to. To that end I have two assistants with me today."
The Wing Commander gestured to the Guardian first. "I imagine a few of you recognize my first assistant considering her help on several prior occasions." Several of the knights nodded, each turning different shades of green or growing pale at the sight of the figure. Clearly, they knew her well, well enough to be utterly terrified of her. "To those of you who do not know her, this is the Guardian, someone who has aided us time and time again in our hour of need."
"You make me sound old when you put it that way, Phila," the hooded woman replied, giving a smile that was all teeth to the crowd. "What Phila said is correct. I am the Guardian. Of what is none of your concern. To those of you that are particularly stand out will be sent my way to spar for a bit and test the fullest extent of your skill. Be warned though, I expect you to give it your all or you'll find yourself wishing you had."
"Please don't frighten them, Guardian," Phila sighed before gesturing to Nicola. "My second assistant is Sir Apollonia, a traveler from afar well versed in the spear. While I cannot speak of his deeds in full, know that he is not to be underestimated."
"R-right," he started. "I can't say how much any of you will be able to learn from me, but I'll try to make things worth your while. If we end up facing one another, please set aside any notion that I'll be pulling my punches too much."
Quite a few of the Pegasus Knights grumbled at that. Who was he to question their abilities? The Guardian, they understood, but not someone who looked to be as young as the some of newest to their order. No, that was an insult that needed to be addressed.
"I believe you struck a nerve there, Apollonia," the hooded woman remarked, offering a sharp smile. "Let's hope you can back up your word."
"I'd like to believe I can," he offered. "I can only hope I don't embarrass myself too much..."
From there Phila took command of the area for a second time, dividing the Pegasus Knights into four groups: one for her to assess, a larger group for Nicola to work with, a significantly smaller group for the Guardian and the remainder to practice against one another in the field.
"Once I'm done, I'll be coming to lighten your load a bit, Apollonia. Just hold out until then."
"For his sake and my own, don't play around too much."
"Wait, I'll be facing all of them one on one," Nicola gawked, looking over the group of nearly thirty people assigned to him.
"At most you should have to deal with twenty or so," Phila supplied. "My assessments should go by relatively quickly and the Guardian should finish with her group in a very short span of time."
"No promises," the hooded woman returned. "I've heard that there are a few people that stand out from the others to a far greater degree than last time I helped out, one girl in particular who's supposedly a prodigy in just about everything. Maybe I'll meet someone who can give me a good bout."
Nicola had a very distinct feeling she meant Cordelia, who he hadn't seen up to that point. Maybe she was simply blending in with the crowd of similarly uniformed people. If he didn't see her now, maybe they'd catch up after the exercise was finished. He just needed to make it to that point.
Nicola's first opponent was a younger member of the order, a young woman around his age with grey hair and brown eyes clad in a lavender uniform. By this point, he'd been handed a wooden spear and swung it around enough to get familiar with its weight. It was far too flexible for his liking, but he'd used worse in real battles so he wasn't going to complain.
"Sir Apollonia," the young woman saluted, stiff as a board. "I'll be giving it my all!"
"Please do," he nodded, then halted the woman before she could enter her stance. "Take a few deep breaths first, you're far too stiff and it's going to throw you off balance."
"R-right!" To her credit, she did take several deep breaths and loosen up a bit, but it was clear that had hardly relaxed her as she readied her spear. Nicola adopted his own stance in turn, tip towards the ground with the shaft parallel to the back of his arm. He beckoned to her with his free hand.
"Begin when you're ready."
The young woman needed no other encouragement. She charged at Nicola, poised to thrust her weapon at him. It was a good charge, with an even gait and steady aim. It was the sort of earnest straightforward charge that caught people off guard with how much ground it covered in a short span of time. Nicola dismantled it in three moves.
