That night, Akira woke up with a start after smelling something burning. He didn't even have time to get himself ready when the chancellor joined him in his night clothes. Still in his pajamas and with his raven black hair all ruffled, the king immediately went down the stairs and walked outside only to discover that the castle apparently was on fire and the soldiers were having a bit of a hard time keeping the fire under control.
"What's going on?!" Akira asked the guards who were running around screaming in panic like chickens with their heads cut off.
"It's the Empire! It's Grima!" They cried.
Just then, Grima walked in the castle's courtyard with a maniacal grin on her face as Akira looked at the mage with sheer annoyance on his.
"What are you're doing?!" He snapped at her.
"Bring me the girl, now!" She countered with a demand of her own.
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
"Then welcome to my barbecue!" Grima sneered then laughed evilly in his face.
Not having much of a choice, Akira walked back to the castle's front door and told the guard to get the others ready who did as instructed then went inside.
Grima looked at the king inquisitively but the smile never left her face. "Changed your mind, hm?"
"I guess I have no choice..." the ravenette muttered as he climbed up one of the nearby towers. A smirk made itself known on his face as he whistled and three chocobos showed up before jumping and landing on one of them. "Or maybe I do!"
The court mage simply chuckled in amusement, "Oh, dear me. Shameful that a king should flee, leaving his people behind. How utterly delightful!"
Too bad she didn't realize that Corrin and Eight were positioned on one of the bridges.
"Jump!" Akira yelled as both Corrin and Eight jumped off the bridge and landed on the other chocobos at his signal.
He then commanded the soldiers to submerge the castle in the sand to extinguish the flames.
"Figaro Submerge Mode Engaged!" One soldier said as the entire castle began moving and all the other soldiers retreated inside.
"No one can touch the people of Figaro!" The chancellor declared then left before it disappeared in the sand entirely.
Grima, having escaped before she was trapped in the desert got up and dusted herself off then growled in anger at the treatment she received. She was going to make sure that Akira and his rotten little friends pay for their insolence and what better way than to send two Magitek Armored soldiers after them to paint the desert sands red with their blood.
"Go! GET THEM!" The mage commanded.
"Magitek Armor! Watch out!" Akira cried before equipping his sword.
Eight drew his own blade, ''We can't escape unless we take them out!''
A Magitek Laser hit the ravenette dead-on and Eight barely managed to avoid a metal kick from their legs. They didn't know that something unexpected was about to happen soon. Akira struck one of the two Magitek Armors twice with his sword, but both he and the bandana wearing adventurer noticed that Corrin stood stock-still.
"Run, Corrin!" They shouted at her to move however the girl didn't react. She was charging up magical energy to cast a spell, chanting an incantation until she released it.
"WATER!"
A jet of water shot out of her hands and flew towards one of the Magitek Armors, causing it to short circuit and explode with a loud bang. Akira, in a very shocked state gasped at what he saw which made Eight look at him.
"What's the matter, Akira? What was it that made you jump like that?"
"Did you s-s-see what I saw? You did, right? Right?!" The king stammered.
"Yeah, this kid's really something, huh?" The treasure hunter replied.
"Really... something!? That was magic, Eight! MA-GIC!" He yelled, voice laced with emotion.
Eight was just as shocked as Akira, surprise making itself known on his face as well. "M-M-M-M-MAGIC!? She used magic!?"
He and the ravenhaired king started whispering to each other while Corrin was very embarrassed at what she did. She didn't mean to draw that much attention to herself just from casting magic right in front of them.
"Corrin, what... what exactly was that just now?'' Edgar asked curiously.
The girl felt ashamed with her head hung low then her eyes closed. "I'm sorry, I..."
Eight pushed Akira a little ways away, nearly knocking him into the sand. "No, we should be apologizing. I didn't mean to make such a big deal out of it."
"Nor did I... it just surprised me, I've never seen magic before," the king added. "Where did you learn that?"
Unfortunately she didn't give him answer to his question.
Eight cut him short, "Akira, Corrin can use magic, and we can't. That's the only difference between us. The fact is... we could use her help!"
"Thank you, Eight! Thank you, Akira!" Corrin happily exclaimed then winked at both Eight and Akira, who nearly fainted at that. Now they knew why she was so famous, and now they had a powerful ally on their side who could use magic.
"You know, Corrin, as you saw from the castle Figaro is the most technologically advanced nation in the world, and it's all thanks to Akira. The guy's a very experienced engineer and in his spare time he creates special tools that he also uses in combat. Look."
The treasure hunter pointed out as Akira took what looked like a normal crossbow to use as a weapon. Just as he opened fire, several bolts shot from the crossbow and hit the remaining Magitek Armor. Using a Fire spell this time, the blue caped silverette destroyed the other Magitek Armor with a fireball instead. The three of them climbed back onto their chocobos and sped off into the distance.
''Bravo, Figaro!'' Akira cheered.
