Chapter 2: Firene, the Land in Bloom
Afterwards, they decided to depart early for Firene, as they landed on the grassy plains of the kingdom, as Alfred made a show of it.
"Here we are! The Kingdom of Firene!" Alfred declared.
"What a beautiful place." Alear remarked, taking in the natural sights around her.
"Isn't it? And no sign of the Corrupted, so that's good!" Alfred declared with pride. "That was quite a trip, crossing the sea all the way from Lythos. I hope you're not worn out."
"Far from it. I must ask, Geina, you said you were from Brodia?" Siege would ask.
"I am. An ambassador of Brodia. I was in the middle of a meeting with Alfred and Céline in regards to peace talks between our lands due to a recent uprising of conflicts between them. Diamant doesn't want things to break out in war, after all." Geina explained.
"Huh?" Alear asked.
"Ah, I should explain a little." Alfred stated. "You see, Firene is ruled by my mother, Queen Eve. We're known as a land of plenty. Our people value peace above all else. We haven't seen war for centuries."
"You must come from a long line of capable leaders, to have maintained such a peace." Alear remarked with intrigue.
"That's kind of you to say, but as Geina's words might hint towards…" Alfred stated. "Peace doesn't always come easy. Mother had to hammer out a non-aggression pact with our neighbours, and that's Solm and Brodia."
"Last I remember, Solm is quite open-minded, and had great relations with Firene." Lumera stated. "But Brodia… it might be no wonder that Prince Diamant went behind his father's back for this peace talk. The king's an ambitious man. He's been attacking Elusia to expand his own territory."
"I take it that Elusia isn't in the alliance." Alear hummed.
"Well, we mean no malice in excluding them. They were just so far away, we don't interact with them too much." Alfred stated. "We know it's snowy there, with long winters, and that some Elusians worship the Fell Dragon."
"The Fell Dragon!?" Vander exclaimed with outrage.
"It's troubling, I know… but people can believe what they believe." Alfred answered back softly.
"Well, we'll try our best." Framme answered back. "But if they start terrorising people, then I don't think that we have the choice."
"Can you tell me more about the Emblem Ring entrusted to Firene?" Alear asked Alfred.
"Oh sure, it's the 'Ring of the Caring Princess'. Doesn't look anything special." Alfred answered back. "Until I met you and Marth, I thought the Emblems were legends. I can't wait to tell my sister they exist. She'll really be knocked for a loop."
"You have a sister?" Alear asked curiously back.
"Yeah, the princess of Firene, Celine. She's at the castle with Mother right now." Alfred stated.
"Princess Celine… I look forward to meeting her." Alear remarked, before Alfred was about to correct her. "Don't worry, I'll call her Celine if you must insist, unless she says otherwise."
"Oh." Alfred muttered.
"Well, you're getting into your role quickly, to respond that well." Lumera remarked with a smile.
They soon headed towards a small village, as it seemed to look fairly well.
"Here's Florra Mill Town. The castle's close now. We'll just cut through here, and…" Alfred stated, before some of the more alert members of the group picked up something.
"Everyone, I believe that there is danger afoot here." Lumera remarked, as her expression turned serious.
"Indeed. Corrupted are everywhere." Siege stated.
"Egads! My Brodia retainers were in the castle! I hope they're okay!" Geina exclaimed, as the view suddenly panned over, revealing Hitomi, who struck a foe down with her claws, wearing what appeared to be incredibly light Brodian armor, with the Brodia insignia present on her left pants leg, as alongside her was another familiar face of a bare knuckle fighter.
"Wow, there's lot of them here." Mokou remarked, before she then landed several powerful fire blows onto one of the Corrupted soldiers, burning them away to ashes.
"No shit!" Hitomi remarked, before she then leapt up and smacked two of them down in one go. "We gotta keep the Princess safe!" She exclaimed, looking behind to see a distinguished woman wearing a green floral dress and a crown of floral decor coming out of the castle with a white and gold clad dark haired armor knight, and a blue haired white and blue clad Pegasus Knight. "Princess Céline!? I thought we told you to stay inside! Diamant ordered us to protect you at all costs!" Hitomi growled.
"But I have to know whether my brother has made it to Somniel or not!" Celine exclaimed. "I know of the dangers, but I cannot afford myself to cower."
