Chapter 1: Kinship’s Bond Chapter 3: Four-Fanged Offense
Well, there’s another chapter! Whoo Pent. Errybody loves Pent. I had a bit of trouble getting more than an impression for the underground part. I had a very strong vague impression, though. Lol. Anyway, I think this chapter might be a bit longer than usual. But not compared to the next chapter… Lots of exposition next chapter!
This chapter is the first place in my life that I read the word ‘brusque’, and I mispronounced it for several years afterward, so in consideration of my younger self, I have replaced it with a different word. : P
This story is now officially over 50,000 words, so I have ‘won’ NaNo in the more traditional way of writing 50,000 words on one story. But I’m at over 75,000. : P I’ll make it to at least 100,000 yet! Hopefully with enough time left over to maybe do some work on another story, like putting down some scenes from the Rifted Riders, or maybe finishing the JARVIS stuff. (I will post the JARVIS stuff too, but probably not until it’s been edited a few times – it’s pretty rough right now. I’m not used to writing modern day real life-AUs! With computers and stuff! I don’t think I’m cut out to write Clintasha, though, so I’ll just leave that where it is. XD Star Wars prequels can get written next NaNo, and I’ll start working on the Adhemlenei rewrite again come December. Along with playing some of my unplayed video games and learning to draw and working on my next organ concert and working on work music and wheee so much to do! (*continues writing FE7*)
Chapter 2: Living Legend
“You know what’s weird?” Hector said the next day, as they headed west again, passing through the Ryerde Canton on their way to the Nabata Desert. They would have to traverse a mountain range to get into the desert, and then they would have to skirt the southern edge to get to Missur, the most south-western edge of the continent. Altogether, the journey would take about a week, and they still had no idea who or what they were looking for. But Hector trusted his brother, and Eliwood trusted Hector, so off they went.
“What?” Lyn asked.
“Forgive me if this comes off as insensitive…”
“Like that ever happens,” she kept teasing him.
“Woman! Let me finish! …Like I was saying… Eliwood, last night my brother referred to you as Marquess Pherae. And that… well, I had forgotten, and that really startled me into realizing it. You are Marquess Pherae, Eliwood.”
“Um… I guess?” Eliwood said, sounding equally startled. “I didn’t think about it.”
“You’re probably the youngest Marquess in a while,” Hector said. “Definitely currently active, and probably the youngest to assume the title this generation…”
“Well, I’m twenty-one,” Eliwood reminded him. “Same as you. And actually my father assumed his title at the age of twenty, so…”
“Hm. I think my observation still stands. Anyway, sorry, just wanted to point that out.”
“It’s all right,” Eliwood said. “I’ll use my rank if I have to, but I think it probably won’t come up. It’s likely that we’re less lords and ladies with our retinues on this journey, and more soldiers on a mission.”
They made it to the border and the mountain passes without incident, and they were not attacked by bandits, which Ceniro found odd, but Hector pointed out that they were a fairly formidable group and common bandits were unlikely to bother them.
So they came to the Nabata Desert and began the long, hot trek across. At least Marquess Ostia had given them ample funds for supplies, and they were adequately nourished and hydrated. Still, it was uncomfortable at best, and hellish at worst.
“We probably… shouldn’t have done this… in the middle of summer,” Hector panted, climbing to the top of yet another dune. Sweat was streaming down his face, but no one wearing armour wanted to take it off in case they were attacked. Behind him, the cavalry struggled ankle-deep in the loose sand. In some places, the sand was compacted and firm, and they could ride across easily. But here in the dunes was a different matter.
Most of them were at least secretly jealous of the fliers – the two pegasus knights and the wyvern knight soared easily over their heads, keeping an eye on the surrounding terrain, especially now that the farseer was kaput. Ceniro forbade them to take on extra riders, so they would not overexert themselves, though the wyvern – Hyperion – smelled odd at the best of times and downright stank in the heat, so no one wanted to ride with him anyway. Heath shrugged and said he was used to it.
The second day in, Nils began to show signs of heat stroke. “So hot…” he moaned as he stumbled through the sand next to Lyn. “I feel like I’m going to die…”
“You’re not going to die, Nils,” she said kindly but firmly. “Here, have some more water. Did you originally come from a cold climate? I know Florina’s not very happy about this heat, either.”
“No one is,” Hector said, slogging along behind them. “But yeah, you’re looking pretty out of it. You want me to carry you?”
“Huh?” Nils said stupidly, staring at Hector with slackened jaw and wide, slightly unfocused crimson eyes.
Hector looked askance at that. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Such kindness from you surprised me, Lord Hector,” Nils said. “Am… am I dreaming? Do I have a fever?” He felt his forehead.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hector asked. “I just don’t want you to collapse again. Come on.” He held out his hand.
“Hector, normally you’re so gruff. No wonder he’s confused. It’s all right, Nils, let him help you,” said Lyn.
