Disclaimer: I don't own any of the FE's in any way shape or form and if I did: I wouldn't be writing this, All I own is my OC/OC's translation: Mark…or at least my version of him. I also give credit to my fellow FE fans and the other writers for the inspiration even if this specific one was my idea so thanks guys, you rule and Nintendo: You made a bunch of awesome games

A/N: Alright since this is the first chapter I suppose it's only fair I say why I'm making it. Put simply I've read many retellings of FE7 with some variations and virtually none of FE6 when I find both to have very good storylines so I decided I'd make an FE6 one…the problem though is that to even GET there I have to go through FE7 to explain my angle on it so that's where I am: Starting at FE7 and ending at FE6 to you know put some back story in there because both are canon to each other. Of course there are plenty of FE7 stories out there so some of this goes with it but don't accuse me of plagiarizing because to be honest: I've only read one FE7 retelling which I personally think was pretty good but I'm sure others probably used him for inspiration too so this might you know…collide with other writers. However I'm not writing this word-by-word on the in-game dialogue or the writings of other authors

BTW: Obviously there are going to be a lot of pairings…some of which will not be to some people's likings while some others may still like them but sorry, hate to break it to you but if you don't like them there will be no changes if you absolutely hate the whole dang story for them, don't read it but honestly only a few pairings will actually affect the story although I'll change the character endings a bit because this is mostly based off of story events not on the actual romance in the story. Also like I mentioned before: The tactician will have more of a role and will not be a helpless little wimp

Anyway onto the actual story sorry about that so let me know what you think and don't worry, the other A/N's wont usually be this long all the time

Prologue: A Girl From the Plains

Elibe…Here Man and Dragon once coexisted in a peace forged by wisdom…but that all changed when mankind erupted. To combat the dragons, mankind needed something to help fight back and turned to crafting the strongest weapons on the continent. Soon dragonkind disappeared through the Dark Portal and mankind began to rebuild. But the mysterious benefactor of humanity, the craftsman whom had built the divine weapons, had disappeared and simply left a letter to his newfound comrades warning that humanity's problems weren't over…and that the Scouring wouldn't end war for humanity. His words were prophetic; now man fights man to this day not knowing that each battle only weakens themselves and strengthens another, new enemy to humankind and dragonkind alike. Change is on the horizon…but will it be swift enough?

On the plains of Sacae stood walked a single man clad in a bulky, green cloak that covered him head to toe reminiscent of that of a traveler. He would likely pass for any man with a shoulder-high walking staff for protection from a distance but upon closer inspection: One would see that he looked young, possibly about 16 to 18 years of age at least in appearance, he was a head taller and about a third wider than most men clearly from muscle, the jagged scar on the left side of his face, and finally one would notice the blood-red eyes and jet-black hair with streaks of silvery blue mixed in an equal ratio with the black. Another was that he seemed to be leaning on the staff quite a bit and it was chained to his wrist…

The man sighed. He'd been traveling around the continent aimlessly trying to do…something to change the situation of Elibe but the fact of the matter was: Unless some sort of…stimulus happened…nothing was going to change. The only time Elibe had been truly peaceful was before the Scouring…His dream was to live to see something like that happen but, in addition to not being any nearer to his goal from when he began, he had run into a few problems. He felt some sort of…disturbance…it felt like something or…someone close to him was in danger. From Ilia he immediately headed south towards Lycia: The source of what he felt, it had disappeared by now but still…

Suddenly, so close to the mountains bordering Sacae and Lycia: He collapsed

He wasn't even close to his long-term goal but he was so close to his short-term goal to find the disturbance. Unfortunately…

The man reached for his chest and groaned. A few days ago he'd been in a village to get some food and water for his journey. Interestingly the food and water only made him hungrier and thirstier and he began feeling weaker until he'd finished it all in 2 days when he'd meant to last it for at least 10. He expected he'd still stay relatively strong for at least a few days while he foraged and hunted but he'd been getting more ill each day and only now he realized that whatever it was he'd eaten and drunk was poisoned.

