Chapter 13D: The Peddler Merlinus

Author's Notes: Which may as well be subtitled "Dorcas and Rebecca take the spotlight...mostly Dorcas though..."

A somewhat somber tone filled the air once Eliwood and Hector recounted Lord Helman's last words. Aside from just the Black Fang that they would have to contest with on their journey, they might also find themselves fighting the forces of Laus. The time for infighting within the Lycian Alliance could not be worse considering the growing belligerent actions of Bern, their neighbor country to the east, who commands the greatest army in all of Elibe. Even the little pieces of knowledge like everyone returning from their most recent battle alive proves to be next to nothing in terms of condolence compared to such news. The situation would most likely degenerate even further before even some semblance of peace would be reached.

As night began to fall over the land, the group decided to set up camp for tonight outside a Caelin village. Michael starts to become a little restless knowing that they are all so close to Lyn's home, but he does his best to push away that thought while he is on his travels with Eliwood and Hector. Everyone huddles around one of several campfires and begins to share stories.

"That was admirable work today, everyone," Michael congratulated the group as a whole, "I'm proud to be the tactician for both Eliwood's Elite and Hector's Horde."

"Eliwood's Elite…?" Eliwood asked in surprise.

"Hector's…Horde?" Hector asked as well, sounding almost insulted.

"What, you don't like the names?" Michael inquired.

"At least it's better than Lyndis's Legion…" Matthew muttered as twirled a dagger in his hand.

"Hey!" Michael complained, "That was a good name, too!"

"How about you leave the naming to the experts" Hector advised him.

"Though, we CAN keep the names until we can come up with more appropriate one" Eliwood hurriedly offered Michael as he put a comforting hand on the dejected tactician.

"I wish I could've done more," Serra sighed, "My poor light tome…It was ruined by that darn spear…"

"At least we won without significant losses" Eliwood pointed out.

"I wish I could have been there for the finale…" Bartre mumbled back at one of the other campfires as he heard the group talking, "It would have been fun to duke it out with the boss…"

"Why?" Dorcas asked, "Those small fry were more than willing to fight to the death. For all we know, the boss could've had some ace in the hole on him."

"Kinda cheap coming from you, Dorcas," Bartre smirked, "Didn't you get penetr─?"

"Don't even finish that sentence!" Dorcas warned him as he punched Bartre in the nose with the back of his knuckle.

"Everyone last one of them is a moron…" Gut muttered to himself as shook his head, "Who can get that cheery after fighting for their lives just this afternoon?! Oh well…if I'm here, I may as well enjoy myself."

"Quiet!" Marcus whispered loudly to Eliwood and Hector's group, "Lowen and Rebecca are fast asleep! They had a little more difficult of a time with their share of the enemies than the rest of us. I'm sure we can honor that by controlling ourselves, can we not?"

"There goes Marcus," Eliwood whispered, heeding his words, "Ever the dutiful mother. Speaking of duty, Michael, there was something I wished to speak to you about…"

"Speaking of sleep…" Michael began, cutting Eliwood off because he could not hear him, "I think it would be for the best if we all turned in. It's starting to get pretty dark out."

"Really?" Matthew asked, "I don't think it's so bad… But then again, it may just be my amazing eyes being able to see off into the distance!"

"If your eyes are so amazing," Hector suggested, "How about you go and put them i─"

"Milord!" Oswin interrupted him, "Please!"

"What?" Hector asked innocently.

"Come now, Hector," Eliwood told him, "I'm sure if you didn't anger so quickly with others, everyone would be more open around you."

"Whose side are you on?!" Hector asked Eliwood.

"I'm just trying to be fair…" Eliwood muttered, "Right, Michael? Can I have your support on this?"

"Hm?" Michael replied as he turned his head away from looking off in the distance. "What were you talking about?"

"Elibe to Michael!" Serra called out to him as she gently knocked on his cranium with her fist, "Requesting your attention, please!"

"Excuse me…" Michael huffed, "I was just busy… thinking about some things…"

"Maybe less something and more someone" Dorcas replied as he snuck up behind him and clasped onto his shoulder with a hearty grip, "Was I right?"

"Oh yes!" Matthew jumped in, "I'm sorry to inform you that we probably won't have enough time to stop by Caelin."