Eight gave off a shit eating grin then waved at Grima. And speak of the devil, she was absolutely furious! If looks could kill there would be six bodies laid out in the desert by her blood red glare alone. The siege was a failure, Akira helped Corrin escape, thus breaking his ''alliance'' with the Empire. All in all, it was a bust.
''Son of a sandworm! You'll pay for this!'' She spat angrily as her plan had failed.
Eight giggled as they continued crossing the desert, "This is great!"
"Was that a bad person? I... I'm scared..." Corrin muttered, now somewhat afraid and uncomfortable. She was lucky and a bit grateful that Akira and Eight had brought her someplace safe away from Grima and the Empire.
"Corrin, there's someone I'd like you to meet! Eight and I are members of the Returners. Our mentor, Bayonetta, would certainly like to meet you. Magic is going to be the key to winning this war," Akira explained.
"Magic..."
"Corrin has magical powers." Eight added in. "That Esper seemed to react to her. Can there be some connection?"
"I haven't the foggiest! It just seems natural to me that I have the use of this power," Corrin replied.
"But no HUMAN is born with the powers you seem to have, and..." The king said which took Corrin aback and she quickly pulled the reins on her chocobo, causing it to stop. "I apologize."
"What should I do?" She asked with uncertainty laced in her voice.
It took Akira some time to think about it but came up with an answer. To be honest it was a good question so to speak.
"I'm sure the Empire is going to come after you. If they get their hands on you again, the world's finished. Corrin, you want to understand your own powers, right?" Corrin nodded before Akira spoke again. "Then I think we need to consult with Bayonetta. There's a chance she might help you understand your powers better."
Even when Eight asked as well Corrin made no reply, but Akira seems to think that was good enough for now and started ahead.
"OK! To the south there's a cave that leads to South Figaro. We'll go east to reach Mount Kolts, and from there, we will pass through the Sabil Mountains to the north. That's where the Returners Hideout is located. We are in the middle of the night though, so let's get some rest before going in there.''
The group left the desert behind then reached the cave, where a Figaroan soldier on a chocobo stood guard at the entrance. "King Akira! Where are you headed at this time of night?"
"Through the cave, and eastward to South Figaro," the king replied. "Return to the castle, and tell the others we're safe. We can't go on with our chocobos so take them with you on your way back."
"Yes, Sir! Take care!" The soldier said then called the other three chocobos and led them away from his post.
In the meantime, Corrin, Eight and Akira set up a tent and fell asleep for the night. In the morning they would prepare the trek through Figaro Cave and pick up some supplies and new equipment from South Figaro. It was all thanks to Akira that Corrin was safe from Imperial hands and now she was traveling with the men through the cave. According to the ravenette the cave was small but mostly dark due to the dimly lit torches hanging on the walls, so the only female focused her fire spell into a makeshift torch to light their way through the darkness which excited Eight a little.
They had some trouble with some of the cave's local wildlife but it wasn't enough to slow them down. Akira did get poisoned by one of the creatures dwelling here and was later cured by the silverette's newly acquired Poisona spell. She also healed any injuries they sustained with Cure magic as well. The brunette then explained to her that magic came in two types that were black and white which consisted of buffs, debuffs, healing and offensive spells. Corrin was confused at first but then she started to understand what he said.
It didn't take long for them to leave the cave and march onward to the town of South Figaro. Once there the trio immediately stocked up on provisions, bought new equipment then walked around town to get situated with the city's layout since it was quite big. They walked inside the pub for some food where they heard all sorts of information.
A woman was worried that the Empire was conquering one city after another and doubted that the people in South Figaro would be safe here. Akira was surprised when an old man reminded him of a disciple training under Duncan Harcourt, a renowned martial arts master living in South Figaro which made both Corrin and Eight wonder if it meant anything. They heard other things about Duncan who had also trained his son Vargas. He saw all of his disciples, including himself, as equals although he was irritated by the fact that his son was not making progress in his lessons, going far as to complain about it to some people. Across the tavern there was a man dressed in gray and black with a bandana tied above his icy blue eyes drinking beer with his dog.
Corrin thought the dog was cute at first until it turned around and growled at her, startling the silverette. His owner then turned and warned her that the dog doesn't like people and she refrained from petting him.
Eight tried talking to the gray clothed man until Akira pushed him back, "Stand back, Eight! He seems vaguely familiar... Wait a minute...! Snake... An assassin capable of killing even his best friend for a price."
"Better steer clear of him, I guess," the adventurer muttered before they decided to leave Snake alone and left the pub.
After leaving the town, the trio found a cabin to the north near the woods. As soon as they entered the building, a peculiar smell caught ahold of Akira's nose and he had a familiar sensation when he smelled some blue flowers sitting by the cabin's entrance.
'These flowers were his favorites,' he thought.
The ravenette was referring to the same person when he smelled tea and saw particular set of dishes in the cupboard, saying it was his favorite tea and that he always used those dishes.
