The Dustbin
Day 54: Extracurricular Activity Part 3
30th of Guardian Moon, Night
"... What the shit?!" Byleth remark as she slowly removed her arm from over her face, only to spot a pair of crimson glows penetrating through the black smoke choking their surroundings.
The monster appears before them all, standing motionlessly as it stared at the expedition group, waiting for them to make the next move. In actuality, Solon was trying to get it to move, but his controls connected to his cane failed to translate to the beast's motions.
"... Hm," Solon fiddled with the controls connected to the Vritra. "... There appears to be a lag between command and input. I want a full diagnostics run through this creature and my controls, STAT!"
The masked Bishops begin their analysis of the Umbral Beast's schematics as everyone else stared at the monster in horror, trying to comprehend at the abomination that their eyes were being assaulted by as the thing stood on the ziggurat's stairs, motionless like a puppet waiting for its master's next orders.
"... That's supposed to be a dragon, isn't it?" asked Claude, trying not to freak out.
"We already went through one fairy tale plotline, so I'm sure we're due for another," deadpanned Edelgard, unable to comprehend the maelstrom of feelings of both fear and rage welling up within her very soul.
"So do we fight this beast before us? Or do we retreat with our lives?" Dimitri pointed out, his nerves on their very end at facing this horrible creature birthed from the Goddess's powers.
"Normally, running would make the logical sense," Yuri remarked, "but if we let it live, I doubt that the tunnels' tight squeeze won't be enough of a deterrence to stop it from trying to run amok."
"So fight then," grimaced Byron. "... Well, I can think of worse people to die alongside with."
"Wait," Byleth remarked, "where's Karna?!"
The place where he'd was running towards was completely absent. No traces of ash or remnants of his body matter. Just nothing but soot and smooth stone.
"... He ran off, didn't he?" the Mortal Savant grimaced.
"Where exactly?" Topaz asked. "And all five miles towards above ground by himself? Doubtful."
"So is he dead?" asked Ashe.
"No, I saw both Byron and Topaz get caught in the middle of it as well," Selene pointed out.
"Then what happened to him?" asked Cyrus, with Darius braying out another neigh before snorting.
Topaz then saw the talon scratches left behind during the blast before remembering that only Byron had grabbed onto her when the blast was exhaled towards them. "... I think he got blown off elsewhere."
"You think?" Dedue remarked as he stepped towards the front lines with his [Silver Axe] drawn. "Then he'd better return soon. We got enemies inbound."
"Hey old man," Myson called out. "Mind if I give the order?"
"Do what you must," Solon replied as he kept Vritra on hold while the diagnostics were being held.
"You heard him!" the Warlock cried out as he then readied a pair of [Miasma Δ] in his hands. "SIC EM!"
The Dark Mages and Dark Bishops all then fire their spells with their Sage's own, unleashing a barrage of arcane artillery towards the exploration group.
"[WARD]! NOW!" Aelfric ordered as he then erected a magical barrier as Marianne, Linhardt, and Constance did the same. The fired [Miasma Δ] explode behind the barriers as everyone else braced themselves under fire.
"... Nice... move... Cardinal," groaned Vidar as the smoke cleared out. "... You... help us?"
The disgraced clergyman gritted his teeth as he heaved a seething sigh. "... Perhaps he had a point," he confessed as he looked at the Umbral Beast and its writhing form. "... Maybe she was better off dead. At least that way, Sitri wouldn't have to suffer like this!"
"... Yeh, too late for take-backsies, but still, welcome to de team, I guess," Sorcha grinned as she then took out her [Master Seal]. "Oi! Ye all ready?!"
"I'm ready!" Selene then took out her [Master Seal] as Byron and Topaz did the same. Once doing so, all four of them then line up next to each other.
"They're planning something!" Myson spotted them with the objects in their hands. "Don't just stand there! Level those fuckers to bedrock!"
The Warlock then readies [Bohr X] while the Dark Mages readied [Death Γ] and the Dark Bishops prepared [Hades Ω] for their next volley of Dark Magic spells.
"Incoming second barrage!" Linhardt cried out. "This next one looks extra nasty!"
"EVERYONE! CLEAR OUT!" ordered Edelgard as everyone but the four with their modified [Master Seals] remained where they stood. "WHAT ARE YOU FOUR DOING?! DO YOU ALL HAVE A DEATH WISH?!"
Byron smirked. "... Trust us," he answered confidently. "We got this."
The next barrage of spells are the shot towards where the group was at and towards Byron, Sorcha, and Topaz.
"Oi, if I die, den I'm blamin' ye," the Hero remarked as the glow of the magic dawned upon them.
"After all we've been through?" the mutant Swordmaster smirked with her monstrous grin beneath her veil. "Oh ye of little faith..."
"... She has a point," the Sniper/Pegasus Knight hybrid specialist remarked. "... So wat's one more risk?"
Byron chuckles as he and everyone else wind back their [Master Seals]. "... Thank you for indulging me in my immaturity," he spoke with a toothy smile. "Now... IT'S MORPHIN' TIME!"
The four then throw their seals at the incoming spells, causing them to react with the unleashed mana and causing the crystals within their aurum cages to resonate violently.
"... Logic is dead," deadpanned Linhardt as everyone saw what was happening before their eyes.
"You say that as if it were a bad thing," smirked Cyrus. "Top that!"
Around the ziggurat where the Agarthans were stationed at, the Sage leading the charge gawked in utter disbelief.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Myson cried out as he saw their second onslaught being stopped by mere class promotion items and their residual mana flaring. "... DON'T JUST STAND THERE! SHOOT!"
All of them unleashed a third barrage of [Miasma Δ] to supplement their prior line of attack in an attempt to overwhelm the Dustbin's unconventional defensive lines.
Behind the glare of clashing spells and the eruption of mana coming from the four [Master Seals], Byron then took out his [Perun] and began to coil its magical chains around themselves as he inputted his own powers into the variable length.
"OI!" Sorcha cried out through the surge of power happening before them. "NOW WAT?!"
Byron smirks. "Do you really think that I'd lose my head over making a few mistakes?" he replied confidently as he saw the [Master Seals]'s cores reach critical mass. "Now we receive the power."
The four seals then shoot out bolts of pure power that struck the four of them in tandem with the double barrages of spells finally breaking through the clash and causing the area where they stood at to be engulfed into a torrent of dark energy.
"Direct hit!" one of the Dark Bishops confirmed.
"FUCK YEAH!" Myson cheered as he stuck out both his middle fingers and pierced tongue. "That's three down, and the rest to go-!"
You dunderhead, Solon's voice buzzed into the Warlock's earpiece. Check again for signatures!
Reluctantly, the Warlock then begins scanning the blast zone to confirm his kills. "... What the fuck?!" he snarled. "Heartbeats?! After eating up that big of a double payload?! Again, WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"I thought you knew better, Myson," sighed Solon as he and everyone else saw the four of them then emerge from the smoke not only completely unharmed, but also exuding more power than ever before, along with brand new threads to match their growth in power. "The Dustbin are an elusive lot. Do not assume that they're like a common Fodlaner!"
"Not even a scratch..." Dimitri commented as everyone else watched in awe.
"They're like superheroes that came out of the pages of a book..." Ashe's eyes sparkled at the four's miraculous feat of survival.
"... Dear cousin is just showing off at this point, typical of him," grimaced Constance, which Hapi and Yuri nodded in agreement.
As the dust settled, the four revealed themselves fully to all those in the Lost Mausoleum.
For Selene, her green and blue Sniper dress was now replaced with a gleaming, brass-plated armor with aerodynamic features akin to that of a bird's wings. Around her armored bits was a snugly-fitted blue jacket buttoned up all the way to her chest, a flowing green scarf that flowed behind her like a standard banner drift in the wind, with a blue crow iconographies emblemed on the muffler's ends, and a pair of high-rimmed black riding boots reinforced with brass buckles and studs. What stood out the most were the creature that had manifested itself behind her. It was a flight-capable looking creature with features akin to a giant raptor bird with a lion's hindquarters, and big enough to ride on its back with little worry. Carrying her [Crossbow] and [Steel Lance] altogether, the wing-tattooed Brigidian had promoted into a Griffin Knight, a bane of all those who dared to take the skies and aims to monopolize it.
"Holy shite, wat's dis?!" the Brigidian saw her mount that had manifested itself from pure power alone. "... Looks like a pegasi, but meaner... I like it!"