"Shut your traps…" Michael mumbled as he buried himself into his seat.

"I don't hear a denial…" Matthew noticed, a large grin growing on his face.

"Caelin?" Hector asked, "What's so special there?"

"Lady Lyndis!" Eliwood remembered, "I suppose that would make sense for you to wish to meet her again."

"Lyndis? The one that was involved in that uprising last year?" Hector recounted, "Marquess Caelin's granddaughter? That Lyndis?"

"The very same" Eliwood nodded as he watched Dorcas, Serra, and Matthew poke fun at Michael's expense, wondering what inside joke they were all in on.

"I hear she is quite the beauty…" Hector began as his eyebrow arched as he nudged his friend.

"Really?" Eliwood played on as he inched away, knowing full well where Hector was going with his shift in tone, "To be honest, it must be because of her Sacaean heritage. She's quite…striking…"

Michael perked up at Eliwood's words, and immediately began to pay much closer attention to their conversation. Dorcas, Serra, and Matthew were all quick to pick up on this sudden change in demeanor and all silently agreed to be mute onlookers.

"Striking?!" Hector repeated with a small chuckle, "Does little Eliwood have a crush?!"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" Eliwood denied as the heat rose up his face, "It's nothing like that whatsoever!"

"Are you blushing?" Hector continued to tease, "I do believe you are!"

"Michael?" Eliwood glanced back, "Could you offer some assistance…Michael?"

"I don't know why…" Michael wondered aloud as he rubbed his chin, "But I have the sudden urge to blast someone with my fire tome. Do any of you have an answer to why?"

"BANDITS!"

"I believe that is your answer!" Marcus replied, "I shall awake Lowen and Rebecca!"

"Come, everyone!" Eliwood commanded, "We have to help!"

"Two fights in one day…" Hector mused to himself, "I think that's a new personal best."

"Somebody help!" a slightly portly man cried as he ran from pursuers.

The man has somewhat long blue hair that he had tied in a single, short ponytail. His eyes are small and he has a small mustache shaved down the middle, creating two whiskers, giving him somewhat the appearance of a cat. He is dressed in simple purple traveling robes that go down to his ankles, which has a white trim along the edge. A light-blue cloak is tied over his neck and tails behind him as he runs, a satchel at his side shakes up and down from his sporadic running. Sweat cascades down his face, as if he had been running for hours.

"Get back here, you lousy merchant!" Carjiga shouted after the man as he and two other bandits gave chase.

"Why won't anyone help mmeeee?!" the man cried.

"He's been making us chase him for hours!" Groznyi complained, "He's almost more trouble than he's worth!"

The other bandit chasing the man was finally able to subdue him by jumping into the air and miraculously catching him by the shins. Once the man was picked up, he started to yell once again,

"I won't let you have my merchandise! My lifeblood as a merchant are my fantastic wares!"

"Don't even start with your squirming!" Carjiga warned the man, "We've got our boys all out in this here forest!"

"Though they didn't really help much with catching him…" Groznyi added under his breath.

"Puzon will be pleased we caught ya" Carjiga continued, "What do ya think, Puzon?"

Another man emerged from the shadows of the night forest. The man in question had long, wavy brown hair, with a little quaff sticking upright and brown eyes. He had a slightly large nose. He was clad in a short-sleeved turquoise shirt and long, turquoise pants. Slung around his left shoulder was a breastplate that protected his heart and his left arm. To his left side, in its sheath, was a steel sword.

"I think you should check to see how much he has on him!" Puzon answered.

"Well what do ya know?!" Groznyi whistled as he looked into the man's contents, "Check out all this dosh!"

"We'll be loaded for a long while with all this!" Carjiga grinned.

"Excellent…" Puzon smiled, "Boys, get rid of him."

"NNNNNOOOOO!" the man cried.

"Hold it right there!" Hector called out at the group appeared on the scene.

"Release him at once!" Eliwood quickly added.

"Who the hell are you?" Puzon asked.

"I said let him go" Eliwood said in a more forceful tone.

"If you let him go and leave, we'll let you live" Hector chipped in.

"Big words coming from some pampered noble brat!" Carjiga spat.

