eclipse Posted September 19, 2010 Author Share Posted September 19, 2010 D:< Why did you kill Palla? You could of incorperated her green-haired-ness into flavour. Youre an awesome writer too! Fine. I don't like enemy pirates who chuck nasty things like Hand Axes at my squishy mages. This wasn't the map to recruit Palla, and she was in the way. Free experience! Thank you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT075 Posted September 19, 2010 Share Posted September 19, 2010 This is awesome. Keep it up~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted September 20, 2010 Author Share Posted September 20, 2010 This is awesome. Keep it up~ Thank you!! Next chapter dump is up next. Chapter 10 kinda wrote itself. Chapter 12. . .well. . . Chapter 10 "Does that enemy really think we'll believe her?" "It would be an opportunity to gain a powerful ally." "The Pegasus Knight seemed honest enough." "Didn't we see her and her commander not too long ago?" "I think she retreated when she realized her forces were outmatched. She seems like someone who cares for her troops." Marth listened to the words of his soldiers, but had already decided what to do. The possibility of eliminating an enemy outweighed the possibility of a trap. He ordered his troops to Castle Deil. --- "Thanks for that display of swordsmanship back there." Sedgar blinked, then turned around to face the person who addressed him. Abel stood at ease, with a sword in hand. "No problem. I hope it was helpful." "It was more than helpful. I'd like you to have this." Abel took the sword out of its sheathe. The blade shone, even in the dying rays of the sun. "But--" "You seemed more balanced with a sword than you do with an axe. Why not wield both?" "I never thought of that. Thank you." The cavalier chuckled before turning away. Sedgar regarded the blade in his hands. He'd be much more mobile with this on his back rather than that bow! He shook his head. Why hadn't he thought of that before? "What a simple solution. . ." Reclassed Sedgar to Hero (unless something weird happens, that's probably the last time he'll reclass). Regular troops front and center, generics in back. The first wave of horses went down to Draug the Magical Machine Gun (with a little help from Julian), Merric the Magical Shotgun (Excalibur critical), Abel + Horseslayer, several good levels of Strength with Sedgar, and a little bit of AI manipulation. The fliers also went down painfully. Caught the thief with Draug and Marth, baited the archers, had Marth rescue Maria (for story purposes), but couldn't kill Minvera before she recruited herself (will modify story). While that fiasco was going on, Abel, Merric, Sedgar, Ban-ban, and Gordin ran around the castle to kill the boss. Couldn't stop the first wave of reinforcements from spawning, but that turned out to be a good thing. I don't think Sedgar likes his new job. Julian ducked and dodged towards the back of the castle. The princess should be locked away back there somewhere. A Sniper stood between him and his goal. He was probably going the right way. He made sure to disable the Sniper before moving on. A prison door greeted him. What was behind it? "Ah. . .thank you." That red hair and white robes. . .could it be? Julian's mind brought up another memory, one of a bandit's hideout, with a similar prison cell, and the gentle woman trapped within. . . "Thank you, Julian." The thief jumped. When did Marth arrive? Julian hastily got out of the way. The prisoner gave him a small smile. This wasn't Lena. She was too young! Marth and the prisoner talked. From the bits of conversation he could pick up, it seemed that the prisoner was Princess Maria. The Pegasus Knight back at Pyrathi had been right. Julian sent a mental apology to her. He hadn't trusted her at all. "That door over there should lead outside. I think my sister's waiting for me!" Marth nodded to Julian. Time to leave this dank prison! Sunlight poured in from the open doorway. The steady wingbeats of a flying unit could be heard. Without hesitation, Marth ran outside. The redheaded woman Julian had fought earlier landed. He'd beaten Princess Minerva in battle?! The sound of calvary interrupted Julian's thoughts. It sounded like the enemy wasn't happy about losing one of its strongest members! Suddenly, Marth was rudely shoved back into the castle. "Take my sister and escape. I'll hold these guys off." "But Minerva--" "Don't 'but' me! I've finally got my sister back, and I won't forgive you if something happens to her!" Before anyone could object, she mounted her dragon and took off. "Well, you heard her. Julian, I'm trusting you to get Maria out of here." "Yes, sir." Julian led the young girl through the halls he'd passed through not too long ago. The sound of horses made him stop. They'd come this far already? That means of escape wasn't safe. He led Maria back the way they came. Marth was desperately fighting off an enemy cavalier. The cavalier's sword swing missed Marth. Marth made sure his counterattack didn't miss, then turned to the thief and the cleric. "Julian? I thought I told you to get her out of here!" "It's no good, sir! The enemy's coming." "WHAT?!" The horses Julian had heard earlier came around the corner. Julian swallowed hard. Two cavaliers and a mounted archer approached quickly. Marth had his hands full with another cavalier. "Maria, is it? Make sure Marth gets out of this alive. I'll keep those horse guys over there busy." "Um, be careful." "Thanks!" Julian shot her his brightest smile before running towards the enemy trio. He might not live, but if his life could buy enough time for Marth to escape with Maria, it would not be a waste. --- Dodge. Dodge again, then strike. As one enemy withdrew, another took his place. Julian had somehow managed to dodge two swords and a hail of arrows, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it up. He twisted to the right, and sighed with relief as the sword blade aimed at his head missed its mark. Searing pain in his shoulder told him that the mounted archer hadn't missed. "Dammit. . .coordinated tactics. . ." Julian mumbled under his breath, as his sword scored a hit on one of the cavaliers. The cavaliers withdrew a ways, before coming towards the thief. This time, they rode together. The archer lurked behind them, bow at ready. Julian waited for the moment to dodge. He'd have to do it in such a way that the archer couldn't shoot. One of the cavaliers raised his sword to strike. Julian's instincts told him to dodge right. Instead, he dodged left, and was rewarded with cursing from above. It seemed the archer had nearly hit one of his allies. Julian tried to raise his sword to defend himself, then saw that his sword was some distance away. A trail of blood led from the sword to him. He gingerly raised his sword arm, then yelped in pain. One of the cavaliers had left a deep gash on his sword arm! His other arm was useless, thanks to the arrow that had landed in his shoulder. The room began to spin, as the enemies before him readied another attack. This wasn't how it was supposed to end! A comforting and familiar warmth radiated near him. His sword arm no longer hurt. The thief turned in surprise, and saw the girl he was supposed to be protecting standing behind him, eyes closed and staff raised. "What are you doing here?! Get out of the way!" "I couldn't stand by and watch you die! I want to help you!" "You're gonna get yourself killed!" "I don't want to be a burden anymore!" Julian thought he saw tears in her eyes. The cavaliers charged. He dove out of the way, and took the startled princess with him. "Look, princess, you're the one that has to get out of this alive. I'm just a common thief. It doesn't matter if I die here." "Your life is important, too! Don't throw it away!" He'd made a princess cry. Just great. An arrow whistled far too close to Julian's head. He had to find a way to defeat those enemies! His sword was not too far away. . . Julian waited for the cavaliers to charge again. Right before they'd hit him, he ducked behind a pillar - the one his sword rested against. An arrow struck the pillar he had taken refuge behind. The cavaliers ran past him. What in the-- "Princess, look out!" A scream answered him, followed by a whimper. Julian turned in horror, and saw Maria's beautiful white robes were red. Her internal organs oozed out of the gash on her midsection. She looked at him and smiled. "I. . .I saved you. . .sister. . ." She fell, along with the rest of her insides. The victorious cavalier had his back to Julian. He'd pay for that! Before the enemy could turn around, the thief had sliced his horse's legs. The horse fell, taking its startled rider with it. Julian sliced the enemy's throat open. Pain radiated from his shoulder. He'd been hit by another arrow! The remaining cavalier's sword came down towards the wounded thief. Then, the second horse fell. Marth picked his way around the fresh corpse. Julian couldn't meet the prince's eyes. His head hit the ground. What happened? "Pay attention to the battle, or you'll end up dead!" Marth pointed in the direction of the mounted archer, who was in the process of taking another arrow out. The prince ran up and killed the rider before he could fire another arrow. Julian rose, then fell to his knees. Marth may have saved his life, but the prince had pushed one of the arrows in his shoulder further in. Footsteps approached him. "Julian? Hey, Julian, stay with me!" "Prince, I--" "I know. I saw. While you were going for your sword, she stepped out and faced the cavaliers, so they wouldn't strike at your back." "What are we going to tell Minerva?" "Nothing. She used her dragon to shield me from an arrow." "Why. . ." "Minerva's last words to me were to survive, and save Macedon. I believe Maria was of the same mind. Julian? Hey, wake up!" --- "How is he doing?" "I managed to get him to sleep. He should make a full recovery." "I see. Thank you, Gordin." "His body will recover, but I think you'd better see him, anyway." Marth stepped into the tent where Julian lay. Just as Gordin said, he was sleeping, but it was not a restful sleep. The thief turned and mumbled before settling down. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. . ." Chapter 11 "My goodness, Dolhr doesn't mess around." A few ballistae blocked the pass, ready to shoot at anyone within range. A small calvary unit stood by to make sure Marth's army couldn't get close enough to pose a threat to the ballisticians. And beyond them, a wizened form waited. "Oh no, not another one of my people. . ." That's a lot of generics that need to die! Killed off the initial flying units, and used a couple of generics to bait the Stonehoist so they'd leave Merric alone. Ran around the mountain, and stopped to mop up some sweet experience along the way. Gordin ran the Thunderbolt out of ammo, then another generic baited the Horseman. Abel wound up being live bait for the unlucky Sniper. Once the Thunderbolt dude was gone, the rest of my generics swarmed the field, but I made sure they weren't in range of the boss. Abel cleared the throne for Marth, and the last surviving generic baited the dragon (who died to much magic and a Hand Axe). Killing generics takes a long time! "Gordin, have you gone mad?!" "No, sire. These shots don't hurt at all!" The ballista loaded and fired its ammo. Electricity arced around Gordin, but somehow it didn't hurt him. The curate giggled. "This is how I'll protect everyone!" --- "You. . .traitor! Why do you not serve Emperor Medeus?" "I have more important things to do." "If you will not bow to Emperor Medeus, then you will die!" "You must reach me first!" The manakete roared, and lumbered towards Bantu. Bantu held his ground. Marth had come up with a crazy plan, and he needed to play his part. The ground shook. Any moment, and-- "FIRE!" "THUNDER!" The enemy jerked up, as the two nearby mages cast their magic. The monster let out an angry roar, and regained its feet. Its gaze searched the field for the two pests that had stopped its progress. Its gaze came back to Bantu. "You will not transform? Then die as a pathetic human!" "I think not!" The dragon took one more step forward and fell, an axe planted firmly between its eyes. "You okay, old man?" "Yes, yes, I'm fine." "Good. Man, what is this thing's skull made out of? Let go of my axe!" Bantu chuckled quietly to himself. Humans came and went like the wind, but that didn't stop them from trying to improve themselves. The human let out a yelp as his axe freed itself from the dead dragon's head. He stumbled a bit before regaining his balance. If being a traitor meant watching these amusing creatures grow, then he'd gladly bear that burden! --- "And, SOLD!" Rough hands dragged the newly-sold slave off the stage. The bidder regarded his new possession. "You're rather skinny, but that's all the better for me. I won't have to feed you as much!" The slave winced as the bidder laughed roughly. When was the last time this guy took a bath? The slave was dragged unceremoniously through the streets, out of the marketplace. A wagon was parked nearby. "Come now, little boy. You're gonna keep my horses happy!" The bidder yanked at his slave roughly, which caused the slave's hood to fall away. "Ohoho, what's this, a little girl dressed as a boy? Putting you in the stables would be such a waste. From now on, you are gonna keep ME happy!" The slave felt her new master's hands on a very inappropriate part of her, but she was powerless to do anything about it. "Marth. . .where are you?" Chapter 12 Yesterday was quiet. The day before that was quiet. All the days before this day were quiet. Today, the halls were alive. "Why is it so noisy today?" "I heard Marth's army was coming this way, with the princess in tow." "Does this mean she came back for us?" Midia was glad the three soldiers underneath her were in good spirits. Part of her rejoiced, because it meant that they might be free. The other part worried that the enemy would kill them out of spite. Which would happen first? "Nervous, my child?" Boah was the one that had kept everyone else from going insane over the past two years. He knew when one of them had something on their mind. "All this noise. . .if this is Marth's army, then that means we're saved!" "What makes you say that? If that really is Marth's army, then I'd imagine the enemy would kill us in a final act of defiance." "It means Her Highness is back home. What happens to us is meaningless." "Now, now, the enemy hasn't struck us down yet. Don't give up hope." Promoted generics, whee! My three ladies reclassed to Dracoknights, so I could kill them faster. The other prisoners gladly gave their lives for the sake of my run, and in record time (thank you for not loldodging, Midia). The first set of armors went down to Abel + Armorslayer and Sedgar + Hammer. The other armor ate a ton of magic, followed by a close-range Hand Axe. One of my generics ferried a Door Key, Iron Bow, and Steel Bow for the last surviving prisoner. I could've leveled him, but I chose not to (yet). Several things were Excaliblicked into oblivion (including a certain pesky General), and Marth on Silver Sword was enough to OHKO the Elfire mage. The other mage died to Merric's Fire. Heimler's group suicided into Sedgar. Random generic spawn died to Ridersbane. The boss died to a well-placed Silver Sword (it helps that Marth was able to double the boss). I spent several turns extra killing the dragon, because my generic refused to die. "Looks like the enemy doesn't like us," the knight in green armor commented wryly, as the first set of arrows flew into the cell. "If all they can do is fire arrows at us, then we might make it out alive," the knight in red armor mused. "I see a mage among the enemies. Stay away from the walls--urk!" The bishop staggered, an arrow buried in his robes. Blood blossomed from the spot where the arrow had hit. "Boah are you--NO!" Several more arrows had found their way to the doomed bishop. He gurgled and fell in a pool of his own blood. Electricity crackled in the air. One of the knights screamed before collapsing into a smoldering heap. The last prisoner, who had said nothing throughout the entire ordeal, stood up and ran towards the downed knight. A moment later, he was slammed against the back wall of the cell, winded. The other knight had thrown him there. "You've gotta survive kid. Stay there." The winded prisoner opened his mouth, but couldn't bring himself to say anything. Thunder struck again, and the second knight fell without a sound. The youngest prisoner whimpered. His cell mate had taken the blow for him. "Dolph, Macellan. . .I'm so sorry." Midia had managed to dodge most of the arrows, but one had left a red streak across her face. She turned to the boy, whose eyes were beginning to glaze over. "Hey, hang in there. I don't want to--ah!" The female knight stumbled forward, an arrow in her back. Her progress led her towards her last remaining soldier. "Tomas. . .you are to survive. . .join Marth's army, end this war. . .and live. That's an order." Two more arrows hit home, but the light in her eyes still burned. "Astram. . ." She fell, and landed on top of Tomas. Arrows continued to rain down on her. Even in death, she was determined to protect him. This was too much for the young soldier. He screamed, and screamed, until his voice gave out. --- "Gordin, did you hear that?" "Sounds like someone's alive in there. Let's go!" "Where are you two going?" "I thought I heard a scream from the prison cell." "Aren't you two forgetting something?" Gordin and Draug gave each other an odd look. What could they possibly be forgetting? "I figured someone would try to get to the prisons, so I brought this along." "A door key? Sedgar, you really are prepared for everything." "I hope you're right." The trio ran towards the cell. The screams that Gordin had heard suddenly stopped. Heavy footsteps came towards the would-be rescuers. "It's probably the prison guards. Over here, quickly!" Sedgar grabbed the two with him, and shoved them in a shadowy corner. The first guard, a mage, managed to let out a gurgled cry, as an axe split his chest open. The first archer got off one poorly-aimed shot before a fireball enveloped him. The second archer's shot bounced off of Sedgar's axe. Another fireball ended his life. The cell door creaked open. Sedgar looked in. . .and could only back away in horror. One body, that belonging to an older man, had arrows protruding from him at odd angles. Two knights lay next to each other, the unmistakable burn marks of a Thunder spell all over their corpses. Another body was peppered with arrows, but somehow managed to move. Sedgar swallowed hard and looked a little closer. Someone was underneath that final body. The man at the cell door waded in. Gordin and Draug took that time to peek inside. The former yelped in horror; the latter stood there, transfixed. Sedgar knelt next to the lone survivor of the massacre. His gaze was fixed at some distant point. Tear marks ran down his face, and his breathing was shallow. "Are you okay? Hey, are you listening? I'm sorry, but this is for your own good." Sedgar slapped the prisoner across the face as hard as he dared. The prisoner's eyes slowly focused on him. Good. "We're part of Marth's army. Can you walk?" The prisoner blinked at him. Not good. "It doesn't look like he's injured," Gordin volunteered. He shifted uncomfortably when he realized the prisoner was looking at him. Sedgar turned to the curate and nodded. "We want to help you. Will you come with us?" A nod answered him. "I'm sorry to spoil the question and answer session, but it sounds like more enemies are coming this way," Draug said evenly. Sedgar turned to the prisoner, who had curled up into a ball. "Gordin, can I borrow your staff?" Gordin shot Sedgar a puzzled look, but complied. "You can hate me for this later," Sedgar muttered, as he brought the staff down over the prisoner's head. The prisoner went limp. "Thanks. Everyone, let's get out of here." Gordin and Draug were only too happy to oblige. Sedgar loaded the unconscious boy on his shoulders (he's lighter than he looks. . .this is bad), and followed. --- "Marth, was this the only prisoner that was alive?" "That's what my men told me, Nyna. Nyna? Where are you going?" "Sire, I think she's headed for the prison." "Why would she go there?" "I don't know, but I think it would be a good idea to stop her." "Why, Draug?" "The other prisoners. . .they didn't die peacefully in their sleep." "I see. Let's go!" Marth and Draug ran towards the prison. A piercing scream interrupted their journey. Nyna had reached the prison. "No. . .no. . .why did this have to happen?" Marth looked in, and wished he hadn't. Draug was right when he said those prisoners did not die a peaceful death! "Nyna. . .can you tell me who they were?" "The one in the *sniff* robes is Boah, the woman is Midia, *sniff*, the knight in red is Macellan, and the other one is Dolph." "Thank you. Draug, we need to bury them. They were knights of Archanea. It's the least we can do for them." "Yes, sir." "My knights, I'm sorry. . ." --- Three days had passed since Marth took the palace. Most of his troops had recovered from the battle to take back Nyna's home. Marth stopped by one of the rooms. The prisoner they had rescued sat on his bed, looking at nothing in particular. No one could get a word out of him. Marth wasn't sure if he'd have any luck with their newest addition, but it couldn't hurt to try. "My name is Marth. I am the leader of this army. I'm glad to see you're awake and dressed." The prisoner looked at him, unblinking. This wasn't going anywhere. "We'll stay here a little longer, then move on towards Altea. I'd be really grateful if you could help us fight." Did he get a small nod out of him? "When you feel ready to fight, please let me know. Until then, rest." That was a definite nod! Marth thought he saw a small smile, too. Marth smiled at the boy, then turned to leave. A smile and a nod was a start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Poor prisoners... and Maria... Damn you're good at writing these scenes. And lolLinde Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT075 Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 I laughed at Linde's "death" scene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rewjeo Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Poor Tomas... well, at least he has a good excuse for his mediocrity. lolLinde. