So. I hope you all are ready for the next couple of chapters. I'm not going to spoil them but I do plan on doing something a little different. I imagine you all are not wondering what I plan on doing. Well, get ready for the torture then because you have to go through that to get to it! Here we go!


Chapter Thirty Three: Imperial Power

Well I have some good news and a lot of bad news. The bad news is that we may have both Walhart and some general called Yen'fay coming towards us. We would have gone for YEn'fay, but his army is rival to Walhart's army and that is no good. Not only that but we have to split our already tiny force into threes in order to fight the Valmese military, which is also split into three divisions. One force will head to fight Walhart, another will head to fight Yen'fay, and the last one is heading towards the third army that is stationed at one Fort Steiger; which is a small distance from where we are right now. The Shepherds and the Ferox Khan's personal levies are to take the fort while the rest of the army deals with the two other Valmese divisions. That means we got to take a fort! Yay… The last time we did that was at the end of the Ylisse-Plegian war. Unlike that fort, however, this fort will be filled to the brim with trained, fanatic Valmese soldiers; ready to fight to the death for their Emperor.

But, there is some good news though. Ever since we rescued Lady Tiki from her prison, the local rebels have been getting a ton of new members to add to their ranks. With their help, we might actually have enough soldiers to even chance a fight with Yen'fay, or maybe even Walhart if we're lucky. These rebels can supply information, supplies, secret routes for our army to take, and so many other things for us to win! I believe we might actually win this war against this apparent unstoppable force.

"Howdy Aiden. I reckon it's time to get her done." Donny says, snapping me out of writing daze. Gods, we're already to the fort? Wow, that was closer than I thought it would be. I thought I could catch up on my writing by hitching a ride on one of the supply wagons for the day. It hasn't even been four hours and I have to go fight again? Great...

"Thanks Donny." I reply back to him as he walks off. I pocket my journal and jump from the wagon. I catch up with the farm boy and we join the rest of the Shepherds and the Khans. We're looking at the fort and I must say, they got some pretty big and thick walls.

"Damn! Look at those walls... This isn't going to be easy." Khan Flavia says through a clenched jaw, glaring at the walls like her looks can destroy them.

"It's not the walls I'm worried about… It's the hordes of Valmese inside them." the other Khan, Basilio adds as he grips his axe's handle tighter. He's not exactly wrong you know. After we deal with the walls, we have to deal with a horde of trained Valmese soldiers. We cannot catch a break like we did in the last war, can we?

Say'ri, the woman we saved at the harbor and the leader of the Valmese Resistance, steps forward and says "Our best bet is a swift, surgical strike, right at their heart. If we can strike down their commander, the fortress will be ours. So-Khan Flavia, your men will take on the forces surrounding the castle. That should create an opening for a smaller team led by Chrom and I. ...I regret to say this will put you at the forefront of the battle, Sir Chrom." Shit. That means I'm going to be on the forefront of the battle as well!

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Chrom grins at Say'ri, obviously excited and ready to lead us into battle. At least if I'm going down, Chrom is coming with me.

"Then it's settled. Other Resistance forces are on the way. With luck, they'll arrive in time to help. Let's cleave them a proud trail of imperial blood to find us by!" That's the spirit! Let's do this! Wait a minute, we have to wait for a window to attack. Shit… I have to wait for the blood shed. Ah well, looks like I can squeeze in more writing!


It was pretty tough getting into the fort, even with Khan Flavia's opening. We had to carve our way through more than one Valmese soldier before we got through the gate. I'm pretty sure some of us got wounded in the battle into the fort, but not enough to make someone get out of the fight. Even I got wounded when a Fighter hit me on my shoulder. Thankfully, it's the one with the shoulder plate so all I got was a bruise. Anyway, let us finally finish this battle with our victory. First, we got to get through this damned Valmese garrison.

