Part 1: White Clouds

The Kingdom of Faerghus

"You did it Jeralt! You did it!" Sitri yelled clapping her hands as Jeralt looked at the ball of Ki he made in his own hands.

"Wow, this is pretty surreal to look at. This is my own energy?" He said holding it in front of his face. It felt….. warm. Not only that, but it also felt familiar. Like a part of him. Jeralt supposed that was to be expected giving what it was.

Sitri beamed at him and nodded, proud of what her friend had achieved. The whole process had taken around a month to do, which was mostly because Jeralt was busy with the Knights of Seiros. But at last, it had finally come to fruition. "So, what do we do now Sitri?"

"Now we can try and get you to learn how to control it. My Captain on Planet Vegeta always said that if you can't control it, then you're useless."

"Jeez, your Captain sounded like a real asshole." Jeralt muttered sitting next to her on the grass.

"Oh he was. Bardock was a giant asshole, but I did watch him soften up over time. But I wasn't in the squad after that." Sitri explained looking up at the sky.

"You never did explain why you left your squad and took on a job as a….. mechanic."

"Well…. it's hard to explain." Sitri said looking down. The two were at the lake and had their bare feet in the water. She watched as she wriggled her toe looking at the water ripple under her. "We were all a tight knit bunch. Like a family I guess. We had recently gotten a new member called Gine."

She had a soft smile on her face remembering that woman. "Honestly, you wouldn't know that she was a Saiyan. The most kindest soul that you can ever meet. Purer than any nun in this place. But she wasn't much of a fighter. She was always needing to be rescued by one of us."

A dark look crept over her face as one particular night came back to her. "Unfortunately, that made her a target for others to take advantage of. This bastard on Vegeta had a thing for her. He was a higher up in the Pecking Order. Like a Noble around here. The squad and I were celebrating a mission well done one fateful night, and that man slipped something in her drink."

Jeralt's face tensed up and his jaw tightened, knowing exactly what he had done. "Doesn't matter which planet, the same kind of monsters exist everywhere."

Sitri nodded as she didn't notice her aura slowly flaring up in her anger at the memory. "I knew something was wrong when I didn't see her for a while. I told everyone I would make sure she was okay. I then heard screaming in the alleyway next to the bar…"

Her teeth gritted as cracks were starting to form on the ground. "That bastard was on top of her, trying to get her clothes off. She was begging him to stop and not do it. And at that moment, all I saw was red. I ran up to him, and shoved my fist in his chest. When I finally came to my senses, he was dying on the ground with a hole in his chest and Gine was curled up in a ball crying."

Suddenly, she felt lightheaded as she started to have a coughing fit, hunching over as Jeralt rubbed her back in an effort to cease the fit. Soon enough, she managed to control herself. Jeralt then looked at her and asked what happened next.

"I was put on trial for the murder of a higher class Saiyan. Luckily, because of our squads reputation, I was spared execution. Much to the dismay of the court."

Sitri then chuckled briefly as another memory came to her. "Bardock managed to get me the job as a mechanic, and he even praised me for killing that guy. He told me that if it was him that walked into that situation, that man wouldn't be recognisable by the time he was done. He always had a soft spot for Gine."

But then her face was sad as she was just staring at the water at this point, as if forgetting Jeralt was there. "Gine though, couldn't deal with it. Nightmares plagued her, and she eventually made the choice to leave the squad and worked at a meat factory. Bardock was obviously upset, but knew that this was the right choice. They got together and had two great kids…."

Droplets of water were now falling into the lake which belonged to Sitri who was now crying. "They're all gone… I'll never see them ever again will I? I'm all alone out here. Am I the only one that's left?"

A hand was placed on her shoulder which made her turn to her left to see Jeralt smiling at her. "Hey. You can start a new life here. Maybe it won't be exactly like Planet Vegeta, but Fódlan is a nice place to call home, don't you think?"

She slowly smiled at him and nodded, wiping away her tears as her mood brightened up. "I agree. It's a beautiful planet, and I'm sure Frieza will never find me here. Plus, I don't think I'm going anywhere now." She tapped at her green hair as a reminder of the change she went through after coming here. Sitri then stood up and placed her hands on her hips.

