Naga's Voice.
After their battle at the village, the Ylissian army gained a new ally in a woman named Say'ri. As thanks for their assist, Say'ri will aid them in finding Naga's Voice and hopefully gain her help in stopping their enemies. They must hurry to Fort Steiger to weaken his army. They soon arrived at a massive tree and safe to say they were amazed by what they saw.
Lissa has wide eyes "Whoaaa... I don't think I've ever felt so small..."
Basilio was equally amazed "I can't even see the top of it!".
"I had no idea a tree could grow to such a massive size" Cassandra said, and she could all but feel the divine power from the tree.
"Most impressive indeed... So the shrine hides all the way up in its branches?" Frederick asked.
Say'ri nods "Aye, sir. A great staircase inside the trunk leads up to it. However, the empire has closed off the only route to the steps. Or perhaps "roots" to the steps, I should say".
"Then we'll just have to break through. Come!" Chrom ordered.
They hurried to the path where imperial forces had indeed gathered and was blocking their path. They were lead by an heavily armored man with some really ridiculous looking facial hair.
"So! They arrive at last, eh wot! "Yes, come closer," said the hairy spider to the flies..." He boasted in excitement.
A Soldier ran up to him "General Cervantes! Lord Excellus was right—the Ylissean League approaches!".
The man named Cervantes almost face palmed "...Are you daft, boy? Did you not hear what I was JUST saying?!".
"A thousand pardons, sir!" The soldier said nervously.
"Hmm... They must have some skill to make it this far... But no matter. We will show them the meaning of the word "fear"..." Cervantes declared.
The Soldier looked confused "The meaning of "beard," sir? Er, yes, I'm sure they would be most impressed... But perhaps—".
Cervantes had to fight the urge to punch his idiotic soldier "Fear, you deaf ignoramus! FEAR!".
The Soldier gulped "Y-yes, sir! Of course, sir! ...Sorry, sir!".
Cervantes touched his facial hair "...They are impressive, though, aren't they? My whiskers? Ha ha! I've not shaved since my very first battle. And have I ever lost? No! Not even once! Ergo, my moustache makes me invincible. It's science, my boy, science!".
The man was a total goof ball. But if he became a general in the imperial army he must be dangerous. Better not to underestimate him, they've learned by now that underestimating any foe could be a horrible mistake. The two armies clashed, with the three family members fighting side by side. Chrom blocked a strike from an enemy before cutting him down with a swift slash to his chest. Lucina entered a brief duel with another sword wielder and after parrying his strikes, she swiftly cut of his head.
While this was happening, an enemy Pegasus knight flew towards Lucina, her lance ready to go through the young Exalt's back. Cassandra noticed this and growled at the cowardly attack from behind. She held her shield with her hands before throwing it in to the Pegasus' face, causing it to crash and it's rider flew of. The rider groans in pain as she stood back up and saw Cassandra walking towards her with an angry look in her eyes.
"Normally I'd prefer not to kill unless it's necessary. Normally I would try to knock you out first so you could be taken prisoner and face a fair trial for our part in this" Cassandra said before she parried an attempt from the enemy woman to stab her with her lance, before Cassandra stabbed her in the chest with her sword "But you tried to kill my daughter. That I can not show any mercy for".
Lucina saw the whole thing. Her mom sure could be scary when it came to protecting her loved ones. But she was happy to see her mother's love, even on the battlefield. They managed to deal with the first wave of enemies, but more were coming.
Cervantes smirked "Heh ha, yes! "Come, reinforcements," said the spider to...the...other spiders".
Chrom soon reached the Imperial General "Fiend! You invade kingdoms and bully them into submission... Why? What does it achieve?".
"Do you even need ask, whelp? Emperor Walhart is destined to rule this world, plain and simple" Cervantes answered.
"Yes, but to what end?" Chrom asked.
"Irrelevant! Walhart's mind is beyond the grasp of common men" Cervantes said.
"So you don't even know what you're fighting for?" Chrom asked, a little baffled as to why they would fight without even knowing why.
"I tend to my own beard, boy. A soldier does not question orders. But he gives his loyalty—and maybe his life—in the service of greater men" Cervantes answered.
"Great men? Is living only to conquer so great an ambition?" Chrom asked.
"What could be greater! Once I had dreams myself of commanding a nation... But Walhart? Aye, he dreams bigger. He would rule the entire world! Mine is nothing compared to the moxie of the Conqueror. I am but a single tiny hair on the beard of a flea in his great moustache! Have you not tasted the thrill of being part of something bigger than yourself?" Cervantes asked.
Chrom glares "Not at the price of inflicting cruelty and suffering, no".
Cervantes scoffed "Hmph. Then we have nothing more to discuss. Prepare to learn the meaning of the word "beard." ...Fear, I mean fear!".