"We'll protect her well." The knight declared. "So says I, Louis."
"Grrr… god damnit…" Hitomi cursed before her ears suddenly twitched. "Wait, I hear something… voices, and… and one of them's our Ambassador, Geina!" Hitomi said.
"Well, it seems like things are turning up for us." Mokou smirked. "Hey, Princess. You wanted to see your brother, right? Go ahead, we'll keep these creatures at bay. Get someone to cover you, and let your other retainer help us keep things steady."
"Louis, to me!" Celine declared.
"At your service, Princess." Louis stated, before Louis and Celine pushed a hole through the enemy formation to rendezvous with Alear's and Siege's group.
"I hope your fairy tale involves some fine heroics, flier girl. We're gonna need some to hold the castle!" Hitomi told the Pegasus Knight.
"Of course, this will be indeed a fairy tale where the heroes will be victorious!" The flier remarked. "Let us sally forth and face down the foul creatures together!"
Victory: Defeat Rodine
Defeat: Siege, Alear, Lumera, Céline, or Alfred fall, or the space in front of the castle is occupied by an enemy
"Hey! Alfred! You know any armor knight guiding a royal princess that's heading this way?" Siege asked.
"That's…!" Alfred remarked, before Celine and Louis reached the group fairly unharmed. "Celine!? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Mother."
"I was, but… Alfred, the Elusian army is marching on the castle." Celine answered back.
"What!? Why!?" Alfred exclaimed with sheer disbelief.
"I cannot say. Before they arrived, Mother sent me to warn you." Celine stated.
"But we were ambushed on our way to Florra Port, right here. Both of the ambassador's retainers have remained behind to ensure that these creatures do not make for the castle." Louis stated. "Please, we must aid them at once!"
"Pardon me, Celine, but do you have the Emblem Ring?" Alear asked Celine.
"Goodness gracious! The Divine Dragon Alear!? You're here, you're even… awake!" Celine exclaimed with surprise, before noticing Siege as well. "And the old legend, the Radiant Saviour as well!"
"As much as I appreciate the words of praise, our focus is making sure your people are alright. We need to route the enemy as well as check on any villages in trouble, and get them to lock their doors." Siege suggested.
"Ah, that's right." Celine stated, before holding out a white ring with golden gilded marks, with a round ruby gem on the top. "The Emblem Ring is right here. Please, Divine One. It is yours."
"I think it's better suited on your finger." Siege spoke for Alear. "We can't wield all the rings in our possession at once now, can we?"
"Of course. But let me awaken this Emblem." Alear nodded, before she then slid Marth's ring off her finger, and placed the new Emblem Ring on her hand. "The words… they're coming to me… Care for us, Emblem of Echoes!"
With a flash of light, Celica appeared, before she then bowed and greeted the entire group.
"I am Emblem Celica. I detest violence, but I will always fight to defend the innocent." Celica answered back.
"Thank you for answering the call." Alear gratefully told Celica.
"So… this is the Emblem that was in Firene's ring…" Alfred remarked with awe.
"Emblem Celica… How marvellous." Celine smiled back. "Divine One, with your blessing, and hers, of course. I would like to fight by Celica's side. I must protect the people of this village and ensure Chloe's safety, along with those of the Brodian retainers."
"We entrust her to you, Céline." Siege said with a firm nod, as Alear slid Celica's ring off, and handed it to Celine, who equipped it, as Celica manifested beside her.
"Oh right! I forgot!" Mirai exclaimed before showing Fjorm's ring to Alear and Siege. "The Goddess gave me Fjorm's ring for now, so I can fight with an Emblem too. She also mentioned bestowing the Otherworld Rings to those she saw fit as well, so perhaps we'll run into more Emblems to awaken down the line."
"In that case I think we're ready. Let's break through and save this town! And the castle!" Siege exclaimed.
Meanwhile, on the other end…
"The last thing I'm gonna have is you getting shot down by these damned archers." Hitomi told Chloé. "You deal with the mages for us?"
"Of course." Chloe answered back.
"Then it's settled, you deal with the mages, we smash the faces of the archers in." Mokou started. "Easy plan."
PLAYER PHASE
The main group immediately roared into motion, as they moved as one, as Alear split off from the group to immediately move over to the nearest open house, and addressing the villager inside, who rushed out to greet Alear.
