Chapter Nineteen: Assassination

Lady of Grima: Gri

Sounds of fighting rang throughout the halls of the castle as Lucina and I reappeared near the gates. Or, what was left of them. Bits of metal and wood littered the earth, evidence of the defensive structures having been blown apart by some spell or another. Despite this, the guards, few as they were, had rallied, and were making a good show of defending the breech, if the blood on their weapons was any indication.

Pegasus Knights, only a few, but present none the less, swooped up and over the walls, their riders singed and bloodied. "They've got more mages!" A vague shout drifted down, as they circled, before coming in for a landing. "We scared them off for the moment, but it won't last for long!" I traded a glance with Lucina as we approached the group.

"My Lady!" A man wearing Lieutenant's regalia waved to us as we neared. The entire Castle had apparently picked up on the way I was addressed by the Shepherds in less than a day. "We're doing all we can!" All they could wouldn't be enough, but that was more by virtue of the attackers than any deficiency of them.

"Fall back to the castle." Closing my eyes, I tightened my grip on Falchion, letting the weapons innate magic pulse down my limbs, letting my heartbeat pick up slowly. "We will hold them here as long as possible." Eyes snapping open, I have the officer a sharp nod. "Find your Prince. He and Lady Robin will be organizing the defense."

"You've done well." Lucina added, as the man saluted, calling the fallback. It took the Ylissean soldiers only a few moments to fall back into the castle, leaving us standing alone in the now destroyed gates. "You can feel them, can't you." Her tone was mostly question, although I was quite certain she knew the answer, considering the brilliant light both our Falchion's cast.

"Grimeal." Shaking my hair from my eyes, I tapped the Thoron tome at my hip, feeling the sizzling magic running through its pages. "Powerful ones. They're raising dead to supplement their soldiers."

Stepping into the ruins of the gate, we faced down the attacking force. They weren't large, but I couldn't see how someone would have missed a group of soldiers at least two hundred strong moving across the countryside. Even if the Grimeal hadn't starting raising dead until they got into the city, this was ridiculous. Someone should have noticed and raised the alarm. Regardless, their numbers, even with the Risen, were not terribly impressive, and with some creative magic, Lucina and I were more than capable of dealing with the entire group.

That, however was not the object here.

With a snapped word lightning rippled from before me, striking the chest of the nearest soldier and fizzling into nothing but a bright flash of light.

"Wards." Lucina mumbled. "They came prepared." They did indeed. Which was…annoying. I had hoped to avoid using truly powerful battle-magic just yet. "I did not expect this from the Grimeal." Truthfully neither would I.

Before I could reply, fireballs were flying towards us, followed closely by soldiers, screaming with manic glee.

"Thoron!" It was a rush, power welling deep inside me, before hurtling down my arm and across the seventy feet between me and the two spell casters. Just like with the assassin in the gardens, they had no chance to defend themselves, my spell simply consuming their weaker fireballs, before cutting down the closer on in and explosion of lights as his innate wards shattered, and his life ended. Spare magic skittered off the breaking wards, striking the other mage, who spasmed, screaming painfully as his life was claimed.

Twirling Falchion a few times, I offered a derisive sneer towards the still smoking corpses. With a soft rattle of metal, Lucina stepped up to my right, settling into her familiar stance, the bright white of Falchion no doubt blinding to our attackers. For a moment the strange nature of this situation, the Champions of two diametrically opposed Gods facing down a small assassination force outside the Ylissean castle.

Then the charging soldiers arrived. Parrying an axe, and flicking it away from Lucina's back, I continued the motion impaling the owner, before leaving him to die, gurgling on his own blood. His thrashing corpse tripped up the next attacker. I removed that one's head in a smooth back cut, before twirling behind Lucina, smoothly transitioning to her opposite side. One of the surviving casters apparently was a wind-mage; I parried his spells with a hail of fireballs, before slaying another soldier with a thrust to the chest. Armor sheared under Falchion's edge.

Ducking under a clumsy axe, I rolled forwards, taking the knees off a pair of Risen. Skidding to a halt I rose, parrying one blade, before sliding Falchion down its length and putting its wielder out of their misery. Yanking my weapon free, I turned, weaving between more Risen. Instinct's scream in my ears, and I twisted, just in time to see a Plegian soldier lunging towards me, his blade flashing in the moonlight.

