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The Somniel: Courtyard
“I fear we may have a problem on our hands,” Vander said to his junior stewards.
“What is it Vander?” Clanne asked.
“Yeah! How can we help?” Framme added.
“The amount of animals we have at the Somniel and the number of people we have to provide care for them are at odds.” the older man carried a grave look on his face.
“What does that mean?” Clanne scratched the side of his face.
“We do not have the ability to care for all of the animals being adopted by the Divine Dragon.” Vander elaborated.
“Oh no! Those poor things!” Framme exclaimed.
“Indeed. Which means we must find a way to tell the Divine Dragon that-” Vander cut off, looking past the twins who spun to see what had drawn the older steward’s attention.
The Divine Dragon, Alear, didn't stop her journey across the courtyard. An actual Vervain Deer was held securely under one arm and in the other hand she held an open flask.
“Divine One, may I ask what you have there?” Vander gently questioned.
The woman stopped walking and met the gazes of her stewards.
“Pure Water,” Alear took a long, noisy sip from her drink before walking on.
Vander thanked… well the Divine One, that Clanne and Framme did not turn around in time to see his palm meet his face.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The Somniel: Armory
“Divine One how do you manage to stay sane with all-” Durthon the armorer coughed into his fist, “not to sound too disrespectful, but with all of them,” he gestured to the various allies Alear had gathered as they meandered past his stall, “being around?”
As they watched Framme and Clanne bartered with Anna for additional paper to make their ‘pamphlets’ while Celine, Citrine, and Chloe were having tea in the middle of the pathway. Louis was observing the tea party from the cafe and Yunaka was on top of things as usual. This time she had claimed the blacksmith as a perch.
“Oh I have my coping mechanisms…” Alear said.
Boucheron ran past the armory, wailing, followed quickly by Jade insisting that he give an honest opinion on the latest draft of her current novel.
“Must be mighty good coping,” commiserated Durthon.
Ivy strolled confidently across the courtyard with Alcryst distrustfully, and ineffectively, sneaking after her.
“Very,” Alear agreed, dropping a sack of gold on the countertop.
A loud ‘FWOOSH’ echoed out of the Cafe followed by Bunet’s yell.
“One must be able to withstand the heat!”
Alear took a slow breath.
“If you’ll excuse me. I think I need to go cope,” Durthon nodded in understanding as Alear left.
Minutes later Alear slipped inside the farmhouse with a last furtive glance out the door before it shut, cutting off the distant racket of Timerra and her retainers.
“Finally,” she whispered, looking deeper into the building. Gentle beams of sunlight caught dust as it floated through the air and the soft sounds of sleeping animals filled the air with peace. Alear strode towards a fluffy mass of snoozing sheep, dogs, cats, and even a camel. With a relieved sigh the Divine Dragon pitched herself headfirst into the pile with Sommie following shortly after.
It took her stewards two blissful hours to find her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The Somniel: Courtyard
“Divine One I must strongly recommend against this course of action,” Vander counseled from Alear’s side as she walked towards the Somniel’s ring chamber, “I can’t allow you to risk yourself in such a manner.”
“Thank you Vander, but I won’t have anyone else dying on my account,” Alear responded, “besides-” she stopped in surprise as she saw the crowd arrayed inside the cafe between her and her goal.
“This is reckless, Divine One,” Jade offered from the crowd.
“No one has ever done this before,” said Alcryst, who shrunk back before adding, “at least that we know of.”
“We don’t know what will happen!” Framme barely held back tears.
“I appreciate the concern, but I’ve made up my mind,” Alear squared her shoulders and stepped forwards. Her friends and allies parted before her, but did not stop their protests.
“What if you explode?!”
“Please reconsider!”
“The game isn’t balanced around-”
The door shut with click, cutting off outside sound and carrying a sense of finality into the quiet solitude of the ring chamber. Alear thanked herself that the same enchantment that prevented uninvited guests on the Somniel also applied to this room. It made things simpler when she knew she couldn’t be disturbed. If only she could say the same for her bedroom, but now wasn’t the time to deal with that. She had a war to win.
