If there was anything the former students of the Blue Lion's expected as the small group made their way through Fhirdiad, it would be glares and snide comments coming from their former neighbours as they led their mounts to the Empire barracks.

'They have a nerve showing up here.'

'I expected more from Mercedes, but I should remember she is a commoner, after all.'

'The blame could go on her half breed brother. Probably corrupted he. She was lovely, before she met him.'

Emile growled after hearing the comments made about him and his older sister. However, before he could reach for his sword Mercedes held onto his arm as tears tricked down her face.

"Please... please don't. They're not worth it." Mercedes pleaded. Without saying a word, he returned his hand to his side.

'He should have joined his traitor's father in the depts of hell.'

'I do feel terrible for Lady Dominic. Losing her husband, but now her daughter has been corrupted by that renegade on the throne.'

Annette gripped tighter to Ashe's hand as the pair trudged onward. Ashe more than wanted to correct those comments, saying how valiant his Father was, and how his Father was right to rebel against the Church, but Annette squeezed his arm, begging him not to retaliate.

'Isn't that Rodrigue's son, Felix. He shames his brother by siding with that usurper.'

Felix gritted his teeth together as he told himself not to retaliate.

The group trudged onwards doing their best to Ignore the comments hurled their way. As Mercedes said, 'They're not worth it'. The group knows what they did was right. And nothing was going to change their minds.'


The former Blue Lions moved on as they came to an unoccupied Tavern, who housed no bar keep or patrons. Just two young adults as they sat on one of the bar stools in the middle of the bar.

What Felix didn't expect was those same Patrons to be familiar to him.

"Edd, Sylvester? What are you two doing here?" Felix called out as he spotted two familiar young twin adults that bore identical blond hair to one of their friends and companions.

One had short blonde hair that was shaved into the left side of his head. On his back was a bow, while in one of his hands he was toying with an arrow, spinning it around his finger.

The other twin had long flowing blonde hair flowing down to his shoulder. He held a hand over the pummel of his steel sword. The amour hugged tightly to his chest.

"Felix!" The two shouted out as they ran towards him.

"Felix, you know these two?" Annette asked as she looked around and got more stares at the group from the public.

Felix grunted. "They're Ingrid's younger brothers." Felix answered as his eyes lingered on Ingrid's family. "Why are you here and not back with your Father?"

Edd spoke first. "Ever since Father learnt that Ingrid sided with Emperor Edelgard, he closed himself off from us and left the estate. He hasn't been home since. We tried to send letters to Ingrid, but she must not have received them."

Sylvester was next. "It's why we're here, in Fhirdiad. We thought he was here."

Edd then looked around the group, noticing his older sister was not there. "Where's Ingrid? Did she make it out?" Edd asked as panic took over Ingrid's younger brothers.

Mercedes held out her hands in front of her as she stepped forward. "She's fine. She decided to remain behind in Enbarr and defend the capital with Sylvain and the others."

The two younger siblings let out sighs of relief. "That's good to hear." Edd said with a small smile in his face.

"So why are you here?" Sylvester asked curiously. "The Noble houses are not exactly going to welcome you all back with open arms. Not like we agree. What you did was great. It's about time Nobles got off their asses and actually helped people."

Mercedes hid her laughter behind her hand. Annette and Ashe weren't as discreet as they let out laughs of their own without hiding it. Felix smirked at the Ingrid's younger brothers.

"The Emperor would like you." Felix said as he pulled out a piece of folded note from his pocket.

He handed the note to Edd as the siblings read over it.

"We were sent to meet a man called Cassius. He was going to give us a map-" Felix was about to continue but was cut off by Sylvester holding out a small journal.

"Your man was found and dragged off to the Hangman's noose for 'Crimes against the Real King of Fódlan.' A few of the minor Lords were behind it to try and consolidate their power though word on the streets is that it wasn't just minor Lords."

Edd continued, "A few loosed lips spoke of Sylvain's and our Father were behind it, and then use the minor Lords as scapegoats."

Edd's expression then darkened as he lowered his head slightly. "Never thought Father was that desperate to keep what power he had that he would use people and then quickly discard them."

