Fire Emblem: Valiant Dawn

Chapter 12

Author's Note

It's official, I am now asking for you, my beloved readers, to submit OC's. Just want to set some ground rules (nothing too restrictive, I promise). First, I am going to ask that you only submit OCs via PM for several reasons that I don't have the energy to explain. Second, no overpowered OCs (I figured that's obvious, but just to be sure). For example, don't make an acrobat/mercenary/multi-billionaire superhero who speaks fifty languages, slaughters everything bad, bangs all the ladies, and then drives home in his spaceship to feed his pet unicorn. I can say with 100% certainty that character will not appear in the fic. Third, and this is the most important one, the OC must be from Earth, circa 2012. That is all. Only one OC will appear in the story at this time, but others may show up later... (no big roles planned yet, but my plans are far from complete). The OC will appear in chapter 13. Anyway, just fill out the big ol' template below, and feel free to add anything you think I missed.

OC Template

I saw some templates on other profiles, but none of them were quite what I was looking for, so I made my own. It's kinda really long, but I think its got everything I could possibly need... hopefully. And yes, colour is spelled like that in Canadian. Bold text means required. Others are optional, but could help me write a more accurate portrayal of the character.

Name:

Gender:

Age:

Hair (colour, length):

Height (feet/inches):

Approx weight (lbs):

Distinctive feature(s):

Additional appearance details:

Personality:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Reaction to stress:

Favourite/common exclamations:

Motivation (ie. do they want to get back to earth, or start a new life in Tellius?):

Additional personality details:

Origin - (ie. where was the OC when they got warped into Telius, who were they? etc.):

Strengths/skills:

Weaknesses:

Phobias/fears:

Prefered weapon/equipment:

Characters your OC would get along with:

Characters your OC would not get along with:

Desired pairing (I make no promises, but if you want one I will try):

Knowledge of Fire Emblem (if any):

Are you open to the possibility of your OC's death? (Not a guarantee of character death, just affects my options for the story): Y/N

So again, if you want to submit an OC, please fill out the above template and sent it to me in a PM. I look forward to hearing from you guys. Replies to reviews and such will be at the end of this chapter.

Chapter 12

I had overslept. Again. Cursing my luck, I stumbled out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. Shit, I am sooo late! Zihark is gonna kill me! Fumbling my shirt -Dammit, I put my head through the arm hole!- I dashed to the door, but turned back in a hurry, looking for my weapon belt. After a bit of struggling, I pulled my head through the correct hole so I could see and found the belt under the cot. My armor was stacked next to the belt, and for a moment I considered putting it on. Gah, no time! I ignored the armor and ran out of the cabin, buckling my belt as I went. Just as I was about to emerge onto the deck, I stopped in my tracks, an ominous feeling of dread coming over me. Something felt... off. Wrong. The lower decks were empty. I listened, and all I heard was the faint lapping of waves against the hull and occasional footsteps on the deck above. That was very strange for this time of day. Not entirely certain that I was awake and that this was not just another of those stupid dreams, I cautiously went out onto the main deck.

Outside, the entire ship was shrouded in a fog so dense I could hardly see the mainmast ahead of me. The sails hung limp in the still air above, not so much as a slight breeze to fill them. Puffs of steam accompanied my breath, the morning chill made harsher by the lack of sunlight. I looked around nervously, the feeling of dread growing stronger by the second; In five weeks aboard the ship, I had never seen weather this strange. As I moved about the deck faint shadows resolved themselves into mercenaries and crewmen, and I could only hear their hushed conversations when I was very close. What I heard bothered me even more. The crew were experienced sailors one and all, and their worried tone dispelled any notion I had that the fog was nothing out of the ordinary. They huddled together around lit torches, glaring at the women and muttering superstitions.

"Baaaad luck, it is, bringin' so many womenfolk to sea," the grizzled bo'sun said to the men around him.

"Brought a curse on us, they 'ave!" a weasly watchman added, his head darting around nervously as though he expected the fog to swallow him any second.

I took a breath to steady myself and continued on my way. While I put little stock in superstition, something was still very, very wrong. Keeping close to the rail, I made my way up to the quarterdeck to see what the captain had to say. Hopefully it was nothing to worry about. To my dismay, when I found Nasir standing with a frowning Ike and Soren at the wheel, he seemed every bit as worried as his crew. I got close enough to listen in on their conversation.

"...anchor's been dropped. It's no use trying to sail when I can't even see the front of my ship. I'm sorry, but we're not going anywhere until it clears," he was saying.

