>>5918782Eight of your subordinates lie dead after a sudden flash of blue. Standing amongst the corpses are two figures. Both wear ornate, dark black armor, and wield frightening looking weapons. They begin walking calmly across the bridge, towards your men. The first holds a bright, flat-tipped blade. Blue sparks trail across its length. In his other hand, a golden shield seemingly made of bone shines brightly. The other warrior is shorter, clad in armor that obscures any visible skin. An impossibly large hammer rests over her shoulder. Like the other warrior’s shield, this weapon also appears to be made of bone. Strange claw like protrusions extend from the back of the hammer’s blunt end. As the two warriors draw closer, you quickly recognize the weapons they wield.
“The Aegis Shield?! And…Crusher?!” There was no mistaking it. These were the Hero’s Relics of House Fraldarius and House Dominic. The last time you’d seen them was in Gronder Field, when they were lying only a few feet away from the corpses of their owners, Felix and Annette. But why were they here now, in the service of Bennett? You knew for certain that both of your friends had died that day, and there was no one else capable of wielding those relics without turning into Demonic Beasts.
“FELIX! ANNETTE!” Ingrid cries out. As if seemingly forgetting what she’d just witnessed, Ingrid looks to approach the two. You lash out and grab her by the arm, preventing her from doing so. She shoots you a quizzical look. “B-Blair! Let go! C-can’t you see it’s-“
“NO!” Ashe screams. “That’s not them! Blair, look! Look at how they’re approaching us! I-it’s just like in Ordelia!”
You observe the two warriors approaching you with killing intent. It’s just as Ashe says. They weren’t walking. They were shambling. There was a gait in their step, not unlike those corpse warriors you’d encountered underneath Castle Ordelia. It dawns on you what is happening. The corpses of your Blue Lions friends have been reanimated. They’d been picked up amidst the carnage at Gronder, along with their relics, and turned into living weapons. You knew for certain, there was nothing remaining of your old friends within those husks.
“Blair?” Ingrid asks you. She’s confused, tears in her eyes. “What is he talking about?”
“Behold!” Bennett shouts triumphantly. “See how righteous our cause is, that the Ten Elites themselves rise from their grave to fight against the darkness! Let their righteous fury stoke the fire within your hearts my children! Destroy these interlopers so that their presence may not sully our destined meeting with the Goddess!”
>“Ingrid.” You say patiently. “They aren’t who you think they are. If they were, would they brandish those relics against us like this? We saw this before, back in Ordelia. They’re called Corpse Warriors. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do for them.” 