Author's note:Well, what we have here is something of a double feature. The chapter itself was small so I… took some liberties.

Radiant Fantasy

Act 2: The Leonhart Rebelion

Chapter Twelve

The Price of Freedom

The Rosa Brilliante. Many call it the pinnacle of Moogle technology and that claim is not totally without truth. One could argue if an airship, as advanced and unmatched as it was, could support the burden of being called a race's finest achievement, but one could not argue that this ship was not the finest in the continent. The Dreadnaught, Palamecia's mothership, clocked three times slower than the Rosa, its speed was so overwhelming even light airships like Balthier's Strahl could not keep up. Not to mention the vast armament and its sheer size. Now, normally, there was a catch to this behemoth. It could not leave the vicinity of Rabanastre for it was powered by harnessing the Wind Crystal's energy. But if you do remember our last chapter, you will of course remember that the Wind Crystal had become more… mobile. Speaking of which…

"How is this monstrosity flying?!" Ranulf exclaimed, still clutching to his stomach. "I'm getting airsick… Be right back!" And he again ran into the bathroom after expressing his doubts.

"Who cares?! It's awesome!" Mia and Al echoed, turning to high-five each other.

"Still… I can't say I feel very much safe inside this flying boat…" Micaiah confessed, doing her best to steer her vision from the windows. The soft and quick pacing of two small feet made themselves known.

"I am insulted! The Rosa is our race's pride!" Micaiah turned back and saw no one. "Down here!" The voice shouted. Micaiah looked downwards and was surprised off her feet. She fell with her rear on the ground as the being crossed his… paws in annoyance. "What? Never saw a Moogle before?" He was a dark colored rabbit-like creature in a green jumpsuit. But what stood put the most was his orange furry ball that hanged from his head.

"I'm… sorry but I have not." She replied. The moogle took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry. I just get irritated when people doubt my magnum opus." The moogle apologized, just in time to stop Sothe from swooping in.

"You must understand that from where they come they have no airships. They do not doubt you Nono, just the concept in itself." The… bunny-laguz told the Moogle. "I'd wager they never saw a Viera up until now." The dark-skinned woman, which was wearing close to nothing, really, it was quite distracting really, almost as much as her bunny ears that extended from her hair.

"Well, that would be correct Fran. I trust the Strahl is doing good." Balthier questioned from the commands.

"I do not know why you ask when you clearly have no doubts on the matter." The woman pointed out.

"Well, there goes the courtesy." Balthier sighed. A small chuckle escaped Naesala's figure, one that Balthier would not let go unasked. "Oh, the eloquent one has found entertainment. Care to share?" He asked, continuing their unspoken duel for the most "classy" in the group. No words had been exchanged by them, they just knew.

"I was just beholding how fitting a woman which has the appearance of a bunny is to you. Clearly what you expect from a woman." He said, everyone knowing full well what he was implying. Balthier however, was not shaken by it, neither was Fran, he even went as far as to chuckle at that remark.

"Well, that's rich, coming from the person who not only fails to disguise courtship but also has gotten no results from it AND does so to a woman whose purity is the same level as a child's. This tells quite a story for your preferred age in companions." I must say… that was unnecessarily hard. But that was a one-two knockout if I ever narrated one. Needless to say, there were some in the ship that just couldn't contain their laughter. Tibarn of course, was the main offender. Naesala's face twisted and turned in such nefarious expressions, his nails sinking into his skin for a few moments before regaining his composure and powering through the mockery with a semi-straight face. The laughter was so great many forgot all about their fear of the flying ship, at least until a the orb that resided in the small lower level that linked the windows and the command board projected the familiar blue light, creating a rectangular screen that projected a face many were unfamiliar to, but not Ike and especially not Terra.

"General Leo!" She cried in happiness. Yes, she had been told the man that had looked over her ever since she was forced into the Empire was saved by Ike by the man in question and all that, but nothing exceeded the joy of seeing him alive and well. His face still had some noticeable scars, but he seemed healthy enough.

"Hello Terra. Words cannot express how happy it makes me to see you safe." The man replied with a tender look only a paternal figure could give.

"General! Sir!" Shinryu, Celes, Ramza, Agrias and Mustadio exclaimed, saluting one of the few people they were proud of having served under during their stay in the Empire.

"Enough with the formalities children. I'm not your general anymore… yet." Well, the phrase at first didn't make much sense but they quickly got what he meant. "But, as much as I'd love to catch up with my former protégées, I need to give you a vital piece of information, as well as ask you a favor." The former God General asked, to which everyone on the ship truly stopped snickering and listened, the tone on Leo's voice being enough to warrant a silent moment. The screen cut itself in half to show the face of the human porcupine, Zack Fair. "This, is Zack Fair. He was the other God General that opposed Mateus' intentions fiercely. Like me, he was incarcerated. His death sentence though, was only decided now. This is because the Returners are being actively assaulted on the borders, making them unable to reach the place where the death sentence is to be executed on time."

"Him too?!" Terra gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. No one could forget Mr. Zack "Will you date me?" Fair, especially not someone as timid as her. Of course, he showed everyone who got to know him, or even see him, he had a genuinely good heart… that didn't fly in Mateus' plans.

"Yes. He is being sentence to death by spectacle at the Coliseum. He's being set as an example in front of his own people. We all know Zack was easily the people's most beloved God General and his death will make it so there won't be any defaults on their ranks like what happened in Tellius… You can probably see what I am going to ask of you now." The general confessed.

"Did it once already. What's the problem with doing it again?" Ike immediately replied, much to Leo's satisfaction, the whole crowd nodding in response.

"I can't thank you enough Ike, but you don't seem the type who needs to be thanked. I'll transmit the coordinates on the map to your ship. The Dragon's Neck Coliseum is at the northern end of the Empire, on the rare peninsula of the mostly grounded country. Be careful though, we have no idea of who is attending." With that warning given, Balthier smirked as he saw the numbers appear in the screen. This would be so good for his reputation…

Dragon's Neck Coliseum. Competitors lodging, 24 hours later:

"Well, I guess this is it, huh? Our time to shine!" Zack exclaimed, finishing his squats and jumping up and down. They had been taken to a room with nothing in it but a couple of benches, given small rations of food and were promised their weapons back and even their horses t battle. However, this was still and execution and Zack's optimistic attitude had finally warranted a question from the former Duke of Pherae.