Lady of Naga: Lucina

Letting another axe blow skitter off Falchion, I gave ground, causing two soldiers to over extend on their thrusts, opening them up for easy strikes to the throat. Separating man and life, I instinctively rolled away from a spell, cutting the legs off a Risen as I came up, driving Falchion into the things chest as I stood. As the creature began to dissolve, Falchion pulsed with satisfaction.

Backpedaling from the incoming Risen, I took a moment to assess the situtation. Despite the kills, their numbers had continued to grow. By this point, Falchion blazed with the light of a sun, and across the field, Gri's blade was equally bright, Risen snarling and screaming in pain, despite what was happening.

From the right, I could see magic flashing, and hear the screams of men dying. Gri's methodical precision in death was terrifying to behold, leaving a trail of dying Risen and soldiers in her wake. Ignoring her for the time, being I turned back to those around me, grasping the powers of Falchion in the process. It was not to my surprise the Divine weapon gave its powers freely.

Four Risen died before they knew what was happening. Spinning the blade between my fingers, I bisected another, before sweeping the legs out of second, before spiking it to the cobblestones. Yanking the blade free, I allowed myself a grim smile as the monsters backed away.

Before I could rejoin the battle, something unleashed a massive explosion of magic. Risen nearby simply evaporated as the wave of energy washed over them, while the regular fighting men were thrown backwards, losing their footing. Falchion chimed in my palm, letting the magic wash over me. Turning my attention across the battlefield to Gri, I couldn't hold in a gasp.

Gri had on a few occasions told me that I presented an image that was analogous to an ancient Goddess of War. If that was true, she'd have to accept that under the same logic, she was an ancient Goddess of Magic. Standing in the center of her blast crater, Gri's cloak was flared completely, writhing in the wake of her powers. Falchion burned in her right hand, sending strange shadows flitting about. Counter-pointing the Divine sword, her left hand was engulfed in magical energy.

With a twirl, Gri decapitated the only man who hadn't been tossed across the battlefield. Spinning on her heel, and leaving the headless corpse behind, she started across the now empty approach. Her expression was placid, seeming to suggest she hadn't blown apart an army of Fell monsters, or at the very least, that it was something she did on a regular basis…and to be fair, she probably did, at one point or another of her life.

"Lady of Naga." Despite radiating magic, her voice was largely the same, just…layered. More complex. "We should return to the others." Meeting her eyes, I shuddered. Normally, Gri's expression was cold, and it reflected in her eyes. Where other people's eyes would light up, Gri's would remain bland and cruel. Now, however, they spun and danced, little flecks of strange colors flashing across them for a moment at a time. Shaking that off, I offered Gri a short nod, and extended a hand. Gri accepted, and we were gone in a painful spray of light.

Tactician of Ylisse: Robin

"If I don't know what I'm fighting, it's pretty hard to figure out how to fight it!" This entire day had been one disaster after another. Now we were under attack by something, Marth and Gri were apparently time travelers, here to stop…something, apparently our attackers were after the Exalt for who only knew what reason. I had barely been in the castle for an entire day, and most of that was consumed by more important things than figuring out how to defend it. That, I had assumed would be the job of the guards. But now, in the case of an attack, everyone turned to me again, and the two most powerful allies we had just vanished to do Gods only knew what. Presumably they were coming back, but I couldn't be sure.

I count not realistically defend an entire castle from an unknown number of attackers with just the Shepherds. Even with a small contingent of guards. Based on that explosion the outer defenses had been breached, and that meant it would be open season inside. Worse, a fair portion of the Shepherds rode mounts of various sorts, which were three floors down, and on the opposite side of the castle. Thus, a fair portion of my forces were severely hampered, and fighting in a way that was unfamiliar to them. A tactically untenable situation.

We were gathering in the ante-chamber for Emmeryn's private quarters while I poured over the floorplan of the castle. "Everyone is here Lady Robin." Fingering his lance Frederick stepped up to my left. "A group of guards have returned from the gates, and report that we are under attack by Plegian soldiers, as well as hordes of Risen. Apparently Lady Gri and Marth have engaged them in battle." His tone was disapproving, most likely of the recklessness of challenging the assassins head on, and where it anyone but Gri and Marth I would have agreed.