"What's that? Monsters, here!?" The villager remarked, before seeing the group in battle. "Gosh all! Thanks for letting me know! Take this. Might come in useful."
Alear then caught a javelin from the villager, who quickly locked up the house gates, and shut the doors, likely reinforcing them from behind.
As Siege struck down a Corrupted soldier, he noticed Alear's break off. "Hey! Alear! Don't go too far off! We need to move as a cohesive unit!" Siege exclaimed. "Don't want you getting ambushed by enemies!"
"Sorry! I was just trying to warn one of the villagers!" Alear remarked, before Vander rushed past her, and struck down a nearby Corrupted lance-user with a mighty falling blow.
"I will assist her!" Celine declared, before she then rushed forward, before using her Fire spell on the enemy Corrupted that was also nearby Alear's position, as Celica boosted her spells enough to make them destroy the Corrupted foe. "All clear!"
Flamme and Clanne moved after Siege, as Clanne kept behind Siege, while Flamme moved beside him, as Alfred following along Siege, while Louis joined his charge in moving westwards to keep her own liege safe.
Lumera gave a look through the entire area, trying to decide the optimal path in order to come to the rescue of the villagers who are still in peril, as she immediately engaged with Sigurd, giving her a more younger version of the same form she used against Alear and Siege, as she strided forward and took out a archer that was in range of Siege.
"Whoa! That was close, good eye, Lumi!" Siege exclaimed.
"I wouldn't have any of you in danger if I can help it." Lumera answered back.
On the other side of the village, Hitomi rushed over, and banged the church door. "Hey, get your doors shut! You literally got the horde outside!" She brashly declared.
"Oh. Thank you for warning me. Here, use this to bring peace to our land." One of the church nuns stated, before handing Hitomi a golden nugget, while Mokou darted over, and punched one of the Corrupted archers far through the entire village with a burning fist, while Chloe hanged back, and used her spear to skewer through an enemy mage.
The flying body nearly hit Geina, who peered around the corner as she saw Hitomi and Mokou. "Hitomi! Mokou! You're okay!" Geina exclaimed, rushing over to speak to them.
"Hah! Nothin' was gonna bring us down easily, Ambassador Geina!" Hitomi remarked with a smirk.
"I brought some help. In the form of allies, among them being Divine Dragons, and even the Radiant Saviour!" Geina exclaimed.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, ain't that talk just stuff of legends!?" Hitomi stated with a raised brow of shock.
"Well, looks like they're legends no longer." Mokou smirked. "Doesn't matter. Help is help, and all the better if they're the legendary kind!"
"I can't argue with you there partner. Great find, Ambassador." Hitomi smiled.
"Indeed. Now, let's finish the rest of these scoundrels." Geina suggested.
"You read my mind." Hitomi said with a sly smirk.
Suddenly, the pendant that dropped in Lythos Castle, which Vander had given Alear, was beginning to glow, as Siege noticed it.
"Huh? Alear, when did you get that?" Siege asked.
"I got it from that cloaked figure, that dropped it after you send them flying." Alear answered back.
"Hey, Dezna, you have any idea what that is?" Siege asked.
"I do. It's a Draconic Time Crystal. Only Divine Dragons can use it. It may have limited power, but, it should allow us an edge should things go south." Dezna stated.
As they spoke, a group of axe wielding ruffians appeared from the north.
"It's time for a good ol' fashion village pillage boys!" The ruffian said with a laugh.
"Ruffians, coming from the north!" Mirai exclaimed. "Don't let them get to the villagers!"
ENEMY PHASE
The remaining Corrupted began to swarm through the field, as both groups were suffering attacks. Chloe barely managed to dodge being hit by an arrow, while Mokou got hit by a fire spell from one of the Corrupted Mages, while one of the Corrupted Mages made a mistake of engaging Hitomi up close with a spell, which did land a hit, as Hitomi gave a bloodthirsty grin, before stepping forth and smashing the mage to pieces.
Hitomi Passive: Frenzy: For every 4 HP damage taken, increases final damage dealt by 1
Two of the ruffians also tried to engage Geina, as she managed to cut down one in the counter, and leave the other barely alive.
PLAYER PHASE
"Just gotta ask but… who's gonna get the armor guy at the northeast?" Siege asked, pointing out the Chapter Boss, Rodine.
