Age of Destruction: Fire Emblem CYOA

AGP

Judoc attacks the myrmidon standing between his group and Hyun'ji, landing a decisive blow and twirling out of the way of the counterattack.  Mina follows up with a javelin toss, but misses.

Fei runs towards the pirate on the beach, but loses her footing in the sand.  "Hey!  Rand!  Little help?" Fei calls up to him.

"Got it!" he answers.  He steers Hector to dive down and scoop Fei up in his talons.  They fly the short distance to the pirate.  Rand chucks a hand axe and clips the pirate just as Hector drops Fei.  She drops with heavy impact, bringing her axe down hard on the pirate's skull.

"Ow..." she groans.  "That's rough on the ankles.  But effective..."

Nevyn makes a beeline for Hyun'ji and his servant.

---

Hyun'ji takes point, rushing at the mage to their south and felling him with a single stroke.  Eun'ji takes a few paces and looses an arrow at the myrmidon.  He jerks back in pain, then quickly closes the distance to attack her.  She reacts too slowly to avoid the blow, but she manages to twist and absorb the worst of the impact with her armor.  The outlaw pounces on the opportunity to shoot her in the back with his own arrow.  Eun'ji drops to her knees.  The outlaw, assuming he's won, is surprised as she rapidly nocks another arrow and looses it in his direction.  She doesn't draw her bow hard, and the arrow does little more than penetrate his armor just deep enough to make a point.

Hyun'ji shoves between the myrmidon and Eun'ji, leaping at the outlaw with his blade whirling.  Eun'ji uses the space he made as he ran past to lean back and fire at the myrmidon again.  The myrmidon's so focused on Eun'ji he never even notices the silver-furred wolf leaping at his back.

---

Mina finds herself locked in combat with the other myrmidon.  He slashes at her, but she fends the slash away as she steps back, then slashes with her speartip.  He weaves out of the way and comes in with another attack.  Mina snaps her spear around and knocks the blow to the side.

"You can do it, Mina!" Rand calls out as he comes to her aid.

Mina grits her teeth and concentrates.  She's filled with a sudden, overwhelming urge to prove herself.  If that archer can do all she's done, surely Mina can defeat one enemy...!  She levels her lance and charges at him.  He's caught off-guard by the simplicity of the sudden attack, expecting some sort of feint even as she pierces his chest.

"Great job!" Rand cheers her.  "More are coming - hold your ground while I talk to Hyun'ji!"  A mage and a fighter come running to join the fight near the forts.

---

Kurt and Quinn decide to wait and see what happens for now.  A pair of enemies decide to not let them do that.  A mage shoots a gust of wind at Kurt.  Kurt ducks down under the blades and lets the gale wash over him harmlessly, setting his cloak fluttering.  He whips out a throwing knife and chucks it into the mage's chest.  The mage gasps and clutches at the blade, then readies himself for another spell.

A myrmidon attacks Quinn.  Quinn leaps back, transforming as he evades the slash.  He leaps back and slashes with his own claws, scratching the myrmidon's leg.

A mage and mercenary survey the battlefield and decide to assist in the easier fight.  They'll soon join against Quinn and Kurt.

---

Rand hovers over Hyun'ji for a moment before landing.  "Are you OK?" he asks.

"Yes, and well met!  I wasn't told to expect the Carcinan royal guard as part of my escort," Hyun'ji says with a smile.

"So that makes you the emperor's nephew?" Rand asks.  "Thank Grima you survived.  I'm... sorry for the rest of your retinue."

"There's naught you could have done," Hyun'ji assures him.  "I'll take what help and blessings I can get."

Nevyn reverts to his human form and bends down to help Eun'ji to her feet.  "You're injured.  Come, I'll bring you somewhere safe."

Eun'ji pants and glares at him angrily.  "No...  I can't leave my master's side...!"

"A Meridian escort, as well...  You're unexpected, but you have my thanks.  Please pay my stubborn servant's refusal no mind.  I've long since given up arguing with her.  Now, there'll be time for formalities and proper introductions later!  Let's rally and destroy the last of these foes!"

---

Hyun'ji and Eun'ji joined Rand's party!

---

Eun'ji: 4/11
Fei: 11/15

Rand's group:
(A) Retreat to the forts
(B) Circle around towards Quinn and Kurt
(C) Prioritize the boss' group

Kurt's group:
(1) Stand your ground
(2) Retreat and act defensively
(3) Attack aggressively

Of course. I overhauled the system I've been using for skills to make it more easy to track. Now it uses a percentile system. And for the test case, it drops a 100.