"Is this a common occurence?" Ike asked, not at all happy about the delay. "How long until we can get moving again?"

"No, and I don't know," Nasir replied, his face troubled. He moved past the wheel and looked out over the deck. "There is no wind, there is no sound, and the water is far too calm for the open sea. In all my years, I have never seen or heard of anything like this."

"Well, if we're not on the open sea then we must be near land. Why not send a party ashore? Perhaps the locals can provide help," Ike suggested impatiently.

"No. There is something strange afoot here, and I will not send men so far out in this fog. What do you think, mage?" he asked Soren. Soren did not reply at first, his brow furrowed in concentration. Ike nudged him to get his attention, startling the mage. Nasir reiterated his question. "What is your take on it?"

Soren frowned. "I don't like this fog, Ike. It feels... unnatural. Tainted, even. Simple fog would never be so dense, and it should not deaden sound like this. I mean, I know there are men talking over there, but I can hear little more than a whisper. Worse, I thought I just sensed something more here, some undercurrent of magical energy. It's fleeting, unfamiliar, and I can't quite pin it down, but I know what I felt. I fear there is some dark sorcery at work here..." he trailed off, and his frown deepened. I chose that moment to cut in.

"Commander, what about the crow's nest? With the fog this dense and heavy, perhaps we could get above it," I suggested. I chose to operate on the assumption that this was natural fog. Magical fog just sounds stupid, and if I could prove it was just normal fog then I could also prove that Soren was wrong about something. That would be great. "A lookout and a few messengers could guide the ship out of this."

"I sent a man up there just a few minutes ago," Nasir said, his tone clearly conveying that he did not need me to tell him that. "He has not yet returned, though. Perhaps it would be best to send another up to carry messages back and forth."

Ike's expression became worried at that statement; I'd warned him that in the game (or book, as I put it) corsairs from Kilvas attack the ship at some point, and while giant birds had occasionally been sighted in the distance, we'd agreed that an attack would be doomed to failure given the ship's ballista and experienced crew. Now, though, with the ship blind, deaf and immobilized by the fog, we were at our most vulnerable. But still, they couldn't find us in this fog, right?

"Let's make it two people, just to be safe. We don't know what else might be out there," Ike replied. Before he could ask for a volunteer, Rolf came running over, startling me.

"Oooh, I'll go Commander!" he exclaimed excitedly, having overheard the conversation. Rolf, with his overabundance of energy and constant need to prove himself to Boyd, loved climbing around on the ship's rigging and masts much to dismay of some of the mercenaries, who worried he'd hurt himself.

Ike frowned. "Rolf, I don't know-"

"I've got real good eyes and ears, and I can climb faster than anyone! I'll be a big help, you'll see!" Rolf interrupted eagerly. He sobered, realizing what he'd just done. "Umm, sorry for interrupting, Commander Ike," he added sheepishly.

Ike narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "This isn't some stupid stunt to impress your brothers?" he asked.

Rolf shook his head emphatically. "Nope, just trying to be helpful. C'mon, Commander Ike sir, you know I'm the best for the job! Besides it's just a little fog, how bad could it be?"

"I'll go with him," I offered. Boyd wasn't nearby, but I knew he would not like the idea of his little brother going up there alone. Soren scoffed at the notion. "Oh, would you rather go then, Soren? You're gonna climb all the way up there wearing that dress?" I shot back, gesturing at his mage robes. Oh man, if looks could kill... I ignored him and turned back to Ike, smiling inwardly at that extra display of disrespect. "I've spent lots of time in the crow's nest sir, so I know my way up." Indeed, Nephenee and I talked up there on a fairly regular basis, so I could practically reach it with my eyes closed. Come to think of it, I didn't see her on the deck. I took a quick look around, but she was not within sight. Still, visibility was low so I wasn't too concerned.

"It's a robe," Soren replied venomously, glaring daggers at me. I returned a sweetly sarcastic smile, further infuriating him. He still managed to get in the last jab, though. "You know, perhaps it is best if you go up. After all, when you are killed or fall to your death it will hardly diminish our fighting strength."

"It's decided then," I said icily, trying not to show my annoyance. I found it helped if I imagined punching him in the face. With one last glare at Soren, I made my way to the rail and used it to guide me to the rope ladders that ran up the side of the ship. "C'mon Rolf, let's not waste any more of the lady's time."

"I'll beat you up there!" Rolf called as he dashed ahead. Indeed, he'd nearly climbed out of sight by the time I got out onto the ropes, and I hurried after him.