“Or you could ride with Merlinus?” Ceniro suggested.
“No, I’m good,” Nils said. “I’m sorry to complain… I know everyone here is having trouble…”
“Do as you’re told, boy!” Hector barked, and before Nils had time to do more than squawk in protest, he had scooped him up and placed him on his shoulders.
“Ahhhh!” Nils wailed, trying to find somewhere to hold on to. Hector had a firm hold of his legs, but he wobbled for a moment before finding his balance. “I-I’m going to fall-!”
“No, you’re not,” Ceniro said. “You’re fine. How’s Ninian doing?”
“Shh,” Lyn said, and pointed surreptitiously. “Eliwood’s taking care of her.” Indeed, the young lord was supporting Ninian as they walked together some distance away.
“So who or what do you think the ‘living legend’ is?” Ceniro asked, changing the subject entirely before Nils could get irritated with Eliwood again.
“I’m sure I have no idea,” Hector grunted. “Or why my brother told us to journey through this godsforsaken land… And we have another two days of this, too, before we get to Missur.”
“I wonder, might we journey more by night and rest by day?” Lyn asked. “It might be cooler.”
“It might, but who’s going to sleep in this heat?” Ceniro said.
“Lady Lyn, does it get hot in Sacae in the summer?” Nils asked.
“It gets pretty warm, but not like this,” Lyn said. “The grasses will get dry, and sometimes they’ll crackle under the horses’ hooves. Or sometimes a lightening storm will start a fire, and then everyone will gather in the village and protect the village from the fire. But afterwards, the plains quickly renew themselves.”
“What about the wandering hunters?” Ceniro asked.
“They come in, too,” Lyn said. “If they can make it in time. Every year, a couple are lost. But that’s the way of the world there.”
“You miss it, don’t you,” Hector said.
“Yes, very much. When I joined Ceniro last year, I had no idea I would be going so far away.”
“Sorry,” Ceniro said contritely. “I didn’t know either.”
“Then why are you apologizing?” Lyn said crossly. “It’s all Kent and Sain’s fault, not yours. And anyway, I don’t regret going, I just miss home. But it was the right thing to do. I’ve learned so much.”
“Would you go back one day?” Hector asked.
“Probably. I have no wish to inherit the Caelin title. Hector, what happens when there a marquess has no heir?”
“Hmm.” Hector adjusted Nils’ weight and thought. “I could be wrong, but I think Ostia promotes the steward to de-facto ruler of the canton, until a successor can be chosen. And they’re usually chosen from extended family – with all the intermarrying around Lycia and even Etruria and Bern, a suitable noble can usually be found. Ostia doesn’t normally have to interfere for more than a year. I don’t know Marquess Caelin’s extended family tree, so I couldn’t tell you who you might see on the throne.”
“Not that I would know them anyway,” Lyn said, laughing. “Well, that is good to know. I never really asked while I was in Caelin. I thought it would be… rude.”
“Well, now you know. But even if you leave permanently, don’t leave forever,” Hector said. “Have you ever been to Ostia?”
“No, I’ve only been briefly to Araphen – it did not go well, did it, Ceniro – and Khathelet.”
“Well, you should come visit Ostia sometime. Eliwood would say the same about Pherae.”
“Or Santaruz,” Ceniro said. “As your token Santaruz citizen…”
“You are?” Hector said. “Oh, wait, I knew that. Yep, the southern part of Lycia is possibly even prettier than the middle part. Certainly prettier than Ostia, but Ostia has its own benefits.” He grinned.
“And just what would those be, Lord Hector?” Lyn asked suspiciously.
“Well, lots of pretty little ponces to beat up,” Hector said. “I’m kidding! Don’t hurt me when I’m carrying the kid. I mean, it’s true – there are a lot of minor nobles who like to fight but don’t know how. And Ostia does have the largest army and is the richest canton. But… uh, you like natural attractions, don’t you? We have really nice mountains.”
“Mountains?” Lyn asked. “There are mountains between Sacae and Bern… the Lorca were near them…”
“Well… I haven’t seen those. But these mountains are the equal of any you’ll see in Bern, believe me. They’re majestic.”
“That’s very true,” Ceniro said. “Especially in the winter, when they turn into jagged white daggers. And then to see the pegasus knight mercenaries doing manoeuvres over them is spectacular.”
“I thought you hadn’t seen pegasus knight wings in action until you went to Ilia last winter?” Lyn said.
“Um, I kind of lied. But I still wanted to see them in Ilia, because it’s very different when you’re training away from home, isn’t it?”
“Well, you know what I’m talking about,” Hector said. “Have you been up Tanquet Pass?”
“Yes! One of the training exercises for the student tacticians went up there, and one time I went on spring break. It’s amazing – the lake there is incredibly beautiful, spring or winter.”
“I’m interested now,” Lyn said. “I will come and visit Pherae, Santaruz, and Ostia.”
“I’ll hold you to that,” Hector said. “Are you interested, Nils?”
