hostage situation (team verdane)
In the blink of an eye, they are in another room, this one lit by lamps, with no memory of how they’d gotten there.
More importantly though, they were circled by half a dozen men in black armor. Colla stands alongside them, staring back at them all.
Suddenly, she feels heavy, rough hands on her shoulders. She is pulled back whilst the rest of the group are corralled in a different direction.
“Professor!” she cries out, struggling to get free. But her struggling is in vain. She attempts to twist out of his grip and he only clamps down harder. She cries out again, this time in pain.
Frederick stands tall and looks at the guards, and speaks authoritatively: “What is the meaning of this? I had this situation under control. Unhand me, and unhand my captives.”
“Indeed, you’ve expedited their sacrifice,” one of the soldiers says. “But escorting is not your job. You should be preparing their blood.”
Ephidel takes a cautious step towards Hilda and speaks. "Then prepare their blood we shall." Hilda is unsure from his tone whether they are attempting to play along with Frederick’s ruse or threatening the guards.
One of the men, evidently the leader here, looks at Ephidel sharply. “What kind of game are you trying to play here? A common thief like you will be lucky if he’s granted the blessing of a deadlord.” Another soldier roughly shoves Ephidel with the butt of his lance to get moving. “You’ll have no part in the ritual.”
Frederick visibly tenses and hesitates briefly before speaking again. “And you,” he motions to the leader. “Are not as knowledgable as I am regarding how to… prepare the blood. Step back, lest there be a larger problem at hand. His Majesty would be most displeased if all this work is undone.”
It’s a brave shot in the dark, if Frederick truly knows as little as the rest of them.
"His Majesty? You can't possibly mean Lord Seliph." If there's one thing Frederick has succeeded doing here, it's confusing this man. "Come on. We're wasting time." The group is back to being corraled into the pit room.
Hilda looks desperately at the group, powerless to do anything. Byleth makes eye contact with her for a split second. Then, he lunges at Frederick.
Frederick flinches back, staggering a few steps behind him as he flashes a look at Ephidel that invites them to also join in the action. They seem to catch onto Byleth’s plan and launch themself at Frederick too.
The soldiers in black begin to pull Byleth and Ephidel off of Frederick. Ephidel manages to knock one guard out, and surges towards Colla, pushing him against the wall. Magic fires out from their direction, but Hilda cannot hear their conversation over the din.
In the unfolding chaos, Frederick staggers backward and uses the momentum to push Byleth towards Hilda. She can only assume that the impromptu plan is to throw her guard — who is watching the scuffle but has made no attempt to join it — off balance and free her from his grasp. Byleth reaches out for Hilda, but he is quickly restrained by another guard.
Frederick attempts to kick out at the guard, but hits Byleth instead. Hilda winces on his behalf. This had all gone south so quickly, and she is powerless to do anything but watch. She is weak.
The walls flicker again. The guards disappear. Nothingness surrounds them.
A voice speaks out from the gloom…