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fei Mao Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 The stories are pretty nice, I'll be following this play log. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted September 21, 2010 Author Share Posted September 21, 2010 Poor prisoners... and Maria... Damn you're good at writing these scenes. And lolLinde Thanks! I figured there were some fates worse than death, and Linde was unlucky enough to be chosen for one of them. I laughed at Linde's "death" scene. Stuff like this makes me wonder if I should do a second Epilogue, one that lists the fate of everyone that's not a lemming. Poor Tomas... well, at least he has a good excuse for his mediocrity.lolLinde. I'd sooner blame the wonderful exercise and nutrition program that was run while he (and everyone else) was in captivity. It's hard to erase two years' worth of abuse in such a short time. And Linde. . .indeed. . . The stories are pretty nice, I'll be following this play log. Thank you! Unfortunately, the Pinkley I got sucked. . . It took me four hours to write two chapters. I'm thinking too hard! Chapter 12x "Hmm? Aren't you the new guy?" Abel asked the figure who silently watched him train. A nod answered him. "I'm not sure what you hope to gain by watching me, but you're welcome to do so." Another nod, and a smile. Abel continued his exercises, while keeping the silent kid in his sight. The kid wasn't watching him, so much as intently observing what he did. It was almost as if he was trying to memorize everything the cavalier did. "Hey, you, ever rode a horse before?" The kid's eyes widened in shock. A hasty shake of his head confirmed Abel's suspicions. "You look like you want to try. First, you'll need to learn how to mount and dismount." Abel's new pupil listened intently, as he explained the basics of riding a horse. As the kid took his first steps on a horse, Abel couldn't help but smile. Had he been this unsure when he first entered Altea's service? --- Marth was not looking forward to the next battle. His enemy was a former Archanean knight, and a decent one, if Nyna's recounting was correct. He wasn't sure why such a knight would betray his homeland like that, but he couldn't leave this knight alone. --- "We're almost there. Is everyone ready?" Marth mentally counted his troops. No, that couldn't be right! He counted again, this time by class. An extra cavalier had joined his army. It was the prisoner they'd rescued back at the palace. "Are you up to this?" Marth asked, somewhat concerned. Not that much time had passed since Nyna's palace was retaken, and Nyna had mentioned this soldier was an archer. The archer-turned-cavalier gave a small nod. "All right. Be careful out there. Princess Nyna won't be happy with me if you go down." Reclassed Tomas to Cavalier. Hopefully, he'll cooperate. This chapter should be called Have One Unit Gain Eight Levels and a Weapon Rank, because that's exactly what happened to my new recruit (one of those levels included a random Resistance gain). Slowly plowed through everything, and found out that my generic units made for good bait and stall. Eventually, I had to kill them, and there was a nice Sniper who was willing to do that for me. The pesky Javelin knights were *just* weak enough to eat a OHKO via Hammer. Killed the boss, then wandered over to Horace's Hangout, and ruined his party. Sedgar does not like competition. Gordin went Bulky Bishop. "Grust to the north, pirates to the west, and a rogue knight in between. What a wonderful situation we've gotten ourselves into," Abel mumbled, as he cut short an enemy mage's spell. The pirates were clumsy enough, but the trained enemies were a much bigger threat. For one, they sensed the new recruit's unease on a horse, and aimed for him with glee. "Thanks for the recap, but I think you're needed elsewhere," Julian yelled up to Abel, while pointing in the direction of the enemy's castle. The new guy had taken it upon himself to charge the enemy's main forces. Abel swore under his breath and ran after him. "I'm glad I was able to find a good excuse to pry that guy away from those pirates. That smile on his face disturbs me." "You noticed too?" "Yeah. There's a fine line between enjoying a job and taking pleasure in another's pain." "That guy was quite anxious while you were recovering from that fiasco at Castle Deil. Always pacing and whatnot." "Why me?" "I don't know. Why don't you ask him?" "I--ugh. . ." Sedgar shot Julian a smirk before running off to fight the next group of enemies. Julian glared at his back. Why did he have to be right? --- "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" The last enemy had fallen. Abel had managed to stall the enemy long enough for Merric, Draug, and Gordin to catch up. He did his best to stay still while Gordin finished closing up a gash on his leg. The kid looked crestfallen. He'd somehow escaped with only a few minor scratches. Despite his relative inexperience, he had taken out a good number of enemies by himself. "Look, don't go running off into the heart of enemy territory by yourself. We can't afford to lose you." To the more experienced cavalier's horror, the kid's shoulders slumped even further. "He's worried about you. Please don't take it the wrong way." The silent soldier slowly backed away, eyes wide with fear. Before Merric could say anything else, he had run off. Gordin and Draug shook their heads. "You two were down there at the prison cell. What happened?" The dark mage and curate looked at each other and sighed. The truth would have to come out sooner or later. "When we got there. . ." --- He tried explaing to Marth that the kid needed time alone, but Marth would hear none of it. For his efforts, he was the one assigned to find the runaway soldier and bring him back. Sedgar silently cursed his luck and closed his eyes. If he wanted to be away from everyone, and he had a tired horse, where would he go? It would have to be somewhere relatively flat, with grass and water. There had to be someplace like that around here! "Someplace around here" turned out to be an hour away. The ground was even, and the grass was well watered by a nearby spring. The horse grazed contentedly. Its rider was tucked against a tree, sound asleep. From the way his face looked, he'd cried himself to sleep. "I am NOT carrying you back a second time. Hey, you're gonna make the walk back shorter." Rather than cooperate, the horse decided that Sedgar's hair was edible. Sedgar disagreed very loudly, which woke the sleeping soldier up. "You're awake. Let's go." The unlucky plainsman danced to the side as the horse lunged at his head. The newly-awoken rider scowled. "Princess Nyna's worried, and Marth's not about to tell her no. I've gotta bring you back, whether you like it or not." The horse tired of Sedgar's hair, and opted for grass instead. The only thing that answered him was a glare. "I'm not going anywhere until you return," Sedgar said firmly. "Leave. . .me alone. . ." Huh. The kid had a voice. "If I were the one in charge, I would." Sedgar sat down. This could take a while. His actions earned him another glare. "I don't know why you're running from everyone, but it's really inconvenient. We're out here, and dinner's being served. I'm hungry." "Go away." "You want me to go away, but I'm not allowed to do so until you go back. Now what?" Being flippant wasn't one of his strong points, but it seemed to be the only way to reach that kid. "You. . .don't understand. . ." The kid coughed. Overextering his voice, no doubt. "Don't understand what?" "Don't understand. . .losing friends." That's why he had to miss dinner? He wasn't sure whether to feel sorry for the kid or feel sorry for his own stomach. He opted for the latter. "If you're talking about the warm fuzzy sensation that you felt as your friends fell, while you're completely helpless to stop it, then I'm very familiar with it. Closing myself off to everyone isn't going to bring them back. The best I can do is fight, and hope that I gave their lives meaning." The kid shot him one final glare before mounting his horse and running off in the general direction of the castle. The hungry soldier sighed. He wasn't sure if he'd convinced the kid to stop sulking. He was certain that he'd missed the best of dinner. He sighed at his own luck and began the long walk back to Marth's army. Chapter 13 "What kind of magic did you pull back there?" To the entire army's surpise, the silent cavalier had started speaking. They'd learned his name was Tomas, and that he'd learned how to ride as quickly as he did because he'd talked in depth with someone who rode horses. He still refused to acknowledge Sedgar. "I told him I thought my dinner was more important than him. He didn't seem too happy about it." Julian shook his head. If there's one thing he couldn't do, it was deal with kids. Especially sulky teenage boys. "Well, you got him to speak, and Marth is eternally grateful for that." "Marth can take his eternal gratefulness and shove it. I got table scraps, all because he didn't want to take my advice to leave the kid alone." "You're really salty about missing that dinner." "Of course I am! How often do we get herb-crusted chicken on the road?" Julian shot the plainsman a pained look before walking off. Roshea had never been as contentious as the kid they'd picked up, even at his worst. Trying to get Wolf to handle him was like asking a bandit to be gentle. Vyland could always talk sense into Roshea, no matter what. Sedgar had made sure to pay attention whenever that happened. It looked like his observations had paid off (though the thought of Vyland being that abrupt with anyone was absurd). "Sedgar, there you are! I have a favor to ask you." "What is it, sir?" "You seem to know Tomas best, so I'd like you to keep an eye on him." ". . .what?" "This next battle is against ballistae. I'm not sure how he'll handle it." "I can tell you how he'll handle me, and it won't be pretty. Why not ask Abel?" "I have another assignment for him. You're the only one that can do this." "Yes, sir." Marth had a long way before Sedgar would be comfortable calling him sir. Bantu became useful again! Sedgar ORKO'd Astram with nary but an Iron Sword (told ya he doesn't like competition!), while Marth and Abel charged down the center, murdering everything in their way. Tomas took the south, and nearly ate it on the first turn. My magical guys went north, with Bantu luring the Arrowspate forward. The boss went down really fast, because the Levin Sword is awesome. For some reason, Julian wasn't targeted. Got an extra Ridersbane for my efforts. He'd been all over the battlefield, but he couldn't lose that guy with the axe. Arrows, rocks, and flaming who-knows-what rained down on the battlefield, but somehow, that guy with the axe was always in sight. He didn't always wield an axe. A very familiar figure had run out to challenge him. A single parry and two cuts later, and Astram had fallen. At least he could be with Midia. Midia. Her last words still rang in his ears. Her dying wish was that he join Marth's army, so he did. All of them seemed so comfortable with each other. What if one of them fell? He'd barely managed to hang on to his sanity when he saw his friends die in that cell. Would he be able to handle it if he lost more friends? "Heads up!" Tomas looked up, and saw a large rock headed for him. He swung his horse to the left. The spray of displaced earth stung his face. The man with the axe sighed. "You're not going to live long if you daydream in the middle of a battle." Yes, yes, he knew that! "Why are you following me around?" "Orders." It was always orders. What was up with that guy? The man seemed to pick up on his displeasure. "If you can talk Marth out of this crazy assignment, then by all means, do so. I'll be happy to be out of your hair." Well, I don't like you either! Tomas thought to himself. The world went white, as electricity danced through his muscles. He struggled to stay upright. His body felt so heavy. . .but something wasn't letting him fall. A voice called to him, begged him to stay alive. . . Right before everything faded to black, Tomas thought he saw tears in the man's eyes. --- "Ah, what--OW!" Broken ribs. Just great. "Good morning, sunshine." Not that voice. Not now. "What. The. Hell." "You took a ballista shot to the ribs, and lived to tell about it." "That was a ballista shot?!" Memories of electricity slowly trickled back. Since when did ballista shots have Thunder? "It seems there's a type of ballista shot that's charged with electricity, and that's what hit you. Any other ammo, and you'd be dead." Tomas turned to glare at him. Pain lanced through his ribs. He felt tears forming in his eys. Tears. . . "Back there. . .you were crying. . ." He heard a sigh answer him. "Was I? I guess it couldn't be helped." Hadn't that man mentioned something about losing friends? He wasn't going to get off that easily! "Your friends. . .what happened to them?" "Funny you should ask that. Each had his own unique way of living, and each died in a different way. One was hit by a Thunder, fell off his horse, and cracked his head open." The tent flap opened. A warm breeze invited itself in. "That was the reason why you cried?" "Every time that friend would act up, I'd talk down to him, just as I did with you. I apologize." The warmth faded. "He. . .he saw his friend in me? I. . ." Crying hurt his ribs, but that pain was nothing compared to what he felt in his heart. Here was someone else who had lost everyone around him, who had extended his hand in friendship. . .and had been harshly rejected. "I'll see you again. . .I know I will. You're not allowed to die until I apologize to you." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byte2222 Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 You, my friend, are a superb writer! I'd have been content watching to the end anonymously but decided to sign up just to say how amazing you are. You have many avid readers, please keep going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrhesia Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 Stop overshadowing my story dammit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted September 22, 2010 Author Share Posted September 22, 2010 You, my friend, are a superb writer! I'd have been content watching to the end anonymously but decided to sign up just to say how amazing you are. You have many avid readers, please keep going. I, um. . .wow. Thank you very much! I have no idea how I'm gonna do the funny run after this! Stop overshadowing my story dammit. YOU stop overshadowing MY story! :P It's late, so I'll try to write out what's swimming in my head as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, all I have time for is this. I apologize in advance to all Catria (and Palla) fans. Chapter 14 The three magic users met to study together, as usual. Gordin had learned the ways of offensive magic along with his staves, which made Draug happy and Merric proud. Today, Merric's usual smile was absent. "Guys. . .I'm worried about Marth. . ." The normally cheery mage fiddled with the hem of his robe. Draug and Gordin looked up from their studies. "What's wrong, Merric? I haven't noticed anything unusual." Draug kept his sigh to himself. How could Gordin NOT notice? "Marth hasn't been talking as much, has been eating less at meals, and has volunteered to take watches with us at night. Something is definitely wrong," Draug explained patiently. "Oh. . .I thought he was trying to relate to us by taking the night watch." Merric shook his head. Gordin was far more naive than he let on! "We are nearing Gra. I think Marth is remembering the day he found out that he lost his father to Gra's soldiers. He's probably anxious about the upcoming battle." Merric and Gordin nodded in agreement. Suddenly, the smile returned to Merric's face. "If Marth's that worried, then there's only one thing for us to do. Study harder!" --- "Prince, you shouldn't be wandering out alone like this! We're in enemy territory!" Abel had spotted Marth while on patrol. He was a good distance away from camp, staring at a formidable building set on the horizon. "That castle. . .I'll avenge you, Father. . ." The prince hadn't even noticed that someone was behind him. Abel cleared his throat loudly. Marth whirled around, then relaxed when he saw one of his knights behind him. "Abel! My apologies. I needed some time to myself. . .time to ready myself for the next battle." The knight frowned. The prince looked up, a hint of red in his cheeks. "Let's go back to camp. I'm sorry to have worried you. Lead the way." The lecture that Abel was about to give the young prince died on his lips. He motioned for Marth to follow him. Voices made the duo stop. It was hard to tell which side they belonged to. Marth closed his eyes and concentrated on the voices. His eyes widened in shock. "Your Highness?" Abel asked. Marth put a finger to his lips, and motioned the knight forward. He complied, a puzzled look on his face. In the clearing, a man swung an axe at another person. The person parried the swing neatly with his sword. The one with the sword put his weapon away, while the one with the axe swung at air, and explained something. "Isn't that--" "Yes, it is. I'm glad Nyna's assessment of those two was correct." "Care to explain, Your Highness?" "Nyna knew those two were the only survivors in their respective groups. Despite their different personalities, she felt that they would become friends. That's why she requested them to stay near each other in battle. I had my doubts, of course, but it looks like she's a far better judge of character than I am." "Her request nearly killed one of them." "They are alive, and that is all that matters. I believe we were on our way back to camp." "Of course, sire." Abel shook his head. The Aurelian soldier was full of surprises. He didn't advertise his natural talent with a sword, he got that kid to speak his first words, and then he turned that kid's contempt into respect. "I've got a long ways to go before I can come close to you. . .but I swear I'll close that gap!" ITC: Palla gets in the way, and this messes up my story. Apparantly, Julian can open bridges from the side. Merric fried the ballista dude, then my generics baited all the armors. Managed to rush Tomas south to trap the thieves, and gain a bunch of experience. Marth ran to the boss' room, realized he wasn't necessary (thanks to a Hammer), ran back to get Thoron, ran to the treasure room to bait the Sniper, then ran to seize the throne. Even with Celerity Boots, this took a while. I managed to kill off Catria (so Abel could promote, and this will NOT be reflected in the story), so Palla was the only one recruited. Cleared out the archer area with Tomas, Abel, Draug. . .and Palla. She may take extra damage from arrows, but the archers can't do squat if they're cornered. Bantu watched. It was all he could do, because he still hadn't found his Firestone. Marth frequently used him to run errands that his other soldiers were too busy to do. This was fine with the manakete. It was better than being useless! He saw the bridge was drawn, and that a ballista blocked the way to the castle. The young thief lowered the bridge, while one of the children with dragonkin magic burned the ballista down. Knights clad in human invention lumbered forward, but they were no match for the technology his race had perfected ages ago. Riders on horses threatened to run down the fledgling army, but the enemies were repelled as easily as rain drops were repelled by oiled cloth. Girls on winged steeds flew towards the young prince. Instead of attacking him, they offered their assistance, which the prince gladly accepted. Humans were so quick to adapt. That is what made them so very interesting. --- "Palla, we made it!" The younger sister beamed at the older one. The journey to Marth's side wasn't easy, but their commander had asked them to join. The news of Minerva's death wasn't easy for them to handle, either. "I am glad that we can honor Minerva's wish. She was alway so kind. . ." The older sister shook her head. Battles were meant to be fought on the battlefield. Mourning would come later. "We're here, and it looks like the Dragoons aren't happy to see us. Let's give them a piece of our mind!" Palla was quick to oblige her younger sister. --- No enemies were in the immediate vicinity. Tomas took the time to look up at the two Whitewings who dueled two Dragoons above the battlefield. Instead of charging, the combatants dodged each other's short lunges. One of the soldiers didn't dodge. Horse hooves brought the cavalier back to the ground. "First time you've seen an aerial battle?" Tomas nodded. Abel smiled, then clapped him on the back. "It's always a wonder to watch them fight, but our job is down here. Those winged horses won't take a male rider, so you're out of luck." The edges of the younger man's mouth turned down ever so slightly. "Macedon is supposed to have dragons. I wonder if I'd be able to fly on one of those. . ." A hearty laugh erupted from the older cavalier. "You'd best talk to those ladies after the battle, if you want to learn more about Macedon. We've got our own set of problems. You've gotta learn how to run before you can fly!" With that, Abel spurred his horse forward at a frightening pace. Tomas wasn't quite that confident yet. "Right. . .run first, fly later. . ." The young cavalier ran as fast as he dared after his teacher. --- "Ha, I knew these guys would be no match for us!" Catria wiped her brow with the back of her hand. It had been a long battle, but the Dragoons would harry the sisters no longer. Palla breathed a sigh of relief. Dodging javelins was something she'd rather not do. Movement caught both of their eyes. Someone with a bow was advancing on them. Palla backed away. Catria shot her a puzzled look. "What's wrong, Palla? There's no way an archer could reach us up here!" The archer let loose his