Alright everyone. First off sorry it took a while to put up this chapter, life happened. It got busy so I had little time to work on this chapter. It also took me longer because this was entirely not related to the story. I couldn't get any of the characters personalities right (in my opinion at least) so they sound like OC's, sorry about that. Also, I would like to point out that there is some Gary Stu in here, if you read it, you will see it. I will explain in the Author's notes. I am disappointed to how this chapter turned out, it wasn't nearly as funny as I would have liked but, can't keep working on it forever or it will turn to a fixation and I'll lose my focus on the story.
Now for reviews –
Patattack – As always, thanks for reading.
Xiang Yun – I am sorry to disappoint you to how this chapter turned out. I thought I would be good with comedy but it's actually harder than I thought. I guess it's only a once in a while thing. Yes, Ninian and Nils are Ice dragons. Though you're wrong about him being a different type of dragon, I just wanted to lead people the wrong way so I would get them a bit more interested. And you weren't rambling, I ramble a lot, but I try to keep it in check. (Thank past reviewers for that)
Kenegi – Yay! A new reviewer, thanks for reviewing. The problem I have is that I don't really add a lot of detail. I tend to ramble about stuff that doesn't matter but not with detail. I totally forgot about Sain, how did that happen? He's like the most noticeable guy in the game, except for Hector. I will fix it eventually when I have the time. I hope I can see you review my story again in the near future.
On a side note, Yay, birthday last week. Happy B-day me!
Also, Yay over 10,000 words on this one.
Anyways to limit my rambling. Here's chapter 10!
I woke up pretty early and sneak out the inn. I have a full schedule today so I can't really dawdle. Let's see, first up, is the outskirts of town. I pick up what I need and head towards the gate.
"Hey everyone, Mark's on the move." Matthew said.
"Really? It's too early to do anything." Wil said.
"Doesn't matter, everyone gets a shot of unmasking him. So who's first?" Matthew said.
Everyone looked around to see who would go first. They weren't sure how exactly they would go about in unmasking him.
"For now, let's follow him. Depending on what he'll do, we'll work with that." Lyn said. Everyone nodded.
He walked towards the gates and headed to the outskirts of town. Then he walked to the forest and stopped.
"What's he going to do?" Wil said.
"I don't know; let's just wait a bit more." Dorcas said.
Mark knelt down and dropped a couple of items. They were an iron sword, axe, lance, and bow. He looked at them and picked the bow.
"I haven't really practiced with a bow, I have to make sure I can land a hit, power is useless if you can't hit the mark. I had to sneak out like this because everyone won't let me train after the stunt I pulled in Araphen, and they won't let me leave them either." Mark said, he was loud enough to be overheard by the Legion. For the most part, it was true. Due to his inability with weapons and recklessness. The legion pretty much had him in quarantine.
"So who's first?" Lucius asked.
"Lets see… out of everyone that will be up so early, the candidates are: Lyn, Kent, Rath, or maybe Dorcas." Erk said.
"Hmm… Lyn you go first." Matthew said.
"Why me?" Lyn asked.
"Because you're the leader, show us how it's done. Kent is too strict. He might make him go back and ruin his chance. Rath… is a man of few words; I doubt he can do anything right now." He said.
"Fine." Lyn said.
She thought for a while and decided to play the early training act. She walked back a bit and made a lot of rustling noise to sound like she was just arriving. Mark who had a bow notched pointed it at the location of the noise.
"Mark?" Lyn said.
"Lyn? What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Training, what are you doing here? I thought we told you no training." She said.
"Err… I couldn't hold back." He said.
"Well, I won't tell anyone if you spar with me."
"Uhh… no thanks, I'll lose. I better return to town."
"Nope, this is training. Get ready!" She charged at Mark.
"Yikes! Lyn's gone crazy."
He grabbed the iron sword and attempted to parry the attack. She was fast; He could barely react in time. Lyn seemed to be aiming especially at his head.
"Lyn! Are you crazy! Are you trying to cut my head off!" He yelled.
"This is training!" She said.
The onlookers looked at Lyn. They were kind of confused and surprised.
"That… might be taking things to far." Florina said.
"Well… it was simple enough, but I think she took it out of proportions." Sain said.
"Does she want to see what's under his hood that much?" Ninian asked.
"No, it looks like she's having fun." Kent said.
"Shouldn't we stop her?" Nils asked.
"Nah, I think it's almost over." Wil said.
They looked back at the pair that were fighting. Lyn had knocked Marks sword out of his hand but Lyn was still approaching.
"Lyn? I'm unarmed. Stop already." He asked. But those words fell on deaf ears. He bolted into the forest.
"Hey! Come back!" Lyn yelled and gave chase.
Crap, Lyn's out her mind! She wanted to train but she's acting like a lunatic right now. I ran through the forest with Lyn right behind me. I have to do something fast. I ran and looked around for anything that might help. There were vines, branches, thick forest and lots of trees. I know, animal trap!
I gather the material I needed for my plan. I got away from Lyn long enough to put it together. I put a vine on the floor to trip Lyn and tied vines together to make a net. I knotted the end pieces and threw a vine up into the tree. As I did that, Lyn found me. Hope it works.
"Come back here!" She yelled and charged at me. She managed to track me down. Those Lorcan's know how to track.
I saw her trip and fall to the ground with the tripwire I put. Just as she did I pulled the rope and caught her in the net. She was dangling from the net, off the ground.
"Hey! Let me down!" she yelled.
