Green Paladin: Wheeeee! I've written more!
Green Blackguard: It looks as though you've spilled your inkpot on the entire page.
Green Paladin: Well, I only had one piece of paper, so I had to make do.
Green Blackguard: You have a Word Processor on your computer. You could've just used that.
Green Paladin: (slaps him) Quiet, you. On with the show!
Lyn was right. I couldn't let the boy be captured by these men. We had been moving through this area, wary of any more attacks. We were approached by a blue-haired boy asking for help, as his sister had been taken by some men and they were coming for him as well. Someone else had then appreared, one of the men the boy was so fearful of. The purple-draped figure chuckled to himself, and I felt compelled to stick my sword in his face.
"Found him! C'mon, it's back to Nergal with you. Quiet now," he sneered.
"No! Let Ninian go!" demanded Nils.
"We ain't supposed to kill you, but we sure can rough you up! Get 'em!" The man raised his blade, and swung it down at the defenceless child. Lyn rushed between them, and deflected the blow away with her sword. I ran to her side, and drew my weapon.
"Lyn!" cried a surprised Nils.
Lyn ordered the man, "Let the boy's sister go."
"Ah... So you want to help the kid, huh? What a shame. You're gonna die for something that don't concern you."
"You think so, do you? Do we look so meek to you? I think you're in for a terrible shock!
"Stupid girl... You'll regret those words. Take 'em down, boys!" That was the last order he ever gave, as after he finished speaking I stabbed him in the throat. Not the face, but close enough for me.
Withdrawing my blade, I said to the crumpled body, "She was right, you know."
Lucius deal a killing blow to the shadow mage, as they vanished in the divine light. I looked on, understandably impressed. "All right. Lyn, I've got an idea. Florina is good against magic users, right? She can fly round the fortress over there and attack the mages after we draw them away by attacking from the east."
Kent spoke up. "A fine plan. We'll need to get quite far before we prove enough of a distraction." His eyes seemed overly analytical as he looked upon me. I almost asked why, but I thought now was not the time.
"Very well, Kent. Florina," I called, "Wait until we've all got round to the east side of the building. Then fly round to the west, and strike."
"Umm... all right… I'll do it!"
"Kent, take point. Sain, take the rear. Matthew, if you see an opportunity to strike, take it. Lucius, stick with Matthew at all times. Nils, play for Lucius when he needs it. Erk, stay with Serra."
"Ughh… why me…?" he moaned.
"What's that mean, Erky?" the Sinister Extremely Rude Ruffling Archdevil asked in her singsong voice.
"Lyn, stay with me in the centre of the group. Rath, stay behind and guard Kent. We'll take the quickest route possible. Got it? Good." I felt great when doing this, as it basically inflated my ego tenfold. Seeing the troops listen to my every word, performing my strategies to the letter, and coming out victorious…
"Don't you think putting us two together has ever been a flaw in your plans?" Lyn said, interrupting my thoughts. Didn't mind, though.
"No. We're protected here. Anyway, if it came down to it, I'd protect you." She immediately burst out laughing, and I became a little irritated. "What's so funny?"
"Hahaha… well… it's just…"
"What? You think I can't protect you?" I said cheerfully, poking her in the ribs.
"Well, no offence, but I'm a much better swordfighter than you."
"Humph! Well I never! Granted, you're completely right, but I mean what I said." My voice turned resolute, "Really. I'd guard you with my life. I'm more expendable than you are."
"I… believe you. You would. I see it in your eyes." I had the feeling she thought she saw more than she was letting on, and more than even I knew. We rounded the bend, and met the first wave of attackers head on. Matthew snuck out the side of the group nimbly with Lucius trying desperately to keep up, as he was at unused to these kinds of movements. He fired a holy blast at the nearest shaman to the rogue, and the enemies melted away into a flesh coloured bubbling puddle with the odd piece of purple cloth peeking though. I left those two to start their work. I hoped they'd get on, despite being so vastly different. Kent was impaling men in his spear, and we drew closer to where I suspected Ninian was being kept.
