Chris: Here's the next chapter. I have the next couple chapters planned in my head, so yeah. This'll probably be my fastest updater here. For a while, at least.

Farina: If you don't work on Fire Emblem Halloween, I'm gonna gut you.

Chris: Bah. Don't make me write a story where you get hooked up with Wallace, okay? To make it worse, I could do a weird crossover and get you stuck with Valter.

Farina: Hmph.

SpeedDemon315: Thanks for the compliments, and yes, Nergal did go too far. Of course, he didn't just kill Lady Eleanora. He killed other people as well. You'll find out as the other character's tales go on. And if you mean Hector and Lyn, they have different agendas, so they're split up for the moment.

Lao Who Mai: Yes, yes they should. An FE fighting game would totally be awesome. Eliwood might actually be a respected character, coughNotcough. And yeah, it's kinda AU.

Note: Some bad language (like the F-word) and maybe explicit scenery. I dunno. You've been warned.

Eliwood's Tale: Part 2, Collateral

Name: Lowen Teritsu
Age: 17
Height: 5' 10"
Blood Type: 0
Threat Rating: C

Background:

A loyal cavalier under Marcus' tutelage, Lowen is a zealous, overeager teenager who specializes in strong and quick attacks. He was born in Pherae, where he immediately enrolled himself in the military academy when he was old enough. Since he still is a novice in battle at best, he is not considered much of a threat, but with training, Lowen might become a major asset of Eliwood's. One thing that is unknown about Lowen is the reason as to why he keeps his hair over his eyes. Some say it is so people cannot look into his eyes, for they are the windows to the soul. And others just say it's because he's lazy.

Ultimate Techniques: Flying Dragon, Best Effort

Name: Marcus Sandlin
Age: 29
Height: 6' 1"
Blood Type: A
Threat Rating: B

Background:

A veteran in the art of war, Marcus is deadly and well-versed in tactics. A renowned warrior in the ranks of Pheraen soldiers, Marcus has his own task force that is devoted to rooting out local bandit gangs. The paladin is skilled with various types of weapons, lances being his favorites. However, Marcus is more concerned with training Lowen to be his successor than actual fighting. He follows his lord, Eliwood, faithfully and would go with him to the end of the world if it meant Eliwood's safety.

---

­"So, Lowen, where did you say the pirates were?" Eliwood walked along with his retainers as they continued on the cobblestone path. Blood still stained his clothes and armor since he was in too much of a rush to worry about hygiene.

"They should be right in front of us…" Lowen looked up and stopped. "Yep. There they are." The cavalier looked at the leader, a tall, muscled man with a bandanna around his head. "Are you the leader, Fargus?"

"No!" The man with the bandanna laughed. "My name's Dart! I'm his right-hand man! I assume you're the man who's looking for passage?"

Lowen cracked a smile. "Nope. I'm just the guy's right-hand man. The person who's looking for passage is him." He cocked a thumb back at Eliwood. "The prince of Pherae, Lord Eliwood."

Dart let out a booming laugh, his hands on his hips. "Hahahaha! That little shrimp? Look, boy, titles don't mean nothing to pirates!"

Eliwood stepped up. "And braggarts who only boast without proof don't mean anything to me."

"Why you-!" Dart reached for a small hand axe that was tied to his waist, but someone stopped him. Dart turned around. "Fargus!"

Eliwood looked at the new man. He was tall, even taller than Dart. The head pirate had a beard of white stubble around his mouth and wore an off-white bandanna. Fargus stretched and cracked a couple of his knuckles.

"Hahaha! I like a man who can stand up for himself!" Fargus guffawed and held out his hand to Eliwood. The lord cautiously took it. "The prince of Pherae, huh? Can't say I've ever had the honor of transporting someone of your rank on my ship!" Fargus' eyes glinted. "Granted, the people who wanted passage were weaklings who had no business being on the throne anyway."

Eliwood smiled grimly. "I see…Perhaps you'll find me a little…tougher than those you've faced earlier." Eliwood removed his hand from Fargus' grip.