He was mystified. Normally he would have easily detected most poisons and, should he ingest or inject them, he could usually shrug off the effects. He was no arch sage but he was at least a bit adept enough in magic to be able to protect himself and also to indirectly fight. His conclusion: The water and food had to have been chemically mixed with the water and the bread down to a molecular level rather than just physically mixed; that way HE wouldn't have detected the poison and his body would have registered it as just plain water and bread and would have proceeded to digest it and spread the nutrition through his body. It was genius but since it was difficult to accomplish such a thing: Sorcery had to be involved

That led him to one conclusion as to who would do such a thing…but that didn't matter, his health was in rapid decline and he didn't have any antitoxins and there was no one in sight. He gave himself about an hour give or take

The man closed his eyes ready for his fate. However it seemed fate wasn't planning to give up on him just yet…

A woman, also about 18 years of age, had seen the man's plight and had rushed over too late to stop him from collapsing. She wasn't exactly a healer but based on the fact there were no breaks along his clothing or skin and that he was clutching at his chest: She concluded the man had to be either exhausted or poisoned, maybe both. There was no way for her to be able to carry him away and technically it was almost sunset and this spot was a decent place to spend the night anyway so she prepared an antitoxin and set up her tent around the fallen man

The next day…

The man woke up feeling a bit dazed and groaned when he realized that he actually felt…much better. He took a brief groggy look around and saw the inside of a tent, the bedroll he was on, a lamp, and a fire pit…

"Huh…oh well nothing to suspicious", the man thought before trying to sleep again, "Wait…tent…bedroll…lamp…fire pit? What in the world?"

"Are you awake?", asked a female voice

Immediately the man sprang up thinking he would be under attack and scanned the inside of the tent. He then noticed that one: He was still in his traveling robes and none of his possessions moved. Two: It looked like he'd been rolled onto a bedroll and the tent was made around his unconscious body due to the apparent dent in the grass nearby, and Three: The one who had spoken was in fact a young woman who looked to be about 18 years of age

The woman had soft blue eyes, long green that was tied down her back, wore a blue-tunic skirt with the tunic part opened likely for easy movement. Her skin was tan from time in the sun yet not burned and her clothing looked to be made from felt

"Jumpy aren't you?", she asked when she saw the man's reaction trying to stifle a giggle, "My name is Lyn of the Lorca Tribe. Who are you? Could you tell me your name?"

The man paused for a moment and took a quick look. She didn't look like anyone to harm him so he figured he might as well tell her, after all: What was the problem with telling someone one's name?

He was about to answer when he coughed and tasted something that tasted both bitter and sweet at the same time that nearly made him retch

"Sorry about that. I know how antitoxins taste so here drink this", the woman said handing the man a glass of water which he drank and removed the foul taste from his mouth thankfully

"Thanks for that", sighed the man when he was finished, "And to answer your question: My name is Mark"

Lyn raised her eyebrow for a fraction of a second before returning to her normal expression

"That's a bit of an unusual name but don't worry it is still a good name", Lyn commented

Mark shrugged and refocused

"Anyway Lyn…I appreciate what you did back there. You saved my life", thanked Mark

Lyn just waved her hand modestly

"You're welcome and don't worry it was nothing", she replied equally modestly before frowning a bit, "Still…what exactly did you eat or drink? I had to use quite a bit of antitoxin to get you to recover and even now I think you're still not fully recovered"

"Some food and water from a shady man at a trading center near the border", said Mark, "I didn't have much choice since I was kinda…broke…so I had to buy from him and I have suspicions as to who that guy worked for. Sorry for being an idiot and causing you so much trouble"

"Don't worry about it", replied Lyn

"Thanks…anyway where are we exactly?", asked Mark looking up briefly

"Well we're a few hours trek from the Bern Mountains and about two days from Bulgar if that's any help", answered Lyn, "I can see by your attire that you're a traveler likely not from around here. What brings you to the Sacae Plains? Would you share your story with me?"

Mark hesitated for a moment trying to think of a harmless yet believable white lie to avoid having to make a long story when he was saved by a bit of movement outside the tent that he and Lyn both noticed simultaneously followed by a scream

"That doesn't sound good", said Mark placing the cup down

"I agree", agreed Lyn reaching over to a long, thin object which Mark noticed to be a sheathed katana, "Wait here. I'll go see what it is"

Lyn opened the tent flap and immediately a pair of burly men armed with shipped, rusty, dull axes broke in

"Haha! Jackpot!", shouted one of the men as he and his comrade rushed towards Lyn not noticing Mark still lying on the bedroll

Lyn quickly unsheathed her blade and managed to slash one across the neck killing him instantly and causing him to fall outside the tent but the other managed to grab her by the throat and the sudden movement made her drop her blade

