Month of Horsebow Moon - The Reaper
Chapter 22
Lysithea managed to point me down several more back alley paths before we reached a main street that I recognized. The opening to the rose gardens was a common location for flower viewing and tea. The shade spots and winding paths lead to secluded gazebos and flower filled arches that often could, and were, utilized for private conversations and dates. On the other side of the gardens was the main pathway that led back to the training grounds, the stables, and apparently knight housing.
I squinted up at the wrought iron security gates and vaguely recalled an underground passage I utilized regularly to get around these pinch points. Which would explain why I recognized some of the paths we had just jogged down a bit more than others. Sliding off my back Lysithea pointed at a dark set of iron gates.
"I think the scream was from down here."
My companion pointed down the alleyway as we opened the gate. The unlocked gate shut quietly, as I inspected the lever system. Nothing seemed broken or out of place, but it seemed strange to gate the quarters off if they were just going to leave it open during the day.
I softly palmed my eye as I checked the new courtyard we had just entered as we started walking down a random stone alley. My gut told me something was very wrong, as my headache echoed the statement by continuing to beat a painfilled warning into the depths of my skull.
Unable to take the growing uneasy I came to a stop as we lingered at a crossroad. I looked around and found no one. Not a soul stirred in the dusty alley. No sound of opening doors or windows, nor did the typical trampling of armored boots or the click of heels meet my ears. The only sound was an ominous wind sweeping down the alley and the creak of shutters rattling as fallen leaves that drifted down the lane with a crisp crackling as the water fountain twinkled in the distance.
"Why are you stopping?" My companion lingered at my side, curious as to why we had come to an unexpected stop.
I stepped back up against some browning bushes as I studied the courtyard. The water fountain displayed a marble figure of Saint Seiros pouring a jug of endless water out into a leaf riddled pool as Lysithea continued to be the only soul I spotted within eyesight. I bit my lip, my unease growing to the point I was holding my breath waiting.
My voice was a cautious whisper as I issued instructions to my classmate next to me. "Something doesn't feel right." I tensed, expecting at any second for a trap to spring. "Lysithea, listen carefully. I want you to go back and get help. Go get Professor Byleth and Seteth."
My short companion was having none of my caution as she looked around, crossing her arms resolutely. "What do you mean go get help now?! You're the one who wanted to search for Flayn without finding help in the first place!"
I let out a tense breath, not in the mood to argue with the irritable mage. "Ok, lesson one-oh-one here with experience speaking, trust you gut. Listen, we can't have been the only one to have heard that scream, but look at how many people are here? What do you see? Hear?"
I put my arm out in front of her protectively as she looked around. The mage's light pink eyes narrowed in suspicion as she scanned her surroundings. Not finding anything out of place Lysithea gave a crisp, impatient, assessment of the situation. "There's no one here and I don't hear anything unusual."
I tried to be patient, to use this as a learning opportunity for the young mage, as whatever danger I had sensed had yet to make itself known. '"Exactly, there's no one in sight. All the sounds that the monastery normally makes, the closing of doors, the shutters being closed, casual conversations? There is nothing, no sign of anyone living at all. Which leads to the reasoning that this is a setup, a trap of some sort."
Her eyes widened as she looked around for a second time more carefully, still skeptical of the whole situation. "A trap? How do you know?"
My arm lingered out in front of her as I followed her line of sight. "Think about it. No one is around, no one is stirring despite the fact it's about lunch time. This place should be crawling with people, so we should at least see someone coming and going, but there isn't anyone but us around. Doesn't this make you feel just a little suspicious?"
My companion was unimpressed with my logic as she clicked her tongue in disbelief. "Uh huh, the blood curdling scream definitely didn't make it suspicious to begin with. What are you thinking? Just because no one is around here during lunch time that it's a trap?"
I felt a worse headache coming on as the conversation turned into another disagreement, and I tried to get back on track. "Look, please Lysithea just turn around and go find someone to get help. We shouldn't do this alone."
The mage rolled her eyes at me as she pushed past my arm to take a step forward.
"So, what? You're going to go explore while I go for reinforcements? Do you honestly think I am that dense?" The quick thinking teen snapped as she made a decent point, one I had not quite considered.
I went to open my mouth and refute her claim. It was less about her ability then it was about mine. I was fairly certain I could hold off an attack, but running for help was a bit beyond my current capabilities at the moment. I yearned to tell my classmate that I thought she was smart, capable, but that meant nothing in a surprise attack and if she was too inexperienced to see something was going on...
My response was on the tip of my tongue as the clang of the iron gates behind us pushed me to act. "No, I just...get down!"
I hushed a warning as I grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and hauled her behind me, into the bushes for cover. She sputtered but recovered with enough sense to keep quiet as the sound of frantic foot traffic approached with no hesitation. We held our breath as the approaching company stampeded down the alley.
I watched from the bushes as my heart pounded in my breast. At the very front, black uniform fluttering out behind her was Byleth. The professor raced down the street with Dimitri at her side looking ready to take on the world. I felt a rush of relief run through my veins that back up had arrived as the prince's long royal blue cape fluttered behind him like the wings of some great beast. Just behind him Blue Lion's house followed him loyally into the alley, rushing headlong into the area without a hint of fear on anyone's face.
Impressed, and also slightly concerned, I frowned as unsettling silence was broken by the arrival of help. From my side, I heard a whispered gasp of surprise and relief from my smaller companion. "It's the professor!"
Lysithea's gasp from behind the bush caught the keen ears of the last Blue Lion, who was clearly guarding the rear. The swordsman ran past our hiding spot as my survival instinct had me tackling Lysithea to the ground with a panicked shout. "Stop! Felix! We're friends!"
The swordsmen swung his blade where both our heads had been seconds before. The Blue Lion did not stop attacking long enough to identify who was hiding in the bushes.
"Felix!" I felt my throat tearing as I screamed for the swordsmen to halt his attack. The swordsman's blade whistled through the bushes, chopping of branches and twigs as he sought to finish off his enemies. The debris scattered over top of me as I ducked my hands over my neck, protectively trying to limit the damage as Lysithea squirmed under me.
"What are you doing here?" Felix's voice was cold and unforgiving as he scowled down at me and I felt the cold bite of his weapon under my chin as he forced me to look up at him.
I looked down the steel battle blade defiantly as my calm gaze met the heat one from the swordsman. "We were investigating a scream we heard."
"A likely story, more likely you are here to ambush us." Felix's hand twitched as I felt the cold steel glide to the side of my neck.
From under me I heard Lysithea's muffled, highly irate voice snapping as I slowly crushed her into the foliage below us. "Would you get off of me? You're heavy and these sticks hurt!"