“My friends,” she addressed the room and glowing figures appeared at her call, “I need your help.”
“Anything you need,” Replied Emblem Lucina, a sentiment quickly echoed by the rest of the Emblems.
Elusia: The Shadowy Moor
Veyle cackled as she took in the sight of the Divine Dragon standing alone on a rocky outcropping across the sodden ground of the moor. While small, mobile units certainly held an advantage on such difficult terrain, coming alone was suicide. What a fool!
“The only thing that could make this better would be if she brought a ring.”
As if hearing Veyle’s words the Divine Dragon raised an arm to the sky and presented a single insulting finger in defiant salute to Veyle, her four hounds, and her army of corrupted.
Veyle tried to ignore the burning indignation growing inside her and focused instead on the shining ring of the Exalt Princess she could see on the Divine Dragon’s finger.
“My Lady, is she…” Marni cocked her head in confusion.
“Kill her! Kill her and get that ring,” Veyle growled. At her command the corrupted began to rush forward. In response Alear opened her hand and -
And revealed the four additional emblem rings she wore on her other fingers.
Veyle’s eyes widened in surprise, but they could still handle five rings, they had more than that!
Even as her doom approached the Divine Dragon did not flinch. Instead she raised her other hand, grasped the edge of her sleeve, tugged it down and -
And revealed a cluster of shining bracelets she wore on her arm.
“Oh this is gonna hurt!” cheered Griss.
“ENGAGE!” shouted the Divine Dragon as iridescent light burst from her form like a second sun and bathed the moor in radiance.
“...shit.”
A moment of silence passed before Veyle realized she had spoken aloud.
She didn’t meet her retainers’ gazes as the incandescent form of Alear tore her army apart.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The Somniel: Alear's Room
“And this time we lock the door,” Alear spoke aloud as she engaged the mechanism on her room’s door with a distinct ‘click’, “that should do it,” she reassured herself as she lay down for a well deserved nap. There would be no interruptions this time.
*ZZZZZ*
“Divine - Oh. Still sleeping.”
Alear opened her eyes slowly. It said a lot that being awoken by someone in her room didn’t warrant any sudden actions. That said…
“Divine One?”
Alear stood and walked over to the door, checking the lock. It was open. Interesting.
“Is everything ok-” Alear left Clanne behind in his confusion.
Now. Where would she be… ah yes, the cats. Alear ignored the polite greetings floating her way and strolled over to the animal pasture. Yunaka was reclining on the roof and stroking her favorite black cat.
“Hiya Papaya Yunaka,” Alear called up.
“Hiya Pa- Hey! Stop stealing my line,” she pouted, but the sparkle in her eye said she didn’t mind, “what’s up oh Divine One?”
“Did you open the door to my room for Clanne?”
“Yeppers! Oh.” her tone fell as she saw Alear’s face, “Was I not supposed to do that? I mean, what harm could that muffin do? He adores you!”
“Yeah, that’s part of the problem,” Alear muttered to herself before calling up to Yunaka again, “Don’t worry about it Yunaka. Thanks for being honest.”
“You betcha Divine One! Y’know I’m working on it!”
Alear left Yunaka to her lounging, she would need to think about this.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The Somniel: Alear's Room
“Alright. Let’s try this again.”
Alear examined her locked door before carrying the piano bench over and trying to wedge it underneath the handles and against the floor.
Despite the seat’s valiant efforts it fell woefully short of her goal.
Alrighty then.
A loud scraping sound accompanied Alear pushing the entire piano up against her door.
“Perfect,” she dusted her hands off in satisfaction even though her ardent followers would never let any dust accumulate in her room. Now to nap! With
no
interruptions.
*ZZZZZ*
“Heya Divine One! Oopsie, you’re asleep.”
Alear’s eyes snapped open. Not in surprise, nor alarm, but annoyance.