"Zack, even for you this optimism is just too much. They are about to pit us against beasts and men until we lay lifeless on the sands of the coliseum!" But then the former ruler found what he expected to be his explanation. "Do you, perhaps, have a plan?" He asked of Zack, who smiled.

"Yeah!" He exclaimed as he sat down on the floor, restoring hope to the Lycian trio. "If we beat up everything they throw at us, they'll eventually have nothing more to throw and we can just walk out since they already sent any guards on the vicinity after us by then." Needless to say, his explanation didn't sit that well.

"To be fair… he didn't say anything WRONG." Mark pointed out, but as we all know, his analysis wasn't what was wrong.

"True. What he said was something IMPOSSIBLE." Marcus spat, ready to get into a heated argument.

"Maybe." Zack said, completely cutting Marcus' vibe with his slightly downed tone. It was at that time the other three realized just what Zack was going through. He was the kind of person to keep that optimistic facet up, no matter what. "That's no reason for us to cry in a corner while they slaughter us. If there's a wall that can't be broken, you climb over it!" He exclaimed, getting up from his sitting position on the ground. "If there's no road, we just make our own! If there's a dead end we find another way! There's no merit to giving up, EVEN if we go down, we're going to show them exactly just what they are messing with. Even if we cut a fingernail in the body of the Empire, that's still better than to sit and die!" He exclaimed, voice filled with a raw emotion that entered the wills of anyone on the vicinity, lighting their spirits on fire. Eliwood chuckled.

"You remind me of Hector… Very well, let's give them one last show. A flame burns the brightest before being consumed." With that, he picked himself up from his bench and placed a hand on the younger man's shoulder. "I have to thank you… I had a fire inside me that needed embers." They both smiled at each other, Marcus and Mark joining in on the preparations before the door opened.

"It's time Zack." Aerith told in a tone that was more akin to a flood of sorrow. You could see in her eyes just how much it pained her to do this, especially since her and Zack had been an item before… well you'll discover that eventually, won't you?

"Alright! Let's get it own. Where's my claymore?" Zack asked her, who beckoned to follow her. They went through the hallways filled with the foul stench of blood and gore, for most of the gladiators would only have a round per day, returning to their cells with whatever wounds they had sustained. Most did not survive. Eliwood was disgusted by this, even if they were criminals, they were treated worse than cattle, the damned souls now looking at the four presentable men with a sickening joy that came from watching others suffer their eventual fate. They eventually saw the end of the tunnel, their horses with their respective weapons tied to them. Silently, Eliwood and Marcus climbed onto their horses while mark retrieved his various weapons from them, he's a tactician, he can canonly use most weapons. The one left in the dust however… was Zack. "Hey, Rith! What about me? I just wanted a standard claymore, was that so much to ask?" The woman shook her head and pointed to his back. A massive broadsword, almost as large as her was leaning against the wall. It seemed to be more like butcher knife with two circular holes on the center of the blade, only the handle being extensively decorated with golden inscriptions.

"That's your weapon Zack." She told him.

"But… I passed it onto him." Zack replied, touching he blade and looking at it as an old friend it were.

"Angel gave you the Buster Sword on his deathbed. Cloud won't take it from you any other way. Until you die, the sword's yours Zack." She confessed, knowing exactly just how close the sword could be from being… passed on. Zack chuckled.

"Well, let's get one last bit of wear, tear and rust on this thing, shall we?!" He exclaimed, rising the sword over his head, spinning it and sheathing on his back. With a last smile, he turned his back on the woman and walked over to his fellow death row inmates.

"Zack…" Aerith gasped, trying to reach Zack one last time. He turned his head and she realized how pathetic she looked. With that huge smile that characterized him, he said.

"I won't die here Rith. Maybe my body will, but I won't. Go back to Cloud, he needs you right now, I'm sure." His smile never faltered. He gave her a thumbs-up and nodded to Eliwood, walking into the sunlight. Aerith just stood there, speechless.

"Sometimes I wonder… if the obviously winning side is worth playing for." A woman's voice came from her side, the white feathered armored woman appearing on Aerith's side.

"I honestly… don't know anymore Claire. I just…" Aerith realized a lone tear had made its way from the corner of her right eye. She quickly scrubbed it off and hid her emotions as best as she could. "… don't know."

Zack could hear the crowd cheer as they entered the arena. Not all of it mind you, about half of it was silent, but every single one of the noble seats was rejoicing. Typical nobility. The arena was nothing but sand and the coliseum was just how you'd imagine it, including the throne on the center of the stands. Sitting on it was none order than the Emperor, his trusted guard that went by the name of Gabranth standing by his side.

"AH! So the traitors finally step into the arena!" He blared, sitting up from his position and arcing his arms. "I hope you understand the honor that was conceded upon you. Not only will you die to entertain the people of the Empire, you will also be executed in the one way a person can escape!" Of course Mateus would rather be dead then to let them escape and nobody had ever escaped the terrors of the coliseum, but the possibility of escaping was still there. They had weapons and all.

"Yeah, yeah Mateus. We get where you're coming from and let me tell you, you're no César." Disregarding the continuity breach, needless to say Zack's comments didn't sit well with the Emperor. No one dared to snicker, but the confidence displayed by the SOLDIER was enough to silence the nobility. They thought he had a plan and while he did not, only the ones who knew what Zack was thinking right now were his closest companions.

"I see you are still the same disrespectful rat you always were. Perhaps it was for that that you gained the commoner's sympathy… rats will live in packs if given the chance." Zack clinched his fist at the supremely smug remark the despot threw, but that didn't translate into his expression. He wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. Grimacing, the Emperor continued: "Very well, I see words aren't enough to make you repent for what you did. Come then! Fight for your freedom! Or don't, either way it shall be entertaining! Release ALL of the gladiators!" He ordered.

"All of them? He surely doesn't mean…" Eliwood knew they would have to fight the entirety of the men locked into the cells eventually, but all at once? Before they knew it, hundreds of formerly caged men rushed in, filling more than two thirds of the outer arena, leaving only a small, circle on the center with them in it.

