The Fire Manakete has been revised 2020/03/09. Originally published in 2016. More notably did some work to rebalance some things in the fight scenes and make the characters' efforts a little more collaborative compared to the original publication and also updated dialogue.

Thank you to randomadorablepikachu for proofreading! And again to all of you that have read thus far.

The Fire Manakete

The clanging of swords, trampling of feet and neighing of horses echoed loudly throughout the valleys as the Akaneian League fought valiantly against Princess Minerva's forces and the Whitewings. Even though stories said Minerva was well-versed in battle, she had decided to keep her distance throughout the fight—only attacking to defend herself when necessary.

Roy had opted to fight alongside Caeda as they made their way south. "Roy!" Caeda shouted as she lanced an approaching foe. "You'll have to go on without me after we clear out this fortress, I'll stay behind to keep it from falling back into enemy hands!"

"Are you certain, Caeda?" Roy asked as he shoved the flat side of his blade against an opposing dismounted cavalier.

"Yes, make sure you accompany Marth! He's going to need all the help he can get taking down Minerva! She's terrifyingly powerful!" Caeda looked back to him. "I'm sure I can hold up this place with Bord or Barst at my side."

Roy hesitated before nodding. "You've got it," he said and cut down the cavalier he had forced back. "I'll go get one of them!"

Roy ran out of the fortress and quickly looked back and forth, scanning the battlefield for either Bord or Barst. It took him a few seconds to spot the green of Bord's clothes, but once he did, he started off toward the fighter. "Bord!" he called out.

Bord's axe swung around and sunk into an enemy as he turned to look at Roy. "Oi! What's it?" he responded.

"Caeda needs your help maintaining the fortress! Would you be able to make your way over?!" Roy asked and sliced down a fighter who had tried to barge in front of him.

"You got it!" Bord answered with a nod. "I'll be over 'ere in a bit!"

"Thanks, Bord!" Roy said back before rushing out into the fray. "Now where is Marth…?"

As if right on cue, Roy caught sight of the blue haired prince not too far away, skillfully cutting an enemy down. He was surrounded by enemy soldiers—probably because they could tell who he was—and though he was killing them off as they came at him, Roy could tell he was beginning to tire. Quickly he ran to Marth, swinging his sword and fatally wounding enemies as he approached him.

"Marth! Are you alright?!" Roy asked as he came in close and turned his back to Marth, gripping his sword in both hands.

"Oh, Roy, yes," Marth responded between pants. "There's quite a few enemies aren't there?"

Roy couldn't help but smirk a little at Marth's response. "Just a few," he said and blocked an axe with the flat of his blade. "I… figured you might need a helping hand!" He swiftly swiped his blade to the side to knock the axe-wielding fighter off balance before flipping his sword backwards in his hand and swiping upwards, killing the fighter with a single critical blow.

"That was thoughtful of you," Marth said as he jabbed another enemy paladin.

"Thank Caeda," Roy grunted as he whipped around and blocked another enemy soldier's attack with his blade. "She gave me the chance to get over here."

There was no response from Marth as he concentrated on what few enemies were left. It didn't take long before the two of them cleared the area together. Marth took the opportunity to catch his breath. The moment of calm was short-lived, however, as another small wave of soldiers came at them, this time with Minerva in tow.

Roy noticed the axe in her hands. "Is that…"

"Minerva, yes," Marth finished with a nod. ". . . I'm going to fight these foot soldiers—do you think you can take her on your own for at least a moment?" Marth asked and glanced at Roy.

Roy quickly looked to Marth at his side. "By myself? Isn't she supposed to be one of the strongest warriors around?"

Marth hesitated before nodding. ". . . Yes, she is."

Roy stared at Marth for a moment, his brow furrowed. ". . . Alright, I'll do it."

Marth seemed surprised. "You will? Roy…"

Roy shook his head. "Don't mention it. I'm a mercenary after all, and if you're telling me this is something I need to do… then I'll do it. Besides… if you think I can hold my own against one of the strongest warriors around, then I'll take it as a compliment."