"Dammit, Rolf, don't get so far ahead!" Yeah, he's definitely trying to impress his brothers. I could hear him laughing in response, but the laughter grew fainter as he outdistanced me, vanishing into the fog. Alone now, I paused on the ropes as the fog seemed to close in around me. One of the sails hung limp to my right, but looking up or down I could see no other part of the ship. I was only about a third of the way up, but already the deck had vanished beneath me. I gulped, and butterflies in my stomach threatened to eject what remained of my dinner from last night. This whole situation was getting downright terrifying, and the thought of doing this to prove Soren wrong didn't seem so smart anymore. I silently cursed myself for being stupid enough to volunteer, and actually considered going back down for a second. Wait, are you serious? You're gonna wimp out because of a little fog? This is no different from being afraid of the dark. Are you afraid of the dark? Not a chance, so suck it up! I berated myself. The realization that Rolf, a kid several years younger than myself, had made it up there no problem shamed me even further, and I redoubled my pace.

I reached the crow's nest and hauled myself over the edge, and was surprised to find the fog remained impenetrable even this high up. I was ready for Rolf to make some jab about how slow I was, but none came.

"Sorry I took so long, got a little hung up," I quipped when I got my feet under me, just to break the silence.

Rolf still made no response. He stood frozen, eyes wide with shock. My smile vanished as I followed his gaze to see the crewman Nasir had sent up lying sprawled on the floor, a loaded crossbow still in his hand. I too froze for a second, but snapped myself out of it and went to check on the man. I took his wrist in hopes of finding a pulse. There was none, but his skin was warm to the touch. Encouraged, I put my fingers to his throat, looking for any sign of life.

"Is he okay?" Rolf finally asked, his voice choked and worried.

I closed my eyes, frowned, and shook my head no. He was already dead. I looked more closely at the face to see who it was. One part of me was relieved to find that it was not a man I knew, and the other part felt horrid for being relieved. I propped the head up to close the corpse's eyes, and was revolted to feel the back of his skull squish at my touch. I pulled my hand back and found it slick with blood. I turned the body over to get a better look, and I nearly vomited when I saw the wound.

"W-what could've done that?" Rolf's voice matched the horror I felt. The back of the man's skull had been crushed by a single, mighty blow. His hair and neck were wet with blood, but there were no other wounds. Whatever did this killed him quickly and with incredible precision, but even more disturbing was the fact that he still held a loaded crossbow: He never knew what hit him and whatever it was, it was gone just as quickly as it had come. That meant that whatever it was, it probably wasn't human, and it could still be out there, hiding in the foggy air. My worst fears confirmed, I turned to Rolf.

"We need to get back down, right now! We're under attack!" I don't know how they found us , but there's only one thing that could explain this...

"B-but there's nobody-"

"Corsairs, from Kilvas," I explained urgently as I pried the crossbow from the corpse's hand, and watched as Rolf's face went white with fear. He started to move, but stopped again. "Rolf-" I started, but he held up a finger to silence me, cocking his head to one side as if listening for something.

"Did you hear that?" he finally asked, voice quivering only slightly. He nocked an arrow as he spoke, and began scanning the mist for any threat. I noticed that even though his voice and face betrayed his fear, his hands were rock-steady.

"No, I d- Wait!" There was a faint fluttering from behind us. I snatched the crossbow and spun towards it, but saw nothing. Damned fog. We stood back to back in tense silence, scanning the air around us. There were more noises, but it was hard to tell where they came from. Several times I snapped my aim one way to track a flicker of motion, only to have a flutter or caw come from my other side. Alone and exposed, I found myself missing my armor, even though the studded leather would be of little use against the sheer power of whatever had killed the crewman. I did a quick check of what I did have, and was not encouraged. I had a blunted tourney sword on my belt, great for training but useless here, which left me with the crossbow; It was loaded and felt similar to a gun, but the only other ammunition was in a quiver firmly strapped to the dead man's thigh, and I did not relish the thought of wrestling with a corpse so I could reload with my back to the threat. I would only get one shot. On a happier note, I knew Rolf could nock and fire arrows quickly, and the boy had keen senses. I glanced back at him. "You see anything?"

"Nothing." He was scared, terrified even.