Sylvester placed his hand on Edd's shoulder to try and calm him down. Edd quickly apologised and shook those thoughts away.

Felix took the journal from Sylvester and gave it to Ashe to look over.

"We found it on the ground as they were dragging him away. We figured that if ours and Sylvain's Father wanted him dead so badly that anything he had would be worth keeping."

As Felix talked to Edd and Sylvester to understand more of what happened to Cassius, Ashe and Annette pawed through the journal until they stopped on a page containing a detailed directions to a camp belonging to Those Who Slither In The Dark, as well as a map of the facilities inside the camp.

"Felix, we have it." Annette spoke up.

"Good, write the instructions down so we can have copies."

Annette nodded her head as Ashe handed her the journal. "Ashe, Emile, I need you two to round up as many soldiers as you can. We're gonna need a lot." The pair nodded their heads as the two left the Tavern.

"What would you have us do, Felix? We can't go back to Galatea. If Father is working against the Emperor, then he's against us and Ingrid." Sylvester spoke up as his brother continued. "And we can't stay here. Once the locals find out we're helping, they'll come for us too."

"We know we don't have one of those Crests, but we still know how to fight. Before Ingrid left and re-joined all of you, she trained us to fight as best as we can. I've gotten a lot better with a bow, and Edd is great with a sword." Sylvester took back over.

Felix looked intently at the two siblings and then back to his friends, before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Ingrid is going to kill me for this." Felix grumbled. "Fine! Sylvester, stick to Ashe when he gets back. Edd, you're with me."

The two siblings high-fived each other, though there were two individuals in the room that weren't as impressed.

"Felix, we can't let them do this." Mercedes spoke up.

Annette agreed with her best friend. "Mercy is right. Being prepared for battle is one thing, but Those Who Slither In The Dark are something else entirely."

Felix grunted. "We don't have a choice. I, Emile and Ashe can't take on every Slither inside the Base, even if Ashe and Emile manage to scrounge up some volunteer soldiers." Felix's eyes then trailed over towards Edd and Sylvester who were both getting ready to head out. "Our hands are tied."

Though what surprised everyone was that Ashe and Emile had returned so quickly. "Felix, we have a problem" Emile growled out.

"Everyone's disappeared."

"What do you mean, everyone's disappeared?" Felix asked as the group formed around Ashe and Emile. Even Edd and Sylvester joined in.

"That's just it. There's no one around. No guards. No towns people. I thought our mounts had disappeared too, till I found them eating their share of food."

"A village of people can't just vanish in mere moments. Especially, one the size of Fhirdiad. That's impossible... unless." Annette spoke up as everything started to line up for the former Blue Lion's.

"Of course, it's them." Felix growled out as he turned his head to Edd and Sylvester.

"I hope you're both ready. You're getting thrown into the deep end." Felix patted their shoulders as her walked past the pair of brothers.


The group of seven followed the directions from Cassius's journal to the letter and found themselves in front of a small building in the middle of a field.

"This isn't really a conspicuous hideout the group of people you're hunting, is it?" Edd whispered as he watched on as Ashe was picking the lock of the door with a steady hand on the pummel of his sword.

"Are you sure your friend wrote down the right directions?" Sylvester also whispered as he notched an arrow into his bow, just in case for anything.

"Hubert's spies don't make mistakes." Ashe said as he heard a click inside the keyhole. "I've got it."

As the door slowly swung open Felix barged in first, sword drawn. Closely behind him was Emile, then Ashe, Edd, Annette and Mercedes. Sylvester was the last one inside and closed the door behind the group.

Inside the small home was a small living room. A bookshelf stacked with books with painting hanged up on the wall. It seemed like an ordinary room to Edd and Sylvester, but when it comes to Those Who Slither In The Dark, Felix and the others have learned not to take anything has ordinary when it comes to their enemy.

"Edd, stick with me. Ashe take Sylvester. The rest of you poke around, there has to be here." Felix ordered as everyone got to work.

