So sleepy...

So much so, in fact, that it was taking all their energy possible in order to stay awake. It felt like a warm summer day, or a room filled with a small fire to keep warm on a cold, blistering winter. The latter was in fact probably closer to the truth---as they found themself gently eyeing the small fire encroaching on their space. Stepping away slightly, they clicked their tongue before turning back to the shelves in front of them, brow knitting together.

There was so much to take in here. And so little time to do it.

The two hadn’t known each other long---or well, at that. But that seemed like more the reason to spend time together. After all they had plenty of questions about the other and where they were from, most particularly since both of their worlds seemed so entirely different from one another.

It made this city they had been pulled into so much more interesting.

With permission from the other, they had grilled her for what was most likely hours on what her home was like. What the governments were like, the plants, the wildlife, the society itself. It was all valuable and new information to them. Something they would forever be thankful for. And of course would not go without repayment---whether by sharing about their own home, or even quite literally paying for.

Still, people could only go on for so long, it seemed. It looked after a while like they had exhausted her for the time being. Or maybe they had pried just a bit too much into something personal. That was something they were, unfortunately, known to do. Closing the notebook they had been writing their findings down in, they stood up, motioning for her to follow suit.

“My apologies for taking up so much of your time,” they started, smiling at her. “I often get caught up in these things...”

Pausing for a moment, they quickly leaned down to place a kiss atop her head. “A thank you for your time. Let me know if there’s ever anything I can do to truly make it up to you---another time, of course. As invigorating as all that was, I’m rather exhausted now that I’ve had a moment of pause... So a nap is in order.”

*          His focus is pulled   the moment Linhardt casts that spell. An eruption of flames and magma surely enough to stun the leviathan, but also enough to draw attention – attention that they’d worked hard to draw away from themselves. Claude bites his lip, but has to take this loss. They had to fight now, there was no stopping that.

The sharks were back on them once more, teeth thrashing, powerful bodies rushing their way through the current. He side steps one, though a fang tears through his shirtsleeve. The next he has no choice to draw his sword for, ducking beneath it to draw a long gash under its belly. He narrowly avoids most of the blood that follows. Most of it.

As if they had any time to think about appearances right now.

     “To the left! We have to head towards the left!” He yells over the cacophony. Frantic people, raging monsters, and the everpresent threat of a watery grave… it was impressive either of them could keep a level head, but what were they if not soldiers trained to stare death in the eye?

He has no choice but to trust Linhardt will follow him as he starts in the direction he called for. It seemed like an opening, or at least a gap in the groups of beasts that were starting to file in. He wanted to grab their arm again, even lift them if he could, but they were further apart now. The best he could do was rush forth and turn to cover for them once he was in a clearer area. Far from ideal.

Well, this was just great.

As useful as that spell was, it definitely riled up the rest of the creatures around them. Take one out, more will come, it seemed. Stealth was no longer an option---and it was most certainly their own fault. But beating themself up over causing the current predicament of a swarm of sharks was not going to be useful, so they instead shoved the thoughts, and their own body’s exhaustion, away and kept moving forward.

Ducking out of the shark’s way as best they could, they readied a spell once more. It wasn’t a good idea to use the same one again, most importantly since they only had one more chance at using it.

Releasing another wind spell to knock a shark away, they kept pushing forward, following Claude’s instructions. Was Claude further away now? He looked further away. That distance looked like it was growing as well. That wasn’t good.

“Claude I know this isn’t the time to be slowing down, but do you think you could. Just a bit. The last thing I want is for a shark to cut me off from you.”

Did their words even reach him, they weren’t entirely sure, but they hoped so. They couldn’t tell how loud their voice was projecting---it was definitely getting harder to. When was the last time they drank from their water bottle? That was probably necessary by now too, thinking about it. Fumbling for a moment, they managed to grab the thing out of their satchel, taking a quick sip from it before putting it back, and almost running face first into another shark along the way, only managing to dodge enough to be grazed by it’s teeth.

Though the gash stung no matter how shallow it was.