I continued to glare up at the molten brown eyes of the renowned blade master. I felt the blade causally pricking my neck as my squished companion shoved an elbow up into my stomach in a vain attempt to get me to move.
I winced but held my gaze steady as the sound of armored footsteps denoted the arrival of another Blue Lion cub.
Our rescuer snapped with a commanding voice used to giving orders. "Felix! Give it a rest!"
I risked breaking eye contact with Felix as I noticed Ingrid grabbing onto the swordsman's hand. I narrowly missed Felix slicing my head in two as I jerked my head back at the same second that Ingrid jerked Felix's hand up.
"What do you think you're doing?! Can't you see who they are?" The aspiring knight ranted and started to lecture her classmate in extreme irritation as I pushed myself upright. I clapped one hand over my neck as I extended the other down to Lysithea, in order to help her up.
"You could have killed them! What in the goddesses name were you thinking?!" Ingrid's voice was colored with scorn and rage as she belittled her classmate for blindly attacking and not stopping to think or identifying his opponent before unleashing his weapon.
"They should have put up a better fight." Felix shot a spite filled glare at me. I snorted and dusted the twigs off my uniform, digging one particularly painful one out from the collar of uniform. I narrowed my gaze at the offending twig and flicked it casually in Felix's direction, not bothering to defend myself when Ingrid was doing a great job of ripping into him.
The swordsman brushed the twig away as he continued glaring at me, continuing to vocally accuse me of instigating the fight and then not fulfilling my end of the bargain. Ingrid rubber her temple as I leaned over and tried to pluck a twig out of Lysithea's hair. The mage pushed my hand away and glared at me. I shrugged and pointed to the twig sticking out of the side of her head.
The mage's groan was drowned out as Ingrid ripped Felix's argument to shreds. "That's no excuse for almost killing your classmate! Had you bothered to look before you attacked…"
"What is going on here?" Byleth's calm voice cut into the lecture as both she and Dimitri backtracked towards us.
Felix sniffed as he shot another pointed accusation at Lysithea and me."These two were trying to ambush us."
I rolled my eyes as I looked at my glove. The darker stain on my palm informed everyone with eyes that I was the injured party here.
"We were doing nothing of the sort." Lysithea shot back, color raising in her cheeks as her temper flared, 'We were simply waiting for backup and scoping out the situation!"
Felix raised his eyebrow, skeptical as he sheathed his sword. "Really? Is that what you were doing? Because to me you were hiding in the bushes."
Done with the Blue Lion's tirade I snorted and gestured to the bushes as well. "Pfff, if I had really been looking to ambush you I would have made sure to bring more people along, and I assure you I wouldn't have been caught making a sound while I waited for you to rush headlong into it!"
Felix's hand tensed on his sword as I continued on, unperturbed by the hint of color in the swordsman's cheeks. "Furthermore, it would have made a lot more sense, if I was going to ambush you, to attack you in a lot less open place. Say some closely confined area where you would have difficulty swinging your little stabby stick. I'd take the time to set up diversions, cut you off from your peers, and pinching your resources to ensure I didn't fail in my mission. Kneeling down in the bushes screaming STOP isn't really a smart strategy for ambushing."
"That's very clever thinking Lilianna, you have been paying attention in my authority classes it seems." Byleth praised my strategy and I blushed as her stoic gazed turned to Felix. "Unlike someone else here, who could benefit from learning a thing or two about strategy and tactics."
"If you're strong enough it won't matter. You can crush your opponents." Felix's voice was dry and condescending as he looked away from us.
Lysithea and I both rolled our eyes in unison at the swordsman's logic while Dimitri shook his head at the loss. "So, forgive me if I missed it, but what were you doing in the bushes then?"
My companion was clearly done with repeating herself. Her magic pulsed with an ominous aura as she snapped at the prince. "Didn't you listen the first time? We were scoping out the area! There wasn't enough of us to split up and go get help, so we were scouting the area and waiting for you knuckleheads to show up!"
I smiled as I looked down at my tiny, raging classmate and decided she needed some help. I put my hands behind my head and picked the story with ease. "When we got here it was super quiet, too quiet not to be suspicious. So we were scouting the area trying to discover any clues that would help us locate the source of the scream."
Felix ground his teeth and interjected over top of me. "So, you were hiding in the bushes waiting to ambush whatever poor soul happened to walk down the path then."
I pushed the hair out of my eyes, drawing distinct attention to the wound on my neck as I twirled a lock of hair innocently. "You are kind of single minded aren't you Felix? If you haven't noticed there is just the two of us, and we are mages. It would suicide to try to ambush anyone head on out in the open like this and keep them alive! You're just grasping at straws now you battle hungry wolf!"
"Lilianna has a point." Sylvain slid up next to me and gave me a quick wink of reassurance. "See Felix, they are not even armed!"
Felix growled as Sylvain smiled at everyone. "Come on, if you think about it these two are fantastic mages! They could have just decided to flick a fireball in our general direction and been done with it, but they didn't. I think that's enough to let them off the hook!"
Byleth held up her hand as I let out a sigh. "I am going to stop this before it gets any further. Lilianna has been confined to the medical ward for the past several days and is hardly in the condition to be fighting, let alone setting up ambushes, so let's drop this and start investigating the apartments. This is about where the scream came from, so let's start opening rooms."
The professor's proposal was a good one that finally put a halt to the arguments. I grinned as Felix stalked along beside me, masking my headache with a sarcastic grin that made the swordsman keep one hand on his weapon.
Under Byleth's instruction we started entering individual apartments one by one, thanks in a large part due to Ashe's special ability to pick locks I leaned against the nearby wall as the silver haired archer knelt down in front of each door and unrolled a complete thief's kit, and proceeded to pick each lock he came across with a startling amount of ease.
The first room we opened was an empty apartment. Dust and small creatures nested in the apartment's corners and the old, stale air, invaded the alley causing several to sneeze. I shrugged as Byleth completed a quick preliminary search and shook her head as she returned to us, ordering us onto the next one.
This next one had a name plaque etched under the room number and Byleth gave the nod that the door was locked. Ashe knelt down next to her and got to work a second later. The Blue Lion student made quick work of the lock, causing me to question just how much practice he had with picking them.
The raise in my eyebrow grew as the archer finished his task and the door clicked open. Byleth pushed the door open as the rest of us gathered around to see what was inside the infirmary leader's room with various states of interest.
The sight inside was something else, and not what I expected in the least.
