Chapter 7x: Black Shadow
Reaching an abandoned castle which also acts as a Black Fang stronghold, the group reached entrance of the fortress.
"I believe they went in there." Lyn remarked.
Both Ninian and Nils held worried expressions. The didn't need to go this far to get their memento.
"Milady, are you really going in there to get the ring back?" Nils asked. Lyn nodded in response, "Yes, we are."
"But this is their stronghold!" Nils pointed out. "They're bound to be well defended, not to mention well armed!"
Indeed, this was risky. Especially if it was in their home turf.
"Please forget about the ring. It's OK..." Ninian pleaded.
Lyn shook her head, "Ike agreed to attempt this...recovery. I wouldn't be here if not for that. Moreover..." Looking at Ike as she spoke. "If he believes we can do this, and I'm sure that decision was not made lightly. With everyone at my side, I'm confident we can win. Let's get you your ring back, Ninian."
"Milady..." Nils voiced out. Ninian also stayed silent.
Both of them appreciated the effort and risk the Greil Mercenaries have done to help them. They were in their debt.
"Milady Lyndis! Ike!" Sain peered inside. "There are more of the foe inside than we thought."
"Let's tread lightly onto their stronghold. But, the terrain inside could be used. Narrow corridors and broken walls inside could be used to our advantage." Ike explained. "We could whittle them down while blockading their paths."
The base had many hallways, situating some fighters in blocking the enemy while magic users and archers held support from behind. Serra could heal between the two of the hallways while accompanied by Nils.
"So, Ike. What do you think? How we move forward is completely up to you." Lyn asked.
Ike nodded and began his orders. "We could get Dorcas and Matthew who could loot while advancing onwards to the leader. Sain and Kent will stop the advance of the enemy at the entrances of the hallways while being supported by one mage or archer. The rest will protect Ninian from outside. Have Serra heal when necessary while she is accompanied by Nils."
"Leave it to me Ike!" Nils called out confidently.
""Understood.""
Just before they left, Kent
"Oh, Ike. I almost forgot to report this to you." Kent began to rummage through his things and brought out a flask. "We've received this from the villagers. The contents when sprinkled on ourselves should help in warding off spells."
"Sprinkle it on yourself and Sain then. They will likely throw their force their spellcasters on you to get past you two." Ike pointed out.
"Understood."
The group gathered themselves with Ike, Lyn, Dorcas and Matthew in one team. The other of Kent, Sain, Rath, Lucius, Nils and Serra to help block the hallways.
"Let's move out!" Ike announced.
""""Yes commander!""""
"Wha-what? They can't..." The leader Beyard muttered.
They're being attacked and pincered from two hallways by the enemy. With archer and monks supporting them. He growled. "Everyone! Get in there and finish them! This is our final chance!"
With that call, more reinforcements were rushing from the stairs.
Suddenly, wall being broken was sounded out from a distance in the South. They broke through a wall and could advance past the locked doors. Their men were slowly being cleaned out. Even their spellcasters who came adjacent from him did not come back.
Soon, the doors were unlocked revealing another thief who most likely lockpicked their doors. He quickly stepped aside and out came a muscular red haired man along with a blue haired boy and a green haired sacaen lass. He quickly unsheathed his own blade and found himself nervous.
"I musn't fail. I cannot fail. The consequences are too-" and soon, Beyard's words fell on deaf ears as the sound of reinforcements went silent and with it, just the sound of the intruders rushing to his spot. He was surrounded. There's no way out.
"Aaah... No... I... I cannot..." He squeaked out.
Lyn held out her hand and demanded, "Give us the ring! And swear us this oath... You must promise to leave these two alone. If I have your vow, I'll spare your life..."
Beyard gritted his teeth. There was options left.
Ike came forward with his blade in hand and stared down at the man cornered. "It's over." Indeed it was.
"Failure...means death..." Beynard whispered out.