Behind the unknowing dark mages, a white form descended from the clouds. It took the deathly screams of several of them for them to notice the Pegasus Knight who had outflanked them. She drove them back with her relentless assaults, and we pressed onward. Trapped between us, the cowled men didn't stand a chance. We rendezvoused with Florina, and then Lucius stepped up to the one remaining opponent in front of the fortress doors.
The man there growled, "Who are you supposed to be? Playing the heroes in some foolish knightly romance? You may think you're helping the children, but you're only rushing to your doom!" He thrust a dark disk at Lucius' feet, which he leapt to the side to avoid. He sent his own attack back, propelling the man through the doors. Lucius followed, but saw a streak of red fly past him, as Matthew got there first and stabbed with his knives. The knives penetrated through the man's ribs into his lungs, and his lifeblood began seeping out of him. "You were only... striking at air... You are... too late. The girl is already--" He stopped as Matthew threw down his knife into the man's skull.
"I see," acknowledged Lord Eliwood. "I'll be in the area for a few days longer. If you need anything, please let me know. Lyndis, I'm on your side."
Lyn looked almost too pleased for words. "Eliwood... Thank you."
The fact that Lord Eliwood of Pherae had done what we set out to do already made me a little annoyed. Well, at least Ninian was safe. But these Black Fang… they're something else. I can't quite put a finger down on them. But I managed to get a chat with Lord Eliwood before he left. "Greetings, Lord Eliwood."
"Are you another of Lyndis' companions?" he queried.
"The first, as a matter of fact," I answered quite proudly.
Eliwood looked me up and down, apparently sizing up my strength. "You appear to be no warrior. You have a weapon, but you do not have the stance of a fighter. What do you do?"
"I am the group's tactician, sir," I replied, just as proudly as before.
"Hmm. Well, to have defeated all those who were here you must have some knowledge of war."
"I have been in training for some time, Lord Eliwood."
"But you must have actually had prior battle experience."
"That… is true. I've been for hire for several years now. But I'm doing this one for free."
"Why?" he inquired.
"Because I owe Lyn." I thought back to several months ago on the plains, and then continued. "She saved my life once, and I in turn saved hers. At that point we decided to travel together. Anyway, I've grown quite fond of h-" I paused. "- this group. I think I might stay." Suddenly I thought, 'Why am I telling this to a man I've only just met?'
Lyn's voice echoed from far behind me, "Andur! We're leaving now! We've got to catch up to those who stole Nini's Grace!"
"Well, it seems I must depart. Farewell, Lord Eliwood." I walked round the corner, thinking, 'Well, now my decision's final. I'm staying. Can't think of what would make me leave anyway.'
The narrow corridors of the Black Fang Fortress unnerved me considerably. Black walls, black ceilings, black carpets, I almost could believe the torch fires were black if that weren't impossible. I continued my usual tactic, with the one of the two knights at either end, and the mages backed them up. Rath and Wil were guarding Serra and the twins. Florina was on lookout outside, and would warn us if any reinforcements were to arrive. 'I can't believe I'm doing this for a ring… risking everyone like this…' My thoughts were interrupted by the click of another lock opened by our intrepid explorer of dark places. He peered into the now open room, and his eyes fixed on a chest. He crept into the shadows of the room, and to the lock. Picking it carefully, I snuck in as well. Lyn followed, her steps as silent as the grave. A click sounded throughout the room. Matthew had succeeded, but at only triggering some sort of alarm. A whooping noise permeated every room, echoing down the hallways. "Everyone! They know we're here! Get to the command centre, immediately!"
Lyn spotted something behind me and screamed, "Look out!"