“It does sound nice,” Nils said. “We’ll see.”
“What is it you and your sister do, anyway? You just travel around a lot and hope Nergal doesn’t catch you?”
“Pretty much,” Nils said. “It might not be much of a plan, but it was all we had until we began to meet you. We… were all alone for many years, and no one really cared about us until we met Lady Lyn and Lord Eliwood and their friends last year.”
“I see,” Lyn said.
“It sounds… lonely,” Ceniro said. “I wander because I like it, but if I was being hunted… I wonder how much I would like it then…”
“It’s not that lonely,” Nils said. “We have each other. You’re the odd one – you go by yourself, and you’re still alive despite all the bandits and other dangers…”
“Well, I look too much like a vagabond to be worth the trouble,” Ceniro said. “Occasionally they figure that a vagabond won’t be missed, and they try to take me on… but I’ve been lucky so far. Lyn saved me, too, you know.”
“Damn,” Hector said. “You just go around saving everyone, woman?”
“I certainly do,” Lyn said. “I’ll save you sometime, you just wait and see. I mean, I have to repay you and Eliwood for coming to Caelin’s defense a couple weeks ago.”
“Ah, don’t worry about that… Like he said, it was kind of our fault anyway.”
“No it wasn’t.”
“Don’t be so stubborn.”
“That’s one of my best qualities, so no.”
“But it’s one of my qualities, too!”
“Um,” Nils broke in to their bickering. “There’s a disturbance nearby…”
“Where?” Ceniro asked, and looked around for the pegasus knights. They were flying over to the east and to the rear of the formation, but Nils was looking south and west, in the opposite direction.
Eliwood and Ninian, already at the top of the dune ahead of them, turned to call to them. “There’s a man – looks like a lord – surrounded by bandits in the distance.”
“Oh yeah?” Hector said. “I’m going to set you down, okay, Nils?”
“Okay,” Nils said. “If I feel bad again I’ll go find Merlinus.”
“He’s going to be attacked,” Ceniro said as they reached the top of the dune to stand beside Eliwood and Ninian. “Probably. We should help. Probably.” The lord was dressed in an elegant violet jacket and lavender cloak; his hood was pulled over his head to protect him from the sun, which glittered off a silver pauldron on his right shoulder. His stance was easy and calm, although he was vastly outnumbered and surrounded.
“Let’s get over there!” Lyn cried. “I dislike seeing someone facing overwhelming odds!”
“Hold on, Lyn! I’m going with you!” Hector yelled, as she began to skip down the other, steeper side of the dune. He began to follow her, kicking up a large cloud of sand as he skidded somewhat clumsily after her.
“Wait for me!” Eliwood cried, coming down the dune somewhat more carefully.
Ceniro looked at Ninian and Nils. “Unbelievable,” Nils said. “Where do they get that energy?”
“What will you do?” Ninian asked Ceniro.
“I have a really good view from over here,” Ceniro said. “I think I might stay here instead of getting in the thick of it. Hold on… You two had better – wait, never mind, Nils, you wait here. Ninian, we’re going to need your dances today, for sure.” He turned to the rest of the army. “Heyyyy! Cavalry, halt here and protect Nils and Merlinus. Magic users, swordsmen, axemen, get up here right away! There are bandits attacking a noble and our leaders have already gone to assist and need back-up! These look like strong bandits, so watch yourselves and your footing!”
The army went from ambling and idly chatting to urgent movement in a moment. “Fiora, can you get me an aerial extraction for the noble?”
“Absolutely. Florina, Heath! Here’s what we do to make this successful…”
The sky grew dark, and a massive thunderbolt cracked down in the middle of the ring of bandits.
“Wow,” Ceniro said. “I guess he’s not defenceless, then! Ninian, go assist Raven – he needs the boost to catch up to Lucius. Eliwood! Lyn! Hector! You’ve got their attention! Hold for thirty seconds, and then move north! Try to draw as many of the axe-wielders as possible…”
“Ceniro!” Heath called. “They have archers; Fiora isn’t sure about extraction.”
“They could shoot him too, though,” Ceniro said. “Uh… We all need to get closer. Erk! Can I get you to start distracting the archers?”
The battle was strange, unstable. Ceniro felt his commands were being sucked into the dry air, but he wasn’t worried so much about his voice as he was that they wouldn’t be able to hear him and his carefully laid battle plans would go awry.
With that in mind, he built a looser plan than usual and gave fewer orders, letting his people figure out how to conduct themselves in general. He wasn’t really comfortable with that, since the bandits were unusually many and strong, but trying to be intricate under these conditions could spell disaster.
He saw Eliwood get close to the lord in the confusion of the bandits, and speak to him; even at that great distance, Eliwood looked confused and Ceniro saw the other lord laugh. And then the tactician was distracted by a newcomer, whom Hector discovered, a massive man with an equally huge axe who seemed to be on their side. He let the new man do whatever he wanted.