"Nope, you'll get out by yourself eventually. I'm heading towards the library in town. If I see anyone on the way, I'll tell them where you are." I said before I went back to town after collecting his things, I ignored the angered Lyn. I better get out before she finds out how to escape.
The rest of the Legion walked up to the captured Lyn after a few minutes and laughed.
"Lyn, you were trying to hard. It was completely out of your character." Florina said.
"Just get me down from here." Lyn said.
"You know, you still have your sword, you could just cut them." Sain said. Lyn just realized that fact and cut herself loose. Everyone laughed even harder because she didn't realize.
"Alright, looks like I'm out. So who's next?" Lyn said, her face was flushed.
"He said he was going to the library right?" Lucius said.
"Yeah, I think the one's that fit that place are Erk and Lucius." Matthew said.
"I think we both should try. If one fails, the other one still has a chance." Erk said.
"Agreed." The group said.
Dawn was just barely rising. The group was still very eager to unmask Mark, except for Lyn whose pride was slightly injured. The group sneaked around in order not to make too much noise or get Mark's attention. Once he reached the library, he went around the whole place and brought a lot of books.
"Alright, its time." Lyn said.
The mage and the Monk stepped into the library and walked up to their Tactician. He didn't seem to notice them because he was absorbed in reading the books.
"Hmm… trial and error… simulations…" he muttered, while reading the book he was holding.
"Hello Mark. What are you doing?" Lucius asked. Mark jumped a bit and looked at his two companions.
"Oh, its you guys. Sorry, I thought it might have been Lyn." He said.
"Lyn? Why would Lyn be in a library?" Lucius asked.
"Well… I kind of did something to her a little while ago and I think she might be out for blood." He tried laughing it off. The Legion couldn't help but snort and looked at Lyn who was still ticked off.
"Ah… I see… So you didn't answer the question." Lucius said.
"Hmm? Oh, I'm studying up on several strategies and the land that's ahead." Mark said.
"Why?" Lucius said.
"Because due to my inability yesterday, Florina almost died. So far, there hasn't been any need for overly-complicated strategy. I'm still an apprentice; I need to gain more knowledge about tactics, also the land itself. A tactician has to know everything." Mark said.
"The pursuit of knowledge. As noble as any other." Erk said.
"Why are you guys here?" Mark asked.
"We…" We forgot to think of an excuse. They both thought. "…were just looking around, we spotted you in here so we thought we would say hi." Erk said.
"I see, well I'm just about done here. Don't get in trouble you two." Mark said as he picked up the stack of books and put them back into place and walked away.
The rest of the Legion hid as Mark came out and then looked at their comrades that were very unsuccessful. Erk and Lucius soon followed afterwards.
"So… What happened?" Wil asked.
"We… forgot to think of an excuse for being there." The admitted.
"You guys might be smart but you guys aren't bright." Matthew said and everyone sighed at them. They joined the defeated Zone with Lyn.
"Ok, now we're 3 out of 11. We still have 8 more tries. Let's follow Mark to see where he goes." Dorcas says.
The group followed Mark for a while. He looked around, went into various shops and stores. The sun had already set by the time Mark stopped by a tavern. He went up to the counter and talked to the Bar Man. After a few minutes the Bar Man left, leaving Mark with a drink.
"Now, who's up next?" Serra said. The group pondered a bit before arriving at the same conclusion.
"Sain's next." Everyone said. Sain looked confused.
"Who else would come to a tavern?" Kent said.
"But… fine. I already got an excuse anyways." Sain said walking inside. The group could already tell what he was going to say.
Looks like I managed to collect some useful information. Tomorrow I better remember to buy torches. Ahead there seems to be a very frequent fog area. Also I got some rather unpleasant information that I should probably not tell Lyn right now. It concerns Lundgren, the Lorca tribe, and the Taliver bandits. I began pondering to myself when I should tell her but who do I see coming towards me but our group's lovable buffoon.
"Hey there Mark, what are you doing here? Maybe picking girls?" Sain said.
"Just fishing for information, I'm assuming that that's what you're here for?"
"You betcha!" he exclaimed.
"Well, that's my cue to leave." I stand up.
"Now now Mark, remember, you said you would join me one day. I intend to make you keep that promise." He said. Thinking back, on the road I might have said that. I guess it wouldn't do any harm.
"Alright, I'll bite. I'm your wingman." I told him. He looked around and spotted 2 ladies.
"Look over there; those are two fine pair of ladies. Are you ready?" he asked. I gave him a questioned look but just nodded.
We walked up to the ladies that were sitting at the table. I have to admit, Sain knew how to pick them.
"Hello ladies, have you met Mark?" he said. I cannot believe he just said that. That was a completely lame pick up line. I just respond with a simple wave.
"C'mon Mark, take off your hood, they'll think you're a weird-o." Sain whispered. Who's the weird-o, me or the guy trying to pick them up?
They looked at us but then they decide to leave. Thinking back, I remember the promise that I made with Sain. I remembered I would be there to laugh at him when he fails. Might as well make him fail miserably. As Sain chased after them, I slapped their behind and hid myself fast. The ladies looked behind them and see Sain. What happened after that…? Sain got the crud beat out of him. I just stood back and laughed my ass off. It was priceless, maybe that'll teach him not to hit on women. It was already getting late, and Sain was unconscious. I decided to carry him back to the inn. I didn't notice the Legion hiding and also laughing.
The Legion who had been laughing were on the ground, holding their sides. The scene they just witness was surprising but expected. Even Rath, the silent man was holding back his laugh.
"That was too funny!" Wil said laughing.
