Fire Emblem - The Crisis of Akaneia - In Character

Livia stepped back in disappointment, with a hint of fear. She had little understanding of what Hallen was by. Of course her outbursts were rude enough, especially towards a soldier, though her fervent inquisitiveness was difficult to subdue. August felt grimly uncomfortable. He knew what Hallen was speaking of. Although August never served in the Holy War, he knew greatly of the damage it inflicted upon Ylisse and countless other nations. Deep down he suspected that Valm would have been a prime target for Norman's ruthlessness. Then again, August was also aware that Plegia worshiped the Fell Dragon. Any nation to commit such heresy was deserving of a crusade. The Valmese soldier was careful not to say that, however.

"I am understanding of your struggle, my friend." August tried to be reassuring. It was a deep battle to not break out in a fit of nationalism. Livia took on a look of fascination.

"You guys aren't going out for a drink without me!" she smirked. "Hey, um... Hallen, right? Maybe once August is passed out drunk, we can go sightseeing!"

"Wait, what?"
August hoped dearly that Livia was joking.
 
Uwu wasn't bothered by Zaku's sudden stop. She didn't even accidentally bump into anyone (as if that were even possible for someone as graceful as her). She thought the two's brief wordless "conversation" was rather cute, but it left very curious so she naturally followed along. "How uncouth." Uwu spoke with a pout after hearing that it was muggers they were tailing. It's supposed to be a time of festivities and happiness, what sort of unscrupulous person would go about stealing things at a festival?! But Uwu was touched by Isabelle's concern. "Oh don't you worry, I may seem small now but it takes a lot to take me down." She smiled wide.
 
"Glad you have such confidence in yourself! If we run into trouble I know you'll be fine with talk like that. Well I hope we don't it's just that-" Isabelle started to say to Uwu as the walked down the long alleyway. "We're almost out don't worry we won't need to deal with anyone soon enough." when suddenly a loud thud was heard from where Zaku was walking and the sound of metal sliding against leather. "Zaku are you ok!?" Isabelle said suddenly as she came upon the odd scene of Zaku holding a blade against Jiro's throat and Jiro holding his broadsword against Zaku's left shoulder. "Jiro...I almost killed you." Zaku said in distaste as he sheathed his weapon and Jiro grunted. "You know Zaku if you were a half a second slower in stopping that blade you'd have slit my throat. Now get Blood Drinker away from my neck or I'll break your toes." Jiro commented as he pulled his broadsword back. He then proceeded to walk over to a young mage girl who Isabelle recognized as a shaman. "Of course but as always I am on point." Zaku commented dryly as he pulled back his blade quickly and gave a apology to Jiro as Isabelle went over to Zaku and grabbed him by the hem of his shirt, "YOU DUMBASS! YOU ALMOST KILLED JIRO WHAT THE HELL MAN!?" Isabelle shouted at Zaku as she started to breath in deeply and quickly. It was clear the young cleric was very upset...and who wouldn't be? "Yes I did but I didn't and it was an accident on top of everything. Now get off me you little twit, I gave my apology to Jiro for my failure. Sorry for trying to protect you Isabelle you clumsy excuse for a mage now get off my shirt please." Zaku said patiently as Isabelle shoved him heavily against a wall with surprising strength but Jiro's voice loudly proclaimed, "Enough you two! I was about to kill Zaku myself. That's why alley skulking is the main reason for the death of muggers everywhere. Because they run into people like me! Hey Asterisk you ok? Sorry I didn't want you to get hurt or covered in blood if that got nasty. This is Isabelle in the dress and that's Zaku in the leather vest. They're my partners in crime so to speak. Garnet Armbands is what we call ourselves. So why were you skulking in that back alley?" Jiro asked as he offered a hand to Asterisk but didn't force her to take it if she didn't want to. Meanwhile Zaku shook off some dust from his shirt, "Thugs were following us. Why aren't you at the inn?" Zaku asked Jiro as Isabelle went over to Jiro, "Does it matter Zaku!? Hey Jiro you ok big guy? Nothing bad right? Zaku couldn't survived that wound you'd have given him but-" Isabelle started as Jiro brushed her off. "I'm fine Isabelle don't worry about me you little marsh mellow. I'm stronger than a tree and he didn't cut me. We're here because I think there were a group of Ylisse Fanatics heard that this young lady here is from Plegia. People don't take kind to people like her around these parts. These cities down south were some of the Exalted King's strongest supporters. He may have been hated after the war but his words cut deep and Naga worshipers are just as bad as Fell Dragon minions at the end of the day."
 