The griffin squawks in approval as it then bobbed its head down towards Selene's bum before pitching her up into the air and flying up to let her mount onto its back.
"... Impossible," Dimitri commented. "... I thought the griffins went extinct!"
"Clearly, your people haven't tried hard enough," deadpanned Cyrus. "... I saw a few flying around in Almyra."
"Explains why he used up all of the [Master Seals] in the storage..." Constance grimaced as she hid her face with her hands, "... damn bastard was jury rigging the cortex's information storage with a foreign sample."
As for Sorcha, her forest-green Hero attire was now replaced with a sleeveless armored vest with a single pauldron armor covering her left shoulder, with the rest of her muscular and tattooed arms shown off to the open, a larger version of her Hero cape still bearing the golden tribal outline of a lynx cat on its verdant mantle, a headband armored with a metal plate was wrapped around her forehead, her pants were full-length, the shins being covered with thick greaves with an emerald sheen lined with topaz edges, and her thighs wrapped in a web of leather straps that held her [Ne Zha] gauntlet blades and a [Hand Axe] in their saddles, and her boots' toes were reinforced with metal toe tips that made sure that her kicks would hurt twice than normal. Sorcha has now evolved into the Vanguard, the indominable soloist of the battlefield.
Sorcha, upon seeing her new form, belts out a wicked cackle that for Myson, felt like if Bias was in the same room as all of them, only happier (for all the wrong reasons). "I'M FEKIN' INVINCIBLE!" she hollered triumphantly as she then lifted her [Adharma] blade with much less physical strain behind her effort compared to when she was a Hero. "COME AT ME, YE WEE LITTLE SHITES! BREAK YERSELVES AGAINST ME! FUR I'M DE VANGUARD!"
"... Oh my," gasped Marianne, "Hilda, I think we found your competition."
"Eh, don't care-HOLY CRAP! IS SHE NOW LIFTING THAT SLAB OF IRON LIKE IF IT A REGULAR SWORD?!" Hilda whiplashed her reaction towards the strengthened Sorcha. "... Now I've seen it all."
Myson growls as he switches channels on his earpiece. "Conquistador, intercept!"
From afar, the fully-armored Sniper nocked a set of arrows with her [Bow of Bael], took aim with its aiming reticules installed onto the helmet's visor, locked onto its target, and then let the four arrows loose unto the Brigidian.
"Not dis time!" Sorcha then plants her massive blade so that its width can act as her cover, causing all four arrows shot to bounce harmlessly off of the [Adharma]'s flat.
Conquistador then switches targets from Sorcha to the rest of her friends behind her. "... Permission to fire at the others?"
FIRE AT WILL! barked Myson as the Sniper then shots its arrows from its custom bow at the other three.
Selene then catches the Sniper in the act. "Second volley incoming! Morrigan, fly!"
The named griffin then squawks in acknowledgement as it flew through the arrows, dodging all of the quills effortlessly by pulling off an aerial maneuver that would be impossible for both pegasi (orientation of a grounded horse despite being able to fly, meaning no horizontal or omnidirectional flight paths) and wyverns (hardier, but too bulky to pull of too many acrobatic maneuvers).
As for the missed arrows, half of them were snatched out the air while the rest froze mid-flight before they shattered in place.
From where the clawed hand caught the arrows emerged Topaz, now her dusty-pink garbs of an Assassin morphed into a duster jacket with its midsection cropped off to expose her midriff while the more monstrous parts of her face were obscured behind a high collar of her new jacket. Her mutant arms were still exposed from the jacket's torn sleeves, her pants held two bandolier's worth of obsidian-colored throwing knives and a key ring holding several thief tool, with the only parts of her clothing that didn't survive being the sleeves of said pants and the boots, evidenced by the scraps of leather that stuck to her reptilian digitigrade legs. Topaz has now become the Espio, the master of stealth and sabotage.
In a show of power, Topaz then snaps all of the arrows that she'd caught with her one hand before tossing the broken shafts aside. "Espio... not bad of a name," she remarked as she eyed at her new set of throwing knives, "... I genuinely hope that these things replace themselves on their own."
"Yes, it does feel great to be wearing old clothes again," came Byron's voice as he revealed himself to be wearing a set of plate armor fused with a magic-user's robes, with the glowing chains and axe-blade of his [Perun] surrounding him like a protective satellite. His new blue and violet armor were not too-dissimilar to that of regular Dark Knight's and Holy Knights, only instead of adopting either a demonic or celestial motif to the design, his new armor was eldritch in appearance, bearing visages of eyes and fangs around the plates' indentation, with his helmet, upon closing by itself through an internal mechanism, now resembles a chameleon with its bulging eyes and shown tongue acting as its "visor". Byron has become an Eligor, the battlefield maestro who commands over the flow of carnage with the wave of his hand. "But for me personally, I'd say newer is much better, and this profession is perfect for me and my varied knowledge of the arcane."
Myson growls as he scrambles his hair with his hands. "Oh this is just bullshit!" the Warlock exclaimed. "How the fuck are you guys gaining new powers that no one's ever seen before?!"
"In essence, we cheated," Byron answered. "The current rules of promotion don't fit well with us, so we sought for alternatives."
The Warlock calms down upon hearing that statement. "... Fair enough," he shrugged right before his group of Dark Mages and Dark Bishops readied themselves for another volley. "ALRIGHT, BACK TO BUSINESS, BOYS!"
As the Agarthans and the expedition group resumed their exchange of arms and spells, the Umbral Beast still remained semi-motionless on the stairs of the ziggurat while the rest of the former faction were still busy trying to figure out what was wrong with their new super weapon.
"Tiresome," grumbled Solon as he then received a report through his earpiece. "... What do you mean, there are now additional Crests in Vritra?"
Exactly what I said, sir, answered the masked Bishop on the other side, we've confirmed the Crests of [Gautier] and [Maurice] within its biological composition. The Umbral Beast was only meant to handle up to four Crests, and [Ernest] served as a exception to the rule, allowing it to stabilize itself and put it under our thrall. But the former two Crests are gumming up the works with their excess mana outputs.
The elderly Sage then recalls how those two additional Crests got in, until he recalls their former-Swordmaster from Almyra having two additional Crests to her required [Chevalier]. "... Blast it," he cursed under his tongue before reaching for his earpiece, "excise the contaminated samples connected to the [Crest of Chevalier]! Myson, Conquistador! Defend the Bishops performing the operation!"
What about you, old man?! Myson replied from the other side through the sounds of his own spells being fired.
"I'll get in line to see if I can request reinforcements," the Sage answered as he then tried to connect to their base camp. "This is Sage Solon! Our Operation: Penumbra has been semi-compromised! Requesting backup, over!"
The earpiece buzzed to life in response. Hang in there, old man, answered Bias's voice, I'll send the gassed-up doughboy and a few kombi's worth of boys after we get the warp panel locked to your coordinates! Don't get zeroed by those dirty gonks in the meantime!
At the Tunnels Leading into the Lost Mausoleum...
"So let me get this straight," Jeralt spoke as he and his men were following Rhea through the deepest depths of the Abyss, "you're saying that not only Aelfric's still alive after the last time we met, but also that he's behind this crazy-ass conspiracy that involving bringing my dead wife back through a ritual that even the Four Apostles failed to achieve?"
Rhea winced slightly at Jeralt and his men's looks of disapproval. "... Please understand. I was trying to prevent public panic."
Jeralt wasn't amused. "That's what you say for every thing you do!" he pointed out. "As soon as this is all over, you and I are going to renegotiate our current terms! Constant surprise attacks coming from beneath the floor we walk on and unearthing conspiracies at the same time is not me and my boys signed up for!"
The Archbishop was visibly troubled by the fact, both in regards to how understandable his grievances are, but the fact that he plans to take Byleth away from her during the time when she's so close to the planned day for her plans to save Fodlan was to come to fruition.
But just as she could continue mulling over her conflicting feelings, a shrill shriek was heard coming from up ahead before an object resembling a big black ball crashed into the Archbishop before she herself was floored upon receiving the impact.
"Hey Archbishop!" Jeralt exclaimed as he ran up towards her. "You alright-what the hell just happened?!"
Groaning, Rhea then feels something squirming inside of her dress's skirt. And coming out from beneath it were a pair of familiar-looking black leather boots along with the coattails of a semi-tattered black cloak.
