Chapter XVII: A Pathetic Betrayal
'How much damn marching are we going to do?' Ragna thought to himself in slight annoyance as the Shepherds traveled along the eastern countryside. He realized what they were doing was for the safety of the Emmeryn, but that didn't mean that he wanted to spend hours doing nothing but walking. He wanted something to fight, not just jagged mountain terrain to travel across… but maybe he needed to think this through. 'Whenever I get too hot headed I just end up getting into more trouble… let's just take it slow for now, something tells me that I'll have my chance soon enough anyways.'
As the troops passed a group of trees on the side of the mountain, Ragna felt his arm and eye pulse as they detected the nearby Risen. Ragna rolled his eyes as he realized he'd been asking for this, but at the same time it wasn't a complete loss for the Reaper; he'd take all of the aggression he had pent up on the Risen and try to get some practice in with his currently developing spellcraft. He sped walked forward to catch up with Chrom, Lissa, Frederick, Robin, and their guide at the front.
"Found some Risen in the woods," Ragna told them. "I'll deal with 'em and be back quick as I can."
"Surprised you're telling us," Chrom told him in response, though he didn't exactly seem to be irked by it. "Normally you'd just run off on your own and leave it to the rest of us to figure out what happened to you."
"That still sounds kind of tempting, but I don't like what's going on here; everything about this march is setting me off," Ragna told him seriously.
"I-I suppose it's natural, given the state of war that we're in," their guide and the old ally Chrom had told Ragna about spoke nervously. "I w-wouldn't be surprised if that Aversa woman had something planned… It was a terrible decision to bring her with a us."
"Tch, I'll say the same thing about dragging you along," Ragna said bluntly, leaving the noble to sputter at his harsh words. As he headed for trees, he couldn't help but overhear what the tag-along old man was saying about him to Chrom, assuming he had regular hearing and that he was out of earshot.
"T-That man seems like quite the brutish vagrant. Prince Chrom, I implore you to reconsider the unconditional trust you've given him. His decisions could have terrible effects on your army and lead to a terrible turning point for the kingdom."
"How can you say something like that?" Ragna heard Robin demand, her tone seeming rather hostile. "Ragna's been working beyond the point of exhaustion for the Shepherd's ever since he's joined and he's helped us all to improve drastically! How you can say that he's a liability is beyond me."
"Y-yes, that may be true, but he's certainly taken quite a few risks; even after he, er, left his position as head tactician. H-how can we expect him not to betray us if he doesn't accept our authority enough to listen to basic orders?"
"Because we trust him," Frederick told the Hierarch, surprising the eavesdropping Reaper. Frederick was taking his side? What was the world coming to? "Though he's had no obligation to us, he's continued to fight for us when we've needed him the most and since then he's done nothing fight on behalf of the entire Shepherd's force. If it weren't for him I fear we'd have lost several friends in this point of our journey. His actions might not be the most… tempered, but he's never meant ill to any of us."
"But he still…"
"Peace," Phila told him from where she sat atop her Pegasus. "I know you mean well Hierarch, but I've known both Prince Chrom and Sir Frederick to be excellent judges of character. I suggest we put our own trust in their judgement"
"A-as you say…" the Hierarch said from afar, leading to the Reaper to roll his eyes as he finally decided to head for the tree line like he'd said he would.
The trees seemed to appear healthy and very much alive at the edge of the road, but the further Ragna traveled the more signs he saw of claw marks and decay. The Risen were killing the plant life with just their mere presence, which gave him all the more reason to wipe these things out now. A large blob of a Risen then decided to show itself. It was the Revenant type; the type that wore a leather bag over its head and attacked mainly by using its claws and could avoid attacks by turning its body into a puddle of ooze, in general this made them difficult for the average soldier to deal with but Ragna wasn't anywhere close to average.
The creature gave off a pathetic groan before melting into a puddle and shifting around on the floor, quickly approaching Ragna. The Reaper rolled his eyes at the pitiful attempt before the monster rapidly reformed before him with its claws extended to stab into his flesh. In response his right arm shot out with a solid punch to the creature's head, so powerful that it impaled through the sack and burst out the other side. The Revenant moaned as its body slowly dissolved into shadows that became absorbed by Ragna's Azure Grimoire.
It was then that the foliage around the Reaper shifted as several different Risen revealed themselves; some wielding axes, others wielding swords, and there was even a few in knight's armor. Ragna didn't draw his sword just yet, he simply stood in the center, glancing as the monsters shuffled around him. Then the Risen rushed forward towards him and he began to respond with an unarmed offensive.