Once the young knight had cleared half the distance between them, the spearman began twirling his weapon overhead. He took a single step to the side as the young woman reached him, pivoting into a strike that knocked the spear from her hands from below. The next move came in the form of a low sweep, knocking the knight off her feet as she recoiled from losing her weapon. The third was a continuation of the second, with Nicola completing another rotation that ended with his weapon pointed at the young woman's face. She blinked in response.
"Huh? It's over already," she asked, more to herself than Nicola.
"It is," he nodded, setting down the wooden spear to help her back to her feet. "That was a good charge, but you don't want to do that if you're by yourself or your opponent is ready for it. A mage would have a plethora of ways to take you down before you reached them if you didn't reach them before they could prepare any number of spells, while a more physically inclined opponent could break your charge or pick it apart like I did."
"Oh..."
"Still," Nicola continued, "You were rather fast and if I was slower to react I believe you would have scored a good blow there. In the future try to get a read on your opponent before charging in and loosen up a bit more. Stress is natural in a battle, but don't let that take full control or you'll be in a bad spot or worse."
The knight nodded at that and dusted herself off. "I'll try to do better in the future. Thank you, Sir Apollonia!"
"You're welcome?" Nicola wasn't quite sure how to react there, especially as the young knight shook his hand then ran off. Hopefully she would be fine?
Unlikely.
Quiet you.
The next few opponents had similar results to the first, though not all of them charged him in the same manner. Some tried to catch him with low sweeps of their own, only to be sent skyward when he met their sweeps with his own heavier strikes. Others tried feinting and striking from different directions, just to see their strikes be deflected or interrupted by an attack of his own. It became very clear very quickly that Nicola hadn't been boasting, which made several of the more experienced Pegasus Knights irritable- the few that he faced and took down without taking a hit in turn more than the others. They were skilled in their own right, both in the air and on the ground, but they weren't ready for how fast he was. If anything it was like he saw their movements before they could pull them off. Perhaps the most insulting thing was the fact that he couldn't offer advice to all of them.
"There's nothing I can tell you that would help you improve," he'd begin after facing an experienced knight. Then he'd explain why. They had better understanding of their techniques than he did despite him weaving through them; their forms were flawless and yet he broke them; they had him on the defensive, but he still managed to land a decisive blow. It was like fighting the Little Lady Genius, but he was earnest and open about his feelings rather than stoic and quiet.
"You're a monster like the church says you are, aren't you," one of the experienced riders commented as the wind picked up before their bout. "Just like that 'Guardian' woman."
"I'd like to believe I'm fully human," Nicola replied conversationally, though he did glance over at the Guardian at that moment. The hooded woman seemed to be weaving through a flurry of strikes with the grace of a dancer. Then she was at her opponent's side, dodging a near instantaneous thrust that had been aimed at her heart, and a moment later both were airborne as the wind's song swelled once more.
"No ordinary person fights as you do," the knight returned, her lilac eyes narrowed to sharp points as her raven colored hair was tossed by the wind. "And yet you can, alongside that woman and 'Little Miss Perfect Knight' or whatever the others call her."
"Who?" Now Nicola was confused. He'd never heard of anyone like that in the halidom. If so, he'd have tried to spar with them at least once.
"The knight sent to travel with you from place to place," The knight explained. "Cordelia. She's bizarre in how good she is at everything. You are as well."
"Really now. Is that a problem?" Nicola arched an eyebrow.
"To me? No. To the others? Perhaps. I'm surprised Cordelia hasn't shown up. It isn't like her to miss training."
That made the spearman narrow his eyes. So he hadn't overlooked her earlier. She wasn't here. Why?
Think for a moment. You've surely put things together, regardless of wanting to or not. You aren't that daft, Kiran.
That caught him off guard. The intrusive thoughts, no it was better to call them a voice, were never this talkative. They also hadn't called him that name before. His thought process came grinding to a halt as the wind died down, accompanied by the sound of wet boots squishing against the ground. It took less than a second to pinpoint the source of the sound: it was Cordelia, accompanied by an irate Anna and Jake, and she looked absolutely miserable.