"Fantastic." At least if they were fighting for us, I could assume they'd come back. Granted, the task of holding the castle was still going to be impossible. Gesturing to the map, I started talking. "If they are really coming for the Exalt, we only need to defend three major hallways, however doing so means we surrender the rest of the castle to them, something I am loath to do." Chrom's jaw tightened. "Given that our enemies are apparently raising the dead to fight against us, doing so opens us up for a protracted battle to retake our own capitol." Just as I finished speaking, Gri and Marth reappeared with the snap and snarl of magic. "So, find what you wanted?"

Marth grunted, flicking blood and viscera from its tip. "There are Grimeal. Raising the dead." Expression twisting with obvious hate, the woman went on, "We slowed them down, but they will recover shortly." Her Falchion was almost blinding to look upon, and I averted my eyes, returning to the map. "There are several Grimeal, I did not get a good look at how many however."

"Four, at least." Gri picked up smoothly. "Over a hundred Plegian's, and counting their Risen is pointless" They could raise that many? "When this is done, you need to have a serious discussion about security." Fabric rustled as her cloak continued swirling. "This is…a considerable force. The guards did some damage, but not nearly enough. Their commander is quite adept. Risen clog his enemies, and the real soldier cut them down."

Biting my tongue, I frowned. That was more soldiers than I bargained for. As much as I didn't want to, we had to accept the lower levels as lost for now. If nothing else, we could hold out until fresh troops could arrive from outside the city, and pincer the enemy between us. "Frederick, tell the guards to fall back. We'll engage on the approach staircases here, and here." I had to concede that the designer of the castle had planned for its defenses to fail with a reasonable degree of competence. There were only three points leading up to the third floor of the castle, each with plenty of points for arches and mages to rain hell down on the attackers. "And, here." I tapped each staircase. "There's enough open space for archers and mages to use magic attack those below us."

"Splitting our forces into three is going to leave us rather thin." Chrom mused, although he didn't seem to have any other opposition. Unfortunately, he wasn't wrong. With what I knew of the guard, we didn't have a lot of soldiers to help with the defense, but this was the best I could do.

"Gri and I will defend the eastern approach." Marth cut in, everyone snapping their attention to her, the obvious question forming on every set of lips. Her back stiffened under the scrutiny. "We don't have time for questions. You need to be ready for them, now."

"Lord Chrom!" Panting heavily, a soldier burst in, blood dripping from multiple wounds. "The enemy is inside the castle, and are heading this way! They're…. they've got monsters!" Risen then. My stomach twisted. I'd been ignoring the rising feelings of nausea, but they were there.

"Before we go." Marth turned, taking a few strides before pausing. "There will be one known as Panne arriving shortly. They are not your enemy." And we couldn't have been told about this earlier?

"Quite the prophet, aren't you…" Chrom frowned, giving me a question glance. I could only shrug, there was no way to guess what might be going on in either woman's head at this point. All I could hope was that this, 'Panne' didn't turn my plans into so much dust.

"As you say." Marth remained as inscrutable as always. Although her thoughts, and indeed her entire motivation were hidden from me, I wanted to trust her. "Regardless, I assure you, Panne is not your enemy." I heard her sigh, and her left fist clenched.

"They are coming." Gri's rumbling words washed over the assembled Shepherds. "Lady of Naga." As the woman turned, I caught sight of a sword in her hand. Shinning with Divine Fire, Falchion struck a painful contrast to the dark and malevolent aura of its wielder. "We are needed." Before I could fully process the weapon in her hand, never mind demand an explanation, Gri was gone, running down the halls, Marth in tow.

"You heard the woman." I stood, brushing what I had just seen aside. "Let's get moving. Keep to the stair tops for now, high ground is to our advantage." Shouts of acknowledgement filtered out, and I drew my sword, taking a shuddering breath. Time to put some of my vaunted skill to the test it seemed.

Lady of Grima: Gri

"You're leaving them." I bit down a wince. Lucina's glare was fixed on the back of my head, a certain weightiness to the entire situation, which contrasted heavily with the reality that we were about to have this conversation on a field of war. Granted, there would be no other time to have it.