"I promise you men of the cages, if Zack Fair and his companions fall this day, the remaining men shall be allowed to join my army and be granted freedom!" Well, that was certainly enough to motivate the former criminals. They cried and charged. Eliwood and the rest immediately took battle stance, forming a circle, but Zack had other ideas. He smiled and chuckled, rocking his head from side to side.

*Cue: The Price of Freedom*

"Boy oh boy... the price of freedom sure is steep!" He exclaimed, pull the Buster Sword out of his back and leaning his head against it. "Embrace your dreams and… whatever happens, protect your honor… as SOLDIER! I'll take you all on! COME AND GET IT!" He exclaimed, doing what no sane man would do and charging directly at the crowd of bloodthirsty savages.

"The man's insane!" Marcus exclaimed.

"Aren't we all?" Eliwood asked with a smile, kicking his horse to follow him. Marcus sighed and did the same, Mark having to run to the crowd as well. The onlookers were in shock and awe as the lord and the SOLDIER destroyed the front ranks with their skill and might, the Paladin rode through the units and targeted the archers, his build making it so he could take the arrows as he charged to them, destroying their rear. Mark followed him but instead concentrated on the mages. Being the one with the highest resistance to magic due to his balanced nature, he made quick work out of the mages with his blade before switching to his Elfire tome and rain fire upon the more armored of battlers. As Zack spun in midair and downed three contenders in one swipe of his blade, Emperor Mateus soon realized how futile the gladiators would be in executing the death sentence. After a few more minutes, as the arena was piled with bodies, the metallic stench of blood and gore nauseating the most sensible on it, the Emperor stood, with a booming voice commanding:

"RELEASE THE BEHEMOTHS!"

Silence.

"It has started." Ashe said, entering the bridge. Fran had been able to enter the Empire's communications channel and managed to infiltrate the live event the people of the Empire were witnessing. Zack's "execution".

"How long until we get there?! Eliwood was sentenced with him!" Lyn shouted as she ran through the ship until she reached Balthier, forcefully taking his head off the horizon and into her eyes.

"Look miss, as much as I love a woman trying so hard for me to give her attention, it would help us both if I was piloting this ship. We should be there in about one hour, I'm already overclocking all systems as is." He replied sarcastically.

"They don't HAVE one hour! You have no idea what they just unleashed on them!" Lyn shouted, completely out of her mind as to what she had just seen Mateus call upon.

"He just unleashed the Behemoths. He does so that he does not have to give the prisoners their promised freedom." He replied in complete apathy.

SLAP!

"What if they DIE before we get there?!" The green-haired Blade Lord screeched, retracting her palm from his cheek.

"Then we change our course and head for Esthar." His tone was flat and he treated it with no emotion. Lyn stared at him but felt no rage, just realization. What could they do more? Throw their lives away? She nodded and let Balthier pilot, having to trust in his skills to lead them there in time. "Don't worry though. I'm sure your lover will make it through." Lyn froze.

"He is… was married and he has a child as old as your brother." He stated, stuttering to correct what had happened to poor Ninian. One could consider what she had done a delayed suicide.

"One would say to stop living in the past love." Balthier said, dismissing her and knowing exactly what he had just done.

Inside a prison:

"How long has it been Seth?" Tattered were this woman's formerly red attire. She was now sporting a ragged dirty skirt, formerly beige, now gray, same fate for her red vest and boots. Her cape had been torn of her back and her body armor now rested on the side the cell. Even her turquoise hair was now more akin to a tangled mess of bluish threads.

"I've been counting the sunsets. Two months Lady Eirika." The knight, who was wearing much simple and darker clothing, didn't show the tear of the imprisonment as she did, yet the wounds of torture were only hidden away by his clothing, one could see them in the gaps he never showed. Eirika knew this, she knew all Seth was doing was hiding his suffering with that stoic facet.

"Ephraim… where are you? I don't know how much longer Seth can hold on…" She pleaded, looking over the knight, who could barely breath after his last session in "The Grinder" as that wretched woman called it. She was broken out of her thoughts when the doors to her cell opened. "You… you're her daughter. What do you want, princess?" Months of imprisonment had eroded Eirika's composed tone, at least towards these people. Her voice was full of venom.

"To help you…" She replied, wincing as she looked at Seth's crudely covered wounds on the abdomen. "Follow me."

"And why should we trust you?" Seth asked, carefully sitting up.

"You would prefer to stay in your cell? You hardly seem prepared for this afternoon "session" sir knight." The raven haired woman pointed out, to which Seth conceded.

"Very well, lead the way… princess. Do not believe even for a moment that I trust you however." Eirika made it very clear, not only with words but with her look.

"I wouldn't dream of betraying you." She replied, slipping into a white cowl with red details. "However, until we are safe, call me Dagger." She saw Eirika nod and helped her lift Seth up. They trudged towards the entrance, where someone Eirika recognized as the captain of the guard waited. Was he on her side? "Will you come with me Steiner?"

"You give me no choice. I am your protector above all. Lead the way." The burly man grabbed Seth and put him on a piggyback ride.

"And now… to put what he taught me to use." The raven haired woman told herself, her mind returning to a much happier time with that tailed "performer". And so they ran.

Dragon's Neck Coliseum:

"Behemoths? So soon?!" Zack Fair, even he was surprised. He would think Mateus would enjoy a more prolonged suffering, but it seemed he wanted to end it as fast as humanly possible. The ten gates to the coliseum all opened, a pair of yellow eyes opening from each and every one of them. A cacophony of roars then filled the arena, the sounds of chains clattering on the ground soon following. The gladiators froze as the ten quadruped beasts flew out of their confinement, landing a few meters from their respective gate. All of them were the same. The purple skinned, four pawed beings whose black horns reminded anyone of a demon, yellow manes and razor sharp teeth. Some even stood on their two hind legs. The monsters were among the most dangerous on the continent, if not THE most dangerous as they were highly intelligent. Only Dragons could dispute that place.

"H-hey! These things don't differentiate! My Emperor… why?!" One of the gladiators shouted at Mateus, who's smiled only grew.

