A.N: Enjoy part 3, everyone.

Prologue, Part 3: Valflame

When the three Chalphys were inside of Castle Yngvi, away from prying eyes, Ethlyn took this opportunity to strike her brother upside the head in annoyance. It was a somewhat comical sight due to the height difference between Sigurd and Ethlyn.

"Ow!" Sigurd said in surprise. "What was that for, Ethlyn?"

"Sigurd, you fool! Why didn't you finish off that Verdanite?" She demanded.

"That's what you hit me for?" Sigurd frowned. "Ethlyn, I thought I incapacitated him."

"You should've finished him, is what you should've done." Ethlyn said with frustration.

"That's not like you at all, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's wrong? Sigurd, he almost killed Oifey!" Ethlyn reminded her brother. "Oifey almost paid the price for your carelessness!"

"That's not fair, Ethlyn, it's not like I knew he'd get up." Sigurd frowned. "And if Edain isn't here, don't you think we should've kept him alive to find out her location."

"Brother, if she's not here, then she's in Verdane. And if she's in Verdane there are four possibilities where she's being held: Evans, Genoa, Marpha or Castle Verdane itself." Ethlyn pointed out. "That savage had no business being kept alive for any form of interrogation."

Sigurd sighed, remaining surprisingly patient with Ethlyn's rantings. Oifey nervously spoke up. "Umm...Lady Ethlyn, for what it's worth, I hold nothing against Lord Sigurd for what happened. If anything, I should've told him to simply finish him myself. And besides, Lord Azelle was here to save me."

"Ugh, you men of Chalphy and your over-reliance on good fortune." Ethlyn groaned.

"Ethlyn, what do you want me to say, I'm sorry?" Sigurd asked.

"I don't want you to apologize to me, fool, I want you to apologize to Oifey."

"But I don't want Lord Sigurd's apology." Oifey pointed out.

Sigurd looked over at Oifey. "Oifey," he ordered, "please search for any survivors. Call out to me if you find anything."

"Umm...yes, sir." Oifey ran off.

Sigurd turned back to Ethlyn and gave her a stern but very gentle expression. "Ethlyn, you have every right to be angry with me. You're right. That was far too careless on my part. But please, calm down. If not for me, but for Quan. You know he'll be worried if we both come out of the castle stressed like this." Sigurd reminded her. "We're more than capable of settling this like mature adults, are we not?"

Ethlyn took a few deep breaths. "You're right, you're right, the last thing I want is to worry Quan." Ethlyn admitted. "I'm sorry, Sigurd, I shouldn't have hit you. I guess I've gotten too used to being forceful to get you to listen to me."

"I just...I don't want to lose anyone here. Not just because we can't afford to lose anyone with so few soldiers here while everyone else is fighting in Isaach." Ethlyn explained as her expression turned solemn. "I just don't want to lose someone I love...someone in my family. Losing mother…"

Sigurd sighed. Marina of Chalphy, Lord Byron's wife and the mother of both Sigurd and Ethlyn. An amazing woman in every way possible that Ethlyn took after.

She had passed on from a tragic illness a decade ago, leaving Ethlyn to pick up the slack at the tender age of eight. And while Ethlyn had done splendidly in keeping House Chalphy in order, Sigurd could always tell that losing their mother had been the hardest on her. They were very close due to how similar they were.

Sigurd then gave Ethlyn a reassuring smile and brought her into an embrace. "Losing our mother was hard on me as well." He assured her. "And it's clear to me that it's you I must apologize to, my dear sister, not Oifey. So, I'm sorry."

"I don't want to lose anyone in this fight either." Sigurd promised. "And don't you worry, we will all come back from this alive. That's a promise."

Ethlyn pouted. "Honestly," she muttered, "you and your grandiose promises…"

"But...I've never known you to break them. You are reliable like that." She muttered.

Sigurd laughed. There was that childish side to her personality that Ethlyn never lost. Then, Oifey came frantically running back towards them. "Sire, there's a young knight collapsed over here!" He exclaimed.

Sigurd and Ethlyn were immediately all business upon hearing this. Oifey led them to the young knight. Sigurd's eyes widened at the sight of green hair. He recognized this one. "That's Midir!" He exclaimed, running to the body. "Midir, hold on!"

Midir groaned. Sigurd's eyes widened at the sight of Midir's wounds. They were terrible, and had only gotten worse. He really tried to hold out.

"Ethlyn, your staff!" Sigurd exclaimed.

"Right!" Ethlyn immediately went to work. She breathed a sigh of relief when Midir's wounds closed and color returned to his face.

"Midir, can you hear me?" Sigurd asked. "What happened here?"

Midir groaned as he slowly stirred awake. "Ugh...you...Lord Sigurd?" His eyes widened. So the knights of Chalphy had come to Yngvi's rescue after all.

"Thank goodness we weren't too late." Ethlyn noted.