A

This is the third to last vote of the chapter! And when we get through the chapter, I - er, Crow... Ehm... People on Vitverse will also be able to vote. Y'know. If they want.

I don't even remember what the options were or who picked what, so I'm going to say C without looking.

A bright light engulfs Mina. After a few seconds, she emerges. Her armor has changed. It's heavier, but still designed to allow for high mobility. She barely notices the difference as she feels a surge of strength. Only Kurt seems to notice, giving her a surprised glance as everyone else prepares to charge the last few enemies.

Eun'ji fires an arrow at the mercenary and catches him in the arm. Mina, not wanting to be completely shown up, rushes in. "For Carcina!" she yells. She lowers her lance as she lunges, ducking low and thrusting up, lifting the mercenary into the air.

Kurt quietly slips over to the mage and plants a knife in his back. Fei and Judoc team up to attack the outlaw. Fei attacks from one side while Judoc comes from the other. The outlaw manages to avoid the first blow, only to crash right into the second.

Rand dives at the thief that appears to be serving as the enemy's commander. The thief easily sidesteps the attack and throws a knife up at Rand. It bounces harmlessly off his armor. Nevyn and Quinn follow the attack from either side. The thief handles it much better than the outlaw, using Rand's own mount as cover to avoid the worst of their attacks, even managing to land a grazing slash across Quinn's neck. Quinn drops back to treat the wound.

"Dammit... The plan... You weren't supposed to be here!" he yells. It's not clear who he's yelling at. Rand, Quinn, Kurt, Nevyn... "I... could have... Even so, if it weren't for you...!" This time, it's clear who he means. He lunges at Eun'ji, forcing past the others with singular intent. She stumbles as she steps back, and the thief stabs into her chest.

Hyun'ji grabs him by the throat and plunges his blade deep into his back.

"Shoulda... been an easy job..." he chokes out.

"Tch. I was hoping we could take him alive. See what we could get out of him," Kurt complains.

Hyun'ji takes a deep, shaky breath. "My apologies. I forgot myself," he says calmly. "Are you alright, Eun'ji?"

"Y-yes, Master. Please, let us treat your wounds first. I'll be OK. I think," she assures him.

"Liar," Kurt says. "That pretty, red dress of yours hides your wounds well. With how much blood you're oozing, you're pretty much definitely going to die." Hyun'ji whirls around on Kurt, but he holds up a hand. "Well, fortunately, I don't believe in 'pretty much definitely.' Lucky, lucky you - one of the best healers in Valeria's here. Unless you particularly want me to deal with his little boo-boos while you die?" Hyun'ji looks angry, but Kurt again silences him with a hand wave.

"I... I would willingly die for my master..." Eun'ji says before crumpling to the ground.

"Yeah, I figured. Another of those damn fools..." Kurt mutters.

Hyun'ji grabs him by the shoulder. "You will not insult-"

Kurt rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I know, I know. Don't insult her, save her, whatever. Now shut up and help me drag her inside. It'll be easier for me to patch her up. And we need to talk about everything that's happened in private. Rand, you're with us, too. And whoever's in charge of this Meridian group."

Without a word, Nevyn obediently scoops Eun'ji up in his arms and carries her into the closest house. Rand and Hyun'ji follow close behind. Kurt swipes everything off the kitchen table, pulls out a bunch of first aid supplies, and motions for Nevyn to set Eun'ji down. He pulls out his knife and unceremoniously slices her dress open. Nevyn and Rand look away while he begins cleaning the blood. Hyun'ji stands by nervously until Kurt pauses to shove him into a chair.

"Will she...?" Hyun'ji asks.

"You're injured and need to rest, too," Kurt says. "As for her... I mean, she won't die from this injury. Eh, I guess the wound could get infected. And until I get this knife out of her, I won't be able to check if it was poisoned. Actually, considering who we were dealing with, pretty likely I'm wasting time here... but I'm not just going to sit and watch her die. Oh, yeah, and the guys chasing us could catch up. I think we lost them, but we should probably abandon her and keep running. This is the logical place for them to rally to."

"What!?" Rand yells.

"Eh, we've got enough of an army here to make a stand. Rain and Doran drew enough of them off during the ambush, and they don't know we all managed to successfully rendezvous," Kurt explains. He's clearly distracted. "Bah, this is worse than I though. Quinn, get in here and explain so I can focus."