I wipe my bloodied blade clean and let out a sigh as a group of War Monks come charging towards us. I didn't think clergy could be so violent. Then again, this is Valmese clergy so they probably believe that their Emperor is a God. When the War Monks finally make it to us, we quickly decimate them with the combined might of all of the Shepherds. After we take care the War Monks, we all split up to clear out the fort. Let's get this done with!

Henry, Anna, Say'ri, and I have grouped and are now clearing out section of the fort. If by clearing out you mean not finding anyone, then that is what we are doing.

As we wander the halls, Say'ri asks out loud "Excuse me, Ylissians. I must ask of something."

"Say it, Say'ri. Nya ha ha!" Henry says, chuckling at the little joke he just made.

"...Why are you laughing?" Say'ri also asks, confusion all over her face. Can't say I blame her confusion with how uptight and strict she seems.

"Don't worry about it." I say, waving Henry off as I turn my head to look at the Swordmaster. "So what's the question?"

Say'ri nods slowly at my words, still looking rather confused, and says "Alright… I was just wondering why you two are working together. You and the Plegian. I heard Ylisse went to war with Plegia, which resulted with the both old rulers of the kingdoms' deaths. I believed that Ylisse soldiers would not take up arms with a Plegian Dark Mage." Oh… I get where she is coming at. Makes sense for why she's confused.

"Nya ha ha! That's simple! We both like to kill things so we both are friends!" Henry says, jumping with joy at our 'connection'.

"What..?"

"It's complicated." Anna interjects, walking beside Say'ri as the Swordmaster tries to process what Henry just said. "Henry here likes to kill things. Handsome here was hired on to kill things for the Shepherd. The Shepherds need people who are good at killing things, and don't care where you come from. So, their friends in a sense."

"Aw… Come on Anna! You're my friend too seeing how you're my friend's wife and technical best friend with benefits. Any technical best friend with benefits is any friend with mine, except the 'with benefits' part." I think Henry is bonding with us. I don't know if that is good or bad… I'll just settle with the good I guess.

"Ah! So you all are dealers of death, yes? Also, what is 'Technical best friend with benefits'?" Say'ri says, clasping her hands together in discovery at the 'death dealer' thing.

"You could say that? I'm also not answering that question." I say, shrugging a bit at how weird this entire conversation has gotten. "We should probably move on. We got stuff to do."

"Of course. Let us get on with the task!" Say'ri says before running ahead of Anna and I, followed enthusiastically by Henry. I let out another sigh as Anna and I look at each other for a few moments before running to catch up with the two. Why did we get stuck with the weird teammates?

We wander around a bit more before we stumble on some enemies; if you can call one random Thief trying to open a locked door as an enemy. Henry seems to think so as he let's a yell of delight and casts some dark magic at the Thief, completely surprising the poor Thief. It only takes a few seconds before the Thief brutally collapses into a literal ball of blood and flesh, as big as a ball a regular kid would play with.

"Naga above, what the hell Henry?" I say, my jaw slacked jaw at the poor state the Thief is in. Alongside me, Anna has paled somewhat at the sight of the Thief while Say'ri is gagging in disgust.

"What?" Henry asks, confused at our reactions. "It's not like you've seen someone die before." He's got a point you know…

"Can you at least get rid of the ball?"

"Fine… Party pooper." With that, the flesh ball disappeared completely; giving relief to all but one of us. I imagine you know who the one is. Anna, never wasting a moment, then walked up to the door and quickly unlocked it with some of her expert lock picking skills. Say'ri opens the door herself, and we walk into a room with some chests and what seems to be some stairs heading down into the fort.

"What do you think are in these chests?" I ask, trying to open one but to no avail. "Looks like all of them are locked up tight."

"I'll get them opened." Anna says, kneeling down in front of one of the chests. "Honey, take Say'ri and go meet up with the others. Henry and I can handle these babies."

"Nya ha ha! We'll tuck these suckers to bed shortly. Go on you two!" Henry adds along, rapping his knuckles on the chest Anna is working on.