"Heheh, too bad for him but I guess I've got the spoils to myself", laughed the man grinning evilly at Lyn's attempts to struggle, "You oughta sell for a pretty penny somewhere in say…Bern or maybe Ilia heheheh"

That was all Mark needed to know that he needed to take action. The attackers hadn't noticed him so he leapt up instinctively. Although it felt a bit awkward to wake up and get up still wearing his heavy pack and with his heavy robes on overnight Mark was thankful Lyn hadn't taken any of his possessions or well…undressed him and that his staff was right next to him and still chained to his wrist

"Hey idiot!", shouted Mark getting to his feet

The distraction worked: The attacker turned and Mark took a step forward with his left foot and he struck the attacker with a strong kick to the chest with his right foot knocking him to the ground. While he struggled to get up Mark was already looming over him with his staff in hand and, after a moment of feeling pity for the poor man, slammed the end of his staff into the attacker's head piercing through his entire head and killing him instantly

"Are you alright?", Mark asked Lyn holding the corpse down with one foot while pulling his staff out with his hands

Lyn nodded. She wasn't badly hurt and was in fact more fascinated by the fact Mark had actually beaten an enemy with a walking staff like it was a sharp weapon but opted not to mention it

"Besides those two I caught a quick glimpse at what looks like probably 3 more of them including the leader", said Lyn, "Based on their attire and the way they act I'd say they're bandits from the Bern mountains. They're probably planning to raid the local villages, I have to stop them"

Lyn grabbed her sword and buckled it to her waist

"Since you just recovered I say it's probably safer if you stay here Mark", said Lyn opening the tent flap again

Mark shook his head

"You saved my life and I owe you but even though you're clearly capably of fighting off one of them; If all 3 attack you at the same time I think you'll need some help", said Mark, "Besides: even if you hadn't saved my life and I were still traveling: I still can't let them attack helpless villagers"

"Well you're not too bad of a fighter", observed Lyn, "But you just recovered from poisoning so…"

"Listen", said Mark, "Even if you don't want me to directly fight I can still help: My trade consists of finding weaknesses and strengths, calculating different chances, and forming strategies"

"So you're a battle strategist?", asked Lyn to which Mark nodded, "It's a bit odd of a profession but I guess I could still use your help. Just be careful. Those daggers will clearly help if you get someone by surprise but you'll have to get close to them to be able to counter their axes and well…you"

"I know poisoning", said Mark, "But trust me: I'm made of sterner stuff than I might first appear…as for the other issue don't worry about it for now, I've always got a few tricks up my sleeve"

Without much more word Lyn and Mark exited the tent. About 50 meters away there was a pair of bandits standing over a freshly killed corpse which was likely the source of the scream. A bit farther away a bigger bandit who was taller and bigger than his comrades and was about Mark's height but probably bigger. He was armed with a more polished axe stood over a pile of other corpses in front of a ger hut likely the residents he slaughtered

"Looks like that guy came from the ger over there", said Mark referencing the corpse, "Those other bodies must be his family"

Both Lyn and Mark cursed under their breaths. Pillaging and plundering was bad enough but murder was just horrible. Put simply: These bandits were going to pay for what they did

"Would you hurry up you idiots!", the leader shouted, "Actually why don't you do something useful and find Bert and Finn!"

"Hmm…okay they're pretty big and possibly tough but those axes are barely sharp and even if you get it it'll probably just be a blunt object hitting you", whispered Mark to Lyn, "To actually inflict damage you'd have to swing pretty hard and gain a lot of momentum so avoiding their attacks should be pretty easy since their swings will likely be wild and uncontrolled. It's best if we take them out together so we won't have to worry about getting hit by them anyway"

Lyn nodded

"Good idea", commented Lyn, "I'll take the one on the right and you the one on the left. On 3 we make a break for it-"

"No. I assume you're a fast sprinter and usually so am I", interrupted Mark getting a bit of a confused look from Lyn, "But even though I'm a fast sprinter I'm not a fast runner so that means I can only sprint quickly in bursts. With all this heavy stuff on I wouldn't be able to keep up with you at all

"Then what do we do?", asked Lyn

"Know any good insults guaranteed to make someone angry?", asked Mark

"Huh?"