Marth was glad his compliment did not go unnoticed and he nodded to his comrade, "Alright. Thank you, Roy. I'll clear you a path, and don't get hit by her axe," he advised.

The soldiers came upon them and Marth and Roy instantly got to work fighting them off. Marth was able to clear out a small area for Roy to break through the lines.

"Roy!" Marth shouted.

Roy took his cue and ran through the new split in the enemy formation and made a beeline right toward where Minerva was. Perched atop her wyvern mount and equipped with the legendary axe Hauteclere, it was easy to understand why she was considered one of the most fearsome warriors one could face.

She had been watching Roy approach, and, once he was close enough, ordered her wyvern to swoop down and attack. The enormous beast let out a roar and flew down at Roy, its maw gaping open to reveal rows of sharp fangs. Roy stopped in his tracks and slid forward before jumping back and out of the way of the incoming bite.

"You're quick on your feet for a swordsman," Minerva said as her wyvern raised its head. "Who are you?"

"My name is Roy," Roy said, keeping a firm hold on the hilt of his blade. "You are, without a doubt, princess and commander Minerva."

She nodded curtly. "I am. I'm surprised you were able to pry yourself away from your prince to fight me in the first place—you two seemed so fixated on what one another was doing."

Roy blinked and his cheeks burned slightly. "What?"

"It's nothing, don't mind me. Now," she raised her axe to her side and her wyvern reared a little in the air. "Prepare yourself, lest you'll be slaughtered where you stand!"

Roy steeled himself and both parties quickly leapt at each other, axe clashing with blade. The friction of the metal caused sparks to fly and Roy used the force from Minerva's Hauteclere to jump back out of her range. He switched his grip, ran at her once again, and tried for an underhanded swipe with his blade. She tugged her wyvern out of the way and swung her axe around to catch him from behind, but Roy nimbly ducked underneath it.

This went on for a few more rounds—neither of them had managed to hit each other, but something about Roy had made Minerva wary. With each hit she missed, he seemed to come back faster and stronger than the time before.

Roy, upon ducking under another axe swing and sliding out of the way of a wyvern bite, switched his grip once more and swung his sword upward. His growing speed had obviously caught Minerva by surprise and he finally landed a powerful blow across her arm and chest, causing a shallow split in her armor.

Minerva let out a small grunt of pain and her wyvern flew back a few feet. Roy darted after her and jumped up before bringing his sword down on her. She was barely able to block the blow with her axe, and even when she did, her arm buckled a little under the force of his weapon on hers. With the strength she could muster, she pushed Roy off, allotting her enough time to fly away farther.

"What is this," she mumbled to herself and stared down at Roy now that she was high enough in the air that he couldn't reach her. "He's stronger and faster than any swordsman I've faced before… it is as if his frustrations fuel him."

A sharp burst of pain radiating from the bruising of her chest pulled her from her thoughts and she cringed. "Rrgh… even so… I can't keep up the fight as it stands… I must withdraw."

Roy, with his eyes still firmly fixated on the wyvern rider, took a small step back. Minerva glanced to him once more before turning her wyvern and flying off in the opposite direction, withdrawing from the battle without a word.

Palla, who had been fighting Marth, noticed Minerva escaping. "Where is she going…?! Is she withdrawing…?"

"It seems she has lost to our side!" Marth responded between labored breaths.

The Pegasus rider quickly backed away from Marth and her steed flapped its wings a few times. "If my commander is leaving, I've no reason to stay! The Whitewings have no loyalties to our general, only our commander. Consider yourself lucky today, prince."

Palla called out for Est and Catria and they all came together before they fled the battlefield, following Minerva.

Roy ran back to Marth. "Marth! Are you alright?" he asked as soon as he approached.

"I'm fine. Are you injured? I can't believe you got Minerva to retreat on your own," Marth said quickly.