I LOVE THE

As much of Linhardt’s time was spent asleep, it was often hard to determine what was and was not a moment between rests and what might be a dream. There were so many dreams of the mundane, dreams of spending the time in the peace of laying on a field and basking in the sun, dreams of attending events with friends and going about them with smiles upon their faces and not a qualm to be had. Dreams like these, when had back home, were easy to distinguish from the harsh realities. The wars they were engaged in made it easy to tell when a false peace was found. That was the unfortunate truth.

*          Claude didn’t let his gaze   leave the winding monstrosity before them, and once the thing shook off its pain, the eye contact was mutual. It reminded him of both hunting and the various monsters he’d had to take down back in Fodlan. Predator and prey, but who was who?

Even with the healing magic knitting together his skin, there’s no change in his expression. The leviathan is winding up again, and he has no time to let that wash of recovery settle in and calm him. He gives a nod.

     “Let’s hope,” he adds in, almost an afterthought given their pressing situation. “Alright, let’s move!” As he starts to run, he looses the arrow. This time, he aims for the snake’s open mouth. It hits. His lip tugs upwards just a smidge, but all he can do is focus on getting to the exit. That thing could move faster than them; how long would stunning it last?

Looking back at the leviathan isn’t what Linhardt’s focus is on. They figure Claude’s already doing what he can with it, and so their attention is on what lies in front of them.

The blood he lost was sure to attract more of the sharks, so that was their main focus. Aside from running and keeping pace, that was. Chewing at their lip a bit, they weighed their options of spells in their head for a moment. They were under water---so what little wind magic they had was important to use, but magic was still magic. Would their fire at least stand a chance to help? Well. One thing was sure to work.

Though it was limited.

Preparing the spell, they glanced around a bit to see if anything was coming toward them. When it looked that, for the time being they were in the clear other than the beast behind them, they quickly turned around and stopped dead in their tracks. There was no way they could aim this properly while moving. In one quick motion, they released the spell, watching as the ground below the leviathan cracked open to spray the magma up onto the beast.

*           The truth was   he hadn’t made it out of that scrape unscathed. Though he stood in a sturdy stance, the blood soaking through his pants from a large gash was hard to ignore. It was his instinct to power through such injuries, but if it inhibited his ability to run, it was better to tend to it.

     “My leg,” Claude half-orders as he nocks another arrow. “Would love to run right now but I’d hobble at best I’m afraid.” He’s calm regardless, loosing the arrow and aiming for an eye. It misses by a hair, but the beast reels anyway. Failnaught’s supernatural strength was enough to pierce past the scales, but it was compensation at best for what could have been a far better shot. That’s what he got for trying to power through the pain.

     “As soon as you heal me, we’ll have to bolt again, okay?” Another arrow was drawn. Internally, he’s keeping count. Though he has the sword he bought to lean on, he hoped he wouldn’t have to only rely on his secondary weapon. In a case like that, he doubted their chances of escape.

“Leg, got it.”

Eyes diverting from the beast, they moved to Claude as they knelt down beside him. The blood was definitely evident now that they looked at it, and they took a moment to be glad that such a wound was something that was run of the mill now. A fact they also lamented.

Quickly preparing a healing spell, they eased it along the gash as quickly as they could, but ensured that they still went slow in order to get it all. A half healed wound wouldn’t be much better than simply slapping some bandages on it and saying to power through.

*          Just as things were starting   to look promising.

He feels when Linhardt hits the ground, the weight pulling down his arm. He’s quick to turn. He starts to speak, only to end up staring, wordless, eyes wide.

His breath is caught in his throat as he stares, the winding, unfurling monster slowly rousing. His heartbeat is in his ears. They’re horribly unprepared, and even if they can take on this beast, there’s still the vast amount of other monsters to deal with. A litany of prayers is repeated over and over in his head, but it’s no use. The snake spots them.

         He has one second to move.

     “Watch out!!!”

Grabbing Linhardt, Claude dives. He’s just fast enough to evade the beast’s jaws. Holding them close, he rolls, trying to ensure most of their impact against the ground is taken by himself. He stops their turning with his elbow, and tries to let them go as carefully yet quickly as he can.

     “Are you okay?!” He has to say it faster than he wants, has to stand and draw his bow faster than he wants. “Well, there goes that part of the plan I guess, but one is better than many!”