He dodged a Risen's axe swing from behind him by sidestepping the attack and twisted into a roundhouse kick to the back of its head with enough force to knock its head off and destroy the body. A second Risen attempted to rush forward and impale him on a short spear, but Ragna easily avoided the attack before grabbing the weapon's shaft and throwing the Risen soldier off of it.
Ragna might not have had experience using lances, but like any good warrior he could quickly adapt (or get serious and switch to his own weapon). Ragna started by stabbing into a myrmidon and then flipped the lance and performed a horizontal slash with the point on three Risen, carving them quickly. The Reaper then threw his weapon and impaled it through two Risen that dispersed into dark energy for his arm to absorb.
"Not a bad meal," Ragna said looking at his arm before cringing slightly. That simple sentence had reminded him about someone he'd really rather not think about. Someone who'd given him more trouble than most and had lived only to fight strong opponents and devour them (whatever that meant). While the Reaper was occupied with his thoughts, the three armored risen approached him with lances so he decided he'd waster enough time. Ragna simply took the Aramasa and hacked through their armor like it was paper. The last four of the Risen approached him from a distance, leading him to send out a Thunder, Wind, and Fire spell as quickly as he could, quickly downing three of them.
Lean on Me
"One left," Ragna said as the last warrior risen warrior approached him. The Reaper did nothing, not even flinching in the slightest as a bolt of darkness passed near him and slammed into the monster, and destroyed it. "Was wondering when you were going to show yourself," he said to the woman behind him.
"When I saw you leaving for the tree line my curiosity simply got the better of me," Aversa told him as she placed her darkness tome back on her hip. "That and I felt like I should have a chance to take my aggression out on these Risen."
"Take some aggression out?" Ragna asked as he looked to the where the Risen had been standing. "What the hell did these things do to you?"
"Nothing, but it's more of what they represent," Aversa told him, her face seeming to be filled with disgust at the thought. "I told you earlier that some assume that the Risen can be seen as a representation of Grima's influence and power? The Grimleal can be considered the ones who spread his influence, and I can't stand anything to deal with that cult save for my Pegasus that's still in Plegia. Erasing these Risen will help to erase some of the work they've done, work that I was responsible for..."
"If that's what keeps you moving," Ragna said as he crossed his arms. "So… what do you think about that bad actor who's traveling with us?"
"The Hierarch? He's not making himself well hidden in the slightest," Aversa said with a roll of her eyes. "He has to be the spy that let the assassins into the castle last night. No, spy is too fair of a word, traitor seems more appropriate. But how were you able to tell after only talking to him for as short as you did?"
"I'm pretty decent at reading people," Ragna told the ex-Grimleal with a shrug. "It's helped keep me alive more than a couple of times."
"Really?" Aversa asked, her tone seeming slightly sultry to our Reaper. "Then if you're so good at reading, what can you say about me?"
"Well you're a bit harder to figure than the idiot from earlier, but from what I can tell you're loyal and strangely adaptable. You cared a lot about that asshole Validar and his cult when you were following him, but now that you know what he was really doing you don't seem to have any quips about tearing it all down," Ragna told her. "That's a change of policy if I've ever heard of one."
"And you seem to be one of the few that accept me for it," Aversa said with a sad smile. "I suppose I should have expected it, but it seems as though the Shepherds won't trust me just yet. I still have doubts that they ever will."
"Hey, just give it some time," Ragna assured her. "They'll warm up to you eventually, I mean hell, took some work but I think even Freddy's starting to get along with me. I guess it might help if you've got someone to relate to… I don't know, make a friend or something. Spend some time with the Shepherds instead of keeping to yourself. Maybe spend some time with me first and let everyone know that you're a decent person as a start."
"Oh?" Aversa said with a suggestive smile. "Am I hearing an offer to spend more time with me? Or is it more of a plea? I didn't think you were that clingy Ragna."
"Who's clingy?! I'm offering to help you dammit!" Ragna yelled, before noticing Aversa's small laugh at his outburst. "Shit, played again huh?"
"Like a lute," Aversa said smiling with equal amounts of mock and contentedness. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this little friendship of ours."
"Bully for you," Ragna muttered before giving an exasperated smile; maybe it wasn't what he had in mind to help Aversa, but it was something he was at least familiar with.