"Sain had it coming!" Nils said.
"I kind of feel bad for Sir Sain but-"Ninian said before falling to the ground again laughing.
"Man, who knew Mark had it in him." Matthew said.
"Remember, he's a tactician. He probably planned that when he saw Sain." Erk said, laughing.
Serra, Lyn, Florina were still in a laughing fit. Eventually everyone calmed down enough to remember what they were suppose to be doing.
"Well… it's already getting late; we should go back to the inn. We'll decide what to do later.
Everyone agreed. There were four failures today and no one seemed any closer to uncovering Marks hood. The only thing they could do was sleep on it.
…
The next day, Mark got up at sunrise. Everyone else had already gone out and hidden themselves. He walked out and wandered around the shop district.
"Let's see…whose turn is it now?" Matthew said. Everyone instinctively looked at Serra.
"Hmm?" She said.
"Serra, you're up." The injured Sain said.
Serra surprisingly took it easy and she skipped about. She got closer to Mark and called him name.
"Mark!" she yelled. Mark reacted fast and then bolted off but didn't get far because Serra blocked his escape route. "What are you doing?" She said smiling.
"Uhh…" Mark said. But before he could get a word out.
"Ignore it, today you're my slave. You will do what I say, got it?"
"But-"
"Who was it that so generously healed everyone that was injured during battle?"
"You."
"And who is it that provided their assistance for free."
"You"
"Now, why can't you be a gentlemen and help me carry a few things." She said.
"-sigh- Fine." Mark gave up.
"Good. Now let's get to shopping!" Serra said pointing at the helpless clothing store that will soon be destroyed.
Everyone in the Legion just looked in amazement. Serra pretty much had Mark on a leash.
"Serra is certainly a person not to trifle with." Nils said. Everyone agreed.
Serra's shopping was insanity itself. Mark, the slave, had a mountain of bags with him and was somehow enduring Serra's constant talking. It took 3 hours before Serra remembered what she had to do.
"Hey Mark, why do you have that cloak?" She said.
"Why? I like it." Mark said.
"But it's so old. You have to get a new one."
"But I don't want a new one. I like this one, it's comfortable."
"No, no one wears green anymore, at least get a red one or a blue one."
"Nope, I like it this color."
"I'll buy it for you."
"Nope."
"C'mon you know you want it."
"Hey look its Erk." Mark pointed down the street.
"Where?" Serra looked down the street but didn't spot the mage. "Mark I don't see him, are you sure that-"she said but when she looked back at Mark, he was gone.
"Why that selfish-" Serra started but the Legion approached.
"Man, he moved faster than a horse." Wil said.
"Well, who wouldn't run from Serra?" Erk said.
"Erky, take all this stuff back to the inn." Serra said.
"Why me!" Erk yelled.
"Because I'm your employer, now hop to it." Serra said, positively. Erk muttered under his breath but took the clothes to the inn.
"Let's see where Mark's going." Rath said.
It wasn't long before they found Mark in front of the Arena. Mark went inside and everyone looked at the arena.
"There's an arena here!" All the guys said.
"I can't believe we didn't see it earlier." Lyn said.
"Let's go follow Mark." Serra said but the guys were standing in front of the reception office.
"We'd like to join please." WIl said. Kent, Sain, Rath, Matthew and even Dorcas were lined up.
"Hey guys, we came here to follow Mark." Lyn said.
"Huh? Oh yeah… you go ahead." Sain said. They were too preoccupied signing in.
"Mmm…I think I'll join too." Lyn said.
Ninian, Nils, Florina, Lucius and Serra sighed and went into the Arena and took their places near the bottom of the ring.
Today the Arena was having a special tournament today. Normally, it would be a fight to the death but with this tournament, all competitors are allowed to leave with their lives if they wish. Seeing as how we wasted all our vulneraries and I needed to buy some personal necessities, I joined, I need to get to the semi-finals at least. I hope I can make it.
"Mark!" I heard my name. Crap, it can't be…
But it is… The Legion…well most of them. Oh no, don't tell me they…
"Hey guys… what are you doing here?" I asked them in worry.
"We joined the tournament they were having today. Why are you here?" Lyn asked.
"Err… I wanted to test out my magic…" I told them. Yes, that's a lie but I can try a few things I've been thinking of here. No one's trying to kill me so I can put it into practice without fearing someone would kill me if it didn't work.
"Then, if we go up against each other…" Sain said.
"Don't hold back. It's not like it's a fight to the death, and also, don't you want to find out who stands above who?" I said. All the guys and Lyn had fire in there eyes. I sighed to myself. I just got them all worked up, I should have said go easy on me. Damn it, I just had to say that, I hate to lose.
The tournament proceeded just as it was planned. There were around 64 people participating. It was divided into two brackets. Luckily most of the Legion was on the other bracket. Dorcas, Sain and Lyn were on my bracket but if everyone succeeded. We would all meet up in the top 16.
The battles went rather fast. Everyone else succeeded in their own divisions and I barely scraped by using Elder magic to immobilize most of my enemies. Some of them escaped it but were thrown off by the Flux that preceded it. I love Flux, it's a two part attack, avoid one and straight into the other.
The matches were posted on my side of the bracket.
-Mark and Guy (A/N Yes, that Guy)
-Dorcas and Dan (Fighter)
-Lyn and Sain
-Felix and Lime (Myrmidon)
The person I have to fight first is named Guy. Guy has greenish hair much like Lyn's but darker. He looks like he's a Sacaen Swordsmen. I doubt I can beat him if he's anything like Lyn. But since he's from Sacae like Lyn, they must have similar swordsmanship. I might be able to pull it off.