As much as they wish they could say they could have evaded this on their own, that would be a lie.

Were it not for Claude, Linhardt would have surely lost a limb, or even half of themself, in the beast’s jaws. The other man’s reflexes were much quicker than their own, and this was probably going to be the first of many times in the next few minutes Claude would have to get them out of a sticky situation.

They only hoped that they could repay the favor.

Biting down on their tongue when the two of them rolled, the taste of iron filled their own mouth, but it was better than any other injury they could sustain. Collecting themself the best they could and doing the best they could to focus on the other’s words, they prepared another spell, glancing over to Claude and giving a nod.

“I’m fine, thank you,” the response is breathier than they want it to be. “What about yourself? I can heal you if you want but just give me a second---”

As they spoke, they turned and released a cutting gale at the leviathan’s tail that was snaking around to try and knock into them, promptly slicing into the flesh---but not through it. These were tougher than sharks. Good thing to note.

*          He couldn’t lie,   it concerned him that Linhardt already looked so winded. He knew one’s fight or flight response could make them do physical feats they otherwise couldn’t, but that only went so far. He wasn’t kidding when he said he’d carry them if necessary, but Claude’s strength lay more in his agility. 

But they really didn’t have time to wait. They had to go now or else they’d both die.

The rise and fall of his own chest had deepened, only really noticeable now that they were at a stand still. It seemed the blood drawn from the sharks’ fallen brethren was distraction enough for the predators. That was a boon, at least. Claude counted five golems in their vicinity, all distracted… for now. 

     “Then let’s go.” His voice was deeper, a baritone that barely broke above the chaos surrounding them. Taking a more sturdy grip on Linhardt’s arm, he runs again, fleet-footed. He doesn’t expect their shot at the stairs to be a straight aim, but that’s his direction anyway. They needed to at least close the distance. As much as they could.

The next few moments happened a bit faster than expected.

At one moment, Linhardt was standing for a brief respite, one Claude was seeming to need as well, and the next... Their arm was gripped, they were tugged, and it was much faster than anticipated. The stumble this time was not as easily recovered from as the last. Their feet were not catching the ground as needed, so it was only a matter of time until they tripped and fell.

And what a terrible place to do such a thing, as well.

Groaning a bit as they pushed themselves upright again, they looked over at what their foot had caught onto---only to see it move and shift. Eyes quickly moving along and up, they watched as one of the leviathans stirred. Slowly backing up, they reached out to try and grab onto Claude to ensure he was still there.

*          Though it looks like   Claude isn’t paying attention to whether or not Linhardt could handle themselves at the pace they were running, he was. Their half-joke earns a smirk from him, along with a look thrown over his shoulder.

     “Worry not, I’m fully prepared to whisk you into my arms if need be.” He makes sure to punctuate with a wink before turning his attention ahead. His eyes scan over the scene, focusing on the sleeping beasts and on the enemies still trained on them. It seems his scheme couldn’t distract them all, but some was better than none.

Ducking mid-run, the sharp blast of air dishevels some of his hair as he watches it hit the shark. Back in a full stand, he draws his bow once more.

     “Guess not, but I’d rather face some of these then everything at once.” Like a flash, an arrow is sent flying into an approaching shark, skewering it in the gills. “We should be able to aim for the stairs now that we’re far enough from the distraction. Ready?”

Breathing out a laugh, they shook their head at the wink Claude gave them, the only response Linhardt deemed was needed for the remark. There were more pressing matters after all.

“That’s quite true, these sharks aren’t too sturdy it seems...” Another spell was cast, the cutting gale unfortunately slicing through one of the sharks this time rather than knocking it to the side. The sight made them ill, but they did not stumble in their stride. “I’m certain were the leviathans awake, we might be dead by now.”

*          Were these golems   anything like the mechanical monstrosities he faced in Shambalah? The echoes of the cold, drastically new, underground lair pang at the bang of his head and for a moment, Claude winces. The memories are pushed aside for now, with him rationalizing that they had nothing in common.

His fingers tighten around Failnaught and the arrow. They can’t afford to waste time. 

He raises both. Bloody red sparks light the head.