"In battle it's a good idea to keep a cool head all the time. If you're angry you will attack harder and faster but you'll be more reckless and will lose all finesse and probably go down quickly from an attack you didn't see and could have easily seen and avoided if you were calmer", explained Mark, "So translation: We get these guys angry, they charge up to us, we avoid them, and we hit them in the back"

"Makes sense", said Lyn before blushing a bit, "But…well…you see I really can't flat-out insult someone so-"

"I got it", said Mark stepping forward and taking a deep breath while Lyn just blinked, "Hey Guys!", he called out the bandits

Immediately the pair of bandits looked up in confusion

"Do you by any chance have licenses for being that ugly?", Mark called out, "I mean you can't be that ugly unless you have a one"

The bandits puffed up

"Hey! What you say?", both shouted at the same time

"Yeah! Say how did you guys get that ugly?", continued Mark, "I mean what'd you guys do? Fall out of the ugly tree and hit every branch for about 5 hours or something?"

Now the bandits were fuming and Lyn raised an eyebrow at Mark before focusing

"Where did you learn those?", she asked

"I don't know I just improvised them", said Mark shrugging, "Hey you guys here that! The lady here says that she has to go puke before she faints because of how ugly you are!"

That got them. The bandits charged angrily and Lyn and Mark were ready

When they got within 6 feet Mark made a motion that seemed like he was "stabbing" with his staff which the bandit attacking him easily parried and attempted to swing with his axe in return but his attack in mid-parry ended up going completely wide and ended with him falling to the ground off balance. Lyn meanwhile ducked under the bandit's clumsy horizontal swing and returned with a slash across his chest that cut deep into his internal organs killing him in seconds. Lyn turned around to see Mark impale the other bandit like he did with the first one he'd fought: By impaling the head via staff

"Like I said", said Mark pulling his staff out of the body, "Stay calm and focused in battle if you plan to survive"

The leader of the bandits roared in rage

"YOU KILLED MY MEN!", the bandit shouted, "Bert! Finn! Get over here!"

"We actually took care of 2 guys before your buddies here", said Mark

The leader puffed up as well just like his men

"Calling them idiots would be an insult to stupid people all around but you'll find me to be more of a challenge than those fellers!", the leader shouted beating his chest with his left hand, "I am Batta the Beast! Cower before me whelps!"

While Batta had been giving his speech Mark and Lyn were actually in conversation over something else and hadn't been paying attention to him

"HEY! Pay attention!", shouted Batta

"…Say…how is it you don't have a sore throat from all that yelling?", asked Mark absently

Batta's face turned red

"OKAY THAT'S IT YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"

Batta lunged forward with incredible speed and slammed his axe into the ground between Lyn and Mark scattering them. Lyn swung her sword but was too far away and at too poor of an angle to land a killing blow so she slashed across his back instead. The wound wasn't deep but it was long and Batta roared in anger then swung his axe at Lyn who nimbly ducked under and attempted to stab again. Batta wasn't an idiot like his buddies and rather than try to stop, he used his extra momentum to continue a second swing to parry Lyn's sword before he leapt back

"Haha! Did you really think-"

Batta was interrupted when Mark kicked him in the back so hard the 3 fighters heard something crack. Batta had been so focused on Lyn he hadn't noticed he'd been actually getting closer to Mark and, while it didn't break his spine, Mark's kick had broken several ribs missing the spine by a mere inch. However Batta STILL wouldn't go down and swung again forcing Mark to make a hasty dive which turned into a roll which he stopped when he was next to Lyn. Batta roared again and swung at Lyn which she easily dodged but it turned out Batta was expecting this kind of thing and hadn't swung very hard therefore allowing him to twist his axe and swing back at Lyn

Mark, thinking quickly, shoved Lyn down and raised his staff in response. Batta was sure that a mere walking staff wouldn't be able to stand up against his axe and continued his swing and was surprised when, rather than the staff, his AXE was cut in half through the blade despite the fact that HE was the one cutting a blunt walking staff with a sharp axe. Lyn was also a bit surprised but took the opportunity to sprint forward with her sword outstretched and hit Batta so hard, she impaled her whole blade through his chest

"What? How…How did you?", was all Batta could say before he collapsed dead

Mark placed the staff across his back from an extra "pocket" on his robes although he didn't detach the chain

"Like I said: I've always got a few tricks up my sleeve", said Mark stretching his arms out

Lyn raised an eyebrow but said nothing

"Well… we can't leave the bodies out here", said Lyn indicating the bandits and the civilians

Mark nodded and in about 20 minutes of hard work: The bodies had been piled into 2 separate mounds one for the bandits and one for the civilians. Mark surprised Lyn a second time when he carved the symbol of Elimine in front of both mounds, took a deep breath, and, with what appeared to simply be a punch at first, created 2 brief stream of fire from his hands which ignited the bodies and burned them after a few minutes with the fire putting itself out when it ran out substance to burn

"May Elimine watch over your souls and may you live in peace in the Great Beyond", murmured Mark which surprised Lyn a third time to which he received a scowl, "What's wrong?"