"Oww..." Karna grimaced in pain after rolling around for what it felt like an indeterminable amount of time through the darkness, with the first thing he'd noticed being that he was now underneath the Archbishop's dress and staring directly into her underwear. "Huh, white."
Not amused in the slightest, Rhea then quickly gets up before she digs her heel into the Professor's throat before Jeralt and his men. "Explain."
"Get off my throat first!" gagged Karna before he was released by the Archbishop taking a step back from where he laid. "... Okay, so good news, bad news. Good news, Aelfric's given up on his plans to bring Sitri back from the dead using the Four Apostles' descendants as human sacrifices to the [Chalice of Beginnings] after Byleth literally walked up to him and kicked him in the nuts. Bad news, the same guys who wrecked Remire Village about two to three months ago hijacked said plot and used mine, Byron, Topaz, and one of their own's bloods as substitutes and not only spawned forth a monster from the grail filled with the Goddess's power, but have also taken control of it as their own superweapon."
Rhea then swears (silently) to the highest of heavens that she'd felt one of her blood vessels rupture upon receiving such news. "... And here I thought the situation couldn't get any more worse," she smiled as she menacingly brandished her still-sheathed sword, with Karna swearing the her green eyes were glowing in the dark slightly. "... But then I remembered that you exist."
"So are you going to stand there and keep bitching are you going to do something about it?!" asked the cloaked Professor before Rhea, Jeralt, and his men marched passed him and towards the most brutal fight of their lives. "... Ask a stupid question."
Upon being left by his lonesome, Karna then sits on the earthen floor cross-legged and armed, mulling over the current situation that he and the others were in.
"... Okay, so I got lucky and got blasted off elsewhere by that overgrown reptile's yawn of all things, and the others are left to face that monster," he spoke to himself as he then took out his [Master Seal]. "... Normally, conventional methods won't work due to that creature being made from the powers of the goddess... so what then-?"
Behind himself, he then heard a squeak. Upon turning around he spots a rat staring at him through the darkness of the tunnel.
Then it hit him. Using his [Minor Crest of Timotheos], he then beckons the rat to come closer towards himself. "... Hey little guy," he spoke to the minute creature, getting down on all fours to make direct eye contact with the little rat. "... Do you think you can bring your friends, family, and your friends' families and their family's friends with you?"
The rat squeaks in response.
"How many you ask?"
Inside of his mind, the cogs begin to turn as the image that correlated to his [Swarm Z] spell began to morph into a different kind of swarm. Something bigger and denser than a cloud of mere, flesh-eating bugs. With that revelation made in his mind, a small smirk creases his thin lips as a plot to turn this herculean crunch around.
"... All of them."
A tidal wave of vermin seeds into Karna's mind as he begins to rework the spell from the ground up as soon as the rat then scampers off to bring its others back to Karna.
Back at the Lost Mausoleum...
"KEEP FIRING!" Myson ordered as he and his men kept up the Dark Magic barrage towards the expedition group. "MAKE THEM PAY FOR EVERY INCH THEY TAKE!"
Sorcha and her [Adharma] blade acted as a bulwark against the rain of spells pelted towards them, with everyone behind them taking cover behind whatever they could get behind. At the other side, the Agarthan Dark Mages and Dark Bishops shot their [Miasma Δ], supplemented by Conquistador acting as their support fire to the main fire team.
"Okay, so we're gonna 'ave te find a way through," Sorcha pointed out as she and everyone else from the Dustbin (griffin included) crouched behind the giant blade planted behind them. "Oi Topaz, ye think ye can weave yer way through de fire and take em out one by one?"
"I can, but there lies another issue," the Almyran Espio replied. "That damned Sniper. Her reaction speed rivals mine. She nicked me with one of her arrows."
"Holy shite, dat actually hit ye?" Selene remarked in surprise with her griffin chirping in similar tone. "... Think de enemy Sniper might be de one of dose Riders of Flame?"
"Seems like the most logical outcome. Even worse, that crackshot isn't our only issue," said Byron as the Eligor peeked out from behind the [Adharma], only for him to quickly duck down from another [Miasma Δ] from hitting him. "... The damn dragon... I think it's name is Vritra? Anyway, it's not moving, but once it does, we're fucked."
"Oi, gotta ask, but why did ye take of yer helmet?" asked Sorcha.
"Admittedly, cool and intricately-designed this helmet is," the armored Eligor replied as he held up his chameleon-like helmet, "... it's kinda hard to breathe in this thing."
"So, the plan?" asked Topaz.
"We're gonna have to take out every limb of their operation all at once," stated Byron. "Me and Sorcha will aim for the enemy fire team, Selene and Morrigan will have to draw out the enemy Sniper ace in the open, and Topaz will have to go for that old man with the can who's probably controlling that monster."
"We're still too few in number," Topaz pointed out. "... We're going to need everyone else's help."
"Sounds good to me, given that we're still unaware of what we can do with our new powers," Byron remarked before facing towards the rest of the expedition team. "HEY ALL OF YOU! I GOT A PLAN!"
"Can't be worse then what we're already going through..." grumbled Edelgard as she kept her shield up, "... SO WHAT'S THE PLAN?!"
"YOU AND DEDUE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO COVER FOR OUR MAIN FIRE TEAM!" Byron ordered. "ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO CAN USE MAGIC, BACK ME UP! WE'RE GOING TO MEET FIRE WITH MORE FIRE!"
"What about the rest of us?!" Claude answered.
"YOU AND CYRUS HELP OUT SELENE DRAW OUT THE ENEMY'S SUPPORTING FIRE!" the Eligor ordered as he instinctively ducked his head under a shot [Miasma Δ]. "THAT SNIPER'S A GODSEND DEADEYE! ENOUGH ACTUALLY MAKE TOPAZ BLEED!"
"... Okay, that's like totally bad," Hilda remarked. "What about me?"
"YOU GUYS TAKE OUT THE BISHOPS WORKING ON THAT DRAGON!" Byron ordered. "HILDA, DIMITRI, VIDAR, AND BALTHUS WILL HAVE TO GET UP TO THE ZIGGURAT AND FLUSH OUT THE WORKERS TENDING TO THE DRAGON! IF THE LATTER WAKES UP, FUCKING RUN FOR IT!"
"... Basic, but I can't think of anything else better," sighed Aelfric. "Everyone, into position!"
The spellcasters then all line up behind Edelgard and Dedue's shields placing themselves around the planted [Adharma].
"What are they doing?!" Myson remarked before he contacted Conquistador. "Oi! We need heavy ordinance, STAT!"
The armored Sniper then nocks a bomb arrow before lighting its fuse. It then takes aim towards the cluster of shields defending the spellcasters before letting it loose.
Selene quickly notices the fired arrow and immediately draws her loaded [Crossbow] before firing her own at the incoming quill. The two shafts crash into each other, arrowhead to arrowhead, snapping each other apart, sparing only the canister filled to the brim with black powder with a lit fuse connected into its contents. The payload deviated from its original trajectory now then falls onto the ground between the expedition group and the Agarthan fire team right before it explodes into a cloud of thick pyroclastic smoke.
"What the fuck?!" Myson exclaimed.
"NOW!" ordered Byron as he then shot his [Freeze] spell towards the Agarthan fire team through the smokescreen.
"I see, keep up the smoke to obscure our enemy's line of fire," nodded Linhardt before casting [Bolganone] in accord to Byron's spell.
"No [Wind]-adjacent magic then," Constance remarked as she then shot an [Agena's Arrow] towards the Agarthans. "Follow our leads, everyone!"
"Stating the obvious," Hubert shrugged as he then casted [Death Γ].
Marianne nods as she then casts [Thoron] with Hapi's [Hades Ω] following suit, and Byleth's [Fire] shortly after.
"... Sitri, this is for you," muttered Aeflric as he unleashed his spell. "[METEOR]!"
A giant ball of flame comes from above the Agarthans as soon as they found their formation being shot back. The ones that stood firm to give their fellows enough time to reformulate their tactics kept shooting their Dark Magic spells at the opposing group, while Myson tries to organize a retreat.
"OLD MAN!" the Warlock screamed into his earpiece. "FORMATION'S COMPROMISED! WE NEED TO MOVE ELSEWHERE TO CONTINUE FIGHTING!"
"Go to higher ground and defend the Bishops working out Vritra," Solon ordered before switching channels as he walked elsewhere. "Science division, this is a notice of the enemy's advance. Please expedite your efforts on resolving the issue in regards to the Umbral Beast."