"There is no time to waste! You want to be the best? Then we have to train hard! You'll be the strongest human around when I'm done with you!"

She then started marching to the Training Grounds while chanting "Hup! Two! Hup! Two! Hup! Two!". It made Jeralt smile warmly at her retreating figure. Five months have passed since she arrived and his life has been thrown for a loop.

And he wouldn't have it any other way. He quickly jogged up to Sitri to catch up, not noticing Rhea watching them in the distance. She was keeping a close eye on Sitri and her recovery and was pleased with the results.

"A strong body and soul. This will work, I am sure of it. Mother, you will be brought back. I promise."

…

"That's enough for today."

A collection of groans sounded through the Training Grounds as Byleth watched her students collapse from exhaustion.

The month had passed by quickly ever since the Mock Battle and since then she took in new students. She was very impressed with how they all adjusted to the training. Maybe that was because they all took the time to train even outside of her lessons to try and get caught up quickly.

Byleth looked at each figure sprawled out on the floor and gave a light smile, evaluating each newcomer.

Annette had great potential to be a good fighter. She took in every word and was able to bring out her Ki in no time at all. Unfortunately, she had a habit of going too far and ended up either destroying equipment, or hurting herself. Byleth made a mental note to try and offer tips on maybe using her Ki as armour so that less injuries could occur.

Just as Byleth has predicted, Felix was a handful. He seemed to only want to focus on the physical aspect and get frustrated on why he couldn't harness his Ki. She tried explaining that mental training is just as important. She has a feeling that this will take some time for him to understand. She was also trying to get him to respect others, especially Dimitri. Though that was easier said than done.

With the Black Eagles, she was very impressed with how easily Petra adapted to the training and was one of the first to unlock her Ki. She seemed very in tune with her surroundings and wondered if she did meditation when she was in Brigid.

Caspar however, was a different story. He took the longest when it came to bringing out his Ki, mostly because he wasn't focusing properly. He only just managed to do it last week, and already injured himself on multiple occasions trying to shoot blasts. When she returned, she was going to teach him how to properly train mentally.

Over with the Golden Deer, Byleth had headaches when it came to training Leonie. She was very good at paying attention and even brought out her Ki early on, but her attitude could use a lot of work. Leonie seemed to be threatened by Byleths relationship to her father and wanted to prove that she was better than the mercenary. But Byleth wasn't bothered too much since she at least put effort in the training.

And finally there was Lysithea. Byleth actually liked teaching her, as she was very good at paying attention and focusing. The only times she really got out of control was because if Claude. She had a vast pool of potential inside her that Byleth couldn't explain.

Felix gritted his teeth as he picked himself off the ground, adjusting his weighted clothing. "Well? Are there any improvements? Can we take off this clothing?"

"As I told you before Felix, you don't take it off until I say so. As for improvements, I am pleased to say that you have all improved dramatically over this past month. But now onto important things."

The students all sat down on the grass as Byleth stayed standing up. "As you all know, I will be departing for the Kingdom of Faerghus tomorrow with Shamir. I don't know when we will be back, but I'm hoping that it is quick. For that reason, your house leaders will pick up the training program for now so you don't slack off."

Edelgard gave a bright smile and nodded. "It is my honour Professor."

Dimitri bowed to Byleth as he also smiled. "We thank you for this opportunity."

"Don't worry Teach, we will make sure that they stick to the program." Claude said with a two fingered salute.

Byleth nodded in appreciation at this before another thought entered her mind. "You all have missions coming up this week too. This is where I must be serious."

The students weren't expecting this change of tone as they listened intently. "You're going to be encountering bandits. And you will have to kill people. If you don't, you will die."

Several of the students suddenly had uneasy looks on their faces as Caspar raised his hand. "Can't we…. spare them?"

"Ask yourself this question." Byleth said. "Would they do the same for you? If not, then you need to survive. Ki is powerful sure, but it doesn't make you immortal. I know this isn't something you want to hear, my students, but in this line of work you will end up taking a life."

