It had been a relative quiet journey to the destination Hubert's spies had identified as a Those Who Slither In The Dark underground camp, but Edelgard and her group of friends had finally track down the precise location of their base. Though the group were not prepared for the grand scope of it. It was more like an underground city.

"From what my spies have said, the vermin call this place Shambhala. It is an underground city where they conduct their most inhumane experiments." Hubert spoke with disdain dripping from his mouth.

"Sounds like a lovely place." Ferdinand said sarcastically.

Bernadetta stood next to Edelgard; her bow held tightly in her hand.

"Has Petra returned with the scouts?" The archer asked as the small group of the Black Eagle Strike Force huddled around a map of the facility that one of Hubert's spies managed to mock up before they teleported away to safety.

Currently, Petra and a handful of trusted scouts were off trying to find secure entrances for both the Black Eagle Strike Force and the soldiers that would enter through an alternative route, led by Catherine and Count Bergliez.

Edelgard shook her head. "I trust in Petra's abilities, but I too worry about her safety. We all know what Those Who Slither In The Dark are capable of."

Caspar chuckled to himself as he hefted his axe into the air and rested it against his armoured shoulder. "Petra has this. She's faster than any one of us, even the Professor. And like you said we know what they're capable off, Petra will be prepared for anything."

Edelgard let out a small sigh as both Catherine and Count Bergliez joined up with the Black Eagle Strike Force. Her eyes never leaving the pathway to the underground facility.

Finally, what felt like an eternity later, the group spotted Petra and the scouts return. All accounted for. With that Edelgard let out a small sigh of relief as she and the rest of the Strike Force ran over towards the Brigidian Princess, thankfully unharmed.

Bernadetta was by Petra's side with her waterskin waiting for the Princess. Petra thanked the archer before taking a mouthful of water. She handed the waterskin back to Bernadetta as she reported her findings.

"There are several entrances to their facility, however I am thinking it would be impossible to take our mounts. The passageways are far too narrow."

Hearing this, Ferdinand groaned as his hand drifted towards the Spear of Assal. "Well, it is a good thing the Professor taught me to proficiently use a sword."

Hubert smirked to himself as he turned his attention back to Petra. "While on your infiltration, was there anything of note that caught your eye."

Petra nodded her head. "I counted six Titanus contraptions. Similar to the machines Cornelia conjured at Arianrhod."

Edelgard gritted her teeth as the mood within the group soured with this news. Catherine took in the mood with her new comrades in arms and found it to be a bit odd.

"I wasn't stationed at Arianrhod, but if you guys managed to take over then these Titanus can't be that much of a big deal."

Edelgard simply shook her head. "It took all of our combined might to take down three of them, six is almost unthinkable."

The other members of the Black Eagle Strike Force agreed with Edelgard's statement, though Hubert stood contemplating.

"Was there a usual high amount of those vermin inside the facility?" Hubert asked as his gazed settled on Petra again.

The Princess nodded her head with a small yet serious smile. "I had the same idea. We noticed that there were a large number of our enemies. I counted Thales among their number."

Hearing that name stunned the group, however everyone turned their attention to Edelgard, who lowered her head to the side. Hubert grinned as he turned his attention back to Edelgard and the other Strike Force members. "Then it is as I thought. This is not merely a base of operations. With the added security, this has to be their main headquarters."

Caspar and Bernadetta gasped while the others simply nodded their heads. Their goal was clear. Destroy this base and every single member of Those Who Slither In The Dark. This development changed things. They did not know if they would be afforded another opportunity to wipe out their enemies.

It was now or never.

Edelgard knew this as she took a deep breath and steeled herself as she gazed at her comrades and dear friends. "Today is the day we end the menace that Those Who Slither In The Dark have perpetrated suffering on our lands. I know it will be difficult, but if we are victorious today then Fódlan and the islands beyond will be free of our enemy's tyranny."

Her friends simply nodded their heads and steeled themselves for the coming battle. As they all departed to get everything ready Edelgard let out a small sigh as she tried to settle down by placing a hand over her racing heart.

Mother. Father. All of my brothers and sisters. Today is the day we finally get our revenge on the monsters that stole our lives from us. I promise I won't let them live another day. Please grant us the strength to prevail.


A few hours had passed, and the time was nigh to strike against the underground city. The Black Eagle Strike Force had split itself up into two squad's comprising of four members. Edelgard, Ferdinand, Hubert and Bernadetta took the entrance to the left of the facility while: Caspar, Catherine, Petra and Count Bergliez took the entrance to the right.

Together the two teams would carve a path through their enemies till they reached the inner sanctum.

"Edelgard's team has made their move and began their assault." Catherine spoke as she held tightly to Thunderbrand's hilt.

"Then we don't want to keep them waiting." General Bergliez spoke up as he readied his sword. Petra drew her sword while Caspar heaved his war axe onto his shoulder.

Just as the group moved from cover, Catherine noticed two members of their enemy emerge from a shadowy portal. Catherine managed to stop herself and the others from being spotted as she held out her hand.

The others took noticed as they all gave her questioning looks, but as she held a finger over her lips, they all heard the voices of the pair of Slither members.

"How are the subjects coming along?"

"Peisistratos has said the experiments at base Alpha have been successful."

"Excellent. Then the next stage of the invasion can commence. Our Lord and his ilk will be born anew."