Lyn shook her head

"I understand giving a prayer to the civilians killed but why the bandits?", asked Lyn

Mark looked at Lyn and raised an eyebrow

"Why not?", he asked back, "They might be thugs but they're still living beings, you can't just treat them like dirt…not that I'd disrespect dirt but still"

"They take the lives of many", replied Lyn, "Why should they be respected when they themselves don't give respect"

"No one is perfect", replied Mark, "To be honest. The only time when humanity truly was stable with no plotting or hatred or anger: Was the time before the Scouring. Besides: I have no love for bandits but I still show respect to everyone, even to my enemies. Death should never be taken lightly and life should always be respected regardless of whomever or whatever it is from…besides I know the folk of Sacae are animists who believe in nature. They may hunt but they still don't waste anything ever and pay respect to the spirits of nature…right?"

Lyn's scowl faded a bit but she nodded. After every kill she used everything from that animal to avoid waste and she often left a quick prayer after killing it

"Even though I may respect my enemies, bandits show no mercy or respect to anything at all", she hissed with a bit of anger on the edge of her voice which Mark decided he would talk about later

"Well think about this: The bandits are scum in your mind right?", asked Mark which Lyn nodded to, "Well…have you ever heard the expression: 2 wrongs don't make a right? There are a couple variations of it but I'm sure you know of something like that"

Lyn nodded. Mark was right: She had heard of it as a child…she just never expected it to be applied to this situation but she officially dropped her scowl for good

"Well anyway: Good job Mark lets go home"

Back at Lyn's tent Mark simply took out his own bedroll and slept outside of the tent to avoid the inevitably awkward situation that would come from staying in the tent with Lyn. It would have been better to pitch his own tent quickly but he simply put on his hood and fell asleep right then and there

The next day…

When Mark woke up the sun was already high in the sky. Based on the degree of the sun, Mark estimated it was about 2 and a half hour to noon…much later than he usually woke up

"I guess that I'm really not back up to speed yet", Mark mentally sighed when he noticed his joints were sore and how late it was, "Sometimes I really hate combat"

Sudden reintroduction to combat after spending much more time traveling, talking, and mastering his trade of strategy wasn't all that easy for Mark's body despite his hard physical and mental conditioning over the years. Adding in the fact that he'd just recovered from relatively strong poisoning, he was actually surprised that the aches he felt were all that he felt so he supposed he should be grateful. Heck if Lyn hadn't saved him 2 days ago, he'd just be another one of the countless poor souls who died alone in pain with no one knowing about it at all…speaking of which…

"Good Morning Mark are you awake?", Mark heard Lyn's voice say a bit to his right

Mark sat up and saw Lyn had already putting out a small campfire she'd just made while holding a pair of plates each with 2 bird eggs Lyn had scavenged nearby, 2 strips of smoked rabbit, a slice of bread, and an apple

"The fight yesterday must have taken a lot out of you and since you didn't eat I figured I might make you some breakfast"

Since Mark hadn't actually had a decent meal in over a week he remembered how famished he was and immediately took the plate with a quick word of thanks with no conversation occurring between the 2 as both ate silently

When they were done and everything cleaned up Lyn decided to break the silence

"So Mark where do you plan to go now?", asked Lyn as both packed up all their belongings

"Hmm…", pondered Mark thinking back to the strange feeling he'd felt which had disappeared a while ago but still felt a bit…ominous

"Well I was planning on heading South to Lycia and maybe take a quick detour to Bulgar since I'm a bit low on supplies but…well…I'm not all that sure anymore since the trip caused me a bit of trouble and Bern is the only way to Lycia but lately they haven't been very…kindly to travelers", explained Mark, "People from Lycia can pretty much forget it since King Desmond of Bern is not on the best terms with the lords of Lycia and most of them view people coming from Sacae as savages…no offence I mean I sure don't"

"None taken", said Lyn turning around and opening her arms as if to grasp the expanse of the plains, "I just wonder why everyone hates us so badly away from these plains. Sure here in Sacae we may occasionally have a small skirmish over small things or band together to fight bandits but outside, everyone seems to hate us so badly from what I've been told"

