1412: A Fire Emblem 7 (Rekka no Ken) fanfic with 3 of my own OCs. Everything else is owned by Nintendo. Including the text taken directly from the game, it's not word for word, otherwise it'd be much longer than it already is.

The adventures of the mysterious tactician Mark and Lyn. (The first 10 chapters/tutorial part of the game)

Enjoy.


The plains of Sacae.

Blue sky stretching beyond the horizon. Calm seas of green grass.

We find our heroes drowning in this vast sea of green.

But their journey to the plains is not at it's end. In truth, it is just beginning...

Prologue: A Girl on the Plains "Was it fate or chance that we met?"

Hidden in the blades of the green sea, three figures slept. A wolf, a raven and a traveler. The sun rose higher still, the traveller then woke with a grumble. His crimson eyes opened to see his friends in their animal forms.

He muttered, "That bed of grass isn't that soft." And started to stroke the unusually large raven from it's perch. When he heard a soft caw, he began to stroke a bit harder. He also gave the wolf a kick in the ribs.

The wolf yawned, as if he was waking up from a nap, and stretched like a cat. This brown wolf also seemed to be abnormally sized. If it had stood on it's hind legs, it would've been a head or a few shorter than a man.

"Lo Shii, why're we up so early?" said the wolf, a male voice coming from his vocal cords. "We're been traveling all day yesterday!" Quickly stifling another yawn, he began to wag his tail in expectation. His blue eyes eagerly waiting for an answer.

Which was the raven squawking in discomfort.

"Ow!" she squawked, "Did you know how long it takes to preen these feathers?!"

The traveller shrugged in reply. "And you!" Zidda had turned to the wolf, ignoring Lo Shii's shrug. "Why are you still here? You should practice hunting with my eyes you know!"

Another lazy yawn before a reply, "I just got up, jeez. You're always so cranky in the morning." "Am not!" "Are too!" "Am not!" "Are too!"

A cough stopped the childish bickering. Blue and golden eyes turned to look into crimson eyes. "Come, we have less than one hour to hunt the food we eat today. We're several hours behind schedule for our meeting. We can't keep those two waiting too long in one place."

Although it wasn't said, the unspoken words were still heard. "They'll be captured again before we can fight back."

"I suggest you two go hunt while I forage for some berries. Make sure you don't spill any blood, it'll give their dogs something to find us by." "But Lo! You can't--!" John clamped his jaw shut immediately, or rather, Ziida did it for him.

But Lo Shii just turned towards a forest two acres away. "One hour, then we leave, get back here with enough meat to last the day." And with that, Lo Shii took off at an amazing speed, careful to keep his cloak covering him completely.

The animals left behind shared a glance before leaving for the hunt.


"Darn it! There's nothing to forage here!" Weary red eyes scanned the forest desperately. "Crap, I have been going on too long without blood..." Lo Shii shut his eyes closed in an attempt to clear his head. Took a deep breath to calm himself...

And smelled human blood.

Lo Shii ran towards the scent without a second thought, running purely on instinct, his eyes shinning vibrantly.


Ziida stopped her search for prey. John glanced at her while suffocating a rabbit he just caught. "Did you feel that?" "Sudden blood lust? Yeah." The rabbit stopped it's struggle.

John picked up the rabbit with his teeth, careful to not eat it as it was. "Think we should go back?"

Ziida pondered this for a minute, stretched her wings and said, "Not back...after him. He might kill someone. Let's go!"

The hunters sped towards the source of blood lust. To someone far away, they looked like an eagle and a bear.


'I've got to stop! I can't just kill her!' Indecision appeared on Lo Shii's features. His prey, a girl with long, green hair in a blue dress, was practicing her sword strokes.

Lo Shii began to inch closer, his natural instincts taking over the logic in his mind. His canines and eyes became increasingly sharp. He was close enough to strike her down...

When he let his hand slip out from under the cover of his cloak.