"Robin and the others are skilled enough now that they can defend themselves against the weaker Grimeal." Below, the stomach twisting magic of Grima began to swirl, a sure sign Risen were coming. "And I will do more good to preventing his return out in the world now. Killing Grimeal. Fighting Gangrel on my own." Lucina's aura twisted in time with some emotional flux, although I had little grasp for what it might have been. "Perhaps helping you find the others. In either case, I'm wasted here." Conjuring fire in my left hand, I glared into it, watching the tendrils of black seep into the flames, before I clamped down on myself. "Emmeryn's life is but the start. There are a thousand things that must be unmade. Your companions must be found." Taking a moment to dismiss the flame, I shrugged, knocking my hair back into place. "It is time I act, Lucina. Lady of Grima or not, I intend to be the agent of his destruction."

Upon the stairs, the first of the would be assassins was visible. Slinking along the shadows, no doubt believing himself safe. This approach was farthest away, and most likely the least well defended. A small team would doubtlessly try and pierce what defense existed here. A descent plan, in most situations.

"I see." Drawing even with me, Lucina shifted her stance, the only sign she'd seen our intruder. "I…" There was a pause, and she shook her head. Using the distraction, I flicked my wrist, letting the words roll off my tongue. With a strangle yelp, the assassin died, his corpse falling down the stairs in a sequence of muffled impacts. I felt some degree of amusement at sending that plan down along with my victim.

"It is time." Although I had unleashed my full aura outside the castle, I had pulled it back in when we returned. During the time I was with the Shepherds, I had done my best to keep my magic under control, both to avoid worrying their overly suspicious leadership, and because I been hiding my strength for so many years, it was an easy habit. A habit that had to end now.

It was invigorating, letting everything free, without unleashing a massive blast wave. My fingers sang, bits of energy sparking from their tips, even Falchion seemed to respond, I could feel the tendrils of its power worming up my arm, the Divine Weapon offering up its power to reinforce and strengthen my body. For the first time, seeming to acknowledge me as its wielder, or perhaps because the limited sentience of the sword understood that we shared a common purpose for now.

"Yes." To my left, Lucina shimmered, her own Blade pouring its power into her. A thin white sheen covered the younger woman, her eyes gaining a measure of internal glow. "It is."

Even as she uttered those words, another assassin came charging up the stairs, apparently having abandoned stealth in favor of pure shock value. At the woman's heels were half a dozen Risen. Lucina met them halfway down the steps, sword flashing out, the throat of the assassin slashed, Falchion carving two Risen apart in a single stroke. Not even pausing, she stepped back, swatting a clumsily wielded blade away, before driving a thrust into that Risen's throat. I flicked my wrist, mumbling the words. Lightning snapped, dissolving the last three Risen. The entire exchange took a second and a half at most.

Following down the stairs, I let magic fill my eyes, and the world shift and glow as I moved. Five assassins, easily visible by their aura's, despite their attempts to cower in the shadows. Letting the soul-taking incantation fall from my lips, I resettling my grip on Falchion, and allowed my Mage sight to fade.

Gurgling screams filled the air and in a clatter of metal and weapons, the assassins toppled from the darkness.

"Soul taking?" Lucina sheered the head off another Risen, only glancing at the new dead for a few seconds. Conventional wards did them no good against magic designed to rip out their souls. Perhaps it was more complex and vicious than required, but I wasn't going to take chances. Emmeryn's death had been the catalyst for Ylisse's eventual downfall, and my displaceable shit-sack of a Father rising to power.

"Correct. Swift and efficient-" At the fringes of my senses, I could feel magic pulsing from below, a throbbing steady hum that I dismissed as the mere presence of Grimeal, until there was a spike. This person was actively calling on Grima's magic, which was a trick that the regular nutcases were not taught. That meant… "No!" Taking a step forwards, I closed my eyes, dropping every barrier I kept up, and letting power flood my veins. "Attend me!"

Everything shifted, as the Fell Dragon answered. Entombed, and weakened Grima might have been, but his soul recognized the call, and answered it. Five centuries had passed since I stood as I was born to be, a Vessel of Grima. My right hand burned, Falchion protesting, before falling silent as I submerged myself in Fell Power. Across the castle, Robin was weaving a spell, infusing her regular magic with dark power. In the courtyard, the Risen called the dead. Two more Grimeal led the primary resistance against the Shepherds. Several more specks of magic flared up, Cordelia, Sumia, Miriel and Ricken in turn if I had to guess. Regardless. Plenty of fighting was going on in the castle.

I shifted my attention however, letting my range extend farther outwards, looking, trying to convince myself I was wrong. That I wasn't feeling that magic again. His magic.