Manuela's room revealed that the woman was a hot mess. Strewn about in heaps on the floor were a mixture of dirty and clean clothes, while class materials lay scattered around the countertops and tables in giant nests alongside open beer bottles and plates of old food complete with flies.
My eyes widened at the complete chaotic mess the professor's room was in as Byleth braced herself and went inside. How the stoic professor possessed enough nerve to go inside I will never know. The rest of us crowded around the doorway peering in waiting to see if we would need to send in a rescue party.
"To think the professor's room is in such a state." Dimitri muttered and looked away with a blush on his pale cheeks.
The unclean odor started to creep out of the room the longer the door stood open causing my eyes to water. The scent was more pungent than the onion Raphael had eaten earlier, and I found myself backing away to avoid it only to bump into something solid behind me.
Looking up cheerful brown eyes gave me a quick wink as Sylvain leaned one arm comfortably on the doorframe. "Wow, that is an absolute mess."
Realizing I was in a dangerous spot, I extracted myself from the student's gazing into the professor's apartments.
"The smell is making me nauseous." Lysithea waved her hand in front of her face as Mercedes pulled away from the cluster as well.
"I am afraid to say that I would have to agree. The scent is rather unpleasant."
Annette stuck her tongue out in disgust as she hopped away. "It's disgusting in there! I don't know how she can stand living in such a state."
As I walked a little further down the alley for a breath of fresh air. As I walked around, I began thinking back to the current mess in my own room. While not covered in old stale food and beer bottles, if left unchecked my room was certainly going to come close to reaching these levels of clutter. I resolved to return some of my hoarded library books and spend some time cleaning the next chance I got, to avoid letting it fall this far.
"She is not in her room." Byleth returned a short while later without the assistance of a rescue squad. The young professor shook her head as she waded through the mess towards the door. "I did not find any clues to locate where she might have gone either."
We all just nodded silently at her bravery to search the apartment, not questioning it as Byleth relocked the apartment and pointed down the hall. "Ash, there is another door I want you to open."
"Right! Sure thing professor!" Ashe sprang into action at the slightest prompt, and I watched again with great interest as he proceeded to pick the third lock.
As soon as the archer got the lock open it was clear something wasn't right. There was a pained groan that caused Byleth to rush in with the glowing Sword of the Creator at the ready. The rest of us peeked our heads in, only to quickly locate a large crimson pool that was creeping out onto the floor. The awful red color had also splattered the walls and furniture like a morbid paint. We all crowded around, entering the apartment in a rush.
In the cluster I was able to just make out a well manicured hand pointing in an opposite direction of the blood. My gaze shifted to a bookcase and then to the space behind it.
The cracked and chipped stonework at the base of the bookshelf caught my attention and I crept away from the panic to find a hole in the wall. I poked my head down the hole and noticed it got larger as it led down into a dark underground path.
"P-Professor Manuela isn't dead is she?!" Annette's timid voice started to falter as I pushed the bookshelf a bit more to the side.
"No, just badly injured." Byleth's voice was crisp and clear, a signal that she was keeping her head while the rest of the students were trying to figure out what happened.
I wasted no time as I heard Byleth organizing Dimitri and Dedue to take Manuela up to the infirmary while Mercedes worked on trying to stabilize the fallen professor. With a quick look over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching me, I slipped down into the dark tunnel system.
As the light behind me dimmed with each step I took I began trailing my hands along the right wall. I wasn't ready to risk casting a light spell, my eyes slowly adjusting to the gloom.
As my hushed steps echoed down the tunnel, something in me told me this was the trap I had been warned about earlier. The other half of me urged to press onwards regardless of the warnings, having the weight risks over dangers if I was going to have any luck locating Flayn. Firmly ignoring my better judgement at whatever lay at the end of this tunnel, in light of the anxious tension I felt upon discovering a new secret, I continued downwards.
"Where do you think you're going?" Ashe's voice nervously hissed behind me as the clatter of stones and small debris cascaded down the path. The incoming archer blocked out the remainder of my light source as I held my finger up to my lips. I waved him off as I continued down the path not answering his hushed question.
Thankfully the freshly dug tunnel was not that long, it took almost a direct shot downwards. The steep tunnel made footing a little precarious, but I was able to hold my own as the dark tunnel gradually turned red. Controlling my breathing, I began to make out the end of the tunnel as it emptied back out into a much larger area.
The red zone became more prominent as we neared the exit of the tunnel. I poked my head out to look around, crouching at the exit in order to see what was going on. To my surprise there were flickering red torches lit illuminating a larger tunnel path, heading towards a large waterway that slipped under several decaying stone bridges.
Seeing no one, I crawled out and began to look around. The tall stonework lead over head and pipes of all types gushed water and waste into the river in the middle. Rats scuttled in the recesses of the tunnels. The expansive system looked vaguely familiar, like the tunnels I used to get to and from classes, but at the same time this particular section was missing any of my markers, so I assumed it was a new area.
"This must be the sewers." Ashe's hushed voice still echoed around the cavern as I slipped out of the hole and dropped down along the walls away from the light.
Seeing me creep away from the lights, the archer scrambled down to follow after me. "Wait! Lilianna, where are you going?"
"Away from the lights." I cautioned, moving my lips more than using my voice, as I slipped into the darkness.
Ashe followed after me in confusion, the archer able to make less noise and fade into the shadows with an alarming amount of ease.
I began to move off, ducking down behind some fallen rubble piles in order to escape the torch lights as Ashe grabbed my arm. "Shouldn't we wait for the professor?"
The archer's grip was firm on my arm as his light green eyes stared resolutely at me.
I let out a soft sigh and closed my eyes. My voice even less than a breathless whisper. "I just want to find Flayn. I am sure professor Byleth will follow here shortly and take charge of everything, but I don't want to waste time. This doesn't even feel right, and whoever attacked professor Manuela is down here waiting. So it makes more sense to let Professor Byleth provide a distraction while I see if I can locate Flayn."
Ashe's grip on my arm lessened as he tried to reassure me. "We all want to find Flayn, but that isn't a good reason to risk wandering off alone."
"You don't understand!" I insisted and grabbed his hand, causing shock to register in the clear jade eyes. "Flayn's like family to me. I don't want to lose any more family Ashe, so please leave me alone. I need to do this."
The freckles on the archer's face stood out in the gloom as he nodded, unsheathing his bow and notching an arrow. "Alright I understand, I'll do what I can to help you."
I was taken back by the valiant gleam in Ashe's eyes and the readily assurance to help. I let go of his hand as sounds of heavy armored footfalls started to clank down the torch filled pathway.