I turned to see a trapdoor behind me had opened, and I felt hands grabbing my legs. I tried to shake them off, but their owners were determined. They pulled, and I fell to the floor. I felt them drag me toward them, still obscured in the darkness. All I could see were golden eyes shining brightly. Grabbing my sword, I stabbed wildly into the shadows, and some of the hands let go. I gripped the stone floor with my fingers, and pulled against them. Moving forward, some arms came out of the shadows. Lyn took this opportunity to rush to them, and slash at the arms that had now become visible. Many were severed in her sweeping arcs, and I managed to pull myself away completely. Matthew appeared from behind the door, and closed it on the monsters below. He held the lock from earlier in his hands saying, "It would be a shame to waste a good lock!" He bolted the trapdoor, and used the padlock to seal it, for a while at least.
"Oh come on! Another locked door!" I shouted, getting more frustrated by the minute. "Arrghh!" I pounded on it, and surprisingly, the door fell off its hinges and collapsed. "Ermm… onward!" We entered a corridor, and I heard a commotion behind a door across form us. It seemed someone was in a fight. I was sensible, and didn't try my luck at hitting a door open again. I got Matthew to do it instead. Watching him work, I whispered to Lyn, "He seems to enjoy his work a little too much."
"Well," she whispered back, "what's the problem with that?"
"I don't know. He just… isn't very serious."
"Neither are you!"
"Maybe so, but hypocrisy is a tactician's prerogative."
"Really?" she responded, hitting me in the usual spot. 'I'll get a mark there one day, hehehe…'
"Don't you forget it."
"All done!" called Matthew. He pushed the stone door open, and I saw Sain in combat with another, more important-looking Black Fang member. I was in time to see him run a sword along the man's arm, slicing it open lengthways. He screamed in agony, and pain filled every word he spoke. "I mustn't fail... I cannot fail. The consequences are too-- Earghh… Aaah... No... I... I cannot..."
"Give us the ring!" demanded Lyn. "And swear us this oath... You must promise to leave these two alone. If I have your vow, I'll spare your life..."
Before he even did it, I saw what he was going to do. I rushed to stop him. He pulled a vial from his pocket. "Failure... means death..." He drank the poison.
That man… killed himself rather than accept defeat. This was really serious. Who were these people? What were they doing? And how did it involve Ninian and Nils? Too many unanswered questions. I have a feeling that this encounter will be important later. But for now, we've resumed our journey to Caelin. Our path led us to stop for the night by the roadside, as all around us was flat grassland. But in that night I was disturbed from my cooking by a rather odd situation.
"Oh radiant desire of my lonely heart!" shouted Sain in his romance voice.
"Who?" I asked.
"The delicate lily here, of course!" he said, pointing to… Lucius!
"W-w-what?" Lucius stammered.
"Please let your divine aura flow over my burdened soul!" Sain continued, with everyone watching in stunned silence.
"Sain," Lucius said uncomfortably, "I think there's something you should know."
Sain drifted down to meet Lucius face to face, barely an inch between them. "What do you wish to tell me, oh unearthly beauty?" Lucius moved to his ear, and whispered something to him. Suddenly Sain shot up, eyes wide open with terror screaming, "WHAT!"
"The opposite of a woman," serenely elucidated Lucius. Everyone stared suggestively at Sain, even Rath.
I managed to smirk and shout jokingly, "See, Wil? We were right all along. Sain does swing that way."
"GAAAHHHHH!" screamed an enormously embarrassed Sain, running into his tent to hide. Kent and Rath just smiled, while the rest of us burst into riotous laughter.
Green Paladin: GB! Get over here!
Green Blackguard: What? If it's about drowning those small children-
Green Paladin: No, I have a task for you.
Green Blackguard: Ohhh! What is it?
Green Paladin: (whispers)
Green Blackguard: What? Really?
Green Paladin: Yes. Now go do it. If you do well, a year's supply of Jaffa Cakes for you!
Green Blackguard: Yay! (bounces to his secret volcano base)
Green Paladin: That's got rid of him for now. Don't miss the next chapter! Seriously!