A somber silence was around everyone as Byleth continued. "As for your training, I must stress. If you feel like you can use your Ki effectively, then you may do it. But I ask you all to look at your house leaders during the mock battle where they made countless errors."

Edelgard had an embarrassed blush on her face as she suddenly looked interested in her shoes right now while Dimitri and Claude gave a little smile at their foolishness. "Now, as I am needing to prepare for tomorrow, I will not be teaching you today. You may spend today however you want to, but I imagine that you want to train more. Am I right?

She got a series of nods and watched as the group of students stood up ready to train. A small smile graced her face as she turned away. "So be it. House leaders, you know what to do."

Byleth walked away and left her students to train for themselves. When they were out of sight Sothis appeared next to her. "It appears that you have a good ragtag of individuals at your hands. I hope that they do not actually try to use Ki too much on their missions."

"They will be fine." Byleth replied leaning on a supporting pillar. "I have faith in them. They're all motivated and now have the basics down. I'm proud of them."

She then noticed Sothis had a thoughtful look on her face and stopped leaning on the pillar. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm worried about the Kingdom. What could possibly be happening over there that they need outside help for a town? I have a bad feeling about all of this."

"Yes, you're right. It doesn't seem like it all adds up properly. But we have Shamir with us, so just in case something does happen, then we can handle it."

Before Sothis could reply, a new voice sounded out. "Hey kid. You got a few minutes?"

Byleth turned around to see Jeralt walking up to her with a warm smile. "Thought I'd come and check on you before your mission tomorrow. How are you feeling?"

She placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head in thought. "I find it strange that the Kingdom needs us."

Jeralt nodded, copying the same expression as his daughter. "I agree. It doesn't make too much sense, and the Kingdom has been pretty quiet lately on their internal affairs. I don't need to tell you and Shamir to keep your guards up. Something is rubbing me the wrong way."

"I will dad, but nothing can really hurt me anyway in terms of weaponry. Maybe if they have powerful magic users?"

"It's possible. Anyway, I'll leave you to get ready. I'll help your students with the training before they leave for their missions. I believe the Blue Lions will be going to round up those bandits that attacked the leaders."

"Oh?" Byleth said as they were walking towards her quarters. "What about you and the Black Eagles?"

"We're mostly helping out other towns nearby with problems such as bandits and such. Though I have faith in the Blue Lions since they will be further out."

That's when he noticed Byleth's tail freely moving about and hummed in thought. "Hey kid. Remember, keep your tail by your waist. Enemies will grab it and we know how that turns out for you."

Byleth nodded as she allowed her tail to wrap around her waist. "I know you don't like doing it kid, but it's for your own good. Remember your training, don't go too far, and don't get cocky. You understand?"

"Yes dad, I understand."

Jeralt smiled warmly at the response and ruffled her hair. "Good. I'll let you get ready now. I'll be over tomorrow to see you off."

Byleth gave a small smile back and waved at his retreating figure as she turned around to enter her room. That's when Sothis made herself known once again as she had a thoughtful look on her face.

"Is your tail that big of a weakness for you?"

"Yes." Byleth replied as she was going over what she needed to bring. "If my tail is grabbed, it's like my whole body freezes up and shuts down. It's why I don't have it hanging about."

"Hmmm…. perhaps there is a way to make it so it's not such a crippling weakness? I've seen you have it unwrapped from your waist when you're not outside. You clearly prefer it that way."

"I haven't really given it much thought. Maybe you're right. But right now, it's not a big concern. We need to prepare for tomorrow."

Sothis nodded when suddenly she let out a loud yawn and covered her mouth while doing it. "And… I need to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Byleth nodded as Sothis disappeared back into her mind. She was now all alone as she sat on her bed, with a hand on her chin staring at the wall. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong in that town. That maybe they should be better prepared.

She then leaned back on her bed now staring at the ceiling with her hands behind her head. It wouldn't do her any good by worrying constantly. The best thing she can do is be ready for anything. That's really all she can do.

"I hope I'm wrong."