Several armored figures started emerging out of the well lit hallway. The armored battalion waited for a moment, allowing me to get a good look at them. The tallest figure had me scrambling to grab onto Ashe as he also latched onto me in fright. Together we stared at the physical embodiment of a Grim Reaper.
A long black scythe grating along the pathway causing sparks to arch up into the darkness to illuminate the curling black horns. The long dark horns that spiraled out a top a death mask. The face held hollowed pits for eyes that overlooked a deathly grin. The sinister mask was the pinnacle crown atop the rest of the figures in heavy black armor. From the ominous glow of the red torch light, even from a distance the armor looked scratched and dented from numerous past battles.
"T-The Death Knight." Ashe squealed next to me in fright, his voice rising in fear until it was barely audible to me. "H-he's back."
I had no words to help my classmate's raw terror as a much shorter figure stepped up next to him. The shorter figure was heavily armored and had on a bulky black cloak along with a full face mask. The helm possessed a long red plume of an exotic bird that led down far down the back and the long black cape looked like dark flames rising up from the ground they walked on.
It looked exactly like the vision I had seen yesterday while in the medical bay. My heart thundered in terror as the scene played out exactly like I had first seen it, right to the point where the Death Knight pointed up towards the tunnel entrance that led up to the monastery.
The death knight was still taking orders from the smaller figure as Ashe's face lost any color he had ever possessed as he gasped for air. "The Flame Emperor is here as well!"
Behind the power pair in front, the armored battalion started to move into place and a host of hooded black figures followed along behind them.
"This is an ambush." I noted as a light started to flicker and emerge from the darkness of the monastery tunnel, marking it too late to even issue a warning.
"Great, now we have the professor coming down here too." I ground my teeth as the group surrounding the Death Knight scattered and dug into the area, weapons drawn and tensed.
"Oh I hope the professor came prepared." Ashe's hold on my hand almost crushed it as he closed his eyes and slowly released me. He knocked the arrow he had dropped and crouched down to take aim.
The faintest of breezes ghosted over my face and I turned to see a small tunnel on the other side of the rubble we were hiding behind. Just out of sight of the flickering torch lights I began to slowly crawl towards it.
"Ashe, come on! There's a path back here." Ashe looked up from sighting his bow to see me motioning to him.
"This way, we can search for Flayn while the professor keeps the Death Knight busy." I tried to persuade him to not blow our hiding spot by getting him to follow me.
The archer's jade eyes flickered to the opponents in front of him and then back to me as I motioned on my knees, praying he wouldn't fire that arrow without backup. "You want to abandon the professor?"
I hissed an answer as I watched Byleth and several of the remaining Blue Lion's emerge from out of the narrow tunnel. "Don't worry, Professor Blyeth can hold her own, and she has the rest of your class with her, she'll be fine."
"How can you be sure?" Ashe flexed his bow and let the arrow drop back to the ground. The green, blue fletching bounced along the floor as I watched Byleth flick her chain-sword into action and attack.
"I have faith in Professor Byleth." I nodded as Ashe picked the arrow off the ground and added it back to his quiver.
"You're right, she's beat the Death Knight once before and now she has the Sword of the Creator. There is no way she can lose!" Ashe's face was so earnest and full of faith I couldn't fault him despite my growing dread at the monstrosity glaring out of the darkness.
Slowly we crept along the flooring, keeping low to stay hidden in the darkness and shadows of the torch lights. Using the rubble as cover as we broke off from the fighting towards the small offshoot tunnel to the side.
As I climbed down into it my feet hit the stale water with a soft splash. I reached up to give Ashe a hand down as he passed me his bow and then struggled with the axe he was carrying on his belt.
Unclipping the leather he passed the worn iron combat weapon down to me. "Here you can have my ax, I know you're good with it. I can take my bow."
I nodded as Ashe jumped down next to me. I passed the archer's back to him, and looped his belt around my shoulder. It fit loosely, but I wasn't about to be picky. Ashe waited for me to flash him a thumbs up as we began wandering back down the smaller offshoot tunnel.
The sound of fighting behind us started in earnest.
"I really do hope they will be alright." Ashe muttered as we crossed over another intersection.
The water we stood grew deeper, to the point it was starting to permeate my boots. Trying to ignore the cold wetness of the water I tried to reassure him. "You said yourself that the professor could handle the Death Knight, we just have to press forward until we can locate Flayn."
Ashe's face was almost impossible to make out in the gloom as we crawled up onto an embankment. "Ya, your right. We need to look forward."
I found working with Ashe was very easy. While he was somewhat nervous we were able to travel quickly along the dark pathways. The archer was mouse silent as we darted across tunnels and pathways. Some of the paths were lit with the red torches, and I tried to pick tunnel systems that ran parallel to them as we ducked down to avoid detection by the guards. We steadfastly attempted to avoid combat by using stealth, sneaking around passageways and using small distractions to lure guards off in other directions as we moved further into the underground sewers.
"Do you know where we are going?" Ashe whispered as I jumped down into a much more open room for once. Unsure of what dangers this room held, I motioned for him to stay quiet.
Ashe nodded and retreated back into the tunnels as I crouched down and I poked my head out from behind the wall in order to peer down the lit passageway. As I poked my head up I realized I had mistimed my observation, as the guard holding the torch started shouting.
"Hey! You! What are you doing down here?"
Realizing I had made an error I ducked back down and scrambled towards the tunnel Ashe was in, hoping the guard didn't go for reinforcements. One guard I was certain we could handle, if the guards yell alerted more than then a couple, I was pretty sure we were done for.
My mind ran through the scenarios as I dashed past Ashe's hiding place, keen on heading in the other direction. My immediate thought was that Ashe had the common sense to stay put and snipe the guard as he chased me.
The plan might have worked, had Ashe not jumped down to follow me and had I noticed the cavalry guards in front of me a few paces sooner. As the situation escalated, the guard's torch drew the four horsemen from the center of the room towards the alert.
"Ashe!" I yanked Ashe's axe out of its holster as I looked around the room. It was then I realized we had no cover in the cavern and nothing to help us gain the upper hand. In the gloom I braced myself and looked around, surveying the huge cavern. My eyes jumped from the stalactites to the piles of rubble on the ground, looking for anything that we could use for cover or to halt the enemy units.
I found nothing useful as Ashe fumbled his first arrow. The shot went wide as the guard with the torch advanced on him. The armored guard threw the flaming stick onto the well worn stonework where it lay smoldered brightly as he drew his sword.
"Stay away! I am warning you!" Ashe knocked another arrow from his quiver as the guard moved into range.