Grabbing a bottle from within his clothes, he quickly drank it's content and collapsed. At this point, it's either Ursula or the intruders dealing with them. Both are death sentences, and he'd rather go out on his own terms. Everyone's eyes widened at this display.
"What?! Poison? He took his own life..." Lyn spoke in a surprised tone.
What surprised Ike is that group had a formation. They seemed well-equipped and likely had a network to work with. And that they took their jobs very seriously according to the leader's last words.
"This group. These were no mere bandits. They were trained and organized. Professionals." Ike pointed out. "Indeed." Kent added.
Lyn frowned, "But why did they want with Nils and Ninian?" Indeed. Why were they so important that a group so organized wished to kidnap them. Meanwhile, Nils remained silent, but worried.
They quickly searched through the belongings of the man and found a silver ring. Ike upon seeing it, saw... a dragon with a man. The same man who he saw with a younger Nils and Ninian. And the mother's memento in the hands of the daughter. They. They had to go to the other side. It wasn't safe... Ike quickly snapped from his visions.
What was that? Like before when seeing Nils. The vision got worse. But like what he felt before, he felt like he heard a call. A desire. But who keeps calling out to Ike? It was as if Ike kept hearing... a wish.
Nevermind that. For now, he'll inquire about it later. But the current scene he saw was the look of concern on the siblings.
Lyn saw the look on Nils's worried face and smiled. "Nils, Ninian. Everything's going to be fine. As long as you're with us, you'll be safe." She assured them.
"But..." Nils voiced out.
"You witnessed our victory, right?" Nils nodded at her question. "With Ike's command and my sword, you've no worries. If we all work together, there's nothing we can't overcome. I don't care who comes after you; I will not let you be taken."
"Really?" Nils spoke with a hope on his expression.
"Yeah." Ike came forward. "Both of you will be safe under our watch. The Greil Mercenaries will protect you."
"Milady... Ike..." Ninian responded with a Grateful tone.
"This is yours. Keep it safe." Ike handed the ring over to Ninian.
Ninian voiced out in surpise: "Ah... It's..."
"You called it Nini's Grace, did you not? That lout had it." Lyn added.
"Milady Lyndis! Ike! Thank you so much!" Nils thanked the pair bowing to the both of them. Ninian did the same and spoke with gratitude: "I have no other words, save thank you."
Interlude ~Base Convos Part 7~
"Hah..." Ike sighed at what he had to keep account of. He was on a makeshift table writing up on a book using a quill and ink.
The amount of funds they had, how to allocate them to provisions outside of hunting, equipment, to personnel in the army that are in need of it especially rates for battles (Dorcas most especially). While some of the group spoke that they did not need to be paid, it did not feel right for Ike to take advantage of their kindness. Their last excursion netted them some equipment especially for Erk who received (ie. took from their cold dead hands) a Thunder tome from the enemy (he didn't mind). The rest were sold off to buy more equipment. Nils and Ninian only required supervision as well as to be fed as required by their new contract.
He needed to keep account of everything. Is this what his father experienced alongside Titania and Soren? He now feels empathy for them and what may come when he comes back to Tellius as he takes more responsibilities. Kent may be of help but he had to chart course for their destination, getting his bearings for the group along with information from nearby villages.
Suddenly a voice came behind Ike, "May I assist you, Ike?" Ike looked behind him, it was Lucius.
"Oh, I needed to keep account of the group's funds." Ike explained. "I suddenly have greater respect for my father, Titania and Soren."
Lucius smiled, "They're part of your father's mercenary band in Tellius, another continent?" Ike nodded. "Yes, they're stationed mainly in the border of Crimea within Tellius."
"Another continent... I wonder if St. Elimine's influence spread far." Lucius pondered.
It was unlikely given that the main religion was dedicated to the goddess Ashera. But he doubted they pay mind to other figures or deities.