"I'm fine, don't worry. We've still got the general to defeat, though, and he's not going to go down easy," Roy responded.

Marth nodded in agreement and they both headed out once again—this time, in the direction of Harmein's hold.

Harmein slammed the side of his fist into a wall, causing some of the dust on the ceiling to fall to the floor. "She what?!" he shouted.

"Sh-she withdrew from the battle, sir!" came the scared voice of one of Harmein's knights. "M-Minerva and her Whitewings have left."

Harmein let out an angry growl and grabbed his silver sword. "Get the reinforcements! We're going to go out and kill those Akaneian League bastards if it's the last thing we do, with or without that selfish princess!"

The soldier saluted before quickly running out of the room. Harmein let out another growl. "Curse Minerva and her pride," he hissed. "No matter… if I am to die here, then I won't be dying alone! I'll take those Akaneian whelps with me!"

He turned and stormed out of the room, his blood boiling from anger.

Once Harmein had entered the battlefield, it was almost like hell had broken loose—not only the general himself, but also a wall of reinforcements swarmed upon Marth and his allies. Weapons clashed and armor was split as blows were exchanged—the enemy soldiers were not as strong as those on Marth's side, but they were greater in number, which made it harder to clear through them all.

Harmein let out a yell as he charged at Marth, "You! You'll be killed here and now!"

Marth had been preoccupied with an opposing swordmaster and was unable to do anything about Harmein's sudden approach. Jagen quickly rode in and blocked the silver sword's blow with his own silver lance.

"Jagen!" came Marth's surprised voice.

"Prince Marth, keep your guard up! I will make sure the general doesn't get to you!" Jagen responded.

Marth nodded slightly. "Thank you, Jagen," he said.

Jagen looked to Harmein, who was clearly both angry and amused by Jagen's intervention. "You're just postponing the inevitable!" he growled. "I'll sap the life from your old bones and then crush your prince in the palm of my hand. I don't need Minerva or her Whitewings to wipe the floor with what's left of you!"

Harmein raised his sword and swung his sword down at Jagen, who blocked it again with his lance. Jagen skillfully spun his lance to force Harmein back before lunging it at him. Harmein was able to dodge a fatal blow, but the lance still pierced through his arm, staining the beautiful silver with dark red. The enemy general let out a groan of pain and Jagen yanked the lance back out of him.

With an eye shut tight, Harmein looked up to Jagen. "Heheh… you are pretty skilled, aren't you, even for an old man."

Jagen said nothing and Harmein let out a yell before charging at Jagen once again. Even with an injured arm, Harmein still slashed his sword swiftly, and Jagen's horse was barely fast enough to raise out of the way. Jagen had switched to the defensive and continued to block and dodge the flurry of attacks thrown at him.

All was going well for Jagen for quite some time until Harmein finally faked him out—he pretended to come in from the right, and Jagen dodged accordingly. A smirk crossed Harmein's face before he quickly turned his blade and cut upward, cutting into Jagen's armor much like how Roy had cut into Minerva's. Jagen grunted and his horse staggered back.

Marth had seen the attack land and his eyes widened. "Jagen!" he shouted.

Roy heard Marth's cry and looked over to see what had happened. He saw Jagen injured with his hand gripping his chest and Harmein poised to strike again with his sword and his body went cold. Marth was unable to run to Jagen's aide, as he was still being attacked from all sides.

"Say your last words, old man," Harmein spoke gruffly. "I will take your life here and now, and then your prince is next!"

"No… no he's not," whispered Roy as his teeth clenched.

Jagen glanced to Harmein. "Even if I die, the rest of us will kill you before you even get within a foot of Prince Marth," he said rather weakly.

Harmein simply laughed. "Your resolve is refreshing! But it is misplaced!" His silver blade glinted in the sunlight as he rose it higher. "Now hurry up and die so that your prince can be next!"

He brought his sword down to land the finishing blow on Jagen, but instead of making contact with the paladin, he made contact with another blade. A loud echoing clang emitted from the two weapons and Harmein hissed from the sound.

