Chapter 11: The Four Hounds VS. The Four Dragons
The Somniel had managed to make up for the time loss in catching up on backstories for everyone, as it arrived in Firene, just as a battle was getting ready to break out in a massive way…
With Goku Black and Zamasu…
Black and Zamasu were currently leading a fleet of Elusian ships still devoted to Sombron to the port of Firene, as they were with Umbris at the time.
"We've arrived and begun attacks on Firene, just as you requested, Lady Umbris." Black proudly declared.
"We're also currently trying to pilfer that last Otherworld Emblem Ring for you as well, but so far our search has provided us nothing…" Zamasu reported.
"Bah. No matter, I suppose that we'll find that ring soon enough." Umbris remarked. "Besides, we have Hounds to put down. And while we're at it, let's make a few more bodies for me to create the Corrupted from."
Meanwhile, CP8 soldiers rushed into view as well, not only hunting for Hounds, but also bounties, as Stryker was leading them.
"Push on, CP8! We're not leaving this joint until we have at least one bounty in our pockets!" Stryker declared as CP8 began to ransack villages and set them ablaze.
With the Hounds, the small force of Elusian soldiers still with them were mounting battle formations just in case, as an Elusian Thief suddenly appeared.
"Lady Zephia, I found the Otherworld Emblem Ring Firene still had, just as you requested!" The Elusian Thief exclaimed, procuring the final Otherworld Emblem Ring, the Ring of Justice.
"The Otherworld Emblem Ring…" Zephia remarked, as she held it close. "Perhaps it will be our salvation."
"Hey, Zephia, I don't think that things are going to end well." Griss remarked, pointing forwards, as there was a Firenian battalion heading for the port, likely in response to the threat.
"We need to hide-" Zephia remarked.
"Lady Zephia! Report!" An Elusian soldier rushed to her. "The Divine Dragon and Radiant Savior have arrived! Marni and Mauvier are among their forces!"
"So they have come…" Zephia remarked, before Black's and Zamasu's forces reached the port, as they began to disembark, as the two deities slaughtered the Firenian battalion with little effort, as they razed the port and its residents. "...It seems that we are right to stay low. If we come out, the both of us would barely be able to survive long enough for those heroes to reach us."
"And then there's that damn black-suits from Solm. They really aren't holding much back either." Griss stated. "Good news is that they'll keep those Dragons nice and distracted. All we have to do is find a way to get around the fighting."
Meanwhile, with the main force…
"By the gods… Firene's up in flames!" Siege exclaimed, as the group was seeing the carnage being caused by Black and Zamasu, plus CP8.
"We can't just wait here and let them destroy it all! Let's get in there and help as many people as we can!" Alear exclaimed.
"Florra Port is burning…" Alfred remarked, as there was horror on his face.
"Brother! We can't despair! You heard the Divine One, we must save the poor people!" Celine exclaimed.
As they entered the battlefield, Veyle, Marni, and Mauvier noticed Zephia and Griss hiding in the forests not yet set aflame.
"Hey! I think I see Zephia and Griss over there!" Marni called out.
"Good! If you guys can reach them, try to sway them to our side! We'll hold off CP8 and the other force!" Siege exclaimed.
Victory: Defeat Stryker, Goku Black, and Zamasu
Defeat: Siege, Alear, Richard, Zephia, or Griss fall
Special Condition I: Reach Zephia with Veyle, Marni, or Mauvier
Special Condition II: Reach Griss with Veyle, Marni, or Mauvier
Special Condition III: Defeat the bosses with the Four Hounds
Turn Order:
Player Phase
Enemy Phase
Third Force Phase
Ally Phase
PLAYER PHASE
"God look at this carnage…" Siege remarked. "If we're gonna win, we need as many numbers as we can possibly muster. Richard, I need you and whoever else you need to warp Veyle, Marni, and Mauvier as close to Zephia and Griss as you can get them. Let them do the rest."