"Perhaps…But let's talk business first. You want passage to Valor Isle, right?"

"Yes." Eliwood nodded.

Fargus scratched his beard. "Here are the terms. You can pay me twenty-thousand gold…Each-!"

"WHAT?" Marcus gripped his sword. "Milord! Let's just run these cretins through and take the ship for ourselves!"

"Oh? And who's going to steer it, old-timer? You? Don't make me laugh!" Fargus scoffed. "You didn't let me finish. OR, you beat me in hand-to-hand combat. First one knocked to the ground wins." Fargus patted his muscles. "Think you have a chance, small fry?"

Eliwood unhooked his sword sheath and tossed it to Marcus, going into a fighting stance. "I'm ready when you are."

"Okay then! Dart! Do what you do best!" Fargus yelled at Dart, who signaled to the rest of the pirates, which formed a ring around Eliwood and his opponent. "I would trust that you'll keep this a fair match…But pirates don't trust anyone. Boys? Disarm his friends."

"Get offa me!" Lowen threw his sheathed weapons at the pirates and jumped off of his horse, grumbling angrily. Marcus did the same.

"Good! Ready, Eliwood? I believe it's time to dance!" Fargus made the first move, a quick jab with his left that was aimed for the lord's stomach. Eliwood just stood there and let the blow hit. Fargus's fist crashed against Eliwood's armor and the pirate leaped back with a curse.

"I don't think you never said that armor was prohibited." Eliwood smiled. "Let's go!" The prince rushed the pirate, faking with his left. Fargus fell for the trick and Eliwood swept his left foot against the pirate's legs, hoping to knock the big man down. However, while he did cause the pirate to stumble, Eliwood didn't succeed in his plan and soon they were both steady on their feet, watching each other warily.

"Nice trick, boy. But can you compete with pure muscle?" Fargus attacked again, channeling all of his might into his left fist, which crashed into the armor again. However, this time, the strike was powerful enough to knock Eliwood backwards. "Armor isn't all that it's cracked up to be!" Fargus rubbed his sore fist.

'Shit!' Eliwood stumbled backwards from the blow, feeling himself start to fall. Acting quickly, he stopped his fall with his hand and slowly pushed himself up. Eliwood winced at the close call and looked up. "Nice…You truly are strong…"

"I'm one of the strongest pirates in all of the land! Give up, sissy boy?"

The pirates around them laughed, cheering on their leader. Eliwood heard a couple of men moan. Apparently, some of the pirates had bet that he would win. Eliwood shook his head. Well, they were going to be very rich people after this.

"I never give up!" Eliwood charged again, swinging his first at Fargus' head. Fargus brought up his arm and deflected the blow. The prince lashed out with his other fist, only to have his arm blocked again. Eliwood jumped backwards to compose himself before going on the offensive again. He struck swiftly and powerfully, but he couldn't seem to find a way past Fargus' guard. That is, until he thought of something.

Eliwood looked up from the fight and located where Marcus and Lowen were located. Luckily for him, they were in the front ring, a little bit in front of him. Eliwood smirked and continued his barrage, even though his arms and legs were aching like crazy. Slowly, he pushed Fargus backwards with his furious assault, towards Lowen and Marcus. The purple-haired paladin realized what his lord was doing and nudged his pupil. Lowen nodded in understanding.

Slowly, as Fargus was being pushed towards them, Marcus slowly stuck out his foot. Eliwood smiled and lashed out at Fargus one last time. The pirate stepped backwards, hitting Marcus' foot. The pirate tripped, stumbled…And righted himself. Eliwood's heart sank. That was the main plan and it had failed.

"Gwahahaha! Didn't think I wouldn't see that coming, did you?" Fargus laughed.

"I bet." Eliwood saw another chance and threw out his left fist at Fargus' face. The elder pirate quickly moved to block it, except he was at the wrong spot. Eliwood quickly changed the direction of his blow and hit the pirate straight in the stomach, pushing the pirate back and right over Eliwood's foot as he hooked it behind one of Fargus' legs.