“Wish I could let you sleep,” Framme continued.
Alear ignored the young steward and stalked over to the door of her room. The piano still dutifully held the door closed. She looked back and forth between the instrument and Framme before noticing a feather drifting across the floor. She kicked the piano out of the way and exited the room.
Now. Where would she be… ah yes, the overlook. Alear ignored the polite greetings floating her way and strolled past the campfire pit to the Somniel’s overlook. As predicted, the picturesque view held Chloe captive yet again.
“The clouds are just wonderful today Divine One,” Chloe sighed as Alear stepped up next to her.
“They are Chloe. Did you fly Framme into my room on your Griffon?”
“Oh of course. Sneaking through the window to wake the sleeping damsel… it’s just so storybook. How could I resist?” Chloe smiled, a hand coming up to her cheek.
“Chloe, can I ask you to stop doing that?” Alear’s voice remained calm.
“But if you won’t let me stay with you while you sleep I need to at least help the others.”
“No Chloe. You don’t. Please stop.”
“I suppose Divine One,” Chloe sighed dejectedly.
“Thank you Chloe.”
Alear left Chloe to her cloud gazing. She needed to think about this.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The Somniel: Alear's Room
“Ok Alear, it’s clear we have a problem,” She examined the wide open terraces and soaring arches of her bedroom with her hands on her hips, “now we just need to fix it.”
*A few hours later*
“Has anyone else noticed the Divine One carrying planks and nails into her room?” Louis asked aloud.
There was no response.
“Ok. Just me then,” he commented to the air.
*A few hours later*
Alear stood tall in the proud fortress of her bedroom. Wooden planks covered all the exposed gaps and blocked all entrances. Even the main door had been sealed! The darkness would also be a boon for proper sleep. Now napping, the uninterrupted kind, could be hers!
*ZZZZZ*
*CRASH*
Alear woke up with a start. What was happening?! Were they under attack!? She looked out across the darkness of her room to where light streamed in past the shattered remains of her door and saw…
She sighed.
“We decided to take turns waking you from your slumber, Divine One,” Vander intoned, lowering his axe.
Alear took a deep breath.
“Today the duty falls to me,” Vander stepped inside and started mechanically removing wooden boards from the wall.
Alear’s red eye twitched as she came to a decision.
“Clearly, I need a different approach.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Emblem Lucina watched from within her ring as the Divine Dragon forced an oversized mattress through the door and into the ring vault. It fell to the floor with a muted thud and left Alear panting in the doorframe.
“There,” she huffed and tossed a pillow on top of the mattress, “this better work.”
“If I may ask Alear,” Emblem Lucina ventured, appearing above her ring, “Is everything alright? You seem… tired.”
“It’s fine Lucina,” answered Alear with a light laugh that was clearly not fine, “just having some trouble getting enough sleep is all.”
“Can I do anything to help?” the emblem asked, concern clear as Alear stepped into the vault and let the door close.
“Nope. This room is all I need. This room. Its thick walls. And its magically sealed door,” Alear’s smile was not a happy one, “goodnight Lucina,” she added before collapsing onto the mattress.
She was asleep in moments.
*ZZZZZ*
*BANGBANGBANG*
The chamber echoed with each impact against the door.
”good morning divine one,” a greeting faintly filtered into the room.
“How on Elyos… this room is practically sound proof,” Alear groaned and reluctantly rose to her feet before heading to the door.
*BANGBANGBANG*
”breakfast is ready now divine one,”
Alear squinted into the light as she cracked open the door of the ring vault and observed the scene outside.
Vander held an axe poised to strike the door again while Clanne and Framme held a strange device near Framme’s mouth. Vander sheepishly lowered the axe and-
“GOOD MORNING DIV- OH YOU’RE-” Framme’s amplified voice cut off as she leaped back from the unknown conical device, “awake,” the junior steward finished at her normal volume.
“What, what is that?” Alear managed, dazed by the loud shout.