"And we will take revenge on the filth that ran us from our lands. Now what to do with the other subjects at our disposal here."

As the two slither members walked down a long technology advanced corridor while chatting about their evil plans, Catherine and her group took this chance to sneak up on the pair. All four had their weapons drawn and made quick work of the two scheming Mage's.

Petra wiped clean the blood on her blade as she spied that Edelgard's group had moved up and were now ahead of her own group. Unfortunately, the two groups would have to be separated as their paths diverged. However, she trusted in the ability of her friends to make it through. The only thing that concerned her were of the other subjects, the now corpses, spoke of.

Not wanting to dwell on imagining the pain these subjects were subjugated to, Petra settled her nerves and laid her sword back into its sheath as she marched on.


As Bernadetta kept close to Hubert to help cover Edelgard and Ferdinand as they charged forward, she noticed one of the Titanus had smashed its way through a wall. The rubble from the now broken wall had cut off Hubert and Bernadetta from Edelgard and Ferdinand.

"Bernadetta!"

"Hubert!"

Both Edelgard and Ferdinand both ran towards the new wall now blocking their path to their friends. However, there was nothing they could do to reach them.

"Go on ahead Edelgard." Bernadetta called out from beyond the wall as she let loose arrow after arrow at the giant contraption.

"We'll deal with this monstrosity ourselves." Hubert agreed with the archer as balls of Miasma formed in his hands.

Without wasting a moment, Edelgard swung Aymr at the concrete wall, but it did not budge. Not even a dent was made.

She however did not give up as she desperately and repeatedly swung the giant axe at the wall. Still doing little to no damage to the wall. She screamed as she put her all into this swing, but still Aymr did not slice through the wall. It was still unfazed. Edelgard breathed heavily as she leaned against the wall. Ferdinand placed his hand flat against the wall.

"Hubert..." Ferdinand spoke softly.

"If you think this inferior contraption will be the end of me, then you are gravely mistaken." A smile settled over the Knight's face. Edelgard was still reluctant to carry on without her dear friends.

"Hubert is right." Bernadetta grunted as she and Hubert leapt out of the way of one of the Titanus's bladed arm. "We'll be fine, but you two need to push on and end this. Don't worry about us. As Petra and Byleth have said, Bernie is strong and ferocious like a bear. I can do this."

This declaration from the formerly timid archer opens the Emperor's eyes. She closed them and lowered her head, gripping tightly to Aymr.

"As an order, you're both forbidden from doing anything reckless and dying."

Without waiting for an answer, she stormed onward with Ferdinand quickly behind her.


With now only Ferdinand following closely behind Edelgard the two stalked forward, dispatching any of their enemies, until they came across a locked room. Though with one swing of Aymr, Edelgard cleaved open the door. What they found inside had deeply horrified Edelgard and forced her to remember her past younger self.

Locked in a cage. Chained up to a wall. Watching the life leave her brother's and sister's eyes. Screaming out in pain as those monsters cut into her skin. Tortured her. Mutilated her. No one coming for her rescue.

"Edelgard!" She heard Ferdinand called out to her, snapping her from the deepest parts of her memories.

She shook her head as her gaze settled onto the Knight. "You, okay?"

The Emperor shook her head, but still carried on. As the pair walked into the room, they heard chains rattle and whimpering coming from the cages. Inside the pair spotted five cages, each having two children chained together. As Edelgard watched in horror as the children cower in fear of the new arrivals, Ferdinand quietly and softly laid his hand on Edelgard's armoured shoulder.

"You can wait outside if this is too much."

Again, Edelgard shook her head. "No... I... I need to do this."

Ferdinand nodded his head in understanding as Edelgard approached one of the cages. Immediately, the children cower away from Edelgard, so instead she tried a different approach.

She shakily moved one of her hands to the other and gently pulled off her armoured glove. This revealed her scarred hands to the air and in turn, to the terrified children. The exact same markings that were marred on their own skin.

As soon as the children eyed Edelgard's scarred hand they seemed less resistant to cower away from the older woman. A few moved closer to her, allowing her to get a closer look at them.

From what she could see most of the children barely looked old enough to be more than 10 summers' old. A few looked younger. All were wearing light loose-fitting clothing. All looked like they had last eaten a healthy meal weeks ago, they were all so thin. Their hands and feet were marred by the chains that hugged tightly around their wrists.

Though what really tore Edelgard's heart apart were seeing the all to familiar markings that were carved all over their skins.

But for what purpose? Those monsters already ruined the lives of Lysithea's and my own. What more could they want with destroying more lives?

No. No more. It ends today.

Edelgard places her hands on the bars of the cages and with all her might pushed two of the bars apart. She repeated this for the other cages.

Then with help from Ferdinand the two managed to get the chains off the children's feet and wrists. As the pair stepped out of the cages, Edelgard held out her hand to the children with a soft and welcoming smile.

"My name is Edelgard von Hresvelg, Emperor of Fódlan. No harm shall come to you. My friends and I want to take you far away from this place, all you need to do is reach for my hand and we'll all soar far away."

Slowly the children shuffled closer to Edelgard, though they were still wary of the two fresh faces.

It wasn't until a brave young girl, with tanned skin and long black hair, took a few more steps forward and placed her scarred hand on top of Edelgard's own.