One of Dorcas's eyes rose in an arch as he heard Carjiga speak. Slightly unsure but at the same time anxious, he took a few steps forward to get a better view. "Carjiga?!"

"Hm?" Carjiga grunted as he looked in Dorcas's direction, his eyes raising in anger as he saw him, "YOU! You traitor!"

"I'm surprised Ganelon let scum like you live…" Dorcas replied coolly.

"They don't!" Carjiga spat back, "I had to turn tail and find new work. Look at where I am now; at the beck and call of someone else when I used to command an entire group of men! You stole that from me!"

"Allow me to steal one more thing from you then…" Dorcas muttered darkly.

"Enough!" Puzon commanded as he drew his sword, "I think it's about time these pampered noble brats and their friends learn a thing or two about messing with adults! Groznyi, kill the merchant!"

AAaaaiiiieeeeehhhhhh!" the man cried as he tried to desperately break free from his captor.

"Always gotta do the dirty work…" Groznyi sighed as he brought out his axe, already readying for a swing.

"Stop right there!" Rebecca's voice called out a the sound of air being sliced filled everyone's ears as the bandit holding the man cried out in pain as he grabbed his right palm, an arrow lodged firmly in place. The man quickly scurried away and into the group as the sounds of galloping flooded the air, soon followed by Marcus and Lowen inviting themselves into the scene, with Rebecca riding right behind Lowen.

"They just keep coming out of nowhere…like flies" Puzon muttered.

"Him!" Rebecca exclaimed in anger as her sight fell on Groznyi, "He's the one that lead those bandits into my village! I'd never forget that face!"

"That was yours?!" Groznyi exclaimed, "That's when my luck soured. Oh well, now that we've got some stronger guys on our side, my luck will be different this time!"

"Come on out, you bunch of hell raisers!" Puzon called out, "We're taking every last man and woman down!"

The four bandits retreated into the darkness of the forest as the group began to take position. Michael immediately began to survey the surrounding area as best he could to prepare a suitable defense from which they could gauge the enemy threat.

The entire group was currently stationed in a small island. A river flowing down from the east cut into two streams around the edge of their location and rejoined in the other direction. As a result, there were bridges set up for people to use to cross it. There were three bridges in all, tow directly in front of the group that Puzon and his men had used to escape, and one to the south, leaving three specific spots where the enemy could possibly attack them…unless they swam, in which case, the noise caused by their swimming would give them away, as well as them having to leave themselves vulnerable by either leaving or carrying their weapons with them into the water. Aside from that small area, forest covered the landscape as far as the eye could see.

"Marcus! Oswin!" Michael shouted out in command, "Defend the northern bridges! Don't let any of the enemy through! Don't attempt to chase after them if they flee after attacking, merely block their attacks and strike back in kind!"

"Yes, sir!" both of them responded as Marcus took the left bridge and Oswin took the right one.

"Now for the south─" a hand firmly gripped Michael's shoulder before he could finish speaking. Hesitantly, Michael turned around to meet Dorcas glaring daggers.

"Boss," Dorcas told him in an even but angry tone, "Make sure I'm the one that fights Carjiga."

A shiver went down Michael's spine as Dorcas spoke to him, "For a minute there, you almost seemed like you were a common bandit again. How mad are you?"

"My wife would have been one of his victims," Dorcas replied calmly, "I intend to repay him for the generosity that he would have given her…as well as tell him how unhappy I was with his leadership."

"I'll make sure he comes back in one piece" Bartre replied sternly as he clasped Dorcas's back, "You can count on me. Just this once, I'll be Bartre the Wary!"

"On one condition…" Michael responded, "You make sure that we never see him again. I'd rather not have to spend valuable time on such lowlife scum as him again."

Dorcas gave Michael an agreeing nod as he ran into position near Marcus and Oswin, with Bartre right behind him, "Alright…" Michael sighed, "Guy! Matthew! I want you two to protect the south bridge! Use your nimbleness to dodge their attacks and open them up for counters by Eliwood and Hector."

Matthew and Guy silently took up position on the last bridge as Eliwood and Hector took up a rear position near them, thought Hector looked unsure of Michael's decision.