"Pandreo, Engage!" Richard exclaimed, as Pandreo did so, as he used Micaiah's power to enhance his own Warp, transporting the three of them forward, with Alfred and Geina supposed to the side to guard the squishy clerics, while they in turn used themselves as mid-points to get Veyle and the two Hounds across the field, to a area that is faraway from the fighting, engaging several CP8 agents that were nearby to clear out some space.
Alfred and Geina moved into action, as Alfred used his speed to cut through the enemy forces, while Geina struck down the enemies, sticking close to Jean and Flamme.
"Charge! We'll go for those two first!" Alear remarked. "We can clear those CP8 when the way to the stronger enemy of the two is clear!"
The main force began to charge forth, before Goldmary decided to hold a choke-point herself, cutting down a nearby archer, while Fogado and Etie used long-bows to pick off the enemies nearby.
Meanwhile, the Elusian forces suddenly noticed Veyle and the other Hounds approaching.
"Lady Zephia! Veyle and the other Hounds are approaching us! What are your orders?" A female Elusian Armor Knight asked.
"We allow them to reach us. Be prepared, the enemy will likely discover us, when they see where they are heading towards." Zephia remarked. "But it is the price to pay to save your own lives."
"Yes, ma'am!" The armor knight exclaimed as the formation parted, allowing Veyle, Marni, and Mauvier to approach and speak with Zephia and Griss.
"So, you've made it safely." Zephia told Marni and Mauvier.
"Indeed. They are quite receptive, despite everything." Mauvier declared.
"In fact, now that I know that Lady Veyle has been in much sadder circumstances, I can't even hate her anymore. In fact, I feel truly sorry for her, and how I acted." Marni declared. "So pretty please, Zephia, can you just come along? You too, Griss?"
"Ah jeez, I forget that you're always like this." Griss sighed, before turning to Veyle. "What about you, little lady? Would you welcome us back?"
"Of course. I never truly hated you." Veyle warmly stated, which caused Zephia to frown, before she quickly hid it away.
"Someday, your innocence will hurt you." Zephia muttered under her breath, before she then cleared her throat. "Very well, if that is how it is, then I will come willingly. But I must ask that you note one thing, Lady Veyle."
"And that is?" Veyle asked.
"I hope that you'll defend me when the truth is made bare." Zephia stated, as Marni and Mauvier grimaced greatly.
"I… I promise that I'll defend you." Veyle declared firmly.
"As expected. Very well, I give you soldiers a choice. You can walk away from this, since you have no obligation to us to throw your lives away." Zephia stated. "As long as you stay hidden, there will be no apparent threat that will hunt you down. If you do remain, know that you'll be fighting your entire way back to your home country, and from then, I cannot guarantee that you'll make it through with your lives. Whatever you choose, I will not advise or argue against it."
"Lady Zephia, as commander of this platoon, we will serve you! And because you are allied with the Radiant Hero and Divine Dragon, we shall serve them as Lady Ivy has! Troops! We lay our lives down for Elusia! For Elyos!" The female armor knight yelled.
"OOO-RAHHH!" The platoon yelled, which caught the attention of Stryker, Black, and Zamasu.
"How did THOSE buffoons sneak past our sight!?" Black exclaimed.
"Tch. Those Hounds have reunited it seems… I suppose play time is now over. Now we can eliminate them. Properly." Zamasu remarked.
"Well, well, well, looks like the Elusian scums have come back into our sides as thorns, men! Eliminate them as well! No quarters!" Stryker yelled.
"It seems that I was right on that." Zephia cursed. "To arms!"
"Great, now they're shifting their focus…" Siege remarked as he saw the soldiers looking at the Four Hounds. "Alright, double time it, people! Let's save what civilians we can and make sure the Hounds get out alive!"
ENEMY PHASE
The corrupted near the main force began to attempt to stall them, as they engaged them, landing a few blows, and keeping a firm line that prevented a direct rescue without getting into dangerous territory surrounded by both enemy forces, while the rest began to march towards the Elusian forces, if they weren't occupied trying to take out the CP8 agents that were in their way.