It was. Far below, in the main courtyard, visible as a pillar of black fire in the greyscale world, was a magic that I knew by heart. One of the few people in the world I hated with every fiber of my being. Something behind my ears was roaring, a fury I thought I had put to bed years ago rekindled.

"Gri!" Lucina's shout echoed, about the chamber, only registering vaguely to my conscious mind. My Father was here. I would kill him. "What is going on!" My legs were moving on their own, muscles coiling for battle.

"He is here." Doing a few absent tricks with Falchion, I heard myself give a long hiss. "He is here." Stride lengthening, I found the next assassins, hunkered in the shadows near the stairs farther down. "Thoron!" Their souls flared brightly for a moment, before vanishing, snuffed out, another offering to Grima. Darkness would not save them from their fates.

"Who is here!" Lucina was running after me, her armor rattling, footfalls sharp. "Gri! You are not Grima! What is going on!" Her question was pleading

I paused, turning to face her. Standing four steps above me, Lucina glared down, Falchion lowered, as though that would prevent her from be ready to fight. Specs of white fire dripped from the tip of the weapon, from the end of her cape, even from the ends of her hair. Breathe. I reminded myself. Rushing into battle gets you and your allies killed. Leeson number one of military leadership. "Validar is here." Everything was…distant, as thought I was watching my own actions in memory instead of performing them. That was…that was not how things were supposed to work. "My Father is not supposed to be here Lucina. But he is going to die." Pulling some of my magic back in, I took a heavy breath. White specks danced through the sky blue of her eyes, before she gave a slow nod. My chest tightened, as pieces started falling into place.

"Then we had best get moving before he finds the others." Her expression settled on neutrality, the dripping far on her cap fading away.

"Yes." Flicking my wrist, I destroyed another Risen, fire consuming the creature without even a thought. There would be time for recriminations later.

Tactician of Ylisse: Robin

After the third waves of assassins went crumpling back down the stairs, I made the choice we needed to follow them down, gather some degree of momentum before we got bogged down in hordes of Risen.

"Robin!" Chrom waved me over to an arrow slit as I came down the stairs, threading my way between the corpses. Even fighting at a considerable disadvantage, the Shepherds had handed the Plegian's a considerable butchers bill, which didn't even count the Risen. For a moment the fighting had lulled, only the low rippling incantations of Miriel and Ricken, and the occasional twang of a bowstring to break the silence. When I reached Chrom's side, he gestured. "There's at least two mages down there making more Risen as we kill them, this is getting nowhere fast."

I had noticed. Worse, they were both crafty enough to rarely come into sight of Virion, and had some kind of magical shield that was pretty effective at stopping arrows, letting them cheerfully conjure all manner of horrors relatively unmolested. The weight of numbers had not yet become overwhelming, but it was surely on a matter of time.

Taking a moment to assess the situation, I was less than enthusiastic about my conclusion. We had to keep pushing forwards, and pray that Gri and Marth had cleared the other wing from invaders.

"On my command, we keep pushing." Chrom frowned, before giving me a sharp nod and calling the new orders to the others. "I don't like it any better than you do Chrom." With a minor flicker of thought, I activated the runes on my cloak, the alien magic making my skin crawl, despite having plenty of time to be used to it. At least the nausea and headache had faded.

Timing for this charge was crucial. Watching the Risen's press falter, I was halfway to calling for the attack when something shifted. Magic, smothering in nature washed over me, swallowing the words. My stomach turned at the same moment my knees instinctively locked in an attempt to remain upright. Every inch of my skin crawled, as the magic continued to build. Below, the Risen howled, recoiling back and clutching at their heads.

Despite my best efforts, one of my knees buckled, dropping me to the stonework. Bits of blackness were starting to creep into my vision, a sure sign that my ragged breathing was catching up to me.

She is MINE! The roar echoed about my ears, stronger than ever before. Just are you shall be! Cower mortal, before ME! There was no doubt who, or rather, what that voice was anymore.

Bits of Gri's words drifted across my fading consciousness. "Gather your magic. Command it, do not let it command you." Eye's screwed shut, it wasn't hard to visualize the power the lurked beneath my skin, a swirling mass of colors, symbolic of the sledgehammer power that raw magic embodied. "You have the potential to exceed any mage who has ever lived. Act like it."