We've just finished extracting the [Crest of Maurice] from the monster's internal leylines, Sage Solon, answered one of those who were attending Vritra. ETA for the extraction of [Crest of Gautier] is about 10 to 15 minutes!
"Noted. Be advised for incoming enemy forces," the old Sage then switches channels back to his home camp. "Sage Bias, Sage Cleobulus, what are your statuses of bringing reinforcements?"
Our men have arrived but Plaguebearer is still in need of last-minute repairs, the Dark Flier replied. However, we did lock your coordinates. Shall we send the men before our dear armored Rider of Flame?
"Acknowledged," answered the elderly Sage.
ETA for backup is about 2 minutes, answered the Valkyrie's voice from the other side as the sounds of the enemy's spells made landfall from where Myson and his detachment were stationed at. ... Try not to get zeroed in the meantime.
"They won't take me alive, I assure you that much," Solon then turned off his earpiece in order to join the defensive line himself.
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! CHARGE!" Byron's voice boomed as he then put on his helmet as its visor closed down onto itself on its own.
Conquistador then spots the group all charging towards the ziggurat where the Agarthans were stationed at as it began to prepare taking potshots at the group. But just before it could nock one of its arrows, a shot came towards it, forcing the Sniper to dodge the shot before taking cover.
Peeking out, it spotted the Brigidian riding atop of a quadruped avian creature that looks as if came from the Kingdom of Faerghus's standard, pointing her [Crossbow] towards it without a single deviance in her posture.
"Dere ye are," she smirked as she then loaded up another bolt. "Let's play chicken. Loser fekin' dies!"
A sniper duel between a cavern cloister and midair flight begins as the other two bowmen (Claude and Cyrus) came towards where she was hovering at in general.
"... I think she found where our culprit's hiding," said the Almyran Bow Knight.
"Support fire?" replied the Battuian Bow Knight.
"You bet," smirked Claude as both he and Cyrus began shooting arrows towards the enemy Sniper with their [Silver Bow] and [Bowgun] respectively.
At the ground, Sorcha was chasing down the Dark Bishops who failed to retreat in time, being cut down by her massive [Adharma] blade that she swung around with the ease of holding a feather.
"SHIT! THEY'RE GETTING CLOSE!" one of the Dark Mages cried out before turning to the masked Bishops. "YOU GUYS KEEP WORKING! WE'LL BUY YOU SOME TIME!"
"Activate your Chromes, full power!" Myson ordered as his pale skin began to glow with teal circuitry upon the activation of his [Agarthan Technology] before drawing a [Levin Sword] to defend himself.
The rest of the scattered fire team did the same, activating their implants at full power to enhance their physical strength while drawing their magic-based weaponry in hand, including their prototypes of [Flame Lances] and [Hurricane Axes] (R&Ded from using the Fodlan-made [Levin Sword] as basis-credit goes to Bias and Myson along with their collaborated teams), both with spells like [Fire] and [Wind] imbued within them respectively.
"WHAT THE?!" Hilda exclaimed as her [Freikugel] was clashed against a Dark Bishop's pinwheel-like axe-blade with a bellowing gust coming from its core. "WHERE DID THEY GET THESE THINGS?!"
Edelgard ducks behind her shield from a Dark Mage's fireball shot from his [Flame Lance]. Once again, those snakes are holding out on me. Typical.
As they began to engage in melee combat with the expedition team, Sorcha then jumps up to where Myson was standing at, clashing her giant [Adharma] blade against his [Levin Sword] enhance by his [Ward] spell to make sure that it doesn't break under the former's weight.
"Sup, ye pasty bastard," the Brigidian Vanguard grinned wildly. "How's dem breaks?"
"Eh, just shocked that you're wielding a weapon that was meant for our line of Titanus mechs to use," answered the Warlock.
"Wat can I say?" she shrugged, "I like big swords. Der easier te kill with."
The two then broke off from their clash. "Man you guys are more fun to banter with than these other beasts," said Myson. "... Kind of a shame we have to waste you guys."
"Ye mockin' me?" Sorcha then tossed her giant [Adharma] blade aside, the blade thrown into a middle of a crowd where the others (both the exploration team and the Agarthans) were clashing at before slapping on her fiery [Ne Zha] gauntlet blades. "Yer not de first bastard dat were after our 'eads."
"Eh, such is life," he shrugged before his [Levin Sword] clashed against the [Ne Zha] gauntlets. "... Seriously though, I though Fodlan was the only place where magic weapons existed. And you got that from Almyran pirates?"
"Dunno, dun't care, fite me," the Vanguard growled before pushing him away from everyone else to make way for Vidar's blood-crazed rampage.
The feral War Master then lets loose a howling shriek before pouncing onto one of the Dark Bishops wielding a [Hurricane Axe]. "... Give me... GIVE ME THING!"
The masked Agarthan struggles against Vidar and his stolen [Geri Beil] even as the former's augmentations were in full effect. In desperation, the Dark Bishop revs up his weapon, causing the pinwheel-bladed axe to begin spinning on its axel like a wild windmill, using the momentum of the spinning blade to push him back before swinging it down to unleash a [Wind] spell towards the War Master.
Vidar is then blown back from the buffeting turbulence and landing onto one of the Dark Mages wielding [Flame Lances]. Upon seeing that he was on top of the enemy, he then wastes no time picking them up and throwing them at the Dark Bishop, causing the latter to cease his attacks lest he commits friendly fire.
This gives Vidar enough time to close the gap between himself and the armed Dark Bishop, causing him to swing down his [Geri Beil] as hard as he could as the Agarthan tried to block the incoming attack, snapping through the weapon's shaft before the War Master's axe buried itself into the Dark Bishop's skull.
Disappointed, Vidar then tosses the broken [Hurricane Axe] aside before making a beeline towards the Bishops, his way being guarded by more Dark Mages with [Flame Lances] led by another Dark Bishop armed with a [Hurricane Axe].
"... THEY IN THE WAY!" snarled the War Master.
"NOT A STEP CLOSER, YOU DAMN ANIMAL!" said the Dark Bishop, brandishing his magical axe intimidatingly. "KILL THAT SON OF A BITCH!"
The Dark Mages then fire their [Fire] spells from their lances as the Dark Bishop swung his axe to unleash [Wind] in a manner not too dissimilar to [Cutting Gale].
Vidar then slams both of his [Baigujing] gauntlets down to erect a barrier of ice to block the spells while charing his [Geri Beil]'s internal cryokinetic powers. After the barrier cracks, Vidar then speeds towards the first line of offense before bringing down his axe to unleash a burst of sharpen ice spires that scatters their formation before dragging the grounded axe across the earth and slashing it upwards to the Dark Bishop, the crimson ichor spewing from his chest wound freezing solid as the frost made their way into his body, freezing him inside out and killing him where he'd stood.
"Holy crap," commented the giant War Monk as he chokeholds a pair of Dark Mages around his arms before bashing their heads in.
"He's truly formidable-no, he's formidable beyond words!" commented Dimitri as he pulled out his [Silver Lance] from a dead Dark Bishop as he watched Vidar hunt down the fleeing Dark Mages, cutting them down one by one like a starved wolf wolfing down an entire warren of rabbits upon the discovery of the latter.
"Ugh, seems obvious, but remind me to not get on his bad side," grumbled Hilda as she then swung her [Freikugel] across a Dark Mage's neck, decaptiating him before he could skewer the War Monk from her side.
"That much should be obvious!" Cyrus came riding by Hilda.
"What are you doing here?!" asked the pink War Monk. "Weren't you supposed to be helping out Claude?"
"Eh, just resupplying," said the Battuian as he then picked up a bundle of [Flame Lances]. "Normal arrows aren't gonna cut it, so I figured I need to shoot something else."
Before Hilda could talk, a Dark Bishop leapt at her with a [Hurricane Axe] raised over his head, only for him to be grabbed from behind by Balthus and his masked head suplexed into the ground.
"One War Monk to another!" he gave her a thumbs-up.
Cyrus then rides off with the looted [Flame Lances] all stocked into the basket placed behind his saddle like a small grain silo. As rode, he then looked up above, spotting Selene and her griffin ride across the air with daring maneuvers that allowed her to dodge every incoming arrow that was shot her way. At below, Claude was still shooting his arrows from his [Silver Bow] to keep the enemy fire rate from being too proficient.