His logic came screaming back as he held back the gasp of pain…

Which left him unguarded long enough for a wood block piece to knock him out.

As his vision began dimming, he cast an illusion over his facial features. His ears became slightly rounded and his eyes changed to a gentle brownie brown. The girl was coming closer now. His chance to drain her blood was too slim now...He was starting to see stars.

And he drifted toward the darkness.


Lo Shii didn't know how long it took for him to regain consciousness. He did know he was captured, or helped, by the girl he was stalking earlier. A pain on his forehead kept him cautious. He continued his steady, shallow breathing; taking in more air than smells. He kept his eyes closed, and used his hearing to determine what was waiting for him.

A very wet tongue and a caw that sounded like a rebuke came somewhere from his left...

This flashed two thoughts inside Lo Shii's mind. One, he was with his friends. Two, they didn't speak because an outsider was nearby.

Groaning slightly and opening his eyes, he turned his head to glace sideways. Lo Shii saw that he was right and that it was the girl from earlier.

"Are you alright?" Lo Shii rubbed his eyes again, unsure that this was the same girl from earlier. He noticed that she had long, dark green hair tied up into a ponytail. She wore a blue dress with slits starting from her hips and ended, with the dress, just under her knees. He found his eyes drawn towards his face and found no mistrust or suspiciousness in her features. Instead, a warming smile and gentle eyes greeted him.

"I found you unconscious on the plains, are you ok now?" Her voice broke his trance as he thought of a good cover-up story.

"I remember waling in a vast sea of green when I saw you. I was going to ask you for directions, but then something hard hit me in the head...Did you throw something at me?"

"Ah...I was practicing with my sword...I was trying to perfect my critical attack...wood was flying everywhere, sorry."

Lo Shii rubbed the pain on his forehead and found the swelling was not very prominent. He could go unnoticed with the bump on his forehead if no one looked at him clearly.

"Do you remember anything else?" 'Time to lie through my teeth.' He thought grimly, this girl didn't need to be lied to, but he couldn't take any chances...

"Nope." "What about your name?" "Mark, what's yours?" "I'm Lyn of the Lorca. We--!" The two stopped, both of them stopped because of the noise coming from outside. Lo Shii noticed the smell of tainted blood and old blood, it was never a good combination.

Someone was coming to Lyn's ger.

Lo Shii saw emotions flash quickly on her face. Fear? Hate? Anger? "I'll go see what's happening, you stay here and don't do anything." And without another word, she left.

Lo Shii saw his chance and said, "Ziida, update, now. I'll open the connection." Inside his mind, Lo Shii opened the telepathy link he had with Ziida, ignoring John's whines about how unfair it was. Ziida, also ignoring John, started the update.

'We finished hunting a rabbit when we felt a sudden blood lust from your direction. By the time we got there, that girl was trying to carry you out of the forest. I picked you up, and you need to lose some of that weight by the way, and carried you to John's back.' Ziida's real voice, unhindered by the raven's vocal cords, sounded innocent and feminine.

'I think I'm pretty light, we get enough exercise running around.' Lo Shii replied dryly. 'What happened after that?'

'John managed to convince that girl, Lyn was it? Yeah, he did his irresistible puppy dog eyes on her. She somehow understood that we were your friends. She steadied you on John and led us to her ger. You've been unconscious since for three days.'

Groaning, Lo Shii thought, 'That's just great! We need to be in Bulgar by—' "How long are you going to stare at your bird?" Lo Shii turned to see Lyn picking up her sword in it's sheath and adjusting it on her belt.

"How many are there?" "Two bandits, brigands." "You take down one and I'll get the other one." Lyn stared at him, "Even if you're recovered enough to fight, what are you going to fight with?" Lo Shii pointed at his head. "Here, strategist by trade. As well as some of this." Lo Shii started muttering a few incantations, his right hand produced a small, but deadly sphere of dark magic.

