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Author's Note:

Above is a screenshot of what a golem looks like, for those who haven't encountered them yet in Fire Emblem. Enjoy!

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-Your POV-

Without wasting a second, each of us, in turn, attack the two golems, who teeter precariously when more and more damage is dealt. I slash at the large mechanic guard repeatedly at Byleth and Yuri's side as Ashe stands farther back, aiming and shooting arrows that pierce its armor. Hapi, Constance, and Linhardt blast it with their magic, like fire and such, while Hilda stands off a bit hacking away with her favored weapon, an axe.

"Just a bit more!" Byleth declares, and everyone prepares for their last moves against each of the enormous robot-like dolls.

In sync with my fellow sword users, we all take down one golem and turn to see the others who have felled the other. The sound was deafening when they hit the ground, smashing the trees and bushes below to bits.

I crept to the side of one of the fallen faulty guards and inspected their lifeless forms. "What's this?" I ask, peering at a shimmering key embedded in its armor plates.

After prying out the key, Yuri notices that I've discovered something, and leans over my shoulder to examine the peculiar find. "Huh... There's clearly something special about this key. Keep it, it'd probably come in handy."

"Agreed," I nod, shuffling to stuff the key into a pocket in my uniform.

An exclamation from Balhus startles me, but when I glance over, all I see is several of my companions poking at a strange engraving in the wall of a rock farther into the canyon.

Scurrying over, I stand on tiptoes to try to get a better glimpse of what they were all staring at.

"What is it?" I ask, frustrated at my miserable height, which wasn't close to all of these perfectly tall nobles' impressive stature. Pushing past, I take in an odd painting drawn on the wall, with a lock-looking mechanic set into the stone.

"They look like crests..." Linhardt notes, marveling at the illustrations.

"Use the key," Yuri suggests.

I briskly whip out the key and place it into place in the keyhole, then twist it to one side. The ground shudders violently, and I grab onto the person closest to me so as not to tumble to the floor.

"My crest!" Constance cries, not in pain but confusion as her crest abruptly activates, along with the other Ashen Wolves.

When the trembling dies down, and I can stand without fear of falling once more, I look up to see who I'd unfortunately latched onto in the chaos. Yuri smirks down at me, and I immediately release him from my grasp, hurriedly stepping back to apologize. But before I could do so, the weird symbols began to shine, emitting a blinding glow that sent everyone in shock.

After a short moment, the light dies down, but the rock starts to crumble away, leaving the lock to clatter to the ground and only a pedestal causing something to be seen in its place.

"Oh?" Hapi mutters.

"Can it be?" Constance mutters, eagerly rushing over to snatch up an ornate, golden cup goblet. "No way..."

"That's... the chalice?" Yuri remarks, his eyes wide.

"Were I to venture a tentative guess, I would say that this is, indeed, the Chalice of Beginnings." Constance confirms slowly.

"What an artifact to behold..." Linhardt says, enthusiastic to learn more about history.

"I know right? Exciting!" Balthus beams, confidently pumping his arms.

"We should report to Aelfric right away," Ashe says, "It's likely a treasure that many are after since what we went to find was such a hassle."

"It made me break into a sweat! No lady should have to work that hard." Hilda fans herself as she lazily complains.

"Right," The professor brings the conversation back full circle, "Back to Abyss we go!"

As we all march back to where we exited Abyss, thunder crashes across the darkening sky as heavy clouds roll in.

"I hear thunder, so rain will soon follow," Hapi tells us.

"We'd better get back before the storm hits us." Balthus agrees, turning his head to watch the gloomy weather approach us.

A sudden, small splash of a water droplet daintily hits my nose, and I blink as more rain begins to pelt my head and arms, sending our group into a flurry of dread. Racing back into the passageway we took to get here, I cursed my short legs and slow pace as I fell behind the others. I sneezed quietly while overlooking the light rain that began to drench my clothes.

A mechanical sound slices through the air, alerting my senses. I stop running for a split second to whip around and see a golem shakily stand up again, growling and rapidly advancing toward me. In the corner of my field of vision, I see the rest of my friends disappear down the stairs to Abyss, oblivious to me being left behind.

I screamed as it lurched forward, and I fumbled to wield my sword, dropping it to the ground in the process. Before I could crouch down to grasp it again, the creepy toy was reaching its metal hand my way, just about to snatch me up and probably toss me around for its pleasure. It was now only a few feet from me, and I was frozen in fear -- with no time to move out of its way. Squeezing my eyes shut tight, I let out another ragged, ear-splitting shriek as something grabbed me from behind, pulling me into their arms as they ran away from the mechanic creature.