I heard the twang of a bow string and watched as it went wide for a second time. The arrow launched itself off into the gloom, far off from its initial target. I didn't have time to see what Ashe did next as the horsemen four were advancing over a stone bridge and barreling toward me with spears and swords drawn.
The first horsemen to approach me advanced with a steel spear in hand. I growled and held my ground as their uniforms appeared the touch light, denoting their house colors as a deep crimson and dark black. A history book I had been reading recently informed me that armor make and coloring was commonplace in the Adrestian Empire.
I tightened my grip on my weapons as the horsemen barreled towards me on his war horse. At the last second I shifted my weight, throwing myself out of the way and landing with both soggy boots on the ground. I readied my axe, attempting to chop down on the spear shaft and break it as the second horsemen approached me yelling out to the others.
"Hey! You there with the green hair! You're coming with us!"
The third one rode up more cautiously as I pinned the two on the bridge. The yell was muffled as I struggled to pick up a deep male voice. "We don't need a second one!"
The fourth trotted upside the third holding a fancy looking lance loosely to the side. Based on the decorations and more elaborate tassels I was pretty sure that was the commander. "The boss gave us directions to kill anyone on sight."
Number two refuted his orders, pulling back his visor to bark. "Ya, well this one matches the other description we have been looking for. So let's take this one alive as well. We can put her with the other ones."
My headache came back with a ferocity and I felt like I watched the same conversation play out two or three times. The Deja vu did not help me think straight as I gripped my newly acquired axe in both hands and snarled as the spinning replay stopped.
Not questioning what was going on I roared as I swung my axe with all my might. "Give me back my friend you hellspawn!"
"Lilianna! Run!" Ashe's desperate yell caused two of my pursuers to break off mid-attack. I attempted to stop them from crossing off from the stonework bridge but rider number one and two distracted me, cutting me off from offering the archer my aid.
"Ashe! Get out of here!" I hacked at one of the spear shafts in front of me and finally managed to break it as the weapon stabbed down towards me. The shaft shattered as I pivoted on my heels, putting Caspar's brawling training to good use. I managed to narrowly avoid the other spear as I took a quick step back in an attempt to buy space so I could bring my axe backup to block the next incoming attack.
The rider who's spear I broke growled and dropped the busted spear shaft as I successfully maneuvered back enough to bring my axe back into play. I tensed, reading myself for impact with the second spear as the second attacker rounded his horse and began to charge back towards me. I concentrated on the incoming threat and only barely managed to hear Ashe's painfilled warnings.
"Lilianna! Get away… "
"Drop your weapon lass, we have your friend." The two riders I had been facing stopped and looked over toward Ashe with a wide grins.
Hesitantly I looked away from the incoming threats with an impending sense of doom. My heart caught in my throat as my eyes took in the battle scene behind me. In flickering torch light it was hard to make out all the details but it was clear that the battle was done. My eyes hardened as I spotted Ashe was pinned to the ground under two spears. The fresh red stains were barely visible on his black school uniform, but were expanding quickly.
"If you don't want us to stab him again, I suggest you put down the weapon and come quietly." The leader of the group growled as he raised his weapon for another attack.
"Ashe…" I whispered the Blue Lion's name softly as I tightened my hold on my weapon.
Jerking my eyes away from the scene I felt my resolve strengthening. With a snarl I raked my gaze from the spear point to glared into the leader's masked visage. My voice was cold and "I'll only stop fighting if you promise you'll let him live."
The leader sneered, the armor muffling the sarcastic retort. "I think you're under some strange assumption that you're in a position to strike a bargain."
"And you're under an assumption that I can't fight back. I suggest you reconsider your options." I felt myself grinned despite the desperation I felt. The situation was awful but a bubble of laughter started to creep up into my throat and slowly I started laughing.
"W-What's so funny?" The horsemen in front of me looked at each other uneasily, as I snorted and threw my ax down in front of him.
The axe landed on the ground with a heavy clang, the sound echoing eerily around the cavern alongside my uncontrolled laughter. Through the stressed, almost manic laughter I sneered back at the captain. "You. You and this little pocket of fighters are hilarious. You're trapped down in some forgotten sewer tunnel, pitted against the most elite students at the Academy Leadership along with its professors. That's not to even account for the knights and mercenaries at our disposal. So, when is it going to dawn on you that we might just be the advance scouts? What do you think will happen if you kill us?"
A shutter of worry ran through the group, and they seemed visibly shaken by my bluff.
The leader hesitated as the second up his spear and started issuing orders. "Just grab them both then! They can't follow us if we don't leave either of them behind!"
I raised my eyebrows at the usurp of power, but offered no resistance as the rider whose lace I had busted rode forward. With a grumble he ordered me to present my hands. Shortly thereafter the ropes dug cruelly into my wrists as I was pulled unceremoniously over top of the second's horse.
Laying on the ground, I ignored my own discomfort, anxiously watching as they bound Ashe's hands and threw him over the nearest soldier's didn't bother to do anything with the archers wounds though, and I heard him struggling to breathe as the soldier cuffed him soundly for making too much noise.
"There, now let's get moving. Let's head back to camp, I am sure the Flame Emperor will be pleased to have this other one in custody as well." I felt a firm hand slap the middle of my back as whatever air I had in my lungs was forcefully ejected.
I took a ragged breath as the horse under me started to trot down the stone pathways.
"Hang on Ashe." I gasp softly, inhaling another tensed breath.
My muttering earned me another heavy whack from my rider.
"Be quiet." The gruff voice muttered as I dangled precariously over the front of the horse gasping for air.
To my surprise the ride was not that long. I assumed they were going to take us down the paths towards the Death Knight but my rider led the way for the other four as we rode further and further down into the sewers. Instead we came to a stop at a small camp underground, holding the tents and bedrolls of a small battalion.
Unable to say anything, I took the opportunity to memorize all the twists and turns that had led us to the encampment. With each clatter of the hooves, my back and headache pounded as we rode into the deserted camp.
It would have been a blessing for me to pass out then, but I focused on staying alert, watching for an opportunity to escape. I had to pay careful attention if I was to get both Ashe and me out of here alive.
It worried me greatly that I couldn't hear or see Ashe. Outside of the archer's initial gasps of pain when he was first mounted, it had been alarmingly silent. A chilling cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. If Ashe died on this mission, I was certain I could not bear to return to the monastery.
Unable to take the tense waiting, I craned my head up to glare at my captor as he dismounted. "How is my companion fairing?"
The horseman proceeded to clubbed me across the back of the head for my impudence. "I told you to shut up!"
Seeing stars, I felt an unholy rage starting to build up. Unleashing a growl, I felt something winding tighter in my chest. "And I told you I wouldn't cooperate if you didn't look after my companion!"
