River crossing
Tibarn and Naesala were on their way to Begnion to attack the central army's supply convoy, as planned. Getting everything organised had taken a little longer than Tibarn had expected and they were running a bit late.
"Tibarn!", Naesala called. "Shouldn't you let your men take a break? Otherwise they'll be tired before the fighting even starts."
"Very well."
They ordered their men to land on a small island just off the Begnion coast.
"You really surprised me, Naesala."
"How comes?"
"I never expected you to join the alliance."
"I'm not surprised. But do you really trust me?"
"I know you want to protect Lorazieh, Rafiel, Reyson and Leanne, that's enough for me. I know you won't betray them. Besides, some time ago the ravens used to live in Phoenecis as well. Our tribes were like brothers!"
"Time changes things, Tibarn."
"I know. But we could easily get to where we once were – if you would fess up about some of your secrets."
"What kind of secrets?", the raven king asked, instantly wary.
"Well, like the one how you suddenly became number one in the line to the throne."
"Oh. That secret. Sure, I'll tell you. If we live through this war."
"Alright, then. Enough rest for now. We've got some fighting to do!"
Naesala watched as Tibarn winged himself into the sky.
Forgive me. But I know you never will...
The gallian army and the mercenaries managed to trap Duke Seliora's troops in between them and the Ribahn River. Stuck in the swamp and with nowhere to run, they didn't last long. They were just routing the last enemy soldiers when a gallian came running towards them.
"General Skrimir, reinforcements have come from the capital! It's the Begnion Central Army!"
"What?!"
They rushed over to a hilltop and looked down onto the plain, hidden in the bushes and thickets. Ike had never in his life seen an army that size.
"How did they make it so fast? Tibarn must have failed stalling them – does that mean – he's dead?", Ike asked.
"I doubt it", Ranulf replied. "It would take more than this army to kill him. But they sure look better than those we've been fighting before."
"Oh no."
"What's wrong?"
"See the tall man with the black hair? That's General Zelgius."
"You heard of him?"
"I met him. During the Mad King's War. This just got a lot worse..."
"Is he that good?"
"He's a skilled warrior, a great strategist and a strong fighter – probably the best general of our time."
"Well, that does sound bad. Skrimir! Order a full retreat at once!"
"What? Turn my back on the enemy and run with my tail between my legs? Never! We are gallians! We never back down!"
"Are you crazy? We don't stand a chance against them!"
"But I won't run away!"
"Fine. You leave me with no other choice."
Ranulf transformed.
"You want to fight, Ranulf? You know you can't beat me."
"If this is the only way to stop you, I'll knock you unconscious!"
"Hah! You can try."
Skrimir shifted. Next to him, the biggest tiger seemed small. Ranulf hissed, his tail beating the ground.
"Ike, stop them!", Titania said.
"No. They have to do this."
Seconds later they were fighting. Ranulf moved fast, but not fast enough. Pretty soon Skrimir hit him with his paw and sent him flying through the air. Ranulf reverted and fainted.
Skrimir transformed back and bent over Ranulf.
"How bad is it?", Ike asked.
"Not too bad. He'll heal quickly."
Skrimir bent down to pick Ranulf up.
"You're still willing to carry him?"
"If he doesn't rest, this injury will get worse. Then all his little chores would fall on me – I can't have that. Dammit... Ranulf... he – got my leg."
Skrimir ordered a retreat. To Ike's greatest surprise, Zelgius didn't follow them, but retreated to the eastern bank of the Ribahn.
"A wise choice", Soren said. "We'll have to cross the river now before we can even start fighting."
Just as Skrimir had promised, Ranulf's wounds healed quickly. Rhys' healing magic definitely helped with that, too. As Ike and Titania walked through the camp, Ranulf joined them.
"Are you feeling better?", Titania asked.
"Yes, thank you. We're really glad to have your two healers with us, otherwise we'd have to rely on herbs and vulneraries. But your strategist really is something else. Does he have some kind of magic hat where he pulls his crazy ideas from?"
"Well, I do pay him plenty for them", Ike replied, smiling.
"Skrimir never listens to a word I say, but when Soren talks strategy, he's all ears."
