Chapter 19: Pirate Ship
Pirates, mercenaries, soldiers, and lords crowded around their newest visitor. Wil immediately recognized the lone girl with light blue hair upon closer examination after spotting her within the boat with Dart and Rebecca. He went inform the Lycian lords and Ike. Ike approached the group huddling around her.
"Why was she on that dory? Where's her brother, Nils?" He asked. To which the others shrugged.
Seems like the others couldn't spot Nils who was supposed to accompany her.
"Wasn't this the girl kidnapped by the Black Fang last year?" Hector prodded to which Eliwood nodded.
He was informed of the events regarding the Black Fang some time ago. He was privy to details of the mysterious siblings. In any event, everyone knew of the bard and dancer duo.
"...Ah..." Ninian voiced out. To which everyone's attention went to the girl regaining consciousness. Lyn came closer towards Ninian.
"Ninian, can you hear me?" Lyn asked to the girl who was barely opening her eyes.
"Unnn… I…" Ninian voiced out lightly.
She seemed too exhausted to say anything. Perhaps she went without food or water for awhile.
"Maybe we should get her something to eat and drink. We'll have to ask her later as to why she was drifting on that boat and separated from her brother." Ike proposed to which everyone nodded. "Until then, let's take her to a room where she can rest for the time being and give her something to replenish her strength."
Just as some of the troops were ready to carry her to one of the rooms, Ninian seemed to come to, her eyes widening. The others halted as she seemed to fully regain consciousness. She looked at her surroundings and seemed to panic. She didn't seem to register the people she met a year ago.
Eliwood saw Ninian becoming increasingly nervous and spoke: "Lyndis, Ike. There's something wrong with her."
Ike came forward to Ninian along with Lyn. Their faces showing concern for her.
"Ninian do you remember me?" Ike addressed to Ninian pointing to himself. "It's me, Ike. Lyn is here too. Remember us?"
To which Ninian frowned and responded: "Who... Who...?"
Both of their eyes widen in surprise. It was as if she didn't recognize them. Just as they were to prepare a response, they heard the call of Fargus's mate.
"Captain! Pirate ships approaching from the northwest!" Dart called out.
Fargus frowned and growled at the incoming intruders. They were no friendly sort if they decided to approach the Davros. Less likely to be associated with Ninian who sailed alone.
"Do they dare attack Captain Fargus and the Davros? They must be mad!" He spat out.
Dart took a closer glance at the flag. It looked like two birds flapping with the bottom bird with three ends (Jaffar's tattoo). Ike seemed to recognize it as the pattern that a villager drew to signify a Fang's judgment passed on a corrupt noble.
"What flag are they flying? I've never seen that pattern before." Dart questioned to the others.
"Is it the Black Fang...?" Ike whispered to himself.
"These seas belong to us! Whoever they are, they're in our waters! This is a day for strange occurrences, it seems. You whelps watch your own hides. We've no time to waste on you!" Fargus shouted out waving them off.
But it seems as though the passengers on the ship ignored the captain and only prepared their tomes. They were all shamans, like Canas. Soon, the Davros ship shakes, and everyone begins panicking. Soon, another one of Fargus's men yells out from belowdeck.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaa! Water! The hull's been breached! We're taking on water!" the pirate called out. Dart immediately went into where his fellow pirate was located.
"Damn... Florina, Heath, we need fliers out here! Cavalry, we need you to be on standby. Knights, guard the entrances! Spellcasters! Prepare your tomes!" Ike ordered to the troops whether it were Lycians or his men. Everyone scrambled to prepare for battle.
Fargus turned to the direction his men shouted. "Breached? These scum are more dangerous than I'd thought!" He prepared his axe for counterattack until Dart returned while soaked.
"It's bad, Captain! We need all hands belowdecks, or we'll sink!" Dart called out.
Wil and Rebecca looked worried upon Dart's announcement with the rest of the passengers on the Davros. Priscilla and Rath went off with the other cavalry to prepare their horses for battle. Canas and Erk came out holding their tomes for battle.
"Take care of it! I'm going to carve these scallywags some new gizzards!" Fargus replied while brandishing his killer axe.
Only for Dart to shake his head and respond urgently: "We need your help! The water's up to the galley! You must come below, Captain!"