"A shaman without a tome? Strange..." "I'll explain later, we have some bandits to kill." "Alright then..."

As the group, if two humans, one raven and a wolf count as a group, left the ger. Lo Shii was blinded by the sudden sunlight, unaware that it was early afternoon.

Shaking slightly, Lo Shii put his hood back on, adjusting his eyes to the brightness. Lyn took no notice and continued to the brigand that was further away. "Use your critical!" Lo Shii shouted after her, "We'll get rid of this one here!"

Assuming she had heard, Lo Shii turned to John and Ziida. 'Ziida, distract the bandit with your wings, get dust in his eyes. John you charge in after a count of 20 and deliberately attack his ax arm. I'll finish him off if he dodges your charge. And Ziida, when you see me going after the first guy. Switch and distract the bandit further away from us.' All of those commands were delivered lightning fast in their mental link.

Having the element of surprise on their sides. Ziida swooped upon the bandit, creating great buffest of wind all around him. Dust billowed here and there, giving a screen of protection to John. Who the bandit did not see until the last moment.

The bandit jumped back in time to miss the great jaws snapping at him.

Only to be hit by dark magic in the chest area. Blades of Dark magic flew in a whirlwind around the brigand. Blood flew everywhere.

Seeing this, Ziida sped towards the last bandit, avoiding the chunks of human flesh with Lo Shii's directions. John stared at Lo Shii and asked, 'Can I eat him? It's been a while since I've eaten human meat...You want the blood, Lo?' 'Thanks, but no thanks. Tainted blood makes my head spin.' Replied Lo Shii, who snapped his fingers and dissolved the spell.


Lyn ran quickly to the neighboring ger. Although her neighbors were currently on a hunting expedition. It stood to reason that their valued possessions were left behind. 'It was both a blessing and a curse.' She thought. 'What luck they were not surprised by bandits and killed in their beds. But I cannot possibly scare that bandit away. A fight will have to take place.'

Out of the corner of her eye, Lyn could see a dark purple blur coming after her and soon it had surpassed her. It was Lo Shii's pet raven. Although a dark eagle would have been described it's size. The raven flew ahead and started to jab it's beak everywhere at uncovered flesh. Lyn slowed down and began to creep towards the brigand slowly.

When she was close enough she struck the bandit with her critical attack. Head, torso and legs came clearly apart with sprays of blood everywhere. Staining the green plains of grass with bright crimson red. Exhausted from running and moving at speeds the naked eye could not follow. Lyn collapsed on the soft grass, blinked futilely as she struggled to recognize the far-away blurs.

They were her neighbors, no threat at all to her.

As she slipped into the darkness, she noticed Lo Shii running toward her as quick as a blur. 'He's moving...far too fast...to be human. What...kind of...shaman...is he?'

And then she thought no more.


'Hmm...That was powerful and very dangerous. I wonder how fast she was moving?' 'ARE YOU NUTS?! Lyn would've killed me if I didn't fly away in time!' 'No...for one thing, her blade wouldn't be able to reach that high. Secondly, you were able to dodge her because I told you to fly away just before she started her attack.' 'And if I didn't fly away in time?!' 'I'd heal you, simple as that.' Lo Shii mentally shrugged. Ziida gasped, 'She collapsed!' 'Lo, is the other guy dead?' 'Go ahead, you too, Ziida. Share with John and leave the head intact. I think the neighbors need an explanation.

Lo Shii stopped his effortless walk and began running towards the recent battlefield where Lyn had collapsed. Unaware of his fangs protruding from his mouth. "Lyn! Are you alright?" Lo Shii reached her and found her heart beating rapidly from excitement. He calmed himself down, shutting away his natural instincts, and looked for exterior wounds. There were none.

'Hmm...She's just exhausted, now where is that rag?' Lo Shii took Lyn's satchel and looked for a rag to clean the sword blade. He found the dirty rag, took it out and started to carefully clean the blood-stained blade. The tainted blood repulsive to him.