…

"You ready?"

Byleth looked over to Shamir who was leaning on a wagon with a horse attached to it, ready to take them away. It was early in the morning as Shamir wanted to travel as quickly as possible to do their mission. Before Byleth could answer however, she heard a series of footsteps behind her. She turned around to see her students all ready to begin their daily training with Jeralt in tow.

"They were very eager to see you off kid." Jeralt said smiling. "So I lead them to where you would be."

"I wish you safe on your travels my teacher." Edelgard bowed to Byleth as everyone else did the same.

"We will be much stronger for when you come back." Dimitri smiled as Claude gave a thumbs up.

"Yeah!" Annette cheered. "I'm already not injuring myself….. most of the time. But that's better than all the time!"

"I am doing the working hard Professor." Petra also smiled pumping her fist. "I will be much improved upon your return."

"I'll be much better! Just you wait!" Leonie yelled smiling as Byleth shook her head but smiled too.

"Be safe on your travels." Lysithea said walking up to her with a pouch. "These are my favourite sweets. For the journey."

"Oh, well thank you Lysithea. That's very kind."

"Good luck." Felix simply stated. She couldn't believe they all came here to wish her luck. She had only started teaching them for a month. Had she really made that much of an impact on them?

That's when Jeralt places a hand on Dimitri and Claudes shoulders who jumped at the contact. "Don't worry kid, I'll make sure the brats don't slack off. They may be helping the others train, but I'm the master here."

Everyone gulped at this declaration, especially on the Black Eagles side who know how tough Jeralt can get.

Edelgard cleared her throat and stepped forward. "I also have something for you. I figured now would be a good time to give it."

She slowly held out her hand as Byleth saw what she had. It was a pendant with an obsidian black eagle insignia on it and it was lined with gold. Byleth looked at Edelgard who had red cheeks.

"I-I-It's just to thank you for taking us on. And… you helped me how to swim and-"

"I love it Edelgard. Thank you." Byleth smiled as she took it out of the Princess' hands and ruffled her white hair. Edelgard made a noise she didn't think she could ever make.

"T-Thank you Professor."

"We gotta get going." Shamir said shaking her head but couldn't help but smile at that little cute display. Somebody was definitely a teachers pet. Byleth gave a nod to the Mercenary and looked back at all of them.

"I will say this one last time everyone. Just because I'll be gone doesn't mean you slack off. Your house leaders will help you along the way, and Professor Jeralt has even kindly donated his time to also help. So listen to your superiors."

"Yes Professor!"

She gave a small smile again and nodded getting on the carriage with Shamir as the horses started moving away. She looked one last time at her students waving her goodbye and gave a wave of her own.

Edelgard then felt a presence next to her, it was Claude with a wide grin. "So are we giving secret presents to Teach now? Does someone have a little crush?"

Her entire face went bright red at that implication and stuck her nose to the sky. "D-D-Don't be ridiculous! I'm just thanking her for taking us all on!"

"Suuuuure." Claude laughed slapping her on the back as she jumped, not expecting him to do that. But then Jeralt came into view and addressed everyone.

"Alright brats, lets continue with the training. You know where the pile is, now get going. Just to make it more interesting, the one who gets the least amount of boxes won't eat."

Shocked expressions came across everyone as they couldn't tell if he was serious. But then he just smirked. "Get going. Or nobody eats."

That got everybody to scramble to the pile of crates and boxes, and Jeralt chuckled looking at the retreating wagon. "Good luck kid."

…

"Heh. They've really gotten attached to you, haven't they?"

Byleth opened her eyes and sat up from the back of the carriage looking to Shamir. "Don't think I ever saw students see off an instructor like that after only a month of teaching. You made quite the impact on them didn't you?"

"I guess. I just showed them the ropes, and they just took that and made it into something bigger."

Shamir closed her eyes and let out a soft chuckle. "On top of that, you're humble. You're certainly a strange case."

Byleth nodded clenching her fists and giving a rare smirk. "I hope they get stronger, because I wanna spar with them!"

"…Is that the reason why you're training them?"