Support Rank C Obtained with Aversa
The two then left the tree line and headed to follow the rest of the convoy. Aversa had decided to remain close to Ragna for now, so the two were now at the front with Chrom and the others, suspected Noble included. Instead of calling out the Noble where he stood and leading to a heated debate, Ragna decided to stay silent and see where things went.
"So… tired…" Ragna heard Lissa complain from beside him as the group kept walking. "How much longer are we going to have to go?"
"C'mon Lissa," Chrom said with a chuckle. "This is only a walk through the countryside. You can handle this much after our travelling can't you?"
"I'm with Lissa on this one," Robin agreed through her panting breaths. "This mountain trek is starting to tire me. My legs feel like pudding."
"Heh, should I carry you then?" Chrom asked with a small smirk, which turned to a shudder as Robin glared at him.
"You can carry me!" Lissa exclaimed, stomping her feet. "No.. seriously… carrying me would be nice."
"Don't count on it princess," Ragna muttered gruffly to her. "Walking never killed anyone."
"Well it's killing my feet!" Lissa shouted as she tackled Ragna from behind and latched onto him.
'Hey what the hell!?" Ragna yelled as he tried shake the young lady from his back without success. Robin giggled at the display while Chrom rolled his eyes at the struggle. "Get off dammit! I ain't carrying you!"
"I can't walk another step; Just let me rest for a little bit," Lissa told him as she continued to cling to him… something that honestly should have been taking more of an effort than simply continuing to walk.
"Rest on one of the horses then!" Ragna shouted. "I'm not a pack mule for crying out loud!" In the midst of trying to get Lissa of his back (literally), the Reaper saw a large force approaching from far away. "Chrom! We're gonna have company!"
"I see them!" Chrom shouted as he drew Falchion and Lissa quickly got off of Ragna. "Damn it! How the hell did they know we were here?!"
"Someone talked," Ragna said darkly as the forces approached. He already knew that they were Plegian from the crimson armor that they were bearing. He also caught sight of several Wyvern's in the sky. "Chrom, you willing to trust me on this?"
"You're asking me this now!?" Chrom shouted as the force got closer. "Just do what you need to!"
"If you insist," Ragna told him as he grabbed the Hierarch by his neck and hoisted him into midair. Chrom and the others were about to yell at Ragna to stop as the man in grip let out a frightened scream, but the Reaper didn't give them a chance. "Listen up you bastards! I've got your spy right here! Back off now or I'll break his neck!"
"Spy?" Chrom said in sudden realization, as the Hierarch struggled to get free of Ragna's grip. "Th-that's not true is it?"
"Aw, looks like they figured the little piggy out!" they heard one of the wyvern riders shout with a sneer. The Plegian army stood at the ready at the rider's signal, waiting to see how things played out.
"P-please… h-help me," the Hierarch said in plea. "I brought them here! I did everything I was told! Validar and Gangrel said I could live if I did as they ordered!"
"And there's the problem pig; Validar just got slaughtered didn't he? Man can't keep his word if he's dead and Gangrel won't give a damn!" the same rider said. "But I'm feeling generous; take out one of those fools and you can ride back with us to Plegia after we water the ground with Ylissean blood!"
Though the Hierarch looked even paler and clearly afraid for his life, his arm slowly inched towards his coat. Chrom starred on, hoping desperately that one of his oldest allies would stop.
"Don't try it," Ragna threatened, but the fool didn't listen as he hurriedly took a dagger out of his coat and frantically moved to stab the Reaper.
"No!" Chrom shouted running at the two, driving his sacred blade into the man who'd he'd always imagined would stand by his sister through whatever trials she and Ylisse would face, but had just proved he'd throw all of that away for some petty form of self-preservation. The Hierarch gave a sudden jerk as the blade pierced through him before dying. Ragna threw the body to the side, giving it a slight glare before turning his attention to the approaching army.
"Well that was interesting," the wyvern captain noted. "Now… KILL THEM ALL!" His battalion roared as they rushed towards the Shepherds, weapons drawn and tomes brandished.
"Phila! Stay with my sister! Robin! Get our troops organized! And Ragna-!" Chrom then noticed the Hierarch's knife, now impaled in the Grim Reaper's heart. Chrom's eyes widened as he realized he'd been too late to execute the traitor. Lissa, Aversa, and even Fredrick realized what had happened and their faces went taught with horror.
Ragna himself looked down to finally notice the knife, but didn't seem to think anything of it. Giving a shrug, he simply pulled the knife out like he was removing a splinter and threw it to the ground. "Next time make up your mind a little faster," he scolded Chrom. "Come on, we got a fight to finish."