"Either way... I do have slight experience in bookkeeping as a former retainer." Lucius spoke of himself.
Despite being a monk, he still worked with a noble house. Then again, Serra seemed to boast about herself under house Ostia. He never really kept up with how she seemed to be of a noble birth despite the fact that even she is unaware of which house she came from.
"You do? Which house was it?" Ike prodded.
"It was... Cornwell. I've worked with them for ten years." Lucius spoke with slight reluctancy.
Cornwell... Cornwell... that didn't seem familiar or show up on recent map of territories.
"That doesn't seem to be listed on the map of Lycian territories." Ike pointed out. "Are they within another nation?"
Lucius shook his head. "They... were dissolved from the Lycian alliance... about a year ago. Their house... along with Marquess and his wife... they were all..."
Oh. Based on his account, it seems as though he was attached to them. The map he had on now was recent. He didn't need to prod further. It was a painful subject.
"You don't need to speak much of it if you don't want to. I'm sorry if I put you on the spot." Ike apologized.
"N-no, you didn't do anything wrong." Lucius quickly defended Ike. "To tell you the truth, my journey thus far is to find the answers to their death... and to find their son, Raymond."
That's why they found him within Lycia traveling.
"Well, if you ever need help to find him, you could rely on us." Ike assured to Lucius.
Nodding his head, Lucius spoke grateful. "Thank you, Ike... no doubt, their son was distraught after their death, unable to find closure. I was his vassal, and best friend. I hope to find him soon..."
"I hope you can find him and the answers you are looking for." He said. "By the way, how are you keeping up with the rest of the group?"
"W-well..."
As Ike returned from a sparring session with the Lyn, he overheard two people. Or rather the two rowdiest people in the camp.
"Honestly, who does that cleric think she is?" Serra complained. "She's taking away all the attention that belongs to me! Even if she's as adorable as me!"
Sain replied to her immediately, "Don't worry lovely Serra! I'll give equal attention to both you and lady Lucius!"
"That's not exactly the issue Sain! I'm the senior cleric, so I should be backed up on the pedestal despite her being older. I was the one who came first into the group and therefore deserve greater respect and authority." Serra explained while Sain seems to have just nodded with her.
'What is this nonsense?' Ike thought. They did know he is a monk, right? Unless of course they did not get the memo. Oh wait, they didn't. Lucius fully introduced himself only to Ike and Lyn. Sain went off before Lucius could make himself acquainted with the group. They did ride off to the Black Fang base first. They were so busy that no proper introductions were in place.
"Um... you two." Ike called out. Their faces turned towards him. "Ah, Ike, just the person we need! You have to make Lucius fall in line before me as senior cleric!" Serra explained.
Sain added his own nonsense, "Ike, my good man! Thank you for allowing the lovely Lucius and the beautiful Ninian to join our group!" Conveniently ignoring Nils in the process.
"I see..." Ike closed his eyes. "The both of you... have you not noticed?"
""Hmmm?""
No wonder Lucius was a bit unnerved by the glaring from Serra and the gawking from Sain. He didn't insult the pair by any means in their conversation. But it did make things far more awkward than it should. It wasn't right to let things go on like this.
"Lucius is a monk." The pair let out a small curious noise at Ike's statement. "That means you should clear the air with HIM before conversing matters like these."
Sain's smile was frozen in place and Serra's mouth gaping open at Ike's last sentence.
"Well, I'll see you both for tonight's dinner. And I hope you two apologize for making Lucius uncomfortable. I understand his looks confuse most but if you paid better attention and consideration, this wouldn't be a problem." Ike left the frozen pair who were still stuck in place.
Somewhere in the distance, Erk, Matthew and Kent saw this scene and found themselves barely able to contain their laughter.
"This catch we got is great!" Wil exclaimed.
They managed to catch a stag when scrounging for dinner. Dorcas ate silently with them. The trio were huddled around the campfire after sharing some with the rest of the group. Ike felt the need to speak with the pair after awhile.