A silence fell over the air as Byleth rubbed the back of her head laughing. "Well, fighting them is just a bonus! I'm also doing it because they want to get stronger."

"I see. Don't worry, I believe you." Shamir replied as she looked up at the sky to see where the sun was. "We're making good time. Why don't we satisfy that itch of yours? You could also evaluate me to see how I'm doing."

Byleths eyes widened, looking over to Shamir as if not expecting her to say that. "Of course I do!"

"Okay. We'll make a stop in a couple of minutes and we can spar. No Ki attacks though, I'm not that confident in fighting you like that just yet."

The wagon stopped just outside of a long, lush field with no trees in sight. They were outside Kingdom territory right now, and the landscape it had to offer here was beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky, and a cool breeze blowing through. It was nothing like the snowy scenery that they would be expecting soon. It was the perfect ground to spar.

Shamir hopped off the wagon and walked a short distance away so as not to potentially spook the horse, with Byleth following her closely behind. But Byleth had one question to ask. "Do you want to try with no weighted clothing?"

That sparked her fellow Mercenaries attention who pursed her lips and looked around. She then gave a small smirk and nodded. "Why not? I wanna see how much of a difference it made."

With that said and done, Shamir slowly took off her jacket, which was a little difficult due to the weight, and tossed it onto the ground. Next came her gloves and she grunted as it was a lot more harder to do than her jacket since it was the task of getting her fingers out of it. But that was off in no time too.

Then Shamir sat on the lush green grass and proceeded to take off her boots. This was slightly easier as all she had to do was slip out her feet. Like all the other articles of clothing, that was gone too. She felt ready to go as she stood back up and looked at her sparring partner….. and proceeded to cover her face with bright red cheeks not expecting the sight before her.

Byleth had taken off her clothing too, but she took it to the bare detail, as even her top and stockings were removed, leaving her with only her shorts on as well as her black bra. She was doing stretches to warm up but then noticed Shamir covering her face. "What's the matter?"

"You're practically naked Byleth."

She tilted her head in response to that and looked at herself and then at Shamirs corset and top. "Well yeah, the gravity hex is also on our tops. I thought you wanted to test out your results?"

Now Shamirs cheeks darkened as she clutched at her shirt. It wasn't that she was shy in showing her body, far from it. She just wasn't expecting this day to go like this. But Byleth had a point. With a heavy sigh, she slowly undid the tight knots on her corset and without much effort, it fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Then finally it was her own shirt, which was more difficult than her jacket as it involved getting it over her head. But with her shirt now gone, she was finally ready as she adjusted the straps of her purple bra.

"You didn't put the hex on my pants too did you?" Shamir said dryly as Byleth shook her head.

"No, I didn't. That would make moving practically impossible. But hey, why not test out your power? You must feel a difference surely?"

Shamir paused when her partner said that and started bouncing on her feet. It was true. She felt much lighter than before. Next she tried running and almost tripped over her own feet from shock. She was faster too! She slowly looked at her hands and clenched them into fists, doing a couple of jabs in the air and just like the others, it was quicker.

"And that's only from a month."

She turned to see Byleth taking a stance in front of her. "Imagine what you could be like in a year. Add the Ki training on top of that, and you will be amazing."

Shamir let out a small laugh also taking a stance. "You know, I was skeptical at first. But I'm glad you proved me wrong. I feel incredible!"

"Then let's test it out."

Byleth launched herself toward Shamir, aiming a punch at her, but Shamir was ready as she held her arms up to her face and blocked the oncoming blow. She remembered the first time that she sparred with Byleth back at the Monastery, and was surprised to see how the punch didn't hurt as much now. Either Byleth held back or she got stronger.

Byleth then swung her leg up catching Shamir on her side, as she gasped at the impact. Thinking quickly, she pushed Byleth away and jumped back to try and gain some distance. But Byleth was on the offensive as she charged again, going for a jab to Shamir. But she was caught by surprise when Shamir flopped to the ground and swung her whole body around to sweep Byleth off her feet.