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The Ylisse knight nodded solemnly at Augustus's condolences. Indeed, it was good to have someone who understood one's plight as an unwitting soldier. Perhaps August himself could attest to that? Not that Hallen had any way of knowing such a thing, but still.

The somber mood broke at the lighthearted girl's next words: the suggestion of a sightseeing tour once August was rendered dead drunk. Needless to say, neither of the men took the idea seriously.

"I-... beg your pardon?"
 
All of a sudden while Asterisk was trying to calm herself Jiro suddenly pushed her back causing her to trip over her long robes. She fell flat on her behind "What are you-" before Asterisk could finish he saw a man slashing at Jiro . This reminded her of a scene while Plegia was at war, she was almost half expecting that Jiro would just fall from where he was standing to the ground lifeless. Asterisk's was stunned by the horrific image but it took a few moments for Asterisk to fully comprehend what happened but by then Jiro already offered his hand to her. Asterisk decline with a shook of her hand and quickly stood up using the wall as leverage. The tome still in her hand, she starts sizing up the group while listening to jiro.

"Isabelle is probably a cleric, an air I can't well forget. Zaku is just a another swordsman. Wait there was another girl there!" Asterisk thought to herself as she observed what was in front of her.

"Umm, Jiro I think you forgotten to introduce that little girl." said Asterisk still a little shook up about the sudden push but points at the red haired girl. She then moved in front of Jiro and introduces herself "My name is Asterisk, a Plegian and due to circumstances, will be accompanying your mercenary group." Asterisk explained. She then gave a soft sigh and places her hand to her chest as if to relieve herself of all the shock that Jiro caused by pushing her down, all the while looking at Isabelle. A rough voice ran through Asterisk's head as she stared at Isabelle "Kill all the clerics!" but Asterisk quickly shoved the thought back to whatever crevice that it came from.

Quickly continuing from what she said earlier "I hope that you will have me as a friend as well." Asterisk added with a smile although friend wasn't what she wanted to say it was close enough.
 
Well, at least they didn't run into muggers. More friends are always good, and it certainly seemed Isabelle knew quite the lively bunch. Nice to see someone else from the other side of the border attempting to join in the festivities, downright shame that people reacted so poorly. She clapped her hand's together and smiled before introducing herself in turn. "I wasn't really forgotten, I'm not really part of the group I was simply invited to join them in the festivities. In fact, I'm from Plegia as well! Though from a remote little desert village until recently. After the war I took to traveling around and offering support to suffering villages and towns where I could. I thought this festival was a charming idea and perfect for a well-deserved break!" Uwu explained. "In any case I'm Uwu. I'm sure we will get along just fine!"

Of course "remote desert village" was more-or-less just her mom, a couple other manakete, and herself hiding out in the middle of no-where but they didn't need to know that.
 
Upon realizing her mistake, and being heavily entertained by the men's reaction, Livia began thinking of possible follow-ups. Her boldness in interrupting an emotional moment was remarkably obscene. August, on the other hand, was mortified. The prospect that Livia desired for him to fall unconscious while drunk was disquieting, to which even Hallen fell bewildered. As fun as it would be to further mess with them, Livia badly wanted to move on and see the rest of Ylisstol. If she continued to be friendly with Hallen, then at least she could upgrade her travels with a trio. Livia now wondered where August would hide his gold satchel in the event that she ran low on funds.