"Take solace in knowing you have died for your country!" He exclaimed as the behemoth's patience wore thin, one of them jumping right to the man who had been the only one to show any kind of action and impaling him with one of its horns, heaving him upwards, the now paralyzed man falling into his maws and into the sweet embrace of death. Then, panic. Some of the gladiators ran, to which they became easy prey, others went for Zack and the company in hopes to kill them and have the Behemoths returned to their cages by the Emperor, something that had never happened while others took one last gamble and charged the behemoths. It was literally their last gamble. In minutes, the coliseum was empty, exceptions made for Zack and his group and nine Behemoths. Two hundred men had been able to defeat only one of the beasts, the other nine approaching Zack and Eliwood with nothing but a ravenous look.

"Any plan?" The lord asked the SOLDIER.

"Kill them dead." Zack replied, waiting for the backup. Suddenly, one of the standing behemoths got hit by a fireball on the back of the head, distracting it and causing it to turn back to his attacker. Zack took this moment to shout and jump on its back, using the fur on its back to climb to its head. There he clung onto the beast as it shook and took his blade into one hand. "Like this!" He shouted, plunging the blade deep into the creature's skull, piercing it's brain and instantly ending its life. The beast fell silent and crashed onto the ground, the tremor being the only thing to be heard as even the Behemoths stared in awe. Zack then removed the blade from its head, stood up on the carcass and roared: "C'mon! Which one of you is next?!" In a way the beasts were left to wonder if they should even attack. The crowd couldn't take it anymore. They cheered. They cared not what would happen to them for they truly admired the courage and will needed to pull off such a feet. Reinvigorated by Zack's victory, Eliwood hit his horse with its spurs, signaling it to stride. He galloped towards the nearest Behemoth and ordered his horse to jump. Just like he once did with the fire dragon, he fell from the skies, plunging his blade unto its skull, as Zack had done, ending the life of it in one sweep.

"Well, I'd say Eliwood's fire is burning again. About time also." Mark mused, dodging one of the beast's claw swipe. Marcus quickly came to his aid, piercing the Behemoth's flank with his blade. The thing was more than annoyed. Roaring in frustration, it called upon the thunder it was said he was born from. "Thunder huh? Elwind!" He chanted, calling upon the winds of his green tome. In a mere fraction of a second he had known just what to use against the thunder, the wind dissipating it and knocking the behemoth back, gaining enough time for Marcus to spear the right side of his neck, Mark doing the same on his left. They nodded at each other and tore the neck open. "Six to go."

While all of it happened, Mateus turned to the man on his side.

"Hojo… release it!" The scientist could only cackle euphorically.

"As you wish my liege!" He shouted, not hiding his laughter as he made his way into the depths of the coliseum.

Back in the Arena, the four men seemed to be the first to ever emerge victorious from the Coliseum. Marcus and Eliwood had cut down a behemoth's legs, Mark finishing the falling beast off. Two were left, both of which were assaulting Zack. He jumped onto one's head and turned to the other.

"What's the matter, scared?!" He said in the most mocking tone possible. The smart but still irrational beast took a swing at him with its paw, hitting the other instead. Insulted, the hurt beast roared and impaled the other behemoth's heart with its horns in one mere strike. Zack then proceeded to lop the remaining Behemoth's head clean off before he realized just how it had been tricked. "And that just about wraps things up. Wasn't that hard, now was it?" He asked, his optimism hiding deeper thinking. "In fact… it was too easy. This was a challenge made to "normal" people. Why would Mateus not give us a bigger one? He knew that we were years away from most of the gladiators and ten behemoths may be scary for some, but still…" He was right though. Soon, the ground trembled. "Freaking called it…" He muttered. This time, the enemy didn't come from any of the gates. Hell, it could not have come from them, it was far too big. It came from the ground, following an eruption of azure energy from the other side of the arena. The "being" that that landed in front of Eliwood was a mystery. In one side, it was not much different from a Behemoth. It was a golden beast, with a body much like it's, but contrary to the behemoth it stood on six legs and all of them, including the body and tail, was a bright golden, blue spheres with magical vortexes appearing seldom on the body. Its head lacked any horns, or it seemed like it. The tendrils of energy that erupted from it could be either a mane or an ensemble of horns. But what scared everyone the most was not its physical appearance. No, it was its still sheer presence. One could feel the sheer amount of power that swirled around it. Magic had become palpable and you could both feel and see the strands of mana gravitating towards the creature.

"BEINGS OF FLESH!" It… talked. Into the minds of everyone there and everyone watching. "Mark my name into your minds. I am Ultima! Power both ancient and unrivaled, I do not bleed, for I am but strength given form! I am what men thought to be able to oppose gods! Lay down your weapons for your time is nigh!" The skies seem to tremble at its voice and its mere presence began to take its toll on the less powerful people on the coliseum who fell unconscious by the amazing magical pressure they felt, as if someone was crushing them with only their presence.

"What the hell is this?! And more importantly, how the HELL did Mateus get it?!" Zack exclaimed, taking two steps backwards before shaking his head. "Not important… Eliwood, you feel up to fight this?" He half-hoped Eliwood to be the one to gain courage and lead him on this, but they seemed to be on the same boat.

"I don't. But we have no choice, have we?" The lord replied, tightening his grip on his trembling hand. For once ever since they started to fight, he felt like they truly wouldn't make it out of this alive. The resounding laughter of Mateus proved it. He truly felt like he'd won. Yet… they had one chance. Just one chance. And they would try to take it. "There's no merit to just lay down and die, is there?!" Zack chuckled at the remark.

"Not really… okay, fine. Everyone, prepare yourselves." Marcus and Mark nodded. They had fought the Fire Dragon and the Demon Dragon, but they both knew just how those were babies when compared to this. Only Idoun could really be compared, but even so, she had been defeated by Elibe's seven treasures and the Sword of Seals. Needless to say, they had none of those. Yet, they still readied themselves.

"FOOLS! YOU TRULY BELIEVE TO EVEN ENCUMBER ME?! Very well, I shall show you the power of the ultimate being!"

