Champion Of Ferox

He liked hearing her say that.

So… It wasn’t some mistake she ended up here…

“Fair enough. I forgive you,” She responded with a light smirk.

He liked hearing her say that.

Just a minor mishap, be glad this was the extent of it… Why are you just standing there with your mouth agape?…”

EHEM

“Um… You are…

So... It wasn’t some mistake she ended up here...

“Uh…” 

Training. Of course it was training. He supposed he did this to himself, since “I’m training” was usually his primary excuse for not talking to people. Still, it was strange that Chrom was not training her himself. Perhaps since the Lucina from this timeline was still only a toddler, Chrom had his hands full.

     Nah knew very well that they were in a time of pace, but couldn’t help but feel as if something was amiss. It honestly could have been her paranoia and the fear of losing those that she cared for– again. Of course, the weight of her burden could never be as heavy as Lucina’s… she still worried though.

That this young woman felt so strongly about this was, in a way, saddening, though he was certainly not one to throw stones in this particular case. He barely knew the girl, but it was certainly clear that she was Chrom’s daughter. 

Perhaps even Grima’s fall couldn’t assuage the trauma that she and the other future children had lived through during their time period.

He sighed. 

The sorceress was resting by a old oak tree, situated upon one of its ancient roots. She needed a moment away from the infirmary. 

As of recent, there had been a small epidemic spreading around camp as of recent. Nothing life threatening but, an annoyance nonetheless. The symptoms were common enough, ranging from chills, fatigue, short bursts of coughing, and fever. Normally, such things are overlooked and passed as colds or the flu… however, none of the common remedies were effective. A handful of people were sent to the sickbay - civilians and soldiers alike, this posed as a serious problem since a sizable portion of the Feroxian army was unfit for battle.

So, Tharja took matters into her own hands. She had spent restless nights researching, attempting to figure out its origins and possible cures. Normally, she would work in solitude, but due the severity of the situation she had swallow her pride for the greater good.

After two nights, they had concocted a list of items and herbs that would - in theory, cure everyone… Or at the very least, suppress the symptoms. Unfortunately, her assistant had been overwhelmed by the illness as well and so it was her duty to finish what they started. At the crack of dawn, the sorceress snuck away, traversing to the closest settlement for supplies and spent the remaining day picking herbs and the likes from the surrounding forests.

( Nazareth Sage, Stevia, Thyme… )

That was, until the sickness hit. 

And it hit like a ton of bricks. In just a week’s time, half of the region was ill with some out-of-nowhere sickness. It put even the mightiest Feroxi men in bed indefinitely. The strange thing was that it claimed no lives, only brought them to a halt. Ferox was home to its fair share of illness, but this consisted mainly of common things like the flu that were easily treated, especially with their new Plegian healer. However, even Tharja was stumped, and before long Lon’qu found himself having to go it alone most days, his companion hard at work trying to figure things out. For two full nights, he dined and slept by himself. Though this had been his way for years and years before Tharja came into his life, she’d spoiled him by being there, and he found it difficult to sleep.

There wasn’t much for a swordsman to do during an epidemic, even if he was the West Khan’s champion. Should he offer aid to Tharja and the other healers he would only be a burden. Basilio had once yelled something at him about finding the source, after which Lon’qu had to remind him that one cannot stab a sickness. He thanked the Gods that his Khan didn’t have this mysterious illness yet, lest the entire region lose hope.

In desperation, Tharja had set out, looking for a set of herbs she believed would be the key to the cure. She must have thought she was quite sneaky, leaving before the sun had fully risen. It was the first time since this had all started that Lon’qu was glad for his lack of sleep, and he spied her running off into the snowy brush on her own. Not hesitating for a moment, he gathered a few necessities, and headed off after her, tracking her to a nearby settlement and finding her crouched before a patch of grass. She was wearing the robe he’d given her the day she returned, she robe she claimed when she decided to stay in the frigid land of Regna Ferox. Seeing it made him smile, and he strode over to her, no longer trying to stay hidden.

“Uh...” 

Training. Of course it was training. He supposed he did this to himself, since “I’m training” was usually his primary excuse for not talking to people. Still, it was strange that Chrom was not training her himself. Perhaps since the Lucina from this timeline was still only a toddler, Chrom had his hands full.