Everyone crept around the small home looking for a single trace of Those Who Slither In The Dark. The group searched throughout several rooms but found nothing out of the ordinary. Sylvester was browsing the small library of books that were on a bookshelf.

"Whoever lives here has quite the collection."

Sylvester picked one of the books out from the bookshelf and turned it over to look at the cover. He rubbed away the thick layer of dust to reveal the title of the book.

The Nabateans and the Agarthans: Ancient Civilisations

He opened it and turned over a few pages and saw that it needed to join the ever-growing pile of books on the table. Seven in total. Sylvester tilted his head confused as he tried to read the text, but to no avail.

Another one of those books. With all of the Church dribble, father had forced Edd and I to read, I don't think I remember any of these. I don't even remember Ingrid reading this to us.

However, as his fingers trailed down the spine of the book, there was a knock at the door as he was greeted by the fellow archer.

"Finding anything?" Ashe asked as he entered the small Study.

Sylvester shook his head and shook the book in his hands. "Unfortunately, not. Though I will say, whoever lived here has a curious taste in literature."

"Oh?" Ashe questioned.

Sylvester nodded his head. "Father filled myself, my brother's and Ingrid's head with as much knowledge as was available. First it was church history, then it was the history of the countries surrounding Fódlan. Finally, it was politics and court etiquette. Nothing covered this."

Sylvester slides the book down the table for Ashe to look at. The archer glanced at the over and his eyebrows arched in curiosity. He opened the book and skipped a few pages till there was something substantial to read.

Though as he turned to a page, he saw that it written in a different language. One that he hasn't seen before. Not from Dagda, nor from Brigid or Duscur. Something entirely new.

"Are there other books like this?" Ashe asked.

Sylvester simply nodded his head and pointed to the pile of books.

"I saved them just in case they prove to be valuable in some way. Father always did say, knowledge is its own power."

Sylvester looked away, darkly after referring to his father. Ashe noticed this and placed the book with the rest on the table, and placed his hand on the younger archer's shoulder, with a comforting smile on his smile.

Sylvester's expression brightened slightly, but still held the determination from earlier to get answers from his Father.

"I can try and fit some of these in my satchel, if you get the other books." Ashe picked up four of the books and managed to fit them in his satchel. "Hopefully some scholars in Enbarr can translate these."

Sylvester moved to pack away the remaining books but ended up clumsily dropping one of them.

"Damn it. Me and my clumsyn-"

Sylvester cut himself off as he watched the book, he dropped pass through the wall.

That's... That's not possible. Did I just imagine that?

"Ashe, can I have a piece of paper, anything will do." Sylvester asked not taking his eyes off the spot where the book phased through the wall.

"Sure, here you go." Ashe handed it over and watched as Sylvester immediately crumpled it up into a paper ball. "Hey, I didn't give you that to waste it."

Sylvester held his finger over his lips. "Shhh... Watch."

Both of the room's occupants watched as Sylvester threw the paper ball at the exact same spot of the wall where the book disappeared, and yet again the paper ball phased through the wall.

"That... We both saw that right?" Ashe asked as Sylvester watched on in amazement.

"The book I dropped disappeared behind this... wall." Sylvester approached the aforementioned wall and touched it with his fingertips.

Immediately the wall warped around his fingers, like a rain drop. He pulled back his hand back on contact as Ashe stood next to him and stuck his entire hand through the wall.

Again, the wall warped around Ashe's hand. As he retracted his hand and saw it was unharmed, he glanced at the younger Archer.

"Wish me luck."

Before Sylvester could stop him, Ashe leapt into the wall and disappeared beyond it. Sylvester panicked as with this discovery they weren't entirely sure if the area beyond the wall was entirely safe. So, a few tense seconds passed, but yet still Ashe didn't return.

He was about to run to get Felix and the others until he saw a hand came through the wall. A familiar leg was next until Ashe returned, thankfully unharmed though he did fall to the ground.

Sylvester let out a sigh of relief as he saw Ashe returned. He held out his hand to Ashe, who took it.

"Nice work Sylvester, you've just found the base we're after." Ashe said with a smile as he patted the younger archer on his shoulder.