“Oh, Timerra gave us this to make us louder,” Clanne answered.
“I see,” Alear stated flatly.
Clearly, this required drastic action.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Elusia: Destinia Cathedral
The Fell Princess Veyle used her time awake to the utmost effect. No wasted moments, no frivolous detours. This remained true for her current activity ensconced in her chambers at Destinea Cathedral.
“HAhahahaha,” she laughed, observing herself in the mirror, “no, not quite right,” she cleared her throat and adjusted her posture before trying again.
“HaHAhaha-”
The laughter cut off as she saw her door swing open in the mirror. She spun. Her retainers
knew
not to disturb her while she practiced! How dare-
Veyle stared in shocked silence as the Divine Dragon, her enemy, sleepily shambled into her room dragging a blanket across the floor behind her and clutching a pillow to her chest. With no word or explanation the intruder flopped onto the bed, fluffed her pillow, and dragged the blanket over herself.
“E-excuse me?!” Veyle managed as surprise won out over anger.
There was no response.
“Apologies,” Mauvier said appearing in the still open doorway, “she didn’t respond to any of us and when Marni tried to stop her she…” the usually even keeled man shuddered and didn’t finish his sentence.
“Tell me why I shouldn’t destroy you this instant,” Veyle demanded of the interloper.
“Mumumphphpmphpm,” came the indecipherable response muffled by the Divine Dragon's pillow.
“Speak clearly or perish,” Veyle held up an open hand and caught her spell tome as it appeared.
“I
said
,” the Divine Dragon raised her head from her pillow, strands of blue and red hair hanging limp over her face, “I’ll give you all the Emblems if you just
let me sleep
.”
The woman’s head fell back to her pillow.
Veyle shared a look with Mauvier who shrugged helplessly.
“Very well,” Veyle allowed as she stood. It couldn’t hurt to try and they could always kill her in the morning.
*ZZZZZ*
“It’s morning, Divine One. I know I’m not the ideal person to wake you. I am not exactly upbeat. But the sooner you wake… the sooner this will be over.”
Alear opened her eyes slowly. She had not expected to be awoken in such a manner here, but she felt unusually refreshed and not annoyed by the interruption. Had she finally gotten enough sleep? It did feel like some time had passed since she forced her way into Elusia. She slid out of bed and stood as she pondered her good mood.
“You wake so readily. I envy you. I find sleeping… and waking to be a struggle.”
“Good morning Ivy,” Alear yawned and stretched, well accustomed to ignoring the dramatic ramblings of those who came to wake her.
“Ah. G-good morning Divine One,” Ivy responded.
“So. How in my own name did you manage to find me this time?” Alear asked, pleasantly rested for the first time in ages. It was an odd feeling. Then another question struck her, “Where are Vander, Framme, and Clanne? They don’t usually let anyone else wake me up.”
“They are… indisposed.” Alear began to worry.
“Are they ok?”
“It might be best that you see for yourself,” Ivy gestured to the door in silent invitation. One that Alear took, stepping out into the common room and taking in the sights.
A confused and blinking Veyle, purple eyes wide, gazed shyly about the room while the unconscious forms of her retainers were stacked unevenly against the wall, watched over by an attentive Diamant and Alcryst.
“Oh…” Alear began, that was impressive, “but what about Sombron?” she asked, partially dreading the answer. Ivy simply gestured again towards the doors to the main hall of the Cathedral.
The sight that greeted Alear on the other side surprised her.
The front half of the cathedral and the surrounding landscape had been replaced by a smoldering crater and the dissipating scent of ozone and flame.
“While I am not thrilled about the change in property value,” Ivy input from behind the stunned Divine Dragon, “I must admit the result is… cathartic.”
Alear could only continue to stare as the few patches of fire continued to crackle. Her gaze tracked past the ruination and to the three sleeping figures slumped against each other in exhaustion beneath a lone standing tree on clear ground.
“And before you ask. No, I do not know how they managed this.”
