Chapter X: Unanswered Questions
(Author's:
NO FLAMES ALLOWED!
&~& The best chapter yet, for many reasons! Double spell-check this time to make my OLD grammar mistakes less obvious! And this chapter is where I put my own cool TWIST on the game story! And next chapter we finally find out who the Boy in the Butterfly Mask is! Stay tuned! Please keep reading!)
After the battle, everyone was quiet, and then when the dust had settled Flavia approached the five warriors and gave them congratulations on a battle well fought.
"Damn finely done my champions. I suppose I was right to hire you blokes over those gaw damm amateurs Bastilio hired."
Chrom, Jordaine, and the rest of the Sheppard's thanked Flavia in response.
"We were glad to help," said Prince Chrom royally. "Now...about those troopers you promised..."
"Oh! Right!" Fluvial wallowed. "I almost forgot! The axes of Ragna Feroxi will now be yours. Don't blow them now, yo!"
"Don't you worry!" Chrom interjected. "With a tactician like Jordan on our team, and your powerful soldiers. there is no way we can lose any war!"
"You overrated me way too highly, dude," Jordan admitted while laughing. "But hey it is nice to hear."
"No need to be humble!" comforted Sumia. "Without your skill with a sword and your magic skill and your ability to direct our fighters we would not have won that fight! That's a much more useful skill than baking pies and acting clumsy!"
"Yeah, Jordaine's the BEST!" Lissa screamed, and then blushed, and then slinked slightly behind her Aniki-san.
Jordan shook his head. "That's not true," Jordan denied. "I haven't really had a chance, to uncover the techniques I lost. In fact, I still feel like some of my memory has been locked away. Ever since I fought that Fire Dragon and saw that mysterious man I feel as like some of my powers were locked away. I can't direct the tactics the way I used to." Jordan said.
"What do you mean that "mysterious man?" Chrom asked.
"There was a mysterious man," explicated Jordaine. "But there was also the Boy in the Butterfly Mask. But I'm not talking about that kid obviously. It was a different guy. He had dark robes and a dark stair. Even in a dream he had orbs of darkness that penetrated through me to my very bone."
"Maybe that's the Dark Mage Validar." Wondered Chrom.
"I don't know." Said Jordain. "I thought so too at first, but now I'm not sure. I remember..."
"I remember slaying the dragon." Thought Jordan to himself. "And then I heard the voice. That dark voice, neither man nor woman. Is that...the Fell Dragon Grima?"
"Jordan?" queried Chrom. "Are you alright, my friend? You're face has turned white."
"Good!" Suddenly cried. "I mean..." Jordan said. "No, it is nothing. Carry on, carry on."
"Now that that's that, that Bastilio should be put into his face," Smirked Flavia with a shit-eating grin on her face.
The battle arena was large and the scent of fighting yet lingered looming over the battlefield. The silence was unlike anything Jordan had ever heard before. It was almost...eerie.
"What ho! What is this, ho? My champion defeated!"
A big tall man with a pirate's eye patch and blogging muscles walked into the antechamber and said hello to Flavia, Jordan, Chrom, Lissa, Frederick, Virion, Sully, and Kellam. He was a great statue of a man, as strong as an ox and he also had a gigantic double-bladed bearded Danish Axe coated in sanguine and entrails and also rust. He had a great Berserker's white fur cloth draped laboriously over his thick neck. He wore a leather belt and pantaloons forged of oxen leather. He was also slightly less than as brightly-shaded as everyone else, like the hue of a medieval-kettle roasted cappuccino with a light dashing of goat cream.
"Ho, it was of course to be expected, I admit," admitted Bastilio with a sigh. "It was just some random guy that came out of nowhere and beat the bag out of my former champion, Lon'ou. HO! That damnable Butterfly Mask! SAY HI, LON'OU, YOU DOLT!"
"..." said Lon'Ou silently, closing his mouth and standing without words behind Bastilio, who guffawed loudly enough for both the two of them.
"Well, aren't you just a bundle of fun, ho!" Bastilio laughed sarcastically, exasperated. "At anyways, FLAVIA! YOU SQUABBLING LITTLE GIT! NEXT YEAR THE FULL KHANSHIP'S MINE, WOT?"