*Cue: A Battle to the Death, FFVI OST*

And so, Ultima leapt directly into them center of the group and while the jump seemed easy to dodge, they did not account that when it landed, the winds it arouse were strong enough to them into the walls. They were now separated and as the predator he was, Ultima turned to the weakest prey, Marcus and Mark to its right. It leapt yet again in their direction, giving Marcus no time to get back on his horse, this time, the jump was directed to him, and it did, his middle left paw crushing Marcus' left leg while Marcus' arm bent in a way it was never supposed to happen.

"Get off my Jeigan you freak! I need him to level the tier one chars!" The tactician shouted, plunging his spear intro the creature's deep blue eye. The spear could not do anything, it broke with the impact.

"Pitiful…" Ultima taunted.

"Damnit… take this! Bolganone!" This time, Mark jumped backwards and took a hold of his most powerful fire tome. He hurled a massive blazing sphere at the Weapon in front of him, only to be mocked yet again.

"You call that magic? I'll show you magic! FLARE!" A flame sphere many times smaller spewed from his mouth. However, this was enough to dissipate Bolganone explode in a blast that catapulted Mark into the pit. He had the presence of spirit to grab onto the ledge, but not much else.

"Well, how do you like this?!" Zack shouted from above. With all his might, he crashed down on the weapon's head with his blade in-between his legs, doing not much more than to pierce the skin slightly.

"YOU DARE?!" Ultima cried in agony. To avoid repercussions, Zack jumped. Yet, he did not expect the tendrils on the head of the beast to serve as tentacles, grabbing his right leg and beginning to pull Zack right into its maw.

"Don't worry Zack!" Eliwood said, flying in between the two combatants to sever the links between them. This did more than annoy Ultima.

"HUMAAAAAAAAAAANS!" It cried, tempestuous winds being created by its will, taking Zack and Eliwood skyward without any possibility of response. "FALL!" It cast Gravija, a giant ball of dark energy covering the air around the duo and Eliwood's horse. Right after, the increased gravity kicked in, shooting them to the ground as if a missile they were. "Learn your place fleshlings!"

"Hey… Eliwood… can you move?" Zack asked, already half-knowing the answer.

"No… it is like my body is covered by a thousand more…" He gasped, struggling to even move his right arm.

"Damn… This is it then, isn't it?" Zack asked himself, looking to Ultima to see how all of his crystals were now shinning in a blaze of light, its maws storing a massive fireball. "Not a very… heroic death." His body was broken yes, but he always imagined going done while taking down hordes of enemies, not being crushed by a thing he didn't even know what it was.

"Zack… get up." Aerith pleaded.

"Zack, move!" Cloud did what none other had the courage to do before him. He shouted his support to him, knowing full well that the Emperor would hear him. Soon, the entirety of the arena was calling out to Zack and Eliwood to move, their shouts trying to empower the two men to vanquish the beast. Zack heard all of it and smiled.

"Sorry guys… but it's not gonna work." He told them with acceptance on his mind and soul.

"VANISH! FLARE STAR!"

Time seemed to slow down for everyone watching. They saw what could be described as nothing less than a miniature star being hurled in the defenseless duo.

"ZACK!" Cloud and Aerith cried, Zack just turned away.

"ELIWOOD!" Lyn, Al and Tiena shouted, cursing inwardly how they would fail for a just a minute or two.

Then, fire.

Aerith fell to her knees while Cloud punched the wall next to him infuriated. Mateus' maniacal cackle was the only noise filling the air. Then, Gabranth drew his blade, his eyes drifting to the Ultima Weapon. It looked… confused.

"Who dares?!" The simple question caused everyone to stop wallowing and instead turning to the smoldering inferno, which was now slowly fading somehow, as if syphoned into… something. Blue cape floating to the wind, matching dark blue armor and tiara, his hair was as red as Eliwood's and his blade to where the flames gravitated was the hilt was exquisitely decorated as it was composed by two golden wings with a red jewel in the middle and two blue markings on the top of each wing, the handle was golden as well but it had a thin line of green in the middle and another ruby on the bottom. The hilt then gave way to a somewhat slim blade, not a rapier's, but not a longsword's either. It had no really special decoration like the hilt, it was just a silver blade with a golden line traversing through the middle of the blade.

"Son…" Eliwood said before falling unconscious.

"Roy!" Lyn exclaimed.

"Five minutes till we get there!" Balthier shouted.

"I've got a better idea…" Rydia said, running to the hatch.

"So… you're the one behind all this." The King of Lycia said, gritting his teeth as he pointed the Sword of Seals towards Mateus.

"And you are what boy?" Mateus asked back, his patience wearing thin and composure vanishing.

"One that already rid a continent of someone like you. LILINA!" He called, a small woman in the stands removing her cloak and showing off a book.

"Flames of the inferno itself, consume my foes! FORBLAZE!" The purple haired teen chanted causing a sea of flames to engulf Ultima Weapon and everything behind her, opening a gigantic hole on the coliseum. They knew however, that Mateus wouldn't fall so easily, and because of that, a Pegasus carrying two women entered the now blazing inferno with the despot, who had used some sort of shield to defend himself, in sight. However, as the rider thrust her spear at him, Gabranth appeared from the flames and grabbed it while Lightning erupted from behind, not knowing there was a second rider. Her Omega Weapon clashed with none other than the Armads, the Demon Fighter then throwing her back and jumping off the Pegasus with her.

"Florina, you take the armored guy, I take the woman." Echidna of the southern isles told the former Duchess of Ostia. The timid woman nodded and began exchanging blows with Gabranth.

"I'd say the time for you to get to safety is nigh." Out of nowhere, Hojo suggested.

"Maybe so… Curse every single one of these dream filled fools." He sneered, looking onto the Weapon to decide if he needed to call it back or not. He soon realized that he, in fact, did. Roy seemed to be on the receiving end of its attacks, even when a small company of guards jumped off the stands to help him. Aerith and Cloud had vanished while Zack even helped Roy. However, the deciding turn was Bahamut landing. When the Dragon King erupted into the scene, slamming unto the ground, even Ultima took a step back. From His back jumped Ike and a few more, all of it causing Mateus to take the reasonable way out. "Ultima! Remove our allies from this place at once!" The thing looked to him, bowed and it was down. One moment the fighting was beginning to erupt, the other… silence.