By the time Lo Shii had finished cleaning the iron sword. Lyn's neighbors had finally reached their ger. 'No doubt they are wondering why a girl and a stranger are in front of their ger in a small battlefield.' Seeing them draw their weapons, Lo Shii put the blood-soaked rag down on the grass. Rising slowly with his hands at his side, he faced Lyn's neighbors. A myrmidon and nomadic trooper faced him.

"Who are you and what happened here?" 'Shaking knees, scared voices, they are peaceful folk.' Lo Shii deduced. ' ...You two done eating yet?' In his mind, the shaman could hear sounds of munching and chomping. 'No.' 'Nope!' 'When you're done, get over here. Leave the head alone if you don't mind.' 'I remember, thank you very much.' 'Fine by me, Lo.' Lo Shii closed off his mental link and began his story.

"I am Mark of the Lorca tribe, one of the few survivors. I was left for dead when the Taliver Bandits attacked. By our Father Sky's grace was I able to live. I was weak...very weak and collapsed easily. And so Mother Earth granted me animal companions. The large wolf and raven, a fierce hunting duo. The wolf brought me meat from dead animals and the raven fished trout for me. I made a fire and kept it burning constantly, eventually regaining strength to move and walk freely after two months. But Lyn found me weakened from hunger. I was fasting in thanks and misjudged my strength." Lo Shii mentally smirked, the Taliver Bandits were still feared for what they did. But no one knew the truth about them.

"I am sorry, Mark. But what has happened now in front of my home?" The Sacean put away his sword, his wife withdrew her bow.

"Well, this is what's left of Batta the beast and his friend." Lo Shii stopped as he saw Ziida and John approach. "It seems my hunters have left the head intact after their meal. Come, help me gather the body of Batta so we can bury them." A few nods of agreement, some shuffled movement towards the body parts.

"Wolf, dig the earth. Raven, collect flowers and herbs. Good neighbours, do you have a tool to break the Earth?" "Yes." "Let us give them a proper burial at least. I'l carry Lyn to her ger and help you." And with that, Lo Shii picked up Lyn, bridal style, and walked slowly back to her ger. John took the bandit's head by the hair and started digging with his front paws. Ziida flew to a forest to find the flowers and herbs.


'I'm being held...warm arms holding me protectively...It's still bright.' Lyn thought. Opening her eyes, Lyn saw the sun shining harshly at her. She turned her head and blushed when she realized that it was Lo Shii holding her. "Thank you, Mark. But I can stand just fine on my own.`

Her attempt to escape his grasp was in vain.

Lo Shii tightened his hold on her and said, 'You are exhausted. Taking on the boss bandit by yourself. If I didn't send Ziida to distract him, I might've needed to heal you and show you something unpleasant.' Lyn thought, 'That's odd, he's only a shaman but he talks about healing my wounds?' To voice her unasked question, Lo Shii continued, 'I don't heal people the regular way. As you've seen my talents without a tome. But the less you know the better off you'd be.'

"Who are you protecting then?" Lyn blurted out. Lo Shii cringed and nearly dropped her.

"Like I said, the less you know the better off you'd be." Whispered Lo Shii in a low voice. "Is this your secret to tell?" replied Lyn in a whisper. Lo Shii thought for a moment.


'Can you two hear our conversation?' 'Yes.' 'Yea.' Replied the two distinct voices in Lo Shii's mind. 'She is getting suspicious, we'll have to tell her something.' 'We should discuss that with our friends first, right Lo?' 'Yes...It's their story and our secret...We'll see how this plays out I suppose.'

Clearing his dry throat, Lo Shii whispered, 'I'll tell you when the time is right. So for now, I am Mark to you. My animal companions are Ziida the raven and John the wolf." Somehow, Lyn sensed the note of finality in Lo Shii's whisper, and stopped asking questions.