Taking hold of that magic, I pulled it free, encasing my entire body in a thin layer of raw power, a sort of insulation against the sudden and incomprehensible power of faded away, and I could breathe again. Vision sliding back into focus, I waved away Chrom's concerned gaze, this wasn't the time for it. Especially because I had a sneaking suspicion that the Mages giving us such trouble a moment ago would be having considerable problems staying upright.

"Now!" Fire snapped into my hand as I whispered the words. Lightning was my prefered weapon, but I wanted the easier control for this battle.

It was a chaotic moment, as the Shepherds pushed down another level, nearly tripping over the dissolving corpses of Risen as they went. Cordelia got one of the summoning mages, blood spraying around her lance when it found his throat. Lon'qu and Panne killed the other, leaving him in a series of different pieces. Ignoring that gory sight, I lead the way down the halls of the castle, a headache growing with every moment, towards the entrance. Everything was suspiciously quiet as we moved. No fighting, no enemies. From the other side of the castle, Fell energy continued to pulse, and the voice in my head had reached a frenetic climax.

When we stepped into the courtyard, I was very glad I had been leading the way; a sphere of black energy ricocheting over my shoulder with enough actual force to stagger me.

In the center of the outer courtyard was a man, wearing a set of flowing robes that bore a striking resemblance to my own cloak. Clustered around him were a dozen or so Plegian soldiers, weapons gripping tight, stances tense.

Left hand extended from his spell, the man let his gaze sweep across us, features twisting into a sneer, a menacing expression was entirely at home on his sharply pointed face, the small white flash of teeth contrasting with dark skin and eyes. His gaze at last game to rest on me.

YES! Although I'd been ignoring the voice, this particular shout carried considerable psychic force. Come to me! Our mystery assassin licked his lips, expression shifting to glee.

"Ow…" Shaking the shout induced head pain off, I managing to conjure a shield of lightning to deflect a second blast of Fell Magic, only to scream in pain as my metaphysical senses were dragged to in many directions. Trying to sustain the shield against ambient magic was too much, and I allowed it to drop, sagging to one knee as the waves of Fell energy hit me again, albeit weakened this time. "Damnit…"

"Robin!" Chrom was at my side in an instant. "Are you alright?"

No. I just did the single dumbest thing you can do in magical combat. "Yeah." Sheathing my sword, I kindled fire in my palms, knowing that, under the effects of this much magic, I'd be far too sloppy to use a sword. "Keep the regular ones off my back. I'll deal with the Grimeal." He gave me a sharp look, before nodding and calling out to everyone else.

Leaping down the stairs, I lobbed a few fireballs towards the Grimeal mage, both to cover the Shepherds attack and to test his defenses. None to my surprise, the mage swatted my attacks aside, letting them splatter against the stones harmlessly. That was bad. Most people would have simply directly blocked that sort of attack, instead of conserving energy.

Chanting a bit, I sent a string of Elfire blasts, giving each the small nudge to give the attack some variance. Two arrows of fire, one sword, and a pair of general purpose explosive fireballs, designed to get me closer.

"Ho!" Manic glee flashed in his eyes as he casual deflected the arrows, "Fate truly plies us with gifts tonight!" With a snap, he countered my remaining spells with spells of his own and followed up with a pair of giant fireballs. There was no time to dodge, and I was forced to conjure a pair of lightning shields, letting the flames skitter off. Releasing the modified Elthunder spells, I back away, now considerably warier of my opponent. "Submit to me, Child, and I might tell you the truth." His words were sibilant, all but dripping with magical power.

KNEEL!

I didn't bother replying. Despite my shields, I had felt the heat and energy of those fireballs. Even if I was rested and better prepared, trying to close with this man was foolish, his spells were simply too powerful. A single hit would be the end of me, even with my defenses.

Snapping my arm out, I whispered spells. Energy snapped as a bolt of solid lightning flew. He parried with blades of wind, bleeding my spells energy and finally sending it harmlessly skywards, before turning to the next, this time simply countering the spinning hammer of electrical current outright. My third spell, an elongated fireball this time, was countered by an inky black…something, which signaled the start of his counterattack.

"Elthunder!" Spears of flame came first, which I simply dove away from. Rolling upright, I conjured more shields of lightning, screaming as the power required to block four massive scythes of wind raced down my arms. Two shields shattered, and the third buckled, but held, only inches from me. Panting, I release the spell, whipping a series of wind blades of me own back, and following them up with a series of basic Arcthunder bolts.