"Looks like Soren's charmed his way into the most powerful position of this army", Titania said, laughing.
"Yes, really! But he seems a lot more at ease these days. I remember what he was like during the last war..."
The sound of wings made them look up. Tibarn alighted in front of them.
"Hello, boys. And Titania. Good to see you're still hanging out together."
"Tibarn! What happened?!", Ranulf asked.
"Eat now, talk later. Sorry, but I gotta put something in my stomach."
They stared after him, puzzled, when Reyson arrived. His face was paler than usual and his mouth was set in a thin line.
"What happened?", Ike asked again.
"Hello, Ike. Ask Janaff and Ulki. I'm worried about Tibarn, I have to check on him!"
He hurried after the hawk king.
"Did you see his wings? They were covered in blood..."
"Yes, but Tibarn seems to be unharmed. It must be someone else's... what happened out there?"
Ike looked expectantly at the king's aides.
"Please fetch General Skrimir and your strategist."
A few minutes later they met in Skrimir's tent.
"It was those damn ravens! They betrayed us again!", Janaff ranted.
"The ravens were informants and told Begnion our strategy. And the supply convoy we were supposed to raid turned out to be the central army itself", Ulki added. "Our king took on the enemy general, Zelgius. He didn't even budge when the king attacked – in his shifted form, mind you! Then, all of a sudden he stopped and said, "We have delayed you long enough. Return home at once if you want to save the lives of your people.""
"He said that?"
"Yes. The king ordered us to head for Phoenecis straight away. We flew day and night, but when we arrived, all the soldiers stationed there to protect the people had been killed... we just managed to save most of the civilians."
"That's terrible", Ranulf said, closing his eyes. "First Serenes, now Phoenecis..."
"Now, stop that lamenting. We weren't wiped out, Phoenecis is still a country." Tibarn came striding into the tent, Reyson following him. "The survivors have moved to Gallia. Janaff, Ulki, you know what this means."
"Of course."
"Kilvas and Begnion are going to burn for this!"
"Exactly. I hope you kittens weren't about to run with your tails between your legs, for I won't have that."
"Of course not, King Tibarn. Now that you have arrived, we have the numbers to fight", Ranulf replied.
"Soren, do you have a strategy?", Ike asked.
"Yes, actually. Take a look at this map. Lucky for us, some senators didn't want to miss the show. Their camp is here."
He pointed at a hill on the other side of the Ribahn River.
"We will attack during the night. The gallian army meets the central army head on. In the meantime, a small group of cats and hawks crosses behind the enemy lines to keep their commanders' attention on them. Another group carries the Greil Mercenaries to the senators' camp. We will attack them and cause some confusion. They will without any doubt call to Zelgius to rescue them. Zelgius is a soldier through and through – he won't disobey an order from the senators, no matter how foolish it may be. When he leaves, the front line will crumble and the gallians can break through."
"Sounds like a plan", Tibarn said, nodding.
"We won't be able to take horses", Titania pointed out. "But Mist, Oscar and I should manage without for one battle."
"This settles it, then", Skrimir concluded. "Inform your men of our strategy."
"The van's marching. Halfway across the river already", Ranulf said. "There's no point in waiting. Oh well, enemy will spot them soon."
"Then it's time to fight. You should go", Skrimir replied.
"Don't remind me, I hate flying. Anyway, give the word, will you?"
Ranulf and his companions ran off towards the river.
"No need. Our friends heard every word."
On a cliff above them Tibarn stood up and stretched his wings.
"Ah, it's finally time! I've had enough of sitting around. To wing, brothers! Keep up with me if you can!"
He jumped over the edge and dived, while he transformed. With a loud cry he set out to do his part.
"This fog bothers me, we can't see a thing", General Levail, Zelgius' second, said. "But our enemies won't be able to see well, either."
"I would not be so sure about that. The fog might actually be a boon to them."
"Sir! We hear splashing. The Laguz Alliance is on the move!", a soldier shouted.
From his position on a hill at the back of the army Zelgius had a clear overview of his army. The fog was thickest around the river and they were unable to see their enemies.