"Alright then. Be safe you two." I say, waving goodbye to them before heading out; Say'ri following behind me. We make it a good way away from the others before we encounter actual Valmese soldiers and the sounds of heavy fighting. We see two Snipers, crouching behind some makeshift barricades, firing arrows down a hallway. We also see a Valkyrie, riding on her little pony, cast fireballs down the same hallway as well; narrowly missing arrows and lightning bolts shot at her.

"I'll take the Valkyrie. Can you handle the Snipers?" I ask Say'ri as I draw my blade and ready myself for combat.

"They would be foolish to fight against me." Say'ri says with confidence, slowly unsheathing one of her blades for the battle ahead. "Now!" I quickly rush the enemy, Say'ri doing the same, and we surprise the enemy with our attack. I propel myself up a bit by using the horse and slay the Valkyrie with a cut to the neck. I then turn and see Say'ri thrust her sword hilt-deep into a Sniper, the other one lying on the ground as a corpse.

"Ready yourself, Aiden! Here comes some more Valmese dogs." Say'ri says as some War Monks scramble over the barricade in a rushed retreat, hoping to flee from the other Shepherds. Say'ri and I waste no time and quickly cut down the first couple who make over the barricade, only backing off once a Hero comes climbing over. The Valmese Hero quickly puts both of us on the defensive with a flurry of desperately wild attacks. Say'ri is sent crashing into a nearby pillar, the force of the Hero's attack basically throwing her there, and I am sent sprawling to the floor after getting my head slammed with his sword's pommel. Just as he raises his blade to finish me, Frederick comes riding in like a whirlwind of death; breaking down the barricade and gutting the Hero with a quick thrust of his lance.

He then turns his lance around and offers the handle to me, saying "Stand up! It is not the time to be on the floor!"

"You're telling me." I chuckle back at him, grabbing the handle and pulling myself back to my feet. I then walk over to Say'ri and help her up, getting a quick "Thank you" for my kind services. Chrom arrives next to us, and it seems like he is about to speak when we heard something coming towards us. I turn and see some Resistance warriors charging towards us, weirdly grim.

"Our comrades! But wait, how…" Say'ri says, confused on how there are some Resistance fighters so deep in the fort. There is no way there is some secret tunnel that deep in the fort.

"The Resistance had already infiltrated the castle...?" Chrom asks, also confused at the situation at hand. Can't say I blame him. What is up with them?

"Nay, impossible! Something is amiss…" Say'ri was soon cut off as the Resistance warriors reached us and one of the fighters, a War Monk, suddenly swung his weapon at Say'ri. Luckily; she was able to block the blow, but this definitely meant that these weren't allies. I quickly cut the War Monk down before he could attempt another attack, and Chrom backed me up by killing a Hero that was about to run me through. Frederick swiftly finishes the attack by wiping out the remaining Resistance warriors, leaving us in a confused state.

"Say'ri... Are you certain their reinforcements are from the Resistance?" Chrom asks once again as he kneels over the Hero he killed, looking between the Hero and Say'ri.

"Aye, sir. I'm ashamed to say I am. I know some of them by name. ...B-but why would they turn cloak against us now?!" Say'ri says, completely confused and now devastated at this sudden turn of events.

"I bet they were double agents of some kind. Probably came through some sort of entrance earlier or something." I say, trying to provide some form of comfort to her. This is really bad if the Resistance has now turned on us… Wait a second. Anna and Henry are in a room with one of those entrances! Oh fuck! I quickly run off, leaving the other behind, and head towards the room where Anna and Henry should be in. As I run, I start to hear screams of pain coming the very same room. Oh Naga!

"Anna! Henry! Are you… Oh what the fuck is that thing?" I say as I rush into room, only to find a giant abomination laying waste to a bunch of screaming Resistance traitors while Henry laughs like a maniac. Anna, meanwhile, is off to the side; hiding behind some empty chests while she counts out the loot. I quickly join her, not interested in whatever Henry is doing.

Over the screams, I ask my wife "What's the score this time? We get anything good?'