"Fuckin' shit," Flavia ejaculated. "Get over yourself you fat sack of horse shit. Damn! I won it fair and square, thanks to the laddie over here, JORDAN!...Jordan?" asked Flavia.
But something strange was happening to Jordan. He had fallen to his knees, grabbing his head...He wroth around in utter pain.
"WHAT IS THIS? WHO AM I?" Jordaine yelled. "WHO...ARE YOU?"
"What's going on?" inquired Lissa. "Jordan? Jordan! JORDANNNNN!"
"I don't know!" Vociferated Chrom loudly. "Jordan, my friend! What is wrong with you?"
But Jordan didn't reply. In his head he could see visions of a mysterious figure surrounded by black robes and engulfed in purple lighting. The Earth around him grew dark.
YOU WHO SUFFER FROM YOUR DARK DESTINY! Boomed the dark voice. BOW BEFORE YOUR RECKONING! NOW YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CAN NEVER ESCAPE WHO YOU REALLY ARE! NOT EVEN ANOTHER DIMENSION WILL SAVE YOU FROM MY WRATH! HA HA HA HA HA HA!
The world was spinning around Jordan. Everyone around him was watching and yelling at him for support but their words fell on deaf ears and his sight started to slip away from Jordan.
HERE IS YOUR FINAL TRIAL...A BATTLE IN YOUR MIND...FOR THE RIGHT TO YOUR LIFE!
That was the last thing Jordaine remembered.
"Stay back," exposited Chrom. "This is one battle Jordan is going to have to fight by himself. ...Good Luck, my friend."
It took the combined power of all five combatants to haul Jordan into a chair in the healing room where all he could do was groan helplessly. His eyes had turned to a strange deep blue color and also he was not responding to anything anyone said. Something was happening. And it was weird. Jordan's body seemed to be surrounded by a dark energy, and even though none of the enemies in the last map had Dark Magic, he seemed to be surrounded by an aura exuding pure darkness. It was obvious no amount of Healing magic could break through the potent hex that someone had used on him many years before. They tried to bring his sword, the Kage no Ten Ken back to him in his chair as well but when Chrome tried to touch it it seared his hand with such an unenviable fire he had to leave it where it was.
"What is the secret to that sword?" Asked Chrom, looking at his hand which had been burnt because of the singing fire of the blade's tang. "Why can Jordaine wield that sword? Just who is this guy?"
Meanwhile Lissa was crying.
"What do we do now?" Said Chrom and he shook his head in desperation. We have lost our leader, our guidance.
"No..." said Lissa sadly. "Jordan...why?"
"If I could only have one damn wish!" Sully yelled. "DAMN! I would make a contract and bring him BACK!"
"That's enough, Soiree!" Chrom castigated. "I understand your frustration. But right now, we must battle on, my friend. We must fight for Jordaine...and for the strength he now uses to fight down his internal demons."
"Oh, but alas, this certainly is a woeful sight!" Lamented Virion. "It fills my heart with deepest fright! Fie though Jordan sleeps in pain. We must fight on to see him again!"
Everyone else nodded.
"We can't let that stop us. We might be at a severe disadvantage now, but we must not surrender...I will lead the charge into Plegia MYSELF!"
The party gasped.
"Oh, Chrom!" spoke Sumia swooning.
"Nii-chan!" Lissa said.
"Damn, now YOU'RE the fucking man, dude!" Sully said. "How did you get up from that, yo?"
Even Frederick nodded his head and said. "Indeed, in the absence of Jordaine, YES! Prince Chrom will see us through. Even if all the hair on my body were to be singed and I would walk through flames, my sword and my shield and my spear shall comfort you!"
"And my axe!" Chimed Virion.
"Jordaine, my friend." Intimidated Chrom with a smile. He keeled down and gave a firm handshake to the nightmarish Jordan in his wheelchair. "I may not be half the man you are, but I swear for love that I possess for my big Sister Emmeryn-sama, and the love of my homeland Ylisse I will avenge you! FALCHCION! ONCE AGAIN, IT IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE!"
Chrom held his sword aloft to inspire his allies. It didn't do anything, however the party saw it and rose their weapons and then yelled in celebration., now resolute once again to fight on without their brave boon companion. There was one, however, who was enigmatically absent from the jubilee: Jordan.