"Welcome back," said the Bow Knight before he noticed the glowing bundle as Cyrus took out his [Bowgun]. "... Don't tell me that you're planning to shoot those things as arrows."
Cyrus then looks at the lances before dismounting. "... Yeah you're right." He then takes one before snapping the shaft into half of its length before loading it into his weapon. "Now I can."
The shortened [Flame Lance] was then shot towards where Selene was drawing enemy fire from, the glowing payload arcing across the air before Conquistador can notice it coming towards the Sniper and its nest.
Abandoning its position, it then leaps deeper into the hole where the Agarthans have breached from to evade the explosion that would've taken it out near-instantly. Holding fast to its helmet, it then connects to its operational superiors. "... Control, this Conquistador. The enemy has gained access to heavy ordinance, over."
HOW?! Myson's voice screeched out before hearing a strained grunt. ... Kinda busy here!
Explain, Solon replied.
"... I think one of the Dustbin used a [Flame Lance] as a substitute warhead," answered the armored Sniper as it spotted a halved-[Flame Lance] planted into a crater before retrieving it. "... Crafty lot they are."
Are you able to continue? asked Solon.
"Assuming if I can find another nest to snipe from...!" Conquistador then ducked under another [Flame Lance] shot towards it, briefly knocking its helmet off before the Sniper quickly put it back on. "... I don't think my contribution here is any more tenable."
Fall back, ordered Solon. We've already had three of the Riders' faces exposed, and we can't afford to reveal you yet.
"Acknowledged," the Sniper then takes out a small sack of [Warp Powder] before throwing it onto the ground, disappearing before another [Flame Lance] struck where it stood.
As soon as the arrows stopped being shot from where it was being shot at, Selene then flies into the hole to inspect it. Aside from a few smoldering craters and a small faint mark of bright pink dust, it was completely vacated of all human presence.
"... Come to think of it..." Selene then tears off a strip of cloth before wiping up the pink dust with it as her griffin chirped, "... dat Shamir woman was collectin' em, weren't she?"
Not even someone elusive as Shamir could escape Selene's godlike eyesight. For a brief moment, she'd taken a glance into the gap of her opening the door to her personal residence and inside a jar that the Sniper was carrying was a parchment paper with the same shade of pink that she'd presumably collected.
Upon finishing her brief inspection, Selene then flies back down with Morrigan and returns to where Claude and Cyrus were waiting at. "We're clear," she confirmed. "I'd say 'nuthin' te report,' but I'm not de gatekeeper."
"Thank the goddess that's over and done with..." sighed Claude before he turned towards where everyone else were fighting at. "... We should help them out."
Cyrus nods as both he and Claude rode alongside each other with Selene flying alongside them, the first of the three smiling nostalgically. "... Just like the good ol' days."
With a resound 'hiya,' the Battuian then rides ahead as he then brought out his [Gradivus] lance. "COME AT ME, YOU MASKED FOOLS!" the Battuian Bow Knight roared. "I'LL SKEWER THE LOT OF YOU LIKE ALMYRAN KABABS!"
At the other side of the ziggurat, Solon was now fending off Yuri and Topaz in an impressive display of deftness coming from a frail-looking old man pitted against a Trickster and an Espio. The latter two's initial plan was to take him out without him noticing, but the old Sage has proven to be extremely aware of their presence and act upon them in a split-second reaction that nulled their planned ambush. Now, they were forced to openly engage him, only for their blades to be flawlessly parried by the old Sage's cane upon every single attempt made to his life. Not even Topaz's famed [Zulfiquar] was able to make so much as a nick to Solon's [Staff of Circe], the edge sharp enough to cut through a block of bronze just by dropping it onto it, instead blunting the weapon every time the blade struck against the cane.
"Whippersnappers," Solon clicked his tongue. "Just because I'm old and decrepit doesn't mean I'm easy quarry."
Yuri then shoots [Thunder] from his [Levin Sword], only for the bolt of lightning to be caught by the old Sage's cane before it was then converted into his own magical energy, allowing him to use [Bohr X] onto Yuri, the wicked bolt shocking the young Trickster and bringing him to his knees.
Topaz then appears from behind, only for Solon to [Warp] out of her way before reappearing behind the Epsio before tasing her with the tip of his cane touching her backwards-pointing knees with another [Bohr X], downing her instantly.
"Sloppy," the old Sage smirked as he pressed his cane onto Topaz's body to pin her down. "You haven't improved the slightest since we last met, haven't you?"
Topaz growls, knowing that he had a point.
"... At least you're willing to acknowledge your folly, unlike others," Solon then dug the cane in deeper into the Espio. "... I'll take you back to the lab and run additional tests on you. As for the boy..."
He then points his finger towards the struggling Yuri with a [Death Γ] charging up at its tip.
"... He'll be disposed of-ARGH!"
In an instant, Solon's finger was then cut off by Topaz's [Zulfiqar] as soon as her paralysis wore off before he was then kicked off of the ground by Topaz's taloned feet, the claws breaching to where his lungs and ribcages were at, sending the old man flying into the ziggurat's slope in a pained mess.
"... You have a point, old man," Topaz snarled as she stood up to retrieve Yuri. "... Thank you for confirming that I've gotten complacent!"
Solon however, was too busy laughing at the mutant girl's response to get angry at the fact that a few of his bones are broken. "... Cheeky, aren't you?" he coughed out a small ichor of blood while still retaining his smile. "... Unfortunately for you two... it's game over."
With the snap of his fingers, both Topaz and and Yuri now find themselves surrounded by a horde of Grapplers armed with [Aura Knuckles], Warriors armed with [Bolt Axes], and Heroes armed with [Levin Swords], all of whom led by Cleobulus, her hair tied up into a large strand of braided hair and her face obscured by a porcelain doll mask (to hide her identity from any prying eyes), riding atop of her black-winged pegasi made of her own raw magic.
"Dear Sage, please retreat," Cleobulus ordered. "Formidable as you are, we need you alive."
Begrudgingly, the Sage then tosses his [Staff of Circe] towards the Dark Flier, only for Topaz to catch it out of the air.
"This looks important," commented the Espio as she then holsters Yuri onto her back. "... Hold on tight."
The Espio then runs off with the Trickster on her back, hopping atop one of the Warrior's head as a springboard before running off around the ziggurat.
Wasting no time, the reinforcements then go after the two, with Cleobulus staying behind to confirm one more thing with Solon. "... That cane is the very thing controlling the monster, correct?"
"I'll allow you to use it on my behalf," Solon then casts [Warp] onto himself in order to retreat from the battlefield, and Cleobulus to fly after the two who have the cane in their possession.
As Topaz ran with the cane in her hands and Yuri on her back, several bolts of lightning streak past them as the enemy forces used their magic weapons to cast their arms' imbued spells.
"How are you holding up?" asked Topaz.
"... Feels like my insides are cooked to well-done," grunted the Trickster as he tried his best to not hurl from the sporadic movements that he was subject to during their flight. "... So that thing?"
"We'll discuss it later!" Topaz replied as she then jumped over Cleobulus's [Swarm Z] that nearly swept her off of the ground before she resumed running.
"... Inquisitive as she is nimble," commented the Dark Flier as she then reached into her earpiece. "... All units, be advised that the cane controlling the monster is now in the hands of a humanoid Demonic Beast. Please retrieve our operational tool immediately."
The remaining Dark Mages and Dark Bishops guarding the masked Bishops working on Vritra were notified of this news as they began to quickly reformulate their plans.
"BOX EM IN!" barked Myson as his [Levin Sword] blocked another blow from the Vanguard's [Ne Zha] gauntlets. "PINCER THE ENEMY WITH OUR INCOMING REINFORCEMENTS!"
"REINFORCEMENTS?!" Edelgard overheard the Warlock's new orders as she then heard a stampeding sound of people coming towards their way, revealing them to be Topaz carrying Yuri on her back, being chased by a horde of twenty-to-thirty Grapplers, Heroes, and Warriors all armed with magical weaponry. Flying above them was a masked Dark Flier casting Dark Magic onto the two that they were all after.
"I'll go and retrieve the cane," ordered Cleobulus. "The rest of you, assist our main forces."
The Agarthan forces then break off from their commanding Sage as the latter beelines towards Topaz and Yuri.