Quinn, looming at the door, quietly slips in. "Right... OK. The rest Valerian envoys and I got ambushed. Kurt just kind of... showed up to warn us, but we didn't have time to actually react before the attack. A lot of us got cut down by their initial volley... Captain Rain and my father launched an attack, tried to buy the rest of us some time to rally. Kurt and I got away and headed this way - he was insistent we had to get here no matter the cost or something terrible would happen."

"Well, I wasn't wrong," Kurt points out. "But we were too late. Damn it! Rand, get over here and hold this cloth. Yeah, right there. So, we got split up..."

"Right. I don't know what happened to the others, but there were several unknown enemies pursuing us," Quinn says. "If they don't gather their troops first, we should have the manpower to beat them. If they do, we have time to escape."

"Decent summary, one small correction," Kurt nods. "Not unknown enemies. Damn it, stop bleeding! We've gotta get the knife out. You still unconscious? Good, because this'll hurt. The guys after us are mercenaries hired by some Valmese pr-"

"Valmese!? There's n-" Hyun'ji blurts out.

Kurt speaks over him. "Shush. I don't know who the guy is yet, just that he came into port from Valm. Coulda been a Feroxi spy, maybe a Valmese noble who wants to ensure your little war happens, maybe someone wanted you dead... Dunno yet. Alright, had me those sutures."

"...Should I send for reinforcements?" Nevyn asks.

"Great idea, no time. Alright, add some bandages... Yeah, she's going to be fine. Alright, Hyun'ji, I'll leave redressing her to you. You can probably find some stuff in here. Yell if she starts bleeding again, I'm going to go oversee preparing the defenses." Kurt wipes the blood off his hands and onto Eun'ji's ruined dress, then walks out.

Hyun'ji watches him leave, then turns to Rand. "Who... was that?"

"That's... Kurt," Rand answers. "The Archbishop's son. Forgive him for being so blunt, he's... mad at himself for being too late, I think. That he couldn't save everyone." Eun'ji stirs quietly. "Er... I'll let you two alone."

---

Choose 9.

Rand/Nevyn C
Rand/Kurt C
Mina/Judoc C
Mina/Eun'ji C
Mina/Kurt C
Mina/Quinn C
Nevyn/Judoc C
Nevyn/Fei C
Nevyn/Eun'ji C
Nevyn/Quinn C
Judoc/Eun'ji C
Judoc/Hyun'ji C
Fei/Hyun'ji C
Fei/Kurt C
Eun'ji/Hyun'ji C
Eun'ji/Kurt C
Hyun'ji/Kurt C
Kurt/Quinn C

As the others trickle out, Eun'ji wakes from her stupor to find herself laying on a table in a strange house. She tries to sit up, but a sharp pain in her chest stops her. She realizes it's heavily bandaged. Looking around, she spots Hyun'ji searching through the wardrobe. "Mas...ter?"

He jumps up, hurriedly grabbing a rough-spun tunic that looks like it might fit. He brings it over to Eun'ji and helps her sit up. "Easy, Eun, I've got you... Here. I know it's not as nice an outfit as you're used to, but it's better than nothing until we can get that cleaned and repaired. Let me help you put it on."

"Ah...! Assisting a lowly servant such as myself with such a menial task-" Eun'ji protests.

"Peace, Eun. As Uncle says, the people serve their ruler. And, in turn, a good ruler must serve his people in equal measure. And you have done much for me this day."

"B-but... Had you not awoken when you did, I would surely have fallen, and failed in my duty to protect you..."

"Had you not caught the sabateour and thrown me from the ship-"

"A thousand apologies, Ma-" Eun'ji yells. She attempts to bow, but Hyun'ji catches her shoulder and stops her.

"Had you not thrown me overboard when you did, rather than simply escaping yourself, had you not fought desperately despite your own wounds and
overwhelming odds when you could have attempted to flee..." Hyun'ji lowers himself to his knees and bows low. "I will not forget your loyalty this day, Eun'ji, nor the debt I owe. It would be my great honor to assist you in this small way, if you will permit it."

Eun'ji is stunned. For a member of the royal family to be treating her this way...! "I-I... M-Mas...ter... If..." She feels her head swimming and suddenly feels very faint. Hyun'ji looks up with just enough time to catch her as she passes out again.  He manages to rouse her again and help her get dressed, then carries her over to the bed.  "Now rest for a few moments.  I need to go prepare our defenses."

Judoc catches him as he leaves the house.  "Hey.  You're pretty badly injured, aren't you?"

"What?" Hyun'ji is surprised by the sudden interruption.  "Are you...?  Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry.  I'm Nevyn's second-in-command.  Sorry it I'm overstepping my bounds here, but I noticed you're limping a bit, and your grip looks a bit off."