When they arrived at Lyn's ger, Lyn tried one more time to insist she was alright. Her attempt faltered when she noticed Lo Shii's eyes. A dull crimson red, nearly brown, but somehow she knew it should've been a bright, crimson red.

Lo Shii interrupted her thoughts, "Eyes can transfer intent, good or bad." Lyn realized that this was a statement of fact. She could actually see a glimpse of his intent. He wanted her to calm down and rest. Somewhat unwilling, Lyn nodded and let herself be tucked into bed by the shaman. And with a mutter from Lo Shii, Lyn found herself falling asleep.


Lo Shii watched Lyn for a moment, assuring himself that his sleeping spell was working. 'How many secrets will be unearthed? How many need we tell? How many will satisfy her curiosity?' 'Uh...Lo? We're nearly done burying the bodies.' 'Yea, and we think the neighbors expect you to say something over the dead guys.' 'I'll be there momentarily.' And with that, Lo Shii departed from the ger. Running, but not as fast as he could, just enough to seem human.

Getting slightly impatient at his own speed, Lo Shii sprinted slightly faster towards the two mounds of freshly dug earth. The smaller mound was where the head was buried, 'Probably anyways.' thought Lo Shii. Clearing his throat, Lo Shii began the commemoration of their enemies.

"Batta the beast, although you fought with the ferocity of a wolf. You fell honourably at the sword of Lyn from the Lorca tribe. Your fellow bandit and brigand also fought bravely. And also fell honourably at the fangs of my wolf and the dark abyss of my power. May your souls find peace and may we fight again in another life. Farewell." With that, Lo Shii lit the incense sticks to send the spirits on their way.

"That was beautiful, Mark, far more praise than they deserve." "The Taliver Bandits are merciless, hunting anyone. Men, women, even the children and the elderly. Nothing can satisfy their blood lust." Lo Shii nodded in agreement with a grim smile. "I think my sister, Lyn, was lucky I was here and there were only two of them. But they must be new recruits, the Taliver are like assassins in the night."

"It is getting late, we will turn in for the night." "A thousand blessings upon you!" replied Lo Shii. "And a thousand curses on our enemies!" With that, the two groups parted from the burial site. The setting sun spreading red-orangish light on the green plains. The blood stain remains of the battlefield glinting reddish brown, dried and liable to crack anytime.


Silence enveloped them, until John spoke mentally, 'Lo...you haven't eaten anything...have you?' Zidda added, 'Yea, do you want us to hunt? We could probably grab a couple of rabbits for you or something.' Lo Shii thought for a moment.

'It's been a while since I've had human blood.' 'You-' 'Lo! You might kill her!' 'She is something though, the fates have her destined for something. Could you not feel it, Ziida?' Ziida thought for a moment, then spoke emotionlessly, 'You're right, Lo Shii. But shouldn't we wait before jumping into this?!' Lo Shii shrugged, 'You know I like helping people.' 'And she's "interesting" too, eh Lo?' 'What would your mother think if she sees you now John!' 'None of us have seen our parents for a long time, Ziida.' The taboo subject about their parents brought painful memories to them all.

Lo Shii broke the silence, 'Either way, I think we should travel with her for a while…so let's see what comes out of this, shall we?' John and Ziida remained silent, the raven fumed but decided that the shaman's judgment was best.

Reaching Lyn's ger, Lo Shii concentrated on the sounds resonating within. Hearing only the soft, sleepy breathing of the girl within. He then asked John and Ziida, 'Do you guys want to sleep inside or outside?' John snorted, 'I'm too big to fit in there comfortably.' 'Ziida?' 'The space is too confining... I'll stay outside.' 'Suit yourselves.' And Lo Shii entered the ger quietly.