Mark sighed a bit and sat down and motioned for Lyn to also sit down which she did across the former fire pit from him. Considering how the conversation's topic had changed so quickly, he imagined that this might take a while and there was no point in getting stiff legs

"Well, based on my travels, what you've been told might have been exaggerated a bit but I suppose yes: Some people view the folk of Sacae as barely more than animals", explained Mark, "Personally I say it's just simply the most terrible thing to say to such a proud group but unfortunately some don't think so. The one positive connotation that comes from someone born of Sacae is that they don't lie but a bunch of negative ones come as well"

"Why?", Lyn asked pretty simply

"Why what?", asked Mark back

"Why is it that such negative ideas come from us?", Lyn asked more clearly

"Well…in Sacae the people are mostly nomadic. There are trading centers where people live more regularly and visit as well around but most stick around in clans and families and also move around a lot to find resources and sleep in tents with a few possessions", explained Mark, "Personally I find no problem with that and I have to admit that kind of life is pretty impressive due to its difficulty but there are those who think otherwise. There are people who believe that the only way to make an honest, decent living is to live in a permanent house that is strongly built with many treasures accumulated through work in either a field or elsewhere. Just about every country works around that system here in Elibe and it's viewed as a more advanced society but since Sacae doesn't follow that kind of idea: People have gained the stereotype of lawless savages. Nobles of those countries often hire mercenaries from Sacae due to fighting skill but even though they're paid well and fed well…face it: They're treated like dirt and are barely allowed to show themselves to the civilians. Back when humankind finally took over Elibe the 'heroes' of the Scouring had good ideas about ruling their own nations and they implemented them and respect their former comrades' ideas…unfortunately now the leaders of each country view themselves as superior and so to this point: I've met many whom are racist to not just Sacae but to each other country…that's what really bothers me now…things have just fallen apart since dragon kind was kicked out when back in the days before the Scouring, they were only…what people don't realize is that soon, things will be disastrous if they don't get fixed and what I'm trying to do…is help fix it. I don't know how but I have to at least try"

When Mark realized what he'd just said he face palmed. He really got into the habit of giving long monologues which most people usually weren't interested in…and now in Lyn's eyes he was probably some creepy prophet who never spoke clearly and only ranted…after all, he had the hood, the cloak and robes, the long droning speech, and the staff

"I-I'm sorry Lyn I just had to-", began Mark

Lyn shook her head and smiled

"To be honest that was actually very interesting and I have to admit I enjoyed it", she said

Mark honestly couldn't tell if she meant it or if she was just being kind. Oh well…

"And also…", said Lyn, "Yesterday we had to start fighting the bandits which stopped you from answering my initial question so…"

Mark shrugged. He'd just spoken an incredibly long monologue and probably left Lyn pretty confused so he might as well answer some questions

"Well…as for where I was from as in where I was born…you could say Ilia for now although I've traveled around the continent for years with no real home but I'll say I've visited Ilia a bunch of times…As for what I was doing in the Sacae plains and what brought me here: I was heading to Lycia as I said before but I supposed I'd stop by to have a few words with some acquaintances of mine who happened to live in Sacae and apparently they happened to be from your clan: The Lorca tribe", said Mark

As soon as Mark brought up the Lorca tribe Lyn visibly stiffened and he wondered if he said something sensitive. Then again she was traveling alone when she herself was of the Lorca tribe so…

"Please continue", said Lyn relaxing a bit, "What were you planning to do in Lycia and well…could you explain that?", she asked gesturing at Mark's staff still across his back

"What about them?", asked Mark as he un-slung it from his shoulder

A closer look revealed to Lyn even though it seemed to be made of wood at first there were many engravings and different colors on it. There was absolutely no wood in it

"Well…for one who made that?", asked Lyn, "It actually cut an axe in half across the blade and I just don't understand how it's possible…"

"Well…to be honest I actually this myself", explained Mark surprising Lyn, "It was really not that easy and took me months to gather the materials and come up with the technique so it ultimately took nearly half a year. One other thing is that this isn't wood and you wouldn't believe what it's made of"

"Try me", replied Lyn

Mark shrugged

"Okay: Dragon Teeth shattered and re-stitched together magically"

Lyn blinked. Dragon Teeth? That was definitely something she wasn't expecting but before she asked Mark continued