"INCOMING!" Dimitri barked as he then met a Hero armed with a [Levin Sword] as the two clashed while dodging a Dark Mage's thrust with his prototype [Flame Lance] before he retreated.
Now the expedition group's efforts to intercept the Bishops operating the on the Umbral Beast was stymied as they're prior engagements resurged into another quagmire. As the Agarthan reinforcements came in, the Dark Mages and Dark Bishops were allowed to reposition themselves back into the role of supporting fire.
Cyrus however, took an offense to that. Thinking quickly, he then uses one of his [Flame Lances] to block a Warrior's axe blow with its shaft, snapping it two before Darius kicks him aside. With the halved weapon, he then loads it onto his [Bowgun] and fires another explosive ordnance unto the retreating spell casters, killing a third of them, but ultimately disorienting their retreat rally.
"Just like another raid back home," he then hears Vidar belt out a savage roar as he then picked up a Warrior by his ankle and began using him as a weapon in tandem with his [Geri Beil]. "... Can't let him show me up."
As the Bow Knight joined Vidar into his fray, Byron then swings his [Perun] chain axe to keep distance between himself and the surge of enemy reinforcements as he casts [Blizzard] onto the remaining enemies to keep them further at bay. "... Dammit, this is freaking annoying!" he cursed as he kept up the buffer zone, with he and his backs against each others'. "... C'mon, think! What can this class do?! Aside it from being a male variant of the Gremory class?!"
The chaos of the battlefield didn't give him the time to think properly. But just as he was about get an idea, a Grappler then hurls a punch with his [Aura Gauntlet], which Byron quickly then puts his helmet back on, the tongue-visor shielding his face from the blow as he was sent flying back.
"THAT FREAKING HURT, YOU JACKASS!" the Eligor then casts [Freeze] onto the Grappler, the beam of pure cold energy freezing him solid from the waist up, but during said spellcasting, Byron then accidently casts [Miasma Δ] at the same time, transforming the beam that froze its targets into a beam that disintegrates them upon contact.
As the enemy Grappler's remains were naught but ash, Byron then realizes what his new powers are capable of.
"... Okay, so I can fuse spells," he spoke to himself as he instinctively picks up a [Hurricane Axe] from a downed Dark Bishop. "... You know what, I'll experiment later."
Byron then returns to the thick of the fray using his new turbine-blade axe-weapon that aided him fending off the other Agarthans.
Sorcha meanwhile, was still locked in a duel against Myson, keeping herself close so that the latter couldn't cast his spell as efficiently as he'd like to, the latter's [Levin Sword] clashing against the Vanguard's [Ne Zha] gauntlets.
"HEY!" the Warlock cried out. "WHEN ARE YOU GUYS GONNA WRAP UP?!"
"ETA 2 MINUTES!" the Bishop replied. "FOR FUCK'S SAKE, DON'T RUSH US UNLESS YOU WANT THIS THING BLOW US ALL UP TO KINGDOM COME!"
"I KNOW THAT'S ALREADY UNSTABLE DUE TO HAVING FIVE CRESTS, BUT I CAN'T HOLD GROUND FOR MUCH LONGER!" Myson then tried to kick Sorcha in the stomach to fend her off, only for said kick, even with the aid of his enhancements, the Brigidian Vanguard only moved a few inches before she then gouged his stomach in retaliation with the burning blade tip. "WHAT THE FUCK BRO?! THAT KICK WAS HARD ENOUGH TO BREAK THROUGH STONE!"
Sorcha smirked. "I ain't stone, boyo," she answered as she then punched the Warlock with her [Ne Zha] gauntlets, thrusting forth a fireball from her jab.
Myson jumps out of the way, inadvertently letting one of the Bishops take the flames in his place, sending the poor bastard scrambling off of the ziggurat's peak and stumbling down the pyramid's steps until he reached the bottom as a burning heap of broken bones and charred flesh and leather.
"... Aw fuck, SORRY!" apologized Myson before he turned back to Sorcha, who wasn't even remotely apologetic about what she'd done. ".. Aw SCREW IT!"
In desperation, Myson then tackle-hugs her and sends both of them tumbling down the stairs, only for him to [Warp] out of her grasp and letting her take the brunt of the fall while he safely reappeared where the majority of the Agarthan forces were concentrated in.
"ARGH! FUCK! PIECE OF-! SHIITTEEE!" the Vanguard cursed her way down the stairs before landing atop of Deude and the Warrior that he was engaging in combat with.
"... Would you mind?" asked the Duscurian Great Knight. "I'm trying to fight here-!"
Sorcha wastes no time stabbing the downed Agarthan in the chest before setting him ablaze. "Problem solved," she remarked as she pulled Dedue up. "C'mon. We got sum bastards te kill."
"ALL AGARTHANS! REFORMATE TO THE ZIGGURAT'S STAIRS!" ordered Myson as he shot his [Miasma Δ] spells to cover for his men's retreat. "DO NOT LET A SINGLE ONE OF THESE PARTY POOPERS THROUGH UNTIL VRITRA IS BACK IN WORKING ORDER!"
"HEALERS!" barked Byron. "CAST [PHYSIC] UNTO OUR FRONTLINERS SO THAT THEY MAY PUSH THE OFFENSIVE! SELENE! I NEED YOU TO TAKE ME TO TOPAZ AMD YURI! EVERYONE ELSE, PROVIDE SUPPORT TO OUR VANGUARDS THORUGH ANY MEANS!"
"You know, I feel like I'm being replaced," snarked Byleth as she headed towards the front lines to join up with the others. "But given that this whole night is just one thing after another, I tempted to ask the Archbishop for a generous pay raise as compensation."
"If I get back and find bags under my eyes, I'm going to murder someone in their sleep!" growled Hilda.
"Please don't," Dimitri begged. "I tire of this carnage already."
"I'm not," grinned Cyrus. "A few bumps in the road aside, I'm having a blast."
Vidar snarls in agreement. "... Enemy alive..." he growled as he brandished his [Geri Beil]. "... DESTROY THEM!"
Aelfric then finishes casting [Physic] and [Heal] to their frontliners before collapsing in exhaustion. "... I'm spent," he heaved out. "... All we can do now is pray that it all works out."
Constance nods. "... Funny feeling, isn't it?" the Dark Flier (without mount) commented. "A moment ago, you had plans to gut me on an altar top like a suckling pig, and now look at me, talking to my would've-been-murderer."
The Cardinal looks away in shame. "... I'm a fool to have fallen in love."
"Yep," agreed Hapi. "But hey, we actually have bad guys to take out our frustrations on, so I'd say do that."
Aelfric agrees, and just as he was about to stand up, he saw a distortion in the air before it physically materialized into a heavily-armored person whose metallic carapace was spewing out greenish fumes out of its gaps and crashes onto the mausoleum's floor, cracking it apart upon landing.
"Aw shite," Sorcha clicked her tongue. "Not 'im again!"
"Plaugebearer!" Edelgard exclaimed. "... And we didn't even bring our filter masks to boot."
"Silver lining, I doubt it can move as well without its mount-" Dedue's statement was then immediately proven wrong as the movements of this bulky Fortress Knight was akin to that of an Assassin's nimbleness, as evident by him executing a backflip. "... Today is not a good day."
The Plaguebearer then lets out a coughing laughter from his mask. "... Mark three... biiiitttcch."
Dragging his [Axe of Abaddon] behind himself, the modified Fortress Knight then runs towards the now-fleeing expedition group, spewing out its [Sandman] gas to put them all to sleep and then crack their heads open.
"RUN AND SHOOT THE DAMNED THING!" Constance cried out as she shot [Fire] at the Plaguebearer 's thick armor, barely denting the thing with each shot landed.
As the other remaining spellcasters from the expedition group quickly followed suit, the Agarthans stationed at the ziggurat's defenses blanked stupidly. "... So, hold the line?"
Myson nods. "... Take five everyone."
As the chaos unfolded with the Plaguebearer, Topaz with Yuri in tow, was still running from the Dark Flier as the latter shot her [Miasma Δ] in rapid-fire, limiting the time that the Espio has to retaliate with her [Zulfiqar], and due to both of her hands being occupied with holding onto the Trickster and the [Staff of Circe] used to control the Umbral Beast.
"Cease running away, you freak," growled Cleobulus as she kept firing her [Miasma Δ]. "While I do love good game of cat and mouse, it is only fun when the latter eventually dies at the claws of the former-!"