"Grrr…" Fargus growled out.
"Fargus! Leave the enemy to us!" Eliwood called out. Hector also added his piece: "Fighting is something we're good at! But a sinking ship? That's your affair! You have to do something, or we'll all drown!"
"Our armies will defend ourselves, Fargus. We'll deal with them ourselves." Ike assured to Fargus while preparing his blade.
"We'll deal with things up here. Please! Hurry!" Lyn cried out.
"Fine! The deck is yours! I'll be back as soon as we've plugged the breach in the hull!" As he said that, he went down the stairs into the leaking hull. Ninian had to be placed with the other non-combatants like Merlinus and Anna.
The ship's anchor had to immediately be dropped to halt it, giving time for the enemy ships to flank both ends of the Davros ship east to west. The western ship holding shamans and eastern ship holding it's sword fighters and archers. They immediately readied their planks to connect both ends, in order to cross into Fargus's ship. A third ship was not far from them, approaching them from the South.
"Florina, Heath!" Ike called out upon their arrival. They came out with Huey and Hyperion along with all the other horse riders on their steeds.
""Yes, commander!"" They replied.
"Both of you, take a ground troop and engage with the South ship!" He ordered to which they saluted.
Bartre and Guy seemed eager to be taken, so the former was carried with Heath and the latter by Florina. They flew to engage with the southern ship which was going to approach the stern.
"Any archers! Two at both ends, fire your arrows on them!" To which Lyn, Rath, Rebecca and Wil readied their bows and began to fire at the Black Fang on both ends of the ship. Many of their combatants were pelted by arrows by the Lycians and Sacaens and quickly took cover or attempted to avoid the onslaught. Their archers attempted to retaliate only to get shot at by Rath and Wil. Yet they still managed to connect both ends of the ship with their planks.
"Drat! Lucius, Canas, Raven, Priscilla! You're all coming with me to engage with the Shamans. Cavalry, use your lances and javelins to engage with the enemies in the East!" Ike announced. He then turned to Erk gesturing to target the distinct shaman wearing brown robes, who nodded, holding green tome. Erk knew what to do.
"""Aye, Commander!"""
Unsheathing his blade, he looked at Lyn who readied her Mani Katti beside him, he looked to the ship filled with shamans.
"Charge!"
The fliers along with Bartre and Guy were engaged with the enemy, their numbers unimpressive compared to the other ship. Yet they held a fierce bite. The enemy pegasus fliers began their own counterattack at Heath and Florina. But the pair did not relent.
Sword fighter, myrmidons, shamans came out in droves to fight Guy and Bartre. Guy stood silent for a moment, closing his eyes for a brief second before opening them, and pointed his blade at the shaman. He then launched his blade up into the air which seemed to glisten in the sun and then jumped to join it, somersaulting himself and grabbing his blade.
SOLAR-
Dropping himself downwards with enormous centrifugal force with his left leg bent forward, instantly causing a gash on the shaman. The shaman having received a fatal hit, fell down the next moment. Guy's own slight cuts he endured immediately healed, almost like a Nosferatu tome. The enemy combatants eyes widened. They raised their blade to counterattack and reach Guy. However, Guy was not done with his attack. He quickly pivoted right leg and maneuvered a right turn with his blade positioned horizontally.
-Eclipse
A 360 degree horizontal slash was done in an instant, felling the swordfighters who surrounded him. Solar Eclipse. The counterpart to Lunar Eclipse. Launching oneself into the air then use a ground attack while Lunar Eclipse did the opposite. Both techniques held the mystical properties of the original respective techniques. Something Guy desperately trained and practiced having witnessed his companions utilize their techniques from the occultic scrolls. And there was one technique he witnessed from the woman he dueled a year ago. One he had yet to master despite being an extraordinary swordsman himself. To reach that level of skill required training, practice, battles and intensive observation of others.
Bartre who witnessed this felt briefly reminded of the lone ravenette, a Sacaen who he thought was a beautiful girl. She was considered a terror across coliseums, and one who delivered him defeat in the Western Isles. He grinned, seeing a shadow of her on Guy and quickly went on the offensive on the awestruck enemies.
"I can't just fall behind! Not until I've improved to match her skill!" He yelled out.