The lord was coming towards him, occasionally lifting his hand and sending a blast of Elfire at an unfortunate bandit. “Ceniro!”
And suddenly Ceniro recognized him, grey eyes twinkling cheerfully under the hood, and a broad smile on his lips. “Lord Pent!”
“It’s just Pent to you, remember?” Pent said, stopping at the foot of his dune. “Fancy seeing you here! Nice weather, isn’t it? How’s the farseer?”
“It just stopped working a few days ago,” Ceniro said, and grimaced. “Otherwise, I’d be using it here. But for now, can you help us mop up the last few bandits?”
“Sure. I figured I would anyway. The leaders are sure to be difficult, though.”
“I was thinking, perhaps we could distract that one with the bow and sneak someone in close to take them out at close quarters?”
“I can be your distraction?”
“Thanks, I was hoping you would say that. Eliwood! Pent will provide a distraction to allow you to get close to that one bandit. Should things get sticky, Heath will be there to get you out quickly.”
“And the other bandit?” Hector asked.
“I’m not sure whether I just want to shower him in arrows and magic, or have Matthew and Legault take him out very quietly.”
“Go with magic and arrows,” Pent called over his shoulder. “Less dangerous for all involved.”
“You don’t know Matthew and Legault,” Ceniro called back, and Pent waved a hand dismissively. “But let’s go with that. Serra, Priscilla, you’ve started learning spells, right? Okay, you come join Erk, Lucius, and Canas over here. Wil, Rebecca, Rath, go over there. Hector! You and Lyn are the bait!”
“Why do I gotta be the bait!” Hector complained.
“Because you have massive plates of steel strapped to your body, and I have very good reflexes,” Lyn told him. “Come on. If we’re good, our tactician might let us get a couple of hits in before that blaggard dies.”
“She’s always right,” Hector grumbled to himself as he followed her.
“So what are you doing here in Nabata?” Ceniro asked once they had reconvened about fifteen minutes later, and Serra and Priscilla had gone back to their regular healing duties. Eliwood had been very valiant in facing the first bandit lord, but had taken a nasty whack in the head from the bandit’s dying flail with his bow. Pent had healed him on the spot, but there were plenty of other injuries of varying sizes among the others.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Pent said. “Thank you for coming to my assistance, by the way. I was wondering if I could take them all on by myself.”
“I think you could have,” Ceniro said. “However, this way was probably less stressful for you.”
“Much. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Ceniro said. “I guess you’ve already met, but let me introduce you to Lord Eliwood of Pherae, Lady Lyndis of Caelin, and Lord Hector of Ostia. Guys, this is Lord Pent, umm, Count Reglay of Etruria.”
“So formal,” Lyn teased him. “So this is your previous employer, hmm?”
“You mentioned me,” Pent said, smiling. “I’m flattered.”
“Well… my resume’s still really short. I couldn’t not mention you, really. And then… there’s all those people. Fiora’s here, Erk’s here, Priscilla’s here… all these people are here for different reasons…”
“Oh, yes, I did see Fiora. I’m glad. I have to speak to her once you’re done with me.”
“Of course,” Eliwood said. “Let me say how pleased I am to meet you, Lord Pent.”
“Likewise,” Pent said. “But it’s just Pent. We’re not at court. So why are you all here for different reasons?”
“It’s a bit of a story,” Eliwood said. “But the immediate reason is that Marquess Ostia told us to head to Missur to meet a… ‘living legend’.”
“Did he.”
“It sounds funny, I know…”
“No, not at all. I think I may know what you are talking about.” Pent paused, zoned out slightly, and laughed to himself. “’Living legend’, hey? That’s a good way to put it.”
“You know what he was talking about?” Hector asked. “Because we haven’t a clue.”
“Yes, I suppose I do. I’ll take you there!”
“Really?” Lyn asked. “Oh, that would be splendid.”
“It’s the least I could do,” Pent said. “Hawkeye!”
The blonde giant whom Hector had bumped into rose and came forward with a quiet, powerful grace. “Hello, Pent. Did you find it?”
“Yes,” Pent said, and smiled broadly. “Just as I thought, it’s spectacular. Ladies, gentlemen, this is my escort for the day, the desert chieftain Hawkeye.”
Hawkeye glanced at the sky. “If we intend to be back before nightfall, we should make haste.”
“Oh… okay,” Eliwood said, also glancing at the sky. The sun was still quite high in the sky, though perhaps leaning over to the west.
“Ceniro, we’ll be heading in a south-westerly direction for a few hours. I’m going to go talk with Erk and Priscilla and Fiora, if you don’t mind.”
“That’s fine,” Ceniro said. “I’ll get Hector to yell if there’s trouble.”
“Me?” Hector asked. “I know I yell a lot, but…”
“My voice is a little bit sore,” Ceniro said. While tacticians were trained in the Ostia Academy how to shout orders without losing voice, they hadn’t really compensated for the desert.