Oifey sighed. "I wish I could say the same for everyone else." He admitted. "Midir...he was the only survivor. I also could not find Lady Edain anywhere. There were only corpses of Yngvi knights."

"Are you alright now, Midir?" Sigurd asked.

"I'm fine, Milord, thanks to you all." Midir replied.

"Now, where's Edain?" Sigurd asked in concern. "Oifey could not find her anywhere. The Verdanites took her, didn't they?"

"I...don't know." Midir admitted, before gasping. "But, Munnir…"

Midir trailed off, the thought of Edain in that wretch's arms was too horrible to even think about. Sigurd, however, was already prepared to move. "Munnir," he growled at the very thought of Verdane's eldest prince. "That's all I need to hear."

"Midir, I'll do all I can to rescue her." Sigurd promised. "You stay here and rest up."

Midir shook his head, forcing himself to his feet. "I can't do that, Lord Sigurd. I've got to help!" He declared. "I can't stand staying here knowing those thugs still have her!"

"It would be good to have an archer on our side, Lord Sigurd." Oifey pointed out.

"Even so, we should rest up here in Castle Yngvi." Ethlyn pointed out.

"What? But what about Edain?" Sigurd demanded.

"I want to save Edain just as much as you do, Brother." Ethlyn assured Sigurd. "But we can't march endlessly. Night will fall soon and everyone just took part in a battle where you drove everyone from Chalphy to Yngvi in the span of a day. That's no easy feat, brother. And it's not a feat that people finish hale and hearty. Everyone's tired. They just don't want to admit it."

Sigurd sighed. "Damn...I guess you're right." He admitted before turning to Oifey. "Could you inform the rest of the party we'll be resting up here in Castle Yngvi for the night, Oifey?"

"Gladly, Lord Sigurd." Oifey ran off.

Sigurd turned back to Midir. "I'm sorry we won't be riding out immediately, Midir. Believe me, I'd much rather do it right now, but Ethlyn's right. If I keep pushing everyone without rest, these savages will beat even us."

"I understand, Lord Sigurd." Midir sighed. "Still, when I think of my liege lady in the clutches of that dastard, Munnir..."

"I feel the same way, Midir, I promise." Sigurd assured him. "But, we have a difficult path ahead of us."

"Like Ethlyn told me, there are four major castles in Verdane she could be held at. The closest one is the border castle of Evans. And I seriously doubt Munnir is holding her there. Even if we did charge ahead and took Evans' castle, we'd be in no condition to continue the fight and we'd be in enemy territory. They could come after us and we wouldn't be able to fight back. We'd be under siege."

"I do not disagree in the slightest, Lord Sigurd." Midir promised. "I just...I just want to save Lady Edain."

"We will." Sigurd promised

Meanwhile, Oifey was finishing explaining the situation to the rest of Sigurd's party. "We're going to rest up here, huh?" Alec mused. "Ah man, why couldn't we be resting up in Castle Yngvi in more peaceful times? This place was said to have had some fine handmaidens. Some of the finest in all of Grannvale."

"Alec!" Nessa snapped. "People died in this castle today!"

"Do you think I'm not aware of that?" Alec shot back.

"If you are aware then be more sensible!" Nessa told him before turning to Naoise. "Naoise, back me up here! Alec listens to you, more than me, after all."

Naoise ignored Nessa. "Oifey," he addressed the young tactician, "could we perhaps give funeral rites to the Yngvi soldiers who were killed defending this place?"

"Though we are part of different Duchies, we are all Grannvalians."

"I couldn't agree more." Oifey nodded.

"So...wait, we're not going to help Edain right now?" Azelle was worried at the thought.

"Face facts, Az," Lex sighed, "even I can't ride and fight forever. We should be rested and recharged before we go charging into Verdane's actual territory. And honestly, I'm with Naoise on this one. We should give the Yngvians a proper burial before we do anything else. Hey, Naoise, why don't I give you a hand, yeah?"

"Much appreciated, Lord Lex." Naoise said as he entered Castle Yngvi with Lex.

"I guess I'll help too...anyway to get me away from Nagging Nessa." Alec groaned as he moved towards Castle Yngvi.

"I heard that." Nessa was quick to follow.

Oifey then found himself looking worriedly out on the horizon. Azelle forgot his concern for Edain and took note of this. "What's wrong?" He inquired.

"I'm just trying to figure out where my brother could be." Oifey replied.

"Your...brother?" Azelle's eyes widened. "Oh, you mean Sir Aengus!"

"You met my brother?"

"He kinda just...casually strolled past us." Azelle explained. "Lex and I...we really didn't know what to make of it."

"Okay, good. That's fine." Oifey nodded with satisfaction.

"Wait, really?"

"As long as I know my brother's alive at the moment, that's all I really need to know. If I know he's been seen alive, that's all there is to it, he's way too stubborn to just die, especially against some Verdanites." Oifey explained.