Lon’qu was not in Ylisse often these days, but when he was, he generally tried to avoid speaking to that many people. Today he was in the castle, having originally been sent by Khan Basilio on official business, and staying in the palace on Chrom’s invitation.

“You’re Lon’qu, right?”

He cringed, the female voice coming from behind him giving him pause, until he realized who the voice belonged to. Were it any other woman, he would likely have offered nothing but a soft grunt in response, but as he turned, he found himself looking at Chrom’s daughter.

Feeling obligated to be respectful, he replied, “… Yes.”

    “Good, I see I’ve found the right person then.” Nah said as a soft sigh escaped her. “I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me. I’m sure you above all others here at the moment would know.”

    A little outnumbered by the axe users, Nora had faith in the feroxi man. If Basillio presented the man as a gift to aid the Shepherds against the Plegieans…then his skills must be valuble. With that in mind, Lon'qu left her side, dashing towards one of the four axe users. Before the bluenette could respond to the swordsman, the second Plegiean soldier had already closed in the distance between her.

     Keeping her blue killing edge sheathed, Nora took a step back dodging the attack with some fluidity. Her feet skidding across the ground as the blade of the soldier’s axe whistled past her. Keeping her guard up, she ducked only to use her sheathed sword to block the man’s attack.

    “Whats wrong Ylissean scum? Draw your sword! Or is your sword only for decoration?” he mocked.

    Exhaling a deep breath, the bluenette spun, using the blunt end of her sheath to knock the man backwards. The force of the hit sent the fighter stumbling, but not enough to knock him out. Angered he charged forward as the tactician took a step back. As he brought the axe back she quickly delivered a strike to the man’s neck. Forcing him backwards she focused her weight into the thrust, breaking the soldier’s neck in the process.

“What are you standing and gawking for?”

He grunted in reply, turning his gaze away slightly. It was true, there were two more soldiers that needed to die before they could move on, but she seemed to be under the false intention that his goal was to save the to two stranded mages. Lon’qu spied the wyvern rider who must have been this unit’s general soaring near the peak of the pass, and had set out to take him on himself. The mages were not his problem- he was after all, Chrom’s new champion, not the babysitter for his children. That seemed to be Frederick’s job, and the knight was already well on his way, slashing and stabbing his way through the front line that Lon’qu had run from. 

He decided he didn’t need to share his intentions with the tactician just yet, as they had more pressing matters to attend to, two to be precise, and one of them carried a dark magic tome.

He’d found his target. 

The dark mage was attempting to take cover in the gateway of the fort, likely looking to take advantage of the tight quarters. As Lon’qu quickly rounded the corner, a spell circle, made of an eery, shimmering purple light , etched itself into the ground a few paces ahead of him. His momentum wouldn’t allow him to stop in time, but ht had plenty of room to shift himself slightly to the side. As he redirected himself, several dark tendrils erupted from the ground inside the spell circle and formed a sphere of energy, which promptly collapsed in upon itself, resulting in a small, concentrated explosion, which almost certainly would have crippled the man. 

Quickly closing the distance between the two, another spell circle formed, and Lon’qu dodged another Flux spell, bringing his sword all the way to one side preparing for a horizontal strike. The sorcerer had clearly not planned for his opponent to dodge his spells, and was not ready for the vicious slash Lon’qu delivered, opening his thin robe and the skin beneath it. He staggered backwards, hitting the wall and staining it red. 

Lon’qu turned to meet the second foe, fully expecting Nora to already be locked in combat with the sword user. As he turned however, he heard a sound from behind him- like sparks beneath a small campfire. At that moment, a third spell circle etched itself into the ground where he stood, surrounding him with dark energy. 

He’d underestimated this mage’s resilience. 

As the circle crackled, and the dark tendrils rose from the edge of the circle, Lon’qu managed to react in time, and hopped backwards before the sphere formed. Using his sideways momentum, he delivered a sharp back handed punch to the chin of his foe, and as he staggered to the side, a stab in the belly for good measure. Using his foot, Lon’qu removed the wounded sorcerer from his blade, and whipped it to the side, flinging his blood from the metal. 

Before looking back to his apparent companion, Lon’qu shot a look upwards towards the peak where the wyvern riders would be coming from. He realized at that moment that the rest of the Shepherds would have their hands full on the approach to the east. If they stayed this course, they would likely have to take on several wyvern riders on their own.