With his hands in that awkward position, the pirate couldn't stop himself from crashing on the ground. Fargus crashed on the ground, wearing a surprised look on his face. Eliwood breathed a sigh of relief and sat on the ground, resting his feet and hands. Fargus slowly pushed himself up, laughing.

"I never knew you had it in you! Congrats, Eliwood! You've won passage on my ship!" Fargus stretched, groaning. "I haven't had a workout like that since…forever, really!" He held out a hand for Eliwood, smiling broadly. Eliwood grinned and took it.

---

"So, what's so important on this Valor Isle anyway?" Fargus looked at Eliwood as they leaned over the wooden rails of the ship. Eliwood blinked and turned to Fargus.

"I never thought a pirate would be interested in my life story."

Fargus let out a chuckle. "It gets boring once we set sail and another story to share among the crew is like gold. Sometimes nothing beats a good tale to listen to under the wide, blue sky."

"I see…" Eliwood nodded. "Very well. I'll tell you the reason I'm going to Valor Isle." Eliwood gave a sigh.

"You're not going to go at this like an old geezer who went through a lot of pain, are you?" Fargus cocked an eye at the young lord, who laughed derisively.

"No! No! However, I did go through a lot of pain. Emotional pain, but pain nonetheless."

"I understand." Fargus nodded. "Well, let me hear your story."

"You've heard about the death of my father, I assume? Lord Elbert?"

"Well, yeah. Who hasn't?"

"The reports say that my father died of a heart attack. That isn't true…I can say that with absolute certainty." Eliwood folded his hands on the railing.

"Really? What makes you so sure?"

"I was there when he died. It was no heart attack. It was actually during an expedition to Valor Isle where he died. He, I, my friends, as well as his knights, the Knights of Pherae, were exploring the island to see if it would be useful to annex and settle. And it was. Rich mineral deposits, nice and slightly tropical, lots of fruit and good farmland…Valor Isle was like paradise." Eliwood gave a sigh. "As we continued in our search, we uncovered vast ruins in the middle of the island, near a dormant volcano."

"What was in the ruins?"

"It was like an entire castle was there, with room to spare! The ruins were gigantic! They were old, too. Ivy crept along the walls and moss covered the steps. There were cracks in the stones and in some parts, the ceiling had completely collapsed. Of course, it wasn't all just stone and weeds. In many rooms, there were tons of old, moldy tomes of magic and history. Some of them turned to ash the moment we touched them. Others shot blasts of magical fire at us. And then, we came to the final chamber. Inside, there was a huge portal that towered around…at least…fifty meters!"

Fargus' eyes widened. "What happened next?"

"Suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge blast of dark magic appeared and slaughtered half of the knights! Nothing remained of them. Their armor, their horses, their weapons, their blood….All gone. Nothing left. And then three…Or four people appeared. They called themselves the 'Maker of the Infinite'. Hmph. Just like power-hungry people to come up with a lofty handle for themselves. Their names were Nergal, Sonia, Ephidel, and Limstella." Eliwood shook with restrained anger. "And then they blasted the rest of the knights away! With just a single spell! It was terrifying! To see people that you've worked with, that you've become friends with, killed in less than a minute!"

"I know…"

"My father rushed them, swearing vengeance on behalf of their souls. I and my friends attacked as well. Between me and my friends, Hector and Lyn, we managed to hold off all of them. Except for Nergal. My father attacked ferociously! Using his chain-sword, he almost had defeated that bastard! Then Nergal started laughing! Laughing of all things! While he was still constrained by the sword, he drew a dagger and stabbed my father straight in the chest! While that may not have killed him, Nergal said a couple of words and suddenly the dagger pulsed with unholy light. And a couple of seconds later…My father…" Eliwood let out a sob. "He…He exploded! I know it sounds hard to believe! But…right in front of my eyes, his body exploded and disappeared! I…I couldn't believe it! I was all set, right then and there, to send my sword straight through Nergal's neck! But that fucking coward disappeared!"