"Hmm... perhaps I shouldn't have said that aloud. Moving on!" Livia now switched aim. "Maybe we can let Hallen decide where to go?" she leaped over to the bulwarked knight. August, left perplexed, preferred Hallen to be in charge than Livia.

"Hallen, if you value all of our respective sanity, then it would be best for you to decide our destination. And from now on we should take caution when drinking." the Valmese soldier glared to his skeptical partner.
 
Jiro looked the girl over and focused on her for a moment and no memories of meeting her came to mind. Whoever this Uwu girl was and whatever she wanted were up in the air but Jiro had more than a suspicion that she was just forced to come here by Miss rainbow eyes over there. "I can't introduce someone I haven't met before Asterisk. Yeah but the guy who tried to gut me over there that's my right hand boy Zaku. The cleric over there is Isabelle. She's some estranged and maniacal cleric who finds joy in how many times she can get away with something." Jiro commented as Isabelle growled at Jiro and release Zaku, "HEY I'M NOT A MANIAC! I'm a cute, lovable, playful, and silly cleric girl who finds joy in meeting new people unlike Mr. Broods-A-Lot over there. But yeah that's Jiro, Uwu. He's kind of my boss and surrogate caretaker. Without him I'd probably be in some minor lord's service wiping his or her boots right now. We're kind of a mercenary band in case I didn't mention that before." Isabelle commented before pulling up her dress on her leg to reveal a garnet colored band over her leg. Zaku and Jiro's bands were located on their arms which seemed to confirm Isabelle comments. "Yeah I already told Risk over here what we are. Sorry for the scare Uwu, but I couldn't be sure if the person around that corner was an enemy or not. I heard multiple foot steps and expected more of those bastards from the bar to be around here. You know we should get you a nice white robe Risk. You'll look like a monk and you'll keep away from assholes like them. Now if you don't mind we shouldn't stay here too long otherwise we'll attract guards. When guards come along nothing is fun. And quite frankly we've all had one hell of a day." Jiro commented as Zaku remained silent merely nodding.
 
Nodding carefully at the duo's barely unanimous decision, the Ylisse Knight pondered for a moment over a location. His mental mapping was not as well as it could be - Hallen hadn't been to Ylisstol for quite some time. He recalled at least one sort of walk-in bar in a certain vague area in town... it would just be a matter of finding the landmarks and scouting out the place from there.

"I think I know a drink shop close by," Hallen confirmed out loud to Livia and August, dispelling the strange tension prior. "Follow me."

That command was simple enough; given Hallen's bulk, it would be rather difficult to lose him, and his inching through the crowds was likely to cause a sort of wake that the other two could follow in. And so it went, the three of them lumbering along through the thick and thin of crowds, keeping their eyes peeled for the bar.
 
The trio made their way to the drink shop with controlled pacing. It was rather amusing to follow in Hallen's wake, and luckily few would be foolish enough to stand in the way of a knight. Livia skipped along eagerly, and August strolled rather leisurely. As he walked, August took notice that few of the buildings across him were taller than two-stories. An atypical observation no doubt. Back in Valm, decent bars were few and far between. A great deal of respect could be lost over getting drunk once, and that was never something August could risk. But being in another country for vacation alleviated those concerns. After all, what would it matter when complete strangers judge you? Though there was one thing August would remind himself: don't do anything stupid. That rule applies no matter the location. Weak as the Ylissian military was under this new Exalt, stirring discontent is among highly dishonorable things to avoid. It made August wonder how Hallen would react to finding his nationality. There was a faint chance that Hallen was already aware from August's armor.