“I won’t leave without taking a look at your farseer,” Pent said. “Don’t worry. I hope it served you well until it died?”
“Yes, very much. And I don’t mind being without it, it just makes it much easier while spread across the landscape…”
“Well, yes, that was why I made it. I’ll see you later, though.”
The three lords look appreciatively at Ceniro as Pent strode away in search of his student, former charge, and employee. “You have good taste in employers,” Lyn said. “And he doesn’t stand on ceremony. I like that.”
“I knew Lord Pent was rumoured to be kind, though eccentric,” Eliwood said. “But he seems the exact kind of nobleman I would like to be.”
“He’s wonderful,” Ceniro said. “It’s great to see him again. I wonder if he could be convinced to come with us.”
“I guess that depends what he was doing here in the first place,” Hector said. “But it’s good we got to help him out a bit.”
“If he does come with us, we’ll see some fireworks,” Ceniro said enthusiastically.
“I do believe you’re starstruck,” Lyn teased. “That job you took last year with him must have been some job, huh?”
“Ehhhh…” Ceniro blushed. “…Yes?”
They laughed at him, and after a moment, he joined in.
Several hours later, the sun was much lower in the sky, and neither Hawkeye nor Pent had told them to change direction.
“There’s just more sand…” Hector grumbled.
“Oh, get over it,” Lyn said. “You’ve had two days of it already, you should be used to it by now.”
“Well, I’m not. So… wah!”
“What is- ahhh!” Lyn squeaked as she, too, began sinking into the sand.
“Lyn! Hector!” Ceniro and Eliwood jumped forward, though what they could do, Ceniro wasn’t sure. All Ceniro knew was that he needed to grab Lyn before she vanished.
“What in blazes!?” Eliwood exclaimed as he reached for Hector’s hand.
They were sinking remarkably quickly through the sand, almost as if they were being pulled into it…
When Ceniro came to, he saw only blackness. It felt warm and close, and full of the sounds of gentle breathing.
He was lying on something that didn’t feel like sand. He shifted and whatever he was lying on gave a masculine grunt. “Eliwood?”
“Unnhhh…” Eliwood groaned. “Ow, ow, ow… I think I hit my head. Where are we? Where is everyone?”
“I don’t know… but it sounds like there are more people around here. Maybe they’re from our group.”
“Ceniro? Eliwood?”
“Nils?” Eliwood called. “Are you there?” Ceniro felt him slowly begin to crawl forward.
Suddenly, a flame flickered into being to Ceniro’s left, and they turned – and squeezed their eyes shut, blinded.
“Sorry,” Pent’s voice said. “I just thought we might need a bit of light. Are you all right?”
“I think we’re fine,” Ceniro said. “What about the rest of these – oh dear.”
Pent was bending over Kent’s prone form. “I don’t think any of your friends are dead, just oxygen deprived from the sand.” He felt around for his healing staff. “Hmm, I should have brought the other one as well. Can’t call Louise and tell her we’ll be late for dinner…”
Ceniro rolled Rebecca onto her side so she could breathe more easily. “C’mon, Rebecca, wake up.”
“I’m glad we’re together, at least,” Nils said. “It was kind of scary…”
“Nils, you didn’t come after us, did you?”
“No, there were other sand traps.”
“Where’s Lyn and Hector?” Ceniro asked. “They should be close by…”
“I don’t see them,” Pent said.
“I think they’re okay,” Nils said, his eyes squeezed shut. “They’re nearby. Everyone’s nearby, some overhead a long way, and some in… rooms beside us. No one’s dead, thank goodness.”
“What is this place?” Eliwood asked. “It looks… old.”
“I don’t know,” Pent said. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s… bleak. Carved of haunted memories, perhaps…”
“Huh?” Nils said. “Wait… I feel something strange in the air. Something unsettling.”
Pent’s little flame flickered out. “Uh oh.”
“Did your magic-”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“We faced something like this on Valor,” Eliwood said. “A disquieting feeling, and then our magic stopped working.”
“I’m afraid I won’t be much use to you, then,” Pent said. “But I assume this is why the farseer stopped working. It’s a magic seal. I’m not entirely certain how to explain it. It’s…someone whose very presence nullifies all magic.”
“I guessed as much,” Ceniro said. “About the farseer, anyway. Someone else guessed about the magic seal.”
“But why would such a person be here now?” Eliwood asked.
Ceniro heard a scraping noise, and a new flame lit, this one attached to a physical torch illuminating Matthew’s dirty face. “Hey, my lords.”
“Matthew, you are a lifesaver,” Ceniro said.
“I know, I know. But I only have one, so be careful with it,” Matthew said, and handed it to Ceniro.
“I’ll be careful,” Ceniro said. “Thank you.”
“I couldn’t say why the magic seal is here, or why he brought us to this place…” Pent said to Eliwood. “But we are being watched. We should wake up our companions quickly.”