"What!" he shouted.

Roy had his blade drawn and had blocked the attack. "Jagen… get out of here, go to Wrys or Lena and get your wounds healed! I can handle this guy."

Jagen seemed surprised at Roy's sudden appearance and stared at the back of the young mercenary's head. "Roy… Alright, I will retreat," he responded with a nod before turning his horse to escape.

Roy glanced back to Jagen's retreating form before he looked forward to Harmein again, his expression one of pure abhorrence. The general couldn't help but tense at the look.

"Gh… tch, who even are you!" he shouted and swiped against Roy's blade to force him back.

Roy shook his head. "I'm a mercenary working with the prince," he said and slowly straightened his back. "And I am done with all of this fighting... so either surrender, or meet your end here. Though I prefer diplomacy, it's your choice."

Roy's eyes glinted and he blinked once, which made Harmein freeze. "You… you're…" he shook his head. "Tch! No matter! I will slay you next; your youth has gotten to your head."

Roy narrowed his eyes. "Looks like you've made up your mind, then..."

Roy ran at Harmein, sending a flurry of strikes at the older general with his sword. Clearly taken off guard and still unable to fight properly due to the injury on his arm, Harmein was barely able to block his attacks. With a small growl, Roy used a particularly powerful slash to knock the silver sword from Harmein's hands. Once Harmein had been disarmed, Roy flipped his sword in his grip.

With one final backhanded swipe, Roy's blade split Harmein's armor in two and he sliced through the general's chest, ending the duel once and for all.

After the fall of their general, the rest of the army either retreated or was defeated with relative ease. Jagen had been healed by Lena and was no longer on death's doorstep, and Marth had fought the soldiers that had him surrounded without suffering any major injuries. Caeda and the others were also fine, with Cain being the only other person to sustain any injuries on the level of Jagen's, though he had been healed successfully by Wrys. The now-healed Jagen, along with Caeda and Abel, had left to check on surrounding villages and had been gone for some time now.

Marth stood alongside Roy. "Roy, thank you for intervening back there," he said. "If you hadn't… well, Jagen…"

Roy shook his head. "It's nothing, Marth. I know how important he is to you; I wouldn't let him die."

Marth quietened for a moment before smiling gently. "You're right, he is. Still, thank you."

Roy couldn't help but smile slightly at Marth's insistence before the sound of footsteps approaching drew his attention from the prince. Both looked over to see Malledus coming toward them.

"Sire, a moment?" Malledus said.

"Mm? Oh, yes, Malledus? What is it?" Marth responded and turned to him.

"Well… you know of manaketes, yes?" he asked.

"Manaketes? You mean the dragonkin?"

Roy looked between them and felt a little awkward. "Manaketes?"

"Ah," Malledus smiled. "Yes, manaketes. I'm sure you've heard of them, dragons with the ability to turn into human forms by use of dragonstones."

Roy nodded slightly at Malledus' explanation—what an interesting power, he thought.

"What about them, Malledus?" Marth inquired.

"As you may know, the manaketes inhabited our continent long before the dawn of humanity. Ordinarily their draconic forms stayed suppressed; their power sealed within special stones—stones that we now call dragonstones."

Marth nodded and Malledus continued, "And so, rather than terrorizing humankind, they chose to live peaceful lives far away from humans, and we coexisted for quite a time. However… a century ago, Medeus, an incredibly powerful dragon, appeared and everything changed. He took root in the Doluna region and built upon it a vast empire, and from there, he invaded the human realm and subjugated humankind, oppressing them all for years."

Roy seemed surprised, as he did not know the full story of the plight of humans versus dragons in Akaneia. He remained silent.

"Things were going nowhere but downhill for the humans… but it was then, in that darkest hour, that a young man named Anri appeared and rose against Medeus. With the blade of light—Falchion—he slew Medeus, freeing the human realm. From there, he founded Altea… and the rest, I believe you should know, Prince Marth," Malledus said.