Livia, on the other hand, was well-prepared to waltz into any bar. It was something she'd never done before, and it felt exhilarating. If she was lucky, then Livia would start some kind of traditional bar-fight which appeared in her favorite stories. The pride of any Feroxi was put into your fighting skills. Livia desired to be a dancer, but also a dancer that could hold on their own. She wasn't exactly going to put on a show for a bunch of alcoholics anyway. "I wonder if either of you boys ever tried Feroxi ale before..." Livia was processing some nefarious scheme.
 
"Ah, Another Plegian! I'm sure we will get along fantastically!" Asterisk said excitedly.

It was nice to have another Plegian on board if she really was from Plegia. Uwu was suspicious, a little girl from a small remote village and was helping people suffering from the war. Asterisk can't help but find it hard to believe but for now she was willing to compromise, it's not like she would be able to defend herself from armed fanatics and the guards would probably just arrest her out of spite. Asterisk had no choice but smile and look friendly at her for now.

The alleyway was no place to converse it's too narrow and they would be trapped to easily. Asterisk agrees to the idea of getting out of the alleyway though for different reasons "I agree, let's get out of here. We can better get to know each other when we're safe"

"Oh, and I'm not changing robes." Asterisk said adamantly. Brown was her favorite colour and she sure isn't going to dress like Ylissean clerics or priests.
 
Uwu listened to the group's introductions (and bickering) before speaking up again. "I see. Pleased to meet you all then." She said. "But really though, you didn't give me a scare." It was pretty easy for her to forget the fact that she looked so young and probably helpless and not a thousand-plus years old dragon so she just didn't understand why everyone seemed to keep underestimating her. But they were right, this was no place for conversation. Certainly too cramped for her to transform anyway. "Alright then, let's get going. Oh, and if it wasn't for the fact I'm currently using it I would let you borrow my cloak, Asterisk. But I can understand why you wouldn't want to change."
 
Before much else could happen there was the sound of a horn ringing around the city followed by church bells and the shouts of soldiers to tell everyone to remain calm. Jiro knew the sounds of the horns as he had heard them before during his ordeals in Plegia. "Fan-freaking-tastic guess what guys there's a group of bandits approaching. Lucky us. God damn Ylisse needs to work on that problem. So what now?" Jiro asked his comrades and new acquaintances as Zaku grumbled and shook his head. "It is not our problem let the guards deal with it." Zaku was as tired of fighting bandits and thugs as anyone else here. They were a plague the ravished the fractured realm of Plegia and Ylisse. At least the Plegians didn't have to worry about them on a daily basis. Isabelle shook her head and frowned at Zaku, "What are you saying!? We should help the guards Jiro! Even if they don't reward us for it we'll find somebody who's grateful for our work. Maybe we'll even get a chance to get a free meal for killing some bandits! It's easy work! You taught my yourself to never pass off on a free meal when you can!" Isabelle complained as Zaku frowned at her deeply. "Yeah I guess I can see the merit in that but it goes off saying that we will get paid for doing this we may walk away with nothing but a couple of stab wounds for our efforts. There's plenty of guards here and soldiers at that. But they may be stuck protecting people. What about you two? Want to go beat some bandits up, stay out of it, or do you not want to be a part of this in general?"
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Towards the northern section of the city the guards rallied around their commanders as they gave out planned assignments on where they would go and how they would protect the town. The proceeding was chaotic but controlled. The guards called for anyone with military experience to aid them on the front lines while some of their men stayed here and protected the town itself. A group of monks from the arena and a couple of axemen volunteered immediately and were put into a unit of pegasus knights who would be back up. The citizens were clearly frightened but many remained calm as the Falcon Knight Commander was there to protect them from any and all threats. It'd have to be pretty strong bandits to get past them.
 
Before the motley trio had reached their destination, Hallen stopped short and snapped to attention at the sound of a large warning horn going off. The alarming ring of several chapel bells followed, with Ylisse soldiers rushing around the crowds to reduce panic and ensure everything would be alright. It took the knight a couple of moments, but soon enough he recognized the drill.