Both of us entered the ring. We could hear the crowds from all around us. Their cheers, their cries, their roars, the atmosphere felt super-charged with the tension of battle. My hair's standing on end. It's unreal how much I want to fight right now.
I approached the Myrmidon and offer my hand.
"Hi there, I'm Mark, let's go all out." I told the swordsmen.
"Hello, my names Guy, same here!" he said. He's an excitable fellow, isn't he. I guess all Sacaen's like to fight.
We turned to our corners, Guy was holding a Killer Edge, and it's a purple sword with a weird shaped blade. Apparently it has a higher chance of getting through normal defense stances and landing a critical hit on the person. It's a weapon to watch out for.
I was holding an Iron sword, I would have gotten a Steel sword but it would be too heavy for me at the moment, and hinder my movements. I still have Elder magic that I can cast without a Tome. Hurts like hell though. I'm nervous as hell right now.
Guy charged straight at me, I cast a Flux spell to stop him but he evades it completely, he's fast. He sweeps his sword down on me but I dodge it. He slashes again but I barely manage to parry it. I swing my sword on him but he dodges it with little wasted movement. He slashes me again but I don't fully avoid it, he managed to nick my shoulder.
"You're pretty fast." I told him.
"You too, not many can avoid my sword." Guy said.
"Well, I know a Sacaen swordswomen who has similar technique. I'm just lucky I'm even fast enough to dodge."
"Good, otherwise this battle wouldn't last long."
"Heheh… I'm starting to understand why you guys like fighting. Ready for round 2?"
"Anytime."
We both run towards each other, our swords clash. I can barely keep up. I'm following the movements of Guy and just parry the direction the blade is coming from. But it's all luck, he could attack from any other point but he doesn't.
He starts thrusting his sword at me; I slash the ones I could away and start jumping back. There are too many possibilities to where he could hit me. He manages to nick my legs and my arms. Damn it, I'm over thinking.
I jump back and breathe. Calm down… I'm over thinking this… In combat there isn't any space for thinking… It's about action… go with the flow of battle…
I feel my nervousness going away. Guy charged at me and I parry the blade. I swing at him making him jump back. I cast Flux but he evades it. Time to try out an experiment. I mentally cast Flux (which seemed to work) and I have it go into the ground behind Guy. Guy charges at me again and gets my arm. But I slash his shoulder too. I visibly cast Flux in front of him and make him jump backwards. NOW!
The Flux spell I cast before seeped out of the ground and immobilizes Guy. I was subtle enough to hide what I did; I can use it in my battle against everyone else. I ran towards Guy but all he can put up is his sword to parry mine. I slashed and both our swords collided and flew out of our hands. Perfect, I use the Flux that was holding Guy and let it go, unleashing the Flux that was waiting for him, leaving a defenseless Guy to take a direct hit... I fell to my knees from casting too many Flux spells and Guy fell to the ground.
"You alright, Guy?" I ask him panting heavily.
"Ngh… yeah. Your swordsmanship is lacking but your magic made up for it. I didn't even know you were a mage."
"That's because I'm not."
"Well… whatever you are, it was a good match."
The stadium erupted in cheer. "The two warriors that had entered the ring came out as friends. The winner of this battle is Mark! What more feats will we watch from this spectacular warrior!" We heard the announcer. I helped Guy up and took him to the Medics; I needed some patching up too.
After a while, Lyn and a wounded Sain and Wil came in.
"Hey, what happened to you guys?" I asked.
"Wil lost against his opponent, and I beat Sain who didn't really go all out." Lyn said, looking at the injured Sain with a little bit of spite.
"Even in a duel, I cannot bring myself to hurt such a dazzling lady such as yourself Lyndis." Sain said.
"Well, I wouldn't expect any different from Sain." I told them. Just then Guy came in and looked around.
"Friends?" he asked. I nodded.
"Everyone, this is Guy, me and him had a fun battle, didn't we?" I said with a grin.
"Yeah yeah, next time I'm going to win." Guy declared.
"Looks like you made a friend Mark." Lyn said.
"Yup, where are you going now Guy?" I asked.
"I'm going to travel around and improve my swordsmanship. Let's meet again someday." He said.
"Till then."
He walked away and left an injured Wil, a broken Sain and a battle ready Lyn in the medic room.
"So, who advanced?" I asked Lyn.
"Everyone except Wil and Sain." She said. "You're going to fight Dorcas next."
"Oh great. Now I have to fight a comrade. Well… better keep fighting." I said.
"If you win, we're going to fight." Lyn said.
"Yup, but lets not get ahead of ourselves. I still have to beat Dorcas and you have to beat your opponent." I told her.
I managed to recuperate from my battle with Guy; he's one hell of a fighter. I get ready and head towards the gate.
The Stadium is even more charged then it was before. The crowd's cheers were louder and the ring that we were in had various marks of battle.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, our tournament is nearing its end. From more than a hundred competitors, there are only 8 left. Let's start up this round with a bang!" The announcer cheered. Everyone roared. "From the west side of the ring we see our incredible Axe man who overpowered his opponent last round. His strength can shatter boulders and his arm can cleave a tree. Let us meet this warrior. The brave fighter…Dorcas!"
The crowd cried out his name. He seemed very popular.
"And from the east side, we have our enigma. He wields a sword and he commands magic. If that isn't already enough, his cunningness fools the eyes of his enemies. Give it up to the famed warrior, Mark, the Magic Swordsman!"