My magic started to flicker and spark as I hissed in defiance. An unearthly growl tore itself from the confines of my throat as I started to struggle profusely as the rider behind us dismounted.
"M-Mage!" My captor panicked as I almost managed to slide off the horse.
The leader's voice rose above the beginning panic, issuing a gruff order to stem the rising chaos I was starting to cause. "Gag her!"
"That won't work on me." I growled as my rider grabbed my hair and yanked my head back forcefully. My captor then attempted to stuff some disgusting rag into my mouth. In retaliation and in pain, I bit deeply into the tender flesh between the rider's thumb and index finger.
The horseman yelled out, the horse fidgeting at the chaos around him. I bit down harder as the rider smashed his armored gauntlet into the side of my head. The force of the blow knocked me senseless and the leader finished stuffed the rag into my mouth, and took the chance to tie the ends around the back of my head for good measure.
As I regained consciousness, I began to realize what was happening. Unable to voice my disdain, I glared at them as my rider released my hair and slapped me again. This time I took the chance to jerk my head away from them and proceeded to launch a basic fireball into the ground in front of me.
The ghastly, unnaturally colored, green-yellow flames sprang to life directly under the horse I was on causing the animal to rear back in panic. The rest of the horses, already skittish from being trapped underground, took off without their riders at the first sign of fire.
While our captors were yelling and starting to mill around in chaos, I held on to dear life as my horse tried to flee the fire under it. Screaming the beast put its front hooves back into the fire and attempted to bolt. I saw my opportunity and took the chance to heave myself away from the desperate animal. I landed heavily on the stone groundwork and gasped as I reached for the hunting knife I kept strapped to my thigh. The rider attempted to get his half burnt horse to calm down while the creature, blinded by pain, ran headlong into the wall in front of us.
I watched the chaos unfolding as I unsheathed the blade and brought it up to my mouth, carefully cutting away the gag. I spat the fowl cloth out and took the dagger firmly between my lips. Once secure I used the sharp object to slice through the rest of my restraints. Now freed, I let the ropes fall to the floor as rolled away from the out reaching flames. The heat from my mage fire pulsed behind me as I stood up and began looking around for Ashe.
Standing upright, I let my free hand slide up to grip the side of my head as my headache tore through me. I gritted my teeth, considering my blessing as the magic I was using had yet to trigger my crest. Irritated, and now feeling caged within the small confines of the camp walls I realized it was time to make my move.
I felt no remorse as I loosened another fireball at the rider who had been holding me captive for the last hour. The man screamed piteously as my spell quickly cooked him within the confines of his armor. I turned to the remaining rider who was trying to get his own horse under control as his companions ran after their own mounts. My hand twitched as my head pounded, as I turned to engage him. I raised my hand to fire off one of my zephyr winds as he got his horse under control.
He spat at me as the horse snorted and skittered nervously at my approach. "You brat! What did you just do?"
Snorting I averted my gaze and cast around a roving eye to locate my biggest concern. I managed to spot Ashe on the ground a short ways away. The archer had seen better days as he lay unconscious in a growing pool of his own blood. From the crimson streaks on the ground it appeared that he had crawled out of the way of the stampeding horses.
Alarmed by the amount of blood on the ground I changed my spell. I closed my eyes and cast a concentration spell to heal spell Ashe from a distance. My magic flickered with a holy light as I attempted to recall the unfamiliar healing spell to mind.
My mind preoccupied, I realized I was in danger of being run through by the remaining enemy unit. Focusing on casting, my dagger disappeared back into its holster as I bent to pick up the spear one of the fleeing cavalry units had been using.
I felt the smirk tugging on my face as a bit of cockiness that my plan had somehow worked out leaked into my voice. "So now that the playing field is a bit more even, how about we make a little deal?"
The man looked at me and then at Ashe who was starting to come through. Dropping the reins on his horse the rider ran over and pointed his sword at Ashe's throat. My classmate gasped as my healing magic flowed into him, as my eyes narrowed in disgust.
I took one step towards him, lance in one hand, healing spell active in the other.
The single defiant step was all it took for the remaining soldier to panic in earnest. The panicked yell colored with desperation as the blade shook in the soldier's hand. "Not another step! I will slit his throat!"
Realizing I was caught in between choosing to eliminate the threat and my classmate's life, I slowly got to my knees. The spear rolled out of reach as I dropped my spell. My eyes never left the soldier's as I put my hands behind my head.
Out of initial options, I figured diplomacy was worth a shot. My voice was soft and calm as I tried to reason with the threat in front of me. "Look, I am only here to rescue my friend Flayn. Let Ashe go and take us to her, and I can make sure that you get a pass from the church. No more harm will come to you."
"Witch! You monster!" The soldier's face flashed at my offer and he jerked his hand down to Ashe's head. The archer moaned as his attacker grabbed a fistful of his silver hair.
Trying to keep calm, I took a deep breath and tried to deescalate the situation. "Your friend was right about me, I'm a valuable member of the Academy, I have the ability to get you out of this alive."
Internally, my heart was hammering. One wrong word and I was going to watch Ashe die. I took a deep breath, I was risking a lot on a gamble, promising things I didn't have the grounds to fulfill, but it didn't matter if it meant Ashe survived this mess.
The soldier stopped as he grabbed his helmet and threw it to the floor. My eyes widened as it was a man not that much older than Ashe and the other students. The soldier broke down and started to cry. The sword dropped from his hand to the ground with a spark and a clatter. "I didn't want to come down to this stinking sewer in the first place! I didn't have any choice! They said if I didn't they were going to conscript my younger brothers into this bloody army as well!"
The words conscript and army alarmed me, but I sensed I shouldn't press the soldier for any more information at this second.
Slowly I got back up to my feet, holding out my hand in innocence, I made no threatening motions. I tried to keep a soft, reassuring smile on my face as I continued to sweeten the lie. "I can assure your safety. If you'll just take us to Flayn, I will make sure the Archbishop knows you were of great assistance to me. We can even grant your family sanctuary here at the monastery."
Ashe's green eyes were hazy, but filled with amazement as the man next to him shuttered, as if he was making a heart wrenching decision.
"I'll...I'll do it."
I held my breath as the man reached over and untired Ashe's hands. An uneasy heartbeat later the archer was sitting up and I was running forward to grab him.
I couldn't help myself as I wrapped my arms around him. I called out his name with a fervent voice as I pulled back and looked at him. "Ashe! Ashe! Are you alright?"
The archer gave me a weak chuckle as he closed his eyes, giving me an exhausted smile as his hand came up to grab his shoulder wound with a wince. "I-I'll be ok, I think."