“Hang on,” Nils said. “Something’s happening… He’s called some friends. They are very powerful.”
“If we defeat the magic seal, can we leave this place?” Eliwood asked.
“Perhaps,” Pent said.
“Then we fight!” Eliwood cried, and Kent grunted and stirred. “If they have strength, then we’ll match their strength and challenge them! We don’t have time for this!!”
“I’ll do my best to help you,” Ceniro said. “But I don’t know how much help I’ll be… I’ll just hold the light.”
“Eliwood?” they heard faintly through a crack in the wall. “Eliwood, are you there?”
“I’m here!” Eliwood called back. “Hector, is that you?”
“Yeah. Lyn’s here, Hawkeye’s here, Ninian’s here. A bunch of people are here. Listen, the magic nullifier is back-”
“We know,” Eliwood said.
“And we think if we kill him, we can get out of here, so that’s what we’re going to do. Are you all right? Think we can find a way through to each other?”
“We’re all right,” Eliwood said. “We’ll try to join up, and then take him down together. All right?’
“All right. See you soon.”
“And don’t get killed!” Lyn’s muffled voice said. “Or I’ll come find you and kick you!”
“As my lady threatens,” Eliwood said, smiling.
“Didn’t you tell me once that you liked Lady Lyn?” Pent asked Ceniro. “Somehow I gathered that. And I can see why. What a brave young woman.”
“Ah… let’s just focus on getting out of here for now,” Ceniro said, helping Guy to his feet. Bartre needed no helping.
Soon, their little group – about a third of the army – was assembled, in mostly one piece.
“You stay with me, Nils,” Ceniro said. “I don’t know if this guy is after you, too, but since I have nothing else to offer here, I’ll be your last line of defence.”
“Sounds good,” Nils chirped, smiling up at him.
“And me too,” Pent said. “Without my magic, I don’t have much to offer except moral support.”
“I’ll go first, shall I?” Matthew said.
“Yes, please,” Ceniro said. He lined up their group in a way that would hopefully help them not be ambushed, and they set off in the only direction they could.
They hadn’t gone far when Matthew stopped. “Whoa, look out, guys… -Look out!”
Pebbles were falling from the ceiling, but when he shouted, a whole pile of rock came crashing down in front of them.
“He’s watching,” Nils said, his eyes shining eerily in the torchlight. “He’s toying with us.”
“I can’t say I like that idea,” Eliwood said. “This is no game. Which way do we go now?”
Matthew pointed to the right, where a section of wall had fallen away, revealing a new passage.
“So it’s a maze, is it?” Pent said. “One where he controls our direction. I hardly think that’s fair.”
“Shh,” Matthew hissed. “I hear a thing.”
And a berserker loomed out of the gloom, charging at them. Matthew dove out of the way, and Eliwood was left to face him full-on. But his reflexes were quick, and before the berserker swung his huge axe down on his head, his rapier was plunged halfway into his opponent’s chest. He sidestepped as man and axe fell to the floor, though the edge of his cloak was caught and torn.
“Nicely done,” Pent said.
“Thank you,” Eliwood answered, panting a little. “Are there any more?”
For answer, two arrows suddenly shot past him, and Rebecca’s life was only spared as she had stumbled at that exact moment. Everyone scattered to take cover by the walls.
“We can’t stay here,” Ceniro said. “We’re going to have to charge them, which means… Kent, Bartre, Matthew. Rebecca, return fire.”
“But I can’t see them-”
“I know, just stop shooting once you can’t see our people anymore.” He himself moved forward to give their friends some light.
Bartre snarled as he barrelled down the centre of the corridor, with Kent on his right and Matthew on his left. There were two archers and a man in rough heavy armour waiting for them. “Bartre! Take the armour! Kent, Matthew, archers! Everyone else, move up, now!”
The enemy were few, but they were dangerous. They fought without speaking, and they were almost as good as Eliwood’s group.
Almost. With the archers unable to fire down the hall, the rest of the group was able to close and assist in taking them down. When finally they had succeeded, Ceniro took stock of the situation. Bartre had an arrow in his arm and a lance gash on his leg, and Matthew was holding his side as if he had broken a rib or two. Rebecca moved to Bartre and began helping him bind up his injuries the old-fashioned way.
“Nils, how close is the magic seal?” Ceniro asked. “We’re not going to last long if we can’t heal our injuries…”
“Close… but I don’t know where the tunnel goes. He’ll probably try to weaken us even more before he lets us get close to him.”
“Well, then, come on. Eliwood’s right. Kent, can you take the torch? Matthew, come back here with Pent and me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I can still fight,” Matthew protested. “And scout.”
“Guy can take your place. A broken rib will cost you and I’d rather not risk it until we have no other choice.”
“But if you keep a few of us healthy and uninjured-”
“We’re not arguing about this now,” Ceniro said, and Matthew blinked and shut up.