"Totally, handsome." Anna says, smiling her iconic smile as she holds up the items. "We got some Boots, a Master Seal, a giant bag of gold, and a rare Seraph Robe!" Whoa, a Seraph Robe? Those things are super rare, and for good reason too. Apparently, they can extend a person's life and even prevent a blow that would kill the person. But, they are super fragile and hard to preserve so these babies can only really be used once before they get destroyed.

"That's a nice haul. We could use a lot of them, especially the robe. Do you think we can take care of it until the battle is over?"

"I know a few ways to take care of this baby. So don't worry about it, handsome. Just worry about Henry. I'll take care of the items." She has a point with the Henry situation. That Plegian is utterly wild and insane for what he does. I wonder if he was ever trained to be like this… Hopefully so, because if this all natural; then he is ten times more dangerous than Tharja. And that is not something to be proud of unless you're Henry!

Anyway, I turn and peek of cover to see if Henry is done with his 'battle' yet. Thankfully, he is done as he's now sitting in a giant puddle of blood; happily dazed at the sight, smell, and possibly taste of the life-giving liquid. What on earth is with him and blood? I leave the cover and slowly walk up to him, my footsteps making tiny waves while walking on the puddle.

"H-Henry? You okay buddy?" I ask, coming to a stop as I stand over him. I then shake him a bit, hoping that he doesn't kill me or something.

"Mmmm… Blood… Huh what?" Henry says as he snaps out of his daze. He then stands back up, turns to me, and smiles. "What's up pussycat? You're looking a bit pale. Something wrong?"

"Yes." I say, gesturing to the puddle of blood around us. "You are literally covered in blood. The same blood you got from having your abomination rip apart some enemies."

"Oh that! Good times… Good times… Say, you need a transfusion because we get some donors!"

"No! Gods no! What is with you and blood?"

"It's a medical condition I picked up from Mage Camp. Ah Mage Camp… Good times…"

"Mage Camp? What on earth is that?"

"A camp where mages of all kinds go to practice their arts. It's a super secret place as well so if I tell you the location, you'll have to die. If you die, then I can see your blood. So…"

"No! Stop! Don't say it! I've heard enough already."

"You sure, Scooby? You want a Scooby-snack to learn more?"

"What..?"

"Ah shucks, you don't understand that reference! Well, it's fine. Most people don't understand what I say anyway."

"Alright… Anyway, I think we should get back to the others. We may still have a battle on our hands."

"Alright Sparticus! Let's go!"

Aiden and Henry attained Support Level B


By the time the three of us joined up with the others, the remaining Valmese forces were already wiped out by the others. The Ferox levies, who had been fighting the enemy outside of the force, joined us rather quickly. What is going on I wonder. I join some of the Shepherds and the Ferox Khans and scale the fort's walls to look outside.

"Steiger has fallen. ...But I'm afraid our new enemy has the fortress surrounded." Say'ri says as thousands of Resistance warriors encircle the fort, trapping us in this place.

""New enemy"... You mean the rest of the former Resistance?" Chrom asks, looking rather grim as he asks the question. I imagine he already knows the answer.

"Aye, sir. Words cannot express my shame. My...regret... Finally, I succeed in uniting them...but only against us." After Say'ri said that, an Ylisse Soldier comes running towards us. Chrom and Say'ri turn to face him as he comes to a stop in front of us, fear all over his face.

"Milord! Dire news! Our forces to the north and south have been decimated by Walhart and Yen'fay! What's worse, most of the survivors have turned their coats for the empire!" What? They turned on us? These are Ylisse and Ferox soldiers we are talking about, not some Resistance fighters or Valmese warriors. What the hell!

"B-but our troops numbered in the hundreds of thousands!" Say'ri says, also surprised at this sudden turn of events. We've went from hundred of thousands of trained soldiers to barely a couple thousand in such a short time. What's worse is that the enemy's ranks have been bolstered even more! We're doomed at this point!

"The empire must have had more."