My own breath was coming in short, laboured puffs as I drew closer to a full panic. A sudden urge to say 'fuck it all' and flee back down to the deck came over me, and I almost did just that. What the hell are you thinking, you're gonna get yourself and Rolf killed! Grow a pair and hold your ground! I screamed in my head. I took a deep, steadying breath and shouldered the crossbow again, scanning for threats. I tried to discern some pattern to the noises and movement, telling myself that if I could just figure out where it - they? - were, I could somehow find a way to kill them first. I never found out.

"Adam, DOWN!" Rolf suddenly yelled. I heard the twang of his bowstring as I ducked, and something flew over our heads. Pain exploded in my right shoulder, and a black form vanished into the fog ahead of me. I raised my crossbow, but it was long gone. I held my shot.

"You okay?" Rolf asked as we went back to scanning. I felt warm blood running down my back, and there was a burning sting along my shoulder blade.

"I'm fine. Just a glancing hit," I replied, frustrated by my helplessness. Damn, I hardly even saw it. How can anything move so fast? Once again, I dearly wanted some armor, just to feel a little more secure. More noise came from the left, and we both spun that way. Nothing, again. Just as I was about to give up on seeing anything, I caught a flicker of motion in my peripheral vision. It was the only warning we got. "ON THE RIGHT!"

Rolf saw it too, and was moving even before I shouted my warning. Quick as lightning he nocked and loosed an arrow, and the raven screeched in pain. The dying bird's momentum carried it right into us, hitting Rolf squarely with its body. Before I could even reach for him the pair crashed through the side of the crow's nest. Rolf dropped his bow and just caught hold of a plank while the raven, dead or unconscious, fell to the deck below. My wound forgotten, I threw myself to the floor next to him, reaching down for his free hand.

"Take my hand! C'mon!" I yelled. Rolf strained, but it was all he could do to hold onto the broken plank that supported him. I pulled myself closer to the edge, reaching further. I almost caught him, my fingers just brushing his hand. I leaned even further out, and braced myself to take the boy's weight. I tried again, but an ear-splitting shriek dashed my hopes as another raven landed heavily behind me. "NO!" I screamed in useless denial, grabbing desperately for Rolf. Something clamped down hard on my ankle, and I was yanked violently back away from the edge. "Hold on!" was all I could yell as I gripped the planks in a frantic attempt to stay there. The raven pulled again, harder, and I felt my ankle twist painfully. Splinters dug into my hands and cut my fingers, and I lost my grip. In an instant I was under the beast, and I twisted violently to face it. The huge black bird released my leg, but promptly pinned it again with a razor sharp talon. It snapped its beak down at me, but my thrashing just got my head out of the way. The beak smashed right through the planks beside me, answering the riddle of what killed the crewman, and I grabbed for my crossbow while it extricated itself. I clubbed viciously with the stock and the thing recoiled, giving me just enough time to bring the weapon around. Before I could line up the shot, it pecked again. The crossbow blocked the strike, but it cracked and the bolt went sailing off to the side.

The bird cawed in victory, but that cry turned to a pained shriek as I kicked its leg with my uninjured foot. Hollow, brittle bones broke beneath that blow, and it delivered another wicked peck in response. I blocked with the crossbow again, and although the weapon shattered, that deadly beak once again struck the planks next to me instead of crushing my skull. This time, I didn't give the creature any time to react. I wrapped one arm around its neck and dug my other thumb into the first soft spot I found, its eye. The agonized scream that followed deafened me, but I stubbornly held on as the beast thrashed about.

"Die, you goddamn FREAK!" I yelled, terrified and enraged beyond reason. The beast, shrieking and mad with agony, thrashed and twisted, whipping its neck around in a desperate attempt to dislodge me. To my credit I held on for a few seconds, but it finally smashed me into the side of the crow's nest. I slumped, tasting blood in my mouth. Luckily the raven, half blind and in agony, retreated to nurse it wounds. It would be back, but I had a few seconds to recover.

"I'm slipping!" Rolf cried, reminding me of his plight. I twisted and made a desperate lunge for his hand, and clamped down on his wrist even as his tired fingers slipped. He was small, but the sudden weight was too much for me, and I was pulled halfway out before my leg caught on some broken planks. I gritted my teeth and focused on not letting go of Rolf's wrist. Below, I could hear faint yells and shrieks, telling me that battle was joined down there as well. I tried to pull Rolf up to safety before the raven came back, but a hateful shriek from behind me told me I was too slow. I could do nothing but give a frustrated sigh as talons smashed into me and dislodged my leg. We slipped out of the crow's nest, and plummeted through the fog towards the deck.

