Chapter 8: Vortex of Strategy
"Just two more days if we hurry to Castle Caelin. Less since we have mounts for everyone." Kent explained.
They've arrived at a clearing with a village to the East. It wouldn't be long before they reach the castle and face Lyn's remaining family, both in battle and to unite a grieving man with his granddaughter.
"Hold on, Grandfather. Please..." Lyn whispered.
Her anxiety and worries upon reaching her grandfather has reached its peak. No doubt that her fears of her grandfather's life hanging in the balance all the more true with her granduncle in the picture.
Florina huddled close to Lyn, "Cheer up, Lyn. If they see you looking so sad, the entire company will lose heart."
"She's right, we're so close to your grandfather. All the more reason to keep moving forward, Lyn." Ike pointed out.
"Florina... Ike... You're both right. There's nothing to be gained by worrying. I won't falter as we've come this far." Lyn replied.
Lyn's spirits rose upon Florina and Ike's encouragement. All the more reason to focus on their goals and end Lundgren's schemes.
"Wow... I can't believe it's my first job and it's to escort a fellow Sacaen who is heir to a Marquess..." Guy quietly mused to himself.
"Already having second thoughts, Guy?" Wil asked. Guy shook his head in response. "No way! I'm a proud warrior of Sacae! As fellow Sacaen warrior should proudly protect his own!"
Rath from a distance nodded slightly as if agreeing with him. It would take much character to have Rath approve of someone so openly. Ike smiled at Guy's boast of himself.
Suddenly, the siblings suddenly halted. "Lyn... Danger approaches..." Nils called out from behind.
"What did you say?" Lyn asked.
Wait... they could sense danger, could they not?
"I don't see anything. Are you sure?" Sain questioned.
Ninian added to her brother's warning: "I feel it, too. I'm sure of it. Ah! Milady, don't move!"
"Hm?" Just as Lyn stopped and made a sound, a bolt came in front of her feet, creating a loud noise.
"A ballista bolt! Take cover in the forest! Everyone!" Ike announced. Upon his words, everyone quickly hid south in the trees with some huddled together from the eyes of the archer manning the ballista. "Archers and spellcasters, ready your weapons and attack from a distance when in range, but remain hiding in the trees. Everyone should dismount from their horse or pegasus, and keep them away from being hit by the Ballista." Everyone nodded.
Wil, Rath, and even Lyn readied their bows. While Guy wished he was better at archery. Their horses remained huddled within the forest away from the eyes of the archer attempting to target them. Erk and Lucius stood ready with their tomes.
"A siege weapon? Lundgren is becoming desperate." Sain called out while hiding together with his horse.
"What is a ballista?" Lyn asked.
"It's a weapon designed for long range attacks. Only archers can use them but they can be devastating." Kent explained while keeping his horse from being spotted.
"Florina! You must stay aground! Do not take to the air! The ballista would target you in an instant." Sain called out. Florina remained stationed in the trees with Huey, with his wings tucked in at Florina's behest. She looked slightly shuddered at the ballista potentially targeting her.
"Is there a way to combat it?" Lyn asked.
"The safest course is to use someone with good defense as bait, so the enemy wastes arrows. Usually 5 or so shots." Kent explained.
"Or we have them miss constantly by hiding." Ike added. "Wil or Rath could possibly man the ballista, can they?"
"I've never tried, but... It's just a really big bow, right? I should be able to figure it out." Wil responded while hiding in his own spot with Rath. Rath added his own input: "It is preferred to remain on my horse."
Very well, for now, they hide in the trees.
"How do we proceed, Ike?" Lyn asked.
Ike pondered. The forces located mainly southeast will likely advance to them. Peering out from the trees, there were about over a dozen men ready to advance to them. They bought javelins from the armory some time back for the lance users.
"Everyone. Remain in the trees, lance users, prepare your javelins. Dorcas, your hand axe. If they get within the range of your weapons, attack. But remain in cover. We continue this until the ballista runs out of arrows and we whittle down their forces. Until then, we remain in hiding and mobile whenever the bolt needs to be added again..." Ike commanded.
Yogi, a blue armored knight under Lundgren was growing impatient. Their ballista still has not managed to hit their target or the forces. Some of his men advanced and found themselves quickly pelted by enemy projectiles.