As Michael was about to turn towards the last of the members to direct, Rebecca raised her hand, but Michael already knew what she was going to say, "Rebecca, make sure that if you go and fight him, you bring help. Lowen, make sure she comes back in one piece."

Rebecca was shocked beyond words for a moment before a smile creped along her face, "Thank you."

"One more thing!" Michael called out to her as he tossed her the torch from earlier, "Use this if you find yourselves unable to see."

"Thanks!" Rebecca nodded as she caught the torch before the two set off after Groznyi.

"What about me?" Serra asked hurriedly as she pointed to herself.

"You'll be on healing duty if anyone gets hurt" Michael told her, as if it was obvious.

"Yeah…" Serra sighed heavily as she walked away, "Not like I can do anything else while I don't have a tome..."

"E-Excuse me!" the merchant man stuttered as he looked in Michael's direction, "You are the one in charge of the troops, are you not?"

"In a matter of speaking, yes" Michael nodded hesitantly.

"Then allow me the opportunity to say this now," the merchant man said as he knelt on both of his knees, "Thank you for protecting me!"

'This guy…!' Michael thought, 'It almost makes it uncomfortable to look at him…!'

The first few waves of the enemy attacking the group proved to be little less than uneventful. It didn't take long for all to know that the enemy was not numerically superior to their own, and as far as weaponry went, they were dead even, if not superior to the enemy. Though they had the advantage of attacking from the night, the group had both the elements of teamwork and better ground to hold. Sometime during the skirmishes that broke out every now and then, Dorcas, Bartre, Rebecca, and Lowen all disappeared into the night, most likely to find their personal demons.

"This is almost too easy…" Michael muttered to himself, "I know these guys are common bandits and we've been fighting trained soldiers and assassins, but this is still too easy. I guess that's what happens when you've actually got militarily trained units on your side…"

"Stop with the monologue and look lively!" Hector called out to him as he locked axes with a bandit, allowing Eliwood to burst in with a quick stab at the enemy's abdomen.

"Even if they are weak, they may still prove able to take advantage of even a momentary weakness!" Oswin shouted out as he repelled another as Marcus busied himself with fighting off two at once.

Elsewhere, while somewhat resembling fighting for their lives, Matthew and Guy were engaging in some casual small-talk while double-teaming some bandits that decided they would be the easier targets to attack.

"So, Guy," Matthew asked as rolled out of the way of a bandit's axe swing, "How do you like the company so far?"

"They're all kind of strange…!" Guy grunted as he stabbed the bandit in the side, quickly bringing his sword upwards, almost cutting the enemy cleanly in two.

"You'll get used to the wackiness" Matthew told him as he jumped over another bandit using his arm, before descending behind him and quickly stabbing through his neck.

"How about we talk more about this later and get to the rest of the bandits?" Guy offered as he shifted his from side to side, on the lookout for more enemies.

"But we're already done" Matthew pointed out with a smile as he demonstrated by throwing his knife to the ground and sitting down.

"The hell are you doing?!" Guy asked him in exasperation.

"See?" Matthew laughed, "No more enemies! Those dumb bandits wouldn't be able to resist a target as easy as I was making myself out to be!"

"I'm surrounded by crazy people…" Guy sighed again as he shook his head, sheathing his sword.

"Why is Matthew laughing?" Eliwood asked as he turned toward Hector, "Was there a joke I missed somewhere along the way? It's reminding me of what happened with Michael earlier…"

"Don't bother yourself with trying to find out," Hector sighed as he took Eliwood by the shoulder, "They guy makes a joke of everything."

"What kind of people are you to just laugh and be merry on the battlefield…?" the merchant man asked aloud as he stared in wonder of the group.

"A highly experienced one," Michael assured him, "Well, either that or insane. Probably the latter for most of us."

"What are these monsters made of?!" Carjiga asked aloud as another bandit went off only to be slaughtered. "This is just like a year ago! No…I'm didn't die then, and I'm not dying now. Gotta' get away from here and start fresh somewhere else…"

"Going somewhere?" Dorcas asked as he walked through the shrubbery into Carjiga's view, with Bartre right behind him.