Lyn was the first to talk. She walked up to Roy and hugged the boy.

"I'm so glad you came when you did!" She exclaimed, pulling back. "You always had a penchant to be a hero… arriving right in the nick of time."

"Well, I wouldn't say that… but if you say so Lyn." The teen replied, scratching the back of his head.

"ROY!" Al shouted, tackling him to the ground. "Nice save!" He exclaimed.

"Haha. Thanks Al." Roy thanked, doing his best to get the overhyped Duke off him. "Now… would you please get off?"

"So… I guess you can tell us about your "real" past now, can't you Lyn?" Ike asked after being told from Elincia that Eliwood, Mark and Marcus would live.

"I should… shouldn't I?" Lyn replied, embarrassed of not having told anything even after all this time.

"HEY! Are you Ike?!" Zack said, crashing onto the scene. Ike could only nod. "When I get back into shape, I demand a duel! I want to feel how strong the guy who beat Sephy is!"

"Sure, I'm up for a fight any day!" Ike exclaimed back. Sparring was second only to food for him after all.

Finally, the Rosa arrived, landing outside the now deserted coliseum. It took a bit of convincing to get Roy and the small army he brought with him to actually follow them, but they trusted Lyn enough to follow her.

Radiant Fantasy

Intermission

Ike Saves Christmas… Sort Of

"So much for "the best pilot in the Returners"." Ashe admonished, regarding their situation as certainly not the best.

"Look, I warned you how the mountains around Narshe are considered unflyable, but we had no choice, the Empire is surrounding Esthar." Balthier excused.

Truth was, they had tried to fly over the Narshean peaks to avoid encountering any empirical forces after their little "meeting" on Dragon's Neck. Of course, Lady Luck is kind of a bitch if you've played any Fire Emblem, especially when you get crited at 1% chance… Anyways, I would have to inform you that they found themselves in a blizzard. No matter how much Balthier, Nono and even Vaan tried, no airship could fly in a Narshean blizzard. Eventually, they were forced to make a "not-so-perfect" landing. At first, all seemed well enough, some were roughed up, but the ship was MOSTLY fine. Until Nono discovered a massive leak on the oil tank. It was fixed yes, but now they didn't have oil to operate the ship. The crystal could provide power to the engine, but if the engine blew up halfway the end-result would be the same. Solution?

"Well, at least we landed near Narshe. They are famous for their oil." Vaan said, to which Ashe scuffed and replied:

"YOU piloted us here. HE did nothing." She told him with a small hesitation. Truth was, Vaan was the person with the idea to land near Narshe. Normally, they would stray away from civilization, but his argument was solid this time.

"Hum… thanks?" He couldn't decipher is she had said that to insult him or compliment him.

"Well, the moogles are the ones working in the mines. I can take some there. Too many would attract unwanted attention." Terra offered, further explaining. "It's not unusual for a small group to travel to Narshe to buy a barrel or two of their oil for private airships. One barrel lasts for a year if you use a good crystal to power the airship."

"Well, that makes sense. Take Shinryu and… Ike and Eli should go. Go now! I don't like snow, I had enough of it in Daein!" Yune, which by the way, had finally accepted that being a bird sucked and as such was now walking around like a little girl, ordered, halfway through switching from a normal speech to her usual bratty one. Before Ike and Elincia could question her questionable choice, she teleported them out to the freezing cold outside. "Well now, what do we do?"

"Psh, I dunno. I wasn't expecting to be alive at Christmas time, much less to be stuck on an airship on the Eve of it." Zack answered, putting on a hat fit for the time.

"Chris-what?" Micaiah asked the man.

"Wait, you don't know what Christmas is?" He was met by a wave of negative answers. "Well…"

"And that's what is celebrated on this day." Shinryu finished, much to the skepticism of Ike and somewhat Elincia.

"So… you are telling me that in your continent there is a magical old guy that rides on a sleigh that flies, aided by FLYING REINDEERS that, in a mere night, delivers presents to all the good people that believe in him?" Ike summarized. Well geez, it sounded kinda stupid when someone put it like that.

"Well, don't put it against me, it's what happens." Shin replied.

"Normally, I'd tell you that you were more full of it than the nobles of Crimea… but I've flown on boats and I have a stone which teleports to my possession every time I get more than ten meters away from it. I am truly willing to accept everything now." Elincia told him, resigned. "Terra?" She called, noticing how quiet Terra had been throughout the small walk and how she had now stopped, staring at the distance.

*Cue: Terra's Theme*

"Nothing… just some memories." She dismissed, continuing to walk.

"She was staring at the city, wasn't she? But… why?" Ike asked himself, the sound of the blizzard stopping Terra, who was a bit far away, from listening.

"She was born in Narshe. She lived there before…" Shin stopped there. They knew already.

"Oh… Should we pay a visit before entering the mines?" Elincia asked, but apparently, they were not going unnoticed.

"NO!" Terra shouted in a strange outburst. "I don't want to… bring them into this. Narshe was always neutral and if they see me, they might want to help me. They aren't warriors, but they are good people. I would only be bringing suffering to them." She told them in a saddened voice. She wanted to see the people she grew up with before Kefka took her away, but their safety was first.

"Okay Terra. Lead us to the mine then." Shinryu told the reminiscent woman as he wrapped his right arm over her shoulder and smiled to her before she got too deep into her memories. If there was something Terra was fragile in, it was her past. You handled her past as you would a glass, one slip and it could break. She smiled back and nodded, now eager to meet her moogle friends. She lead them to a mountain to the side of the small town.

"Here it is." Terra said, stopping in front of… nothing really.

"What? It's just a moun-" Ike would eat those words. The esper girl reached for a strange rock and turned it to the side, a giant one lodging itself upwards to reveal a secret passage. "Nevermind…"

They strode on the dimly lit caverns, doing nothing but to follow Terra, for not only did she know the way, but she also used her magic to light the tunnel. They eventually reached a great open room with straw and decorations. Terra stopped.

"Mog? Molulu? Mogohan?" She called, getting no response. "Everyone?! It's me! Terra!"No answer.