It caught Byleth off guard as she was now in the air, before Shamir delivered a powerful kick to her belly which sent Byleth soaring backwards as she landed on the grass, with a grunt from the impact. Shamir stayed in that stance as she watched Byleth pick herself up.

"Not bad. You managed to hurt me."

A glint appeared in Byleths eyes as she let out a grin. "But it's time we took this up a notch."

She jumped to her feet and suddenly vanished from thin air. Shamir was quick to look around wondering where she disappeared to, and felt a blow to the back of her head making her fall face first into the ground.

Byleth landed on her feet and had a smirk on her face watching Shamir spit out grass that had gotten into her mouth as she picked herself up. "That was a cheap trick Byleth."

But Shamir had a smirk of her own. "But, clever." She then vanished too catching Byleth by surprise as a shadow came over her. She looked up and gasped seeing Shamir come sailing down with her feet outstretched and landed on her head, making it Byleth' turn to eat the dirt. But Byleth quickly recovered and did a couple of backflips to gain distance. She gave a smile, despite some blades of grass still stuck to her lips.

"I wasn't expecting that. Good job."

"Thank you." Shamir smirked now feeling pumped up. But then her eyes widened seeing Byleths aura flare up. "What are you-"

Byleth just stood there and smiled, beckoning her to attack. Shamir growled and charged forward to punch, but found her fist went straight through as Byleth slowly faded away. Shamir looked around and saw multiple Byleth. "What is going on?!"

One by one, each Byleth faded away until just one stood before her. "It's a technique I learned. You essentially move so fast you create an after-image. It's quite useful."

Shamir just slowly smirked and shook her head. "I think that's it for today. How did I do?"

"You did great." Byleth said as the two women picked up their clothes and started putting them back on. "You've definitely gotten a lot stronger than when you started. I can't wait to fight you again!"

Shamir rolled her eyes smiling as she adjusted her jacket making sure it was securely on. But then a large growling noise sounded as Shamir looked around to see the source… until it landed on Byleth and just shook her head. It felt like doing that was a habit around Byleth. "We will be at the town soon. Just hold on a little longer."

Byleth let out a loud whine clutching her belly as Shamir carried her into the wagon and sat on the seat to guide the horse again. Byleth couldn't even move now due to being hungry so just laid there as the rocking of the wagon helped relax her.

Shamir let out a sigh, looking around at the Kingdom scenery as farms and buildings started to come into view, along with the familiar snow and cold environment that came with the Kingdom. Only a little while longer and they would be at the town that they were needed at. Thankfully, it only took half a day to get there, even with the time spent sparring. This was what Shamir wanted, as she honestly didn't want to spend too much time here. She never did like staying for too long when it came to contracts. Thankfully, they arrived in front of the inn that the two were told to go to. She jumped off the wagon and walked to the pathetic display in front of her.

"We're here Byleth."

"Hungry…."

Growling a little in irritation, Shamir booted Byleth off the wagon as the woman fell with a thud onto the snow. "Let's get going. We'll stop at the inn to check in."

Byleth just kept groaning while getting up on her feet, as Shamir lead her to the inn that they were staying at. It was a cosy little place with a bar on the left, where a bartender was there lazily polishing a mug that she guessed he had been doing for a while, in order to avoid doing more work. Sets of tables were around the place which held a couple of residents either eating lunch or simply reading a newspaper.

"Hey! You got a reservation?"

Shamir looked at the bartender who had asked that question and nodded. "We're from the Church of Seiros. Shamir and Byleth."

A pale look had crossed the bartenders face. He was told to expect those two, especially the blue haired woman. "I'll…. tell the cook that you are here. The mayor is in the corner."

"Thank you. Come on Byleth let's get moving."

"Hungry…." Byleth moaned holding her growling stomach as the pair made their way to a booth in the corner to find a man there.

"I thank you both for coming here." The man said in a low voice looking at his newspaper. "I would like this meeting to be discreet. I'm hoping that the attention will be on your friend."

Shamir nodded as the two women sat on their chairs while the man looked at them. "I'm the mayor of this town. And lately there has been some… concerning developments."