Indeed, as Oifey said this, Aengus was getting drunk in a village northwest of Castle Yngvi…

"Lord Quan," back at Yngvi Castle, Oifey addressed Quan next, "do you plan to enter?"

"Not yet. I sent Finn ahead to check on a village and I believe that armored knight Arden is still catching up." Quan pointed out. "I should be here to greet them both to let them know of the current situation."

"A fair statement, sir." Oifey nodded. "Please let us know if any Verdanite reinforcements are coming towards us."

Quan nodded as Oifey and Azelle entered Castle Yngvi. No sooner had the two youngest members of the army entered, a familiar face came riding into view. Quan's eyes widened. He knew who it was, but something seemed different.

Finn seemed much faster…

Finn smiled as he reached Quan. "The southwest village has been secured, Lord Quan."

Quan looked at Finn and noticed a silver band around Finn's right wrist. "Finn, is that…"

"A Speed Ring, Lord Quan, yes it is." Finn nodded gleefully. "They offered it as a reward for coming to save them. I almost said no, since I was merely doing my duty as a knight, but the old lady who requested I take it was rather insistent. At that point, I decided someone in our group could make good use of this."

"I've heard many things about these rings," Quan said, looking closely at the band. "Many increase physical attributes like strength, speed and even mental fortitude for greater skill with a weapon. Some give off some kind of magic barrier that can better protect you from physical or even magic damage. And some rings will even give you amazing powers. Accelerated recovery, speed to instantly follow-up attacks before the enemy can even counter, stamina to move at greater distances, even a boost in luck that helps you avoid fatal blows."

"Would you like this ring, Lord Quan?" Finn asked. "Just say the word, and I'll give it to you. I'm sure you'd make better use of it than me anyway."

Quan shook his head. "You saved the village, they gave it to you as a reward. You should keep it, Finn." Quan ordered. "That is a direct order from your liege."

"...As you command, Lord Quan." Finn relented.

"Good lad, now go inside and rest. We'll be spending the night in Castle Yngvi and marching on Verdane tomorrow." Quan ordered. "I'll be waiting here for Arden."

Finn nodded and entered. Soon, Arden arrived and Quan explained the situation to him. After that, both men went inside of Castle Yngvi. And with that, the united front of Chalphy and Leonster warriors, along with the Lords Lex and Azelle of Dozel and Velthomer, rested up for the night, preparing for the attack on Castle Evans.

As night turned to day, the Verdane captain, Gerrard, received news of their forces losing Castle Yngvi to Grannvalian forces. Gerrard narrowed his eyes at the news. "DiMaggio stuffed up, huh?" He shook his head. "I should've known he was worthless!"

Gerrard took a moment to gaze out south, where his leaders were. "Prince Munnir's not gonna like this." He muttered before turning his attention to a few of his subordinates. "Put the bridge back up, boys! We ain't gonna blow it like DiMaggio!"

"Yes sir!"

"And to arms! If they're comin' here we're gonna kill 'em all!"

The Verdane soldiers moved fast. Soon, the bridge on the border between Grannvale and Verdane was lowered. A force of somewhere between a hundred and two hundred Verdanite soldiers quickly moved across the bridge, ready to meet the small force of Grannvalians. DiMaggio was a colossal failure, who only got where he was after finding favor with Munnir.

But Gerrard was someone who worked his way to an officer's position in the Verdane Army. He was far superior to DiMaggio. And he was going to prove it. And besides, he was being promised the pick of a Grannvale bride of his own. He could not fail with that being promised. And with a steel axe in one hand and a hand axe strapped to his hip, he was definitely not going to fail.

Meanwhile, Sigurd and his forces rode out of Castle Yngvi. Sigurd, of course, took the lead with young Oifey and Quan right at his side. "Oifey," Sigurd said to his squire, "your brother, do you think he will join us?"

Oifey sighed. "I can't deny he'll be hungover, but he'll join us. You should know you can rely on your cousin, Milord."

"I know, I know, but I'm as aware of Aengus' habits and vices as you are, which is exactly why I have to ask."

Oifey nodded. "Sigurd," Quan spoke up, "nevermind your cousin. The important thing we need to consider right now is the fact that after losing Yngvi, the Verdanites will likely be forming a strong defensive line around Castle Evans in response. They won't take losing Yngvi lying down."

"We'll likely be outnumbered." Sigurd noted.

"Heavily outnumbered," Oifey corrected, "Milord, according to what Lord Lex and Lord Azelle told me, after they tore through Verdanite forces to reach us, what was left of them retreated. That means they've gathered around Evans."

"This will likely be a difficult fight, Milord." Oifey pointed out. "With our numbers, even we might have trouble."

"That doesn't matter, this is a fight we have to win, for Edain's sake." Sigurd narrowed his eyes. "I refuse to allow those Verdanite barbarians to do as they please any longer."

"I agree," Quan nodded, "outnumbered or not, we cannot falter. We have to save Edain."