Black would immediately get involved, getting in range and going to Zephia to attack, ki blade against her tomes.
"So, the mutts found their way to their new owners, how touching." Black said with a wicked smile. "It would be a shame if I cut you away from your new family so soon."
"I do not intend to make it easy. The Hounds are the only thing I have left." Zephia growled. "I will not allow you to take it from me. It doesn't matter what powers you have, I will see you dead!"
Zephia and Black began to trade blows, as Zephia's dragon was hurt from the fighting, while Zephia landed a direct hit with a Bolganone, which singed Black enough to hurt him, despite his protections.
"Tch… you've gotten stronger since our last encounter, whelp, I'm slightly impressed. Slightly." Black growled at Zephia's incompetence.
"If I can hurt you, I can kill you. And I will do exactly that, no matter how much magic it takes to do exactly that." Zephia growled back, as her voice was cold.
Black laughed at that statement. "You're saying you'd trade every last year of life you have!? Such a noble yet worthless cause. Kill me. Preposterous!" Black yelled. "You'll die running out of years long before you can lethally strike me!" Black laughed.
"Even then, I'm still holding you back, am I not?" Zephia answered back, as she had a hint of a smirk on her lips. "That is enough."
"Zephia…" Veyle remarked.
Zamasu watched the fight from afar, before he then decided to go for the CP8 agents, intolerant of their continued existence.
THIRD FORCE PHASE
Stryker would soon rush towards Griss to attack, as he held a smile on his face.
"I hope you're ready for a police brutality pal, because you and your Hounds damn sure earned one!" Stryker exclaimed.
"Jeez, I wouldn't mind some of your kind of brutality, but seriously, while there's a lot of people gunning for us?" Griss remarked. "I mean, Greenie is slaughtering your men, and he doesn't seem to be slowing down. Don't you sort of care about that, even if they're just your minions?"
"As long as we get a bounty, it doesn't matter how many of us go down! We're takin' home someone's head on a platter today!" Stryker laughed. Combat started as he opened fire on Griss in an attempt to hit him.
Griss managed to dodge the first three shots, with the third one grazing his cheek, before the fourth one hit him on the side of his waist, as the enhanced bullets hurt him, causing him to wince, before firing his spell, as Stryker dodged the first blast, only to be hit by the follow-up.
CP8 soldiers attacked a mix of Corrupted and allied Elusian Soldiers to finish out the Phase, but none of them were able to land killing blows on their targets.
PLAYER PHASE
The main group began to split into two fronts, one side heading for Black and Zamasu, while the other headed for the Corrupted and CP8 agents threatening civilians. Siege was in range enough where he could unleash a Spell Card on Black, as combat started.
"Black! You've crossed the line too far for me to just let you go this time!" Siege yelled at Black.
"Crossed the line? My goal has always been the same, you scum! No more mortals! They're insignificant beings that deserve nothing more than to be erased from this living plane!" Black yelled.
"There you go again with that goddamn 'No Mortal Policy!' So here's my opposition to your Policy!" Siege yelled, as he got ready to use his Spell.
"Declare Spell! Hellish Sign: Ragnarok Maxima!"
Siege unleashed a salvo of high explosive flames, that crashed into Goku Black and didn't harm any nearby allies, as Black was dropped to the bottom of his first Health bar as he growled.
"Damn you… why must you always INTERFERE!?" Black yelled, transforming into Super Saiyan Rosé for his next HP Bar.
"Tch… of course…" Siege growled, before Seadall danced for him as Siege made his way over to Zephia, stepping between her and Black. "Glad to see you held the line well before we got here." Siege would state first as he looked back at Zephia.
"I can handle myself fine enough." Zephia answered back. "And I am not so vain that I would turn down aid when I can get it when I need it most. You have kept Mauvier and Marni safe, after all."
"I'll do a lot of things against my foes, but family isn't one of them unless they piss me off to the deep end. That's a side of me I prefer not talking about." Siege stated.
"Hey, think you should go ahead and give him that Otherworld Emblem Ring?" Griss would pipe in with a small smirk.