Suddenly Say'ri leaps at him with her blade, forcing him to block her attack and pushed her away.
"...Eh wot?! It cannot be! Say'ri—my mortal enemy..." He said.
Say'ri stood ready "General Cervantes... Your reputation—and your gut—precedes you".
"But we have met in battle before, girl! Have you forgotten?! Not long ago, you and I, locked in deadly combat. I was sure we had won the day until you appeared..." Cervantes said.
"Your beard again? Can you talk of nothing else, you imperial pig?!" Say'ri asked.
Cervantes was growing more and more frustrated by people constantly misshearing what he says "Ap-PEARED! I said "appeared"! Just...never mind!".
Cassandra arrived "No matter what you say. You are doomed to fall here".
Cervantes smirked "My whiskers are safe against you lot—victory is inevitable!".
"How would... Are we sure this man is a general? He acts more like a jester" Cassandra said.
"To tell you the truth, mother. I'm not so sure" Lucina admitted.
Regardless, the family and Say'ri charged the enemy general together. He proved to be almost as skilled as he believed he was as he managed to hold them of quite well. But as Cassandra blocked his lance, Chrom charged him from the side, forcing him to block his strike with his shield. This left him open for Lucina to slash him across the chest, leaving a noticeable gap in his armor. Say'ri exploited this new weak point and stabbed through the hole and in to the general's chest.
"Nngah! But...how can this be? My invincible moustache! Blasted science, you have...played me for a...fool..." He said before he fell on the ground, dead.
"What a foolish man. I almost feel bad about this" Cassandra admitted.
"He was certainly an memorable foe" Lucina agreed.
Say'ri smiled "Marry! What fighting! I almost pity the enemies of Ylisse".
"Say'ri, do you know the way up to the shrine?" Chrom asked.
Say'ri nods "Aye, sir. Follow me—and let us be quick about it!".
To say the walk up was tiering was an understatement. There was almost no end to these stairs.
Lissa was exhausted "*Huff huff* Ugh... How many stairs are there in a case of stairs? Because I'm already sick of this stupid staircase!".
"Guess it makes sense that The Voice would be difficult to reach" Cassandra said, wiping her face.
"The Voice truly lives all the way up here?" Lucina asked as they finally reached their destination. And it was beautiful.
"Lady Tiki! Are you here? Prithee answer!" Say'ri called out as a woman with green hair emerged with a yawn "Ah, my lady... I'm so relieved to see you're all right".
Lucina seemed to recognize her "So you are Lady Tiki? She who speaks for the divine dragon?".
The woman named Tiki eyed her for a moment "...Marth? Oh, Mar-Mar, is that you?!".
"My name is Lucina, milady. Though I did go by the name Marth for a time. Might we have met?" Lucina asked.
Tiki shook her head "...Alas, no. I'm sorry... You reminded me of someone I knew. But he is gone now. Lost during my endless sleep...".
Lucina was silent for a moment before Cassandra nudged her "Even when you aren't pretending to be a man, people still mistake you for one. Remind me to buy you some lady clothes when we have the chance".
"Good idea! She looks to much like Chrom already, she needs a prettier look" Lissa said, earning an annoyed look from Chrom.
Tiki smiled, but looked between Lucina and Chrom "You and your father are of the exalted bloodline, are you not?".
"Yes, milady" Chrom answered.
"Do you yet possess the Fire Emblem? It should have been passed down through your family..." Tiki said.
"I... Yes, I have it..." Chrom said as he held up the sacred Emblem.
Tiki looked relieved "Ah! What relief to know it has not been lost. ...But where are the Gemstones? I see only Argent".
"Gemstones?" Chrom asked.
"Yes, there are five of them—Argent, Sable, Gules, Azure, and Vert. Each holds a portion of Naga's power. When mounted upon the Emblem, they allow one to perform the Awakening" Tiki explained.
Frederick rubs his chin as he seemed to remember something "The rite by which the first exalt channeled the divine dragon's power...".
Tiki nods "The very same. With the Fire Emblem's power, the exalt was able to defeat Grima. But such power was too much for men, and so the Gemstones were scattered. I kept Azure here with me".
"My kingdom had safeguarded Vert for generations. But the gem was recently stolen by Walhart's men" Say'ri said in shame.
"Milady, do you know where the other two Gemstones might be?" Lucina asked, hoping for some good news.
"The remaining Gemstones, Sable and Gules, are no longer known to me. They may have been taken long ago, at the time of the Schism" Tiki answered.
Basilio spoke up "Regna Ferox was founded during the Schism. As were most all nations in the realm, I believe".
"Wait—does that mean you guys have one of the Gemstones, Basilio?" Lissa asked.
Flavia laughed "Ha! As if anyone would entrust the oaf with such a thing!".