Alear blinked. The realization that the fighting might actually be over hadn’t sunk in yet, but a fond smile slowly grew on her face.
“Do you wish to try and wake them, Divine One?” Ivy asked.
Alear shook her head. The temptation to reverse their usual circumstances was strong, but…
“Let them sleep. After all, it seems naps win wars."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The Fort of Hope?
“Ok,” Alear addressed her gathered units as they huddled in the front courtyard of a ruined castle, “we need more mages and can’t rely on our own armored units.”
Ike brought his hammer thundering down, throwing his victim away in a boneless tumble…
Jade winced and rubbed her chest.
“Yes. That is a story I would not write again.”
“And we won’t,” agreed Alear, “rushing him all at once is out too.”
“Great Aether!” Ike crashed Urvan into the ground, cratering the earth and sending fissures in every direction. The dazed survivors looked on as additional phantoms appeared behind the emblem…
Jean clutched tightly to his horse, Fennel, who whickered in sympathy.
“Let’s… not do that again. Please,” Alear nodded at the young doctor’s request.
“Outranging him didn’t work either. We can’t hit him fast enough with thunder tomes and Ragnell covers the closer distances.”
Ike stood tall, sword planted in the ground with his hands folded atop it, as spells and arrows bounced off his armor. He smirked as cavalry streaked past him and he hefted his blade to strike the exposed and fragile mages…
“It is fortunate Emblem Ike is not actually trying to kill us,” Citrinne rubbed her arms as if chilled.
“Perhaps this time we can use the arena to our advantage? This area has lots of choke points that could limit the approach of his reinforcements,” Alear suggested.
“Oh! We can lure him in and ZAP,” Yunaka punched her open palm, “hit him all at once!”
“Well, at least it’s something we haven’t tried before,” Louis added.
“Then let’s do it! Jade and Louis to the fronts. Ivy and Citrinne, be ready with those Obstruct staves. Everyone else get ready to back them up,” Alear ordered, clenching her fist, “we can do th-”
*CRASH*
Alear’s hair whipped wildly as the entire castle at her back vaporized under a single blow. The dust settled revealing Emblem Ike and his army of phantoms poised to strike.
“...” not one of Alear’s allies found words to-
“Now that’s just cheating!” accused Anna, the only one of Alear’s allies to find words for the situation.
“You took too long,” was the only explanation offered by Emblem Ike.
“I… don’t think we’re winning this one either, are we?” Alear groaned.
“No.”
The Somniel: Ring Chamber
“So Ike… you could smash things
that
big this whole time?!” Alear accused.
“You never asked.” Ike responded, unflappable as ever.
Alear sighed and resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands.
“So you could do it again?” she asked instead.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll… keep that in mind.”
Firenze: Florra Port
Alear eyed the small fleet moored just beyond the burning town swarming with corrupted. This was it, the time was right.
“Panette, Chloe. Swap rings. We’re doing it,” Alear ordered.
“Yes!”
“Of course Divine One.”
“Everyone, let’s take back this town!”
It was a grueling battle against the corrupted, the four hounds, and even the heat of the flames, but eventually Alear and her allies stood victorious before the enemy commanders.
“You miserable rats!” fumed Zephia, “Lady Veyle, we must retreat to the ships.”
“I’m… not sure we can,” Veyle giggled hesitantly as she looked out over the harbor.
“WHAT!” Zephia spun to take in the sight of the Elusian fleet in shambles. Most of the ships had been reduced to floating scraps and others listed heavily in the water. A single pegasus flew above the ships accompanied by a shining blue star, “What did you do!?”
“You just forgot something important,” Alear replied.
“And what am I supposed to have forgotten you wretch!” Zephia took a nervous step back as Alear’s forces moved to surround Veyle and the Four Hounds.
Alear watched Chloe swing her pegasus back around for another pass. Emblem Ike took the opportunity to crash through the last remaining ship in an explosion of splinters.
Alear smiled.
“Ships are basically floating castles.”