"Amusing, child." The mage laughed, waving his hand, that same inky spell swallowing my attack once again. "You have put on a good show, but now it is time too-"

Just as we could give our spells different shapes, we could will them to do more practical things. Like act faster. Whispering the word, I threw my hand out, letting the low power, but high speed bolt of energy at last score a definitive blow against my opponent. Flashing white and yellow across his wards, the spell ran its course without doing any real damage.

"Ex Astris: Silcaria!" Apparently, revealing I had enough a grasp of magic to sneak something past his formidable guard meant the Grimeal mage was down playing around.

My heart twisted, beating irregularly as his aura pushed outwards, preceding the spell he had cast. Despite this, his aura was weaker than the one that had engulfed the castle only minutes before. A lump settled into my throat.

There was no time for reflection however, as shadow knives exploded from his sleeves, conjured by Grima's twisted magic. Throwing myself to the side, I toss a pair of fireballs two I wasn't able to avoid by rolling. There was a momentary roar as the spells made contact, before my magic simply ceased to be.

Pain lanced down my shoulder, conjured weapon burying itself in the bone, pinning my cloak at an awkward angle. The other, mercifully ricocheted off my bicep. Apparently whatever this spell was, it was outside the protection my cloak could offer. Coming back to my feet, I tried to form a spell, when everything became pain. I left the ground, hurtled backwards.

Clattering across the earth, I spat out blood, pushing myself to one knee. Whatever that spell was, getting hit with it a second time would probably kill me. From the corner of my eye, I could see bits of magic swirling about the wards of my cloak, and the skin beneath those points was burning hot.

"Ex Astris: Dominus!" A note of definitive triumph had entered my enemies tone.

I wasn't sure where the spell came from, everything happened to swiftly to comprehend. "Ex Astris: Caprius!" Where my foe's strike was a needle of void flashing across the courtyard, barely visible even to a trained eye, I retaliated with a massive blast wave of sheer psychic force that cratered the stonework before me, hurling poorly anchored chunks flying, and even knocking the mage backwards a few steps.

"Your resistance is amusing." All traces of mania were gone from his expression now, a tranquil sort of rage having taken its place. "However, you will submit!"

"No…thanks." Using the short reprieve to force myself back into a standing position I palmed the Thoron tome at my hip. Pain. Focusing the time was pain. Yet, I didn't have a choice. I couldn't lose. There was too much at stake. "Insane gods bent on ending the world are not the sort I care to work for." Speaking left me tasting cooper, and my head pounded harder still.

"Foolish girl." Brandishing a tome, the Grimeal glare down, his robes flapping wildly in his aura. "You don't have a choice in this matter. You will submit to Lord Grima!" The rune on the cover of his tome started to glow, a sure sign of a building spell.

Gathering what power I had left, I clenched my left fist. The inside of my glove was sticky, no doubt with blood. That suited my purposes just fine. This spell had to work, no matter the cost. Magic would take whatever it could, and I would make sure that was there, eldritch energies to be shaped by my will.

Arcane words rolled of my tongue, magical power building in my chest, just waiting for the final words, to focus and command it forth. Laughing, my enemy raised his hands, spell seemingly completely. I started the final words, letting my chant become heavier, ringing across the entire courtyard. Before I could release the magic however, a new presence washed over the battlefield, and I lost control

In a flash of white energy, the Thoron bolt erupted from my palm, slamming into the fully formed spell of my foe. Obviously weaker, my spell spluttered, the brilliant yellow-white swallow in a wave of blackness. I took a breath, gathering what magic I could still grasp for a final defense.

"Enough of this." Suddenly, Marth was before me, whatever the spell was splattering harmlessly about the cone of white light her Falchion cast. "You've failed Validar." Marth's back was to me, but that didn't diminish the weighty fury of her words. White flames were dripping off her cape and hair, even Falchion seemed to be burning. Her entire presence was…Divine, a thin sheen of magic coating the woman. Taking a few steps forwards, Marth settled her feet, blade extended. Something about her made me want to run screaming in mortal terror, if my limbs weren't exhausted comply.

"What's this?" Validar arched an eyebrow, seeming otherwise unconcerned by the woman before him. "You do not belong here…"

Marth didn't reply, resuming her advance for another four steps, before stopping, and lowering Falchion to her side. Validar's eyes flared with triumph, and I tried to shout a warning already feeling the magic building up.