Suddenly, birds attacked from above. They tore the ballistae apart, grabbed soldiers and dropped them from above, or simply clawed their way through. The archers and mages immediately started a counter-attack.
A deafening roar echoed through the valley.
"What was that?", Levail asked, sounding nervous.
"The enemy appears tho have a lion. Most likely he is the general."
"What makes you so sure of that, sir?"
"Laguz choose their leaders according to strength, not because of bloodlines, as we do."
"I see. That might be an advantage for them – not every noble is good at leading an army."
"True. But strength alone does not make a leader, either."
The vanguard of the alliance had successfully crossed the river. The soldiers transformed and attacked. They were greeted by a rain of arrows and spells, but only a few of them got slowed down. The birds kept the draco-knights busy.
A tiger came running towards Zelgius. He had to admit that he was tough to have made it this far.
Soldiers backed away, terrified, as the tiger growled and leapt at Zelgius. His sword flashed and the tiger collapsed, dead.
Zelgius turned his head.
"My lord?", a soldier asked.
"It is nothing. I am needed elsewhere. Keep them engaged until I return."
"Sir!"
The soldiers bowed as he strode off towards the river.
There was still a lot of fog around and he couldn't see the other side of the river. But he heard the sound of wings as the hawks approached.
They flew right over his head and dropped a couple of beasts onto the ground. They slowly rose to face him.
"Well, well. Sorry to drop in unannounced. But we thought it best to hunt the strongest prey first."
The speaker was a cat with ice-blue hair and a green and a blue eye. Zelgius recognized him instantly.
"Of course. Interesting manoeuvre."
"Will you draw your blade?"
"I trust you know who you're facing. Zelgius, commander of this army. If you are not worthy of fighting me, then you are only wasting my time."
"I am Ranulf, right hand to Gallia's future king. Will that do?"
As he spoke his last words, he changed into his beast form.
"I accept your challenge."
Zelgius drew his sword and pointed it at Ranulf. The cat smiled, which looked quite creepy.
"At your ready."
Ranulf sped towards him and jumped, his claws outstretched. Zelgius retaliated.
The hawks dropped Ike and the others outside the senators' camp. The one who made the most noise was Haar's wyvern.
"Everybody ready? Good. Our goal is to cause as much confusion as possible. Set the supplies on fire and free any steeds you find. But be careful not to hurt the senators, that might cause us trouble later. But feel free to kill as many enemy soldiers as you can."
The mercenaries moved out. Haar made his wyvern land on top of a pile of crates which broke into pieces immediately. It didn't take long for the first senator to come running out of his tent.
Ranulf made a run for it. This was dishonorable and he knew it, but he was more interested in keeping his life than his honor.
He was the only one who was still alive. Zelgius had killed all of Ranulf's companions and now he was coming for him. A couple of soldiers had joined him, the prospect of laguz hunting clearly made them more energetic.
Ranulf dashed down a narrow gorge and found himself surrounded by sheer cliffs. He knew that he would never be able to climb up there. He turned to face his end.
"You have shown me an impressive fight", Zelgius said. "But it's over now... there is no place to run. Goodbye, Ranulf."
Unable to stay in his beast form any longer, Ranulf transformed back. Zelgius advanced.
A loud cry made them freeze and look up. A gigantic hawk came swooping down and attacked Zelgius. The General managed to stop the claws inches from his face with his blade. Tibarn tried to bite him once, then he reverted.
"Hello there. You know, you look kinda familiar."
"The King of Phoenecis! Why did you transform? Do you not wish to fight me?"
"I wish to fight you alright, but I don't think you have time for that right now."
"General Zelgius!", someone shouted. "The supply-camp is in flames and the senators request your help, sir!"
"I see... Thank you."
"You were kind enough to warn me of the attack on my country, I'm merely repaying the favour."
Zelgius nodded curtly and left. As soon as he was out of sight, Tibarn clenched his fist.
"Next time we meet make sure to have said your prayers and keep your blade drawn!" He turned to Ranulf. "You've taken quite a beating. Can you walk?"
"No..."
"Darn. Well, then I'll have to carry you. Don't get thrown off, kid."