Marth simply nodded and furrowed his brow. "I do know my own kingdom's history, Malledus. And I know what I must do—with Medeus revived and Doluna restored to its former might, I will follow in Anri's footsteps to bring light back into our world."

Malledus smiled and nodded. "That is good to hear. You are Anri's last male descendant, and the only one with the ability to wield the legendary Falchion. You must find it and put an end to the Shadow Dragon once and for all. We come closer to this resolution with every battle…"

"I vow to avenge my father and finish what he started—there is no turning back," Marth stated. "Even if it had not been written in fate, I would still walk this path."

There was nothing Roy could say. Learning the history of Marth's kingdom made it obvious as to why there was such a divide between humans and dragons, even in the Akaneian League itself, which was formed of members that could easily be considered accepting people.

He was unable to dwell upon it for long, however, as the sound of Jagen's horse snapped him from his thoughts. "Sire," came Jagen's voice. "Allow me to interrupt."

"Ah, Jagen, you've returned! And… you've brought someone, it seems?" Marth asked, tilting his head. Roy looked over to Jagen and the newcomer.

An elderly man with greyed skin, clad in red robes, stood beside Jagen. His appearance sent a shiver down Roy's spine and he was unable to break eye contact with the man.

"Sire, this is Bantu," Jagen started. "We found him in a village not far from here."

"Bantu?" Marth repeated before nodding. "I see. Is there business you had with us, Bantu?"

Bantu looked to Marth and hummed quietly, his voice gruff. "Yes… you are Prince Marth, the leader of the Akaneian League… you are trying to slay Medeus. I figured you would be a good person to ask—have you come across a young girl by the name of Tiki whilst on your travels?"

Marth shook his head. "I have not. Who is she?"

"Tiki is the last of the Naga, the divine-dragon clan. She is your only hope to actually make it through Doluna's manakete forces that serve under Medeus," Bantu explained. "She must be found, and soon."

Malledus motioned to Bantu. "He is the reason why I came to you with the talk of manaketes, my lord."

Marth nodded slightly in understanding. "I see… a divine dragon," he thought aloud before looking to Bantu again. "So does that make you…?"

"A dragon, yes. A fire dragon, to be exact—but it is in name alone," he said. "My firestone was lost somewhere in Pyrathi, and without that, I cannot fight," Bantu explained.

"A firestone?" Jagen questioned. "Yours was lost in Pyrathi?"

"Yes," he said. "Quite some time ago, I'm afraid."

Roy had a sudden realization. "Wait," he said, which drew Bantu's attention to him. Roy opened his pouch and dug through it for a moment before pulling out the bright red firestone Jagen had entrusted him with. "This… is this yours?"

Bantu was clearly taken by surprise. "Why… it is, yes," he spoke slowly and approached Roy.

Roy nodded and held it out to him as soon as he was close enough. "We were given this by a villager a while back. I had a feeling it was something different than just an ordinary stone… but I never realized it was a firestone."

Bantu glanced up from the firestone to Roy and stared at him for a moment, as if analyzing him. Roy stared back and could feel a small lump form in his throat—even though Bantu posed him no threat, there was something intimidating about his eyes.

". . . I see," was the old manakete's response. He carefully took the stone from Roy's hands. "And it seems I am not the only one that is accepted by this stone, here," he mumbled under his breath.

As soon as the stone was passed off to the elder dragon, Roy could feel the hum of energy that had been coursing through his body begin to ebb away. He believed it to be the fatigue from battle finally settling in as his adrenaline lessened, so he thought little of it.

Bantu turned from Roy and looked to Marth. "I would like to travel with you, in hopes of finding Tiki. Will you let this old manakete fight by your side?"

Though Marth was obviously surprised by the question, it didn't take him long to respond. "Absolutely. Manakete or no, I can tell you mean us no harm. And perhaps it will be easier to find Tiki if we search together."

Bantu nodded slowly. "Yes, here's hoping that is the case."