Lo Shii crept around the ger until he was in Lyn's room. He closed off his mental link and sneaked closer to the bed. Lyn's hair was sprawled and framed her face. Lo Shii noticed he forgot to undo her pony-tail tie earlier and quickly undid it. He carefully brushed her hair aside to reveal her neck. He undid the first two ties holding her dress together to free her porcelain skin. Her veins pumping blood was making his mouth water slightly.

He bit her neck.

Lyn struggled, trying to make the demon disappear from her dreams. Lo Shii's spell keeping her trapped in the world of dreams and nightmares. In reality, Lo Shii's vice grip kept her body from convulsing out of control.

After a few more moments, Lyn stopped struggling. Lo Shii licked the bite marks, healing her wounds, Lo Shii then cut his finger with a long nail and placed his bleeding finger in Lyn's mouth. 'A few drops of my blood and it removes all suspicions.' Lyn involuntarily swallowed the blood, not repulsed by it's taste. Which was not coppery, but sweet, reminiscent of milk. Lyn went back into an easy sleep.

Satisfied that his victim remained unsuspecting, Lo Shii left Lyn to her dreams and went outside. He saw John guarding the door way of the ger with his huge body mass. Ziida was cradled in John's paws, woke groggily and asked mentally, 'You aren't sleeping inside?' Lo Shii shook his head. 'The stars are bright tonight, unlike home... Go back to sleep.' Ziida yawned and did just that, leaving Lo Shii for the world of dreams.

He followed soon after, dreams of unfulfilled prophecies and fates consuming his thoughts.


The next morning, Lyn woke up feeling slightly disoriented. 'What a strange dream,' she thought. 'Taliver bandits, a wolf, a raven and a shaman tactician. ...Hmm?' Lyn then noticed her dress wasn't connected at the collar. A hazy memory came to mind. Lo Shii pinning her down and biting—no, kissing her neck.

'But why would he do that? It'd make more sense if he kissed my forehead...' Lyn blushed at the endearing thought. 'Other than the fact that I don't know him at all, it was still an intense battle... I'd better go see if he's left yet...' Lyn retied the undone ties and wandered around, trying to find the shaman.


Lo Shii woke but kept his eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the sun on him. Protected by his cloak that is.

John was still asleep, glad for the few extra hours. Ziida was hovering and keeping a lookout for early risers.

'What time is it?' Lo Shii asked Ziida. 'Morning, I'd say late morning.' 'Hmm, it's been awhile since we've fought in any battle. We were lucky they were stupid. Probably the newest generation?' 'It's your conspiracy theory Lo Shii.' 'I know.' The wind blew and silence overpowered them.

"Good morning, Lo Shii! Are you awake yet?" Lo Shii opened one eye to look at her. "Somewhat. Still a bit tired, but I think I'll be able to leave in an hour. Maybe."

Lyn looked surprised, "You want to leave already? I wanted to talk to you about the fight yesterday." Lo Shii closed his eye and yawned. "It was a good strategy, a bit risky since I didn't know how strong you were."

"Fair enough, but you have experience in the ways of war. I can see that. Could I travel with you?" At this, Lo Shii sat up quickly. "Is there anyone who looks after you? You look just around my age, 15 perhaps? Where were your parents anyways?" Lyn remained silent. "They were killed by the Taliver, weren't they?" Lyn nodded, "My mother and father...died six months ago. My people—the Lorca—they don't... I'm the last of my tribe. They attacked, and...killed so many people. The tribe was scattered, my father was our chieftain. I wanted to protect our people. But I'm so young and the people are so old-fashioned. They wouldn't follow a woman. No one would."

Lo Shii laid on the ground again, thinking. 'The waters are coming out soon...' 'Is John awake yet?' 'Give him a sharp jab or two.' Ziida swooped down and gave a peck at John's head. 'Owww... Is it time to leave yet, Lo?'

Lo Shii chose to rise slowly and whisper to Lyn, "Let your tears run and dry. I will not judge you by it."

The dam broke and the waters rushed out.