Magic Swordsman? When did that happen?
The crowd was loud but I chose to ignore it, I was already charged before the match. Anymore and I'll get overconfident.
"You ready Dorcas?" I asked.
"Yes, don't hold back or I might hurt you." He said.
"Wow, you're serious. Well then, if you don't hold back I won't either."
"Deal."
I charged at Dorcas, I tried slashing him at his feet but he jumped up. I look up and I see his axe coming towards me. I roll out of the way and see that his axe digs right into the earth. He charges at me while I'm on the ground but I parry it with my sword but he sends me flying back. His strength is amazing. I can't parry with the sword, he'll send me either flying or break my sword.
The battle went on for a while, he was clearly overpowering me. Damn it, if power won't help then I'll go for speed. I let go of my power and aim for speed, he swung his axe at me but I avoid it and nick his flesh. He wasn't hurt but it'll affect him soon. The battle raged on, and I kept just barely scratching him, no deep wounds.
I was getting tired, so I decided not to guard anymore, I charged at him, he swung his axe. He hesitated for a second because of the nicks I gave him and that gave me enough time to intercept. I take the blow with my arm and pull it out of the way and stab his shoulders leaving him injured from both. My wound wasn't any better but I got through.
"You injured yourself to claim victory."
"There are battles that are won like that. I let my enemy taste my flesh while I took his life."
"Heh… as expected of our tactician."
Those words cut into me. I lied about being a tactician, they look to me for help but all I can give is just basic commands at best.
We left toward the medic once again. When we got there, Matthew, and Rath were in there. Looks like they lost the battle. That leaves me, Kent, and Lyn left. We're in the top 4 right now, just need one more win.
But unfortunately, I'm up against the worst possible enemy I can have, Lyn. She might be lacking a bit in strength but she has a lot of technique and her speed is out of my reach. She's going to be a pain. But I said I'd go all out and that's what I'm going to do.
"The fight has been gruesome to this point, and we're not about to stop now! Ladies and Gentlemen! The Semi-final rounds start now! These fighters need no introduction, they've fought all the way to the top but only one will proceed. These fighters need no introduction. Please welcome Mark the Magic swordsmen and the Sacaen swordswomen, Lyn of Lorca." The announcer said.
The crowd… I could feel the vibrations in the ground; our teammates came to watch our battle. This is going to be a losing battle for me unless I can do something about Lyn's speed.
"Mark, don't hold back even for a second." Lyn said.
"I don't intend to. If I did you would probably smack me around afterwards." I said.
"You know me too well. Ready?"
"Anytime."
We stared at each other until we made a move. Lyn and I ran towards each other. Lyn hit me harder as she accelerated at me and did a jumping slash. I parry it but it knocks my balance a bit. She lunges forward and I sidestep avoiding her Mani Katti narrowly. She's using the Mani Katti! She's out for blood! Probably because the incident in the forest. I start using Elder magic but she knows how to dodge it already. Damn it!
She uses her speed against me and I can barely keep up. Her movements are powerful and graceful, she's a tough opponent, thank Elimine I'm on her side. She swings her sword at me and I attempt to parry but she feints and cuts the side of my rib cage, hurt like hell.
"Is that all you have?"
"Not even close."
We continue our bout but the result keeps being the same, she avoids it and I get cuts. I have to press on. I start using using the mental Flux again but this time I lay it all over the ring, it's draining me a lot. I can barely concentrate on the Flux and keep blocking Lyn's strikes.
"You're thinking of something aren't you."
"Was it that obvious?"
"Not really, I prefer it actually."
"Then look forward to it."
Lyn kept hammering at me, I was putting the finishing touches on my plan, at worst case scenario, we could lose a limb or two, but I'm sure the healers will do their job.
I start jumping back avoiding her blade. She was pursuing me, with her speed she caught up fast. She swung her sword, and I felt my blade fly away. I jump back and stare at her.
"Give up?"
"Nope, it's going almost as planned."
"Almost?"
"Losing the sword wasn't part of it but its close enough. Now to end this. Flux!"
I called out the spell and it appeared behind her, she leapt forward and lured her into my plan. I raise my hand and call out the spell "FLUX!" A circle of Flux spells appeared around us. Neither of us could move.
"I can't move!" Lyn yelled.
"That was the plan, I can't move either you know." I told her. I got caught in my own spell.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to bombard us and see who will be the last one standing."
"What!"
"Brace yourself!" I told her.
I release my grip on the spells; there was a huge explosion of dark magic in the ring. Black scorches appeared on the ring and smoke enveloped the Arena. The smoke started clearing up. There were two figures on the ground.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the two warriors have fallen to the ground. As the rules state, the first one to get up wins."
The crowd was cheering.
I could here cheering. The blast knocked me back and I was dazed. Trying to remember what happened to me. I was fighting Lyn… I got a bit desperate… I did some crazy thing. I'm on the ground, and I could see Lyn too.
I could here the crowd yelling "Get Up". I was too tired to do it. Lyn however was steadily lifting herself up from the ground. I hate to lose, I forgot the reason why I came to this Arena, but right now, I don't want to lose.
Power of darkness, harvest the soul of my enemy and make it mine! (A/N I wish font's worked on fanfiction, if they do, please someone tell me how)
I whisper "Nos…feratu". The spell that Shadow used was fresh in my mind. I won't steal her life, but I'll suck the energy she needs to get up. The spell appeared around Lyn and just like that, she fell to the ground. Feeling her strength come to me, I bring myself up. It was painful, my eyes weren't focused, must be the result from using my own magic for the spells.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner!" The announcer said, I couldn't care less at this point. I walked over to the unconscious Lyn and take her to the Medic.