"No." Everything came to a halt.

Shaking the entire courtyard, Gri's voice wasn't just laden with magic. It was Magic. Validar's spell fizzled out halfway to Marth, as though it had never been. My legs shook, as a moment later, Gri appeared.

It was her teleportation spell, lightning flickering her into existence at Marth's side, yet, it wasn't. there was no surge of magic, no flash of light, or thunderclap of sound. Rather, on one side of a blink, the spot was empty, in the next, Gri was present, magical lightning howling and spitting off every bit of her frame.

Given that Validar was not strong enough to create the Fell presence I had felt, the only logical conclusion was Gri, but I hadn't quite realized what that meant until I found myself on all fours, dry heaving, vision swimming out of focus, my head splitting itself in half. Even trying to think hurt, never mind the effort to life my head and watch what transpired.

Moving forwards, Gri's mere presence seem to bend the air, light itself afraid to pass to close to her. "Fool." Validar screamed. I screamed. Someone else was screaming as well, in the distance. I fell sideways, distantly aware that Validar had collapsed to his knees as well.

"H-h…how?" He struggled the word out, choking on every syllable.

The way she laughed was chilling. A perfect counterpoint to the layered alto notes of her voice, lending those same notes a menacing undercurrent. "How? Why, Father…I'm offended." My vision cleared for a moment, the weighty magic fading away. My limbs spasmed in relief, muscles uncoiling as best they could. Gri whispered a word I didn't know, and Validar was hoisted up by his own shadow. "You don't recognize your daughter?" She was close enough to touch him now, words coming in a hiss, dripping a sort of twisted delight.

Validar's eyes bulged, and he began to thrash in his bonds, lips moving without quite managing to form words.

"I've always wanted to do this…" lilting, Gri seemed almost whimsical, Falchion pulsating in her right hand, her left shrouded in black fire. Cloak swirling, sudden spike of magic causing it to billow in time with her left hand's rising.

I saw the beginnings of the spell start to swallow Validar, before I was screaming. Tears flooded my eyes, I was vomiting through the scream, curled into a ball. Everything was pressing down, I wasn't breathing, my eyes were black.

Someone else was screaming, for a moment. I barely noticed the screams turn into a gurgle, and then fade into nothing.

I could breathe again, my limbs uncoiling as the tension faded from the muscles. Blinking tears away, I had time to see Gri stumble back, swaying on her feet, and Marth moving to wrap a hand around her shoulder, before both women were swallow in a bolt from the heavens, and vanished in a single, resounded crack.

In their place was a pile of perfectly polished bones, a human skeleton, gleaming in the moonlight.

AN: And done.

So. That battle is done. And was remarkably hard to write parts of (never mind edit. 1 am. Muse is fucking shit at fight scenes. The original Robin and Validar fight was an embarrassment). Hopefully I did the Robin and Validar fight okay… for anyone curious, Robin really is just that outclassed. Validar is presumably at least 20 years older than she is, and a priest of Grima. And has all his memories. Robin is good, and plenty powerful but she's just flat outmatched. Hopefully that showed.

Gri by contrast… well….even if she hadn't gone all Grima on him, would have smeared Validar across the floor. High Priest he might be, but Gri is a totally different league. Poor guy. Actually no, he isn't. He got what was coming, and will again. Although that battle will be substantially more badass on Validar's part.

Also, some fun facts for you that aren't apparent because Robin couldn't see them, and changing POV's mid-fight isn't something I wanted to do. Chrom was going to jump in right after Robin cast her Thoron, but Lucina stole his thunder. Which is a good thing, Grima's Truth would murder the poor guy. Lucina, meanwhile, gave serious thought to just annihilating Validar, which would have been something equivalent to a Divine Smite. Think…small nuclear detonation in a human body.

Next chapter is…. Lucina and Gri. Chapter after that will be Robin. Expect longer chapters going forwards, we have officially hit two separate storylines to move at this point. Also. Fallout! Consequences! War! And… I don't have a punchline for this joke…. Maybe something about horses in castles being stupid? (that's a thing that always bugged me, so had to call attention to it.)

Reviews, question, concerns are all appreciated! Oh, before I forget. If anyone wants an in-depth explanation of how the magic system works, hit me with a PM and I provide the details. My notes document is like an entire chapter long, so I don't want to just drop it into an author's note, these suckers are already pretty freaking long.