"But what about your heart?" Lissa asked as she went forward toward Ragna with her healing stave, sending a small turquoise glow over the wound.
"...Thanks," Ragna told her as he brandished the Aramasa. 'I didn't need the healing 'cause I have my own regeneration, but now might not be the best time to bring that up.' "You were saying, Chrom?"
"You're with me," the prince told him as he faced toward the oncoming threat. Despite himself, the Lord smirked. "Right down the middle?"
"Why not? Let's change it up a bit," Ragna said with a sarcastic smirk of his own as the two forces charged towards each other.
Ragna sent a Dead Spike towards the enemy which smashed into several lance users and sent them flying. Chrom blocked a slash from an axe user before pushing the weapon forward and impaling Falchion into the barbarian. He quickly dodged another slash from an enemy swordsman and retaliated by cutting him down.
Ragna dodged an incoming stab from a lance wielding cavalier with ease, before cutting down the rider with his sword. He then swept his left hand and sent out a wind spell at a knight and downed it with the magic attack. While Chrom was busy finishing off an armored knight by thrusting Falchion into it, an enemy soldier came from behind to attack him with a lance. He was forced to let go of his sword to dodge the attack. As the soldier went for a second attack, Chrom grabbed the steel lance's shaft and managed to yank it out of the soldier's hands.
'I guess Frederick was right to teach me lancework when I was younger,' Chrom thought as he impaled the soldier with his new weapon before using it to block the sword of an enemy myrmidon, hitting him with the blunt of the lance like a quarterstaff, using it to knock his opponent off guard before finishing him off.
"Chrom!" Ragna shouted as he finished of a squad of lance users in a single cleave of his sword. He then performed a roundhouse kick on Falchion which was still impaled inside a knight, sending it through the victim's back and spiraling towards Chrom. The Prince let out a yelp as he barely managed to catch the sword.
"Don't just kick a sword at me! You could have taken my head off!" Chrom shouted as he deflected a barbarian's axe with falchion before proceeding to stab again his lance. Two thieves then came at Chrom, but the Prince managed to block both of their attacks with his lance before he cut across their chests with a single slash of his sword. 'The Falchion and a lance together? I might actually have something here…'
Meanwhile above the two, Cordelia and Sumia were engaged in an air battle with the wyverns and their riders. The two were at a slight disadvantage due to them using lances against the wyverns powerful axes, but what they lost in the weapons triangle, they more than made up for in their skill and agility. As one of the riders swung its axe at the redhead, Cordelia dove downward and avoided it, leaving the enemy open to be attacked by Sumia. While gaining momentum for her dive, Cordelia managed to swerve her mount in order to impale another wyvern rider.
Down below, Robin shouted command after command out to the troops, directing them with both ease and brilliance, though she did not shirk from her duties in combat either. She'd been studying up on her spellcraft recently, and had upgraded her lightning tome to be able to cast Elthunder. As she managed to take down a wyvern with her spell, an enemy barbarian broke through the line and made for her in a blood driven and feral manner before being blasted in the back by a Elfire spell. Robin turned her head to see that the runaway bride, Elphelt Valentine, had been the one to protect her. Giving the woman a nod of thanks, the tactician went back to her job.
"That's it! No more screwing around!" Chrom heard the commander say before hearing the high pitched sound of a wyvern diving though the air. Chrom's reflexes barely allowed him to dodge the axe swing that had been aimed for his head. "Time to die Princy!" he heard the commanding rider shout.
"God! Just shut up already!" Ragna shouted as he flung his arm to cast another wind spell. As he did, the BlazBlue gave off a turquoise spark as the size of the spell drastically increased giving off a larger blast of wind that tore the wyvern rider to shreds, protecting Chrom from the second assault.
"Looks like we're done here," Ragna said as he twirled his sword around a few times before resetting it back on his weapon belt. The enemy had been completely routed, though none of the Pelagians had accepted capture, opting to fight to the last man once more. "So you managed to add a spear to your regular sword style?"
"It has a bit of an odd feel to it, but I think I can create my own style out of this," Chrom told his friend as he sheathed his sword, but still carried the lance he'd acquired over his shoulder since he had no other way to carry it. "But what about you? You just managed to use a Novice level spell without a tome like it was nothing."
"Well I've got my arm remember?" Ragna told him. "But I actually didn't have to rely on it as much this time, I think I'm just starting to get the feel for this world's spellcraft. Kinda surprised you haven't tried your hand at it."