For a few seconds I flailed madly with my free arm as we fell, and suddenly a green form flashed beneath us and a gauntleted fist seized me roughly as I landed on the scaly back of a wyvern. My shoulder screamed in protest as Rolf jerked to a halt at the end of my arm, but he held on. With impressive strength, our rescuer, a red-haired girl in crimson armor, hauled us close to her saddle.

"Grab onto something!" she yelled. I wasted no time wrapping one arm around a strap on the saddle, then hauled Rolf closer. She let go of me and took the archer, pulling him up to sit behind her in the saddle. Relieved to be free of the extra weight, I pulled myself into a sitting position and held on for dear life. Our rescuer, who I now recognized as the Daein wyvern rider Jill, returned her focus to steering the wyvern. Rolf had probably thanked her five or six times before I got over the shock of being on a dragon and remembered to thank her myself. She ignored us both. A screech from the right heralded the approach of yet more ravens, but Jill angled her lance to intercept one while her mount caught another in its powerful jaws. Two broken corpses floated down to the water below, and the other birds went off in search of easier prey. The danger past for the moment, I reached ahead and tapped her shoulder. She glared back at me.

"Look, thanks for the rescue and all, but our ship is back that way," I said once I had her attention. She rolled her eyes as though it were a stupid observation.

"I know, fool, but that group of sub-humans is fleeing this way," was all she said. I caught glimpses of black shapes in the mist ahead, and realized that she was less intent on rescuing us than she was on milking this battle for as much renown and glory as she could. Lovely. Worse yet, Rolf finally noticed the emblem on her armor.

"Uh, Adam. I-I think she's a Daein..." he said nervously.

"I can see that," I replied tersely. I addressed her again, hoping not to offend her and thereby prolong my life expectancy a bit. "Look, I'm sure you don't want us riding with you for any longer than is necessary, so if you could jus-"

"Shut it Crimean, unless you want to get dropped. BLEED THE HALF-BREED!" she yelled as she urged her mount onwards. One unlucky raven came within reach, and she speared it through the back. Wonderful, I'm stuck on a dragon's back going directly away from where I want to go with a one-woman lynch mob. And she's from Daein, no less! Still, despite the Daein soldier sitting in front of me and the whole nearly falling to my death bit, flying was actually sort of exhilarating in a brown-your-trousers kind of way, so I just sat back and tried not to fall off for the duration of the chase.

Once she was satisfied that that particular group of ravens was sufficiently scattered, she steered her wyvern back in the general direction of the ship. The ship was lit up brightly when we returned, the copious number of torches gradually burning off that insidious fog and giving a clear view of the battle that raged on her decks. All across the deck I could see a confusing morass of men and birds, jabbing with weapons and beaks while the more experienced warriors tried to form some kind of cohesive defense. Jill landed her wyvern near the bow of the ship, driving a few ravens away from some crewmen.

"Hurry up and get down!" she snapped. "My wyvern can't carry three people around and fight these beasts." Rolf and I obliged quickly, and she lifted off again to battle yet another group of laguz. I looked around in bewilderment at the battle, unsure where to go or what to do. A bird swooped in at me, and reflexes kicked in as I drew my sword and slashed at it. The blunt weapon stopped its talons, but didn't cut through like I'd hoped it would. Damn, forgot that was a training sword. Rolf stabbed it with an arrow from his quiver, and looked revolted as blood sprayed onto his arm. The raven screamed and beat a hasty retreat, the wind from its wings driving us back before we could hit it again.

"We need weapons!" I shouted over the din of battle. Rolf nodded his agreement, and I motioned for him to follow me as we dashed towards the stern of the ship and the door leading to the lower decks. I kept low to avoid unwanted attention and the constant swooping attacks of those damnable ravens. The deck was slick with blood, and the human dead and wounded were scattered amidst the corpses of ravens. A dropped torch set a section of the ship ablaze, and crewmen desperately began trying to douse the flames. Rolf took a bow from a wounded crewman and began raining arrows on a group of laguz that were giving his brothers trouble. I continued alone until I reached the door, but had to stand aside as a pair of crewmen came rushing out with more buckets of water. Once they were past, I ducked inside and ran to my cabin. Outside, the sounds of battle grew louder and louder as I retrieved my armor and weapons, cursing every delay that kept me out of the battle. Despite my cut shoulder and bruised ankle, my blood was pumping and I was eager to get back in the fight. Ike's rallying cries from outside only added to my urgency as I struggled into the leather shirt.