"You!" Carjiga spat, "This time I'll be sure to kill you proper this time!" Carjiga drew his axe as he took a stance. The axe was different from the usual axes the others wielded. This one was made from red metal and the blade on the end was extra sharp and serrated, forming a crescent moon shape with a spectacularly polished gleam; a Killer Axe.

Dorcas didn't respond as he drew his own steel axe, ready for Carjiga to make the first move. Elsewhere, the bushes rustled as another bandit failed to make a stealthy entrance. In a flash, Bartre moved in on him before he could possible interfere.

"Sorry, buddy," Bartre flashed an evil smile at the bandit as he pulled out his own axe, "But this is a party for two only!"

"I'll enjoy this…" Dorcas muttered to himself as he charged at Carjiga.

Responding to Dorcas's charge, Carjiga went for a simple overhead vertical slash, which Dorcas proceeded to block by raising his axe at the last minute. Still pushing forward with hi momentum, Dorcas stuck his left foot towards Carjiga as he pushed all of his weight onto his foot, sliding him right past Carjiga's axe as he spun behind him. Carjiga panicky jumped over to his side to avoid the attack he expected but never came. Carjiga took a small step back as he firmly gripped his axe with both hands, evidently nervous and more on guard now that Dorcas was able to avoid one of his blows. Dorcas's showed no emotion on his face as he simply stared directly into Carjiga's eyes, as if trying to put him under a trance.

"You…" Carjiga muttered.

"…" Dorcas remained silent as he made a small, confident smile.

Carjiga rushed Dorcas as he took wild swings at his head, while Dorcas simply bent and lowered his head out of the way of every attack. His anger building with every missed attack, Carjiga jumped into the air, hoping to catch Dorcas off-guard with an aerial attack, but Dorcas merely smirked as he ducked forward and charged, knocking into Carjiga as he came back down to the ground, knocking him onto his back, Carjiga barely keeping hold of his weapon. However, Dorcas's axe went flying off somewhere from the collision, with Dorcas quickly recovering to find out he no longer had a weapon, then walking backward while still facing Carjiga as he tried to feel for his weapon with his feet. Jumping back onto his feet, Carjiga shook his head to dissipate his dizziness before he realized that Dorcas was weaponless. An evil smile spread across his face.

"No weapon to fight me with, I think you're time on Elibe is up" Carjiga laughed.

Dorcas simply looked forward at Carjiga with a blank expression as the bandit moved forward with swagger in his steps. Dorcas calmly watched as he approached, awaiting for his moment to strike. However, Carjiga did something Dorcas would never expect; calmly walk up to him. Carjiga simply smiled as he raised his axe with both hands over his right shoulder, as if to let Dorcas carefully watch the slow demise he had planned for him. Realizing that Carjiga was vastly underestimating himself because Dorcas had 'lost' his weapon, Dorcas quickly grabbed the top of the axe's hilt, just below the beginning to the actual blade of the axe. What followed was a grunt filled struggle a Dorcas attempted to force Carjiga to drop his axe, but Carjiga would not surrender it so easily. Without a word, Dorcas dropped his left hand from the axe hilt, closed it into a tight fist and slammed it into Carjiga's stomach, immobilizing Carjiga as he took to his knees as he doubled over in pain. With his axe now on the ground and free from his grip, Dorcas claimed the axe as his own.

"Surprised me there…" Dorcas muttered as he looked down on Carjiga.

"Y-You just got lucky…" Carjiga managed to say, "If you hadn't punched me, you'd be dead…"

"Not what I meant," Dorcas shook his head, "You just walked up to me instead of charging. That's the only reason you are alive right now."

"What…?" Carjiga asked as he looked into Dorcas's eyes.

"I didn't lose my axe on purpose," Dorcas spelled out to him, "I threw it over by a snag. I used the light reflecting off of your axe to see how close I was to the snag before I would have to take a bigger step to avoid falling. If you just chased after me, you would have gotten your foot hooked on the snag and fell over. Then I would just get my axe…"

"How could you plan something like this?" Carjiga asked as his former axe was pointed at his throat.

"I had a good boss to learn from, even if he never knew it" Dorcas told him as he shoved Carjiga face-first onto the ground.

"I spit on your name!" Carjiga shouted out as his voice cracked out of fear.