     “I can’t imagine those things move very fast… but we’re about to find out. Brace yourself and get ready to go.” That’s the only warning he gives. For a moment, his aim is trained on the stone monsters straight ahead… but then it veers hard up and left. The arrow is loosed. A red line slices through a hanging wire, dislodging the precarious tip of a tilting, futuristic building. Almost like slow motion, it falls. 

The crash of metal caving in on itself and leaving an impact on the ground is deafening. Water pulses, sprays into the air in a white mist, and… and it seems to be enough. It’s far enough away from the leviathans not to rouse them,  but close enough to draw the attention of the stone beasts. As they eye the commotion, Claude swings his bow to his back once more and grabs Linhardt’s sleeve.

     “Now!” He pulls them and starts to sprint. Instead of heading towards them, he runs opposite to where he drew their vision – to what should be a blind spot.

Before they even had the chance to respond, Claude had already gone with shooting the arrow, and they were already being pulled along behind him.

Stumbling a bit at the initial jerk on their arm and the fact the pace was much more than they were anticipating, they eventually managed to even out their foot falls. Somewhat. There was still water everywhere, and they were still not fully recovered from the last run.

“At some point you’ll simply have to carry me on your back,” they practically wheezed out, the hint of a joke to be found in their tone. “But this is at least keeping them distracted for the time being...”

Eyeing the leviathans carefully, they seemed to not stir from their rest. Even still, they readied a spell, not wanting to risk the chance. Plus, there was definitely a shark directly in front of them.

“Duck,” they managed to call out before sending the gust of air directly over Claude’s head, angling it to knock the shark off course even just a bit so they could get past.

*          When he sees   Linhardt catching their breath, he takes a second to place a hand on their back. Were this anything but a life or death situation, he’d take another moment to ask how they’re doing, say they can take a break, but they can’t. They both know they can’t.

Especially since what they came across requires immediate attention.

     “… Linhardt, you see that?”

He speaks hushed and hurried, practically glaring at the sight behind the corner. The serpentine monstrosities, arguably the beasts he wanted to face the least, were slumbering. This advantage, this gift could not be wasted, but it also put them on a timer.

     “One less group of monsters to worry about, but we can’t underestimate the others.” He gestures with his head towards the golems, then peers at the sharks. “We need to distract without waking the Leviathans up. Got any ideas?”

While the touch is a bit comforting, it didn’t last very long when their attention was called else where. Looking where Claude had directed to, their eyes widened a bit at the sight. Asleep. The creatures they were worried about facing... were asleep.

What a stroke of luck.

“I don’t think the sharks will be much of an issue,” they whisper back, squinting a bit to plan for a route of movement to take. “Sharks are, normally, quite docile... So long as we are not mistaken for their prey---and we aren’t bleeding which is a boon for us as well.”

“The golems however...”

*          While he wouldn’t voice it,   Claude wasn’t hopeful. He’d learned the difference though, the difference between having hope and not giving up. He would get out of here alive, because he refused to die, but their chances were slim at best, nonexistent at worst.

But still, a smirk cracks across his face. This wasn’t the first time he’s faced insurmountable odd.

     “Already accounted for both cases,” Claude hastily replies. “One for each of them, more if we can’t find any of them. In my opinion, there’s no use trying to find any of them–but I don’t doubt their abilities to make it out alive.” He knew them as nothing but capable. He had to have faith in them.

     “A distraction strategy is a solid plan in this case, I’d say. We’ll need to see just how smart these monsters are. If we can lure them away, that’s perfect. But we have to test its viability, as I’m sure I don’t need to tell you.” He stops then, knowing how close they were to the aforementioned beasts. Better not to be seen, after all. “Oh and you’ll have more than earned the right to look at this when we’re out of here. Use it as motivation to do your best right now, yeah?”

“Hearing you have some sort of a plan truly is comforting. I mean that seriously.”

Stopping alongside Claude, Linhardt takes this time to catch their breath---nearly doubling over when trying to lean with their hands on their knees to help elevate airflow. This was miserable already, but the idea of escape meant they had to keep pushing until they got out. Collapsing on Claude while they tried to get out of here really would be a poor way to go.