He had to keep going forward, improving his swings of the axe, his speed, even techniques. All to one day prove himself to the greatest warrior he had ever met.
The south ship had fallen to the counteroffensive shortly after.
Eliwood and Hector climbed aboard the eastern ship, with the archers (Rebecca, Wil and Rath) supporting them alongside their cavalry. Oswin remained stationed at the entrance to the rooms, preventing any stragglers from reaching the non-combatants.
Eliwood lunged forward with his rapier pointed towards the enemy swordfighter, and thrusted his blade at his foe, piercing the enemy in a clean strike. He was approached by another swordsman who went on the offensive while his blade was still inside his enemy, only to be cut down by Hector, who raised his axe in time.
"I've got your back, Eliwood!" Hector called out. Only for Eliwood to smile back at his best friend.
"So do I, Hector!" Eliwood replied.
They heard a sound of footsteps, or rather horses across the planks. Marcus and Lowen soon galloped across the makeshift bridge, reaching their lord.
""At your service, milord!"" They announced. Before running with their steeds with lances in hand to engage with the enemy.
They will defend themselves and their companions no matter what. The eastern ship soon fell at the same time as the western ship.
Zoldam, the shaman leader leading the attack narrowed his eyes at the army defending well against their attack.
"All we want is the girl. Kill the rest." Looking over to his fellow shamans, he continued: "Don't worry about any ambush. Board their ship."
Some of them began to shake their heads. Their enemies were too fierce for them. Only for Zoldam to sigh to himself.
"You don't know how to fight? Go now, or die here…" As he spoke those words, he readied his luna tome for them to hurry up. Otherwise he would kill them personally. His tome was a powerful one. One that would bypass magical defenses and resistance.
His subordinates soon tensed up and fervently nodded, readying their tomes. The Lycian lords decided to bring the fight to the eastern ship, having boarded the eastern ship. Engaged with the swordfighters and archers on that ship. In any event, it was unlikely for their forces to breech against the knights who were stationed to protect non-combatants. Moreover, the southern ship appeared to be delayed due to the counterattack by the Davros.
The mercenary leader seemed to take his men (and a healer). One of them was even a shaman. No matter. He would fight them regardless.
As the shamans began casting their flux and nosferatu spells, he felt a chill and gust of air circling around him.
'Could it be!?' He quickly shifted to the side.
Blizzard
Shards of ice emerged from his position. Evading the ice He gritted his teeth, noticing a purple wavy haired lad chanting away from a long distance. Far from where his luna spell could reach. No Fimbulvetr spell could reach this far, the advanced anima ice tome couldn't act with the same range as a Bolting tome.
Erk in the meantime narrowed his eyes at his opponent who escaped his spell. His mastery of the wind element allowed him access to decipher his newest long-ranged tome. Despite being reminiscent of a Fimbulvetr tome, it was a long-range elemental wind tome that whose spell created chilled winds at opponents, enough to create ice. While water element tomes existed in Tellius (but mostly prohibited for similar reasons like elder magic), not all of them would produce ice, highlighting how the communion of nature or spirit of all things can produce the same or similar effects across elements. He would inquire for anima spells more pertaining to water element the next time either to Ike or Anna.
Nevertheless, he wasted a spell in an ambush, leaving just four more attempts. Just as he attempted to once again cast his spell, he frowned at someone approaching from behind his target.
Meanwhile, Zoldam wondered how that mage managed to cast a Fimbulvetr spell from a distance. He needed to advance forward to the other enemies who were engaged with his fellow shamans, who were quickly being felled at an impressive speed. Just as he was ready to open his tome and begin to chant, he found he couldn't speak, he stood still as someone took his tome along with his guiding ring from behind him. His eyes widened as he recognized the man with slicked-back long gray hair with two distinct scars running across the left side of his face over his eye. Zoldam's mouth began to spill blood, touching his neck, he found that it was bleeding.
"H-Hurricane..." He voiced out, before falling forward. His assailant holding a grin towards his victim.
"Hmph. I wonder if they'll accept this peace offering of mine." Legault murmured to himself with the Luna tome and guiding ring in hand, before turning to the party that entered the boat with him. The battle was done in a blink of an eye, with everyone having boarded the enemy ship and defeated all the other shamans except the leader, who was taken care of by Legault.