The shaman held the swordswoman in a close embrace, leaving her to her grief and sorrows. "Sniff...I'm sorry, I've been alone for so long... No, no more. I will shed no more tears."

"Shed your tears when you deem just. Focus on what you have, I am with you. You survived the Taliver bandits a second time. Should you not be glad? From now on, my sorrow is your sorrow, my tears are your tears. No one deserves to be hurt so severely and suffering so alone." Lo Shii let go of Lyn, thinking she was more stabilized emotionally.

"Thank you. But Mark, I want—I must become stronger! I need to avenge my father's death! Yesterday's battle taught me something. I won't get stronger by sitting here alone. Mark, tell me you'll train me, that you'll let me travel with you!" Lyn descended to the ground and asked this while bowing her head.

Lo Shii didn't know how to approach this. 'John?' The wolf laid alert, his ears stood straightened slightly. 'You're growing a soft spot for her. Why not?' 'I am not!' Lo Shii groaned mentally. 'Ziida?' The raven remained silent, debating whether or not the swordswoman should travel with them.

'The wind of fate blows a strange direction for her. I have a feeling that we were meant to meet. If we don't help her...she will fail in her quest.' 'I sense that too... Alright, she comes with us but we won't tell her a thing.'

Lo Shii tapped Lyn on the shoulder and said, "We're equals, but I'll teach you how to be stronger...with time." He helped her up as she said, "You will? That's wonderful!"

Unexpectedly, (not really) Lyn hugged Lo Shii in thanks. "We'll be better off working together! You'll be my master strategist, and I'll be your peerless warrior! We can do it, right?"

Lo Shii, getting over the surprise, wheezed out. "Yea. Can you let me breathe now?" Lyn let go of Lo Shii and steadied him a bit. The animals laughed, or something akin to laughing. A strange sound that started the human's laughter also.

The shaman recovered first, being in nature very serious, and cleared his throat before speaking. "It's roughly a day's travel to get to Bulgar, right Lyn?" "Yes. But didn't you pass by that way?" Lo Shii froze, the raven and wolf stopped laughing and looked at each other.

"We went north to Ilia to see if they would hire a strategist. No luck. So we came back south to see if we could find any mercenary groups. It was purely good fortune that you found me collapsed." Lo Shii's lie made perfect sense to the outsider. "What about your provisions?"

"This big guy here," Lo Shii gestured at John, the huge wolf. "Ate most of it, he get's too lazy to hunt sometimes." John looked sheepish (which is strange for a wolf) at the explanation. "Ah," Lyn nodded, it made perfect sense.

"We leave in an hour for Bulgar! You two go hunting and we should pack everything in your ger. We'll need to sell or trade some of your stuff away. It'd be easier when we travel to not carry as much and worry about it being stolen." Lyn nodded in agreement. "Although we Saceans are nomadic, traveling light on an unknown journey is best."

Lo Shii thought quietly, 'Could she be the one to stop this cycle? Hmm... A strange wind indeed...'


Ziida jabbed at a rabbit, killing it instantly. The poor thing just popped it's head out of it's home when the unexpected blow came. Ziida stared at it for a moment, then picked it up to look for John. She called for him in her mind, 'John! Did you get the deer?'

A moment's silence until the reply came, 'Yea, I'll find you in a minute!' Ziida sighed mentally and flew towards a branch to wait for the wolf. 'John?' 'Yes, Z?' 'Do you think Lo Shii is falling for Lyn?' 'That's a bit early, Z. They've only known each other for about a day.' 'I'm just worried.' 'You always do, but he's our—what does he call it? ...Ni-san! He's not going to abandon us for her.' 'You're right...' '...Are you OK?' 'Never better or worse.'