"Or perhaps been better trained and equipped…" The Khans says, looking at each other as they think.

"Blast! Walhart and my brother—where are their armies now?" Say'ri asks, her voice slightly cracking at the growing despair of the situation.

"Marching toward this fortress, milady. It's only a matter of time." The Soldier says, bowing his head in defeat. We're doomed, plain and simple.

"So much for fortune favoring the bold. This war was lost before it even began." Khan Basilio mutters, leaning against the ramparts in defeat.

"All our struggles until now, and we've yet to so much as dent the empire…" Chrom growls out, his grip tightening on his weapon's handle.

We all remain silent, alone in our thoughts as we wonder what will happen now. After a while of thinking, Jack says "...Chrom?"

"What is it, Jack? Do you have something to say?"

"We need to leave here—right away." What? Is Jack insane?

"Have you lost your wits? We're surrounded!" Khan Flavia shouts out, gesturing to the hordes of enemies waiting outside of the fort.

"When the other armies arrive, then we'll be trapped for a certainty. If we intend to escape, now is our best chance." He has a point. Right now, they are at their weakest. Once one of the two armies meet with them, then we're doomed.

"He's right. The dynasts outside betray us only out of fear for the empire. They'll only put up token resistance without their masters watching." Say'ri says, now determined thanks to Jack's idea.

"But we can't keep running forever. How do we hope to turn the tide? " Chrom asks, looking at Jack so he can continue.

"By striking at either Walhart or Yen'fay before they join strength." Jack says, clasping his hands together to show that he is determined.

"Both of those are death sentences! There is no way we can fight such an enemy with our numbers." I add in, bringing up a valid problem against Jack's plan. If we fight them, then we'll definitely lose this war!

"One general would be upon us before we could finish with the other." Say'ri also adds in, boosting my argument.

"I agree...which is why we attack both." What? He's gone mad!

"Our army lies in tatters, yet you would divide it by half?!" Khan Flavia says, voicing most of our thoughts.

"...I didn't say by half. Chrom would lead our strongest troops against Yen'fay. Meanwhile, a smaller force would attack Walhart."

"A SMALLER force? We couldn't defeat him even with that giant army we had!" I say, completely confused and angered at Robin's horrible plan.

"...I didn't say we'd defeat him. We only need to distract him."

"Hmm... Spend some lives to buy the other team time…" Basilio mutters, stroking his chin in thought.

"This smaller force would face our most dangerous mission yet. It would need a leader of unparalleled skill, reckless bravery…" Chrom said before Basilio waves Chrom off, a smile on the Khan's face.

"All right, Chrom, please—you're embarrassing me! I'll do it already—just stop with all the compliments!"

"This is no time for japes, Basilio. The stakes could not be higher." Jack warns, worry all over the Khan's face.

"I am being serious—I'll lead the squad. Though I prefer my steaks well done…" That was a really bad joke. I approve.

"That's just his way, Robin. Bad jokes come with the bravado. But the oaf clearly has faith in your thinking. And I as well... All of us do, I'd wager. Somehow you always find a way to best the odds." Khan Flavia says, smiling at Jack to reassure him. Can't say I'm against it. Which makes me think… Ah hell, might as well.

"I'll join him." I say, nodding at Jack. I'm used to suicide missions, so I might as well join this one.

"Are you sure about this, Aiden?" Chrom asks, concerned about my volunteering. "There is a good chance that you won't survive the battle."

"I''m sure. I'm used to missions like that."

"Then it's settled. I'll make preparations and be off. The rest of you stay with Chrom and keep him safe." Basilio says, gesturing me to follow him. I nod and begin to follow him, determined to see this through. I'm ready for this mission, even if it nearly kills me.

Just as we make it to the stairs, Lucina suddenly appears and says "Stop! I cannot allow you to go, Khan Basilio. You will die in this battle. I know it for truth!"