At that moment she looked so small, like she was trying to shrink out of sight. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her uniform was a mess. It looked like someone had covered it in mud then ground it into the fabric for good measure. Judging by how hastily dried and damp she looked, Cordelia had been pushed into a large body of water or had a large amount poured on her. Her boots were ruined, what had once been polished leather was now cracked and peeling. A pungent scent of soap mixed with manure faintly wafted in the air from her. Ah, it hadn't been mud then.
Oh. Oh. That explained everything, then.
The knight before him looked indignant, but her look was nothing compared to the infernal fury that filled the Wing Commander's eyes as she stalked towards the red haired knight and company. Nicola started to do the same, but the knight barred his path.
"Let the Wing Commander handle this," she stated, narrowed eyes softening a degree. "I can see that you want to help, but it is not your place at this moment."
He made to argue, but held his tongue as a quiet voice silenced the clearing.
"Who did this," Phila asked, voice calm and barely audible over the wind. Yet it carried as if it had been a roar from the heavens and everyone heard it. "I will ask once again: who did this? If you announce yourselves now, your punishments will be severe, but I will be impartial in meting them out. Should I need to find you myself, I will be far less kind."
The air felt thick and hard to breathe at that moment. The once cool day felt like it was now the height of summer with the sun at its peak, beating down on everyone with oppressive heat as the once hauntingly soft wind shrieked and snarled like a wild beast. Nicola felt something in his chest stirring in response, like a welling cold that seeped into one's bones and deeper tied to the feeling of hundreds of tiny claws scrabbling against smooth stone, but he forced it down. This wasn't directed at him, it was directed at those responsible.
The knight nearest him and the Guardian looked wholly unaffected, but that couldn't be said for the others. Most had been forced to kneel, if not fully to their knees. Others appeared to have fainted on the spot. Only Cordelia, Anna and Jake appeared completely unaffected, as if they'd been spared from the aura the Wing Commander was projecting. Even then, that wasn't quite correct, as Cordelia appeared to be completely dry though her boots were completely ruined in the process.
All at once the heat and pressure were gone as Phila closed her eyes and sighed deeply. She gave the frazzled knight a tight hug that lasted a long few moments. When she released the embrace her expression was stoic, but her eyes were severe. "Very well. We will do this the hard way. Cordelia, I take it you didn't see who did this."
"I-i did not, W-wing Commander," She stuttered in reply, voice fragile. "I had been patrolling when someone threw stable muck on top of me then dragged me to the bath house and tossed me inside. If Miss Anna hadn't been there I think I would have just stayed there."
"I didn't get a good look at them either," the other redhead sighed as Phila turned her way. "They weren't members of your order, based on their voices though. I doubt any of your fliers have voices that deep. Instead, I imagine two of them pooled funds and hired a few thugs to do the deed."
"And what led you down that particular train of thought?"
"A contact of mine," Jake supplied. "Part of why we were so late getting her here was me tossing out feelers to a few people I know who could look into things like this. One got a bite. Apparently some small group of ner-do-wells came into possession of a decent amount of coin from a trio of 'pretty benefactors' to do a simple job. I've since asked them to look a bit more deeply into things and have a report back at the shop all filled out."
"I see." Phila inclined her head. "I believe I will collect that personally. Aquila, escort Cordelia to my office and keep watch over her. If anyone aside from myself, Sir Apollonia, Anna or the Guardian attempts to visit her, bar them."
The knight near Nicola saluted in response. "Understood Wing Commander."
"As for the rest of you," the Wing Commander gave a severe look to all of them. "All recreational flights have been officially cancelled until this matter is fully resolved." Heavy groans echoed from throughout the group, but Phila ignored them as she continued. "Those of you responsible had your chance to come clean. You know that I do not tolerate such acts. With that in mind, each of you will also be expected to complete Fitness Course F as a replacement to your standard regiment." The groans grew louder in response, but the stern woman did not skip a beat. "You are dismissed."