"I'll at least make this quick…" Dorcas said calmly as he brought his new weapon down upon Carjiga's neck with deadly accuracy.

"I saw him run there!" Rebecca pointed out to Lowen as the two came across a small fort.

"He's probably lying in wait for us" Lowen scowled as he looked on at the fort.

"Maybe so," Rebecca nodded, "But I can't let him just get off freely after threatening who knows how many people!"

"I know," Lowen assured her, "I'm a knight, remember? I can't allow evil to go unpunished either."

Before the two set foot into the fort, Lowen made sure to find some dead weeds and sticks for kindling to start a spark to light their torch. It took a small amount of time to finally get one, but once they had a spark, the torch caught aflame without any problems. Leaving his horse safely out of range, the two slowly and carefully walked into the fort, a pair of lanterns greeting their arrival. Lowen light the both them, just barely illuminating the dark space in front of them so they could just make out the walls.

"I don't like the looks of this," Lowen muttered as an echo vibrated through the fort, "Yep, definitely don't."

"He could be anywhere…" Rebecca said quietly as she tried to scan the area.

"Like right next to you…" a voice laughed as Rebecca spun around on her heels in an instant, the sudden movement making her trip over herself and fall on her rump.

"Relax," Lowen told her as he offered a hand to pick her up, "It's just his echo. At least we know he's here…"

"Or is it...?" the voice spoke again in Lowen's ear, causing him to almost turn around in a fright as well.

"Come out and fight us like a regular bandit!" Rebecca called out as she balled her firsts and shook them in the air.

As if waiting for her to say that, a soft "wwwhhhhiiiissssshhh" is heard through the air as a large mass collides into Lowen, flinging him at the nearby wall, the torch in his hand falling to the ground where its flame died out, followed by the sound of someone grunting as a fist slammed into Rebecca's stomach with enough force to send her into the air before she crashed onto the floor. The sound of footsteps running over the brick tiles echoes through air before a deafening silence fills its place.

Clutching her stomach, Rebecca slowly picked herself off the ground and quietly walked back towards the entrance, where the only source of light remained. "Sir Lowen?" Rebecca called out.

"Don't!" Lowen called out in warning to her, "If you go by the light, he'll just have an easy target!"

But…" Rebecca answered back, "How else can I see?"

"Still thinking through that problem myself, in all honesty…" Lowen muttered under his breath.

The sound of wood smashing breaks the two out of their conversation as the sound of a liquid soon follows. The sounds of more wood breaking and more liquid falling to the ground follows suit for around a full minute as the two desperately try to scan the area for Groznyi. After a while, the sounds all but die out in the darkness.

"What was that all about?" Rebecca whispered as she crawled over to Lowen's location using the light from the torches by the entrance.

"Nothing good" Lowen answered.

"I think it's a little cold in here, wouldn't you agree?" Groznyy's voice asked as the sound of a flame being light quietly went through the air.

"Run…!" Lowen commanded as the two scrambled to run out of the fort as a large fire began to consume the interior of the fort.

"The dastard wanted to cook us alive!" Rebecca shouted in rage as the two of them saw the fort turn into one gigantic torch. "Think he got caught in the blaze?"

"I think we'd have a better chance of fighting a dragon than him burning to death" Lowen told her as he shook his head.

"Let's go back to the others," Rebecca suggested, "I'd rather not stand next to a burning building for too long."

"No more enemies are attacking us from the front!" Oswin reported as he dutifully scanned the area.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Michael asked, "I don't want there to be any surprise ambushes for us if we decide to push forward."

"Sir Marcus is busy scouting the area more thoroughly as we speak" Oswin responded.

"Can he please go faster then?" Serra asked in a huff, "I'm starting to get tired of just standing here!"

"Quit you're bellyaching!" Hector told her, "You should count yourself lucky you didn't have to move a muscle! If anything, I'm more tired than I was before…"

"Please, Hector, don't speak of being tired," Eliwood yawned loudly as he covered his mouth with one of his hands, "See? Now I'm yawning like a babe."

"It's imperative that milords get their beauty sleep so they can grow up to be big, important, and respected nobles" Matthew told the two with a small giggle.

"I'm too tired to come up with a good insult" Hector gave up as he simply flicked his wrist at him.