At the mention of earning the right to look at Failnaught after this, they turned to give the other man a weak smile. “Oh, I think getting the two of us out alive is really enough motivation---that’s simply a bonus now.”

Righting themselves finally, they let out a heavy breath. At least for now, they could stop running. But what awaited them was maybe worse than continuing...

Edelgard…he didn’t want to think about her here, a scowl raising on his face at the sheer mention. As far as he knew she was dead……….terrible things to remember this comparatively sanitary living space.

Not that he’d have long to dwell on it. A snarl escaped his lips almost instinctively at the touch to his face, taking a backwards scamper when they reached for the cloth, almost hunched over.

More growling. “Well I came here with naught but armor and the underclothes. I don’t have many options.” Bold of them to assume he had a full wardrobe, really. His gaze stayed unwavering from them at this point, wondering exactly what possessed them to touch him so nonchalantly. Was he not some sort of monster to be handled with caution?

The reaction should have been expected, but it was a lot more... feral than they had anticipated.

Brow raised in interest, they gave a small smirk at the response. They didn’t move forward any, but did not relinquish their hold on Dimitri’s blanket either. “So you haven’t gone out to try and find anything else then, hm? One would think that was your first thought should you only have armor and underclothes.”

“But instead it looks like this is your solution,” they emphasize this by tugging on the blanket a bit, tilting their head to attempt to peek at what may be under. “Quite flimsy and doesn’t do a fantastic job at keeping you covered. Not that I have an issue with that if you choose to wear this around.”

One second they were focusing on whatever they could possibly get their hands on in the crypt, and the next a voice was ringing through the air. Well this was just a fantastic turn of events. At the least, where they were now had some air---not the easiest breathed, but it was air regardless. Still, it wasn’t a solution to stay in here.

Sighing, they headed back up the stairs from down below, trying to see if anyone else had made their way into this place. Maybe they could speak with them about this situation, get their bearings straight. It didn’t really feel very real from inside this locked up place anyway.

Reaching back to the top, they did find someone there. How fortunate. Giving a wave as a greeting, they sighed and glanced toward the gate.

“I suppose until we open that we’ll be safe, don’t you?”

*          Nothing in the Crypt.   To Claude, that didn’t completely rule out the idea that they may find their answers there, but he trusted Linhardt’s judgement. He doubted he could find something they hadn’t. His hand goes to his chin, stroking his beard before he sighs. As far as he was aware, the only option left was the sunken ship, though unless that could somehow be salvaged, it hardly seemed like an option.

No matter where he looked, it was bad. 

But, they couldn’t lose hope. They were getting out of there alive. He’d make sure of it.

He doesn’t fight back when Linhardt urges him to move. He nods along as he listens, mind churning over formations they could use as a primarily ranged soldier and a medic. How nice it would be to have someone who could fight up close. Two faces come to mind.

      “Of the people we both know, I’ve run into Dimitri, Sylvain, and Dorothea. I’d love to run into any of them right now if we have to fight back.” In a smooth motion, he pulls Failnaught in front of him. “This is the only weapon I have, and obviously I don’t have my Wyvern, but honestly? It’s the best thing I could have kept. Unless we find someone who’s more equipped to fight on the front lines, we’re going to have to keep our distance in attacking. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how less than that is.”

Listening to Claude speak, Linhardt simply moves, nearly forgetting to let go of the other’s arm once he moved along with them. Dropping it back to their side as they moved, they thought about the people mentioned. While they didn’t know Sylvain very well---or at all really---the other two options would be very promising to work with. Dorothea they’d fought with plenty of times and her expertise could come in handy, whereas Dimitri’s strength was definitely a bonus to the situation.

But that was only if the two of them were lucky enough to run into any of the three on their way there.

“Well if they show up, we can adjust battle plans to include them---but again, I would really prefer we can somehow sneak past these beasts and get out than try and fight them.”

Glancing over as Claude produced his hero’s relic, they suppressed the urge to ask and look at it. It was tempting, but the idea that there was the slight chance it would simply leave the other with a demonic beast and a creature from this world to deal with was enough to squash the curiosity. Mostly.