His men found themselves ambushed whenever they got near the forests. Whenever their ballista needed to re-arm itself with another bolt, they quickly maneuvered to the next tree. Cowards... all of them. He had already lost near half his men.
He snarled at his subordinates. "What are you curs waiting for? They're nothing but fleas! Call up for reinforcements and rush 'em!"
No matter, more soldiers should arrive stationed to the West forts. At times, the enemy remained stationed, but whenever possible, they move to the next trees. As if attempting to be monkeys. They had more archers it seems, while using longer ranged axes and javelins. Soon, their forces have depleted to less than half.
Soon, he saw something incredulous. The ballista was overtaken upon his men attempting to reload the bolt and was swiftly hit with arrows by a nomad on a horse. Another young archer supporting him, taking out another archer near the ballista.
"Curses! The ballista has been taken...Somebody, get that girl!" Yogi shouted. Soon, the formerly hiding targets began coming out in droves. Attacking his men.
He had to kill the girl. For Lundgren. Focusing on the green haired girl, he readied his axereaver, effective against axes due to their design with a protruding blade which could snare axes.
In the moment, he was too distracted, and his armor received a ballista bolt.
"Gah!" He cried out. Despite his heavy armor, a shot still hit dead center enough to stagger him.
Wil managed to do it. He could operate the ballista but only for 2 more shots. But the battle was far from over. The others were engaged with the enemy forces.
"Kent! Sain! You-!" Ike heard from a distance from an unknown voice most likely the enemy. But he had to continue onward. He couldn't lose this opportunity.
Quickly dashing to the staggered knight leader, Yogi, he had a weapon able to cut through his armor, the armorslayer. Despite with the advantage, suddenly, his mind flickered to the way the lance wielders at his command would sometimes twirl their weapons before dealing a finishing blow. He too, will do the same. Twirling his armorslayer and launching it up in the air and as it was still in rotation, he grabbed it by the hilt and placed the blade behind him standing upright, taking a new stance having lowered slightly with the blade winding back behind him still pointing towards the knight, then dashed forward.
LUNA
Thrusting his armorslayer forward as if it were a rapier or lance, it cleanly went through the armor of Yogi, piercing him in a blink of an eye. The man took a step backward, coughing blood with the armorslayer still in his body.
"Lord Lundgren... I've failed you... I pray you hurry...with those reinforcements...you promised." Yogi muttered. Taking his last breath, he fell back, and Ike's blade was retrieved right before falling.
The nearby brigands who saw this, felt unnerved and quickly decided to attack at once. One of them had a swordreaver. But that man suddenly became still, as Ike saw a glimpse of Guy. He somersaulted himself backwards into the air, before having his blade that was behind him and his legs lowered in a stance, quickly unleashing a upward, downward, horizontal, and finally with him finishing with a final strike close to stunned enemy with one of his knees lowered. A total of four hits within a single breath. As Guy gave a quick grin at Ike, the brigand fell and the partner, dumbstruck, was left wide open for an attack by Ike, slashing at the distracted opponent. The brigand died without a chance to resist. Many of their enemies fallen.
Looking around, there were no enemies or reinforcements left. Their enemies retreated or fallen in the battlefield.
"Is it over?" Lyn asked.
Kent nodded, "Yes. I see no more enemy soldiers. However, something is bothering me." Dismounting from his horse as he spoke.
"What is it?"
"I noticed it during the fighting. Our opponents... They were soldiers of Caelin. I even recognized some of those we fought. I trained with many of them..." Kent spoke with wavering sense of unease. "And yet they attacked us without hesitation. Even calling out our names before..." Ike could see him slightly wounded, maybe he flinched during battle upon hearing their names called out.
No wonder what Ike heard back then was... This wasn't right. How did Lundgren get this far...?
"They're black-hearted traitors who've joined Lord Lundgren. Good riddance, I say." Ike turned to Sain who spoke those words. "It also means less resistance at the castle."
"Sain, rethink those words before you spit them out!" Ike shouted out.
"Wha-?" Sain became startled at Ike's sudden loss of temper.
"Ike..." Lyn whispered softly. Kent was also silent.
Rarely, was Ike ever angry at his companions, if at all. But Ike stood glaring at Sain at his thoughtless words. If he was taught anything, you don't disparage and shrug off your companions you've grown to work with. Knights and mercenaries should know this basic rule. Even Shinon never went past a certain threshold and he'd rather point his arrow at anyone who disrespected his father or Titania.