Her arcane construct was then stuck into its back by Selene's [Crossbow] from behind, staggering it for a moment and allowing Byron to potshot it with another [Freeze]+[Miasma Δ] combo spell, only for the Dark Flier to dodge just in time before regaining control and spots the Griffin Knight and an Eligor riding together behind her.
"... Persistent vermin!" she growled, prompting to cast [Death Γ] behind herself to throw off the two, only for the griffin to not lose speed by executing a daring aerial dodge.
"I got ye in me sights," Selene boasted. "Byron, ye mind keeping 'er occupied?"
"Ask and you shall receive," the Eligor then casts [Blizzard] to limit her movements while Selene reloads her [Crossbow] before lining her sight up for a perfect shot.
Cleobulus, knowing that she was now outnumbered and in too thin of margin of failure to deviate further from her plans, was now pushed into desperation. Continue pursuing the Espio and the Trickster, and her back will be shot by the Dustbin's resident deadeye. Switch priorities to dealing with the Griffin Knight and the Eligor tailing her, then the Espio with the [Staff of Circe] will get away before the Vritra can start, which, at worst, can allow the tiny Almyran to turn their Umbral Beast against them.
... The latter outcome was beyond unacceptable. In absolute desperation, Cleobulus then casts [Warp] onto herself to teleport her above where she was flying over, just enough time for her to dig her augmented fingers into the rocky ceiling and cling from their like a bat.
"... De 'ell she doin'?" Selene remarked.
The Agarthan Dark Flier smirked wickedly as she then unleashed her trump card. "[Quake Σ]."
A pulse of mana resonates throughout the rocky surface from where she'd clung from. Then a second later, the whole entire underground tremored violently as pieces of the stones above cracked and fell unto below where the Dustbin and Yuri were running across at.
The Dark Flier made sure to that she didn't completely cave everyone in (on the account of her own men), and only affected the specific areas where the Espio and the Trickster were heading towards alongside with forcing the Griffin Knight carrying the Eligor on her mount to prevent her from getting a clear shot. Once finishing her job, she then wills another dark winged steed from her magic to catch her and leave the rest to be possibly crushed by rocks.
As as calculated, Selene's aim was thrown off when her griffin instinctively began flying in a more erratic patter to avoid getting crushed by falling rocks, and Topaz's semi-compromised physical condition and stature (due to her mutant status, the amount of trauma inflicted onto her body would've killed a normal human, whereas she's merely a few inches from her death) meant that she couldn't run forever.
Her body, durable as it is on the account of her mutations, was small (for reference, Lysithea is technically bigger than her). In fact, it was too small to protect both the cane and Yuri at the same time. She needed all two of her hands open to properly shield him but one of them was grasping onto the cane as if her life depended on it.
Either give up Yuri to deny the enemy a powerful weapon, or give up the cane to save Yuri. She never cared for the man, but something in her guy said that just leaving him to die for the greater good didn't sit right with her. But the threat of Vritra both as an unknown and as a monster beyond human comprehension was too much to completely discount it, and that she was lucky enough to snatch the cane out of the old Sage's hands was an opportunity that she couldn't afford to waste.
... If her life had to be sacrificed for one thing, then the choice of was obvious. "... Now is not your time."
Reluctantly, she the lets go of the [Staff of Circe] as she then shields Yuri with her own body from the falling rocks. The rain of rubble cascades onto her scaled body, battering stone after stone unto her, but her soul conscious enough to remain awake to make sure that Yuri didn't perish from the rocks that she was risking to protect him from.
"TOPAZ!" Selene cried out as she saw her being buried atop of the rocks that fell from the ceiling.
"GO AFTER HER!" roared Byron, to which Morrigan screeches before taking off into the direction of the rock pile.
Below the rocks, Topaz's tiny body held up the giant stones that had landed onto her back, shielding Yuri from the burden placed upon her as the Trickster woke up.
"... What are you doing?" she snarled as Topaz kept holding up the rocks. "... Get out... NOW-!"
A violet explosion then bursts before the two, before the dust clears to have revealed Cleobulus, now holding onto Solon's [Staff of Circe] victoriously. "... Fitting for little mice to be in their holes," Cleobulus taunted the pair as she then begins charging up a skull-shaped [Death Γ] in her open hand. "But I'm afraid the game's up."
A scream of pure fury was heard from above as Selene leapt off of her griffin with her [Steel Lance] pointed downwards, interrupting her casting as the Dark Flier was forced to jump back from the aerial strike before the Eligor casts a combo spell of [Freeze] and [Miasma Δ] at the Agarthan, to which she counters with [Ward] followed up by blasting [Aura] back at him, knocking him off of the griffin, forcing Selene to catch him as the griffin then swooped down towards her to rake its talons across where the Dark Flier stood.
Having had enough of this, Cleobulus then casts [Warp] onto herself to teleport her back atop of the ziggurat with the control cane in hand. "I've retrieved the cane. Is Vritra ready yet?"
"We're removing the last deviant Crest right now!" the Bishop responded as he and his remaining cohorts then removed the [Crest of Gautier] from the Umbral Beast's back with their arcane prowess. Eventually, they succeed in their extraction process, and both the cane and the Umbral Beast become receptive. "Extraction confirmed! Sage Cleobulus, your next orders!"
"Tell Myson, his men, and mine to clear out," the Dark Flier ordered as she then linked the [Staff of Circe] to Vritra. "I'm wiping out all of our enemies right now."
The Bishops then contact their other Sage, signaling another retreat for the Agarthans, the Dark Mages and Dark Bishops covering fire for their fellow Warriors, Heroes, and Grapplers as the expedtion team knew what was coming next.
"... MONSTER!" Vidar cried out as he and the others saw the Umbral Beast begin to move once again.
"... Oh Goddess, it even worse when it moved before!" Marianne gasped in horror.
"EVERYONE! FIND OR MAKE COVER!" Aelfric ordered.
"TOO LATE!" cackled the Agarthan Dark Flier as she then commanded the Umbral Beast to unleash its infernal surge of black flames from its skull-like maw.
A few crackling sounds was heard before a stream of dark flames was exhaled from the monster's mouth, quickly closing in on them with all of its chthonic glory.
SOTHIS! RESET-!
But just before Byleth could turn back time through the Goddess's Divine Pulse, Rhea [Warp]s in front of everyone before casting a particularly powerful [Ward] barrier that blocked the black flames, with only its searing heat being felt as the blaze traveled around them rather than onto them.
"... Archbishop Rhea?" gasped Aelfric before heard the clacks of hooves coming from behind. "Reinforcements?!"
Jeralt and his company of Blade Breakers enter the fray, all of them now meeting the Umbral Beast before their very eyes. "So," the lead Paladin then shot a glare towards his former, presumably-dead friend, "... what do you have to say about that?!"
The Cardinal was too ashamed to face his former friend, whom he'd inadvertently turned his dead wife into a monster. "... I have no excuses other than that I've committed a great sin."
Jeralt growls, sort of acknowledging his guilt. "... We'll talk later," he then turns towards Byleth. "... Hey kid."
"Hey dad," replied the Mortal Savant. "... I swear, this wasn't planned."
"Nobody said so," the Blade Breaker shook his head. "... Sorry if I didn't tell you about your mother in detail. Her death kinda broke me... and I didn't want to reopen old wounds."
Byleth nods in acknowledgement before noticing one more thing. "... Where's Karna?"
"Ditched him."
"... He'll be fine, right?" asked Byleth.
Just before Jeralt can answer, the surge of black flames cease as Rhea cancels her own [Ward] barrier, her hands steaming coming to physical contact with the excess heat. "... Everyone," she ordered as then drew her personal sword and pointed it towards Vritra. "... No matter what, we must destroy that affront to nature."
"How generous that the Archbishop herself shows herself in living flesh," Cleobulus remarked barely-hidden contempt aimed towards her. "Myson, you and your men provide supporting fire for Vritra. Reserve units, flank the enemy from around the ziggurat in a pincer maneuver. Bishops, stay close to me and provide healing to our forces when needed."
"You got it, boss lady," saluted the Warlock as he then directed his spellcasters to aim their hands towards the expedition group along with their backup. "MAKE IT RAIN!"
"Holy Knight and Falcon Knight divisions! Cast [Ward] to provide cover for incoming enemy ordinance!" ordered Jeralt as his men did the following. "Dark Knight and Bow Knight divisions! Provide supporting fire! Great Knight division! Guard our flanks! Everyone else! Prepare to engage!"