"...I'm...  fine," Hyun'ji assures him.

"You should rest," Judoc suggests.  "No need to shoulder everything yourself.  We're going to need you in the upcoming fight, so... y'know, go rest up a bit.  Didn't you almost drown?"

"Yes, I... did," Hyun'ji admits.

"Sorry, I'm being a busy-body.  But take care of yourself, OK?  I get the impression you're kind of the self-sacrificing type."  Judoc pats him on the shoulder, a bit harder than necessary.

Hyun'ji winces a bit.  "OK, I suppose you are correct.  I... will go rest a few minutes."

Judoc nods approvingly and wanders off.

---

Nevyn finds Fei cleaning and sharpening her axe.  "Are you well, Fei?" he asks.

"Hm?  Oh!  Yep.  Right as rain," Fei assures him.  Her smile quickly fade.  "Er...!  Um...  Right, that was that Valerian captain's name, isn't it...  I hope they didn't hear that."

"I don't expect they would take offense," Nevyn says.  "What of your injuries?"

"All healed," she promises.  "I'm good to go, Boss!"

"Mm, good.  I'm glad to find you in high spirits.  I was worried I may need to encourage you a bit.  Which is not exactly my strong suit..." Nevyn admits.

"Aw, you're fi-i-i-ine.  You're still a bit inexperienced, but you'll grow into it.  Heck, didn't you risk running through a foggy field of Risen to find help, earlier?  That's the sort of thing a commander can't learn.  The other stuff comes with experience.  You'll get there."

Nevyn smiles.  "Heh...  I came to encourage you, and it ended up the other way around.  Thank you, Fei."

"Don't mention it, Boss!"

Nevyn excuses himself and goes to find Rand.  It's not hard - he just has to look for the giant wyvern.  Rand's busy maintaining Hector's armor, checking the straps for wear.  It seems fine for now, but it's going to need some patching when this mission's done.  Hector shrieks quietly as Nevyn approaches.  Rand turns and greets him.  "Hey, Nevyn, everything alright?"

"Ah, yes, of course.  I just wanted to make sure you were doing well?" Nevyn asks.

"I'd love a break," Rand admits.  "But we don't really have the time, do we?  Gotta get ready for the next fight.  What about you?"

"I am... fine.  I need to thank you again for helping us at the fort," Nevyn says.

"No need to thank us.  Besides, you were there to help us, right?"

"Yes, but still...  You could have simply abandoned us to our fate."

"Not a chance.  I couldn't do something like that.  Besides, Mom would've kicked my ass if I had."

"...I see."  Nevyn smiles a bit, then it fades.  "I... must apologize, as well.  We were too late to help your countrymen.  Had we arrived sooner, perhaps they would have survived."

"Or perhaps you would have died alongside them," Rand suggests.  "Don't dwell on it."

"I... see.  If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on the archer.  Thank you, Prince Rand."  Nevyn leaves without another word.

He walks into the house to find Eun'ji sitting up in the bed.  She fidgets nervously as he approaches.

"Are you well?" Nevyn asks.

"Yes, milord, thank you for asking..." she answers, averting her eyes.

"Hm?  Oh...  I am no lord, merely another soldier," Nevyn says.  "No need to speak so formally.  Please, simply call me Nevyn."

"My apologies, milord, but it would be unbecoming of a servant of the royal family to address a foreign officer with such disrespect."

"A servant...?"

"Yes, milord.  My family has been in service of the royal family for generations.  My parents work in the royal palace, and my sister...  Ah, my sister holds a high office, as well.  But it was my honor to be selected as Master Hyun'ji's personal attendant."  She smiles with obvious pride.

"I see...  I wish to praise your dedication to your... master, and your tenacity in battle.  Not many would keep fighting with injuries such as yours," Nevyn says.

"Ah...!  Th-thank you, milord, for your kind words.  But had you not arrived when you did, I fear we would have been overwhelmed.  So, thank you."  She gives a small bow, the most she can manage from the awkward position.

---

Mina tracks down Quinn while he's resting under a tree.  "Hey, Quinn.  Nice to see you again..." she says shyly.

"Oh...  Hey, Mina.  Yeah, nice," he agrees.

"Yeah...  Nice."

"Yeah."

"Um...  Is something bothering you?" she asks.

"Yeah, a little.  I'm just worried about the others.  I know several died in the ambush, but I'm worried about the ones that escaped.  I really hope they got away...  I wish I could've done more to help, other than just run..."

"You did what you had to do," Mina reassures him gently.  "To help us.  And accomplish your mission."