"Sleep…" Michael repeated as he closed his eyes for a moment, "That sounds really good right about now. But we may still have some enemies we have to deal with. Once we've made sure we've dealt with them all, we can all go back to camp and retire for the night."

"Which is why we are still waiting for Sir Marcus to return from his scouting mission!" Oswin finished as he continued to observe the forest.

"Hey, Mister Good Eyesight!" Guy said to Matthew as he elbowed him, "Why don't you put those peepers of yours to work and see if Marcus is returning?"

"It'll charge you your eternal gratitude" Matthew responded back in an instant.

Before Guy could respond with a retort, the sounds of a stallion's hooves galloping against the earth captured everyone's attention as Marcus came into view, chasing the last remnant of the enemy force; Puzon, towards the group. Everyone immediately broke from their resting place and made their first priority to cut off any means Puzon had for escape. Within a brief moment, Puzon found himself locked inside a deadly circle of steel from which he would not be able to escape without fighting his way through a dozen men.

As Puzon's eyes darted from side to side, desperately trying to find a chink in the formation to break away from, he put his arm up in surrender, "Enough! I surrender! No more!"

"Drop your weapon" Michael commanded him with a firm gaze.

"And leave myself without a weapon?" Puzon asked, "You'll simply kill me then!"

"And that's different from how things will end up anyway…how?" Hector asked him. "You're not in the position to ignore out demands, you know."

Puzon begrudgingly dropped his sword to the ground, which Oswin was quick to snatch up and throw far out of his reach if he were to try and run after it.

"My good sir," Eliwood spoke to Puzon as he began to walk forward, "I have a compromise I hope you are willing to accept…"

"Serra," Michael whispered to the cleric as he walked next to her, "Get behind Puzon, but don't draw attention to yourself."

"Why?" Serra asked in genuine interest, "Marcus isn't wounded…"

"Just trust me on this one," Michael begged her, "Keep your staff at the ready, and you'll know if you have to do anything."

"O.K.!" Serra agreed with a shrug of indifference as she began to carefully walk around the rest of the group that was still in formation.

"Eliwood, what are you doing?" Hector asked, even though he was well aware of what Eliwood was trying to accomplish.

"Something you never do," Eliwood answered back, "Diplomacy."

"And what is it the noble young sir would have me do?" Puzon asked in a sincere and respectful tone.

"If you promise to leave this merchant alone," Eliwood motioned to the merchant man, "And leave this area, we shall not pursue or engage you any further. You have my word we shall not track you or try to interfere with you ever again. Is that not a fitting compromise to the alternative?"

"What of my weapon, milord?" Puzon inquired, "Without it…there are many manner of beasts that call this forest their home. I would be easy prey for such hungry foes."

"You can just spend the night wide awake…walking through the forest alone," Michael interrupted, "I know I've done it and nothing has ever happened to me."

"I've see nothing life-threatening in this area," Eliwood agreed, "A man of your fitness should be fine."

"Very well, milord," Puzon nodded and bowed as he put his right arm into his left sleeve, "If I'm to die, I may as well take you with me as a parting gift!" Puzon drew a hidden knife from his person and was about to deal what might have been a fatal blow to Eliwood had not the sound of a large *DING* filled the air as Puzon slumped forward, unconscious, with Serra right behind him, her staff in the air while she recovered from taking a hearty swing.

"That was fun!" Serra laughed as she put her staff back into its regular position.

"And that was close" Marcus added as he took the knife from Puzon's grip and threw it into the bushes. "I think I shall search this ruffian's person to make sure he had no other weapons available to him."

"Why wouldn't he take my compromise and flee instead of going down fighting?" Eliwood asked, not letting any unease he may have felt from the event show through.

"Not everyone plays by a fair rulebook, Eliwood," Hector told him with a glare, "Some would think of charity as merely a front to which they could drop their guard only to find a sword in their back for their trouble."

"…Was he the only one left, Marcus?" Michael inquired.

"Yes," Marcus nodded, "He was the last of them, of that I have no doubt."

"Then we can all go back to camp now, right?!" Serra asked as she began to walk back by herself.

"Sir," Eliwood spoke to the merchant man, "If you would like, you could spend the night at our camp. It's much safer than simply walking around by yourself at this time of night."