I wake up to see myself staring at the roof of a room. The last thing I remember was Mark using his magic to cause an explosion. I'm going to-
"Hey there, you finally woke up." I recognize the voice. I spring up and punch him right in the stomach.
"Oof! What was that for!" Mark said.
"For doing something reckless." She said.
"I know it was reckless. I did what I could to win."
"Did you want to win that badly?"
"I hate to lose as much I hate to lose anyone on the battlefield."
"How long was I out?"
"About an hour. They healed me and you. The last battle was postponed until I recovered. Which is right now actually."
"The last round right? Is it Kent?"
"No, he lost."
"Kent lost? The other person must be skilled."
"I intend to give it my all."
"Help me get to the stands, I want to watch."
"Alright, everyone is waiting."
After taking Lyn to the stands, I walk to the ring once more. The final battle, I didn't even think I would make it this far. Although it was because I pretty much exploited a lot of things, I can't help but feel confident. Everyone in the Legion lost, I'm the only one still in the tournament.
"This is it ladies and gentlemen. The last battle of the tournament! Our last 2 competitors are charged with the heat and tension of battle. Both warriors have made it through, and only one will emerge the victor. Now give it up for Mark, the magic swordsman and Karla, the Princess of Swords!"
The stadium was filled with noise. I was too concentrated to care. I looked at my opponent. She was wearing a white robe that was similar to Lyn's and had a blue sash tying it. She had light brown-black hair. Her sword was unusual though. I'm sensing a weird vibe from her too.
"So, you're the rumored Magic swordsmen. I was expecting more."
"Why?"
"To master magic and the sword, it takes years of training in both, yet you don't have the physic of a person over twenty."
"Well, they just started calling me that out of nowhere, not that I mind."
"Will you provide an adequate match?"
"I'll try."
The arena went silent. Karla was as calm as water. Deciding nothing will change if I stay still I charge at her. I swing the sword at her for her to dodge it. She dodged it with no wasted movement, Guy was good but she's on a different level. I start using Elder magic but she's as fast as Lyn if not faster. She dashed towards me, I couldn't react on time and her blade met with my flesh.
It was a decent wound. She got me very good, she could have killed me right there. She's way beyond my level, hell I'm not even close to it. My little tricks won't work on her; she's too skilled to fall for them.
"Damn, you're good."
"You still lack training. At this rate, you will definitely lose."
"You're right about that, but right now, I'm too revved up to care about it."
I charged at her again, this time she slashes me many more times. I'm bleeding from several places. I'm barely standing right now. She's no ordinary swordsmen, she's a swordmaster. I'm fighting a losing battle.
"Do you intend to continue?"
"Honestly, I would but I'd probably die."
"Only fools rush towards death."
"Then I'm an idiot, but I know when not to be overconfident, it only invites death. I let the flow of battle get to me, almost getting me killed. I have people I have to take care of, as well as something I need to find."
I lay my weapon on the ground, signaling surrender. I can't say I'm happy that I lost but in battle, if you're alive, you get to fight another day.
"Hey Mark!" I heard my voice being called. It was the Legion.
"C'mon, don't be depressed that you lost." Wil said trying to cheer me up.
"Actually, I'm kind of happy right now. I got exactly what I wanted." I told them.
"Which would be?" Matthew said. I pulled out a sack of gold that I won for reaching the final round; it was more than I wanted.
"I entered to win money; I'm going to buy a few personal things."
"Hey Mark, how did you win against us?" Lyn asked.
"I barely won the battles; I just used everything I could to pull out on top, but barely. If it was a normal fight, I would have lost, and fast." I told them.
"And here I thought you were getting good at fighting." Serra said.
"I'm not even close to it; I was just parrying and swinging my sword around."
"And you earned a nickname while doing that." Sain said.
"What was that all about anyways?"
"Not many mages can use swords and magic at the same time, that's probably why." Erk said.
"Well, all that fighting made me sleepy, good night guys." I told them. Everyone just waved. Eventually I was out of hearing range.
"Today was a good day, we got some training done." Lyn said smiling.
"Indeed, it was exciting to say the least." Kent said.
"Uhh…guys, you do know that you forgot to take Mark's hood off." Nils said. Pointing out what the purpose of today was. Everyone came to a realization and facepalmed themselves.
"Alright, tomorrow for sure."
It was midday and the Legion was once again following Mark. The only one's left to try were Florina, Nils and Ninian. Everyone else was disqualified because of the Arena. Mark was shopping and getting supplies ready.
"So, who's going to go this time?" Lucius asked. Everyone turned at the remaining participants. It was a tough decision to make.
"Hmm… why not play rock-paper-scissors?" Nils said.
"I don't see anything wrong with that." Ninian said.
"W-well let's do that." Florina said.
The three played the game and it took about 3 minutes to reach a conclusion. The loser and the next contestant was Florina. Everyone looked at Florina who was frozen where she stood at the thought of approaching Mark.
"Florina, you don't have to if you don't want to." Lyn said.
"That's right, we know your condition, and we respect that." Wil said.
"I-I want to try, or at least be able to." Florina said, stuttering losing confidence at herself.
"Are you sure?" Lyn asked.
"I think." Florina said.
Mark went into a shop that sold both swords and healing items. Florina followed but she stayed quiet while trying to build up her courage to actually talk to him. Mark didn't seem to notice her at all.