"Actually, it's true—we did keep one: Gules. ...Did I never inform you?" Basilio asked.
Flavia deadpanned "You most certainly did not".
"Hmm... Must have slipped my mind. Regardless, yes. The West-Khans once safeguarded Gules. But it was lost long before my lifetime" Basilio explained.
"Here. Take Azure, exalted ones. With it, you possess two of the five Gemstones. Now you must seek out the others and perform the Awakening. Our world must be defended from Grima at all costs!" Tiki said as she handed over her gemstone.
"But I'm confused... I thought Grima's power was sealed away" Chrom said.
"Yes, but ever since, there have been those who would change that. Grima's life force grows even now, and with it, the long shadows of despair" Tiki said.
Lucina visibly flinched at the mention of the future she's so desperately trying to prevent is still getting closer. Cassandra took her hand to calm her down, and Lucina held on to it as if it was a lifeline.
"When will he return? And where?" Chrom asked.
Tiki shook her head "I cannot know these things. But I can feel his presence... It looms, closer and closer... This task is a heavy burden, but as he of exalted blood, it must fall to you, Chrom".
Chrom nods "I understand. Thank you, for all your help".
The Azure is fitted into the Fire Emblem, to the right of Argent. One step closer to hopefully stopping Grima.
Robin smiled "We owe you a great debt, milady".
Tiki looks at him and gained wide eyes "Ah! You... You have it...".
Robin blinked "...What?".
"You have power...like mine" Tiki said.
"I do?" Robin asked, looking really confused.
"I... Ah... Forgive me... I am still groggy from my slumber. My words outpace my thoughts" Tiki said.
Say'ri looked worried "Are you all right, my lady?".
"I am fine... Just very tired... I haven't the strength to join you in the fray. Not yet. But I will call the people together, in prayer, for an end to this conflict" Tiki said before looking at Cassandra "I sense a powerful light from you. May I know your name?".
Cassandra bowed her head respectfully "My name is Cassandra. I'm Chrom's wife and Lucina's mother".
"Yes. I can see the family bonds between you. Cassandra, show me your sword and shield" Tiki requested, Cassandra was confused but held them up "Where did you get these?".
"My brother in law made them. Said he used a rare metal to do so... Why? Is there something special about them?" Cassandra asked.
Tiki touched the sword and shield "Maybe... I am to tired to tell for sure, but I feel they will become very important in the future. Do not lose them".
"I won't, Lady Tiki" Cassandra promised.
Later, everyone were discussing their next move.
Say'ri was smiling "Factions of the Resistance are already uniting in answer to the Voice's call! Soon bards will sing of this day... They who conquered the Conqueror!".
"A tune I'm most anxious to hear" Chrom said.
"But a man like Walhart will not roll over dead at the first sign of trouble..." Robin reminded.
Say'ri nods in agreement "Aye, my lord...as you say. He will muster his forces to put down the Rebellion. Then his gaze will turn to us. Against his full might, we would not last long".
"If he's even half as dangerous as we think he is, we need a better plan than meeting his army head on" Cassandra said.
"Where are his armies garrisoned?" Chrom asked.
"The Valmese Imperial Army is comprised of three main divisions: one controls the north, one the south, and the third the lands between. Emperor Walhart commands the northern forces. Their might easily exceeds our own. The south is led by my brother, Yen'fay. His host is said to rival Walhart's" Say'ri explained.
"Divisions, are they? Hmm..." Robin said while thinking.
Flavia smiled "I see a plan brewing in those eyes of yours, Robin...".
"If we could divide their divisions—disrupt communications, supplies, et cetera... Then introduce misinformation to add to the confusion...a whisper here and there... The panic would spread on its own...and all the quicker for their great number. Such a giant force could collapse under its own weight" Robin said.
"Say'ri, the third division, stationed between the other two..." Chrom said.
"Aye, sir, at Fort Steiger, halfway along the highroad. In fact, not so far from where we stand now. We might stand a chance against them... But it would take speed, and luck. I wager Walhart and Yen'fay will hear of our exploits soon, if they haven't already. I suggest sending the bulk of our army to the north and south to mask our plan. An elite force, led by Sir Chrom, might then quietly slip through to Fort Steiger. What say you?" Say'ri asked.
"I say, aye" Chrom said.
"Aye!" Cassandra said, smiling.
Flavia smirked "Aye".
"Fie! We could all be dead before nightfall, yet not one of you so much as hesitates. Your courage is...an inspiration... Aye, we will win this war yet, by gods!" Say'ri declared.
They had not lost yet, they still had a chance.
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NOTE!: THAT WAS NOT SOUL CALIBUR CERVANTES! IT WAS FIRE EMBLEM CERVANTES!
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Tell me what you think.