"As you know, dragons fought humanity years ago but skeletons of dragons were littered all over the continent and hastily buried. It took a while but I found several relatively intact skeletons and had to spend hours chipping off teeth from different dragons to ensure its immunity to damage. After that I had to spend weeks to smash them into fragments and then mix them together and reshape them together into a staff with magic and also protection spells to make it virtually impervious to damage and actually enable me to cut even though it's a blunt object ", said Mark knowing what kind of question would come next, "Yes my magic is different from traditional 'spells' from magic tomes because magic tomes involve focusing energy through another source that can convert that energy into a lethal attack while mine doesn't involve magic tomes and is, in my opinion, much tougher because it basically works the same for attacking except I have to focus, shape, and convert my energy myself. That way it takes more energy to make an attack but alternatively…I managed to make these with 'wards' I created separately with each and every individual molecule of the dragon teeth to make it completely invincible. If I felt like it I could have added more spells to add power to the weapon but the last time I tried that…it had some unexpected side effects…"

To be honest, Lyn thought that being a tactician already involved much intelligence and focus. Yet here was someone who had learned to make invincible weapons and who could use magic without tomes. Of course that was already a lot of information to take in but Mark apparently seemed ready to answer all of Lyn's questions so he continued and Lyn, still interested yet fascinated, listened

"Put simply: I can get out of situations and be pretty stealthy if I have to but you probably wouldn't want me in an army", said Mark, "I'm a better thinker than fighter or mage or whatever so you can do the math there. The only magic I excel at is magically crafting weapons, making wards, and healing injuries while the only weapon I have is my staff here while I only know the basics of the sword, lance, axe, and bow"

That was good enough for Lyn so she didn't bother asking. Now was time for a more pressing question…

"Say Mark I've been thinking lately and I have something to ask you", began Lyn causing Mark to raise an eyebrow at the sudden change in topic

"Sure what is it?", asked Mark

"Well…you clearly have skills in the way of war so I thought I'd ask if I could join you on your journeys", said Lyn no longer shy

That got Mark by surprise. Nobody really asked to accompany him before…especially someone whom he had just met and someone this young

"Well…personally I have no problem with that", began Mark, "But shouldn't you get permission from your parents first? Since you're from the Lorca tribe I'm pretty sure that they trained you to be able to fend for yourself since they train everyone in their tribe in combat but even so I think you may want to go back and-"

Lyn's cheery expression suddenly disappeared and a single tear ran down her cheek

"…did I hit a sensitive topic?", wondered Mark a bit concerned, "Umm…Lyn? Are you okay?"

"There's no tribe or…family to even go back to", said Lyn downcast with a deep look of sadness

Lyn closed her eyes, looked down, and really let the tears flow. Apparently Mark DID hit a sensitive topic

"My mother and father…they died six months ago. My people…the Lorca…I'm the only one who survived. The Taliver Bandits attacked and slaughtered us", said Lyn with a mixed expression of sadness and anger, "We didn't stand a chance, they poisoned our drinking water and weakened most of us. When they attacked: Only the strongest could still stand, let alone fight. My father was the chieftain of the tribe and tried to mount a defense…but it was hopeless: We didn't have enough strong fighters left. I wanted to help but I myself could hardly swing my sword at the time", Lyn gripped her sword and gritted her teeth, "My father, already shaken by the loss of my mother, was already pierced with 7 arrows and had numerous other wounds with the poisoning but kept a strong face for me and used the last of his strength to mount me on a horse. He promised he'd be right behind me…but he wasn't…I was found by a group of travelers who helped me and gave me some supplies before I left and since then, I've been wandering around the South of Sacae"

Mark then did something Lyn wasn't expecting. He went to Lyn's side of the pit and put her head on his shoulder letting her cry out every last tear

Chieftain Hassar and Lady Madelyn had helped him once before in Mark's time of need as well once. The story of their deaths definitely affected Mark but they were just acquaintances of his…Lyn on the other hand had just lost her parents…and the rest of her tribe. Even so, Mark had felt the loss of family before as well and clearly understood how Lyn felt…but if Lyn had gone for 6 months without thinking of her family until now he had to admit: She was definitely stronger than he was

"I'm sorry…", said Mark, "I knew Hassar and Madelyn once but never knew they were gone for this long…I also lost my family long ago"