"So that will be 14 sets of Vulneraries, 2 torches, and pure water." Said the Shop keeper.
"And for weapons, 2 iron bows, 3 iron lances, 1 steel axe, 1 handaxe, 1 heal staff, 5 Iron swords, 2 fire tomes, 2 thunder tomes, and a Flux tome. Also, the special item you ordered is here too" The arms dealer said.
"That's right, how much will it be?" I asked.
"Seeing as how you put up a good match yesterday, we'll give you a deal. 15,000 gold for all of this." Said the shop keeper.
"Thanks." I told them. I managed to get several Tomes to help out with my magic, I can't keep using magic without a Tome, and I feel like it'll draw unwanted unattention.
"And what will your friend want?" the Arms dealer said pointing behind me.
"Friend? What friend?" I look behind me and there was Florina, I jumped back and scolded myself for not noticing her. She also jumped and ran towards the door. She hid behind it poking her head out of the wall.
"Florina, what are you doing here?" I asked.
"I-I-I-"was all Florina could say. She was complete wreck.
"Did you want to buy something?" She shook her head. "Need my help with something?" she shook her head. "Uhh… then what do you need?" I asked.
"I just… wanted to talk." She muttered.
"Talk? About what?"
"Anything." She said.
"Alright, how about you we talk while we take all this stuff back to the inn." I asked. She's probably trying to work on her fear of men. From what I can tell, she doesn't hate me but she doesn't like me, I guess I'm neutral.
We gathered the stuff and walked toward the inn. She kept her distance from me. She was carrying the tomes and the healing items and I was carrying the weapons. The silence was almost eerie. In an effort to get her to talk, I made the initiative.
"How did you meet Lyn?" I asked
"Huh?" Florina said a bit startled.
"I mean, you're from Ilia right? How did you meet Lyn when she hasn't left Sacae." I told her, I remember Lyn saying something about not knowing anything beyond Sacae.
"W-Well… when I was practicing on riding Huey near the Lorca tribe, we were riding to close to a tree with b-bees in them. We got to close and aggravated them; I fell from Huey and got entangled between branches on the way down." Florina looked flushed, obviously ashamed.
I let out a laugh which made her more depressed.
"Sorry, it's just if you find someone in that position; it will make you laugh wondering how it happened." I said while holding the sides of my stomach, preventing more laughter.
"A-Anyways, Lyn happened to be passing through at the time so she helped me down. We became friends and I would stop by now and again to play when my sisters had business with the Lorca tribe." She said.
"You have sisters?" I asked.
"Yes. I have two sisters. They're both Pegasus Knights and they're better than I am." She said.
"What about Ilia, what kind of place is it?" I asked.
She talked warmly about her hometown. She's usually hesitant about things but she talked about Ilia like she was reading it from a book. She loosened enough to walk to the side of me. Ilia is her safe place and she loves her hometown dearly. Too bad I don't have one.
"Oh yeah, mind if you come with me to the stables, I got to show you and Huey something." I said. She nodded.
We leave everything we got in the inn and walk towards the stable. When I got near Huey, he started stirring about.
"Woah, so you can tell what I have can't you." I told the horse, Florina looked at me questionably.
"I got a rare item today and I thought I would buy it for you guys as an apology for the incident a couple of days ago." I brought out the item I bought at the shop and showed it to both of them. They both looked at the item surprised.
"You know what it is, don't you?" I asked.
"Every Pegasus knight knows what that is, it's an Elysian Whip, and it's a magical item that powers up a Pegasus knight." She said in astonishment.
"That's right; I managed to buy one, though from what I can tell, you guys aren't ready for this." I told them.
"Then, why?" she asked.
"Because I believe that one day, you will be ready. Until that day comes, I'll hold on to this." I told her. She looked sad but invigorated at the same time.
Huey on the other hand was angry. He was attempting to kick me with his legs, I guess I did just dangle one of the most valuable items a Pegasus can receive and said you're not getting it. He was trying bite my cloak.
"Hey! Florina, I need a little help please!" I yelled. Florina just stood there. I was struggling to keep Huey away.
"Florina!" I yelled again. She seemed to want to do something but she still stood there.
"Forget it; I'm out of here before this guy eats my head." I rip myself apart from Huey and dashed away.
The Legion who had been a safe distance was watching Huey's and Florina's actions. That was the closest any of them have gotten to removing Mark's mask.
"She was so close." Serra said.
"Well, at least she can say she tried and got farther than most of us." Lyn said.
"Alright, this is our last attempt. Nils, Ninian, it's your turn!" Sain yelled.
"Alright, just give us a moment to think about it." Nils said.
The group looked at the sibling whispering to each other for a long time. They bounced ideas off each other and kept thinking about newer ways that weren't as complicated as their teammates tried to make it as.
"What about…" Ninian said while whispering in Nils ear.
"Well… no one has tried it so far, so why not." Nils said.
"So you guys got a plan?" Matthew said.
"Yup, I think this one might work." Nils said.
"It's something none of us have tried yet." Ninian said.
Everyone gave the siblings a nod and proceeded to find Mark. They looked around and finally found him just sitting in a chair.
The Legion watched the two siblings walk toward Mark; they wondered what kind of trick they were going to use to get Mark to unmask him. They stared at the twins approach Mark from a nearby house, just close enough to be overheard.
"Hello Mark." The sibling said.
"Oh hey Nils, Ninian. What are you two up to?" Mark said.
"Nothing much, we were just wondering about something." Nils said.