arrow right when Catria finished speaking. Palla could only point to the archer. Words refused to come out of her throat. Catria turned, just in time for the arrow to bury itself deep into her pegasus' flank. The blue-haired girl fell with her mount. Palla's first instinct took over. She screamed. --- Marth heard a very feminine scream above him. He looked up, and saw a falling mass of blue and white. The scream was interrupted by a sickening thud. The fallen pegasus had landed a short distance from him. His logical side told him to stay away. His heart overruled it, and Marth ran over to the pegasus. The pegasus gave one last snort before it stopped moving. Its rider lay flat on her back in a pool of her own blood. Marth knelt next to her. Her eyes moved towards him. How could she still be alive?! "Marth. . .I'm glad. . .I met you. . .please tell my sisters. . .I'm sorry. . ." The prince had seen many battles, but this was the first time he'd seen the proverbial light die in someone's eyes. Even though Minerva had fallen right in front of him, he had been unable to stay by her side, as the enemy had surged forward when they saw her go down. The shock was so great that he didn't hear the sound of hooves on pavement, or the footsteps that followed. "Catria, Catria, wake up! CATRIA!!" All the talking in the world wouldn't be able to stop her tears. Marth could do nothing for Catria, but he could be Palla's eyes, while she wept by her sister's body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted September 22, 2010 Author Share Posted September 22, 2010 (edited) Due to the length of this project, I'm stuffing the second half of the serious logs here. I'll post a link to this post, so I can continue. I'd put it in the previous post, but I don't see the point in posting Chapter 14 twice in a row. [spoiler=Serious Story (14-21)]Chapter 14 The three magic users met to study together, as usual. Gordin had learned the ways of offensive magic along with his staves, which made Draug happy and Merric proud. Today, Merric's usual smile was absent. "Guys. . .I'm worried about Marth. . ." The normally cheery mage fiddled with the hem of his robe. Draug and Gordin looked up from their studies. "What's wrong, Merric? I haven't noticed anything unusual." Draug kept his sigh to himself. How could Gordin NOT notice? "Marth hasn't been talking as much, has been eating less at meals, and has volunteered to take watches with us at night. Something is definitely wrong," Draug explained patiently. "Oh. . .I thought he was trying to relate to us by taking the night watch." Merric shook his head. Gordin was far more naive than he let on! "We are nearing Gra. I think Marth is remembering the day he found out that he lost his father to Gra's soldiers. He's probably anxious about the upcoming battle." Merric and Gordin nodded in agreement. Suddenly, the smile returned to Merric's face. "If Marth's that worried, then there's only one thing for us to do. Study harder!" --- "Prince, you shouldn't be wandering out alone like this! We're in enemy territory!" Abel had spotted Marth while on patrol. He was a good distance away from camp, staring at a formidable building set on the horizon. "That castle. . .I'll avenge you, Father. . ." The prince hadn't even noticed that someone was behind him. Abel cleared his throat loudly. Marth whirled around, then relaxed when he saw one of his knights behind him. "Abel! My apologies. I needed some time to myself. . .time to ready myself for the next battle." The knight frowned. The prince looked up, a hint of red in his cheeks. "Let's go back to camp. I'm sorry to have worried you. Lead the way." The lecture that Abel was about to give the young prince died on his lips. He motioned for Marth to follow him. Voices made the duo stop. It was hard to tell which side they belonged to. Marth closed his eyes and concentrated on the voices. His eyes widened in shock. "Your Highness?" Abel asked. Marth put a finger to his lips, and motioned the knight forward. He complied, a puzzled look on his face. In the clearing, a man swung an axe at another person. The person parried the swing neatly with his sword. The one with the sword put his weapon away, while the one with the axe swung at air, and explained something. "Isn't that--" "Yes, it is. I'm glad Nyna's assessment of those two was correct." "Care to explain, Your Highness?" "Nyna knew those two were the only survivors in their respective groups. Despite their different personalities, she felt that they would become friends. That's why she requested them to stay near each other in battle. I had my doubts, of course, but it looks like she's a far better judge of character than I am." "Her request nearly killed one of them." "They are alive, and that is all that matters. I believe we were on our way back to camp." "Of course, sire." Abel shook his head. The Aurelian soldier was full of surprises. He didn't advertise his natural talent with a sword, he got that kid to speak his first words, and then he turned that kid's contempt into respect. "I've got a long ways to go before I can come close to you. . .but I swear I'll close that gap!" === Bantu watched. It was all he could do, because he still hadn't found his Firestone. Marth frequently used him to run errands that his other soldiers were too busy to do. This was fine with the manakete. It was better than being useless! He saw the bridge was drawn, and that a ballista blocked the way to the castle. The young thief lowered the bridge, while one of the children with dragonkin magic burned the ballista down. Knights clad in human invention lumbered forward, but they were no match for the technology his race had perfected ages ago. Riders on horses threatened to run down the fledgling army, but the enemies were repelled as easily as rain drops were repelled by oiled cloth. Girls on winged steeds flew towards the young prince. Instead of attacking him, they offered their assistance, which the prince gladly accepted. Humans were so quick to adapt. That is what made them so very interesting. --- "Palla, we made it!" The younger sister beamed at the older one. The journey to Marth's side wasn't easy, but their commander had asked them to join. The news of Minerva's death wasn't easy for them to handle, either. "I am glad that we can honor Minerva's wish. She was alway so kind. . ." The older sister shook her head. Battles were meant to be fought on the battlefield. Mourning would come later. "We're here, and it looks like the Dragoons aren't happy to see us. Let's give them a piece of our mind!" Palla was quick to oblige her younger sister. --- No enemies were in the immediate vicinity. Tomas took the time to look up at the two Whitewings who dueled two Dragoons above the battlefield. Instead of charging, the combatants dodged each other's short lunges. One of the soldiers didn't dodge. Horse hooves brought the cavalier back to the ground. "First time you've seen an aerial battle?" Tomas nodded. Abel smiled, then clapped him on the back. "It's always a wonder to watch them fight, but our job is down here. Those winged horses won't take a male rider, so you're out of luck." The edges of the younger man's mouth turned down ever so slightly. "Macedon is supposed to have dragons. I wonder if I'd be able to fly on one of those. . ." A hearty laugh erupted from the older cavalier. "You'd best talk to those ladies after the battle, if you want to learn more about Macedon. We've got our own set of problems. You've gotta learn how to run before you can fly!" With that, Abel spurred his horse forward at a frightening pace. Tomas wasn't quite that confident yet. "Right. . .run first, fly later. . ." The young cavalier ran as fast as he dared after his teacher. --- "Ha, I knew these guys would be no match for us!" Catria wiped her brow with the back of her hand. It had been a long battle, but the Dragoons would harry the sisters no longer. Palla breathed a sigh of relief. Dodging javelins was something she'd rather not do. Movement caught both of their eyes. Someone with a bow was advancing on them. Palla backed away. Catria shot her a puzzled look. "What's wrong, Palla? There's no way an archer could reach us up here!" The archer let loose his arrow right when Catria finished speaking. Palla could only point to the archer. Words refused to come out of her throat. Catria turned, just in time for the arrow to bury itself deep into her pegasus' flank. The blue-haired girl fell with her mount. Palla's first instinct took over. She screamed. --- Marth heard a very feminine scream above him. He looked up, and saw a falling mass of blue and white. The scream was interrupted by a sickening thud. The fallen pegasus had landed a short distance from him. His logical side told him to stay away. His heart overruled it, and Marth ran over to the pegasus. The pegasus gave one last snort before it stopped moving. Its rider lay flat on her back in a pool of her own blood. Marth knelt next to her. Her eyes moved towards him. How could she still be alive?! "Marth. . .I'm glad. . .I met you. . .please tell my sisters. . .I'm sorry. . ." The prince had seen many battles, but this was the first time he'd seen the proverbial light die in someone's eyes. Even though Minerva had fallen right in front of him, he had been unable to stay by her side, as the enemy had surged forward when they saw her go down. The shock was so great that he didn't hear the sound of hooves on pavement, or the footsteps that followed. "Catria, Catria, wake up! CATRIA!!" All the talking in the world wouldn't be able to stop her tears. Marth could do nothing for Catria, but he could be Palla's eyes, while she wept by her sister's body. Chapter 15 "Father, I. . .I wasn't the one to avenge you. While my men were fighting, I stayed behind to protect a crying girl. I hope you'll forgive me. . ." The wind's gentle caress was Marth's only answer. He was supposed to be in battle, leading his troops! Instead, he'd stayed by Palla's side, cutting down any enemies that got close to her or the crushed body of her sister. Afterwards, he helped put her sister to rest in the soft earth. Now, his first female soldier was in her tent, most likely asleep. The prince wished he could sleep. Guilt kept him from the sweet oblivion that his troops no doubt shared in. "What are you doing out here, Your Highness?" Who could be out here at this time? Marth turned, and saw his loyal knight-turned-mage looking back at him. "I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to enjoy the night wind," he replied weakly. "You were thinking about today's battle," the stockier man commented. Marth pursed his lips. How was he supposed to rule a country if his subjects could pick his thoughts so easily? "I'm sorry, but it's. . ." "You are upset that you couldn't avenge your father?" "It's not only that. All of you are fighting so hard for my cause, but in the end, all I can do is watch as your friends and family are killed." "We fight for you because we believe in you." "I'm having problems believing in me!" "I follow you because you care about us. You were willing to give up your personal revenge to watch over one of your soldiers. This speaks of a selfless leader, and one I will gladly lay my life down for." "May it never come to that, Draug." "You have a good heart, sire. May that never change." Draug bowed before leaving. Marth looked up at the night sky once more. "Father, if you were here, you'd tell me. . .tell me to follow my heart. My heart tells me that staying by that girl was the right thing to do. I hope you're proud of me." He turned back to camp. It was time to go to sleep. High up in the night sky, a single brilliant shooting star traced a path through the darkness. --- The lush woodlands petered to drier plains, which in turn gave way to the desert that housed Khadain, the magic academy. The cheery mage that everyone had become accustomed to had slowly transformed into a quieter, more intense version of himself. Several people thought they knew why Merric had changed. Only one person was right. "Looking for answers?" Sedgar mused grimly. Merric nodded. The battle to reach Khadein was about to start. "If you find those answers, I'd like to hear about them." "Same to you." Nothing more had to be said. Both had lost much on that day in Aurelis, and neither would be satisfied until someone explained why Khadein had gotten caught up in this mess. === He'd seen this person in the halls of Khadein. That one had lived in the dorms opposite of his. And the smoldering body in front of him once belonged to someone who had asked to borrow some paper during a test. All of them had attacked without hesitation, and with everything they had. All of them had died by his hands. Never in his darkest dreams did he think he'd come back to school, and kill his old classmates. The desert air became noticeably colder. Another enemy was about to cast Blizzard. Merric began his own magic, his voice completely devoid of emotion. The Blizzard was preempted by a single Fire, and the enemy was caught in the ensuing blaze. "You sat three seats away from me," the victor stated dispassionately. --- The sand was no good for horses or humans. Abel spat out a mouthful of sand he'd gotten after he'd sneezed. Whose crazy idea was it to build a school in the middle of this inhospitable place? His student wasn't faring much better. The horses had problems finding solid footing, so their progress was excruciatingly slow. Up above them, the girl on the pegasus flew around easily. The boy looked up at her, a small smile on his face. "No daydreaming on the battlefield. Especially about girls," Abel said to his student, a smile on his face. The boy's sunburned face somehow became a deeper shade of red. "I wasn't looking at her like that! I was thinking of how nice it would be to fly over this horrid sand!" He was probably telling the truth, but Abel couldn't pass up this opportunity to poke some fun at the quiet boy. "She seems to be about your age. Why don't you introduce yourself to her? I'm sure she'd like a nice strong--hey, come back, I was joking!" --- Palla's perch was high enough such that the worst of the sand would not bother her, but she was low enough such that she could catch part of the conversation between the two cavaliers on the ground. The younger one had attempted to run off after the older one pushed him a little too much, but neither of them went far. That's the kind of thing Catria would do to Est, much to the former's amusement. . . The pegasus knight wasn't sure if the tears on her face were because of the sand in her eyes, or her memories. --- The bright midday sun did nothing to disperse the shadows around the figure on the road. Sedgar got the distinct impression that this one was dangerous. If he was dangerous, then that meant he probably knew something. The figure looked up. The shadows made his skin and hair look pitch-black. "Hmph, so I get to face part of Marth's pathetic army. You're not worth the time it would take for me to obliterate you, even if you are trespassing on MY property." The shadows shifted. . .and he was gone. "Are you all right?" The prince ran, whiter than the sunlight that reflected off the desert sand. "I'm fine. What's wrong?" "That man. . .those shadows. . .that was Gharnef." "WHAT?! He's the one running things around here?" Sedgar felt the blood drain from his face. "Yes. I'm glad you weren't hurt." "You've told me plenty. Thanks!" Marth watched him run towards the academy, and scratched his head. What had gotten into that soldier? --- "Whew. . .shade!" The shorter of the two leaned against a tree. His face was going to itch tomorrow! "There's a small oasis nearby. I'm going to get a drink." The one under the tree handed his canteen to his friend, who filled it without saying a word. "Things were a lot easier when all I had to do was patch people up. How can you control that kind of magic?" Gordin inquired, over sips of water. "How can you control the healing magics? I'm not able to do that," Draug countered. He took the empty canteen handed to him by his friend, and refilled it. "If I could explain it to you, I would," the younger spellcaster replied. "I hope Merric is okay. . .this is where he trained." "I hope so too. We'd be completely lost without his help!" --- Bodies littered the sands near Khadein. Tonight, the vultures would dine well. "Any news on this mess?" Merric asked Sedgar. There was no emotion in his voice. "It seems some guy named Gharnef is responsible for turning Khadein into. . .this." Sedgar didn't like the look in Merric's eyes. It was the look of someone who had lost a part of his innocence. "Gharnef. . .I. . ." "You'll have to be the one to do this. I don't think my weapons will scratch him." The mage's eyes flashed. "Yes, I will. . .for everyone. . ." Chapter 16 "I. . .I can't do this anymore," Palla whimpered to her pegasus. Her loyal steed nudged her with its head, as if to comfort her. It whinnied, as the sound of hooves got disturbingly close. "Stop, STOP you crazy thing!" the startled rider cried out, as the horse slowed from a full run just shy of Palla. The girl sighed. It was that crazy boy who wanted to fly. He'd hounded her incessantly about dragons, Macedon, and keeping one's balance in the air. She knew he had a thirst for knowledge, but he was a little too enthusiastic about it. "Have you lost your mind?" she said, her irritation leaking into her voice. He looked down and blushed. "I--I was told I had to learn to run before I fly, so I wanted to see how fast I could go before I got scared." "You'll end up breaking your neck if you take it too fast! How do you expect to control a mount IN THE AIR if you can't use your better judgment?" A whimper answered her. She winced inwardly. She was going into Big Sister mode, and her sisters weren't very happy when she did that. She sighed, and gave him a pained look. "Fine, if you want to fly that badly, go find a dragon to ride." He looked up at her, a small smile on his face. That gave her an idea. . . "Oh, and you'll need to do one other thing for me, dearie. . ." The smile disappeared when he saw her wink and giggle. She hoped he wouldn't regret what she was about to ask of him. . .but she was sure he wouldn't. What guy would? --- The journey was long, and the battles were difficult, but Marth had finally led his army home. If his memory served him right, there would be a village just past the forest they were in. They were known for their savory vegetables, and the villagers were always happy to share their wares. Perhaps the army could-- "No. . ." Gordin mumbled, hands over his mouth. He was the first to break out of the forest. His abrupt halt sent murmurs through the rest of the army. Marth moved next to Gordin, to see why he'd stopped. The village, which was normally a bustling, busy place, was motionless. The fields, which were supposed to be bursting forth with green vegetables, held nothing but sickly gray ashes. Houses which once stood tall now slumped over, their pride no doubt taken by fire some years back. Farm equipment rotted next to the bones of what was probably livestock. A crow cawed its welcome to the strangers near the forest. Marth swallowed hard and marched forward. --- "If there was anything useful, it's gone now," Julian muttered. He had volunteered to scavenge for supplies. Marth had let him, but knew deep down that the thief was going on a fool's errand. "I saw something else, too. . .but I don't know if. . ." Julian's eyes slid down to his feet. "What did you see?" "I. . .I think it would be better if you saw it. . ." The thief's eyes never left the floor. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. If Marth needed to see it, he would, no matter how bad it was. He nodded, and Julian led him towards the center of town-- --which was blocked by the rest of his army. One of its members smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't help but overhear what was going on, sire, so I told everyone else. I don't know what Julian wanted to show you, but it sounds like you could use our help." Marth shook his head, then sighed. It was hard to be angry with Gordin. He wasn't supposed to be eavesdropping, but he meant well. "I hope you guys don't regret this," Julian mumbled. --- Julian's path ended at a grain silo. Like the rest of the buildings, it wore the scars of fire damage. Unlike the others, it had somehow maintained some semblance of a room. The thief motioned for everyone to step back, then opened the door. The prince stepped into the silo, with the others not far behind him. Fine grayish particles swirled in the air, before settling on whatever surface was handy. A mound had been formed in the center of the room. It was mostly black and gray, but something white shone through. Marth wasn't quite sure what mound in the room was, so he stopped to look closer--then wish his curiosity hadn't gotten the better of him. The white thing Marth had seen was a shoulder bone. The silhouette of a skull was visible underneath the black and gray ashes that covered everything. Several gasps behind him told him his assessment of the mound's contents was correct. The silo was the final resting place of a good number of people, and this mound was all that remained of them. A cry from Merric drew Marth's attention. Some remains were scattered around the floor of the silo, and Merric had nearly stepped on someone's leg. Marth heard sobs from a far corner. Gordin knelt next to a small set of remains. The bones held one of the few objects that had been caressed by the fire, but had not been destroyed by it. It was a child's doll. === The enemy knew that they were coming. They knew that the rebel army was a force to be reckoned with. They did not realize just how much the razing of Altea would affect the army. The scouts were the first to feel their fury. They were informed in advance about Marth's cavalry, so they armed themselves with weapons designed to take out horses. They were not informed of the archer that lurked among the cavalry. One by one, they fell. "I still don't know why you insisted on wielding a bow," Tomas told his new student. She gave him the brightest smile she could muster. "I have my reasons, my sweet," she replied, sugar dripping from her voice. He was far too easy to tease! "Can you stop that? I've been getting far too many claps on the back for my comfort," the cavalier whined. A loud bout of laughter interrupted the two. "That's why the two of you have been running off at odd hours? You're good, miss!" Tomas scowled at the other cavalier. It was Palla's turn to blush. "No, I didn't mean it like that--" "Weren't you the one that said not to be distracted on the battlefield?" the younger cavalier said flatly. "Ah, right, we have some cleaning up to do. Can't wait to see the look on Sedgar's face when he finds out the truth!" Abel spurred his horse towards the castle, still chuckling. "Now look at what you've done," Tomas said dejectedly. "Oooh, fine, I'm sorry." "Whatever. Keep your hands steady, and your mind calm." The next enemy that went down did so due to Palla's skill, not dumb luck. --- The battle was long over. Marth's troops would attack the castle itself on the morrow. For now, they had taken over a nearby fort. "So you told him you'd teach him how to control an aerial mount if he could find one AND teach you how to shoot a bow?" Palla nodded. Sedgar sighed. "I hope you were being serious about both," he said. The girl looked at him quizzically. "You might want to check out the new addition in back." A roar reverberated through the fort. "I think I'll take your word for it," she called back to him, before running off. "Miss, you really need to think about the consequences of your words before opening your mouth." --- "It seems like your student is still a boy," Julian commented to Abel. Both of them were still keyed up from the battle earlier that day, and the bright moon in the sky didn't help. "I'm a tad disappointed," the cavalier replied back. "When I asked him why, he said she was too bossy to be attractive." "Sounds like he's smarter than he lets on," a third voice chimed in. Sedgar strolled up to the other two, an easy smile on his face. "What makes you say that?" the thief asked. "He knows what he wants in a woman, and he's not willing to take what he doesn't like, no matter how pretty it is," came the reply. "That's one way of looking at it," the cavalier mused. "Something tells me if he found a girl he really likes, he'd have no clue how to handle her." "Do you speak from experience?" "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I'm off to bed." Julian and Abel could only exchange puzzled looks as Sedgar ambled off towards the fort. How could the plainsman be so certain about that Archanean? Once around a corner, he stopped, then turned towards a shadow. "I'm glad you're interested in hearing about other's opinions of you, but it's really rude to eavesdrop." A figure emerged from the corner, red with embarrassment. "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk, and I heard you guys. . ." "Sulking in the shadows is something you're bad at." He got a frown in reply. "You're taking everyone and everything far too seriously. We tease you because your reactions are amusing, not because we want to hurt you." "But--" "Hmmmm?" "Do you. . .really think I'd be clueless around a girl I liked?" "Let's see. . .I'd imagine she'd look good, but not drop-dead gorgeous. She'd be genuine, kind, and laugh a lot. She'd be as shy as you when it came time to acknowledge her feelings, but once she did, the two of you would never leave each other. Given that awkwardness, you'd have a hard time trying to make any sort of move. I'd go on, but your face is telling me that I'm on the right track." "How--" "You've had more time than most to think about these things." "That tendency of yours to be right. . .it's really irritating." "Don't ever forget that." The boy sighed, as the man walked off. "Am I really that easy to read?" Chapter 17 "I'm home." It was a statement, not a greeting. Marth looked back at the familiar halls of the place he'd spent most of his life. Instead of the usual bustle of servants, the sounds of impending battle sang through the halls. Behind him, he heard the uneasy shifting of his guests. They had come a long way from Talys, Aurelis, and Archanea. It would be rude if he didn't show them around his home. "Allow me to guide you through my castle, dear friends. I hope you enjoy your stay." === "This hall leads to the armory, where the weapons are kept for the soldiers. Some of the weapons are under lock and key, for emergency use only." Marth stated, as he ran through an unlucky mage with his sword. Gordin opened his mouth to say something, but Draug shook his head. Marth's behavior was disturbing, but it seemed to be his way of coping with the guilt and anger he had held for all those years. Once the fight was won, the prince should hopefully return to normal. Hopefully. --- "We know all about you, traitor," the robed figure hissed, beady eyes on Bantu. "I have my duty, and I don't care if it goes against Medeus," the other manakete replied. "Silence, worm! How dare you be so casual with Emperor Medeus!" The enraged manakete's form began to shift from human to something far more dangerous. Its eyes glowed with rage, as it prepared to burn the traitor with its rage. "EXCALIBUR!" The dragon's head snapped back, straight into the ceiling. It shrank as it fell. Something else fell straight into Bantu's hands. "I don't believe this. . .what luck!" "Erm, Bantu, what are you doing?" The child who had cast Excalibur looked torn between curiosity and the urge to run. "This stone. . .this is a Firestone, and it's intact! I'll show you the fury of a Fire Dragon!" "L, look, if I ever got you mad, I'm sorry!" This caused the old dragon to laugh. "Now, now, child, I won't unleash that fury on you. This Stone shall be used against the fools who serve that wretch Medeus. Come!" Merric wasn't certain if it would be a better idea to follow him, or to run as fast as he could out of the castle. --- "You're too close to the ceiling!" Palla called up to the boy who had insisted on trying out the dragon he'd manage to snag yesterday. "I'm trying," came the terse reply, as the dragon descended. Palla breathed a sigh of relief. As much as he got on her nerves, she'd feel a little guilty if he wound up getting seriously hurt. "It looks like there's a mage down the hall. Think you can get to him?" The girl ran forward. She wasn't sure what he was talking about, but--there! The mage was in the middle of an incantation. Palla took a deep breath, aimed, and cursed when she missed. The mage looked up, still chanting. The temperature began to drop at an alarming rate. Tomas surged forward, but it was obvious he wasn't going to reach the enemy in time! A gout of fire engulfed the unfortunate mage. The dracoknight cried out in shock, as a large, scaled dragon blinked at him. The dragon vanished, and in its place stood-- "Bantu! What did you just do?" "That, children, is what a manakete can do." The old man walked off, snickering to himself. The archer and dracoknight could only exchange looks, before following the old man down the hall. --- The first to reach the throne room was not the prince. No loyal knights in shining armor burst through the door. Instead, the one to face the figure on the throne was a lowly, unknown thief. "Who are you, and what do you want?" "Who I am is not important, and what I want is to see you dead." "YOU, kill me?! That is a most amusing joke! What can the likes of you hope to do to someone like me? Scream, like that worthless queen I replaced?" "You. . .will. . .pay!" The figure on the throne didn't flinch, even when Julian took out the Wyrmslayer he'd found after a battle. Instead, he transformed, but not into the type of dragon the thief was used to seeing. Pitch-black scales covered the dragon's serpentine body. Instead of flame, the dragon exhaled some kind of strange gas which might as well have been fire, for all that it burned. However, this one was also slow, so it didn't take long for him to strike twice at its (extremely tough) hide. The dragon's scream cut through the castle, but it did not fall. Fury burned in its eyes. Julian didn't think he'd survive a second bout with the dragon. Its snout turned towards the unfortunate thief, then pointed skywards, as the dragon inhaled. "Lena, I'll be with you soon. . ." --- Abel cursed the thief's recklessness. If he'd only waited a little longer, he wouldn't be on his knees, with whatever skin he had exposed peeling badly. Abel saw the dragon prepare another breath, and to his horror, saw Julian's head drop. It wasn't going to end like this! Before he could talk himself out of it, he had aimed and cast his Javelin. The weapon bounced off the monster's scales, but it had served its purpose. The dragon exhaled sooner than it had anticipated, and its breath passed harmlessly over Julian. The thief turned in surprise, then turned back towards his target. The Wyrmslayer's next strike was true, and the cry of the defeated dragon reverberated through Abel's ears. The dragon slowly reverted to its human form. "You. . .cannot win. . .as long as Gharnef has. . .the princess. . ." Both men breathed a sigh of relief as the impostor on the throne died. Abel turned his attention back to Julian, who bit the remnants of his lip to keep from crying out. "Did you go mad? You could've died!" The thief shot the paladin an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but when I heard that he'd killed the queen, and enjoyed it, I--" "You can't let the enemy's words get to you like that!" "What are you so touchy about? I'm the one that got hit." "WHAT?" "Never. . .mind. Do you know if Gordin's around? This isn't the most pleasant feeling." The paladin sighed, before riding off. Julian smiled, then winced. "I. . .think I need to talk to him, the sooner the better. It's one thing to watch out for each other, but I think he's taking it entirely too far." --- Gordin's staff had done a superb job of taking away the majority of the pain Julian had felt after his bout with the dragon. He sincerely wished that same staff could do something about the knot in his stomach. Marth was not going to be happy with his report. "Waiting isn't going to make this any better. Didn't he mention he had a sister? Maybe that's what that creep meant before he died. Here goes. . ." Chapter 17x "Even though I have taken Altea back, I cannot stop and rest. A bigger threat looms, and I must call on all of you again, to help me stop it." To his relief, everyone nodded. "Our next destination is Helena Castle. We have a long march ahead, and we'll need all the supplies we can get. We start tomorrow. Please rest well tonight." Marth watched as his army wandered off into their familiar groups. The three that studied magic could always be found together. The Aurelian soldier and the thief went their own ways, while the boy with the dragon and the girl with the bow ran to the stables (the latter presumably so the former wouldn't hurt himself practicing), with his loyal paladin not far behind. The manakete stared out a window, at the fading rays of the sun. His army was an odd group, but they had somehow become a force that was great enough to take back three countries. The young prince hoped that it would be enough of a force to stop Gharnef. He retreated to his room, and closed the door. It had been a long time since he'd spent the night in these walls. Happy, familiar memories came back, but they were spoiled by a single, bitter truth. "Mother. . ." === "These guys are nothing like the troops we fought at the castle." Merric had to agree with Draug's dry assessment of the battle. Things were going so smoothly that Gordin had put away his staff in favor of a tome. Even though he still had a long way to go, the gentle boy's magic was more than enough to keep the foe at bay. "I see paladins among the enemy. Maybe they aren't so pathetic after all." One paladin fell to a thrown axe. Merric looked up from his tome, and saw Tomas step down to retrieve his weapon from the corpse he'd just created. "On second thought. . .they're pathetic." --- Steady hands, steady aim. Use your breathing to keep your shots true. Palla did her best to remember what she was told, but her shots kept grazing (or outright missing) the enemy. Steady hands, steady-- "Do you know where you want your arrows to land?" Palla jumped at the voice behind her. The person held an axe, but unlike Tomas, he held it comfortably. "I, umm. . ." "Think of where you want your arrows to land before you shoot. Don't forget to aim a little higher for the longer shots." Before the girl could thank him, the man had busied himself with another enemy. "It looks like you wouldn't be able to hear me if I thanked you, so this will have to do." This arrow needed to bury itself somewhere in the enemy archer's back, and this archer was standing quite a distance away. Aim first, then steady yourself, then. . .a cry of pain, as Palla's arrow struck true. Sedgar saw the enemy archer crumple, and smiled to himself. There was hope for that girl after all! --- "You are. . .ugh!" "Hang in there, Gordin!" Merric thought that the mage near the wall would be good practice for Gordin. He also thought he'd be able to patch up any wounds with his newfound abilities with a staff. Instead, the ma--sorcerer showed very little signs of battle, while Merric had his hands full keeping Gordin from succumbing to his injuries. The enemy sighed. "What do you boys hope to accomplish? It's obvious I can defeat both of you with very little effort. Don't waste your lives." Merric saw Gordin wince as his knees hit the floor. Another voice joined the battle. It was Draug, and he was out of breath. "I'm *huff* sorry it took me so long to get here. *gasp* Are you all right, Gordin?" A whimper answered Draug's question. To Merric's surprise, the wounded bishop slowly stood up. "I--I fight so I can be s--strong enough to protect my friends. I c--can't give up now!" The sorcerer threw his hands up in the air. "You can't protect your friends if you're dead. I don't like pointless killing, but it looks like I don't have a choice." The sage bit his lip, and called forth his magic to keep his friend alive. The staff in his hands emitted a comforting warmth, which was taken away all too soon by the harsh heat from the enemy sorcerer. "No. . .not yet. . .I can't--ah!" Merric couldn't heal him fast enough! At this rate-- "That's enough, Gordin," Draug said evenly, as he picked the younger boy up and carried him off to the side. The sorcerer cocked his head. "You will not challenge me? I'm glad to see you've got some intelligence." "If my friend here is struggling, then I won't be able to hurt you. I have other ways of protecting my friends." "What would that be? You are but an initiate. You don't have what it takes to wield the sacred magics." "Not yet, but I can do this." Draug reached into his robes, and took out a potion, which he poured down the injured boy's throat. "So you resort to mundane methods to keep your friend alive? An interesting strategy, but it won't last long against me." "Hey you. . .I'm your opponent." Merric had cast aside his staff for a tome. . .a very comfortable tome. "You wish to throw away your life as well? I doubt you'll be able to stand up to me." "You're assuming YOU can stand up to ME!" The beginnings of a smile formed on the sorcerer's face. "We shall see about that. ELFIRE!" --- "Same plan as last time?" "Absolutely." Julian opened the door. The startled guard dropped the cup he was holding and fumbled for his tome. Abel's lance skewered both guard and weapon. The thief did one more quick glance before unlocking the treasure chest the guard had been watching. "Now THIS is a nice bow! Wonder if that girl will be able to use it. . ." --- "Hey kid, you're not half bad." "Same to you, mister." The sage's young face was marred by burn marks. The sorcerer bore the marks of a lightning strike. Both knew that their next attack would be their last. "Stop, stop you two. Please!" The bishop was being physically restrained by his larger friend. Tears traced a path down his face, though neither could tell if it was due to his emotions or his injuries. The sorcerer shook the hair out of his face. "You again? You're lucky that your friend's there, or you'd be dead." "Who are you? Why are you fighting us?" "My name is Etzel, but it's not important. Why I fight is none of your business!" "Etzel. . .join us. . .please. We could learn a lot from you!" Draug thought he saw conflict in the redhead's eyes. "No, I'm sorry, but I can't. I have to fight you, and I must win!" "But why? You don't seem like a bad person!" "I said that's none of your business, kid!" "That can't be true. . ." Draug mentally echoed that sentiment when he realized the sorcerer had gone back to his book, and that his attention was on Gordin! A flash of steel cut off the incantation. Marth had somehow gotten in the middle of things, and had run the sorcerer through. Draug had to hold down Gordin again, as the latter reached for a staff. "The ring. . .please. . .Ursula. . ." The prince's face bore no emotion as his latest victim closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. "Etzel. . .why did this have to happen?" Gordin's struggles had been replaced by sobs. "Gordin, I'm sorry, but I have a duty to protect all of you." "All I could do is stand by and watch this unfold. . .everyone, I swear I'll get stronger!" --- "Sire, I found this on the commander's body," Julian stated. He held a woman's ring. "Thank you, Julian." Marth took the ring outside of the throne room. His three magic users hadn't moved. He walked up to the man he'd killed earlier, and put the ring in his lifeless hands. "Rest in peace, Etzel. I hope you can forgive us." Chapter 18 "I think I'm getting the hang of this," Palla said to her teacher, as her arrow sank very close to the center of the target. Despite the march, she had somehow found time to practice, and each day made her more accurate. "I think I am, too," her teacher called, from above her. The dragon roared, though it was hard to tell if it was agreeing or disagreeing. "Hey, you two. We're headed for battle tomorrow, so don't stay out too late." Palla turned and smiled at their newcomer. He hefted his axe and smiled back. The two who wound up training each other looked like they could handle themselves on the battlefield. The kid on dragonback had started to train with an axe, and had occasionally asked the plainsman for tips. "Same to you," came the reply from the airborne unit. A short time later, the dragon gracefully landed, and its rider dismounted. The girl with the bow ran up to the newly-grounded soldier, and the two of them coaxed the dragon back to the army's camp. "I'm glad you've taken up the axe. . .but will I have it in me to try my hand at the sword again?" === "I don't get this! How are they resisting us?!" The bishop's Fire landed neatly on a enemy paladin, whose only response was to turn his horse and point his lance at the pesky magic user. "Stay focused, Gordin!" Draug yelled, as his own Fire hit an unlucky cavalier. The enemy paused to shake the pain off, then focused his attention on his newfound opponent. The enemy paladin was roughly thrown off his horse by a lance strike from the side. Abel shook the hair out of his eyes, waved at the two fellow Alteans, then rode off to do something about the cavalier Draug had hit a moment earlier. "Stay safe, you two. You're more of an asset than you realize." --- Her shots served only to weaken the enemies. Despite all her practice, her targets continued to move. One of her targets wheeled around to charge. His charge was brought to an abrupt halt by Julian's sword work. Another would-be attacker fell to an aerial axe strike. Someone in Sable Order armor readied a throwing weapon. Palla shot, but it wasn't enough to deter the thrower's aim. She saw the dragon bob furiously, before steadying itself. The soldier riding the dragon clutched his side. "You're no good to anyone if you bleed to death up there. Go see a healer." The only answer she got was the sound of the dragon's flight, which slowly faded in the distance. Movement in the skies caught her eye. The Sable Order brought reinforcements from Macedon? This must be their scout! Palla aimed carefully. If she didn't down the scout in one shot, the scout would fly off, no doubt warning the others about arrows. Palla let her arrow loose, then breathed a sigh of relief as her target went down. It was the first shot she took that killed her enemy. The girl allowed herself a mental pat on the back before aiming at her next opponent. --- "Look at what I found!" Abel exclaimed, as he reported back from battle. Princess Nyna looked up, then gasped. "My word, where did you find that?" she gasped. "It was on the body of a pegasus knight. Why do you ask?" "This is Mercurius, one of the regalia of House Archanea!" "Mercurius? How fortunate!" "Hmm? What's going on?" Palla asked, as she walked towards the commotion. "I got Mercurius off the body of some pegasus knight." "A pegasus knight?" "Yeah. Looks like your arrow took her down. Nice work! Hey, where are you going?" "Sire, with your leave, may I go after her?" Julian asked. He'd seen the whole conversation, and his gut told him that leaving Palla to her own devices would be a very bad idea. "Yes you may, Julian. Make sure she comes back safely." "Yes, sir!" --- Just over this strait, a little to the left. . .that's where the pegasus knight went down. The sun's dying rays colored the dead steed's hide a fierce shade of orange. The unfortunate rider's body was slumped on her mount. Palla only needed to see the back of the rider's head to confirm her suspicions. She sank to her knees, next to the remains of the pegasus knight. "No, not you, please. What have I done? Est?! EST!! WHY?!!!!" From the shadows, Julian bowed his head. He could remind her that the sun was going down, and that the downed rider needed a burial, but he didn't have it in him to tear the green-haired girl away from the sister she'd killed hours before. Instead, he watched the girl cry until she collapsed. He gave the rider a proper burial, then collected the archer and carried her back to where she belonged. "This war needs to end, the sooner, the better. For all of