"Do you not realize how bad things have gotten!? How you and the people you've trained and worked with are now fighting amongst each other!?" Ike pointed out in a seething tone. "I heard their shouts at you. They thought of you as the same way you believed them to be just now."
Everyone's concerned eyes turned towards Ike and suddenly, the grave reality of the situation became all the more apparent. Alot of the men that will come across their path, are likely just following orders or are deceived into believing them as usurpers. Or worse, coerced.
"It's all the more reason why you can't speak of them like that. Don't consider their deaths as just mere stones in your path when you've walked beside them at one point!" Ike shouted out.
A good moment passed after Ike's voice resounded in Kent and Sain. Kent closed his eyes while Sain looked downward with his fists shaking.
"I-Ike... I'm sorry. You're right..." Sain closed his eyes in anguish. He fell to his knees and punched the ground. "Damn it... damn you Lundgren!"
Kent stood silent, also sharing Sain's current sentiment. Ike's words rung true. Things have worsened to the point they are fighting former comrades. They could either merely be following orders, forced to follow them, or remain oblivious to the truth. The cost of their former fellow knights' lives weighing partially on their hands.
"All the more reason why Lundgren must be stopped. You're right, Ike." Lyn decided to speak out. "He can't continue pitting the lives of the knights of Caelin against each other just to take my life."
"I wish I didn't have to speak out like this. I'm sorry if I was too harsh, Sain." Ike apologized. Kent shook his head, "You gave us a warning of the painful conflict we face. You've nothing to apologize for."
Sain stood up again. "All the more reason why I must apologize for my thoughtless words to the people I've worked with." Turning towards Lyn, he continued: "Lady Lyndis. Forgive me, but I must request that I take a few hours to bury my fellow knights. At least the ones I've known."
"Sain... of course." She voiced out.
"Allow me to also join him Milady. All the more reason I could try to have a name on their graves with him." Kent added.
Lyn paused for a moment before answering: "... We'll help you. It would be faster if we do it together."
Everyone else nodded at her words. They asked for shovels from a nearby village and dig graves at least for the men Kent and Sain knew. With wooden grave markers listing the men's names they knew. The rest were buried still with an empty marker unetched on their graves. Serra was unusually silent, but she helped surprisingly. She and Lucius held a prayer for the fallen. Both Rath and Lyn prayed to Mother Earth for the lives that will go back to her. It didn't take more than a couple hours to finish. A total of 18 men.
"I'll sell off the weapons they hold. But I won't use it as our own personal funds. Instead, you and Kent should consider it as a first start of helping the fallen's home villages receive support hereafter. It's not worth much, but it's all the more that their lives weren't wasted in vain." Ike explained.
It was a paltry sum compared to their lives. But it is help regardless.
"Thank you, Ike. But there's no need." Kent shook his head. "We will put forward the request to the Marquess after we bring Lady Lyndis to him that he gives aid to our former comrade's homes."
"Use the funds for the group, Ike. Use it to quickly end this feud that started with Lundgren. That's all that we could do to end the ambitions of that man who's wasted the lives of these men in his foolish conquest." Sain spoke resolutely. It was rare he took on this tone, but he was truly serious.
Ike stood for a moment, and nodded. They were right, they needed to finish this quickly. So that Sain and Kent won't be forced to fight their former fellow knights without end.
"Thank you. I'll use it to equip the group." Ike responded with a determined expression.
Lyn turned to the light blue siblings, "I'm glad Nils and Ninian were with us. If that first shot had hit me, I might not have survived. Thank you both."
Indeed, without them, Lyn would have been in peril with a bolt aimed straight at her.
Ninian nodded in gratitude, "We are honored to have served you well." Nils added to his sister: "We won't let you down!"
Ike nodded at them, "We're counting on the both of you."
Soon, they see a figure off in the distance. It was Matthew.
"What's this? It seems as though you've dealt with the ballista and all the men." Matthew pointed out. "Didn't think all of you would go this far to make graves for these soldiers. One of kind mercenary group I suppose."
"Done with your errands Matthew?" Ike asked the spy.
"Yup, along with sniffing out info from the village. Got some interesting news for my troubles." Matthew nodded. "First, about Marquess Caelin's illness. He really is unwell. He's been abed for nigh on three months."