They moved swiftly through the tunnels for a bit, until something detached from the wall behind them.
“Ceniro!” Pent cried, pushing him and Nils forward. “Agh…”
Ceniro whirled to see a tall thin man with a katana standing over Pent, now sprawled on the floor and bleeding heavily. “Pent!”
A clash of steel from the other side told him that Guy and Eliwood were now engaged with another swordsman. The one in front of him lunged forward, and Ceniro stumbled back, taking Nils with him – they wouldn’t be able to avoid this blow…
Matthew got in the way, parrying with his long knife, grunting under the exertion.
“Bartre, stay back,” Ceniro gasped from where he was plastered against the wall, Nils under his arm. “Kent, a little help here!”
“One moment,” Kent said.
“We don’t have a moment!”
But it was Guy who came dancing out of the darkness, his own katana carving a bright flash in the torchlight, just in time to save Matthew from losing an arm. The two swordmasters bounced off each other, locked in a brilliant display of martial ability. Or it would have been if Ceniro weren’t terrified for Guy’s life.
Rebecca’s arrow caught the enemy in the upper chest, and he immediately turned and fled into the darkness. Guy pursued him.
“Wait- Guy!”
Guy came back a moment later, his sword bloodied. “Couldn’t let him get away; he might be back later.”
“Oh. All right.” Ceniro knelt beside Pent. “Pent, are you all right?”
“Nnnggg…” Pent groaned. “Thought it would be best to play dead. Hurts like blazes, though…”
“We’ll get you out of here, don’t worry,” Ceniro said, ripping up his own cloak for bandages. “Louise would be so mad at me if I let anything happen to you.”
“Just glad I could help you,” Pent said. “Agh! Careful- I know you’re being careful.”
“Come on,” Ceniro said, wrapping the bandages around his friend tightly. “Can you stand?”
“Yes, I think so. I’ll have to lean on you for a bit, though…”
“No problem. Up you get.” Ceniro was shorter than Pent, but fortunately the lord wasn’t terribly heavy for his height. “Guy, can you stay back here with us? Matthew, you’re back in front.”
“Aye,” Matthew said, and grinned.
Once again, they moved as fast as they could through the tunnels for a pace. Pent hobbled along as fast as he could, gritting his teeth uncomplainingly, but Ceniro knew they were going a lot slower. “Pent, you didn’t bring any healing potions when you set out today?”
“Ah… no. Foolish of me, I know, but I had my staff, and thought I was set…”
“Right, yes, of course. Perhaps our enemies will have some…”
A trio of heavily armoured people stepped into their path – two men and a woman. The fighters in the group sprang into action without even being told, which pleased Ceniro.
“You don’t micromanage as much as you used to?” Pent asked, where he waited on Ceniro’s shoulder. His bandages were starting to bleed through and Ceniro glanced at them, worried.
“Not here,” Ceniro said. “There’s only so much space. They can handle themselves, they don’t need me distracting them.”
“Hm. But when you do micromanage, you’re such an artist about it.”
Ceniro laughed. “Thanks. Maybe next time.”
The generals went down, one at a time, and Matthew bent over them before bounding back to Ceniro, Pent, and Nils with a spring that belied his rib.
“Here,” he said, handing him a small blue flask. “Good timing, huh?”
“Oh, perfect,” Ceniro said in relief.
Pent took it. “I’ll leave enough for the rest of you.”
“You take it until your bleeding stops,” Ceniro said sternly.
Pent smiled and drank.
There was enough left for perhaps one person to heal an injury. Bartre waved it off, and Kent politely declined, so Matthew took it. “Ah, much better. Now I can once again fully assist you, young masters.”
“So you don’t only call Hector that?”
“It annoys him no end when I do, which is why I do,” Matthew admitted. “But you are younger than I am…”
“Not by that much, surely,” Pent said, no longer leaning on Ceniro. “And I do believe I’m older than you, unless you’re already over thirty-three.”
“Ah, no,” Matthew said. “But the rest of these children…”
“Children?” bellowed Bartre. “Come, I shall show you we are not children!”
“Children take offense so easily,” Matthew whispered to Ceniro. “Hence, Master Nils and Miss Rebecca are not children.” Nils snorted, but when Matthew turned back to go to the front beside Eliwood, he shook with silent laughter.
Now that Pent could move easily again, they journeyed quicker, and it seemed no time at all before they were entering a large, circular chamber.
In the centre of the chamber stood a hunched, emaciated figure in a red robe. All around the walls were large, tough-looking soldiers armed with various weapons.
“Right!” came a shout across the room. “Now what would Ceniro do? Get to it!” Hector, brandishing an axe and a torch, was entering the room from the other side.
“I’m on the swordsman!” Lyn cried.
“I’m right behind you, Lady Lyn!” Sain said. Hawkeye said nothing, but went in the opposite direction from Lyn and Sain to take down a pair of archers with his great axe.