"You know, lass, you have a strange way of saying good-bye. All right, then. Who is it? Who kills me? Is it Walhart himself? ...Please say yes. It'd make a poor song to die at the end of some farmer's pitchfork." Basilio says, turning to face Lucina.

"What about me, kid? Do I get killed in the battle?"

"...Yes, it was Walhart. For the both of you, though Aiden survives with grievous wounds. Or so goes the story I heard. We must change our plans so fate cannot take this course!"

"All I needed to know. Thank you much, lass. ...I'll be careful."

"Same goes with me. I'll make sure not to die so quickly."

"Y-you're still going? But I just told you—" Lucina says, confused at our relaxed natured.

"Aye, I heard you just fine. But someone still has to stall his division from advancing. If he's the one that kills me, well then, I'll just avoid confronting him. You don't grow this old and handsome without knowing how to avoid trouble." Basilio winks at Lucina, joking with the girl as they talk about his fate.

"N-no! It's never that simple."

"Don't worry, love, he'll be fine. He'll have me to keep an eye on him." Khan Flavia says, patting Lucina on the head to make her stop worrying.

"You can't come! You're Ferox's reigning Khan. They need you." I say, expressing my concern over her joining us.

"I thought you two intended to survive this, oafs. Regna Ferox has two khans, and now you're responsible for both. I dare you to die now!" Flavia shouts as she smacks the both of us on the back of our heads.

"...Har! Aha ha ha! All right, all right. You can come. ...Hope that's all right, Chrom." Basilio says, rubbing his head to stop the pain.

Chrom, looking somewhat worried due to his daughter's words, nods and says "Just look after each other."

"Ha! I'll bring this big ox back on a leash if it comes to that." Flavia jokes as she pats Basilio's back.

Basilio also laughs, saying "Luck and more be with you all. We'll meet again soon."

"Save a place by the fire for me!" I add in, throwing my arm over the Khans' shoulders. This is going to be fun!

"But please, your future! You must—"

"'Please,' yourself! Not another word. I fully intend to outlive all you sprogs—just see if I don't. And as for your 'future,' it can kiss my big brown Feroxi arse!"


"So you're leaving to go on a suicide mission." I let out a sigh as shut my travel pack, turning to face Anna as she stands by our tent's flap.

"Yeah. That's the plan. I volunteered after all. I must go." I answer back, putting my travel pack on. I begin tighten some of my armor straps before Anna walks towards me and grabs a hold of my hand. I look at her and I feel something punch my gut. But, there is no fist. Just brewing tears.

"So you're fine with just leaving your wife so you can go and die?" Anna asks, bowing her head as she tightens her grip on my hand.

"You got money. That's better than a guy like me."

"You're right, but there is only one of you while there is millions of identical gold coins."

"Anna…" I raise her head up so she can look at me. "Don't put sentimental value on me. It suffers from the worst kind of inflation known to man."

Anna lets out a sigh, and says "Fine… Just come back handsome. It's sometimes better to deal business with a partner after all." After saying that, Anna grabbed a hold of my face and pulled me in for a kiss. After a few moments of kissing, I pull away and hug her for possibly the last time. I then begin to walk away when I feel something soft get thrown on my head.

"Take that handsome. Free of charge." I remove the thing off of my head and see the Seraph Robe in my hands. I turn around and wink at Anna before stuffing the thing into my travel pack.

Let's go distract an Emperor.


"Fall back and form up! Don't let them scatter us!" Basilio shouts out, ducking under an arrow as he starts to move back.

I finish off a Valmese Soldier that I had been fighting and say "Easier said than done. Their cavalry is riding right over us!" I barely finish what I am saying before some Cavaliers come charging towards us. Basilio manages to dodge the charge, but I'm clipped by one of the Valmese's spears. Thankfully it wasn't a death blow so the Seraph Robe I'm wearing under my armor didn't activate.

"They flanked us! There is no way we can fall back now." Flavia says as she comes running towards us, dodging enemy attacks as she nears us.

"We can hold our ground... I'll show you how a real Feroxi fights, woman!" Basilio growls out before swinging his axe at an enemy Fighter, cutting the poor Valmese in half.