I looked him over, noting the fresh lance wound in his shoulder and on his side, but not seeing any other places he was harmed. Worried I looked around and found a nearby medical kit.
Not wondering about the origins or how long the encampment had been here I started digging around in it for supplies. My voice broke a bit as I located some bandages. "Why did you leave your hiding spot? You could have just turned back!"
"Friends don't leave each other alone." The archer grimaced as he struggled to undo the front of his uniform, his hands slipping on the blood saturated buttons.
"How bad is it?" I fretted as I turned back to him, supplies in hand.
The archer struggled out of his jacket with a hiss. "It hurts like no other, but I am sure I will survive."
I ignored the faint pink blush on Ashe's face as he raised his undershirt to expose the side wound. I held out my hand and started to cast healing magics as I applied a quick field dressing.
Once the archer was stabilized, I offered him a hand up. The silver haired teen shook his head as he looked around for his weapon.
"Here lean on me." I offered as Ashe declined any further assistance. The archer looked even more unsteady on his feet then I felt.
"I can manage for the moment, but thank you for the offer." Ashe's freckles glowed in the torchlights and I looked him up and down in disbelief.
"Well, let me know if it gets to be too bad alright." I shook my head, unable to refute it as the archer picked up a nearby bow and looked it over.
The steel enforced recurve bow flashed in the torch light as the archer nodded and picked up a nearby supply of arrows. "Will do."
The soldier I had managed to convert led us a few passageways over. As we exited out into an ever enlarging tunnel system we found ourselves in a yawning cavern. The cavern appeared to be man made, kind of like a forgotten audience chamber with crumbling stands and a raised dais in the middle.
As we entered the chamber I looked around. The torch light behind me cast strange, ghastly images in front of me as I looked around, checking for traps or ambushes anxious that I was doing something risky.
If I wasn't so nervous at being led so far down into the passages with a wounded classmate, I might have been utterly delighted to discover a place like this. As it was, I found it hard to concentrate. Once the torchlight cascaded down the rim of the chamber all apprehension and cautiousness went out the window as I only eyes for, not one but two, individuals in the middle of the dais.
Laying eerily side-by-side on top of a large stone table were two prone, unmoving forms. One was a strange redheaded girl who wore an officer's academy uniform, while the other prone form possessed curling light mint green hair that I would know anywhere.
I felt the relief wash over me as I yelled, sprinting down the stairs towards the center of the room. "Flayn! Flayn! We finally found you!"
My feet flew over the crumbling stair work, my haste pushing me further away from the torch light and into the darkness of the chamber. The crunch of my boots on the stonework came to a halt as I stepped foot on the altar. I scarcely dared to breathe as I walked softly over to my friend. Flayn did not respond to my approach and I began to fear the worse. My hand was unsteady as I slowly turned her face towards mine.
My friend was unresponsive to my touch, but I felt something uncoil a bit as I watched her take a shallow, steady, breath. On a quick inspection, I found nothing inherently wrong with her but my friend was ghostly pale, much paler than normal in fact.
Concerned, but relieved Flayn was still breathing, I walked around the other side table to check the redheaded student next. My hand trailed across the ruins on the table as I reached for the red headed student.
Almost the same instant my hand touched the girl's shin I felt a shutter run through me. The pain behind my eye started to pound with a dizzying force and I struggled to hold back my nauseousness.
Yanking my hand away, I fought the sudden feeling. The ruins on the table glowed with a faint light. Immediately suspicious, I looked the table over with a bit more caution. The channels ran deep into the stonework, the ruins carved into the main pinnacle points warned me this was no ordinary table. Unnerved, I tried to calm myself down before Ashe and the soldier reached the dais.
The sound of horse hooves drove me to complete my quick check up on the unconscious redhead. Outside of being ghostly pale, I found her in the same state Flayn was in. There were no marks or evidence of trauma on her body either, she simply appeared to be unresponsive.
Unsure of what was going on, but having enough knowledge to know something magical was at work I went back over to Flayn. I was checking my friend's faint pulse as the soldier who had been escorting us dismounted.
"They haven't been here that long. I don't know where they came from, but they were moved here this morning. We were informed it was our mission to guard them until the Death Knight and his battalion could escort them off the Monastery grounds later tonight."
Ashe braved the stairs and managed to reach me while the soldier stayed on the floor of the audience chamber with his horse. The archer leaned down to investigate what I had found. I watched with interest as Ashe's pale green eyes looked at Flayn with a gasp of recognition, and then his eyebrows furrowed as he looked over the redhead.
I bit my lip as I noticed how ghostly pale my classmate was as well. Each freckle on the archer's normal cheerful face stood out in the torch light as he drew a ragged breath.
"How are you holding up Ashe?" I whispered as I finished my inspection of the two unconscious girls. The pounding behind my eyes was just getting worse as I put Flayn's hand back down on the table.
"Still alive." Ashe's attempted to force a smile onto his face for me. "Though I don't know if I'll be able to pull my bow back in this state."
At his admission, I realized he was leaning heavily on the unnotched bow and I came to the conclusion that the odds of getting out of here alive were looking worse by the minute. Whatever relief I felt on being able to locate Flayn, began to dissipate as I attempted to think of a way back to the surface without running into enemy units, with a now exhausted party of five, plus one war horse. The odds of getting out of here alive was starting to look slimmer by the moment.
With a nauseating headache, an injured classmate, 2 unconscious girls, and an enemy soldier that seemed to have been converted to my side for the moment, I was almost at my wits end. I was fairly confident that I could navigate back the way we had just come, but I could not guarantee that the path's would be engagement free.
In fact my own temple had been quite a bit more elaborate and dangerous than this, but the odds of survival dwindled substantially if we were found escaping by literally any size force. I was staring at the two unconscious girls on the table trying to come up with a plan.
As if to prey on my darkest fears' voices, the sound of battles started to ring out from the other side of the chamber. Tensed and not having a firm plan of escape, I turned towards another yawning tunnel, directly across from where we had just entered. From the distance I could just make out a faint light starting to creep out from around a bend.
"We have got to go." I lurched forward and grabbed Flayn's unresponsive body on instinct. Panic started to thunder in my veins as I threw Flayn's prone body over my shoulder as the approaching light grew brighter.
I reached for the other girl, pulling her over to me with my other arm. I took a deep breath as I slid her to my hip and heaved. I faltered, the weight discrepancies, on top of my current exhaustion levels made it almost impossible to walk. While it seemed like I was strong enough to pick up both girls at the same time, but under the combined bulky deadweight I was stuck.
