Fire Emblem: Last of the Manakete

AN: This is going to be a pretty short chapter: I've got a nasty case of writer's block and I'm trying to overcome it, as well as give you a chance to plan how you're going to make this big strike.


"When hunting, always aim to make the final kill as swift as possible. Whether stern chase or aerial stalking precedes it, there is no point nor honor in dragging out the finishing blow."
-Matriarch Aithusa of Kepesk-Okar


"So that's Castle Starhelm?" Melissa asks as she glances over her shoulder at you, having convinced you to take a break from riding with Artemis to ride with her instead. "It looks… nice. And is that the ruins of the old Library over there?"

You nod. "It is," you say, remembering with a touch of sadness how run-down it had been even before you'd sent a dying wyvern careening into one of the remaining towers. You wonder if anyone ever dug them out and gave them a proper burial; for all that they had been on the wrong side, surely they deserved that much. As your new friend turns her mount to follow Artemis and the rest of the yeomen, however, you frown. "Don't you remember that you were supposed to stay at the castle?" you ask, pointing. "It's that way. I'll go with you and let everyone know-"

"Ah ah ah, don't you remember your promise to Mom?" Melissa says cheekily. "I'm not allowed to go anywhere unescorted by a trusted individual, and from what Lady Cartese said most of your trusted friends and allies will probably be at the army camp." She grins. "Which means that's where you have to take me, right?"

Folding your arms, you slip off the horse's back so you can float beside Melissa and look her in the eye. "I promised to keep you safe and out of any fights," you say, "and that will be a lot more difficult at a camp with a bunch of soldiers."

"On the contrary, surely the place with the bunch of soldiers will be the safest place to be, since there'll be so many people to protect me," she says. "I mean, look around; there's less than a third of a garrison for a castle this size around Starhelm, and most of them are on patrol duty!" Her smile fades slightly. "Besides, where there are soldiers, there are wounded, and even if I can't fight, I can help. Healers are always needed."

Kelton, riding with Axton, shrugs. "She's got you there, boss," he says. "Arden was always busy, and that's just with the normal wear and tear of village life. In a real fight… well, having another healer around can't hurt."

Melissa throws Kelton a smile. "That's very wise, sir," she says, batting her eyelashes slightly and causing him to flush and look forward again. "So really, it only makes sense for me to come along. I'm sure you can find someone nice and trustworthy to chaperone me." Her grin takes on a teasing air. "Maybe Sir Kelton over there…"

"Don't enlarge his head more that it already is, or he's liable to start overbalancing and falling at random," Belle shoots over dryly. "And Kelton, fair warning between coworkers; clanker though she may be, the Girls' Oath means that I will have to inform Claire of any funny business that may or may not happen up here."

As Kelton chokes on his breath, you roll your eyes and glide over to lightly bop Belle on the head, something she makes no effort to dodge. "Be nice to Kelton, Belle," you say. "I am too busy right now to be mediating between the two of you if you get into a fight."

Belle shakes her head "Sometimes I forget that you're really a thousand years old," she says. "But I guess I can make your life easier by not making you baby us, so sorry Kelton." She doesn't sound particularly sorry, but when Kelton regains control of himself and waves it off, you decide that it's good enough. Especially since Melissa seems to have taken the hint, and she's flushing slightly herself.

"Sorry, Sir Kelton," she says. "I didn't realize you were spoken for."

Your friend shrugs. "It's nothing really serious," he says. "We just worked together to help Ryza a few times. She's still down fighting in the south, trying to pull troops away from the Empire's invasion up here."

"Then I pray for her safety," Melissa says. "Her and all those who resist the path of darkness."

Trying to get things back on track, you look at Melissa. "Well, so long as the army's still in the Kingdoms, then I guess you can stay and help," you say. "But remember, we made a promise to your mother. It's my job to keep you safe, and that's what I intend to do."

Melissa huffs and grumbles a little, but she does nod. However, you get the feeling you're going to have to keep an eye on her, or at least have someone you really trust do it, or there might be some issues with her trying to sneak into trouble! You don't think her mother would be happy with that!

---

Count Sobieski sighs. "Very well," he grumbles. "I suppose that it is true that the Northlands' army is as weak as it's going to get at the moment." You're not sure he really believes that, but with Alina, Artemis and Alejandro arguing for a strike, along with some of the minor nobles who are also crowded into the tent, he and Sir Rimpler seem to realize they're outvoted. "Now, we must decide how exactly to carry this out."

Artemis nods. "It will require a major strike," she says, studying the map thoughtfully. "As superior as our cavalry have proven to be, they simply don't have the numbers to break or even do serious enough the Imperial army to be worth the offensive, not while they're in a semi-fortified camp of their own. We're going to need to bring our infantry up to join in the assault."

"Doing so is risky," Sir Rimpler says. "Cavalry and fliers can disengage relatively easily if something goes wrong, but infantry are far less mobile, especially on unfriendly ground. If we've miscalculated and the Empire is more prepared than we expect, then the bulk of our army will be in serious trouble."