He hid in one of the rooms as a stowaway, sneaking past until reaching a porthole in a ship and exiting through there while no one was looking during the battle to an opening where he jumped onto the opposing ship and climbed. He quickly dispatched other mages and shamans along the way. In any event, they all witnessed him killing the enemy leader. Ike then approached Legault, with blade sheathed, yet held at the pommel out of caution.
"Who are you?" Ike asked to which Legault smiled.
"Consider me a Fang enacting judgment..." To which everyone narrowed their eyes at Legault. "And none of you are worth being judged."
Their eyebrows were raised out of suspicion towards this man.
"Just to show my sincerity..." He unbuckled his holster which held his blades along with the enemy loot he plundered in front and raising both of his hands to surrender. He already knew of a fellow thief who snuck past behind him, ready to strike. Despite Legault holding greater skill than Matthew, it was still a risky play to engage in combat with everyone on the ship.
"Just to let you know, Brendan Reed is not your enemy, that creepy fellow by the name of Nergal, is..." He spoke in a calm manner.
"We know...Still, you mentioned that you're still Black Fang. I'll ask again, who are you?" Ike repeated with his hand still on the hilt.
"The man who gave you that little tip back in Caelin about Eubans, and the one who informed the Lycian lords of the attack on Caelin, to which they couldn't immediately respond to, of course." Legault responded truthfully. "My name is Legault, also known to most in the Fang as... the Hurricane. Consider me the one guy to clean house with the others who are instigating conflicts across Lycia."
Ike pondered about the person who helped prepare him against Laus reinforcements. Hector who finally finished alongside Eliwood. He remained glaring at Legault, filled with the most suspicion alongside Matthew who stood ready with knife in hand. But for now, they'll take his words into consideration and keep him hostage.
As all the others who finished the battle, as well as the ones returning from the Southern ship, they approached Legault, until they heard call of Fargus from belowdeck, rushing out from the stairs. Dart and his men who were all soaked from the leaks came running back up to deck.
"Ahoy! I'm back! Now, who wants to die first?" He spoke while brandishing his axe. Only to look at his surroundings and bring his weapon down. "What's this? You've routed 'em already? Nicely done, whelps!" Fargus then laughed heartily with his crew laughing with him.
After laughing, he then turned to their newest "prisoner". Legault gestured a wave to the captain, who then sported a raise of the eyebrow.
"And you even captured a prisoner... do we need to have him walk the plank?" To which Ike shook his head. Fargus then shrugged his head and responded: "Alright, we have a room with shackles."
Legault then shrugged to himself, at least he kept his life. He'll have to await their interrogation before all suspicions were cleared. Manacles were placed on his arms to prevent escape and was to be escorted to one of the rooms on the ship.
Just as everyone was about to clear away the mess, Ninian appeared out onto the deck. She walked unsteadily, wandering on the battlefield that took place. Lyn's eyes widened at her appearance out on the deck.
"Ah! Ninian! You can't come out yet! There's blood everywhere!" Lyn warned to Ninian, who remained dazed.
"…Blood?" She murmured out, before stepping once again.
She found herself slipping on the blood puddle on the ship.
"Look out!" Eliwood called out, quickly dashing to her before she fell.
She found herself in the arms of the red-haired Lycian lord.
"…Ah! I'm sorry." She apologized.
Ike quickly caught up with the pair. Looking concerned towards Ninian, who was gently held stably by Eliwood.
"Are you OK? Ninian?" Ike asked. Ninian found herself frowning, out of unfamiliarity.
"Ninian? Is that…me? Is that…my name?" She voiced out.
Amnesia? While Ike had his problems with memories, Ninian was a different case. In any event, she did not seem to recognize anyone.
"Ninian!" Lyn voiced out in surprise. "What's happened to you…"
Ninian shook her head to get out of her stupor. She then finally observed her surroundings and spoke: "…I… My head…is so foggy. Am I…at sea?"
Ike, Lyn and Eliwood nodded at her inquiry.
"Yeah. We found you adrift in a small boat. We didn't find you with your little brother, Nils." Ike explained.
"Nils... Nils..." She whispered out.
It seemed as though the mention of her brother resonated with her. At any rate, they needed to inquire more from their latest prisoner. For now, the battle was won against the Black Fang.