"Richter... he was... here?!" He said quietly to himself.
When the group walked outside they saw an old man standing near the house's well when the king approached him with a picture, "Excuse me, sir but do you know this guy?"
"Of course. He left a couple of days ago after he heard Master Duncan was slain. He headed into the mountains. I heard Duncan's son, Vargas, is missing as well. I have a bad feeling about this..."
"Thank you. We'll go investigate," Akira nodded before turning away. "He must have gone to pay his respects to his mentor, Duncan..."
And with that information tucked safely away in the recesses of their minds Corrin, Akira and Eight went back inside to rest before departing for Mount Kolts.
Recalling the old man's info Corrin, Akira and Eight climbed Mount Kolts which a had somewhat complex system of caves and cliffs connected by numerous bridges. The three were attacked by two Zaghrems, masked mountain bandits disguised as monks who tried to punch them and Eight suffered from it after being surrounded.
"Cover your ears, you two," Akira said as pulled out another one of his tools that looked like a large trumpet.
Corrin and Eight covered their ears as a deafening noise rang throughout the mountain, confusing the bandits who began killing each other in their confusion. Taking advantage of their distracted state, the brunette and silverette easily defeated the bandits. But they were not alone as someone was watching the trio from the shadows, putting Corrin on edge. She lifted her head to see a shadowlike figure for a split second before it quickly disappeared.
"Did you see that?"
"Barely," Eight replied as they crossed a bridge to a nearby cliff. "I couldn't see it well."
The trio also had to deal with Tuskers, and monsters that favored both poison and petrification but Fire spells and crossbow bolts were enough to destroy them. Back outside, they caught a glimpse of that shadow figure again.
"There it is again!" Akira gasped.
"So close... I saw it, but it wasn't clear," Corrin remarked.
The steepness of the mountains was making Corrin tired, but the King of Figaro reassured the silverette by telling her that it wouldn't be long before they reached the Returner HQ so she could rest. Shortly after exiting another cave, they came across a menacing-looking, shirtless muscular man presumed to be Vargas with disheveled bluish-gray hair tied in a ponytail behind his head and wearing blue pants with red and yellow sashes tied around his waist.
"Richter sent you, right?" Vargas asked group.
"Richter? Is he here?"
It's been a while since Akira saw his brother, so he had every right to be concerned about Richter's whereabouts. But despite the clues he got, the ravenette still couldn't confirm if it was him or not.
"Who're YOU?" Eight demanded. "You were shadowing us earlier, right?"
Vargas just laughed arrogantly in their faces which not only annoyed Corrin but angered her as well. "And how unlucky it is that you have run into me!"
Vargas didn't fight them alone as he had sent out two bears that he personally trained called Ipoohs.
"We have to get rid of those bears first if we want a shot at him!" Akira gripped his crossbow as the others drew their weapons.
Corrin attacked the bears with her sword then blocked a claw swipe aimed right for her face. Unfortunately her back was exposed to the Ipooh behind her and it brutally slashed her arm. The silverette bit back a scream as blood dripped down her arm but the wound wasn't too bad. With a little difficulty, she stood up and prepared to cast a Cure spell to heal the wound until it closed up completely and only the blood remained.
Eight dodged the first bear's strike and then hit it in the neck with his sword, weakening it and the bear fell to the ground. The adventurer wasted no time taking the opportunity to slit its throat, while Akira stopped the other with his sword then hit it with a horizontal slash. He took out a third tool from his pockets, a bio blaster that shot out a poisonous cloud that not only immobilized Vargas, but damaged him while killing the remaining Ipooh as well. The king made sure to put on a gas mask to avoid inhaling the toxic fumes or or else he'd be sorry. The monk shook off his temporary paralysis before attacking again.
"Gale Cut!"
A strong wind knocked the trio off their feet and heavily wore them down, causing the three to fall to the ground which opened them up to a series of kicks and punches.
"Come on! What's the matter?" The bluenette taunted as they struggled to get up on their feet.
The man showed off his power in a boastful display and he was proud of it. Eventually he got bored of fighting with Corrin, Eight and Akira and decided to end them here and now.
"Enough of this! I'll send you to the great beyond!"
He was about to charge at his enemies but before Vargas could hit Corrin and the others...
"That's enough, Vargas!'' A voice shouted from out of nowhere.
The mysterious savior landed gracefully in front of the group who looked up to see someone had come to their rescue. He was a very tall and muscular man with brown hair and blue eyes with a white bandana tied around his head. He also wore a black shirt under a blue sleeveless tunic, white pants and brown boots. There appeared to be bandages around his left wrist and his right hand was covered with a brown fingerless glove.
"Is that you, Richter?!" Vargas was shocked to see that it was Richter who attacked him, surprising the others as well.
Was it really Akira's older brother, Prince Richter, standing here right there in front of them?