"Thank you," The merchant bowed his head, "I shall take you up on your most generous of offers."

"Serra!" Matthew called out, "Don't walk so far ahead from us; you'll probably get lost! ...And then you'll end up yelling…"

"WHAT?!" Serra yelled back at him as she started laughing.

"Here we go…" Michael muttered.

"Lady Serra!" Oswin warned, "Look out!"

As Serra looked over her shoulder from Oswin's urgent call, a look of terror broke free from her eyes as Groznyi appeared before her, his axe at the ready to bring down upon her, with no one in range to intercept and possibly save her. The entire began to break in a furious run to save her but she would long be cut down by the time they arrived.

'I won't be able to chant a spell in time…!' Michael raged in his thoughts as he tried to pull of his tome and aim a shot.

But right then and there, when all hope seemed lost for the cleric, a single arrow broke through the air and lodged itself into Groznyi's temple, his face permanently locked in a visage of triumph over a kill as he slumped down sideways in a heap. Serra fell to her knees shaking in fear, her staff falling out of her hand as she stared at the body.

"That mishap in the fort was well worth the wait to put an arrow in his skull" Rebecca remarked as she and Lowen appeared from the shadows of the forest by Serra.

"If you are in the need of some assistance, "Lowen offered Serra as he stretched out his hand, "My fine stead is more than willing to grant you transportation."

"Nice shot" Dorcas's voice told them with respect as he and Bartre emerged from the other side of the forest.

Back at the camp, everyone crowded around one larger fire that they constructed from the leftover firewood that they had collected earlier, with Michael providing the required kindling. Once everyone had taken a seat, the merchant man began to tell his story.

"My name is Merlinus," the merchant man introduced himself, "Purveyor of all weapons of items of only the highest quality. I had set up shop in many a places, but for one reason or another, I have always found myself pressured to move my shop elsewhere. Before Santaruz, I had settled down in a little town near Bern that proved to be the target of many bandit attacks, Eventually I left. Then, later on, a rival merchant threatened to run me out of business by buying out all my competitors and selling their wares for outrageously cheap prices. That is when I met you, my saviors, when you saved me from those dastardly bandits."

"Town near Bern…" Michael thought aloud, "Wait a minute! The Ganelon were the ones attacking the town, correct?"

"Hm?" Merlinus cocked his head, "Why yes! How would you…wait a moment! You are the same lad that helped me out back then! And the time before that in Araphen! We must truly be bound by fate that you lead a group to assist me not once but twice!"

"Eeehhh…" Michael said as he looked away.

"But how rude of me!" Merlinus continued, "I have not even asked for the rest of your names!"

"I am Eliwood of Pherae" Eliwood introduced himself.

"And I am Hector of Ostia" Hector followed through.

"Pherae?!" Merlinus choked, "Ostia?! The two most powerful houses in all of Lycia! Both came to my aid! Oh, such kindness must absolutely be repaid! If anything, Merlinus does not leave without repaying his debts!"

"Please, feel no need to repay us," Eliwood assured Merlinus, "We did nothing that merits such treatment!"

"Especially from a single merchant," Hector added, "Though maybe if you could throw all your weapons our way…"

"Hector!" Eliwood chastised him.

"No, No!" I insist!" Merlinus pushed, "If not to only ease my mind, allow me to look after your belongings! I swear, they shall be as safe with me as they would be in a castle vault. My tent here can fit many items! Feel more than free to dump anything you don't wish to carry in there!"

"Excellent!" Hector smiled at the news, "Now, can your tent store slightly annoying clerics…?"

Author's Notes: And so ends chapter 13 (aside from the interlude, but we don't count those as part of the chapter, do we?). I find it funny that throughout all the fighting, Matthew, of all people, still finds time to get in a quick comment. Him and Serra are probably my two most favorite characters to write for. But anyway, SHOCK! Didn't expect for Merlinus to be the merchant Lyndis's Legion met all the away back... chapter 3, was it? Consider that my own little ret-con for the story. Then again, the merchant wasn't given a description in that chapter, so for all you know, I planned that all out in advance. Until the interlude, then (which will prove to be a new thing because it'll have Michael's first nightmare in it)!