"There's a bandit attack incoming," he announced to the two behind him. "At now, of all times... blast!" Hallen began to shoulder his way through the crowd to reach one of the Ylisse soldiers, but turned back to August and Livia for a moment. "You two should get to cover. I'm not the one to get you involved in my duty," the Ylisse Knight called to his short-lived acquaintances, before pushing through the rest of the way with no further injections.

Approaching one of the guards, Hallen hailed out, "Excuse me, sir!" Once within proper speaking range, Hallen introduced himself to the guard as one of Ylisse's Armor Knights, a fact that lodged a helping of surprise into the man's visage. The knight's offer to join the movement against the bandits was met with swift reply, saying they'd be glad to have him. The two soldiers began the process of getting through the crowds to reach the rallying point amongst the assembled guard, a task that, again, Hallen's bulky armor made difficult.
 
The word 'bandit' rang through their heads worse than an explosion. Quickly the surrounding people made their way to whatever shelter they could fight their way to. August, being a man who dedicated his life to hunting the renegades of the world, pulled out his trusty spear with a determined glare. Livia seemed conflicted, however. Now she could experience battle firsthand! Then again, she had never fought before in her entire life.

"Livia, I need you to find safety elsewhere. I'll go with the Ylissian soldiers and find you later." August's attitude turned grim. It was a bit offensive that Hallen suggested he abandon the ensuing battle. Even if August had lived a peaceful life for a short time, he could never abandon his purpose.

"Oh no you don't!" Livia pulled her sword from its sheath. "Being helpless is no fun, after all." she held a smug simper. Releasing a sigh, August made the swift decision to let her help. A hardened veteran and a rookie dancer, against villainous bandits raiding the capital, in a fight to the death. It was certainly familiar territory for August. He formulated a plan that would ensure victory in the skirmish. August, with his javelin, would be rather useful along the city walls. Meanwhile, Livia would handle more close-quarters combat on weaker opponents.

As to how she will react to killing someone was an unpleasant thought. A more unsettling thought entered August's mind as well. Why would bandits raid the capital of Ylisse, a city with a very suitable army? They are either mad or extremely organized bandits. Surely the latter seemed unlikely. Going into a sprint, August and Livia ran to the city walls, both of them feeling enthusiasm and dread. It wouldn't be surprising for Hallen to lead the counter-attack. If they were lucky, the Ylissians wouldn't mind having two extra supporters.
 
Asterisk hears the bells and the shouting of the soldier and thought it couldn't have been a normal bandit raid. No bandits would be brave enough to attack a town with a festival going on and besides everyone with at least some amount of education would know that there would at least be one or two garrisons of guards on duty during a festival. Asterisk concluded it was either an organized attack from a unknown organization or very dumb bandits. "Umm, I'm with Zaku if it really is just bandits then there would be enough guards, I mean the town is being guarded by a full garrison right? And it's just bandits." Asterisk gave her two cents on the situation. "Though, I don't mind helping. If there's profit involved." She was trained to kill after all but she hasn't cast a single hex or curse in some time.
 
Uwu frowned, well that just wasn't good now was it? And the fact that they decided to strike during a festival? Absolutely shameless! Unacceptable! "I can help out if need be. I'm not too fond of fighting but I can assure you I'm far stronger than I look." She said with a wink. She was certainly bound to surprise her new found companions. Showing is a lot more fun than telling when it comes to turning into a dragon, after all. "Oh, and also if we are getting paid that would be nice, I totally blew through all my money shortly after arriving."
 