Lyn's crying stopped a bit as she listened

"I had to leave my family…to keep them safe…but I didn't realize that leaving them actually put them in even more danger", said Mark, "There was a bit of a…conflict back then all caused by both manipulation, and a complete misunderstanding. That conflict turned bloody and soon hell broke loose. I left to try and stop the conflict by defeating the one who started it but the mastermind behind this plot…he found out about my knowledge and turned almost all of my friends against me and my family…my mother and father fought as long as they could but they were caught by surprise in our home and died against impossible odds. My best friends, one of whom I found to actually be distantly related to me, were also caught in the conflict. They were married with 2 children but separated in the conflict so my friend and I took his children to a place we believed to be safe while we searched for my family and my friend's wife who was distantly related to me. We found my parents dead in my home and we found my friend's wife nearly dead as well. She told us to make sure her children were safe and to end the madness…unfortunately we were too slow and we told her children to run if we didn't return in a week and we arrived 8 days after we departed and by then: They were gone. My friend and I went our separate ways and I never saw him, nor his children, whom I felt to be like my niece and nephew, ever again. The whole plot was created to make 'you know who I mean' more powerful and the only way to end the conflict was to help one side win…I knew either way, he would win in the end and gain much power so I sided the group whose victory would grant him the least power. I became good friends with them and we won gaining 'you know who' some power but not as much should I have supported my old friends and family…I lost many allies…but gained new ones and delayed my true enemy's advance…at least for a little while"

Once again Mark had gone off the hook…but this time he had left out some important details so it looked like, for now, it was safe…but even though he and Lyn had gotten along quite well so far, he chose not to tell the whole story. However, even though the story was incredibly informative of Mark's past, it was meant to serve a different purpose and it worked: Though Lyn would still likely feel her some time later, it had distracted her from her own sorrow and it looked like she knew it…somewhat

"By the way…that story was meant to distract your own sorrow, not make you feel sorry for me", said Mark a bit unsure how he currently sounded to Lyn, "And to…well…answer your question more in-depth about my story"

Lyn had by now stopped crying completely and was much calmer and, though her eyes showed some pity, she seemed a bit thankful

"Well thank you Mark", said Lyn wiping away a tear on her cheek, "I swore to not cry about it again and I did…but thanks for taking my mind off of it…"

"Just…don't think about it for now", said Mark quickly before Lyn wandered off mentally again stopping her just in time

"Then…thank you I'm better now", said Lyn, "And I will shed no more tears"

Mark nodded his approval and Lyn stood up with Mark

"Mark…I want to become stronger so that I can one day avenge my parents' deaths. That battle yesterday taught me that I'm never going to get stronger just wandering aimlessly and grieving over my loss" said Lyn, "Mark. Will you let me travel with you? That way we can both fight together and get stronger together"

Mark had already thought about it. He wasn't to be underestimated in battle but since he'd just nearly died from lack of situational awareness, he'd need someone to watch his back and he was beginning to think of Lyn as his first friend in years after what they had just done together. Besides: His trade was planning more than attacking and if he was planning to actually REACH his goal, he was going to need help and people like Lyn here would need a plan

"Well…after the incident with the Djute tribe, Hassar and Madelyn entrusted me to take care of their daughter should anything happen to them…I guess I'd better live up to that promise", Mark also mentally added to his list, "Besides…It looks like Madelyn didn't tell Lyn about her heritage or of her other family…She might not like life in Lycia but I guess she has the right to know of her grandfather"

Mark grinned and held out his right hand

"Of course. It'd be an honor Lyn", said Mark, "…I guess I'll have to wait to break the news for her…after we get ready for the trip"

Lyn's face beamed with joy as she ignored Mark's hand and hugged him briefly instead

"That's wonderful! Thank you! Thank you so much!", exclaimed Lyn, "We'll be a great team working together you know it! I'll be your peerless warrior and you'll be my master strategist and comrade-at-arms"

"Then lets go", said Mark gesturing with his head towards the east to Bulgar, "Looks like this arrangement will work out, I wonder what'll happen next?"

Well first chapter is up. Constrictive Criticism is appreciated; flames and trolls are NOT appreciated. Of course updates will be pretty random because I'm working on multiple things but the next chapter should be up pretty soon

Up next is: Footsteps with Fate. Not exactly a very original title but I really don't have much to work with

One last thing: I'm going to issue a little "challenge" to see if people can think of a general ID for Mark. This first chapter already had a few hints without being too specific so some might be able to piece it together already. Anyway whether people are right or not I won't tell until I actually reach the chapter where I "drop the ball" so to speak but I'll acknowledge those who get it right and one little last hint: It's not obvious but it's not ambiguous either