John groaned, 'I just don't get it. You shouldn't need to ask me. You've known him longer than I have!' 'Yeah, but we don't really talk...' 'You were yesterday, a lot in fact.' 'Not that kind of talking! You know...deep stuff.' 'Like your perfect children together?' 'John-!' 'Face it, you love him. He knows. But he doesn't know how to react. Besides you guys are different species.' 'But Lo Shii has a plan to get us back to normal!' John stayed silent.


1412: So, the tactician's name is Lo Shii, but he chooses not to reveal his name...now why would that be? Find out in the next chapter (lie) next week! Updates will hopefully be weekly, if not, then within two weeks unless further notified. Updates will be on Saturdays (not including today, cuz' I am high after getting my H1N1 shot...somewhat XD) Obviously, my OCs are Lo Shii, Ziida and John.

Lo Shii: Am I a vampire?

1412: No...not exactly.

Lo Shii: I am, aren't I?

John: What about me?! I barely got to say anything!

Ziida: Same with me, why do we have such little roles?

1412: Sidekicks usually do have little roles ^^;

*stare of death from all three*

1412: What? You guys are talking animals! It's CLEAR that you guys are sidekicks of some sort!

Lo Shii: Then why can they talk?

1412: *shrugs* it's all in your head Lo Shii...

Lo Shii: They were humans turned into animals.

1412: ! Don't go telling the readers that! Don't you know what suspense and mystery is?!

Lo Shii: So? You made me into a vampire! There's so many stereotypes about them now! Like sparkling in the sun?

1412: How'd we get caught into talking about Twilight? (Stephenie Meyer) And if you were, I'd have put 'his skin sparkled like diamonds' in there when the sun touched you, now wouldn't I?

Lo Shii: You are a tricky author...

1412: Either way, you are NOT a vampire...or at least, that's what I'm saying for now, everyone will know...sometime in future chapters, or possibly in Eliwood's/Hector's part of the story. Pending, I think I'll go for Hector's side of the story, since he has more text (more about his closeness with his brother anyways, NOT IMPLYING YAOI)

Here's what Lo Shii looks like - http : // slayer-1412 . deviantart . com/art/The-Tactician-145524521 (without spaces)

Now for the preview of the next chapter:

The "apprentice" tactician Lo Shii and the young swordfighter Lyn. A strange pair on an even stranger journey. To prepare for the long road ahead, they go to Bulgar, the commercial center of Sacae. Unbeknownst to Lyn, she will discover something that will altar her life forever.

Chapter 1: Footsteps of Fate "Fate is a strange wind that brings with it, surprises."

"Lyn," Lo Shii said suddenly. They had just finished setting up Lyn's ger for the night, not too far from Bulgar's walls.

Lyn, surprised, asked, "Yes, Mark?" "I'm meeting a contact of mine tomorrow in Bulgar. Do you think you can buy the provisions? I think I have some spare items available for trade. If that's not enough, use this." Lo Shii handed a bag to Lyn, full of gold coins. "There's about 200 gold in there, so use it wisely."

"Should I buy any tomes?" "No... I'll explain that to you another time. Your sword is still durable, so just buying provisions are enough. Let's hope we'll get hired." "Right!" They walked towards their respected spaces to turn in for the night. Lo Shii to his animal friends and Lyn to her ger.

But Lo Shii could not sleep.

'Ziida, do you feel it?' Ziida, roused from her non-existent sleep, replied, 'Yes. What we do tomorrow has been predetermined. Do not go against it.' 'Let's hope our deaths aren't written for tomorrow then.'

The next day came quickly. Lo Shii and Lyn left their makeshift camp. "This is Bulgar, the biggest city in all of Sacae. But you already knew that." Lyn explained as they walked through the gate and into the market.

Lo Shii nodded, then pointed out a person in a heavy brown cloak. The person's face was obscured from Lyn's view, but Lo Shii knew who it was.

"That's my contact, I'll see if I can find an appropriate mission. Be careful with the gold!" With that, Lo Shii disappeared into the crowd with the cloaked figure.