"What is it?" Mark said.
"Well, would you mind showing us what's under your hood? None of the Legion has seen your face, or even your clothes. We were just wondering if you were hiding something." Ninian said.
"No, I'm not hiding a thing. I didn't take off the hood or cloak because I saw no reason to do it. And as to why I haven't shown my face is because the hood felt comfortable." Mark said.
The Legion who had overheard Mark talking all fell forward because they expected some clever trick from the siblings. Instead, they simply asked him about it. It was true that they didn't think of asking but to find out Mark had not been hiding anything, it made everyone double over in surprise. They fell down in plain view of Mark and the siblings.
"What were you guys doing?" Mark said.
"Uhh…" Everyone was trying to figure out a way out of this situation. Unfortunately Mark had pieced the things together.
"Did you guys want to know what was under my hood?" Mark asked.
"Well… yeah. But it's not our fault; we got curious as to how you looked. How come you never showed us what was under that cloak?" Lyn asked.
"No one asked." Mark said flatly. Everyone was quiet; no one expected such a blatant reason.
"So… are you going to show us?" Sera asked. Everyone nodded.
"I see no problem in that." Mark said. He reached for his hood. Everyone held their breath as he did; he was pulling it slowly which made everyone gulp in anticipation. Just as he was going to pull it down he stopped.
"Now that I think about it, I'll just leave it on." Mark said.
"What!" Everyone yelled.
"If you guys told me earlier, then I would have, instead you guys went in a roundabout way to get me to take it off. This is punishment for it." He said. The group just sighed. Mark proceeded to the inn, tomorrow, Eliwood and Hector were supposed to return.
"He got us." Lyn said, everyone nodded. "Mark my words, by Father Sky and Mother Earth; I will get that hood off." Lyn proclaimed. The group joined her in her determination.
What a couple of days this has been, the group has been trying to unmask me since we started resting here. I didn't notice at all.
It was fun to watch. Said Audelia.
"Audelia, where have you been? I haven't seen you in a couple of days."
I was watching your teammates try to get that hood off of you.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Because I was also curious as to what was under that hood.
"… That's screwed up, you know that right?"
No harm, no foul.
"Yeah, yeah… Hey Audelia, are you a girl or a guy?"
Why do you ask?
"Because I'm getting tired of referring to you as an "it"."
Very well, I am a female.
"Hmm… I would have put my money on a guy. Considering the telepathy sound male."
That's how it works, I don't make the rules.
"Really? Well, I'm actually very sleepy, I'm going to Guarwgh!" I yelled and fell to the floor, holding my head and I had a piercing pain in my eye.
What's wrong!
"I…don't know. All of a sudden I got a headache."
Mark, your eye…
"What about it?"
Your left eye's color changed.
I was confused to what Audelia said. I searched around for any reflective item around and when I found a pale of water, I looked at it. My right eye held its regular brown color, but my left eye… it turned a golden yellow. Its color was eerie. It looked… inhuman.
"What the- how did that happen!"
Maybe it's an after-effect of using Elder Magic.
"I hope so. If not, my past just got even more complicated. Don't say anything about this."
I can't, you're the only one that can hear me, remember.
"Oh yeah. But you know what I mean. The only thing left to do is wait for Eliwood and Hector and get this dispute over with. Then I can start looking for answers."
My eye remained until the next morning. I can't hide it under my hood, it gives off a yellow glow for some reason, I guess I'll start growing my hair. If it's a result of over-using Elder Magic, then am I being corrupted by power? Or does it have to do with my past? Only time will tell.
Omake – Lyn is Regular. Serra is italic. Erk is underlined.
We were so close to unmasking him.
How dare he punish us. He won't get away with this.
We'll get him next time!
He'll be begging us to let us see his face!
I feel sorry for you Mark, having to deal with these head-strong women.
What was that?
What was that?
Nothing!
Author's notes – Yay, I got done with this, and I added an omake for fun. I don't know if I'll keep doing it but we'll see. As you guys saw, I added a lot of stuff in here. I meant to put it in with the story but I couldn't find the right place so I decided to put it in this chapter.
As for the Arena tournament. I put Guy in there because he was one of my favorite units. He was bloody awesome with a killer edge. As for Karla. I was kind of disappointed in the game because she came out very late in the game. If you train her, she can be as good as Karel (who by the was if pretty bloody awesome). So, I decided to bring her in a little more early than in the game. Not yet though. I also plan to bring in a few more a bit earlier such as Farina and Renault(he wasn't a favorite but I can't play favorites).
Also, the Elysian whip, just to point this out, in my opinion, Falcoknights were one of the most useful units. I know they have their own drawbacks and strengths but I love them because of Tri-attack. Also Florina turned out to be one of my most useful units (Thank god for Arena Spam XD).
As to the stuff with his eyes. I might as well say it right now. Dark magic or Elder Magic is pretty much corrosive. It can turn the best to the worst. And Mark is no exception. So look forward to an evil Mark at some point in the story.
Also, to point out the actions in the Arena, Mark is not strong. He mostly used Flux to attack which most of his teammates are weak against, by which I mean magic, so it did more damage than usual. He would totally lose in a regular fight, his sword skills are at best in E. But if you think about it, it doesn't take much to swing a sword around and cut stuff, it would be sloppy but it would get the job done. Karla pretty much kicked his ass 9 ways to Sunday or however that expression goes. Anyways, his biggest asset right now is Elder Magic and its corrupting him so… yeah.
Anyways, this is a long Authors notes so I'll stop now.
Till next time!