When everyone else left, it was only Chrom and his nee-chan and Jordaine still in the Dark Trance alone in the infirmary room.
"Lissa...you OK?" elicited Chrome.
"I...I'm going to stay with Jordan." said Lissa.
"UUUgggh." Said Jordan. He groaned in immense pain. His head bobbed up and down. "Mirrors...breaking...ugggghhh...Zeno...guys...nnnnghhhhhhannnnghhhhhh!" Moaned him in pain. It was a terrifying bone-wracking experience, but everyone in that room knew that the pain wasn't nearly enough to beat down Jordaine. However, it was enough to give him a powerful wallop that was for damn sure.
"I let him down once...I can't make that same mistake again. I can't be the leader...I'm sorry."
"I understand." Said Sully. "Hell, I ain't even know if I'm cut out to be the leader! but, shit, if Chrom can't fill in for the jorb, NO ONE FECKING CAN!"
"I understand, Little Sis." Chrom smiled out. "When I return I will acquiesce to you with positive news. THAT'S A PROMISE!"
Lissa giggled and knelt down to lovingly stroke Jordain's forehead and cheek and give him kisses.
"We shall return!" Said Chrom, and he left.
Before he left, Flavia came up to him one last time. "How now, brown cow." Explained Flavia. "I have one parting 'gift' for you, laddie." Bastilio stood beside her.
"What's that?" Queried Chrom. "The East Khal Bastilio?"
"Hell no!" Flavia said. "Although I'd like to toss this fat sack of rubbish out with the garbage, I'm afraid I can't trash this refuse just yet. HEY BASILIO! WORTHLESS SHIT BAG! Tell the man what he won, yo!"
Lon'qu suddenly appeared, silent, with sword in his grip.
"Like I said, when Butterfly Boy challenged him to a fight he had the tar beaten out of him. Still don't know why, but GAWWD I don't want him any more, he is damaged goods. Can you take him?" Asked Bastilio?
Lissa almost said something but she turned back to care for Jordaine in his wheeled chair.
Sully walked up to Lon'Qu. "Holy damn, this bastard seems like one hell of a..."
"BACK, WOMAN!" Screamed Lon'Qu as Sully approached, interrupting Sully's speech and her advances.
"Whoa, what in fuck hell is your problem?" Vocalized Sully in surprise and anger as she backed up. "Damn, don't be such a killjoy!"
Bastilio guffawed heartilly. "Stubborn as a buffalo, that one. Ladies scare the piss stains out of him. Believe me, everyone else takes the Mickey out of him for that one. First women scare him, and then that Boy in the Butterfly Mask beats the ever-loving stuffing out of him. The strikes against him art beginning to pile up!"
"That is strange." Said Chrom. "That such a powerful champion would lose to a new comer like The Boy in the Butterfly Mask. Surely he must have found a weakness in Lon'qu's technique?"
Bastilio shrugged his great oxen-like shoulders sheeplessly. "Beats the pants off of me. I can't think of any real weakness Lon'Ou would have to make him get pounded so humiliatingly. Ho, but of course, I would imagine if he were fighting a good woman he would get the gravy pummeled out of him, wot ho! Heh, heh, but how likely is that to ever happen HAR! But disregarding that...hell, I don't know! HAHA! But he is still good! He might even be a Khal some day! Ha ha ha!"
"Is this arrangement fine with you, Lon'Ou, my friend, said Chrom?"
"You order me, I kill things, stab with pointy sword. That's it." Simply said Lon'Qu.
"THEN IT'S SETTLED!" Commanded Chrom. They each left, with Chrom finally giving a glance to Lissa who gave a glance to Jordan.
"Good luck with your battle, my friend." Said Chrom inspiration ally to Jordaine. "Your demons will not stand a chance! When you come back, my friend, you can retake your rightful place as Leader of the Ylissean Army!"
Chrom left, with the knowledge that while he was away, Jordaine would be fighting his most difficult battle yet...sword in hand, against the dark shadows that plagued his mind...
Big thanks to my main mate, Ganj4L0rd42011 4 helping with spell checking and grammar fixing!