Lyn gasped, "Oh, no... Grandfather..."
She looked nervous upon news of her grandfather's state. We have to reach there quickly.
Matthew continued on: "I heard an interesting rumor about his condition, though. The people believe that someone's been poisoning the marquess..."
"He's being poisoned!?" Lyn repeated.
Ike was silent for a moment. "So... he's resorted to siblicide? I had some inkling about that..."
Matthew nodded, "Pretty much, you're sharp, Ike. Next thing you know, that man waltzes down the castle as if he owned the place. Had fed a hungry innkeeper some coin, and it all pointed to the marquess of Caelin's own brother, Lord Lundgren."
"How can this be?" Lyn questioned. "How can they allow him to get away with this? The villagers know he's the one poisoning my grandfather, and yet no one raises a hand against him? Why?"
A plethora of reasons. Lundgren holds alot of military and political leverage. People can't resist as easily to defend their true lord.
"They are afraid, and they lack proof. The whisperings of the common people means nothing." Kent explained with his eyes closed.
Matthew snapped his fingers at Kent, and pointed, "That's the truth of it. And of the marquess's loyal retainers who might have lent credence to these rumors, there is no sign."
"Are you saying they've been silenced?" Lyn asked. Matthew nodded.
"And it only gets worse..." Matthew turned towards the group. "An imposter's appeared, claiming to be the marquess's granddaughter. At least, that's the story Lundgren's telling to all who'll listen."
They all stood silent. The words the soldiers spoke... Effectively besmirching the good name of the knight pair and Lyn. As if they were deceived.
"In other words... people are waiting for two traitorous knights and a baseborn child to appear and lay claim to Castle Caelin." Matthew explained.
"No wonder... that's why the soldiers that came at us looked distraught over you." Ike remarked.
"So that's why... how ridiculous..." Kent muttered under his breath.
Lundgren spreading lies to discredit Lyn, Sain and Kent. All the more reason, he had to be stopped.
"He says... I'm an imposter?" Lyn angrily repeated to herself.
Matthew decided to turn to Lyn, "Don't you have anything that proves your lineage?"
Lyn shook her head in response, "When my mother joined the Lorca, she brought nothing of Lycia with her."
"Milady, Marquess Araphen himself remarked at your resemblance to Lady Madelyn! Your face is your proof!" Sain objected.
That would ideal, if they were fools. Their enemies could just claim it is a passing resemblance. All the more to deny the truth.
"It wouldn't work, Sain. They could deny it regardless of resemblance. To clear away the slander, we have to reach Lyn's grandfather, Marquess Caelin." Ike pointed out.
It would only be fuel to the fire to try and stop to clear away the deception.
"We must hurry. If not, my grandfather..." Lyn's growing concern in her voice evident. "I must see him! With my last breath if need be."
"But we must formulate some manner of plan!" Matthew pointed out. "Even if we set out for the castle, the troops patrolling the area will cause no end of problems. You have been branded as oathbreakers, after all."
"That's not including if other houses may aid Lundgren's cause... then it will be an even more painful battle to reach the Marquess." Ike added.
The group stood silent at Ike's assessment. The situation could worsen if other houses in the Lycian Alliance intervene. Even so, which house would be willing to aid their cause? In the next moment, different houses and people emerged in the minds of Lyn, Kent, Ike and Matthew.
"I've got it! Eliwood... He seemed sympathetic to our plight. He should still be in Khathelet. If we can talk to him, he might help us! We could ride our horses to him quickly!" Lyn announced.
Ike and Kent turned to Matthew who was aware of one another's position. Lyn needed to reach her grandfather quickly and Khathelet is some distance off. Maybe house Ostia along with Pherae could put pressure to distance the other houses from aiding Lundgren.
"Actually, lord Eliwood might be near here in Caelin." Matthew pointed out. Along with lord Hector observing the situation with him after their sparring session since he regrouped with him not too long ago. "I think he might be seeing the state of Caelin after your defamation spread."
He didn't lie. But not the full truth as a spy for house Ostia. Ike and Kent nodded for the time being.
"Is that so? Lead the way, Matthew!" Lyn requested of Matthew.
And thus the Greil Mercenaries rode off to request aid from the house of Pherae and Ostia.