our sakes. . ." Chapter 19 Silence greeted the soldiers that had set foot in the Fane of Raman. It was not the tense silence that preceded battle, nor was it the empty silence of a place devoid of life. It was the silence of reverence, and the cacophony of metal and footsteps produced by the intruders desecrated it. The atmosphere shifted ever so slightly in response. The guardians were aware. === "Ugh, it's nothing but swordsmen!" Sedgar mumbled under his breath, as he put away his axe and unsheathed his blade. An uncaring guardian struck, aiming for the man's head. The would-be victim barely brought his blade up in time to parry. Since when was his sword so light? Another strike came. This time, it was aimed for his midsection. Like the previous strike, it was parried, but the parry wasn't quite as sloppy. The enemy hesitated. Sedgar used that time to eliminate him. Another enemy rushed. This one looked to be far more experienced than the previous one. "Just great. I'll need to relearn my sword technique in battle. The enemy's momentum is headed that way. . ." --- Fire and ice flew, but nothing would stop the older manakete in his quest to reach the throne. The others had noticed, and did their best to engage the enemies who got too close to him. That suited him fine. On top of that throne was his reason for joining Marth all the way back in that valley. "Tiki! It's me, Bantu!" "No. . .go away. . ." "Tiki, this isn't like you. Please, wake up!" The girl's eyes slowly focused on her guardian. Bantu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the confusion replaced by a bright smile! "Ban-Ban! You're back!" "Yes I am, Tiki." "Who are those humans?" the dragon girl asked, pointing at the boy with blue hair. Almost on cue, he finished his opponent, and walked over to the pair. "He's Marth, and he's the leader of these humans," Bantu explained. "Mar. . .Mar-Mar! Hi Mar-Mar!" Tiki called out, almost as if she hadn't heard the older manakete's explanation. "Umm. . .hi?" Marth replied, hesitation in his voice. Wasn't she an enemy? "Marth, this is Tiki, the divine dragon girl, and the reason why I joined your army. She wasn't quite herself at first, but it looks like she's back to her usual self." "Hey Ban-Ban. . .is that guy over there a part of Marth's group?" she asked, pointing towards a man with a bow. His bow was trained on-- "Tiki, look out!" He couldn't get to the enemy in time, but he could save her! A look of confusion crossed Tiki's face, as she found a Firestone in her hands. "Tiki. . .be safe. . ." The dragon girl's eyes widened in shock as her guardian collapsed, an arrow in his back. The stone in her hands pulsed gently. The one in front of her aimed his bow at his intended target. An arrow flew from another direction, but the girl with the stone didn't notice. The sniper looked back at his original target, just in time to see the tiny girl replaced by a very large, angry dragon. He didn't have time to scream before a gout of flame claimed his life. --- Missed again. Ever since that battle with the Sable Order, Palla had not been able to hit a single target. Someone above her called out a warning, but it turned out to be unnecessary. The archer could only watch numbly as the offending enemy was engulfed by flame. The voice above her called out again. "Are you okay? This isn't like you!" She saw concern in the dracoknight's eyes. He should be focusing on the battle, not her! "I'll. . .I'll be fine. . ." she said, unconvincingly. Cursing answered her. She looked up, startled. Did he-- No, his words weren't aimed at her. Instead, he was flying as fast as he could towards an enemy, throwing axe at ready. The enemy readied his bow. . .bow? Had that kid lost his mind?! The arrow flew true. Palla averted her eyes and cried out. Memories of Catria blurred her vision. This couldn't be happening! The dragon plummeted. Palla wanted to run over, but her legs wouldn't move. Tears stained the world. He might have been annoying, but he was. . .he was. . . "Hey, snap out of it!" Gordin's boyish voice cut in. Palla saw movement from the dragon. Underneath the beast, the archer lay, unmoving. The dragon's rider had been thrown from his mount. He slowly regained his hands and knees. "That was the dumbest thing I've seen anyone do! Were you trying to kill yourself?!" the normally calm bishop yelled. Tomas shot him a pained smile. "I knew that archer would miss. . .but I didn't anticipate landing on my opponent." The bishop shook his head as he began healing both dragon and rider. "I don't believe you. . .there. How's your arm?" "I think I can fight. Thank you." "Thank me by making sure she doesn't cry again," Gordin retorted, motioning towards Palla. Her cheeks were stained with tear tracks. Tomas turned around and rolled his eyes. "You. . .YOU IDIOT!" The dull pain in his arm flared up impressively. "OW! That's where I landed! Why'd you punch me?" "For nearly killing yourself! That was totally reckless!" "You're weird." Palla threw her hands up in the air and stormed off. Why had he gone against that archer? He knew that a single arrow was sufficient to end his career as a soldier (or worse), but he'd moved before he could think it through. She was horribly bossy, extremely moody. . . (. . .but she is my friend, and I'd rather die than let another one of my friends fall) --- The duties of a prince were hard, but Marth did not expect comforting a distressed child to be one of them. The girl's face was buried in his chest, and it was all his knights could to keep the enemy from overwhelming the duo. Draug's fireball raced towards an enemy mage, but it did not deter him from casting his spell. The dark mage collapsed, as the air around him froze, then returned to normal. Merric ran to his side, staff in hand. "These mages are stronger than anything we've faced. Be careful out there!" The comforting light the staff gave did nothing for the dragon girl's sobs. Marth sorely wished that staff had the power to put her to sleep, so he could help his troops. "Thanks, Merric," Draug gasped out, as he slowly stood up. Merric's eyes widened as the ground beneath Draug's feet began to glow. "By the gods, no!" he exclaimed, as he somehow shoved his heavier companion to the side. His scream was lost in the roaring blaze that the enemy had conjured. "Merric, not you too!" the prince exclaimed, horrified. There was no way anyone could survive that blast! Something shiny caught Marth's eye. It was Merric's staff, and it had landed right next to Draug. Without saying a word, Draug picked the staff up. He stared at the jewel embedded at the top of the staff. "Draug, do something!" Marth yelled. The flames had died down. Merric lay on his side. His breathing was nearly imperceptible. "I. . .I will try, sire," the initiate said. He had to get stronger, for everyone's sake. What had Gordin said? Concentrate on the staff, close your eyes, and. . . "Ah. . .you have my thanks, Draug," the figure on the ground gasped out. Draug looked at the staff in surprise. He had healed someone with it? That meant he was no longer an initiate! Horse hooves interrupted the once-initiate. Abel had taken care of the enemy mages. "Good work, Draug. I didn't know you were so handy with a staff!" "Thank you, Abel." What else could he say? "Ugh. . .glad to know you can use that, but we still need to protect Marth. . ." Merric gasped out. Draug inwardly winced as he saw the boy's face. He'd bear the marks on his face for the rest of his life. "Right. I believe this is yours." "Keep it. I'm in no shape to do anything right now. It will be up to you to keep everyone alive. I know you can do it." The boy gave the man the brightest smile his burned skin would let him before letting the darkness take him. "Rest well, Merric. I will watch over everyone." --- The Fane's guardians were no more. Marth sighed, as his men prepared camp. This was certainly a most unusual battle. The form in his lap shifted. He sighed. He couldn't leave her alone. Not like this. For the fifth time, she talked in her sleep. She always said the same thing. "Ban-Ban. . ." Chapter 20 The Fane was long behind the army. Marth had given orders to march to Grust. Everyone's physical wounds had healed, but. . . "Hey, what's up?" Julian asked Palla, as lightly as he could. He'd noticed that her aim had been off since their battle with the Sable Order, and that she'd become unusually silent after the events in the Fane. He hadn't told anyone what had happened after she had run off. "Nothing," came the mumbled reply. The thief sighed. He hated doing things the hard way! "Well, I picked up this really nice bow--" "I don't want it." "Hey, at least let me finish! You're the only one that can wield this bow." "Leave me alone." Julian thought back to another sulky teenager he'd seen some time back. Sedgar had mentioned that he'd reached Tomas by getting him angry. Julian hoped that Palla could be reached the same way. "Is this about the battle with the Sable Order?" "Go away!" Bingo. "Still hung up about the death of your sister?" "You. . .how. . ." "I followed you after you ran off. After you'd cried yourself to sleep, I buried her, then carried you back to base." Julian saw tears forming in the girl's eyes. He didn't like making girls cry! A tug on his shirt brought him back to reality. He silently cursed his inattentiveness, then looked down. "Why is Palla crying?" Tiki asked, concern in her innocent eyes. It was hard to believe that this child was powerful enough to defeat Medeus! Julian knelt so that he was eye level with her. "Palla had a sister, and now she's gone," he explained softly. A look of puzzlement crossed the dragon girl's face. Suddenly, she gave him a big grin. "Thanks, mister!" she called, as she ran towards Palla. "No, wait--" "Hey Palla, can I be your sister?" "What?" "Julian said your sister isn't here any more. I never had a sister, so can I be your sister? Huh? Why are you crying harder? Please don't cry!" The archer knelt down and hugged the confused manakete. "Tiki, I. . .thank you. . ." "Uh, no problem?" Palla rose and faced Julian. "I believe you said you had a bow for me?" "Oh, right. Here it is. It's a Longbow, which means you can use it on mages, and they won't be able to hit you." "Thanks, Julian. And. . .I'm sorry." "No problem! If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me. . .or anyone else." "I wanna see what that bow does!" "All right, all right! No need to pull me. . .sister." --- "Sedgar, I need to ask you a favor." "What is it?" The one being addressed sheathed his sword. The blade no longer felt awkward in his hands. "I'm looking for a particular axe," came the grim reply. The kid in front of him hadn't looked this serious since Sedgar had walked out to find him back in Archanea. "Which one, and why?" "We're marching into Grust, and. . ." One of Sedgar's eyebrows went up, as Tomas explained his plan. At best, it was foolish. At worst, it was suicidal. However, if that kid didn't get an answer he liked here, Sedgar feared he'd do something even more foolish. "Tomas, you'll need to promise me one thing before I answer that question." "Oh?" "You have to promise that you won't end up dead out there." "But--" "What you're proposing to do is crazy, on a really good day. You're more than likely going to end up dead if you go through with it. What will happen to that girl you've been training?" "What about her?" "Don't you remember how dazed she was when she first joined? Marth told me it was because her sister had died in front of her. That same dazed look is back on her face." "And?" Sedgar mentally took back anything he said about the kid in front of him having intelligence. "You're the closest person to her in this army. If you were to die, she'll probably snap, like you did when you saw your friends killed in front of you." To his credit, the kid looked guilty. "When I think of what would happen if someone else in this army died, I. . .I--" "We're in this together. You'll have to trust us not to die, just as we trust you not to do stupid things with your own life." "All right, no need to lecture me!" "So, did you want me to answer your question?" The kid bit his lip. He was thinking about the implications of his decision. Good. "Yeah. This is for those who gave their lives for me. . .and for Princess Nyna's good." "Very well. What you're looking for is called a poleaxe. . ." --- "Palla, what are you doing?" Palla turned in shock, as the healer of the army regarded her. "I got this bow a couple days back, but I'm having a hard time using it." "Here, try this." Gordin repositioned her hands. "Umm. . .wow, that's much easier! I didn't know you could use a bow!" "That's what I used to do before Marth put me in these robes," he replied, a smile on his face. "Would you mind if I asked you for help every now and then?" "Sure, but why not ask Tomas?" "He seems different. . .like there's something that's bugging him. I don't want to interfere." "I didn't know you cared for him! You're so sweet!" "It's--it's not like that! Hey, come back here!" The healer ran as fast as he could from the girl with the bow. It was hazardous to be around such a dangerous creature! "Tomas. . .*huff*. . .how do you handle her?! EEK!" === "I guess we should be thankful that Grust kept their best at the capital. These guys are tough!" Abel guided his horse to the right, and narrowly escaped a sword swipe from his opponent. His opponent disappeared. Where did he go? "That's another one!" Palla exclaimed. Abel smiled at the sniper. She waved and smiled back. He wasn't sure what had made her go from inaccurate to very accurate, but he didn't care. She was one more person helping the army! Another enemy charged. The Altean readied his lance. Let's see Grust's best get past his Ridersbane! --- "I hate fighting paladins," Gordin whined. Draug inwardly agreed, but didn't like it when his study partner whined. It made him seem younger than he really was. "I'll help!" a cheerful voice called from behind. Tiki ran in front of them. "Is it okay for her to be doing that?" Gordin whispered to Draug. "Marth has allowed her to fight, so I don't see why not. She looks like she--EEEP!" Gone was the bubbly girl the Alteans had grown accustomed to. A shining white dragon stood in her place. The unfortunate paladin was slain by her breath. Just as suddenly, the dragon vanished, and the girl turned around and waved at them. "Draug. . .remind me not to make her angry. . ." --- "That lance--" Sedgar looked at the soldier Marth pointed at. The lance he held was very different, indeed. Could it be. . . "Gradivus. . .that means we're facing Camus himself." The subject of the conversation turned in their direction. "That's him," Tomas said flatly. He wore an uncharacteristic scowl. "Are you Marth?" the enemy called out. Marth nodded. "Tell me, is Nyna safe?" The dracoknight's scowl deepened. Since when was that soldier on familiar terms with the princess? "Yes, she is," Marth called back. "Then I have no regrets. Prepare yourselves." Sedgar had just enough time to throw himself out of the way before the legendary lance streaked by the place he'd been a moment earlier. This guy was good! "What the--ack!" The prince was forced to pull the same desperate maneuver Sedgar had done earlier. "I can't get close enough," Tomas called from above. The oldest of the group sighed. He'd need to talk to the dracoknight about divulging battle strategy to the enemy in the middle of battle. "And you never will," the enemy said calmly, as he aimed his lance skyward. The aerial unit rattled off a string of curses that Sedgar had not expected him to know, while attempting to gain altitude. Gradivus missed the dragon by a hair's breadth. The man the three of them was facing was extremely fast, and very well aware of the battle. However, he couldn't focus on all of them at once! "Hey, babyface, your opponent is me," Sedgar yelled, as he threw his axe. The paladin dodged, as expected. Marth lunged forward, which caused Camus to back up. That meant-- "FOR ARCHANEA!" That kid would be in for another lecture after the battle. The greatest warrior Grust had in its arsenal sat perfectly still on his horse. The poleaxe Sedgar had given Tomas had laid the enemy knight's back open. Camus slumped forward, before falling limply to the ground. Marth picked the legendary lance off the ground. "Gradivus. . .you'll see battle again soon enough. . ." Up in the sky, the dracoknight remembered to breathe. He'd manage to keep his promise to Sedgar, and had avenged the friends who had given their lives for him. "The one who imprisoned us is gone. Boah, Dolph, Macellan, Midia. . .we're free. . ." Chapter 20x "It's hot in here!" Tiki complained loudly. Several others agreed with her, albeit silently. "Some Grustians are in here. Imagine how much they're sweating!" Merric shot back. Tiki giggled. "You're funny, Merry!" "Ah, what?" "Do you not like being called Merry?" "I--I wasn't expecting it. I'm sorry." "But you're always so merry! Merry, merry!" The dragon girl skipped off, humming to herself. "I wish you were right, Tiki. . .but I don't feel so merry. . ." --- Marth looked at the caves he'd led his army into, and sighed. The air was heavy with volcanic fumes, and lava gave the otherwise dark caverns an unnatural glow. He couldn't ignore the cowardly actions of Grust, so he'd led his army down here, to save the villagers. Sweat beaded on his brow. If he was this uncomfortable, how were his troops faring? "You look worried," a nearby voice stated. Despite his weapons, Sedgar had somehow walked up to Marth unnoticed. "This battle doesn't look like it will be easy," the prince stated, a little bit of nervousness in his voice. "I think this will be one of our easier battles," came the calm reply. Marth faced the other man in shock. What kind of attitude was that? "Grust is famed for its armored units. They will be affected by this heat more than our troops, who are wearing heavy robes, at worst. Our mages are quite adept with fire-elemental spells, which will be all the more intense in these caves. Tomas can fly over the lava to scout, while staying out of range of the enemy. The enemy does not have that luxury. I'd say we have a definite advantage in here." "I see. Thank you, Sedgar. I like hearing things from another point of view. It helps me to make better decisions." "No problem, sir." This time, Sedgar meant it. === True to Sedgar's words, the enemy was slowed horribly by the heat. Draug had mixed feelings about his newfound success with his fire spells. He was happy that he was a more effective soldier, but he kept having to fight the heavily armored units. They had no chance of dodging, and they fell, one by one, smoke pouring from cracks in their armor. Just like that reflection of his in Port Warren. . . . . .but he was gone, and the enemies in front of him were alive, and clamoring to kill him. When would this end? --- The heat was a bigger threat than the enemies in the cavern. Sedgar stopped to take another sip out of his canteen. Part of him kicked himself for not bringing an extra one. Motion out of the corner of his eye brought him out of his self-criticism. The dragon they'd picked up in the Fane slowly walked towards a large warrior. Her gait was unsteady, and her shoulders looked like they were shaking. (This girl does not belong on the battlefield. Marth, what were you thinking?!) The warrior hefted his axe. The dragon girl flinched, and transformed. Her attack hit the warrior, who countered with a cruel downwards stroke. The magic of the stone gave out, as the monstrous dragon was replaced by a girl, crying her eyes out. "Ah, why'd you hafta do that for? Oh, please stop cryin'! I don't like makin' girls cry!" "It hurts!" To the plainsman's disbelief, the warrior put his axe down and dropped to one knee. "I'm real sorry for hurtin' ya, miss, but I've got somethin' to protect." "My tummy. . ." "You mind telling me what you have to protect?" Sedgar asked evenly. The two looked up at him. "The villager's 're down there, an' I don't want them getting hurt!" "I'm not interested in the villagers." "Why should I believe you?" Sedgar ignored the enemy in front of him, and knelt next to Tiki. "Hey there, how are you doing?" "My tummy's sore!" "I'll get you to a healer, so your tummy won't hurt any more." "R--really?" "Yeah. Just gimme a bit. . .and up you go!" The warrior regarded Sedgar with bewilderment. "I don't want this girl to cry, either. I'll let the others know that you're here, so no one else will attack you." "You'd better keep your word!" "Do you care about those chests over there?" Sedgar asked, motioning to a pair of chests not far from the warrior. "Take 'em. I don't care." "You'll see someone come to retrieve the contents of the chests, but he'll leave you alone. That is how I'll prove I'm telling the truth." "Very well, but if you're lyin', I'll kill whoever tries to get past me!" "Fair enough. Tiki, let's go." "Thank you, Mr. Hero!" "Now I've got a nickname. . ." "Did you say something, Mr. Hero?" "Nothing, nothing." --- Julian carefully skirted around the warrior with the axe. He matched Sedgar's description, and the thief wasn't about to try his luck against such a fighter! In moments, he'd pried the chests open, and taken their contents. The warrior's gaze never left him. The thief curtly waved, then ran off towards safety. Once the redhead was out of sight, the warrior relaxed. "That man was tellin' the truth. The fightin' sounds like it's over. Time to return home. Everyone, let's go!" Chapter 21 "Home. . ." Palla hadn't been away from Macedon for that long, but it felt like a lifetime ago. Back then, she'd had Catria and Est, and. . . "Palla, are you okay?" Gordin had appeared next to her, and she didn't even notice! "I am. Thanks for asking," she said, voice shaking. "Well, if you insist. If you want to talk, I'll listen. I promise I won't laugh!" he replied, cheerily. "You're very kind, Gordin." Why was the world becoming blurry? "Oh, I made you cry! I'm so sorry! Ah, why can't I be good with people like Sedgar or Julian?" "It's not you! It's. . .you remind me of someone. . .Est. . ." "Isn't that one of your sisters?" "She is--was," Palla corrected herself. Est was