Buckling my armor as I ran back out into the fray, I found the mercenaries clustered in front of the door leading below, fighting desperately to hold back the ravens' furious assault. The numbers were about even, but with the raised quarterdeck at their backs and the staircases leading up to it anchoring both flanks, the ravens' angles of attack were limited and the mercenaries had achieved something almost resembling a defensive formation. The front line of warriors was holding them back, but only barely, and the ranged fighters had their hands full just keeping the ravens from getting directly above us, even with Jill's aerial assistance. The first thing I noticed was Boyd, hard pressed by one laguz, nearly lose his head to a second that swooped in from the side. He ducked and killed the bird with an upward swing of his axe, but it cost him his position against his first opponent. Two steps brought me beside the creature, and I intercepted the peck it aimed at my friend, the point of my sword cutting deep into its head as the creature impaled itself. The sheer force of the raven falling dropped me on my rear, and my sword remained firmly stuck in its head. I was mesmerized for a second as I stared at the corpse, surprised to feel no guilt or remorse, but rather a vague sense of satisfaction. A boot nudged me, bringing me back to reality before I could think too much about it, and Boyd offered me a hand. He said something, but I couldn't hear him clearly so I just forced a cocky grin and took the offered hand as he pulled me back to my feet. Any further interaction was cut short as yet more ravens joined the fray, and we turned to face this new threat.

I knew not how long that battle lasted; It could have been hours, it could have been minutes. With only studded armor for protection, I stayed just behind the front lines, ready to lend a hand wherever someone ran into trouble or to pull wounded mercenaries and crew back to the healers. I fought beside Boyd for a time, but we got separated somehow and I found myself first fighting with a pair of crewmen, then with Nephenee, whom I was relieved to find alive. Still, it seemed no matter how many fell or retreated the birds just kept coming, a never-ending stream of enemies that replaced each dead or wounded bird with another, fresh and eager for blood. The line held for a time, the mercenaries' desperate efforts just keeping the beasts from breaking through, but fatigue began to take its toll and we all moved slower with each block or swing.

The break in our line happened fast as Brom missed a block and was bowled over by a pair of ravens. Crewmen in the second line tore into those ravens and Ilyana turned to assist, but more were coming in behind and others renewed the assault from above, and all the other mercenaries were too heavily engaged to do anything. In desperation I threw myself into the gap in the lines, warding off the leading beast with frantic strikes. It retreated for a second, but swooped right back in. Two crewmen, done killing the ravens on Brom, came in to back me up, but a second laguz joined the one in front of me, its talons shearing through the chest of the man to my right. The other crewman got swift vengeance as he buried a billhook in the beast's head while I attacked my enemy with renewed fury, anger giving me one last burst of energy. I took a talon to the gut, but as luck would have it I was already turning away and it glanced off my armor. Turning my hips with the swing like Zihark had taught me, my counterattack tore deep into the laguz' chest. It dropped in a heap and I lost my balance momentarily as my sword came free of its body, too tired to halt my own momentum. Another raven attacked from above, sensing weakness, but a javelin from Nephenee intercepted it mid-flight. She came over and helped plug the gap in our lines as Brom was pulled to the safety of the lower decks.

Their attack repelled for the moment, the laguz withdrew to regroup. Ike ordered the archers to hold fire, and everyone took advantage of the break to quickly treat their wounds. My exhaustion caught up with me, and I leaned heavily on my sword as I cast a worried look at our ragged group. Rolf, the mages, and the crew's archers were all still standing, but our melee lines were depleted; Nephenee stood just a few feet away rubbing a slave into one of her wounds, and it looked like all the original Greil Mercenaries were still standing as well, but Marcia, Keiran, Brom, Mia and Lethe had all been taken below. Worse yet, when I looked at what the ravens were doing I realized where they got their endless supply of warriors. Wounded ravens were reverting to their human forms and quaffing elixirs similar to the one Zihark had used to save Ilyana back in Port Toha, healing their wounds so they could return to the battle. I frowned; How can simple pirates be so well outfitted?

"Hey, ye're bleedin'," Nephenee said, interrupting my musings. She held out a pouch filled with the salve she'd been using, and pointed to my abdomen. I looked down, and realized that the last hit I'd taken had not been deflected by my armor after all, and warm blood was soaking through the leather. I took the vulnerary and mumbled my thanks. The salve stung like hell when I rubbed it in the wound, but the bleeding slowed almost immediately and the sting was replaced by a cool, numb sensation. I rubbed a bit into my shoulder as well, not wanting my sword arm to be overly encumbered. I passed the salve back to Neph, offering a quick smile of gratitude as she returned it to her belt. Our attention was drawn forward as the ravens began massing for another attack, and Ike began calling out orders and organizing the defense. Archers nocked arrows, mages readied spells, and infantry prepared to receive the enemy's charge. Jill took off again, hovering above to protect the mages and archers.