Your friend nods again. "That is true," she admits. "But I still think we can achieve a victory here. By the looks of it, all your good work has whittled the enemy's mobile numbers down and spooked the Imperials into consolidating their remaining cavalry into relatively big groups to act as their counter-raiding defense. That means they don't have as wide a web as they could, and they seem to have fewer observers and messengers keeping said groups in contact with each other. If we hit them just right, we can take out a few of these groups. That should clear a path for the infantry to get into position without being harassed or spotted. If we can launch a major attack on them while they're still in camp, unprepared, we could rout them on the spot."

"They do still have some wyverns around, but Lady Angela and her companions have been swinging wide, which means most of their fliers are concentrated on the flanks," Alina says. "Now that Mistress Levinheart has returned, we should be able to contest one pair if they show up."

You nod; you'd been able to fight a wyvern rider one-on-one in the air pretty easily, and you hadn't even brought your dragon into the equation. If she transformed… your two halves wince and preen at the same time as you agree that would probably be a slaughter if it were to happen.

"We still have to be concerned about the cavalry," Sir Rimpler insists. "They've been mixing up their numbers, trying to throw us off. Recent raids have described groups from fifteen to twenty riders, usually a good mix of cavaliers and yeomen. There's even been reports of the occasional Sealed riders leading groups." He frowns. "And it's unlikely they'll fight to the death. If they realize what we're trying to do, they'll send word back to the camp. We have to hit them hard and fast enough that they don't have that chance. Considering we'll have to hold back a reserve of our own cavalry to react to any surprises, we will only have a limited force to be able to punch this hole, this is not going to be easy."

"We go to war with the armies we have, not the armies we wish," Artemis says. "We have to knock out one of the major Imperial armies; if the Northlands and Meridiem are able to combine, they'll smash right through us; there are just too many of them. We need this win. If only to keep the Imperials busy until the Divine Realm gets their act together and comes to reinforce us, or at least threatens to."

Alejandro, who had been surprisingly quiet for someone whose plan had won the first round of the argument, was studying the map, glancing at you occasionally. "There is a possibility that could help put the odds more in our favor," he says. "I remember the tale of your escape from the Talons in Legerius, milady, and we could use the same night-march strategy you used. That would make it harder for the enemy to realize we're coming."

You frown. "It'll also make it a lot harder for us to find anything," you say. "It was really hard for me to just guide Artemis, Kelton, Axton and Lancel. Guiding everyone… that'd be really hard. Especially since I thought I was going to be helping out at the front."

'I'd like to see them try to make us do something else,' Dragon-you grumbles.

"It has its risks, that's true," Alejandro says. "But if we can avoid getting lost, which I'm sure that I and those who are able to see well in the dark will be able to manage-" Belle raises a hand with a grin, "-it will make it much easier for us to get the main force close enough to the Imps to be able to launch a truly devastating sneak attack." He waves a hand. "It'd be possible during the day, don't get me wrong, but it'll be harder."

Several more hours of arguing and planning pass, but finally, finally there's a workable plan for your attack on the Empire.


Please vote by plan

Forward Strike Groups: These groups are expected to only be able to target one Imperial blocking force each. The more Imperial forces are defeated, the greater chance that the main army will be able to keep the element of surprise for the attack on the Imperial camp. However, if a group is not destroyed, then they will be able to send warning.

Support Groups: These groups will not directly engage Imperial blocking forces. However, they will keep an eye out and be ready to jump in to help a Forward Strike Group if something goes wrong, hopefully preventing disaster. The more of these groups there are, the more likely someone will be able to jump in to help a bad situation.


Vote for how many of each group there will be and who is in each group.


Available Forces
Ryza (Level 5 Yellow Manakete)
Artemis (Level 5 Bow Lord)
Phoebe (Level 4 Cavalier)
Axton (Level 4 Yeoman)
Lancel (Level 4 Yeoman)
Angela (and her flight) (3 Level 4 Pegasus Knights)
Count Sobieski (Level 6 Cavalier)
Princess Alina (Level 5 Light Lord)
40 Yeomen (Levels 3-6)
10 Cavaliers (Levels 4-6)
2 Troubadors (Level 2)

(All infantry allies are with the main infantry attack.)

And do you go during the day (Will ensure that the infantry will be able to reach the battle on time, but will also make it easier for the Imperial pickets to get a warning to the main army that an attack is coming) or during the night (Runs the risk of the infantry getting lost and not showing up on time [dice roll] but makes it easier to avoid detection.)

Also, who will you leave to keep an eye on Melissa as part of your promise to Mother Marina? This individual will not be available for the battle.
[] Belle
[] Kelton
[] Elena
[] Sister Selinda
[] An Agrithian yeowoman you met on the trip north

AN: Sorry once again this took so long, as I said I've been having a really bad case of writer's block. If anything doesn't make sense, please ask and I'll clarify.

All the best.