“Oh my gooosh, I wish I could be more help,” Serra said. “Oh, hey, look! It’s Eliwood!”
“Eliwood!” Hector said. “Let’s beat these morons and get out of here!”
“Good to see you too, Hector. Agreed!”
The two lords advanced to the centre of the room while their allies took on the enemy soldiers. Ceniro called orders when he could, made sure that everyone was fighting in a fair match-up, but he was impressed by how well they were doing without his help.
“It seems Lord Hector has been observing you, and putting those observations to good use,” Pent said.
“Yes, it seems so,” Ceniro agreed. “I’m not sure how that makes me feel, actually!” He laughed, as Oswin and Dorcas co-ordinated their attacks on a general who otherwise would have been targeting them. Serra trotted over to join them.
“Are you as bored as I am?” she asked.
“No, not at all?” Ceniro said. “How are you bored?”
“Well, it’s very nerve-wracking and all, being down here in the dark with bad guys jumping out at you all the time, you know? But I can’t do anything, so I’m bored! I can’t heal anyone, and I can’t cast magic, so all I do is run around and try not to be a target! Although that’s hard, because I’m so cute, the enemy can’t take their eyes off of me… so I guess I’m being helpful in distracting them!”
“Ah, yes,” Ceniro said, and the magic seal teleported away, having decided that dodging Hector’s axe was more trouble than it was worth.
“Oh! Magic!” Serra squeaked. “Goodie!” She twirled her staff and pointed it at Pent, just as Pent snatched out his own and used it on Sain, who had just taken a lance to the arm. “Oh, you’re not bleeding as badly as it looks. Lucky you!” She skipped off to go heal Bartre, raising her hand to blast a swordsman in the head with light magic as she went.
“She’s quite something,” Pent said. “That wouldn’t be the same pink-haired cleric Erk was moaning about last year, would it?”
“The very same. But she’s not as bad as she appears on first impression, really.”
“I’m sure she isn’t. Erk’s just young and set in his ways. …There doesn’t seem to be much for me to do here… She’s taking care of the injuries, and your allies are taking care of the soldiers…”
“A pity,” Ceniro said. “I’m looking forward to the time I can show them what you can do.”
“I’m sure that time will be soon. But first we must compare notes.”
“Right, the living legend.”
“Well, look here, there’s a staircase. Shall we head up?”
“No, let’s wait for the others. Eliwood! Watch your back! Kent, Sain, would you escort Ninian over to us, please?”
Ninian and Nils embraced as the fighting came to a halt and Ceniro’s group licked their wounds a little.
Eliwood came over to them, his eyes wide and disturbed. “What in the name of all that is decent was that? It has human form, but it’s… It’s not human!”
Pent shrugged, shaking his head slowly, but it was Ninian who answered. “…That was a creature of heresy. Its existence makes a ruin of nature’s most basic laws.”
“Hm? Ninian?” Eliwood hadn’t expected her to answer, but was distracted by her presence. “Thank goodness you’re safe.”
“Thank you, Lord Eliwood… I am quite well. Thank you for taking care of Nils.”
“…In this world, there are many mysterious things that fall beyond our realm of understanding,” Pent said, and gestured to the staircase. “Come, let us leave this place. A living legend awaits us.”
Hector insisted on leading the way out up the staircase, in case of further ambushes. But no one lay in wait for them, and they eventually emerged through a cunningly hidden cave entrance into the desert night.
“Ninian, Nils, are the rest of our group still around?” Ceniro asked.
“Yes, they’re right over there,” Ninian said, and pointed.
“Oh, they’ve made supper!” Nils said. “I’m hungry!”
“I guess we camp here for the night?” Ceniro said, looking at Pent.
The silver-haired lord nodded. “Yes, I think that would be fine. You’ll have to set a careful watch – the bandits in these parts are fierce, as you found earlier today. Louise won’t worry, and there’s just no way we can travel the rest of the way tonight. Isn’t that right, Hawkeye?”
“Pretty much,” the warrior nodded.
The next day, they travelled again, but Hawkeye led them in a more direct westerly direction than they had been travelling before. After a few hours, they came to a low structure built of white stone in the midst of a small oasis. As they entered, Ceniro saw that it was only low because it was set deep in the ground, not because it was small.
Hawkeye led them along a broad passage, well lit with multi-coloured torches, to a wide room where an old man, in blue robes with long white hair and beard, was standing, reading a scroll. The sound of water flowed around them and it was blessedly cool after the heat of the desert.
There was a cry of joy, and Louise emerged from a side passage to hug Pent. “Oh my dearest! What happened, were you injured?” Pent’s jacket was still bloodstained, though it was dried now.
“Nothing to worry about. As you can see, I had Ceniro with me.”
“Oh, Ceniro! It is so good to see you again! But we can catch up later. For now, I believe your group wishes to speak to…”
“Welcome, children of Roland,” the old man greeted Eliwood, Hector, and Lyn.