"I think that we might need Mokou for that." Geina suggested. "She's got a little trick that makes it difficult for armour to simply mitigate her impact."
"Well, then let's let her have him." Siege remarked. "Mokou, go pay the armor knight a 'friendly' visit."
"Why, of course." Mokou remarked, before she then moved towards Rodine, who seemed to be fairly consumed in his own thoughts.
"Soon, I'll be a legend. The man who captured the princess of Firene!" Rodine declared.
"News flash for you, mullet. Ain't your day." Mokou remarked, before she then immediately struck at Rodine, as her attack managed to knock Rodine back, who merely shrugged the attack off.
"Urgh, you white-haired harlot! You dare get in my way!?" Rodine exclaimed. "I will make you regret fighting me! Your fists mean nothing to my armour!"
"Oh really, and what's that flaming spark on your chest then?" Mokou cockily stated.
"What flaming spark-" Rodine stated, before he then looked down. "What… What is this!?"
"How I'm going to make that big and hunky armour of yours meaningless." Mokou stated, before she then landed another blow, as the spark lit up, creating a fiery explosion that send Rodine tumbling, as his armor was shredded.
Mokou Passive: Phoenix Spark: If Mokou lands a hit, she induces 'Sparking' status effect on the enemy for the turn. If an ally unit attacks a 'Sparking' enemy unit, and lands a hit, deal an additional (STR/6) damage to the enemy. This effect is doubled if Mokou is the one to trigger this effect.
"He's not down, but he will be." Mokou remarked, as Rodine rose up on shaky feet.
The group then began to clear out the village itself, keeping check of the other facilities in the village, as the one house, and the church was the only places in danger, and were secured before any harm could come to them, allowing Celine to reach the separated group quickly.
"Chloe! We managed to do it! The villagers are safe, and the enemy has been driven back!" Celine remarked with a triumphant tone.
"Truly, a victory to be celebrated… but we still have that cur lingering about with that hot-headed pugilist of Brodia." Chloe remarked.
"Let her handle it, it seems that she has the fight settled." Celine stated.
ENEMY PHASE
With no options left, Rodine tried to attack Mokou, only for Mokou to dodge it and land a powerful straight that left him open, and leaving him with another spark of flame
"All set up, if you want the kill, Hitomi!" Mokou called out.
"Gladly!" Hitomi remarked, before she rushed over, and hit Rodine hard enough that he didn't even have the chance to utter any death quote, gurgling as his ribs had punctured his lungs from such a savage blow, before the resulting explosion destroyed his body with little hope of resurrecting it.
STAGE CLEAR
MVP: Hitomi
"Well, I must apologize for that." Mokou stated, to the Firene group, who were slightly unnerved by what they saw. "But we couldn't afford to hold much back against our enemies.
"No, no. It's fine." Alfred stated. "I suppose that we shouldn't expect such a clean battle with everything that is happening…"
As Alear and Siege were about to approach the rest of the group, they then noticed that there was a hidden Corrupted straggler, as both of them reached for their weapons, only for a large fireball to hit and destroy it.
"Who's there?" Alear remarked, before the one who fired the fire-ball appeared, as it was a girl in a feathery white dress with blue and red highlights, with long grey hair and purple eyes, and a pair of black anklet of metals with golden chains around them, white gloves, and a floral white crown with blue highlights on her head, as Alear was stunned at who it was, while Lumera glanced back, before she too froze as well, with an expression of disbelief.
"There's no need to be afraid. It's gone." The young girl answered back kindly.
"You helped us. Thank you." Alear told the girl.
"It was nothing, really! I only did what anyone else would do." The girl answered back shyly.
Siege saw who it was as his expression hardened. Her aura was familiar to him. He knew exactly who it was, as he drew Ragnell-Yato and pointed it at the girl.
"You're the one who attacked us at Lythos Castle." Siege spoke with a tone of venom. "I'll never. Ever. Forgive you for what you almost did to my daughter."
"What are you talking about…?" The girl asked, as she felt menaced by Siege's aura. "I… I don't know you."
"Siege…?" Alear asked.
"Her aura. Her magic. There's no mistaking it." Siege stated firmly. "This was the same girl that almost killed Mirai."