"The last Otherworld Emblem Ring!? You have it!?" Siege asked in shock.
"Of course." Zephia remarked, before she then tossed it over to Siege. "Take it, we cannot make use of it either way."
"Zephia I could literally kiss you right now!" Siege exclaimed in elation, before clearing his throat. "But uh… might send some mixed messages if I do. Regardless, thank you, this completes our set of the Otherworld Emblem Rings… so let's find out who it is. Fight on… Emblem of Justice!" Siege exclaimed.
Coming from the ring in a golden light was a familiar face not just to Siege… but to Goku Black and Zamasu both. It wasn't one, but two figures, a man wearing a jacket and long pants, with silver/blue hair and a sword on his back, next to a woman with black hair, wearing a traditional style military outfit for women, with a gun in her hands, as the two posed together.
"You can't be serious!? Is that really…!?" Black exclaimed.
"I am Emblem Trunks! So long as you fight with all you have, Justice will win in the end!" Trunks proclaimed.
"I'm Emblem Mai. I fight with Trunks for peace, hope, and for what's right! I'll do everything I can to help!" Mai exclaimed.
"As I pretty much expected…" Siege remarked as he saw the duo. "Now this ring will have some use. Zephia. You secured this ring. I entrust it to you for this battle. Let's show our foes absolutely no mercy."
"Truly?" Zephia asked, before she then slid the ring on. "...I suppose that if you allow me to, I would be foolish to refuse."
With the last Otherworld Emblem Ring acquired, the tables were now turned for the worst against Black, Zamasu, and the other forces, as the group could now unleash havoc on them, when Siege realized something.
"Hey, Griss… don't you still have Celica's ring?" Siege would ask.
"Of course, still have it." Griss smirked. "Even though I can't Engage, her unique spell managed to get us out of this mess from the start. Without her magic, I'm afraid we would be done for already. If you want the Emblem Ring, you can take it and then hand it back. Still need this, after all."
"Right, right. Just need to make a couple passes." Siege remarked, taking it. "Alear! Catch!" Siege exclaimed as Celica's ring flew into Alear's hands with a red magical trail behind it.
"Care for us, Emblem of Echoes!" Alear declared, before Celica manifested herself in proper form.
"Finally, I have returned to normal… Being used by that man… what a horrible feeling…" Celica remarked.
"Unfortunately, and fortunately, he's now our ally, and he's going to be far less unsettling for you." Alear stated, as Celica turned around to see Griss smirk with a hand raised.
"...If it's your word." Celica sighed deeply. "I suppose that there is still good in people who work for evil. I have seen that before, after all."
As Celica was being transferred back, Griss would look to Zephia. "I… wasn't the only one who saw and heard that right? That incantation?" He asked Zephia.
Zephia only remained silent, as she knew what Griss was implying, as there was a firm frown on her face.
"We tell her when she is prepared to hear that. No sooner." Zephia spoke in a tone that brokered no argument.
"Right, right." Griss remarked as Siege caught the ring and handed Celica back to Griss. "Thanks man, you're a real pal."
"Not a problem, now let's blow these fuckers to high heaven." Siege smirked.
"I like how you talk!" Griss smiled as he would channel Warp Ragnarok and blast Stryker immediately, taking him out of the running.
"Damnit…. I need to retreat again! CP8! Full retreat! Full retreat! They're overpowering us!" Stryker exclaimed as he retreated.
The main force continued to fight their way through, as Richard took the chance to snipe Zamasu from afar, as his Thoron spell hit Zamasu hard, taking out one of his HP bars, as he manifested his other form.
"You dare-!" Zamasu growled, before Lumera rushed toward him, before using Lyn's ring to use the same attack that Hyacinth used, which created a massive barrage of arrows that weakened Zamasu, before Alear rushed over, and used Lucina to make everyone land an all-out attack that made his defences moot, as he fell to the ground defeated.
"Curse you all…! This isn't the last we shall meet!" Zamasu cursed as he soon retreated, leaving the Four Hounds minus Griss to finish off Goku Black.