My eyes fly open, and my gaze meets a pair of lavender eyes.

"That was a bit harsh. Your scream, I mean. My ears are still ringing." Yuri laughs, though still looks straight ahead, and we narrowly escape into the tunnel to Abyss, and the golem gives up and leaves, to my relief.

I don't respond, only taking in how Yuri was carrying me like a princess. Heat begins to rise in my cheeks even in the chilly downpour, but I shake it away. Before I could thank Yuri for saving my life, I noticed the rest of the group staring as we entered the passageway, soaking wet from the pouring rain and in each other's arms.

Yuri quickly sets me down, and I avoid everyone's prying eyes, flustered beyond words as I place a hand on the wall, steadying myself. I wouldn't pass out, though I sure felt like doing it. Between the freezing shower that chilled me to the bones that certainly gave me a cold and the fact that I'd almost been crushed by a mechanic golem but was rescued by Yuri... I was more than stressed out. And it was a school night! I had studies to complete before returning to Abyss' net of worries.

"...(Y/N)?"

"Huh? Did you say something?" I blink, shifting my posture to better view the group, who no longer looked like they were holding in giggles, but now appeared thoroughly concerned.

"Are you alright?" Professor Byleth raises a question, and everyone seems to hold their breath in participation for my answer.

"I'm fine," I say, then instantly sneeze afterward, doing the opposite of proving my point.

"Oh no, you've fallen ill!" Hilda comes to my side, "This won't do at all."

"I said I'll be okay," I insisted but followed up with another stifled sneeze.

"Oh goodness," Constance shakes her head. I note that she's back to her regular attitude once we've reentered the underground. "Yuri, give the poor dear your jacket."

"Why? My clothes are just as wet from the rain."

"You... you're right." She stammers.

"Quit playing matchmaker, Constance. Now's not the time." Hapi groans. "(Y/N)'ll be able to withstand another while if we hurry to Abyss' town right now."

"Guys, I'm just a little unwell. It's not the end of the world." I openly protest although cold chills are racing up and down my arms as I fold them in front of my chest for warmth. "But I wouldn't mind if we hurried along."

"See? Listen to the shivering lass," Balthus says, then promptly turns to stroll down the hall.

We all follow though someone has to wake Linhardt from his daydreaming about research before we continue on through the dark, crumbling path leading back to Abyss. After only a dozen minutes or so, Constance was already complaining.

"Oh, my poor, abused legs! I have been remiss to neglect my lower... body exercise as of late..." She pants between words while tossing her very short blond hair out of her face.

"Don't give up, we're almost there!" Ashe says, though there was no way that he could possibly know that.

"It shouldn't be long, I assure you," Yuri tells us.

And so, we continue walking...

And walking...

And walking...

My eyelids begin to droop as I groggily stumble along, exhaustion settling in my figure. I kept up the pace with the others, who were engaging in a pleasant yet dull conversation about the Chalice of Beginnings, though I didn't feel up to following along.

I blink slower and slower, then my chin sluggishly dips, though I yank it back up and alert as soon as cold air brushes against the shell of my ear. I gasp and turn, jaw slack at Yuri who smirks at me, his face unusually close to mine.

"Hey!" I whisper without drawing the others' attention, putting a hand over my mouth to cover some of the blush on my cheeks.

He only chuckles, as if poking fun at me was the only thing he could find to amuse himself in the dim, gritty halls that we'd been wandering. I sigh as I calm down, but can't bring myself to be truly exasperated at Yuri. Ten minutes later, my cheeks were still flushed.

Soon, I didn't think I was just embarrassed, but rather my cheeks were bright pink because I had indeed caught a cold. How troublesome.

To be honest... I really, really didn't want to miss school the rest of this week if I got too sick.

Time gradually passed as we hiked to and fro, getting extremely lost on more than one occasion. Though I didn't know what time it was, my body was making it painstakingly clear that it was time to pass out on my bed and get a good night's sleep.

I saw Yuri give me an uneasy glance or two as I plodded through the underpasses.

Soon, my trudging got me several feet behind the others. Yuri, who was walking in front of me, looked back and put his hands on his hips. "What now? Do you need someone to carry you or what?" He teased me. "Fine, put your arm around my— or just fall on me, that works too."

Yawning, I lean forward, stumbling into Yuri with a flushed face. In a wink, I'd fallen into a deep sleep, Yuri stunned and faced with one decision -- to carry me back.

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Word count: 1861 words