"It really is." Ike agreed with Dorcas nodding with him.
"Still... it brings memories when seeing a stag." Wil reminisced as he continued, "One roughed up Dan in the forest back in Pherae. Caused a scar on the right side of his abdomen."
"Sounds terrible." Ike replied.
Getting gored by antlers is no joke, regardless of whether the animals looked cute or not.
"Rebecca was bawling at her brother getting hurt. Wouldn't leave his side at the bed. Heck, I wanted to hunt the thing after he hurt Dan. Next thing you know, Rebecca also wanted in on it with her bow in hand." Wil chuckled at the memory. "Managed to talk her out of it. But we both grew up on archery, aside from having traps do the work. Although, when Rebecca first started cooking the things she hunted, it was awful. But she got alot better with practice." Smiling at the memory of Rebecca, he only hoped she's happy now with her brother back in Pherae.
"Now you remind me of my own sister. When she took over Oscar's cooking duties, it was awful... but I think she's improved alot since then." Ike explained with a smile. "Oscar is the best cook in the company. We couldn't get enough of his cooking. Everyone ate everything on the table."
Soon, Ike felt a bit nostalgic, he was even willing to stomach Mist's cooking if he could see them all again. With a sad smile, he continued eating his morsels.
"So, Ike, Dorcas, what are your favorite foods?" Wil spoke to the pair.
Ike pondered for a moment before answering, "I like spicy meat dishes, but I have a preference for steak and ribs."
"I really miss Natalie's mutton. It's my favorite." Dorcas explained.
"Hmmm... maybe a wild goat will do." Wil pondered, "Maybe I could ask Rath to assist me. He can even shoot on horseback making hunting easier than on foot. Maybe he could teach me how to ride while shooting."
"Well, I'm sure you'll get a hang of it Wil." Ike assured. Dorcas nodded with him.
Their dinner concluded with a hopeful mood.
Having reached Caelin, the group decided to take camp. They only needed two more days or so to reach the castle.
Off in the distance away from the group encampment, a campfire with a single figure sitting for warmth and cooking rabbit meat.
"So this is where you were." Ike called out to Matthew while on horseback. He dismounted and approached near the fire.
"Ike. Why are you here?" Matthew asked.
"I want to know more about the spy for house Ostia." Matthew didn't flinch at Ike's words.
While he said he knew Serra from Ostia, the context of what Serra said seemed to be that they may be working for the entire house under the Marquess. Moreover, upon their fight with the Black Fang, Matthew was reported to enter a house at one point, with Kent and Rath noticing. Rath with his keen senses overheard their talk. How strange for the brother of the Marquess and the spy for house Ostia to meet together privately and converse the state of the situation.
"Keen eye, very good for a young commander of a mercenary band." Matthew pointed out. "But don't worry, Lord Uther is less willing to take the side of Lundgren. He's too much of the ambitious sort."
"I'm not to be praised. I have very capable people under my command. Without them, I would have been oblivious." Ike quickly diverted the credit to Kent and Rath.
"Don't be so modest, Ike." Matthew replied. "You're doing great as a mercenary leader. Still, what interests people about you is that you come from another continent. But I'd say you're working yourself up in becoming a world-renown mercenary."
Ike stood silent at his last words. He didn't know if Matthew was being genuine or not. For time being, there was no reason to suspect Matthew of doing anything unless he sabotaged or sold info of anyone to the enemies. But so far, there hasn't been signs of that. He was just an observer for a house that is more likely to support Lyn.
"I'm wondering though, are you still going to keep me around?" Ike nodded at Matthew's question and replied: "Serra is still willing to vouch for you. As long-winded as she can be..."
Matthew laughed at that last statement, completely agreeing with Ike.
"Well, I got some affairs to deal with so I'll be unavailable for tomorrow. I'll regroup with you all later." And he remained sitting as Ike went onto his horse.