Oifey grimaced at this. No wonder these two were such good friends. They were both unbelievably reckless, never thinking about the level of difficulty required to complete the task in front of them. An admirable trait in most situations. However, in actual life and death situations like this it could quickly become a problem.

Thankfully, Oifey soon found the solution. A large forest, a few miles from the border bridge between Verdane and Grannvale. He then gazed out ahead, barely managing to make out the small Verdanite force that was guarding said bridge. "Lord Sigurd!" Oifey exclaimed before Sigurd. "Let us take residence in that forest there. The terrain advantage should help us wage battle against the Verdanites better."

"Will they take such bait?" Sigurd responded. "If they don't see us in the forest they won't attack. The more time we dawdle, hiding in a forest, the more Edain suffers."

Oifey grimaced. He could not deny there was some truth to that. This far from the bridge, the Verdanites would probably not be able to see them, unless they had a telescope to see them. Even so, fighting in a forest gave them a far greater advantage. They had to fight in the forest. Even if they had five warriors with holy blood and could theoretically wipe out a force like this on their own, was that really a chance they could afford to take?

Warriors with holy blood are typically capable of fighting at least a hundred men single handedly. Lord Sigurd and Lord Quan are two highly trained warriors who possess major holy blood of Baldr and Njorun. Lord Azelle, Lord Lex and Lady Ethlyn all possess minor holy blood. Minor holy blood-bearers are powerful in their own right, but warriors with major holy blood typically surpass them. In fact, the most notable reason for this is that major holy blood-bearers can wield the 12 Holy Weapons, such as Baldr's Tyrfing and Njorun's Gae Bolg. And warriors with those abilities have torn through entire battalions.

I don't know how many Verdanites they have on their side, but relying entirely on holy blood to win a war is careless and reckless.

"Please, Milord, let us at least observe the enemy from the forest." Oifey brandished his telescope to Sigurd. "Then we'll know how to proceed."

Sigurd clenched his sword in response. He did not like the idea of holding back like this. Quan heaved a sigh at the worried expression on Oifey's face. "Sigurd, it's not a bad plan." He came to Oifey's defense. "If they see us, we have the terrain advantage, if not, we can at least have a safe point to regroup."

Unbeknownst to Sigurd and his party, however, the Verdanites had already spotted them. "They're making their home in the eastern forest." Their commander noted. "Inform Gerrard!"

"No need, I'll be taking command here." The commander gasped as a massive man of 6 and a half feet tall suddenly appeared before him. His muscles made him somehow seem even bigger and the eyepatch over his right eye gave him an appearance comparable to that of a demon. A silver axe was strapped to his hip.

"G-general Gandolf?" The commander was in disbelief. "This is an honor, sir! What're you doing here?"

Gandolf, the brutal and charismatic general of Verdane's army. Once upon a time, he had been stripped of his titles due to King Batu taking a pacifistic approach to ruling. However, when Verdane began planning to overrun Grannvale, the savage general was allowed free, bolstering Verdane's ranks. This was met with applause by many of the brutal and militaristic Verdanites, but also with concern from the two more moderate leaders in Verdane's army: third prince Jamke and General Khan, King Batu's loyal and moderate advisor.

However, Batu insisted Gandolf be returned his title, and now here he was. "I was just finishing up my stakeout of Nordion." Gandolf replied. "That Eldigan is supposed to be some lionhearted paladin, but he's just a coward. I marched onto Agustria's soil, thinking I'd get to fight that man myself, but I was left very disappointed."

"I need a little excitement, so I'm going to go and rip into those Grannvalians myself. I heard they took down the advance force that DiMaggio and Prince Munnir brought in. I might actually have fun with this."

Elsewhere, Gerrard growled as he saw Gandolf's force of about five hundred soldiers. "Damn it, my chance to make a name for myself and General Gandolf just takes everything over. Why couldn't he have just stuck to patrolling Nordion's border?"

"Grr, but even I couldn't hope to do anything against him." Gerrard lamented. "Only Prince Munnir and Prince Cimbaeth can keep that monster under control."

"Che, I almost feel bad for those Grannvalians. Once General Gandolf gets going, there's nothing that can stop him. Nothing."

Minutes later, back with Sigurd's party, Oifey went pale as he gazed through his telescope. "You can't be serious…" he muttered.

"Oifey, what's wrong?" Sigurd asked.

"Lord Sigurd, their numbers have increased five-fold." Oifey said in fear.

"Five-fold? Then an army of a hundred has increased by five-hundred!" Quan exclaimed in shock. "Where did the Verdanites get such numbers so quickly?"

"I can only think of one reason." Oifey shuddered.

"They probably had a detachment of soldiers observing the Agustrian border, just in case Agustria took advantage of the chaos to launch an attack of their own. And now, they want to focus their efforts on us, instead."

Quan looked at Sigurd. "Sigurd, this might be too much even for us. We're talking about being outnumbered 50-to-1!"

"We can't falter. We have to press on for Edain's sake." Sigurd declared.