Before anyone could continue, a series of plates and baskets filled with meat, fish and bread began crowding the table as Byleth hugged the server. "Thank yooooouuuuu! I love yooooouuu!"

Everyone just watched Byleth dig in at a rapid pace as the mayor cleared his throat. "I'll take care of the bill. Don't you two worry."

Shamir was looking down, tracing her finger on the various knife markings on the table as she got the topic back on track. "Explain."

His face turned serious, remembering the task at hand. "Ah yes. Lately, these shadowy figures have been arriving and claiming that the Goddess is a sham and to follow a brand new cause. Now as you know, the Kingdom of Faerghus holds the religion to a high regard, so I didn't take too kindly to this. I told them to leave and never come back…."

"I'm guessing that they didn't?" Shamir said sipping her tea.

"No. Soon after they arrived, the children in the town started to disappear. On top of that, our cattle has been found in the morning dead, slit by the throat. We have trouble farming in this environment as it is, so this puts us in even more trouble. These cultists must be responsible. You are the towns last hope, as the Kingdom are too busy."

Byleth was listening while devouring a bowl of meat. She believed it was cow, and it was delicious. But this definitely was a concerning fact. She didn't really care about the whole religion part, as she wasn't raised with knowledge of the Church. But kidnapping children and killing cattle was all she needed to head into action. "We will be able to carry out your task."

"I'm surprised you were listening due to stuffing your face." Shamir grunted while nibbling on toast. The mayor was just happy to hear them accept it.

"I would like for you to ask around the town. The residents might be able to assist you. I would do it myself, but those visitors have been keeping an eye on me and I think if I act out of line…."

"We understand sir." Byleth said dabbing a napkin on her face as the women stood up, and turned away to walk out the door. But not before her eyes travelled to the bartender who was still polishing his glass. She walked over and leaned on the counter. "What do you know about these visitors?"

The bartender shrugged leaning back placing his glass down. "Not much. All I know is that lately the residents have been too afraid to go outside. It's hurt business since nobody wants to get a drink or a bite to eat."

"Thank you."

Byleth slow turned around and walked outside, with her feet crunching the snow beneath her. Shamir appeared next to her and placed a hand on her hip. "Where do you think we should start?"

"We'll talk to the farmers. I'm thinking that we can grab their attention if we keep on talking to people."

Shamir nodded, walking ahead. "Let's play this smart. I have a feeling there's more going on here than we thought."

Byleth watched her partners retreating figure and looked around, snowflakes falling down every so often which made it clear that a snow storm would come soon. Not wanting to waste time, she made her way to Shamir.

What the women didn't notice however, was a hooded figure peering from a corner of a building before hiding away and kneeling down to look at a purple orb he was holding. Lord Arundels face appeared as he stared down the figure. "Do you have a report?"

"Just as you predicted, my Lord. The monkey girl is here."

"Good. Choose your time wisely, and dispose of them. You have the weapon provided?"

The figure reached into his robe and pulled out a knife. But it seemed shinier than a regular knife, and had a faint black aura around it with hexes imprinted on the blade. "I do my Lord."

"And you have backup just in case. This weapon will take care of her."

"Of course my Lord. It will be done."

Lord Arundel nodded and the orb returned to its normal glassy appearance as the figure stood up, retreating away into hiding. The storm was coming.

…

This will be part 1 of a mini arc involving this town. So yes, Shamir and Byleth are answering the call in the Kingdom of Faerghus, unaware that Those Who Slither in the Dark have been expecting them. This is easily a chapter that's setting up what's to come, but I think the focus on two characters might help.

Also like I said before, there's still 4 characters who will be learning Ki. 1 from each house and 1 not in either. Who is it?

And we reached 25 favourites and almost 35 followers. Thank you all for your continued support, and to every reviewer who leaves something for me to look at. It helps a lot, I promise.

I'll be taking my time with this mini arc as it's my own original content and I want to get it right. I hope you can support me.

And of course, stay safe in the COVID-19 pandemic and be supportive of others.

Thank you again everyone. Please review favourite and follow.