"She… She did that…?" Alear asked, as she was conflicted, due to the fact that she felt that Siege wouldn't tell a lie… yet the girl before her felt far different than the one that attacked them… as if they were two separate people. "No, let's not jump to conclusions, Siege. I know that she may seem familiar, but somehow, I felt that something isn't right about all of this."
Siege growled, before he sheathed his sword at Alear's words as he closed his eyes, looking at the girl in apology. "...I'm sorry, young one. It's just… your magic feels just like the person that almost killed my daughter." Siege apologized.
"It's alright. If I must remind you so much of someone who hurt your family…" The girl stated. "I can understand. I merely saw the fighting and thought I could help."
"That's quite brave of you." Alear complimented the girl. "I was startled by the sudden appearance, and could have taken a nasty blow if you didn't act first."
"I see…" The girl answered back.
"I should introduce myself. I am the Divine Dragon Alear." Alear introduced herself. "And this is Siege."
"What lovely names. I'm Veyle." The girl smiled back.
"If I could, we could offer to take you with us, until we can find somewhere safe for you…" Alear stated.
"Oh that, no need for that." Veyle gently declined, shaking her hands. "I can handle myself, and keep myself out of danger. I'm just glad that you two managed to help this village. I couldn't do that myself, even if I tried. I'll just take my leave. I'm sure that we'll see each other again."
Veyle then left, as Lumera watched her leave, before she then straightened herself out, while Alear and Siege went to Celine.
"Oh, just who I wanted to meet. I wanted to thank you both for accepting Firene's request for aid." Celine told Alear and Siege. "And your help in the battle was the difference between the life and death of many villagers here. Thank you, truly."
"Alfred and I are friends. I was happy to help." Alear assured Celine.
"Friends? He said that? Imagine speaking so casually with the Divine Dragon…" Celine sighed. "Please, allow me to-"
"There's no need for an apology. As legendary as we might be, we are not perfect." Siege stated. "We make mistakes like any other human."
"Is that so? I thought surely both of you would be all-seeing and all-powerful beings." Celine stated. "But here, I find that you are right, you are rather more human than I expected. Perhaps I could become friends with you both as well."
"Then what do you say, Celine? Friends?" Alear asked, reaching a hand out, with a smile.
"I would be honored." Celine stated, taking Alear's hand with her own.
The group then did a quick tour around the village, as Mirai decided to look around and adopt a few of the local animals, much to Alear's and Siege's amusement, as the group met back together, as Alear was holding a local dog in her arms, with a adorable expression on her face, as a pair of merchants decided to greet the group, seeing that they might be the perfect customers for them.
"Hey, folks! Mind if we bend your ear for a minute?" The male of the pair remarked, a bald man with a square-like stub under his chin, light brown eyes, and dressed in a worn brown apron, with blue fingerless gloves. "Name's Durthon. I'm an armorer. And this here's Anisse, purveyor of goods. We saw you tradin' thumps with those things. Figured you might be in the market for supplies."
"Yes, if you need, we'd be happy to provide you with quality weapons and items." Anisse, the female of the pair, with dark skin, brown eyes, and a gray, white and red dress, with a red headdress on her head, and long flowing black hair. "Anything to defeat those creatures. They pose a terrible threat to traveling merchants like us."
"How would you feel about moving to our base? You can sell your wares from there." Alear suggested.
"Ahem, Divine One-" Vander tried to tell Alear, before Lumera kicked his shin, making him flinch, despite the armor he was wearing.
"Quiet you! This is a great opportunity." Lumera pouted. "We could use their services, since we lack facilities."
"You're going to let us open shops at your base?" Durthon remarked with surprise.
"Of course. We would make the best use of what you provide with us. Vulneraries, anti-venom, blades, bows, all the goods. We'll need them all for what's coming next." Siege smiled back. "It's a haven that no creature will ever get to."
"Then you got yourself a bargain! Can't wait to do business together!" Durthon exclaimed with passion.
"Thank you for this. I will do my utmost to ensure you receive the finest items." Anisse answered back with gratitude.
The group then returned to the Somniel together, with their new pair of staff, as Durthon and Anisse settled fairly quickly into the floating base, as it did not take them hours to create the first batch of their own brands, as the group spent several hours relaxing, to give them enough rest to prepare for taking the fight to Firene's capital, where they would come to Queen Eve's rescue, from what the group gathered from Celine's account.