"I feel the same way. If I had taken the Gae Bolg with me, I'd feel more confident about our chances. But I had to leave it with my father." Quan pointed out.

"We'll have to use the trees to our advantage." Aengus suddenly spoke up, standing at Sigurd and Quan's side like he belonged there.

"WHEN DID YOU GET HERE, BROTHER?" Oifey yelled, briefly forgetting the desperate situation they were in.

Oifey regained his composure, knowing that was just how Aengus was. He looked at Midir and Azelle. "We have two ranged fighters, but…"

"My bow is ready, Oifey." Midir narrowed his eyes. "I'll shoot as many of those Verdanite dastards down as I can. It's the least I can do to atone for my failure."

"My fire magic should be able to take plenty of them out with every blast." Azelle added. "And I'm of the same mind as Midir. I want to take down as many as I can for their crimes."

"Perhaps if we tried to take out as many as possible from a range as they charge ahead, we could whittle down their numbers to more manageable levels. And as long as most of our own use swords, we'll have the weapon advantage with these trees." Oifey offered.

"Che, I'd prefer to take a more knightley approach." Sigurd scowled.

"Sigurd, we may not have a choice." Ethlyn noted.

"In a fight for survival, Sig, you have to be willing to get your hands dirty." Aengus sagely pointed out.

"I'm with the kid, man, when the hell did you get here?" Lex deadpanned.

"Umm, we seriously don't have time to debate this any longer. They're charging ahead!" Nessa pointed out ahead.

Oifey's eyes widened. "Midir, Lord Azelle, please take positions on different sides of the forest to try and maximize the effectiveness of your ranged attacks. All sword users, get on the front lines as well and wait for the enemy to come close!" He frantically exclaimed

Azelle and Midir quickly did as asked while all sword fighters stood at the front lines. Quan and Finn brought up the rear. "Sigurd," Ethlyn began.

"Don't say anything, Ethlyn," Sigurd warned her, "we're going to win. We're going to survive. We're going to press on and save Edain."

Ethlyn grimaced at that statement. Sigurd was supremely confident as usual. I know what I said back at Yngvi...but Brother, I really hope you are prepared to face the fact you can't keep every promise.

Gandolf, meanwhile, grinned as he neared the forest. "They haven't come out yet." He noted. "Guess it really was just a ragtag bunch of losers left behind by the main force."

"Attack!" Sigurd and Oifey yelled in unison.

"Vengeance for Yngvi and Lady Edain!" Midir and Azelle added.

With that, fireballs and arrows began flying out of the forest. The attacks quickly flew right into Gandolf's front line. Gandolf laughed at the sounds of his men screaming in pain and terror. "Oho! A last gasp! Keep pressing on boys! We'll meet their last show of resistance with the strength of Verdane!" He declared.

Aengus whistled as he spied Gandolf rallying his men and continuing the charge ahead. "So, that must be their boss." He noted.

Not good, that guy's trouble. Sigurd's good, but I'm not so sure he can beat a guy like that. He added inwardly. But how the hell am I supposed to convince Sigurd to retreat?

As the two parties neared each other, a third party was entering the scene. Arvis of Velthomer gazed upon the battle before him with a dispassionate expression on his face, flanked by his subordinate, Marah, from the Rot Ritter.

Arvis sighed in disappointment. "When His Majesty asked me to observe the battle, I hardly expected to see Chalphy struggle this much against simple barbarians." He mused.

Arvis shook his head. "Sigurd...So this is all you've amounted to…"

"Milord," Marah said respectfully, "we shouldn't stand on the sidelines like this."

"Are you honestly telling me to fight an army in the hundreds with just two people, Marah?" Arvis looked over his shoulder with a smirk. "Such a reckless statement is unlike you."

Marah scoffed. "Surely you jest, Lord Arvis. They would need several thousand soldiers to be of any threat to the likes of you."

Arvis then surprised Marah by smirking. "I suppose I'll help him then." He decided, brandishing a magic tome that made Marah's eyes widen. "After all, he's our rearguard. Abandoning Sigurd to his fate would not be strategically sound."

Marah instinctively backed away at the sight of Arvis' magic tome. "Though I have to admit, using this magic is a bit overkill." He acknowledged. "That said, I'd prefer not to waste more time on these barbarians than I have to. I'm a very busy man."

The temperature seemed to heat up around Arvis and Marah. Marah's eyes widened again, she backed up a few more feet. That spell...he'll scar the land!

Flames began dancing around Arvis' outstretched hands. The growing temperature expanded. It was soon noticed by Sigurd's party and the attacking Verdane battalion. "What the hell? Did it just get hotter?" Gandolf wondered.

Sigurd's eyes widened. "This heat...and an intense mana that's growing more powerful."

Azelle gasped. He recognized that growing mana anywhere. "It can't be." He muttered.

Arvis began to chant as his mana grew larger and larger and the temperature rose higher and higher. "O flames of the past, burn bright. Magic of Salamander, flow through me. Let my foes know the might of the divine flame and destroy them without fail! Burn it all to ashes for a better tomorrow!"