"We can't just leave her here." Ashe hesitated as I lowered the redhead down to the ground and had a sudden idea.
I started to run for the soldier and his horse. "I don't plan to leave anyone behind. We can put them both on horseback!"
My plan backfired almost immediately as I got to the bottom of the dais. "Oh no you don't! If the Flame Emperor finds out I betrayed them, they will kill me and my family!"
The soldier I had managed to persuade to lead us here drew his sword shakily and moved into combat range.
I sighed as I angled Flayn away from the incoming attack, my movements a bit slower than normal due to the shifting weight. I felt the sword bite into my thigh as I narrowly avoided the rest of the incoming attack.
I should have known the alliance wasn't going to last, as nervous and skittish as the soldier was. Just like a new thief at the market, it was easy to read the man as his hands shook at the sight of blood on his sword.
I jumped away from him, my hand starting to shine as the holy white light mixed with green flickering in warning. "Look, calm down and don't do anything rash. We can still make it out of here before they find us. Just let us borrow the horse and you can come with us."
The panicking soldier wasn't in the mood for negotiations, as his desperation kicked in. "N-No! I can't let you go. If you're here when the Death Knight returns then I will be forgiven! Maybe even promoted!"
The horseman's voice shook as his hands raised the sword to me a second time. An ominous wind started to pick up around me as my hand tensed, the magic condensing in my hand as I readied my spell.
In a last-ditch effort, I begged. "Please, don't make me do this."
The soldier, while desperate was not stupid. I watched the shadow of a doubt cross over his face as he eyed my magic with unease. He slowly lowered the sword for a second, looking anguished.
The light was now a visible glow, and there was yelling starting to echo. The shadowed anguish changed as he shook his head and repositioned his sword. I took another preemptive step back as he raised his sword.
I watched as the horsemen's shock crept up his face as the blood splattered me with dark red drops. I let my spell drop as I wiped the blood from my cheek as the soldier looked down at his chest with staggered gasp of surprise. I felt something catch in the back on my throat as the young soldier fell forward, the sword dropping to the ground with a ringing clatter.
His hands went to the arrow protruding out his chest, the barbed arrowhead peeking out the leather armor in a lethal shot, one I knew just from the looks of it, there was no saving.
The soldier struggled to say something as he fell to his knees, but blood bubbled up from his mouth cutting off his air.
I watched the light leave the soldier's eyes as I looked towards the top of the dais. "Ashe!"
"We couldn't let him get in the way anymore, we need to go." The archer's mouth was set in a grim line as his eyes betrayed his feelings. I had a hunch that the blue lion was about at his limit, so I didn't argue.
I reached for the horse's reins and promptly slung Flayn over the back of the mare as Ashe discarded his bow in his effort to pick up the redhaired student.
My eyes scanned the approaching torch light and started to run forward, trying to make my way up to Ashe.
"Come on!" I met Ashe halfway and grabbed the girl from him. He grunted in pain as my hand grazed over his injured side.
Muttering an apology, I ran for the horse and quickly flung her onto the horse's back alongside Flayn.
The approaching company broke into the chamber with yells of confusion. In the outbreak, I threw the reins into Ashe's hands and yelled. "Get moving, I'll distract them."
"What?" Ashe protested as I ran forward magic in both my hands as I moved to cover the archer's escape.
The torch light guttered and flickered as several more sparked to light. From the emerging light a tense voice called out. "Ashe? Lilianna? What are you doing here?"
I froze as our names echoed around the huge audience chamber. The same strong male voice caused Ashe to flinch and then slowly turn around.
"S-Sylvain?" The Archer's voice colored with hope as I lowered my magic.
"Professor?!" I gasped up in shock as a stoic face with dark blue trestle of hair appeared at the battle worn redhead's side. Ashe's breathless voice gasped in joy as he leaned on me.
"Lilianna! It's going to be alright! We are saved!"
The Blue Lion's class started to file into the area and I felt myself finally let out a sigh of relief. "Ya, it looks like we are saved."
Author's Corner:
Woooow that was some battle wasn't it? A harrowing adventure, where Lilianna and Ashe go on an absolutely wild adventure and get themselves into a lot of trouble as a result. I can also say this chapter had so much editing in it, it's not even funny. (That's why I am a bit late on posting, I am sorryyyyyy!)
I had some major plot points I needed to clean up and it looks like Lilianna took a brunt of the editing damage. For example in the original draft it was actually Ashe that suggested they split off from the group. The archer wholeheartedly supported Lilianna's choice to want to look for Flayn, over staying to battle with the Death Knight with the rest of his class. In the end Lilianna became a bit more recklessly explorative and desperate, and managed to convince Ashe to split off. There were also a lot of battle scenes that needed to be cleaned up, and frankly after seeing the size of this chapter I considered splicing it again. However, it feels wrong to split a chapter mid-adventure so ya, it took longer than I thought, but you benefit by getting a nice bloody chapter full of combat and bad decisions! (Can't have everyone be perfect and make good decisions all the time can we?")
I think one of the biggest turning points here is that one soldier Lili manages to convert, but in the end they end up killing him anyway. Truthfully, I wanted to save him, but I was pretty sure Rhea would just execute him for betraying the church anyway, so I do not in any way shape or form think he was ever going to live despite the empty promises Lili made. (To be fair she would have made an honest attempt to petition Rhea to spare him, but I don't think either Seteth or Rhea would have spared him a second chance.)
So, instead we have not Lilianna, but Ashe making a very difficult choice to save his classmates or to save an enemy soldier. I can honestly say Ashe did not remotely want to kill him, and if he had any other choice the archer would have taken it. (Just hold on that thought - we have a support conversation coming up on this to address this because I know it isn't 100% true to Ashe's character - like for crying out loud this sweet boy chases thieves down in the streets to give them money.)
It's kind of also worth mentioning that for Lilianna's point of view, taking Ashe was actually a terrible idea. If you recall she has her second charge of her teleport spell, and could have, if it was just her and Flayn she would have been the best choice to just sneak in there and teleport her away. She also, at any point in time, just grabbed Ashe and teleported away but she was split from him on almost every occasion and had no opportunity to do so.
And of course nothing really ever went Lili's way and this whole adventure did not quite work out in her favor, so she will be learning that her actions have repercussions. Some of them good, some of them bad - but this marks the start in the story where Lili starts her underground exploring in earnest.
So ya - See what kind of divine punishment Lili gets for her deplorable behavior in the next chapter!
Also just a nice reminder - please if you're enjoying the story and all the little adventures consider following so you don't miss a chapter update and consider favoriting/kudos to let others know you enjoy it!