gone, and it was her fault! "But I'm supposed to be the older brother!" "You, an older brother?" The thought of Gordin being an older anything lifted the sniper's gloom, if only for a moment. "Why yes I am! It is my sworn duty to tease my younger brother, and teach him to fear me!" The bishop's chest puffed out ever so slightly. Palla couldn't help but giggle. "Ah, I see a smile! You look so much better when you smile." "Ooh, you. . ." "No matter how much I tease my brother, and no matter how often he tattles on me, we're still family. We'll support each other through thick and thin. Even if your sisters aren't right next to you, I think they'd feel the same way. Be strong for them! Show them the true power of the older sister!" Gordin smiled inwardly when he saw the sniper laugh. "I. . .I will. Thank you." "Just. . .don't tell him I'm dressed up like this. He thinks I'm an archer, and I'd like him to continue thinking that." "I'll make sure to announce your new role as healer once I get to Altea." "HEY!" === "My, what a view," the army's dracoknight commented. The battlefield was nestled between two mountain ranges. Forests separated the mountains from the plains. Fluffy white clounds floated across the sky, marred by several black dots. Macedon's famed dracoknights had taken the field. Some wielded throwing weapons. Others were armed with very keen lances. One in particular caught his eye. That one was armed with-- "Hey, little girl! Dragonpike coming your way," Tomas shouted down to his comrades. "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" Palla yelled back, infuriated. "I was talking to your shadow, not you," he retorted. "You two fight like lovers!" Tiki stated, giggling. "We do not!" the sniper insisted. She was grateful that her back was to Tiki, or the dragon girl would see her face go red. "Why would I be interested in such a scary girl?" came the reply from above. "You say that like you WANT me to pound you after this battle's over!" "Why not aim your scary temper at that enemy with the Dragonpike? I'm sure Tiki would be really happy." "Yeah, yeah, I wanna see you shoot!" "All right, all right. . .here's how it's done!" Palla's shot arced impressively. The unfortunate dracoknight plummeted from the sky. "Wow, it went down in one shot! You're good, sister!" "Tee-hee! Thank you, Tiki!" "I think I'm gonna be sick. WATCH WHERE YOU TRANSFORM! That almost hit me!" "Then stop being mean to sister, Tomas!" "Of all the people in the army, I'm the one that escapes getting a nickname. Take that, Sedgar," the dracoknight mumbled under his breath. "Sister, you're right. He's weird." "Indeed, Tiki. Let's help Marth some more!" "YAAAY!" Tomas watched the two run off towards the next set of enemies. He rolled his eyes. "Those two. . .are trouble. Why couldn't Marth recruit normal girls?" --- Julian could handle one or two flying enemies. Trying to keep alive against several of them was another story. His face and arms were nicked in several places. One of those nicks insisted on dripping into his eyes. He hoped he could do something about them, before the nicks he'd suffered turned into something far more serious. The next enemy leveled his lance. . .a Ridersbane?! Despite not being mounted, that lance could hurt the thief badly. The enemy's flight wasn't quite steady. Julian wasn't sure which way the attack would come from. Left? Right? Above? He'd have to guess, and hope he was correct. It looked like the dracoknight was aiming left, so dodge right--what was that sound? The Ridersbane that had been meant for Julian's head had been stopped by someone on a horse. The lance passed at a horrifying angle through Abel. Julian swallowed hard. That's not the kind of wound one walked away from! "You're. . .okay. . ." the wounded paladin gasped out. "You. . .IDIOT! Do you want to die?!" A ball of fire enveloped the dracoknight, who had been preparing for another attack. "I'm sorry, but I'll need to agree with Julian's assessment of the situation. Please, hold still." "Argh. . .thanks, Draug. I think you got the worst of it," the patient gasped out. "Julian, your turn." The staff's light closed several cuts on the thief, including the one that had been dripping blood in his eyes. "Thanks." "No problem. I don't want to do this again to either of you. Stay safe," Draug replied evenly, before going off in search of others that needed healing. "Abel. . .after this battle. . .I think we need to talk." The paladin winced. "Ugh, fine. That means you need to be more careful." "Same to you." The two men parted ways, each to his own battle. Though they were on opposite sides of the battlefield, they shared the same thought. "You. . .are not allowed to die in this battle." [spoiler=Serious Log (14-21)]Chapter 14 ITC: Palla gets in the way, and this messes up my story. Apparantly, Julian can open bridges from the side. Merric fried the ballista dude, then my generics baited all the armors. Managed to rush Tomas south to trap the thieves, and gain a bunch of experience. Marth ran to the boss' room, realized he wasn't necessary (thanks to a Hammer), ran back to get Thoron, ran to the treasure room to bait the Sniper, then ran to seize the throne. Even with Celerity Boots, this took a while. I managed to kill off Catria (so Abel could promote, and this will NOT be reflected in the story), so Palla was the only one recruited. Cleared out the archer area with Tomas, Abel, Draug. . .and Palla. She may take extra damage from arrows, but the archers can't do squat if they're cornered. Chapter 15 A Bishop-turned-Dracoknight with 10 RES is just wrong. The starting mages died quickly, while Gharnef started marching towards my group. I had a OMG moment when Tomas missed a Javelin chuck, so one of my generics got a kill (otherwise, my Skittle would've had to dodge a very accurate Thunder or an even more accurate Imhulu. Twice.) Marth wound up having to shield some of my members, because in this run, he thinks he's Julian (don't tell him otherwise, 'kay?) Palla flew around the map, got the boss kill (with some help from Merric), and I learned the hard way that the reinforcements don't stop spawning after the Swarm dude goes down. This nearly cost me Merric. Chapter 16 This stops here, because I'm depressing myself. Reclassed Palla to Archer, so she'll gain some Speed. Made the first of three planned forges (+5 Iron Bow, named Faith). Luckily, Palla got the hint and gained Speed twice. The Dracoknights were kind enough to target my generic horse guys, so a little Draug chip was enough to put them in Faith range. Julian opened the cell door, took on both heroes, and lived to tell about it. Merric eventually got fed up and blasted the Levin Sword guy to Kingdom Come. Xane died to Gordin. The Ridersbane guys died to my own Ridersbane, courtesy of Abel. Julian and Marth snuck in kills where they could. Tomas killed the thief, then used himself as bait to lure those pesky northern reinforcements to the southern island. I misjudged, and my poor Skittle nearly ate it (he had just enough Speed to avoid being doubled by the dude with the Silver Bow). The boss died to massive mage chip and Marth. Chapter 17 The Green Skittle is back in prime form! (by that, I mean he's now a Dracoknight) First rushed to the treasure room, beat up the Thieves for experience, then got really lucky with Excalibur, so Bantu can attempt to beat stuff up. Once I looted the treasure room, I beat up my Fortify Staff and VIP Card with Abel and Sedgar. The Sniper went after Abel, which didn't matter too much. I parked Merric in the sweet spot so he could kill the morons with Javelins, and had Tomas blockade a chokepoint near the door so he could smack things with his new axe. Merric promoted in the middle of the mayhem, so I moved him and parked Gordin there instead, for weapon rank gain (and so Merric could spam Heal). The boss died to Julian on Wyrmslayer, which has got to be embarrassing. Chapter 17x We interrupt this program to recognize an epic generic. By epic, I mean this dude: Name Class Level HP Str Mag Skl Spd Luk Def Res Wladis Hero 4.00 36 16 1 13 15 0 7 3 Bases 14 10 0 3 3 0 0 0 He started life out as a level 4 Warrior, then I reclassed him to Hero for giggles, and he'd probably beat half this army in an arm-wrestling match. Unfortunately, he ate a critical, so he's no longer around. Other oddities of note: - Tomas gained Resistance. Again. I wish he'd apply that kind of random luck to his Strength, Skill, and Speed. - Ban-ban gained HP, Strength, Magic, and Skill in one level. Who are you, and what have you done with Bantu? - Gordin, my level 9 Bishop, gained STRENGTH. Go go dynamic growths! - Palla's Defense is putting Sedgar to shame (13 Defense as a level 18 Archer, compared to 18 Defense as a level 15 Hero) - Speaking of, Sedgar currently has 10 Luck to his name, and that is awesome beyond belief. If he were real, I'd give him a hug! This is the one chapter where efficiency can go to hell. My troops were in desperate need of weapon levels, so I did my best to give it to them. Here's how it ended: - Palla needed to go from D to C in bows. She didn't quite make it, but it looks like she'll be able to hit it on the next chapter. - Merric needed to go from E to D in staves. Done. - Gordin needed to go from E to C in tomes. Done, thanks to Etzel's decent Resistance (my Lemming was doing all of 2 damage to him). - Tomas needed to get as much axe rank to his name as possible, which he did. It's not enough for a Poleaxe, but I think he'll do fine without it. - That Arms Scroll I picked up way back when will probably go to Sedgar, since getting him to A in axes is taking forever (he's currently at low B, and A doesn't look like it will appear any year soon). I also learned that it's possible to beat this map without triggering the Sniper and cranky old fart down south. . .but I did say I'd kill everyone, so I beat them up. Back to our regularly scheduled story. Chapter 18 I couldn't rush as fast as I wanted to because I didn't have enough troops to do this at maximum efficiency (and several of them can't take hits). Instead, I let my generics bait and take the brunt of the attacks, while the regular army tore through the Sable Order. Palla got enough random sniping in to hit C in bows (hello Longbow!), and Tomas can use Poleaxes, if I so desire. The boss died on turn 8 to Abel's Ridersbane, with Tomas on standby (I had a 65% chance to land each hit). I seized on turn 9, but I couldn't go shopping for the stuff I wanted. As for Est's fate. . .read on, if you dare. Chapter 19 I decided that it would be faster to retrieve the Starsphere from the dead thief. Marth did a fair amount of front-line fighting, and was lucky enough to avoid a Game Over from the jerk with the Killing Edge. My generics were used to bait the mages. Cleared the main part on Turn 9, then had the Sniper off Ban-ban (which kinda irritated me, because he was starting to turn out good). I managed to promote Palla and Draug, which means the rest of the Master Seals are gravy. I still have a M, L, and XL bullion in inventory, but if my next two forges go according to plan, that's not going to be enough. Chapter 20 Sold off a ton of extras, as well as all Bullions for forge no. 2: Railgun (+10 MT +35 HIT Longbow). I'll need this for Endgame. I've still got ~15000 worth of funds, which isn't enough. However, arena abuse is out of the question. This chapter's title is now Palla's Critical Party. Palla hit a critical on a General near the Arrowspate. One of the Silver Sword Paladins ate a critical. She hit another critical on the Arrowspate. The general near Lorenz went down to a critical. So did Pachyderm. Thank goodness she didn't critical Camus, or I would've reset. Tiki gained some levels from the Paladins near the bridge and a couple of armors. Abel went ballista hunting, and the thief died to Gordin, of all people. The Pachyderm couldn't hit Draug to save its life (29% displayed hit after everything was factored in). All I could buy was a lone Hand Axe. I think I have enough gear for the rest of the game. Oh, and Camus went down to the tag team of Sedgar + Lightsphere and Marth. I had originally wanted Tomas to kill him, but he had all of 66% displayed hit with the Poleaxe, and Sedgar had gotten a perfect level. Y'know what. . .screw it, I'll ignore that little detail and write my story the way I intended it to work out. Chapter 20x I guess this counts as efficient, if efficiency is defined by a unit with garbage for move killing 95% of the enemies on this chapter. Tiki went from level 5 to 13. I'll need her to hit about 20, or I'm gonna have to waste a lot of stat boosters on her. Ymir killed himself (really), which was not supposed to happen. I'll pretend that he didn't. Chapter 21 Oh no, oh no, OH NO! The Green Skittle nearly died to a group of angry Dracoknights. My generics bought enough time for him to get to safety, but that was scary! He's also got 7 RES. . . Tiki's crazy experience gain has nearly ground to a halt. Fortunately, she's got enough stats in the vital areas where I won't have to do a massive stat booster dump on her. Everyone else mopped up after Tiki. Due to the reinforcements, I couldn't finish until turn 13. Edited October 2, 2010 by eclipse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darros Posted September 22, 2010 Share Posted September 22, 2010 Yay Palla! Fave FEDS female there. Whatcha reclassing her too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrhesia Posted September 22, 2010 Share Posted September 22, 2010 YOU stop overshadowing MY story! :P *Massive spotlight stealing* OH, IT'S ON NOW, BITCH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted September 23, 2010 Author Share Posted September 23, 2010 Yay Palla! Fave FEDS female there. Whatcha reclassing her too? Er. . .now might be a good time to stop reading. . .like the rest of the Lemmings, she's not going to have an easy time. . . OH, IT'S ON NOW, BITCH Awesome! Now I can tell shadowofchaos where you ran off to! Another short one, because I went and depressed someone IRL with my story. Chapter 15 "Father, I. . .I wasn't the one to avenge you. While my men were fighting, I stayed behind to protect a crying girl. I hope you'll forgive me. . ." The wind's gentle caress was Marth's only answer. He was supposed to be in battle, leading his troops! Instead, he'd stayed by Palla's side, cutting down any enemies that got close to her or the crushed body of her sister. Afterwards, he helped put her sister to rest in the soft earth. Now, his first female soldier was in her tent, most likely asleep. The prince wished he could sleep. Guilt kept him from the sweet oblivion that his troops no doubt shared in. "What are you doing out here, Your Highness?" Who could be out here at this time? Marth turned, and saw his loyal knight-turned-mage looking back at him. "I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to enjoy the night wind," he replied weakly. "You were thinking about today's battle," the stockier man commented. Marth pursed his lips. How was he supposed to rule a country if his subjects could pick his thoughts so easily? "I'm sorry, but it's. . ." "You are upset that you couldn't avenge your father?" "It's not only that. All of you are fighting so hard for my cause, but in the end, all I can do is watch as your friends and family are killed." "We fight for you because we believe in you." "I'm having problems believing in me!" "I follow you because you care about us. You were willing to give up your personal revenge to watch over one of your soldiers. This speaks of a selfless leader, and one I will gladly lay my life down for." "May it never come to that, Draug." "You have a good heart, sire. May that never change." Draug bowed before leaving. Marth looked up at the night sky once more. "Father, if you were here, you'd tell me. . .tell me to follow my heart. My heart tells me that staying by that girl was the right thing to do. I hope you're proud of me." He turned back to camp. It was time to go to sleep. High up in the night sky, a single brilliant shooting star traced a path through the darkness. --- The lush woodlands petered to drier plains, which in turn gave way to the desert that housed Khadain, the magic academy. The cheery mage that everyone had become accustomed to had slowly transformed into a quieter, more intense version of himself. Several people thought they knew why Merric had changed. Only one person was right. "Looking for answers?" Sedgar mused grimly. Merric nodded. The battle to reach Khadein was about to start. "If you find those answers, I'd like to hear about them." "Same to you." Nothing more had to be said. Both had lost much on that day in Aurelis, and neither would be satisfied until someone explained why Khadein had gotten caught up in this mess. A Bishop-turned-Dracoknight with 10 RES is just wrong. The starting mages died quickly, while Gharnef started marching towards my group. I had a OMG moment when Tomas missed a Javelin chuck, so one of my generics got a kill (otherwise, my Skittle would've had to dodge a very accurate Thunder or an even more accurate Imhulu. Twice.) Marth wound up having to shield some of my members, because in this run, he thinks he's Julian (don't tell him otherwise, 'kay?) Palla flew around the map, got the boss kill (with some help from Merric), and I learned the hard way that the reinforcements don't stop spawning after the Swarm dude goes down. This nearly cost me Merric. He'd seen this person in the halls of Khadein. That one had lived in the dorms opposite of his. And the smoldering body in front of him once belonged to someone who had asked to borrow some paper during a test. All of them had attacked without hesitation, and with everything they had. All of them had died by his hands. Never in his darkest dreams did he think he'd come back to school, and kill his old classmates. The desert air became noticeably colder. Another enemy was about to cast Blizzard. Merric began his own magic, his voice completely devoid of emotion. The Blizzard was preempted by a single Fire, and the enemy was caught in the ensuing blaze. "You sat three seats away from me," the victor stated dispassionately. --- The sand was no good for horses or humans. Abel spat out a mouthful of sand he'd gotten after he'd sneezed. Whose crazy idea was it to build a school in the middle of this inhospitable place? His student wasn't faring much better. The horses had problems finding solid footing, so their progress was excruciatingly slow. Up above them, the girl on the pegasus flew around easily. The boy looked up at her, a small smile on his face. "No daydreaming on the battlefield. Especially about girls," Abel said to his student, a smile on his face. The boy's sunburned face somehow became a deeper shade of red. "I wasn't looking at her like that! I was thinking of how nice it would be to fly over this horrid sand!" He was probably telling the truth, but Abel couldn't pass up this opportunity to poke some fun at the quiet boy. "She seems to be about your age. Why don't you introduce yourself to her? I'm sure she'd like a nice strong--hey, come back, I was joking!" --- Palla's perch was high enough such that the worst of the sand would not bother her, but she was low enough such that she could catch part of the conversation between the two cavaliers on the ground. The younger one had attempted to run off after the older one pushed him a little too much, but neither of them went far. That's the kind of thing Catria would do to Est, much to the former's amusement. . . The pegasus knight wasn't sure if the tears on her face were because of the sand in her eyes, or her memories. --- The bright midday sun did nothing to disperse the shadows around the figure on the road. Sedgar got the distinct impression that this one was dangerous. If he was dangerous, then that meant he probably knew something. The figure looked up. The shadows made his skin and hair look pitch-black. "Hmph, so I get to face part of Marth's pathetic army. You're not worth the time it would take for me to obliterate you, even if you are trespassing on MY property." The shadows shifted. . .and he was gone. "Are you all right?" The prince ran, whiter than the sunlight that reflected off the desert sand. "I'm fine. What's wrong?" "That man. . .those shadows. . .that was Gharnef." "WHAT?! He's the one running things around here?" Sedgar felt the blood drain from his face. "Yes. I'm glad you weren't hurt." "You've told me plenty. Thanks!" Marth watched him run towards the academy, and scratched his head. What had gotten into that soldier? --- "Whew. . .shade!" The shorter of the two leaned against a tree. His face was going to itch tomorrow! "There's a small oasis nearby. I'm going to get a drink." The one under the tree handed his canteen to his friend, who filled it without saying a word. "Things were a lot easier when all I had to do was patch people up. How can you control that kind of magic?" Gordin inquired, over sips of water. "How can you control the healing magics? I'm not able to do that," Draug countered. He took the empty canteen handed to him by his friend, and refilled it. "If I could explain it to you, I would," the younger spellcaster replied. "I hope Merric is okay. . .this is where he trained." "I hope so too. We'd be completely lost without his help!" --- Bodies littered the sands near Khadein. Tonight, the vultures would dine well. "Any news on this mess?" Merric asked Sedgar. There was no emotion in his voice. "It seems some guy named Gharnef is responsible for turning Khadein into. . .this." Sedgar didn't like the look in Merric's eyes. It was the look of someone who had lost a part of his innocence. "Gharnef. . .I. . ." "You'll have to be the one to do this. I don't think my weapons will scratch him." The mage's eyes flashed. "Yes, I will. . .for everyone. . ." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT075 Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 And the epic continues. You have a talent for this. I'd read it if you did this for other games. Merric's part was just sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 You should do an all ginger run for the silly log. It would then be this team: Cain Norne Julian (legit this time) Lena Matthis Vyland Radd Roger (pink hair so it's debatable) Maria Minerva Xane Etzel Est (also debatable) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrhesia Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 What about an all-natural run (with some of the more realistic reds, I guess)? Sure, it'd be a Marth/Jeigan solo for a while, and there probably wouldn't be all that many units... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted September 24, 2010 Author Share Posted September 24, 2010 And the epic continues. You have a talent for this. I'd read it if you did this for other games. Merric's part was just sad. Thank you! Dunno if I could pull this off for too many other games (maybe FE 7, but I lost the cartridge) You should do an all ginger run for the silly log. It would then be this team:Cain Norne Julian (legit this time) Lena Matthis Vyland Radd Roger (pink hair so it's debatable) Maria Minerva Xane Etzel Est (also debatable) Roger's hair is purple! Reclass him to Hunter to see what I mean. Since I do not like pink in my red, Norne and Est can take a hike. If I do a silly log for them, it will be well after this one's over (with Xane and Cain in the mix, it's gonna be random). I promised to make the Lemmings silly after my serious run, and I will darn well do that! (because Tomas is too easy to make fun of) What about an all-natural run (with some of the more realistic reds, I guess)? Sure, it'd be a Marth/Jeigan solo for a while, and there probably wouldn't be all that many units... More units than you think. Here's the lineup: Marth Jagen Wrys (from his eyebrows, he looks like a blond dude) Darros (from his eyebrows, I'm guessing he's Ogma-colored) Ogma Bord Cord Julian (only because he's really useful) Navarre Hardin Wendell Athena Bantu (really big maybe) You. . .erm, I mean Caesar Jeorge Linde Macellan Dolph Boah Astram Arran Lorenz Gotoh Ymir counts, but I've got way too many people to recruit him. Maybe a yellow/pink ditzy run? That would cut the roster to Norne, Wrys, Ogma, Darros, Caesar, Jeorge, Dolph, Astram, Arran, and Est, and that would be quite challenging! Ah, well, it'll have to wait until I finish my one and a half runs! Chapter 16 "I. . .I can't do this anymore," Palla whimpered to her pegasus. Her loyal steed nudged her with its head, as if to comfort her. It whinnied, as the sound of hooves got disturbingly close. "Stop, STOP you crazy thing!" the startled rider cried out, as the horse slowed from a full run just shy of Palla. The girl sighed. It was that crazy boy who wanted to fly. He'd hounded her incessantly about dragons, Macedon, and keeping one's balance in the air. She knew he had a thirst for knowledge, but he was a little too enthusiastic about it. "Have you lost your mind?" she said, her irritation leaking into her voice. He looked down and blushed. "I--I was told I had to learn to run before I fly, so I wanted to see how fast I could go before I got scared." "You'll end up breaking your neck if you take it too fast! How do you expect to control a mount IN THE AIR if you can't use your better judgment?" A whimper answered her. She winced inwardly. She was going into Big Sister mode, and her sisters weren't very happy when she did that. She sighed, and gave him a pained look. "Fine, if you want to fly that badly, go find a dragon to ride." He looked up at her, a small smile on his face. That gave her an idea. . . "Oh, and you'll need to do one other thing for me, dearie. . ." The smile disappeared when he saw her wink and giggle. She hoped he wouldn't regret what she was about to ask of him. . .but she was sure he wouldn't. What guy would? --- The journey was long, and the battles were difficult, but Marth had finally led his army home. If his memory served him right, there would be a village just past the forest they were in. They were known for their savory vegetables, and the villagers were always happy to share their wares. Perhaps the army could-- "No. . ." Gordin mumbled, hands over his mouth. He was the first to break out of the forest. His abrupt halt sent murmurs through the rest of the army. Marth moved next to Gordin, to see why he'd stopped. The village, which was normally a bustling, busy place, was motionless. The fields, which were supposed to be bursting forth with green vegetables, held nothing but sickly gray ashes. Houses which once stood tall now slumped over, their pride no doubt taken by fire some years back. Farm equipment rotted next to the bones of what was probably livestock. A crow cawed its welcome to the strangers near the forest. Marth swallowed hard and marched forward. --- "If there was anything useful, it's gone now," Julian muttered. He had volunteered to scavenge for supplies. Marth had let him, but knew deep down that the thief was going on a fool's errand. "I saw something else, too. . .but I don't know if. . ." Julian's eyes slid down to his feet. "What did you see?" "I. . .I think it would be better if you saw it. . ." The thief's eyes never left the floor. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. If Marth needed to see it, he would, no matter how bad it was. He nodded, and Julian led him towards the center of town-- --which was blocked by the rest of his army. One of its members smiled sheepishly. "I couldn't help but overhear what was going on, sire, so I told everyone else. I don't know what Julian wanted to show you, but it sounds like you could use our help." Marth shook his head, then sighed. It was hard to be angry with Gordin. He wasn't supposed to be eavesdropping, but he meant well. "I hope you guys don't regret this," Julian mumbled. --- Julian's path ended at a grain silo. Like the rest of the buildings, it wore the scars of fire damage. Unlike the others, it had somehow maintained some semblance of a room. The thief motioned for everyone to step back, then opened the door. The prince stepped into the silo, with the others not far behind him. Fine grayish particles swirled in the air, before settling on whatever surface was handy. A mound had been formed in the center of the room. It was mostly black and gray, but something white shone through. Marth wasn't quite sure what mound in the room was, so he stopped to look closer--then wish his curiosity hadn't gotten the better of him. The white thing Marth had seen was a shoulder bone. The silhouette of a skull was visible underneath the black and gray ashes that covered everything. Several gasps behind him told him his assessment of the mound's contents was correct. The silo was the final resting place of a good number of people, and this mound was all that remained of them. A cry from Merric drew Marth's attention. Some remains were scattered around the floor of the silo, and Merric had nearly stepped on someone's leg. Marth heard sobs from a far corner. Gordin knelt next to a small set of remains. The bones held one of the few objects that had been caressed by the fire, but had not been destroyed by it. It was a child's doll. This stops here, because I'm depressing myself. Reclassed Palla to Archer, so she'll gain some Speed. Made the first of three planned forges (+5 Iron Bow, named Faith). Luckily, Palla got the hint and gained Speed twice. The Dracoknights were kind enough to target my generic horse guys, so a little Draug chip was enough to put them in Faith range. Julian opened the cell door, took on both heroes, and lived to tell about it. Merric eventually got fed up and blasted the Levin Sword guy to Kingdom Come. Xane died to Gordin. The Ridersbane guys died to my own Ridersbane, courtesy of Abel. Julian and Marth snuck in kills where they could. Tomas killed the thief, then used himself as bait to lure those pesky northern reinforcements to the southern island. I misjudged, and my poor Skittle nearly ate it (he had just enough Speed to avoid being doubled by the dude with the Silver Bow). The boss died to massive mage chip and Marth. The enemy knew that they were coming. They knew that the rebel army was a force to be reckoned with. They did not realize just how much the razing of Altea would affect the army. The scouts were the first to feel their fury. They were informed in advance about Marth's cavalry, so they armed themselves with weapons designed to take out horses. They were not informed of the archer that lurked among the cavalry. One by one, they fell. "I still don't know why you insisted on wielding a bow," Tomas told his new student. She gave him the brightest smile she could muster. "I have my reasons, my sweet," she replied, sugar dripping from her voice. He was far too easy to tease! "Can you stop that? I've been getting far too many claps on the back for my comfort," the cavalier whined. A loud bout of laughter interrupted the two. "That's why the two of you have been running off at odd hours? You're good, miss!" Tomas scowled at the other cavalier. It was Palla's turn to blush. "No, I didn't mean it like that--" "Weren't you the one that said not to be distracted on the battlefield?" the younger cavalier said flatly. "Ah, right, we have some cleaning up to do. Can't wait to see the look on Sedgar's face when he finds out the truth!" Abel spurred his horse towards the castle, still chuckling. "Now look at what you've done," Tomas said dejectedly. "Oooh, fine, I'm sorry." "Whatever. Keep your hands steady, and your mind calm." The next enemy that went down did so due to Palla's skill, not dumb luck. --- The battle was long over. Marth's troops would attack the castle itself on the morrow. For now, they had taken over a nearby fort. "So you told him you'd teach him how to control an aerial mount if he could find one AND teach you how to shoot a bow?" Palla nodded. Sedgar sighed. "I hope you were being serious about both," he said. The girl looked at him quizzically. "You might want to check out the new addition in back." A roar reverberated through the fort. "I think I'll take your word for it," she called back to him, before running off. "Miss, you really need to think about the consequences of your words before opening your mouth." --- "It seems like your student is still a boy," Julian commented to Abel. Both of them were still keyed up from the battle earlier that day, and the bright moon in the sky didn't help. "I'm a tad disappointed," the cavalier replied back. "When I asked him why, he said she was too bossy to be attractive." "Sounds like he's smarter than he lets on," a third voice chimed in. Sedgar strolled up to the other two, an easy smile on his face. "What makes you say that?" the thief asked. "He knows what he wants in a woman, and he's not willing to take what he doesn't like, no matter how pretty it is," came the reply. "That's one way of looking at it," the cavalier mused. "Something tells me if he found a girl he really likes, he'd have no clue how to handle her." "Do you speak from experience?" "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I'm off to bed." Julian and Abel could only exchange puzzled looks as Sedgar ambled off towards the fort. How could the plainsman be so certain about that Archanean? Once around a corner, he stopped, then turned towards a shadow. "I'm glad you're interested in hearing about other's opinions of you, but it's really rude to eavesdrop." A figure emerged from the corner, red with embarrassment. "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk, and I heard you guys. . ." "Sulking in the shadows is something you're bad at." He got a frown in reply. "You're taking everyone and everything far too seriously. We tease you because your reactions are amusing, not because we want to hurt you." "But--" "Hmmmm?" "Do you. . .really think I'd be clueless around a girl I liked?" "Let's see. . .I'd imagine she'd look good, but not drop-dead gorgeous. She'd be genuine, kind, and laugh a lot. She'd be as shy as you when it came time to acknowledge her feelings, but once she did, the two of you would never leave each other. Given that awkwardness, you'd have a hard time trying to make any sort of move. I'd go on, but your face is telling me that I'm on the right track." "How--" "You've had more time than most to think about these things." "That tendency of yours to be right. . .it's really irritating." "Don't ever forget that." The boy sighed, as the man walked off. "Am I really that easy to read?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted September 25, 2010 Author Share Posted September 25, 2010 (edited) Note to self: Don't make things too depressing, or weirdness like the last chapter happens. My apologies. Since Etzel is in my Almost Favorite tier, he'll be more than a random speed bump on this map (sorry Horace!). Chapter 17 "I'm home." It was a statement, not a greeting. Marth looked back at the familiar halls of the place he'd spent most of his life. Instead of the usual bustle of servants, the sounds of impending battle sang through the halls. Behind him, he heard the uneasy shifting of his guests. They had come a long way from Talys, Aurelis, and Archanea. It would be rude if he didn't show them around his home. "Allow me to guide you through my castle, dear friends. I hope you enjoy your stay." The Green Skittle is back in prime form! (by that, I mean he's now a Dracoknight) First rushed to the treasure room, beat up the Thieves for experience, then got really lucky with Excalibur, so Bantu can attempt to beat stuff up. Once I looted the treasure room, I beat up my Fortify Staff and VIP Card with Abel and Sedgar. The Sniper went after Abel, which didn't matter too much. I parked Merric in the sweet spot so he could kill the morons with Javelins, and had Tomas blockade a chokepoint near the door so he could smack things with his new axe. Merric promoted in the middle of the mayhem, so I moved him and parked Gordin there instead, for weapon rank gain (and so Merric could spam Heal). The boss died to Julian on Wyrmslayer, which has got to be embarrassing. "This hall leads to the armory, where the weapons are kept for the soldiers. Some of the weapons are under lock and key, for emergency use only." Marth stated, as he ran through an unlucky mage with his sword. Gordin opened his mouth to say something, but Draug shook his head. Marth's behavior was disturbing, but it seemed to be his way of coping with the guilt and anger he had held for all those years. Once the fight was won, the prince should hopefully return to normal. Hopefully. --- "We know all about you, traitor," the robed figure hissed, beady eyes on Bantu. "I have my duty, and I don't care if it goes against Medeus," the other manakete replied. "Silence, worm! How dare you be so casual with Emperor Medeus!" The enraged manakete's form began to shift from human to something far more dangerous. Its eyes glowed with rage, as it prepared to burn the traitor with its rage. "EXCALIBUR!" The dragon's head snapped back, straight into the ceiling. It shrank as it fell. Something else fell straight into Bantu's hands. "I don't believe this. . .what luck!" "Erm, Bantu, what are you doing?" The child who had cast Excalibur looked torn between curiosity and the urge to run. "This stone. . .this is a Firestone, and it's intact! I'll show you the fury of a Fire Dragon!" "L, look, if I ever got you mad, I'm sorry!" This caused the old dragon to laugh. "Now, now, child, I won't unleash that fury on you. This Stone shall be used against the fools who serve that wretch Medeus. Come!" Merric wasn't certain if it would be a better idea to follow him, or to run as fast as he could out of the castle. --- "You're too close to the ceiling!" Palla called up to the boy who had insisted on trying out the dragon he'd manage to snag yesterday. "I'm trying," came the terse reply, as the dragon descended. Palla breathed a sigh of relief. As much as he got on her nerves, she'd feel a little guilty if he wound up getting seriously hurt. "It looks like there's a mage down the hall. Think you can get to him?" The girl ran forward. She wasn't sure what he was talking about, but--there! The mage was in the middle of an incantation. Palla took a deep breath, aimed, and cursed when she missed. The mage looked up, still chanting. The temperature began to drop at an alarming rate. Tomas surged forward, but it was obvious he wasn't going to reach the enemy in time! A gout of fire engulfed the unfortunate mage. The dracoknight cried out in shock, as a large, scaled dragon blinked at him. The dragon vanished, and in its place stood-- "Bantu! What did you just do?" "That, children, is what a manakete can do." The old man walked off, snickering to himself. The archer and dracoknight could only exchange looks, before following the old man down the hall. --- The first to reach the throne room was not the prince. No loyal knights in shining armor burst through the door. Instead, the one to face the figure on the throne was a lowly, unknown thief. "Who are you, and what do you want?" "Who I am is not important, and what I want is to see you dead." "YOU, kill me?! That is a most amusing joke! What can the likes of you hope to do to someone like me? Scream, like that worthless queen I replaced?" "You. . .will. . .pay!" The figure on the throne didn't flinch, even when Julian took out the Wyrmslayer he'd found after a battle. Instead, he transformed, but not into the type of dragon the thief was used to seeing. Pitch-black scales covered the dragon's serpentine body. Instead of flame, the dragon exhaled some kind of strange gas which might as well have been fire, for all that it burned. However, this one was also slow, so it didn't take long for him to strike twice at its (extremely tough) hide. The dragon's scream cut through the castle, but it did not fall. Fury burned in its eyes. Julian didn't think he'd survive a second bout with the dragon. Its snout turned towards the unfortunate thief, then pointed skywards, as the dragon inhaled. "Lena, I'll be with you soon. . ." --- Abel cursed the thief's recklessness. If he'd only waited a little longer, he wouldn't be on his knees, with whatever skin he had exposed peeling badly. Abel saw the dragon prepare another breath, and to his horror, saw Julian's head drop. It wasn't going to end like this! Before he could talk himself out of it, he had aimed and cast his Javelin. The weapon bounced off the monster's scales, but it had served its purpose. The dragon exhaled sooner than it had anticipated, and its breath passed harmlessly over Julian. The thief turned in surprise, then turned back towards his target. The Wyrmslayer's next strike was true, and the cry of the defeated dragon reverberated through Abel's ears. The dragon slowly reverted to its human form. "You. . .cannot win. . .as long as Gharnef has. . .the princess. . ." Both men breathed a sigh of relief as the impostor on the throne died. Abel turned his attention back to Julian, who bit the remnants of his lip to keep from crying out. "Did you go mad? You could've died!" The thief shot the paladin an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, but when I heard that he'd killed the queen, and enjoyed it, I--" "You can't let the enemy's words get to you like that!" "What are you so touchy about? I'm the one that got hit." "WHAT?" "Never. . .mind. Do you know if Gordin's around? This isn't the most pleasant feeling." The paladin sighed, before riding off. Julian smiled, then winced. "I. . .think I need to talk to him, the sooner the better. It's one thing to watch out for each other, but I think he's taking it entirely too far." --- Gordin's staff had done a superb job of taking away the majority of the pain Julian had felt after his bout with the dragon. He sincerely wished that same staff could do something about the knot in his stomach. Marth was not going to be happy with his report. "Waiting isn't going to make this any better. Didn't he mention he had a sister? Maybe that's what that creep meant before he died. Here goes. . ." Chapter 17x "Even though I have taken Altea back, I cannot stop and rest. A bigger threat looms, and I must call on all of you again, to help me stop it." To his relief, everyone nodded. "Our next destination is Helena Castle. We have a long march ahead, and we'll need all the supplies we can get. We start tomorrow. Please rest well tonight." Marth watched as his army wandered off into their familiar groups. The three that studied magic could always be found together. The Aurelian soldier and the thief went their own ways, while the boy with the dragon and the girl with the bow ran to the stables (the latter presumably so the former wouldn't hurt himself practicing), with his loyal paladin not far behind. The manakete stared out a window, at the fading rays of the sun. His army was an odd group, but they had somehow become a force that was great enough to take back three countries. The young prince hoped that it would be enough of a force to stop Gharnef. He retreated to his room, and closed the door. It had been a long time since he'd spent the night in these walls. Happy, familiar memories came back, but they were spoiled by a single, bitter truth. "Mother. . ." We interrupt this program to recognize an epic generic. By epic, I mean this dude: Name Class Level HP Str Mag Skl Spd Luk Def Res Wladis Hero 4.00 36 16 1 13 15 0 7 3 Bases 14 10 0 3 3 0 0 0 He started life out as a level 4 Warrior, then I reclassed him to Hero for giggles, and he'd probably beat half this army in an arm-wrestling match. Unfortunately, he ate a critical, so he's no longer around. Other oddities of note: - Tomas gained Resistance. Again. I wish he'd apply that kind of random luck to his Strength, Skill, and Speed. - Ban-ban gained HP, Strength, Magic, and Skill in one level. Who are you, and what have you done with Bantu? - Gordin, my level 9 Bishop, gained STRENGTH. Go go dynamic growths! - Palla's Defense is putting Sedgar to shame (13 Defense as a level 18 Archer, compared to 18 Defense as a level 15 Hero) - Speaking of, Sedgar currently has 10 Luck to his name, and that is awesome beyond belief. If he were real, I'd give him a hug! This is the one chapter where efficiency can go to hell. My troops were in desperate need of weapon levels, so I did my best to give it to them. Here's how it ended: - Palla needed to go from D to C in bows. She