"Some people have an aptitude for magic, some people are meant for physical combat, I just happen to be the later," Chrom told him as the two started to head back.
"That so?" Ragna said to him. "You know when I was a kid they told me I'd never be able to use Ars Magus, told me I didn't have the aptitude for it." He glanced at his arm with a cocky grin. "But that didn't stop me. Sometimes talent isn't everything."
"That sounds like something Sully would say," Chrom noted as they approached Emmeryn and Phila. The Exalt was sitting on one of the roadside rocks, a very dour mood on her face like Ragna had seen her with the previous night. "Are you alright Emm?"
"I'm safe," she told him. "But the Hierarch betrayed us? He was always one of our most trustworthy allies, what will happen to the people of Ylisse now?"
"I don't know, but we need to get you somewhere safe," Chrom said. "Even if we solve this war if we lose you, we lose everything."
"I am not Ylisse itself Chrom," Emmeryn told her brother. "I do not represent the entire nation; I only rule it as best I can."
"Sorry to interrupt," Ragna said to the group. "But we've got someone coming in from the west." The group turned their head to the object, which was still mostly a blot on the horizon. "Looks like a Pegasus, a badly wounded one."
Indeed it was, though badly wounded was a merciful description. Both the rider and her mount had several arrow shot into both of them and were covered in blood. Every flap of the Pegasus's wings were slow and labored and the rider was slumped forward in her saddle. The Pegasus gave a haunting high pitched whine before plummeting into the ground.
"Cordelia, Sumia, you're with me!" Phila commanded. "And make sure you bring a vulnerary with you!" With that the three Pegasus riders took off towards the downed rider. Ragna and the others stayed back, waiting in anticipation for the downed rider. About ten minutes later they returned, the three's faces a mixture of disparity and grimness. "That… that was Cleo… she was my second in command…"
"Second in command?" Ragna asked before realizing what she meant. "You left her in charge back at the Capital?"
"Yes… Gangrel has invaded Ylisse," she said, her gauntlet gripped in anger. "And what was worse is the Pegasus Knights… my sisters…. He slaughtered them all. His armies are barely a half day behind ours."
"And that son of a bitch is supposed to be a king," Ragna growled before starting westward. "This ends now."
"Ragna wait!" Emmeryn called to him. "You'd be facing the entire Plegian army."
"Good, not much of a point if I don't send a clear message," he responded.
"I can't allow you to go not like this!" Emmeryn demanded running forward and standing in Ragna's way. "I will not condone bloodshed with further bloodshed, do you not see what this will do to us?"
"Don't you get how many people he's killed!?" Ragna demanded. "He's a madman hell bent on massacring an entire kingdom! YOUR kingdom! His kind won't listen to reason!"
"Which is why I'm stopping you; I know you still will," Emmeryn said to him with resolve, her eyes not giving in to the Reaper's fierce glare. "I won't let you become the leader of your own massacre. Ragna, if you leave now your action could make you the same as Gangrel."
"Too late, I've already got plenty of blood on my hands remember?" Ragna reminded her.
"Yes, but that was your own fight in your own war," Emmeryn told him as the rest of the Shepherds simply looked on, not feeling prepared to interfere with the current argument. "You told me that this was your second chance, a new beginning in your life, I won't let you throw that away."
"I'm not throwing it away I'm doing it for the Shepherds; I'm doing it for my family!" Ragna shouted.
"I know you are, but what will happen to Plegia? To its citizens? Just imagine their world after your attack. Families stripped apart from the carnage, starvation in the streets, the people in constant fear of Ylisse; wounds that would never heal for generations leading to further wars and deeper bloodshed." Emmeryn sighed. "Ragna, don't do this. Let me talk to Gangrel; if I speak with him I know we can come to terms."
"And what if he doesn't listen, what if kills you? What then!?" the Reaper shouted.
"...Then so be it," Emm told him.
"You can't be serious!" Chrom shouted. "Emm, Ylisse needs you! The Shepherds need you! Lissa and I need you!"
"But it must be done," the Exalt told her brother before taking what appeared to be a small shield out of the folds of her robe. "I'll need you to hold onto this for me."
"The Fire Emblem, but Emmeryn…"
"Sis…" Lissa said with tear filled eyes.