A massive ring of fire suddenly surrounded the entire Verdanite force, much to the shock of Sigurd and his party. "Incinerate! Valflame!" Arvis screamed.

Everyone watched in utter shock as a massive ball of fire exploded from inside the ring of fire, enveloping the entire Verdanite force in a sea of hellfire. Azelle watched in horror as the legendary holy fire tome, Valflame, showed everyone why it was considered a holy weapon. Indeed, there was no doubt who had come to their aid. Only one man in the world had the major Fjalar blood that allowed him to wield Valflame.

Arvis chuckled at the destruction he caused. "Well, Marah, I'm going to go speak with Sigurd. Please accompany me."

"Y-yes sir."

I should be glad, Marah noted, gazing at the circle of destruction that was once several-hundred Verdanites, Lord Arvis had enough restraint to control the reach of Valflame. Still, Milord's incredible power never ceases to terrify me.

Arvis and Marah then casually strolled into the destruction left by the Lord of Velthomer. "Milord, there are two people now," Midir called out to Sigurd, "and they seem to be coming towards us!"

"Check again, kid." Aengus folded his arms. "There's one more."

Seriously, that guy's tough to survive a direct hit from a holy weapon. I guess he was something special. Probably a big boss of those Verdanites, not that it matters now.

Arvis took notice of the lone survivor of his attack as well. Gandolf glared at Arvis. "Were you the dastard who blasted my men!" He snarled.

"Oh? You're alive. You must be a general with that level of skill." Arvis noted. "I'll correct that mistake then."

Arvis then casually tossed a small fireball of hellfire that struck Gandolf in the chest, knocking him onto his back with a yell of pain. "The thing is, we're both generals. Generals who got our rank with our own respective power." Arvis pointed out.

"Both you and me, my friend."

Gandolf snarled as he forced himself to his feet. "Oh, you're still alive even after that?" Arvis seemed genuinely surprised. "Would you perhaps like some praise for that?"

"But you know," Arvis continued, "we both may be generals with the power to back up our rank, but the difference in strength between a barbaric general such as yourself...and a general descended from one of the 12 Crusaders is far greater than you realize."

"You're nothing but a savage, so I can forgive you for that kind of ignorance. But it doesn't change the fact that you know nothing of real power."

Arvis brandished the Valflame tome once more. "This is a good opportunity. So how about another demonstration?" He suggested as Gandolf charged the Velthomer Lord. "Be honored. And take that knowledge with you to the grave."

"Die!" Gandolf yelled.

"Valflame." Arvis casually commanded as a smaller ring of fire surrounded Gandolf and quickly exploded, incinerating the Verdanite general into nothingness. Not even ashes.

Gandolf didn't even have time to scream, that was how quickly it was over. Arvis looked somewhat disappointed. "I was going to burn you enough to leave a skeleton behind." He admitted, gazing at the spot that used to be Gandolf. "But it looks like I overestimated you. You were far too weak."

Sigurd narrowed his eyes at his party's savior. There was no doubt who it was. He quickly rode out of the forest to meet him. Marah took notice of Sigurd. "Lord Arvis," she got her master's attention.

"I know, Marah." Arvis turned to Sigurd and approached the man, meeting the mounted knight halfway.

Azelle, for his part, was cowering behind a tree. "Ohgodsohgodsohgodsohgods!" He frantically thought. "Why is Arvis here? I thought he was in Isaach! Why is he not in Isaach? Why is he here?"

Lex found himself sweating at the mere sight of Arvis, unable to make any kind of snippy remarks at Azelle's behavior. What the hell...what the actual hell? He thought in disbelief. I've heard of Arvis' incredible power...but witnessing it is a completely different matter. I mean seriously, even if he does have holy blood…

...How the hell can one man have that much power inside of him?

Arvis kept an even expression on his face as he stood face to face with Sigurd. "It has been too long, Sigurd." Arvis noted.

"It has, Arvis." Sigurd nodded, unsure of what to make of Arvis' presence. He dismounted his horse to get on the Velthomer Lord's level. It was to be polite. "Why are you here?"

Arvis smiled and patted Sigurd on the shoulder. "His Majesty is concerned for your wellbeing, being our kingdom's rearguard," he responded, "and because of that, he bade me come and observe."

"That was far too kind of His Majesty." Sigurd smiled, touched at his king's concern.

"Sigurd, you are a valued subject of the kingdom, and its sole protector right now." Arvis pointed out. "His Majesty's kindness is the least you deserve. Which reminds me, he also entrusted me with this.

Arvis then removed a sheathed sword from his hip. "A gift for you." He held it out to Sigurd.

Sigurd gasped in shock. "This is...a silver sword!" He exclaimed. Silver weapons were arguably the rarest and strongest weapons that were not Holy Weapons or 'brave' weapons.