"Rrrgh, bring it on! You mutts have all bark and no bite!" Black yelled.
"Then let me give you something!" Veyle remarked, before she then pulled a tome she borrowed from Richard. "I'm more than just a Fell Dragon now!"
Veyle then used the tome to cast the Hades spell, as a dark pillar of rushing energy, hit Black head on, as the critical hit hit him badly enough to make him fairly dazed.
"Damn…! That little brat…!" Black exclaimed as he was holding his head from the attack.
"Now! Strike him at once!" Siege exclaimed.
"I have you now!" Zephia remarked, before she then summoned a meteor that pinned Black to the ground, before Lumera rushed in to cut Black down even further. Marni and Mauvier joined the chain attack, as Siege soon activated Aether for the final blow.
"TASTE THE MIGHT OF AETHER!" Siege yelled, striking Goku Black down with two mighty swings of his blade.
"Krrrgh… you insolent… wretches… you will rue the day you dare defy a God!" Black yelled before retreating.
STAGE CLEAR
MVP: Griss & Celica
"The town is secured! Many people are still alive, Divine Ones!" Vander reported from his group's task to secure the village.
"Excellent. This fight could have gone a lot worse." Siege remarked. "For both ends. We even saved a large portion of Elusian soldiers still devoted to the Hounds."
"Your timing was as impeccable as always, Radiant Savior!" The Elusian commander spoke with a bow of her head.
As the group made rounds to do what they could to quell the flames and get people to safe haven, Siege, Richard, Alear, Lumera, and Mirai could be seen face to face with the Four Hounds, Veyle by their side.
"I made a promise to Marni on our way here. That the four of you would be reunited. I've kept that promise. And if this is where you all decide to part from us, since we're fighting Sombron, we won't stop you." Siege told the Hounds. "I don't blame any of you, if you should decide you don't want to take up arms against the person you served for so long."
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't mind taking up the fight towards Sombron." Griss smirked back.
"...I have nowhere to go. The safest place, ironically, is to be with you all." Zephia answered back. "I've burned too many bridges to go elsewhere. I assure you that I will act only as you order me to. I will not cause any trouble, since there is no point in doing so, especially when those royals have trust made by you all, that is as thin as glass."
"I thank you for staying with us then." Siege remarked with a soft smile, before his expression turned back to a frown. "Then I suppose it's time you fess up."
"Whaddya mean?" Griss asked.
"I heard you two whispering to one another. Something that concerned Alear. I myself don't know her history, something that you two seem to have some knowledge about. Whatever it may be… I'm willing to hear it." Siege stated to them.
"Oh boy…" Griss sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Truth is, soldier boy… that's… not gonna be an easy pill that the Divine Dragon wants to swallow… are you sure you want to know about it, so soon?"
"I can't truly understand the situation if I don't have the knowledge. But since it is pertaining to Alear…" Siege remarked, looking to Alear. "Are you alright with them telling us? Whatever they have… it sounds like it's gonna be rough on you." Siege asked Alear.
"I… I don't know if it's a good idea." Alear remarked, looking into Zephia's eyes.
"You're going to have to know about it soon. But I would suggest that we do it in a castle." Zephia answered back. "When we take Elusia Castle, I will tell you the truth. And Lumera will take part in it."
"Lumera, why mother?" Alear asked, as Lumera's expression turned grim.
"...Zephia and I know what we are going to tell you." Lumera stated. "And I agree, it's best that this is first spoken among trusted peers, before we tell the royals."
"Good, I assumed that you would have tried to preserve the-" Zephia remarked, before shaking her head. "...I'm sorry, that's uncouth of me. I forget that we are on the same side."
"How easily we forget…" Lumera sighed.
"Then in that case, Zephia is right. Elusia castle is next on our journey, including the Emblem Rings stored there. No doubt Sombron will put in a last ditch effort and give the Emblem Rings to the Four Dragons… a fight we will have to face head on." Siege remarked. "Let's go!"