"You won't find them here Miss…" A voice responded from the corner of the room. Terra looked to the side and saw an elder sitting against the wall in tattered drapes, clinching to his stomach. "They were kidnapped by the Grinch. If you would help me stand… I could lead you to its lair."

"That's terrible! Please, do take us to this "Grinch's" lair… yet, I haven't seen you before. You are?" Terra asked, knowing all the elders by heart, he did not recognize the pale bearded man.

"Nicholas. I came to Narshe a couple of years back and I do not recall seeing you, so it is a pleasure… Terra was it?" They finished their introductions while Ike and Shin helped the burly man up. By leaving eh mines and going into the mountain immediately, they avoided townsfolk, who stayed at home during blizzards. They reached the peak of the mountains, a seemingly bottomless cliff on the edge. "As far as I know, they were brought into the caves bellow. It will be dangerous to follow…"

"But we will. Return to the city Nicholas, we'll save them no matter what." Terra assured, lifting herself in the air and casting float on the party, descending into the unknown.

"And I'm sure you will. You've been nothing but a nice girl all year…"

The cavern was dark and foreboding but not much else, it seemed to be mostly normal. Still, they had no idea where to look for.

"Well, we better start looking." Ike said, taking a step forward at the same as Shin did. "Let's go that waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay." The ground beneath them had crumbled and they had fallen. Seconds later, the impact was heard with a mighty cry of pain as Ike hit the ground. And another one when Shinryu hit him.

"Sir Ike! Are you well?!" Elincia cried, kneeling by the hole.

"Yeah… just sore. This seems to be a completely different tunnel though. We'll search here and you search there. Meet back here in half an hour. Do NOT get lost!" Ike urged, the women agreeing. "Let's go Shin." And so they walked, descending he tunnel further and further. Soon, they found it… not the moogles though.

"What the heck is…?" Ike began.

"TONBERRIES!" Shin cried in despair. "RUN!" And they ran from the ridiculously small creatures.

Elincia and Terra however, found something much more interesting on the very next room. Without any explanation, as they entered the room, the scenery changed dramatically. Light was now in abundance, displaying what Terra couldn't believe it was.

"A… toy factory?! No… this can't be. This factory is…" She gasped. It was true. Mountains of already wrapped gifts towered, Christmas decorations all over it. Machines also were in abundance. There was just one thing missing. Workers.

"Terra, if I'm not wrong, this is exactly what you described as Santa's workshop." And Elincia was right. It was just like the fairy tales. Now, Santa was established as real long ago in her world, but to see this… Terra felt privileged like no other. Yet…

"Mog?!" She saw a familiar shape run up to her and hug her leg.

"I knew it! I smelled you! Thank the crystals you are here Terra! Please… help us! That green goon has trapped the rest in this factory!" The furry thing Terra would normally drown in a hug pleaded. Hugs could wait. Terra heard a loud cackle.

"You call me a green goon for crying out loud! The Grinch is an octopus and for that he is proud!"

"Okay, dead end…" Ike stated as they arrived at, you guessed it, a dead end. They looked back and saw the Tonberries approach. They didn't look frightening, but if Shin was so afraid of them, Ike didn't feel the need to try his luck. However, there was something weird with the wall. It was no wall, the lack of lighting had tricked him. It was… a cell.

"Oh look, our saviors are here. Now, if you would break the sealing locks we would cheer. We cannot use magic from the inside you see… so you saving us would fill us with glee." Ike heard a voice say from the other side of the cell. He looked to Shin and he looked back to him in a look that said "I'll take anything over Tonberries."

"Will you help us if we let you go?" He asked, to which the voice answered with a haughty laughter.

"OHOHOHOHO! Don't worry pup! I'll blow them right up!" Normally Ike would not trust such a crazed voice so easily, but well, those knives seemed sharp. With one blow of the Ragnell, the magical lock crumbled. From there two people left. One was a small woman, blond with pigtails and the other had lavender hair and was quite tall really. Both however, had very strange ears, certainly not a beorcs…"Thank you! And the rest of you can go into my stew!" With a snap from the woman's finger, the five Tonberries were launched into the air, breaking the ceiling and into the heavens. Ike stared at her, dumbfounded as the woman laughed again. "I see you are surprised. Its normal, my appearance makes sure my power is guised. Well, I am Shantotto, leader of Santa's Workshop but I also am a mage of caliber top!"

"Yuppers! And I'm Prishe! She does the paperwork, I'm the boss of the practical side!" The taller woman greeted, the apt on the back she administered throwing Ike face-first into the ground.

"You… Santa... what?!" Too much information for Shinryu's brain to process. Ike's brain just didn't process stuff.

"Shh… we are in a pinch. We'll talk after we find the Grinch." Still confused as all hell could be, both men just nodded and followed, knowing that they at least were searching for the same person.

"Why is an octopus out of the sea… and talking?" Elincia asked in disbelief. "And why is it painted green?!"

"Oh, you see, I am not a normal octopus. No, I am Ultros!" Vague explanation at its best, but oh well, not like was ever explained anyway.

"Why did you kidnap the moogles? And what are you doing in Santa's Workshop?" Terra demanded to know.

"It is all that liar's fault! Every single Christmas I got coal like I was some kind of dolt! So I took his workers for a forced time out to see how his beloved children like their present drought!" He accused. "And when I asked him why he told me a lie. Lecherous was all he had to say. Well, I don't see where those accusations lay. So I took his workers for a forced time out to see how his beloved children like their present drought" As if on cue, Terra felt something… gooey going up her legs. She didn't even look down, she summoned the Lightbringer and sliced at it. Ultros cried in terror and pulled away.

"You were just feeling me up!" She accused, pointing her blade at the octopus. "You're every bit as bad as he said he was!"

"Don't be like that my babies! Uncle Grinch knows how to please ladies! Now let us put our differences aside and see how the holiday goes down the slide!" The strange beast offered, Elincia and Terra both shivering at what he might be thinking.

"First, we are taken." Elincia shot her a glare. "Yes. We. Second, all the children and even the adults should to get what they deserve! We won't let you ruin it just because of a grudge!"