didn't quite make it, but it looks like she'll be able to hit it on the next chapter. - Merric needed to go from E to D in staves. Done. - Gordin needed to go from E to C in tomes. Done, thanks to Etzel's decent Resistance (my Lemming was doing all of 2 damage to him). - Tomas needed to get as much axe rank to his name as possible, which he did. It's not enough for a Poleaxe, but I think he'll do fine without it. - That Arms Scroll I picked up way back when will probably go to Sedgar, since getting him to A in axes is taking forever (he's currently at low B). I also learned that it's possible to beat this map without triggering the Sniper and cranky old fart down south. . .but I did say I'd kill everyone, so I beat them up. Back to our regularly scheduled story. "These guys are nothing like the troops we fought at the castle." Merric had to agree with Draug's dry assessment of the battle. Things were going so smoothly that Gordin had put away his staff in favor of a tome. Even though he still had a long way to go, the gentle boy's magic was more than enough to keep the foe at bay. "I see paladins among the enemy. Maybe they aren't so pathetic after all." One paladin fell to a thrown axe. Merric looked up from his tome, and saw Tomas step down to retrieve his weapon from the corpse he'd just created. "On second thought. . .they're pathetic." --- Steady hands, steady aim. Use your breathing to keep your shots true. Palla did her best to remember what she was told, but her shots kept grazing (or outright missing) the enemy. Steady hands, steady-- "Do you know where you want your arrows to land?" Palla jumped at the voice behind her. The person held an axe, but unlike Tomas, he held it comfortably. "I, umm. . ." "Think of where you want your arrows to land before you shoot. Don't forget to aim a little higher for the longer shots." Before the girl could thank him, the man had busied himself with another enemy. "It looks like you wouldn't be able to hear me if I thanked you, so this will have to do." This arrow needed to bury itself somewhere in the enemy archer's back, and this archer was standing quite a distance away. Aim first, then steady yourself, then. . .a cry of pain, as Palla's arrow struck true. Sedgar saw the enemy archer crumple, and smiled to himself. There was hope for that girl after all! --- "You are. . .ugh!" "Hang in there, Gordin!" Merric thought that the mage near the wall would be good practice for Gordin. He also thought he'd be able to patch up any wounds with his newfound abilities with a staff. Instead, the ma--sorcerer showed very little signs of battle, while Merric had his hands full keeping Gordin from succumbing to his injuries. The enemy sighed. "What do you boys hope to accomplish? It's obvious I can defeat both of you with very little effort. Don't waste your lives." Merric saw Gordin wince as his knees hit the floor. Another voice joined the battle. It was Draug, and he was out of breath. "I'm *huff* sorry it took me so long to get here. *gasp* Are you all right, Gordin?" A whimper answered Draug's question. To Merric's surprise, the wounded bishop slowly stood up. "I--I fight so I can be s--strong enough to protect my friends. I c--can't give up now!" The sorcerer threw his hands up in the air. "You can't protect your friends if you're dead. I don't like pointless killing, but it looks like I don't have a choice." The sage bit his lip, and called forth his magic to keep his friend alive. The staff in his hands emitted a comforting warmth, which was taken away all too soon by the harsh heat from the enemy sorcerer. "No. . .not yet. . .I can't--ah!" Merric couldn't heal him fast enough! At this rate-- "That's enough, Gordin," Draug said evenly, as he picked the younger boy up and carried him off to the side. The sorcerer cocked his head. "You will not challenge me? I'm glad to see you've got some intelligence." "If my friend here is struggling, then I won't be able to hurt you. I have other ways of protecting my friends." "What would that be? You are but an initiate. You don't have what it takes to wield the sacred magics." "Not yet, but I can do this." Draug reached into his robes, and took out a potion, which he poured down the injured boy's throat. "So you resort to mundane methods to keep your friend alive? An interesting strategy, but it won't last long against me." "Hey you. . .I'm your opponent." Merric had cast aside his staff for a tome. . .a very comfortable tome. "You wish to throw away your life as well? I doubt you'll be able to stand up to me." "You're assuming YOU can stand up to ME!" The beginnings of a smile formed on the sorcerer's face. "We shall see about that. ELFIRE!" --- "Same plan as last time?" "Absolutely." Julian opened the door. The startled guard dropped the cup he was holding and fumbled for his tome. Abel's lance skewered both guard and weapon. The thief did one more quick glance before unlocking the treasure chest the guard had been watching. "Now THIS is a nice bow! Wonder if that girl will be able to use it. . ." --- "Hey kid, you're not half bad." "Same to you, mister." The sage's young face was marred by burn marks. The sorcerer bore the marks of a lightning strike. Both knew that their next attack would be their last. "Stop, stop you two. Please!" The bishop was being physically restrained by his larger friend. Tears traced a path down his face, though neither could tell if it was due to his emotions or his injuries. The sorcerer shook the hair out of his face. "You again? You're lucky that your friend's there, or you'd be dead." "Who are you? Why are you fighting us?" "My name is Etzel, but it's not important. Why I fight is none of your business!" "Etzel. . .join us. . .please. We could learn a lot from you!" Draug thought he saw conflict in the redhead's eyes. "No, I'm sorry, but I can't. I have to fight you, and I must win!" "But why? You don't seem like a bad person!" "I said that's none of your business, kid!" "That can't be true. . ." Draug mentally echoed that sentiment when he realized the sorcerer had gone back to his book, and that his attention was on Gordin! A flash of steel cut off the incantation. Marth had somehow gotten in the middle of things, and had run the sorcerer through. Draug had to hold down Gordin again, as the latter reached for a staff. "The ring. . .please. . .Ursula. . ." The prince's face bore no emotion as his latest victim closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. "Etzel. . .why did this have to happen?" Gordin's struggles had been replaced by sobs. "Gordin, I'm sorry, but I have a duty to protect all of you." "All I could do is stand by and watch this unfold. . .everyone, I swear I'll get stronger!" --- "Sire, I found this on the commander's body," Julian stated. He held a woman's ring. "Thank you, Julian." Marth took the ring outside of the throne room. His three magic users hadn't moved. He walked up to the man he'd killed earlier, and put the ring in his lifeless hands. "Rest in peace, Etzel. I hope you can forgive us." Edited September 25, 2010 by eclipse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT075 Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 MOOORE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted September 27, 2010 Author Share Posted September 27, 2010 MOOORE Your wish is my command! I was away for the weekend, but managed to finish the run completely. Writing the story will take a lot longer, though. Now, let's see what happened here. . . Palla fans: Please skip this chapter. . .or at the very least, don't kill me! Chapter 18 "I think I'm getting the hang of this," Palla said to her teacher, as her arrow sank very close to the center of the target. Despite the march, she had somehow found time to practice, and each day made her more accurate. "I think I am, too," her teacher called, from above her. The dragon roared, though it was hard to tell if it was agreeing or disagreeing. "Hey, you two. We're headed for battle tomorrow, so don't stay out too late." Palla turned and smiled at their newcomer. He hefted his axe and smiled back. The two who wound up training each other looked like they could handle themselves on the battlefield. The kid on dragonback had started to train with an axe, and had occasionally asked the plainsman for tips. "Same to you," came the reply from the airborne unit. A short time later, the dragon gracefully landed, and its rider dismounted. The girl with the bow ran up to the newly-grounded soldier, and the two of them coaxed the dragon back to the army's camp. "I'm glad you've taken up the axe. . .but will I have it in me to try my hand at the sword again?" I couldn't rush as fast as I wanted to because I didn't have enough troops to do this at maximum efficiency (and several of them can't take hits). Instead, I let my generics bait and take the brunt of the attacks, while the regular army tore through the Sable Order. Palla got enough random sniping in to hit C in bows (hello Longbow!), and Tomas can use Poleaxes, if I so desire. The boss died on turn 8 to Abel's Ridersbane, with Tomas on standby (I had a 65% chance to land each hit). I seized on turn 9, but I couldn't go shopping for the stuff I wanted. As for Est's fate. . .read on, if you dare. "I don't get this! How are they resisting us?!" The bishop's Fire landed neatly on a enemy paladin, whose only response was to turn his horse and point his lance at the pesky magic user. "Stay focused, Gordin!" Draug yelled, as his own Fire hit an unlucky cavalier. The enemy paused to shake the pain off, then focused his attention on his newfound opponent. The enemy paladin was roughly thrown off his horse by a lance strike from the side. Abel shook the hair out of his eyes, waved at the two fellow Alteans, then rode off to do something about the cavalier Draug had hit a moment earlier. "Stay safe, you two. You're more of an asset than you realize." --- Her shots served only to weaken the enemies. Despite all her practice, her targets continued to move. One of her targets wheeled around to charge. His charge was brought to an abrupt halt by Julian's sword work. Another would-be attacker fell to an aerial axe strike. Someone in Sable Order armor readied a throwing weapon. Palla shot, but it wasn't enough to deter the thrower's aim. She saw the dragon bob furiously, before steadying itself. The soldier riding the dragon clutched his side. "You're no good to anyone if you bleed to death up there. Go see a healer." The only answer she got was the sound of the dragon's flight, which slowly faded in the distance. Movement in the skies caught her eye. The Sable Order brought reinforcements from Macedon? This must be their scout! Palla aimed carefully. If she didn't down the scout in one shot, the scout would fly off, no doubt warning the others about arrows. Palla let her arrow loose, then breathed a sigh of relief as her target went down. It was the first shot she took that killed her enemy. The girl allowed herself a mental pat on the back before aiming at her next opponent. --- "Look at what I found!" Abel exclaimed, as he reported back from battle. Princess Nyna looked up, then gasped. "My word, where did you find that?" she gasped. "It was on the body of a pegasus knight. Why do you ask?" "This is Mercurius, one of the regalia of House Archanea!" "Mercurius? How fortunate!" "Hmm? What's going on?" Palla asked, as she walked towards the commotion. "I got Mercurius off the body of some pegasus knight." "A pegasus knight?" "Yeah. Looks like your arrow took her down. Nice work! Hey, where are you going?" "Sire, with your leave, may I go after her?" Julian asked. He'd seen the whole conversation, and his gut told him that leaving Palla to her own devices would be a very bad idea. "Yes you may, Julian. Make sure she comes back safely." "Yes, sir!" --- Just over this strait, a little to the left. . .that's where the pegasus knight went down. The sun's dying rays colored the dead steed's hide a fierce shade of orange. The unfortunate rider's body was slumped on her mount. Palla only needed to see the back of the rider's head to confirm her suspicions. She sank to her knees, next to the remains of the pegasus knight. "No, not you, please. What have I done? Est?! EST!! WHY?!!!!" From the shadows, Julian bowed his head. He could remind her that the sun was going down, and that the downed rider needed a burial, but he didn't have it in him to tear the green-haired girl away from the sister she'd killed hours before. Instead, he watched the girl cry until she collapsed. He gave the rider a proper burial, then collected the archer and carried her back to where she belonged. "This war needs to end, the sooner, the better. For all of our sakes. . ." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrhesia Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 These Lemmings just love that friendly fire, don't they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT075 Posted September 27, 2010 Share Posted September 27, 2010 Makes it realistic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse Posted September 28, 2010 Author Share Posted September 28, 2010 These Lemmings just love that friendly fire, don't they? That's why they're Lemmings! And. . . Makes it realistic. With chaos flying all over the place, it's kind of hard to verify the identity of each and every enemy before you send him/her/it to the hereafter. Er. . .Tiki and Palla fans. . .you might want to wait another day. . . Chapter 19 Silence greeted the soldiers that had set foot in the Fane of Raman. It was not the tense silence that preceded battle, nor was it the empty silence of a place devoid of life. It was the silence of reverence, and the cacophony of metal and footsteps produced by the intruders desecrated it. The atmosphere shifted ever so slightly in response. The guardians were aware. I decided that it would be faster to retrieve the Starsphere from the dead thief. Marth did a fair amount of front-line fighting, and was lucky enough to avoid a Game Over from the jerk with the Killing Edge. My generics were used to bait the mages. Cleared the main part on Turn 9, then had the Sniper off Ban-ban (which kinda irritated me, because he was starting to turn out good). I managed to promote Palla and Draug, which means the rest of the Master Seals are gravy. I still have a M, L, and XL bullion in inventory, but if my next two forges go according to plan, that's not going to be enough. "Ugh, it's nothing but swordsmen!" Sedgar mumbled under his breath, as he put away his axe and unsheathed his blade. An uncaring guardian struck, aiming for the man's head. The would-be victim barely brought his blade up in time to parry. Since when was his sword so light? Another strike came. This time, it was aimed for his midsection. Like the previous strike, it was parried, but the parry wasn't quite as sloppy. The enemy hesitated. Sedgar used that time to eliminate him. Another enemy rushed. This one looked to be far more experienced than the previous one. "Just great. I'll need to relearn my sword technique in battle. The enemy's momentum is headed that way. . ." --- Fire and ice flew, but nothing would stop the older manakete in his quest to reach the throne. The others had noticed, and did their best to engage the enemies who got too close to him. That suited him fine. On top of that throne was his reason for joining Marth all the way back in that valley. "Tiki! It's me, Bantu!" "No. . .go away. . ." "Tiki, this isn't like you. Please, wake up!" The girl's eyes slowly focused on her guardian. Bantu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the confusion replaced by a bright smile! "Ban-Ban! You're back!" "Yes I am, Tiki." "Who are those humans?" the dragon girl asked, pointing at the boy with blue hair. Almost on cue, he finished his opponent, and walked over to the pair. "He's Marth, and he's the leader of these humans," Bantu explained. "Mar. . .Mar-Mar! Hi Mar-Mar!" Tiki called out, almost as if she hadn't heard the older manakete's explanation. "Umm. . .hi?" Marth replied, hesitation in his voice. Wasn't she an enemy? "Marth, this is Tiki, the divine dragon girl, and the reason why I joined your army. She wasn't quite herself at first, but it looks like she's back to her usual self." "Hey Ban-Ban. . .is that guy over there a part of Marth's group?" she asked, pointing towards a man with a bow. His bow was trained on-- "Tiki, look out!" He couldn't get to the enemy in time, but he could save her! A look of confusion crossed Tiki's face, as she found a Firestone in her hands. "Tiki. . .be safe. . ." The dragon girl's eyes widened in shock as her guardian collapsed, an arrow in his back. The stone in her hands pulsed gently. The one in front of her aimed his bow at his intended target. An arrow flew from another direction, but the girl with the stone didn't notice. The sniper looked back at his original target, just in time to see the tiny girl replaced by a very large, angry dragon. He didn't have time to scream before a gout of flame claimed his life. --- Missed again. Ever since that battle with the Sable Order, Palla had not been able to hit a single target. Someone above her called out a warning, but it turned out to be unnecessary. The archer could only watch numbly as the offending enemy was engulfed by flame. The voice above her called out again. "Are you okay? This isn't like you!" She saw concern in the dracoknight's eyes. He should be focusing on the battle, not her! "I'll. . .I'll be fine. . ." she said, unconvincingly. Cursing answered her. She looked up, startled. Did he-- No, his words weren't aimed at her. Instead, he was flying as fast as he could towards an enemy, throwing axe at ready. The enemy readied his bow. . .bow? Had that kid lost his mind?! The arrow flew true. Palla averted her eyes and cried out. Memories of Catria blurred her vision. This couldn't be happening! The dragon plummeted. Palla wanted to run over, but her legs wouldn't move. Tears stained the world. He might have been annoying, but he was. . .he was. . . "Hey, snap out of it!" Gordin's boyish voice cut in. Palla saw movement from the dragon. Underneath the beast, the archer lay, unmoving. The dragon's rider had been thrown from his mount. He slowly regained his hands and knees. "That was the dumbest thing I've seen anyone do! Were you trying to kill yourself?!" the normally calm bishop yelled. Tomas shot him a pained smile. "I knew that archer would miss. . .but I didn't anticipate landing on my opponent." The bishop shook his head as he began healing both dragon and rider. "I don't believe you. . .there. How's your arm?" "I think I can fight. Thank you." "Thank me by making sure she doesn't cry again," Gordin retorted, motioning towards Palla. Her cheeks were stained with tear tracks. Tomas turned around and rolled his eyes. "You. . .YOU IDIOT!" The dull pain in his arm flared up impressively. "OW! That's where I landed! Why'd you punch me?" "For nearly killing yourself! That was totally reckless!" "You're weird." Palla threw her hands up in the air and stormed off. Why had he gone against that archer? He knew that a single arrow was sufficient to end his career as a soldier (or worse), but he'd moved before he could think it through. She was horribly bossy, extremely moody. . . (. . .but she is my friend, and I'd rather die than let another one of my friends fall) --- The duties of a prince were hard, but Marth did not expect comforting a distressed child to be one of them. The girl's face was buried in his chest, and it was all his knights could to keep the enemy from overwhelming the duo. Draug's fireball raced towards an enemy mage, but it did not deter him from casting his spell. The dark mage collapsed, as the air around him froze, then returned to normal. Merric ran to his side, staff in hand. "These mages are stronger than anything we've faced. Be careful out there!" The comforting light the staff gave did nothing for the dragon girl's sobs. Marth sorely wished that staff had the power to put her to sleep, so he could help his troops. "Thanks, Merric," Draug gasped out, as he slowly stood up. Merric's eyes widened as the ground beneath Draug's feet began to glow. "By the gods, no!" he exclaimed, as he somehow shoved his heavier companion to the side. His scream was lost in the roaring blaze that the enemy had conjured. "Merric, not you too!" the prince exclaimed, horrified. There was no way anyone could survive that blast! Something shiny caught Marth's eye. It was Merric's staff, and it had landed right next to Draug. Without saying a word, Draug picked the staff up. He stared at the jewel embedded at the top of the staff. "Draug, do something!" Marth yelled. The flames had died down. Merric lay on his side. His breathing was nearly imperceptible. "I. . .I will try, sire," the initiate said. He had to get stronger, for everyone's sake. What had Gordin said? Concentrate on the staff, close your eyes, and. . . "Ah. . .you have my thanks, Draug," the figure on the ground gasped out. Draug looked at the staff in surprise. He had healed someone with it? That meant he was no longer an initiate! Horse hooves interrupted the once-initiate. Abel had taken care of the enemy mages. "Good work, Draug. I didn't know you were so handy with a staff!" "Thank you, Abel." What else could he say? "Ugh. . .glad to know you can use that, but we still need to protect Marth. . ." Merric gasped out. Draug inwardly winced as he saw the boy's face. He'd bear the marks on his face for the rest of his life. "Right. I believe this is yours." "Keep it. I'm in no shape to do anything right now. It will be up to you to keep everyone alive. I know you can do it." The boy gave the man the brightest smile his burned skin would let him before letting the darkness take him. "Rest well, Merric. I will watch over everyone." --- The Fane's guardians were no more. Marth sighed, as his men prepared camp. This was certainly a most unusual battle. The form in his lap shifted. He sighed. He couldn't leave her alone. Not like this. For the fifth time, she talked in her sleep. She always said the same thing. "Ban-Ban. . ." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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