Sigurd carefully took the sword from Arvis and unsheathed it, examining it. "A gift from His Majesty?" Sigurd muttered. "Oh, what an honor! Arvis, be sure to pass my deepest gratitude for this onto the king!"

Arvis chucked. "Very well, I will do just that." He promised before his expression turned serious. "Incidentally, Sigurd, rumor has it that my brother, Azelle, is among your forces. I presume this is true?"

Sigurd sighed. He knew he could not lie to Arvis, with Azelle missing from House Velthomer. "I'm sorry about that, Arvis. It is true." He acknowledged. "It sounded as if he came behind your back, but I couldn't turn him away. If at all possible, would you mind if he remained with me for a while longer?"

Arvis frowned slightly, taking on a thoughtful expression. "I see…" he sighed. "So long as you keep him safe, then I will consent."

Arvis gazed at the forest, knowing his brother was there with the rest of Sigurd's party. "He and I may have different mothers, but Azelle is still my only brother." He acknowledged. "I'd prefer if he remained by my side, but perhaps this is how it must be…"

"I'll entrust Azelle to you, Sigurd." Arvis told him. "Be sure that he learns from this experience."

Sigurd nodded. "You can leave it to me, Arvis. Once we're done here, I'll do what I can to convince him to go home."

"Good to hear it." Arvis nodded. "Now, I must return to His Majesty's side in the capital. I'm entrusting this crisis to you, Sigurd."

"You can count on me," Sigurd promised.

"Just in case though, allow me to entrust you with a gift of my own." Arvis then gestured to Marah as she stepped up to her master's side. "Allow me to introduce Marah, one of my elite."

"A pleasure to meet you, Lord Sigurd." Marah bowed respectfully.

"Marah will be assisting your army from now on. She's an extremely skilled Mage Fighter. She and her sister Aida are two soldiers that I would trust with my life."

"Then I couldn't take her from your side, Arvis." Sigurd told him.

"It is because I trust her so much that I'm insisting you take her with you. End this threat from these Verdanite savages. Make them fear Grannvale's might. What better way to do so than with the aid of one of the finest Roten Ritter I have?"

"You do bring up a good point." Sigurd acknowledged.

"Then it's no problem." Arvis noted. "Wrap up this campaign against the Verdanites and she'll be able to rejoin my forces."

"You have no issue with these arrangements, right Marah?" Arvis inquired.

"These are your orders, Milord. I will, of course, follow them to the letter." Marah obediently promised.

"Then I look forward to working with you, Marah." Sigurd said kindly. "If you really are one of the best, then I'm honored to be working with you."

Marah was briefly taken aback by Sigurd's sincerity before bowing. "The honor is all mine, Lord Sigurd." She promised.

"I will go now. Bring us victory here, Sigurd." Arvis told him. "I'm counting on you."

Sigurd nodded. "Of course, Arvis."

Arvis began to stroll away from Sigurd with all the elegance and regalness of a man in his position. Meanwhile, the rest of Sigurd's party watched the Velthomer Lord leave with looks of awe on their faces.

"Such power." Naoise muttered in amazement.

"I almost feel bad for the Verdanites." Alec admitted.

"An entire battalion of soldiers, wiped out in an instant." Ethlyn muttered. "I'd expect nothing less from Arvis of Velthomer."

"With a display of power like that, I can at least see why you're so scared of him, Az." Lex admitted to the still-cowering Azelle.

Lex sighed at Azelle's behavior. "That said...don't you think you should say something to him before he leaves. This might be your only chance for a while, and as scary as he is, you two are family, right?"

"I mean, yeah, but you don't know what you're asking me to do, Lex." Azelle countered.

"All I'm asking you to do is show your brother the man you're becoming." Lex sagely pointed out. "And besides, if you can confront your brother, you can definitely show how much of a man you are to Lady Edain."

"Those are not the same thing!"

"You chose this path for yourself, right. Show your brother your resolve in that choice and you can call yourself a true man."

"At least that way, you won't turn into a stuttering mess after we rescue Lady Edain."

Azelle blushed at the thought of Edain. That blush turned pale at the thought of confronting Arvis. But once again, Azelle found himself coming to a conclusion he had come to time and time again.

Lex is right.

Azelle always feared Arvis. Always had ever since they were children. However, Arvis himself never gave Azelle a reason to fear him. It was not Arvis' fault he was naturally intimidating, right?

Azelle then ran in the direction Arvis was going before anyone could say anything. Lex watched his best friend leave with a proud smile. Atta boy.

"Brother!" Azelle exclaimed, emerging from the trees.

Arvis actually allowed an expression of surprise to grace his features at Azelle coming towards him. "Ah, Azelle, so you were hiding there." He noted. "Were you hiding from me because you know you did something wrong?"