"Well, I'll just have to apply a bit of logic to this you know? Tangled girls can't say no!" He exclaimed as he lashed out with his deceptively big tentacles. Elincia and Terra took battle position but it was not needed, as the tentacles stopped before they became a threat.

"Stop right there criminal scum!" Shantotto cried from the entrance to the room.

"The Doctor's here to kick your bum!" Prishe completed. Shantotto could never be without rhyme.

"How are you here?! I thought that magic lock would steer you clear!" The Grinchctopus exclaimed, fear staining his voice.

"I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. I'd be more concerned on how to make me believe you'd taste badly on my Tonberry stew." The grouchy woman spouted. Ultros looked at Ike, who had arrived just now and screamed.

"Curse you! My whole scheme you just blew!" He knew for a fact Shantotto couldn't have released herself.

"Time is quick to fly! Get ready to kiss the sky!" Shantotto warned, preparing her magic.

"Well, I'd say it is time for this old Octopus to flee. But remember, you haven't seen the last of me!" And with that, the beast tried to turn tail and run… it didn't work. Before he could get far, he was being shot out of the cavern, leaving nothing in the sky but a twinkle.

"Well, that takes care of that. Now to get this operation up and running again in no time flat…" Shantotto said in mild despair, the chances of getting all of it to work before midnight weren't fair… narrating this is making me rhyme too… curse you Christmas specials!

"Don't worry my little chief, leave that to me!" A familiar voice resounded.

"Nicholas?" Asked Ike, seeing the same man arrive with the nine other moogles in tow.

"Claus." Shantotto corrected, much to the disbelief of anyone in the room but her and Prishe.

"You just had to ruin my disguise, didn't you?" The burly man asked with glee, his vests suddenly transforming into those you know and love. "Well, hello my children! I am Santa Claus. Some of you have only heard me recently but that doesn't matter, I love you all equally! Hohohoho!" Contrary to your belief, that rhyme was not to continue the trend.

"I… can't believe I'm looking at THE Santa Claus!" Shin exclaimed like he was a little boy.

"Oh but you are! I can't dally though, we have a Christmas to prepare and only two hours to spare!"

"Well… what the heck, we'll help!" Ike offered.

And so they worked and worked. Picking up all the presents and putting it on the man's never filling bag. When they finished, it was nearly time and all of them were exhausted, especially the elder saint.

"I am getting too old for this…" He worried he could not drive the sleigh this night. But then he had a brilliant idea. "Ike and Elincia, I never knew of your world until now so, will you accept the present to be a very special night out? What do you say to bringing every household in the continent the joys of the holiday? Don't worry, I'll explain what you should do as you go. I'd wager you'd like to cross the skies in a flying sleigh!" Elincia just blushed, but Ike? Ike was freaking excited.

"I get to ride a sleigh and drop presents? I'm in!" Maybe he was a bit too eager to do it, but Elincia wouldn't just say NO to a night alone with Ike of all people.

"If it will bring solace to the deserving… I'd like to see this tradition come true from now on." She agreed to do it, much to the old man's happiness.

"Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Now I can be sure the joys will be shared by all. Who knows, maybe next year I'll cover all of the continents. Now, let us get you into that sleigh." Santa said. At the first bell of midnight, the sled left the workshop and into the skies, but we'll follow it shortly, for now, let us focus on those who were left behind.

"Now, I may be old, but there is still one present I was able to give!" The jolly old man exclaimed. "Terra, my girl… this is yours! Hohohoho!" Terra looked around and saw that they were no longer standing on the workshop, but on the center of Narshe. And boy oh boy was the town square lively. A giant table where both townspeople and her companions ate, a giant karaoke stage where Zack was busy singing "All I want for Christmas is you" which he directed to every female that passed, and, most importantly, she felt a kind hand touch her shoulder. Turning, she crossed gazes with Banon, the mayor of Narshe.

"Welcome back my child." A simple, yet perfect gift. As Banon professed hose words, the entire town took notice of her, pulling her into the festivities, sharing their experiences for the past years, remembering the five years Terra spent in Narshe. The one crowd the young woman did not fear to be a part of.

"I can't believe you weren't going to pay us a visit!" One of her next door neighbors, a black-haired woman called Luna cried.

"I didn't want to get you in danger…" She replied.

"Well, joke's on you then. You wouldn't have been able to stop it." Another woman said, much to her confusion.

"What Mika means is that the town had already signed a trade contract with Esthar. We're the caravan." Sol, her other neighbor explained. "I'm in charge of magic tomes. Luna's in charge of weapons. Sis is items and Marcus is there for reforging and storage." He pointed at the silver-haired man butting heads with Shin.

"You were so eying her!" Shinryu accused.

"And what if I was?!"

"I'd have to…"

"Boys… do you know what day it is?" Terra asked with that heart melting smile, quickly cooling off what was to be the first of many fights between them.

Fortunately, it was the last of the night. Partially because of how strong the eggnog was. Joy and sharing was the motto of the night and it went out without a hitch, even if people like Shinon had to get drunk on purpose to cope with the atmosphere.

Our other two heroes, whose task was monumental were having the time of their lives, ridding magical sleight pulled by reindeers while jumping into people's houses. They laughed, they talked and even enjoyed the silence in that never-ending night. No, Elincia was not able to finally come out and say it, but she was able to come to terms on how she had to say it sooner than later. Ike? Well, let's just say that even for one with the head of a rock, he realized there was something different about having that one woman around. Maybe, just maybe, this could work out.

"But that is a story for another time, isn't it? For now, I am sure you have families to be with, presents to give and joys to share. And that is why I am going to make this quick! To all I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year!" And what do you know? Even Santa could break the fourth wall once in a while. Well, this is a narrator, wishing you happy holidays! We'll be back next year for more!

Post-Chapter Note:What can I say? I LOVE Christmas! I hope it was at least enjoyable for you to see me tackle the Grinch in my own way. And yes, Ultros won't be a one-time appearance. You know how he is in VI… Anyway, the Special was something I threw in for Christmas' sake. What I'd like your opinions on was the chapter itself. Again, anything you'd like to say about both these chapters, I'd love to hear it. For now though, happy holidays and stay good! Now... back to Tales of Graces I go.