"...Dad always said that a good tactician knows not all missions can be accomplished without casualties, but a good tactician always tries to minimize them..." Quinn says sadly.

"...Says," Mina corrects him.

"Hm?"

"You said 'Dad always said.'  You mean 'he always says.'  I'm sure he's fine.  He's been through a lot worse than an ambush by a few mercenaries, and so has Captain Raine..." Mina trails off.

"...Thank you, Mina..."

"O-oh...  Y-yeah.  Um...  I'm... going to go practice my lancework.  S-so, um...  Bye."  Quinn nods at her, and she scurries off.

---

Kurt appears behind Rand and tosses his arms over his shoulders.  "Hey, Rand!"

"GAH!  Kurt!  Grima's name, don't do that!" Rand yelps.

"Ah, but it's so much fun.  Besides, if I don't, you'll never learn.  I swear, one of these days, it's going to be a knife in your back that gets you."  Kurt pantomimes a stabbing motion.

"Don't joke about stuff like that..." Rand chastises him.  "So, Kurt, I've gotta ask.  How'd you... y'know?  Know about all this stuff?  With the mercenaries?"

"Oh...  Um...  Because," Kurt says evasively.

"Be-cause...?"

"I mean, I... investigate stuff.  Y'know.  Poke around.  Listen to things," Kurt says.  He holds his hands behind his head and looks off in the distance.

"Right...  So, basically, you're up to your old tricks of skulking around in unsavory places again?" Rand sighs.  "Didn't your father-"

"Oh, hey, look at the time!" Kurt says.  "I need to go."

"Hey, wait!  Kurt, get... back here.  Tch."

Kurt disappears into one of the old forts.  He's not surprised in the least to find Mina inside.  She's doing a few simple exercises and swinging her spear.  She seems to be adjusting to her new armor well enough.  Kurt calls out to her quietly.  "Hey."

Mina leaps into the air.  "GAH!  Kurt!  D-don't do that!"

"I announced myself as innocently as possible..." he protests.  "So, you got some new armor, huh?  Not often someone spontaneously changes class in the middle of a battle without a seal artifact."

"Oh...  Is it odd?"

"Nah, it's not really weird.  Just rare.  So, how've you been?  Looks like you're still following Rand around with little puppy-dog eyes but without the guts to tell him you've got a crush?" Kurt asks accusingly.

Mina narrows her eyes at him.  "Hmph.  And you?  The same?  Envy doesn't look good on you, you know.  Just because I get to live with him while you only get to see him every few months?"

"Wha-?"

"Oh, you can dish it out, but you can't take it?" Mina asks coldly.

Kurt stares at her silently for a moment, then lets out a small laugh.  "Well, look who finally grew a spine!"

"Ha!  The new and improved Mina doesn't take crap from anyone, not even Kurt!"

Kurt grins and laughs.  "I'll see you around, Mina."

The last stop on Kurt's list is the houses around town.  Maybe they'll help make good spots for ambushes.  That, and the mysteriously absent town population...  He sweeps one house without finding anything interesting.  He's about to open the door to the next, but stops with his hand on the doorknob.  There's a soft snoring coming from inside.  He pushes open the door and quietly sneaks inside.  He finds Fei curled up on the bed, fast asleep.

Kurt clears his throat in annoyance.  She continues snoring softly.  "Hey," he says."  No response.  He walks over and jabs her in her exposed stomach.  "Hey!"

"Mm?  Oh...  Hey..." she answers drowsily.  "Need something?"

"Huh.  Weird, usually people jump in surprise when I...  Anyway, what are you doing sleeping?  We're supposed to be preparing for a fight!"

"I am preparing for a fight..." Fei says.  "By napping.  So I'll be rested."

"Yeah, well, that's great for you.  But we've got other things to do to get ready, so come lend a hand," Kurt says.

"I already cleaned and sharpened my axe, polished my breastplate, and had Judoc sew up the cuts on my clothes...  What else needs to be done?"

"Er...  Scouting, for one.  Get off your butt and help me check the rest of these houses."

"Ugh, fine."  Fei rolls out of the bed and joins Kurt on his investigation, but she's pretty clearly not interested.

Kurt and his unwilling assistant start making their way through the other houses of the town.  No sign of the mercenaries that were pursuing Quinn and Kurt.  No sign of the missing villagers...  Until he opens the door to the last house.

"Oh, ****...!" he exclaims.

"No...!" Fei shrieks.

---

Next chapter!

(A) Alice 3
(B) Lily 3
(C) Rand 3

Sure

E