"WAIT!" Cyrus cried out. "WHAT ABOUT THE OTHERS OUT THERE?!"
"... Aw crap, YURI!" Balthus remarked.
But just as they could commit to any course of action, a choir of chittering and squeaking could be heard coming from behind all of them, causing Edelgard to freeze up from where she'd stood. "... What was that?!"
Before anyone could give an answer or see it coming, a flood of rats then came pouring out of every entrance, from the main entryway to the small vents that spilled out the vermin like waterfalls, all of them being led into the Lost Mausoleum as they all skittered around them and their mounts' ankles, causing a spike in panic and prompting Edelgard to faint while standing up upon her eyes being assaulted by a flood of rats that swam around her feet.
"EWWW!" shrieked Hilda as she then jumped onto Balthus's shoulders to escape the vermin. "WHERE DID THESE RATS COME FROM-?!" the War Monk then felt something crawling inside of her right boot as it revealed a rat that have snuck into her shoe, causing her to freak out even more.
Marianne was reciting the Goddess's Prayer while foam was dripping from her mouth to spare herself of this horrid sight, Dedue was keeping an eye on his liege while nesting Ashe onto his shoulder, Claude was laughing like a madman at the sight he was subjected to, Constance was both crying and screaming in what can be described as a massive hissy fit of rats brushing against her clothes, Hapi's unflappable nature was beginning to crack at the madness before her very eyes, Linhardt promptly fainted on top of the already-unconscious Edelgard, forcing Hubert to carry them both up lest they were potentially devoured by the horde, and Byleth herself then got on top of Jeralt's horse before riding off towards where the rock pile was spotted at to rescue the missing four.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Jeralt cried out over the cacophony of squeaks as his steed trampled over the vermin as they headed towards the rock pile.
Before either Byleth or Sothis could answer, everyone inside the Lost Mausoleum were then audience to a wicked cackle that echoed from the underground tomb's entrances.
"... Oh you've got to be kidding me," Myson shook his head in disbelief.
But for those at the rock pile, that laughter was a sign of hope. "... I knew that he was up to something!" Byron cheered.
"AW SHUUDAP AND HELP ME MOVE DESE BOLDAS!" the Griffin Knight barked as she and the Eligor tried to free both Yuri and Topaz.
"I DON'T THINK SHE CAN HOLD ON FOR MUCH LONGER!" Yuri warned.
"... Don't underestimate me," growled the Espio as she continues to stubbornly hold up the stones piled atop of her. "... IT'S NOT MY TURN TO DIE YET!"
From the main entrance came out Karna, riding atop of the tidal wave of rats as their undisputed king, controlling an endless legion of them with his upgraded version of his [Swarm Z] spell.
"HEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLOOOO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE OF FODLAN!" greeted Karna as he stood atop of the wave of rats, almost akin to the myth of Seiros walking on water (neither confirmed or denied). "Sorry for the wait, but in order to fight an ugly-ass dragon like that one over there!" he pointed towards the Umbral Beast with his [Scythe of Sariel]. "... I need the world's biggest army to bring that oversized reptile down! BEHOLD! MY MAGNUM OPUS! [VERMINTIDE Z+]!"
Cleobulus growls as she saw her own men retreat from the horde after a few of them drowned underneath the wave of rats. "... YOU DARE?!"
"I dare a lot of things, skookums," Karna faux-kissed before raising his horde up even bigger than before. "NOW BOW DOWN BEFORE YOUR NEW GOD, MAGGOTS! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: BTW, I had to cut a lot of content for this chapter just to make room but rest assured, the cut content will be for the next one.
So, this chapter is basically the Dustbin's breaking point. It was foreshadowed by their encounter with Chilon of the Seven Sages of Agartha that the Dustbin, formidable as they are, they're kinda outclassed (with the slight exception of Myson, but that's because he's a Warlock and a designated support fire expert/not in the frontlines until he's cornered). Granted, some are doing better than others, but two moments stand out for the main OC cast:
One, Byron's intellect is starting to morph into a Dunning-Kruger Effect, as in while he's smart, he's starting to overestimate his actual proficiency and that fact rears its ugly head when he promotes into the Eligor class. Never seen before, a completely new experience, just as Byron wanted... but the fact that he's forced back to basics due to the fact that he can't just experiment with his powers willy-nilly due to there being a literal Dragon hanging over their heads, yeah, he's going through growing pains now.
Two, Topaz's mutation prior to her initial fighting style is now creating a dissonance in her performance. A bloodthirsty berserker and a stealth-oriented fighter are polar opposites, and Topaz's sudden switch from Thief to Swordmaster... there's a good reason why in regular Fire Emblem, Thieves don't directly promote to Swordmasters without the aid of a Second Seal, and even then, they have to relearn the fundamentals of combat as Myrmidons. Combined with the fact that she now has to work with a completely different biology means that she's basically relearning how to walk and breathe again properly. Also, in a different case of Byron, Espio is a stealth-oriented class, but given that she was in the thick of it for too long as a Swordmaster, she's kinda out of practice.
Also, a big issue with the Dustbin students is that they kinda lack wisdom to balance out their prowess. Skilled and adept on the battlefield they are, they're going to have to learn through failure of what they're good at if they want to improve. IE, without Karna to guide their actions, they kinda suck, so they have to learn how to stop leaning on him all the time.
It was only due to Topaz being a "contaminated sample"/having three Crests in her blood that tainted the Vritra's composition. Otherwise, then the whole group would've been TPKed in an instant. That and fighting two (or three, if counting the Umbral Beast as its own fight) back to back would wear out anyone, and the Agarthans took advantage of that factoid by tiring out their prey/the expedition group.
Also, regarding the new classes (Vanguard, Eligor, Espio, and Griffin Knight), I'll reveal them in detail upon when the Dustbin figure out how to use them properly. And yes, I noticed that the flag of Faerghus has a griffin on it, and just as a point of irony, they're extinct in the same region that has them on their flag. More on that later.
References:
- Sorcha, Byron, Topaz, and Selene's promotions into the Vanguard, Eligor, Espio, and Griffin Knight is a combination of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers's morphing sequence and Astral Chain's Legatus's Advent Protocol that releases the Sword and Bow Legions during File 1: [Startup].
- Topaz's Griffin Knight Class is based off the Fire Emblem Engage's version of said class combined with Fire Emblem Fates's Kinshi Knight Class's specialization of Lances and Bows. Also, her Griffin's name, Morrigan, is based off the Celtic Goddess of War and Death with the same name, who is associated with ravens and crows who act as her heralds and choice of transformation.
- Sorcha's Vanguard Class is based off Ike's Mercenary-to-Hero promotion class (ala Great Lord) from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. The inclusion of adding Gauntlets to her swordplay is based off the Centurion's playstyle from For Honor.
- Topaz's Espio Class is based off the Thief-to-Rouge promotion classes from Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn, called Whisper in the English localization, and her outfit is a recolored version of Sothe's Whisper appearance (the female Whisper model didn't fit Topaz's personality). The word Espio is derived from "espionage," which is the practice of spies or spying sanctioned by the governments to gather crucial/mostly military information on their behalf (and a name of a certain Team Chaotix chameleon from Sonic the Hedgehog).
- Byron's Eligor Class is named after the 15th Demonic Spirit of Ars Goetia who is a master of investigations, matchmaking, forecaster of future wars and conflicts, and noble politics. The Demon is usually called for when one needs to plan out their lives meticulously as possible or when someone is in need of battle tactics that would help them win the war. Function-wise, it's based of the Master Knight Class from Fire Emblem: Geneology of the Holy War (and a gag to Sigurd's late father named Byron, also being a Master Knight), but more focused on being armored, foot-locked, and specialized in different forms of magic, like Arvis's iteration of the Emperor class from the same game. Also, its helmet borrows design elements from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess's Zant.
- The Agarthan fire team using prototypes of [Flame Lances] and [Hurricane Axes] is a reference to Fire Emblem Engage's inclusion of said weapons.
- The alleged/neither confirmed or denied tale of Seiros walking on water is a reference to Jesus walking on water when the Ten Disciples were out fishing, continuing the whole "Seiros is Three Houses-Jesus"-allegory.
- Karna's upgraded [Swarm Z] spell, [Vermintide Z+], is named after Warhammer Fantasy's expansion, End Times-Vermintide.