Azelle felt all his courage vanish at Arvis' cold queries. "I'm...I'm sorry for disobeying you, Brother." He said sincerely. "It's just that...I couldn't just sit by and do nothing, especially with Edain in trouble…"

Arvis sighed. "Azelle, it's precisely because I knew you wouldn't be able to stand by that I told you not to go." He told him. "Nearly all of our military is in Isaach. And the Verdane attack decimated the Yngvi forces we left behind to defend our border. You may be a skilled magic user from your time at the Belhalla Academy, but you are not strong enough to control the fate of this war yourself."

Azelle found himself shrinking in Arvis' gaze. "Honestly, a part of me wants to set that forest on fire and flush out that Lex for encouraging this rebellious spirit." Arvis admitted.

"It wasn't Lex's fault, Brother!" Azelle told him. "I wanted to go and he volunteered to go with me."

Arvis raised an eyebrow at Azelle's surprisingly passionate response. "And I intend to stay here too, because I want to do my part!" Azelle exclaimed.

"Brother, there is no one I respect more than you!" Azelle promised. "But I want to stay here and fight! I have comrades who can look after me! Let me fight and honor you as a member of House Velthomer and your brother!"

Arvis remained silent. "And I will make you proud." Azelle promised. "I'll fight! Win! And become stronger! Stronger even than you, brother!"

Arvis then surprised Azelle with a mischievous smile. "Well now," he said, "let's not get too ahead of ourselves. You've never been able to beat me before and that's not going to happen in the future."

Azelle sputtered at Arvis of all people making a joke. Arvis' smile became more genuine. "Don't do this to make me proud, do this because you believe this is the correct path for you and have no regrets, Azelle."

Azelle's eyes widened. That was the first time he ever saw Arvis smile sincerely. Arvis then clasped his younger brother on the shoulders. "Walk this path of yours, Azelle," Arvis told him, "and know that I love you, my dear brother."

Azelle gasped. Arvis had never told him that before. "If, by chance, some time in the future…" Azelle paused. "No matter what happens, I always want you to believe in this fact."

Azelle nodded in understanding. "I will, Brother." He promised.

"Do you as must, Azelle." Arvis told him. "As for me, I cannot be away from His Majesty any longer."

And with that, Arvis left his brother alone. Azelle, for the first time in a long time, felt truly at peace. For the longest time, I've felt like I was useless to him...only a burden to my brother...the man who could do anything.

All this time...he loved me.

Azelle then gasped, realizing he could not dawdle any longer. Edain! I must save Edain! I have to see this through, just like Arvis said!

Azelle ran back to the group and saw that everyone else had joined Sigurd in the charred crater. "Got your closure, Az?" Lex inquired.

Azelle smiled brightly at Lex. "More closure than you can imagine, Lex."

"Good, we're back together now." Sigurd nodded. "Everyone, I'd like you all to meet Marah of Velthomer, she'll be joining us in this campaign."

Azelle greeted Marah with a polite grin, having already met her through his brother. Marah bowed curtly to everyone present. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. I look forward to working with you."

"Now that we're all here." Sigurd turned his attention back to Castle Evans. "It's time to cross the border…"

"...It's time to take the fight to Verdane."

A.N: The manga adaptation of Genealogy was great. It was actually where I got the inspiration for Arvis and Azelle's conversation. Meanwhile, we also meet Marpha, Aida's sister and an elite member of the Roten Ritter. Totally not an ulterior motive for sending one of his best with Sigurd, right?

Also, I'm sure plenty know this already, but Gandolf was actually the name of Munnir in Japan, believe it or not. That OC that got utterly wrecked by Arvis? Just a shoutout to that.

Anyways, it's time once again for Nicholas' Unit Review. This time, we've got the green cavalier of Chalphy, Alec.

Strengths: His design, first off. That turban looks real cool on him. Now the actual gameplay. Being the Green Cavalier, Alec's growths are more based around Skill. He'll be more of a chip damage guy like Naoise though because of his low strength. That said, Alec is a very serviceable unit because he has an extremely high accuracy and will often double his opponents early on thanks to his high base speed, the low weapon weight of swords and of course bearing the Pursuit Skill. Basically, you want him to chip when you can rely on him to dodge, and thankfully axes can be easy to dodge, making him very useful in the early game.

Weaknesses: He's a niche unit, like his buddy Naoise, which makes him come with some very noticeable flaws. Like I said before, he does not hit hard. Sure, he'll double most of the time, but he'll have a hard time actually killing enemies and gaining EXP. Also like Naoise, he won't be gaining any silver weapons, even after promoting, due to the weapon ranks that cavaliers and paladins have. Also, thanks to his growths, not very durable compared to Naoise. You need to rely on his accuracy and dodge rates along with the occasional terrain bonus to keep him alive.

Overall: Alec is serviceable, much like Naoise. Niche units often are. But also like Naoise, he'll likely never end up your best unit. Just remember to take advantage of Pursuit early on. Maybe go back and forth between Naoise and Alec in setting up kills for each other. And hey, he's got a cool turban-thingie, so that's a plus.

See you all in the finale! Part 4!