As she handed Chrom the Emblem, the Exalt gave her siblings the warm smile that Ragna had remembered from first seeing the her, the one filled with light, with hope, with peace. "Don't cry," she said softly as she embraced her siblings. "Phila, I know my mission may be a vain one, but-"
"You don't have to finish that sentence milady," the leader of the Pegasus knights told her. "I swore to protect you wherever you may go."
Emmeryn gave a sad nod before turning to Ragna. "Can I trust you to be my siblings safe on the road to Regna Ferox? I know I'm already asking you far too much to stay behind for me, but-"
"I'll do it," Ragna interrupted in agreement, though he clearly wasn't happy with it. "But you've got a family to come back to, I won't forgive you if you die out there."
"I understand…" Emmeryn said. "Naga's grace to all of you." And with that, Emmeryn and Phila mounted the Pegasus and flew back to the capital.
"...I should get the troops organized to march," Robin said gloomily as she headed back to the rest of the Shepherds.
"Yeah…" Chrom agreed. "I'll go with you."
With the rest of group heading out, Ragna stood and watched the distant shadow as Emm and Phila continued their journey.
"You still have your doubts?" Frederick asked from beside him. The Reaper slowly nodded. "Then why let her go?"
"...I'll give her ideal peace a chance… and save her from it if I have to."
Author's Note: This chapter's undergone editing, so the reviews and author's not have been removed as the story and its direction has likely changed since the original posting.
From Fear to Respect
Ragna yawned as the Shepherd's made camp for the night, setting up tents in order to endure another night in the wilderness. Ragna himself was already used to sleeping out in the open at night, he didn't mind the cold and watching the stars beat protection from the wind in his book.
Since he didn't have a tent to set up, he decided to appoint himself to the guy who'd hang back and keep watch, maybe get a little alone time to himself.
"Anything to report?"
Or not. Ragna turned his head to the source of the voice of his old… rival? Ally? He didn't really know what to call Tager. "Silent as ever I guess," he said in response. "Don't you have sensors for this kind of thing?"
"Indeed, but without any guaranteed way of recharging I've decided to conserve power wherever I can. Sadly I don't think my systems will be able stay functioning long enough for society to develop electric power."
"Can you absorb it, lightning and electricity I mean?" Ragna decided to ask. At Tager's nod he sent out a small spark of a Thunder spell out at him, which Tager absorbed without discomfort. "Better?"
"Much, thank you. I have to say that I wasn't expecting such kindness after all the times we've traded blows."
"Meh, times changes and we're on the same side now right?" Ragna said passively.
"I don't suppose it's the times changing as much as it is you, or perhaps your setting just needed a better start," Tager said, adjusting his glasses. "You certainly seem much more at ease here, more so than when we've ever met."
"To be fair, I was never really in the best of moods when you saw me," Ragna told him.
"Is that right? Forgive me, but I was under the impression that you only had two moods; enraged or snarky."
"...Twist the dagger why dontcha?" Ragna grumbled.
"Well at least that's how I felt at the time, but now I'm more than a little confused. How could someone with a reputation so terrible be so respected in a militia like this one?"
Ragna chuckled. "Well for one thing I don't have that shitty bounty poster to deal with now."
"Meaning you're not a wanted man, or the poster itself?" Tager asked, remembering the fairly inaccurate caricature of Ragna the Bloodedge.
"Yes," Ragna answered, most likely his way of saying both. "I dunno, maybe it is the clean slate I got like you said; back home what was the first thing that made my name known? I wiped out a branch of the world government; not exactly a good greeting card. This world? I save a town and suddenly I'm everyone's best friend."
"I can only hope that this world will treat me as kindly…" Tager told him. "I have the distinct feeling that most of your Militia is more than a little unnerved at my appearance."
"They'll get used to you easily enough, I mean at least you don't have a toxic narcissistic personality like your boss." The insult at Kokonoe was pretty harsh, but oddly Tager didn't argue. "Miriel and Ricken seem to like you though."
"Oh yes, the mages. Well I prefer it if Miriel didn't want to... disassemble me."
"Heh," Ragna chuckled. "Always someone isn't it?"
"I'm afraid so… at least the child only wants to know how I got to be so tall."
"It's kind of a theme with him," Ragna explained. "But you'll get used to it, they're all good people."
"And they all seem to have a sense of respect for you," Tager noted. "I never imagined I'd say this to you of all people, but I look forward to fighting alongside you in the coming days."
"Same to you Red Dev- er, Tager," Ragna said in response, reminding himself that he didn't have to call the giant by his old title.
Support Rank C Obtained with Iron Tager