As Ike galloped back, suddenly, a noise came from the distance. Ike went to the direction of the noise out of curiosity. Someone was on the ground.
Seeing a young boy who looked slightly younger than Ike and Lyn collapsed (he was 15 in canon apparently looking in beta support convos), with his green hair braided back with a headband wrapped around his head. With a Sacaen blue garb with short sleeves, he had a sword at his side but he looked utterly exhausted and emaciated to even use it.
"Are you OK? Do you need help?" Ike called out.
"Uuuuggghhhh... foooooodddd..." The boy moaned.
So he was famished. Must have been days since his last meal.
"Don't worry, I'll take you back to the encampment." Ike turned to a direction. "Rath! I need help!"
Rath came out from cover. Apparently, Ike was not alone when confronting Matthew and had Rath on standby if he did anything. Just as a precaution.
"A fellow Sacaen it seems... I'll assist you in taking him back to camp." Rath assured.
They went back into the encampment, greeted with worried faces of everyone who saw another Sacaen.
"Is he OK?" Lyn prodded.
"Don't worry, he just needs some food. Let's feed him some stew." Ike explained.
Nodding, they took a bowl of stew and slowly fed him. He was slowly eating it and regaining consciousness. When he finally ate enough, he managed to eat on his own and ask for more.
"Phew. Thank Mother Earth. And thanks to you all..." The boy breathed out. Sighing with relief, he spoke. "My name is Guy, of the Kutolah tribe. And you are...?"
Everyone's eyes turned to Rath for a moment, who only returned gesture of 'I don't know him'.
"I'm Ike of the Greil Mercenaries. We are currently traveling to Caelin to escort someone to the Marquess." Ike spoke.
This was to avoid full divulging of info. They were still not aware of this Sacaen lad.
"Why were you wandering in Caelin without eating, Guy?" Lyn prodded.
"Hahaha... I had no money left on me... and let's just say I never was the best archer or hunter in the clan..." But he quickly bounced up. "But I'm confident in my sword arm! That's why I went on a journey to be the best swordsman in Sacae!"
He was enthusiastic. He seemed genuine and less likely to be a spy.
"I see some Sacaens here. Which tribes are you two from?" He asked. Lyn and Rath nodded to one another before facing him again
"I'm Lyn of the Lorca tribe. I'm the daughter of the chief." Lyn introduced herself.
"Lorca... never heard of them." He pondered, not noticing Lyn's flinch. He turned to Rath, "And you?"
"...I am Rath of the Kutolah tribe." He replied.
"A fellow tribesman! Hmmmm... that name... wasn't that the name of the chief's son?" Guy pondered as evident by his hand on his chin.
Rath slightly flinched as well upon mention of the chief. So this boy really was part of Rath's tribe. And Rath was...
"Well... I'll write my gratitude on a piece of paper. An oath for a favor for you guys!" Guy spoke with conviction.
"An oath for feeding you? Are you sure about that?" Ike asked.
"Of course! A Sacaen never goes back on his word!" Guy affirmed. "Still, you're mercenary band, aren't you?" Everyone nodded at his question.
"Then let me join your group. I'm confident in my skills as a myrmidon!" He boasted. "I'll fight to earn my pay! And not be as picky when eating... I didn't eat for ten days until you guys came around."
Ike looked to Kent and Lyn, both of whom gave an expression to Ike that they were fine with however he decided. Ike turned back to Guy, whose eyes were glistening.
"Very well, Guy. You can join the Greil Mercenaries." Guy cheered at those words. "Thanks! I owe you my life. Let's write up the contract on the oath paper!"
And thus Guy joined the Greil Mercenaries from that day forward.
AN:
Apparently Guy was found a year before canon in Caelin by the time of Eliwood/Hector story by Matthew. Roughly around the time Lyn was on her journey. So I decided his joining will be sooner by having Ike come across him first.