"You know now that I think about it Asterisk why would someone risk attacking here? There are a lot of stuff they could rob IF they could get past a highly regarded commander. Meaning there's probably a bunch of bandits already in the village here. I also think there are more than one bandit group gunning for this place right now. Yeah sure I could be over thinking it but unless these bandits have the brain capacity of a lobotomized snail then there's a lot more too this then expected. Alright then let's do this! I don't like the idea of running away from a bunch of losers anyway. Hell even if we don't get paid we can sell the equipment they have on them for a decent sum back to some of the merchants here. And bandits usually have the skill set of the average beaver. This is a major sale and I'm not going to pass it up. Free equipment, free training on actual targets, and the respect of Ylisse's guard captains. Heh this'll be fun. You guys can stay out of it if you want but I'm going all in on this." Jiro said as he started to pull on his pauldrons and prepare himself for combat. Isabelle grinned and proclaimed she'd keep them safe while Zaku took out the scraps left behind by Jiro. Zaku was disgusted by the thought of playing clean up for both the guards and Jiro and being included in this mess but as usual he delegated the group's choices to the man who had taught him so much that past many years he had been with him. "Yeah let's go! Come on you two keep up! We're going to kick some major butt! And we're going to get free stuff from it too! Who knows maybe I'll get another stave to use!" Isabelle proclaimed as she jumped in the air and then followed Jiro quickly as the big man moved forward.
===
The soldiers around the two men ran about the two men and the woman ignoring them in an attempt to arm the wooden barricade that surrounded the city. The first ones to get out where a group of brigands and a fighter which were followed by a forward unit of Pegasus knights. The head commander was talking with a group of soldiers and volunteers when the group got over to them. "-And group two will stay in the village and protect the citizens from anyone who wants to cause trouble. Is everything clear!? Now go! We can't fail the Exalt even if this is a small raid the slightest mistake shows the world that the Exalt is worthless in protecting her people we can't let that happen!" the commander shouted as the various soldiers and volunteers with green badges on this clothes threw themselves to do whatever tasks they were assigned. "Is there anyone else that needs orders!?"
 
It certainly was a strange circumstance that raiders would choose the capital of Ylisse to pillage, at this specific time, no less. With their risk would come some great spoils, if they could pull it off, and perhaps prove a point of Ylisse's poor status as a nation, unable to defend even their most key locations. With the fleeting time to think about it, Hallen realized this situation deserved all the seriousness it was getting, and then some. But of course, if any bandits wanted their way into the city, they would have to contend with Hallen first.

The knight and his escort clamored into one of the gathering areas along the city wall, the commander dismissing two batches of troops to his orders. Unaware of August and Livia's participation elsewhere, Hallen snapped to attention in the commander's presence. "Sir," he addressed the barking man, "I am Hallen Griswald of the Knights of Ylisse, here to offer my aid. What would you have me do, sir?"
 
The soldier looked towards them and his eyes widened as he saluted the knight, "SIR! It's an honor to meet you sir! I'm not sure if I have the right to order you around sir! We could-" the man said as suddenly he was shoved aside by a man in gold cavalier armor. Following him was the same falcon knight woman whom had greeted Augustus at the gate earlier. "Shut your mouth you sniveling whelp! You serve the Exalt and Lady Alexandra! Not this poor excuse for a soldier. This man is past his prime and failed his duties! He deserves no respect." the golden cavalier commanded the lieutenant who nodded and apologized profusely. The woman clad in her silver falcon knight's armor flew down from the sky and landed heavily in front of the two of them. "I see you dare to show your face too me again after what happened to our king? Hallen you have some nerve now don't you? Surprising coming from a man like you. If you can't protect your king, pray tell me how you expect to protect a village full of people?" the falcon knight commanded questioned the man as she got off her steed. Hallen would recognize this woman as Alexandra Alice Bismark X. Or more personally as Pegasus Knight Alexandra 'The Kind' during the war against Plegia. Alexandra was just a normal Pegasus knight back when she had served with Hallen. She was a highly talented borderline prodigally skilled woman who was one of the most dangerous women still left in the Ylisse army. She had stayed with the Exalted King when he went to war. She hated Plegians who had worshiped the fell dragon and had personally led a charge against the Plegian General Henry Minsk during the war near the Plegian capital. It was an easy victory for the woman...but it happened the same day the king died and Alexandra never forgave the personal guards of King Norman for failing him.
 
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