"Ha! Did I hear a crack in your voice? Is that fear in your eye?" Flavia jokes as she reaches us, joining me in taking down a Valmese Knight.

"Gah! Never! Let's give these kettleheads a taste of our barbarian roots!" Basilio then let out a roar of determination, added by Flavia and mine. This entire mission had gone downhill faster than we thought it would go. The enemy was faster than we gave credit for due to their size, and they've been real good at taking down our forces like it was nothing. I doubt we even had dented their ranks with our force. But, we are distracting them. Hopefully, we've distracted them long enough for the others to deal with Yen'fay's army.

"Enemy soldiers, there- Huh..." Flavia says, pointing to where two Ferox Fighters suddenly are cut down by a giant man in bright red armor, riding a similarly dressed horse. It's only him, no one else. It can't be, can it…

"YOU THERE! Do you command these forces?" He shouts out, his voice booming across the battlefield. In his hands is a bright red axe with an sinisterly black blade on it.

"Awww, crap!" Is the only thing Basilio can say before the man, that Conqueror, attacks the Khan. I can feel my jaw drop as a massive wound suddenly appears across Basilio's chest, the Conqueror preparing for another attack. Basilio attempts to counterattack, but the Valmese enemy easily dodges the Khan's attack. He then strikes Basilio once again, wounding the Khan even more grievously. Basilio is forced to his knees, panting and coughing up blood, and Flavia and I go to his side as the enemy weirdly waits.

"Haaarrrgh... Such...strength... Is he even human…" Basilio coughs out, wiping his mouth clean of the blood.

"...Impressive. You're the first since Yen'fay to survive beyond a single stroke." The Conqueror says, standing over us as he inspects our sorry state. I bet he feels real threatened by us… One can only hope right?

"I d-don't... I don't stand a chance…" Basilio mutters before shouting out "Flavia! Everyone! Run! Run for your lives!" Soon, Ferox warriors began to retreat, leaving us for dead as the enemy tries to either pursue them.

"Like hell we are!" I say, glaring at our enemy as he glares at us. He can't take on all three of us, right?

"We're not leaving you here!" Flavia adds in, gripping her sword's handle tighter. I think he can take on all of us.

"He's a demon, woman... I can only keep him...busy while you...escape... Hngh! ...D-damn... Looks like the lass was right…"

"I think not! Aiden and I are here, and that means events can be changed! Damn you, oaf! You're not getting away from me that easily!" Flavia screams out as the enemy suddenly rushes forward, swinging straight towards Basilio. The female Khan somehow manages to block the attack, and I quickly follow it up with a successful counterattack; cutting a shallow wound across the Conqueror's cheek. We quickly retreat back to Basilio, who is now standing up, and get ready to attack again when he stops us.

"Flavia... Give this to Chrom…" Basilio says as he hands Flavia a gemstone. Is that…

"Is this...the Gemstone?!" Flavia asks, confused and angry at both Basilio and the enemy.

"Watch out! Here he comes!" I shout as the enemy comes towards us again. Flavia tries to block the attack, but fails and it thrown to the side. I try to stop the Conqueror as well, but his horse kicks me in chest; sending me into the dirt as well. I sit up, dazed from the blow, and watch as the Valmese enemy closes in on Basilio.

Basilio, using the last of his strength, lets out a battle cry and strikes the enemy; the Khan's battle axe digging deep into the enemy's side. This wasn't enough however, as the Conqueror simply looks down at Basilio and shouts out in a booming voice "I am inexorable!" before swinging his own weapon, also cutting deep in Basilio. This seemed it for the Khan as he let go of his axe and feel to the ground.

"You have to...survive... G-give it to him…" Basilio manages to say as Flavia gets back up and kneels beside Basilio. The enemy waits again, looking down at the two Khans with a glare.