"Mercenaries, we must hold the deck! If we retreat below, these crows will be free to cripple the ship and leave us stranded, and we cannot let that happen! Hold ranks, watch out for the man next to you, and we will drive them back!" Ike yelled as he took his place in the center of the line. That line straightened, and if Ike had any doubts about winning he did not let them show.

"Here they come," Neph said anxiously, her eyes fixed ahead as she gripped her spear tightly. The ravens were staying low to avoid Jill and her devastating wyvern, which meant it would be us, the clear weak point in the infantry line, that would be the focus of their assault.

"Good luck," I replied as I raised my sword in a high guard.

"And Goddess protect us," the crewman next to me added.

A shriek from the laguz leader signaled the charge, and as one the ravens surged forward. Despite Ike's encouragement, our line collectively shrank back before the sheer momentum of that charge. They were halfway to our lines when a massive roar split the air, freezing even the ravens in their tracks. A few moments of silence followed as everyone looked about, worried that this heralded the approach of some new enemy. There was a second roar, louder this time, and an instant later massive forms came out of the mist. Three, no four- make that five enormous dragons - DRAGONS - came flying in, three red beast interposing themselves between the corsairs and us, while a fourth moved in to attack. The ravens scattered instantly, and two dragons went off in swift pursuit. The remaining three landed on the deck and faced us, their sheer power and majesty mocking our ragged, pitiful defenses. Everyone gripped their weapons tighter and retreated as far back as they could, and the man next to me whispered a frantic prayer for safety. Even knowing that dragons were helpful in the game, I had my doubts about their intentions too as I watched the imposing spectacle before me. These guys made Jill's wyvern look like a little kitten in comparison.

"Steady," Titania said calmly, just loud enough that everyone could hear. "If they wanted to kill us, we'd be dead already."

"Everyone lower your weapons, and don't make any sudden moves," Ike added just as quietly.

The dragons' leader, a great black dragon that dwarfed even his massive companions, stept forward. A couple of the crew raised their weapons instinctively, but a look from Ike was enough to make them get back in line. He walked towards the leader, and the two stood there for a moment, as though sizing each other up. The silence was broken by the cracking of bone as the leader's frame contorted and shrank until the great dragon was replaced by a richly dressed young man. On that signal his companions followed suit, reverting to their human forms and moving to flank their lord.

"Well met, travelers. I am prince Kurthnaga, of Goldoa," the young man said, his posture and expression conveying genuine warmth. As one the mercenaries around me relaxed, and several began to help the crew with repairs or went below to assist with the wounded. Soren and Nasir both seemed particularly eager to get below. I stayed put and leaned a little closer, pretending to nurse my own wound as I listened in on the commander's conversation.

"A prince? Good, we could use some help," Ike replied curtly. Titania coughed, and Ike cringed a bit before starting over, more politely this time. "I am Ike, a mercenary in the service of princess Elincia of Crimea. We appreciate your help, those corsairs were giving us rough time."

The prince seemed a little taken aback by Ike's gruff greeting, but recovered quickly and offered a diplomatic smile. "You are a long way from home then, Ike. And you are most welcome for the assistance, though it was a coincidence that we found you, I am afraid. I was touring the coastal villages when one of the village elders sensed powerful emanations of elder magic here. Naturally, such an anomaly in Goldoan waters must be investigated, so I lead a patrol. I certainly did not expect to find a battle at the center of this summoned fog." He looked very unsettled as he considered the raven corpses strewn about. "Kilvas has been growing bold, but to use the ancient summoning arts... I did not know there were any alive who practiced such dark rituals. I assure you, I shall lodge a formal complaint with King Naesala once I return home. In the meantime, though, the least I could do is guide your ship safely out of here." He gestured to his soldiers, and one shifted back to a dragon while the other began tying him to the prow of the ship.

I heard no more of their exchange, as Titania noticed me sitting idle and started to head in my direction. I took the hint, and went below deck as fast as I could to see if they needed any help. There, amidst bustling healers and crew I had the misfortune to run into Soren. I tried to move on, but he grabbed my arm.