With that she walked away, following Anna and Jake as Aquila led Cordelia away. The remaining Pegasus Knights filed out of the area, sullen as they helped carry those who had fainted. Nicola started to make his way after Aquila and Cordelia, only to feel a chill run down his spine.
He quickly leapt to the left, narrowly avoiding the Guardian as she struck where he'd been mid dodge.
"Is this really the time," he snarled, bobbing out of the way of a second strike. He had to block the third, aimed where he'd been moving, and found himself nearly taken off his feet from the force of the strike.
"It is," the hooded woman replied, pointing her spear at him. "You're holding it in well, but you look like you're going to lose your temper rather soon."
"And your choice is to provoke me? What made you believe that would be a good idea?"
"Intuition," was her answer before she flickered and vanished. Nicola twirled his spear around himself, blocking a multitude of strikes from each direction. Several managed to still get through his defenses, leaving painful marks across his shoulders and torso. He retaliated by launching himself forward and pivoting into a circular sweep, dispersing the gathering wind in a vortex of force. The hooded woman reappeared with that, not expecting the vortex, and Nicola capitalized on that moment.
In an instant he was on her, spinning into a slash with the head of the spear as two afterimages followed suit. The Guardian smirked in reply, stepping just out of range of the first strike. She parried the first afterimage and cut down the second, both shattering on impact as Nicola rotated into a second slash, then a third. The hooded woman met each with her own, locking spears with him as he glared at her with serpentine amber orbs.
Huh, hadn't his eyes been-
The Guardian found herself on the defensive as Nicola appeared at her side mid thrust, only to vanish and appear on her other side in the middle of a sweep when she met the first attack with the butt of her spear. She leapt over the sweep in time to see two Nicolas surging towards her from different directions. She thrust her weapon into the ground and pulled herself into a vault as the pair of Nicolas reached her. One vanished like smoke as the other whirled through the air like a discus, just under her. She tucked into a roll then lashed out once she hit the ground, cutting through another afterimage of the young man only to leap back when he appeared overhead and drove his spear downward.
The second she hit the ground, the hooded woman sprang back forward, catching Nicola with her spear tip as he tried to hop out of her range. He'd been a fraction of a second too slow and found himself twisting through the air as the Guardian sprinted after him from below. He saw the vaulting slash coming and met it with his own, wooden weapons once more clashing. This time Nicola pushed her away, but was forced into a hard lancing when the hooded woman sent a wave of sharpened wind his way. He felt a thin gash open along his cheek, already burning from the wind. His amber eyes narrowed, pupils taking on an ominous blue shade as he changed stances. Fjorm's style was ineffective, so he was going to need to do things his way.
The hooded woman noticed the change in demeanor a moment too late, dodging out of the way of a thrust that made Nicola whistle through the air past her. She hardly noticed the six motes grey light racing towards her, registering them just before they hit and sent her sprawling. The woman cursed, picking herself back up to meet Nicola as he spun his spear around himself like one would a double bladed weapon. She met the rotations with her own, matching his clockwise strikes with her own counterclockwise set until they both leapt away from each other. She'd need to get a bit serious, she felt as bright red energy began to gather around her form.
The energy coalesced and swelled, before rupturing outwards in ribbons of crimson as her hood fell, revealing a head of bright red hair tied into a ponytail. Ruby colored eyes met Nicola's amber eyes as a savage smile crossed her face. Once again, she pointed her wooden weapon at the former summoner, a look of recognition crossing his features before a grim frown replaced it. She placed a finger to her chin as she tilted her head to the side, solidifying his hunch as she appraised him in turn.
He was an outworlder like her sister had said and he did know his way around a spear quite well. More than that, she could feel the roiling storm within him, building more and more as they locked eyes. It wasn't too far fetched that he was one of the disturbances she'd been looking for, considering the power he held had come from a single place- a place where the dead now reigned and one of her sisters had fallen. The question wasn't who he was, she recognized him without the hood obscuring his features now. The question was how he'd gotten here and how he survived?
Perhaps knocking him around a bit would answer that question.