"Give it to him yourself, you one-eyed clod of a man! I'm not going anywhere and neither are you!" Flavia says, trying to pick her partner Khan up. But to no avail sadly as he feebly pushes her off of him.

"Fool woman! I'm f-finished... Don't let it...be for nothing... For once in your life...just do what I say... Go! Go, gods damn you! GOOOOOO!"

"BASILIO!"

"Watch out!" I shout as the Conqueror launches another attack towards Flavia. I manage to block the attack, the force of his blow making me stumble backwards a few steps in order to recover. I pant as I stop before Flavia, still kneeling over the quiet Basilio.

"Go! I'll hold him off! Get to the others, tell them what has happened!" I say before blocking another attack, almost falling over from the force of the attack once again. "GO! NOW!" With that, Flavia reluctantly began to run away; leaving me all alone with the Conqueror… Oh Naga what did I do?

"You would waste your life to let your allies flee? That's a coward's move." The Conqueror's says to me, glaring down at me like I'm a piece of trash.

"How is that cowardly?" I ask, practically shaking in place as I wait for the Conqueror's next attack. Oh boy… I'm so dead…

"Because suicide is the coward's way out. I am Walhart the Conqueror, and you are but a stepping stone on my path of immortality." After saying that, Walhart charged forth. Oh boy here we go!

I rolled to the side as soon as Walhart attacked, barely missing the Conqueror's strike. I begin to run circles around him as he kept in place, trying to make him mess up his next attack. He attacked once more, barely missing me as I dodged his attack once again. I think I got this! I begin to run around him once again, making sure never to stay in one place. I think I see an opening on his right, near his hip bone. I'll take the plunge.

However, just as I reach the spot; Walhart suddenly swung his weapon with lightning speed and precision, like a painter painting a portrait. The attack strikes me in the chest, the blade of the weapon cutting right through my armor like warm knife through butter. I am sent flying back, letting out a yell of pure pain and agony from the blow, and can feel my hand let go of my sword. As I lay on the ground, completely immobilized from the attack, I start to feel something warm cover the area where I was hit. I think that's blood, and there is a lot of it.

As my vision starts to darken, I see Walhart ride up next to me; a smug glare written all over his face. "Like I said; 'the coward's way out.'" I watch and see his weapon suddenly morph and change with various clangs and snaps into a dangerously sharp lance. I barely can raise my head before the Conqueror plunges it straight into my chest. With that, I black out from the pain; gone from the world.

When I wake up again, I see two shadowy shapes searching the bodies in the battlefield; taking coin purses and other trinkets. I blink and they are above me. I see what looks to be a Thief grab my sword, admiring it like it's was his biggest score. I can't move... I can't speak... I can't stop the Thief from taking my sword! I feel myself slip back into the void, unaware of what happened next.

As I lay there, drifting in the black void, I begin to hear faint voices. I strain my ears, and faintly hear what the voices are saying. As I listen, I try to open my eyes to see what is going on.

"I think this one is alive, Floyd. He looks to be breathing after all."

"I'm surprised he is, Ben. For what his wounds are, I think he fought the Emperor himself!"

"Damn! This dastard has guts to both fight, and survive the Conqueror! We should tell our commander about this guy."

"I think I see him. Commander! We got a live one over here!"

"Really now? Let me see him… Oh it's him again…"

"You know him sir?"

"I do, oh so well. We fought not too long ago. Looks like he chew off more than he could deal with this time!"

I manage to open my eyes, and gasp at who stands before me. To the right of me, I see a Valmese Archer. To the left, I see a Valmese Mercenary. Between the two, I see one giant beard.

"So, boy. I guess you learned the meaning of beard; am I right?"

"Beard sir?"

"Fear! I said fear you deaf oafs!"


So. I hope you enjoyed the little twist at the end. I imagine you all are somewhat excited for what is to come later on with this little development. Let's just say that there is a good chance you may like it. Of course, this is this fanfic we're talking about. Garbage is garbage, no matter how good it seems. So, go read some fanfics that aren't garbage. It would be best if you do.