"…"

"I…I couldn't save my father! He was right in front of me! Dammit! Damn it all!" Eliwood slammed his fist onto the railing angrily.

"And that's why you want to go back?"

"No…Well, that's part of it. Afterwards, Hector, Lyn, and I returned back home. I…well…They say I was pretty messed up afterwards. And frankly, I was. I would beat myself up for my failure. Blaming myself. Committing suicide seemed like a shining light in this stupid, dark world. But…My friends pulled me out of it. Mostly it was Ninian…My girlfriend. We planned to get married someday and she said she wouldn't marry a depressing, angst-filled person like me." Eliwood let out a slight chuckle. "That set me straight. And just when I thought life could continue…I heard word that Pherae had been attack. I was staying in Ostia, you see."

"What happened?"

"That bastard Nergal killed my mother too! I…I wouldn't believe it at first! I traveled to Pherae as quickly as I could. And, when I got there…The main city was mostly unharmed…But the castle, my family castle…It was destroyed. Shattered. You wouldn't be able to tell it was a castle. The stones were melted and the walls destroyed. The people said there were no survivors." Eliwood gave a sigh. "That pushed me over the edge again. But I recovered and here I am today, heading for Valor Isle to find that little bitch and kill him."

Fargus shook his head sadly. "That's quite a tale you have there." He looked into the horizon. "It looks like we're going to be reaching the island soon. I'd hate to have you go there with only you and your two vassals, so I'm going to lend you a little help. Mind you, I want him back." He turned. "Oy! Dart! Get yer ass over here!"

"Yes, captain!" Dart rushed to the captain's side as fast as possible.

"I want you to accompany Eliwood on his little quest. He might need your help and you're one of the best pirates on this ship." Fargus patted Dart on the back. "Get your stuff packed. We'll be waiting for you when you get back."

"Aye, aye, sir!" Dart dashed to his cabin, thinking of what stuff he should bring.

"Thank you for your trouble, Fargus."

"No trouble at all. Dart's been getting kind of restless. Something like this should be a boon to him." Fargus smiled. "Besides, I want you coming back whole. I still owe you a rematch."

Eliwood smiled as well. "Thank you! And when I come back, you'll be getting that rematch! Although you won't win!"

---

Elbert's Chain Sword - Splitting Dragon

Elbert's weapon, the chain sword was destroyed along with Elbert. The weapon is mainly mechanical and it has to be, due to the fact that it would be remarkably easy for a part of the sword to fall off. The chain sword is an extremely versatile weapon, allowing for long ranged attacks as well as ones up close. A chain sword looks like a real sword at first, but with the press of a small button on the bottom of the hilt, a latch is released and the sword turns into a whip-like weapon.

Each link in the sword is capable of dealing horrendous looking wounds and the torturing qualities of this weapon are renowned. However, while this weapon is adept with trick attacks and pure power, it suffers extreme deficiencies in terms of durability and maintenance. A weapon such as this must be cared for almost daily due to its fragile nature.

Lowen's Chain Sword - Soaring Heaven

Lowen carries a chain sword as well. It is more like a memorial to Lord Elbert rather than a true weapon because Lowen rarely ever uses it in combat. Its design and function are almost exact to Lord Elbert's. Lowen is still unskilled with this type of weapon, which may explain why it is never seen in battle.

Lowen's chain sword differs from Elbert's in the fact that there's two extra buttons on the weapon, both of top of the cross guard. Why they are there and what purpose they serve, no one knows, but they are there for a reason. Lowen's sword is sturdier and more durable than the traditional chain sword, but it is also weaker and slightly shorter than the traditional chain sword as well.

Chris: Foom. The chain sword. A new weapon for Fire Emblem. And yes, you'll see it in action. Review please and tell me whatcha think.

Oh, and if you've played Soul Caliber II, Lowen's chain sword is nothing like it.