"Hey, you! What's happening up on deck?" he demanded when he saw me.

"I'm busy tryin' to help out down here. Why don't you just go up yourself?" I snapped. Of all the people I could run into...

Soren held up a healing staff in response. "Because I'm actually helping," he replied. "Besides, too many sub-humans up there for my tastes."

"You're an ass, you know that? Whatever, I didn't hear much, but it looks like they're planning to tow us out of this fog." Just as I finished saying that, the deck lurched under me as the ship started to move. There were a few subdued cheers from the crew, but most people did not feel like celebrating just yet. I was about to leave, but remembered the other part. "Oh yeah, and apparently the fog is something to do with elder magic and summoning, or something like that. Figured you'd need to know that, snce you're kinda the magical expert around here."

"Say what?" Soren asked, his expression a mixture of surprise and dread.

"Elder magic? I dunno, the prince guy said that's what it was..."

"But those arts are- to summon that- ... a blood ritual. But how could sub-humans...?" Soren mused, his half complete thoughts serving only to further puzzle me. "Are you sure of this?" he asked, as if suddenly remembering that I was still there.

"Hey, I'm just relaying information. But what was that bit about blood rituals? I mean, that can't be good-" Shit, is this blood magic? What the hell, that wasn't in the game!

"You wouldn't understand. I need to look into this, so don't waste my time with pointless question," he interrupted rudely. Without another word, he was gone. Dick. I stood there, puzzled and a little pissed, until shouts for fresh bandages reminded me why I was down there in the first place. I ran off to the cargo hold to get more supplies, and pushed thoughts of blood magic to the back of my mind. Leave magic to the mages...

After the better part of an hour, the dragons finally towed the ship out of the fog. I got another look at them once the worst of the wounded had been treated and my own cuts were bandaged, and it was a glorious sight; Red beast pulling our ship through the dense fog, scales shimmering with reflected torchlight while half-seen cliffs loomed in the background. I hoped I would never encounter these laguz under unfriendly circumstances. Once we were out, the anchor was dropped again at the Goldoan prince's request; He wanted to replenish our supplies, free of charge. I heard him say something to Princess Elincia about fostering good relations with other countries for when it came time for him to succeed his father. While he was gone, a brief but solemn ceremony was held for the dead; The bosun and six other crewmen had lost their lives, and another three were missing and presumed dead. The seven corpses were swaddled in cloth, weighted, and committed to the deeps. Rhys led those present in a brief prayer, and just like that it was over. The crew returned to cleaning the bloody deck and checking the sails and rigging for damage. The dead ravens were dumped off the side as well, but that was more out of necessity than any respect for their dead. Jill, despite her Daein heritage, was cautiously welcomed into the company thanks to her heroic efforts in the battle. She did not seem to like the arrangement, but her wyvern's wing was injured in the battle so she had little choice in the matter. Goldoan soldiers returned with supplies not long after the funeral, but would not stay. The prince made no appearance, but sent his regards and a few bags of gold to add to the company coffers. With heavy hearts we set off once again for Begnion, and I was left with more than a few troubling questions. Chief among these questions was one that had plagued me for some time, and the unpredictable events of that day brought it to the forefront of my thoughts; What if I don't know how this war is going to play out?

Author's Note

I am sorry for my tardiness with this chapter. Writer's block was giving me some major trouble, but I've been occupied with other things in life as well. I am devoting a lot of my time to the study and practice of martial arts, I got promoted at work, and as always I've been playing video games. Hopefully, the next chapter won't take me three months, especially now that exams are done. Now to reply to reviews...

ExposedWiresExposedVeins - Thank you again for the feedback. You raise some good points that I have taken into consideration, and I just thought I would explain my reasoning for the OC fighting with the mercenaries. I agree that under normal circumstances, even in medieval society, throwing an untrained dude into battle would not be ideal. That being said, at the time the OC joined the mercenaries they were in pretty desperate straits in terms of manpower. It got to the point that they allowed Mist and Rolf to fight (who as far as they knew had less training than the OC, but were admittedly not fighting hand to hand), so I figured that in that situation it was not too much of a stretch for the OC to join the battle as well. I know he was a little too good at fighting in chapters 5 and 6, but the idea was that he was lucky and facing equally unskilled opponents.

Thank you all for the advice, reviews, favs and follows. I appreciate the support, and I really do feel bad about my long inactivity. Please feel free to leave a review, good or bad, and again please submit OCs via PM so as not to cause clutter in the reviews section. Thanks, and seeya next time.