Chris: Here's the next one. Yep, yep. Eliwood finally lands on Dread Isle.

Min the Noodle: Thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you liked the fight scene. Tried my best with that. First try at writing hand-to-hand combat. And I won't forget about my other stuff. There's a huge paper on my keyboard that says, "UPDATE YOUR STORIES!"

Lao Who Mai: Glad you like it! And yeah, Lowen's chain sword acts nothing like Ivy's. Also, Lowen has barely any experience with the thing.

Northernsword (x2): Yep, I have SSBM. Roy is awesome. Marth…isn't. Too bad Roy sucks in FE. He's worse than his father, which says a lot. And in this fic, mounted units will not fight on their mounts. It gives them sort of a disadvantage, unless they fight with swords.

Spingleburt: Thanks. And how dare you say they're short! Well, maybe they're kind of short….But they're freaking taller than me! I'm only 5' 7" myself. Bah! One day the short people will get tired of short jokes and rebel against the world! Or something. I say bah again! Just kidding. We aren't planning to take over the world. Yet, at least. But I'll adjust the heights, okay?

Disclaimer: Don't own Fire Emblem.

Eliwood's Tale: Part 3, Friendship

Name: Dart Tilian
Age: 19
Height: 6' 0"
Blood Type: B
Threat Rating: C

Background:

A pirate from the ranks of Fargus' crew, his name is known far and wide in port towns. A ferocious brawler, he often picks fights in seedy bars and is always the victor. He idolizes Fargus and often tries to act like him. He's even growing his own beard and mustache that he hopes will rival his captain's. Strong in soul, body, and willpower, Dart is a tower of strength for those in Fargus' crew. Unfortunately, he's really fond of strong drink and will go out of his way just to get a pint. This has led to a couple of bounties on his head, but that's insignificant compared to the entire bounty placed on Fargus' pirate crew for raids on Bern shipping.

Ultimate Techniques: Sea God, Loot and Haul

---

"So this is Dread Isle…" Dart hooked his fingers into the sides of his pants and looked around. "Not much of an exciting place, huh?" The pirate adjusted his bandanna and felt for the twin axes that were strapped to his back.

"Be wary. I'm certain Nergal is watching us right now." Eliwood kept his hand on his sword, looking around warily.

---

And in fact, Nergal is indeed watching the young lord. As well as a couple of other… 'unwelcome' visitors to his island. He contemplated erasing them from the face of the island with a single blast but he decided to not reveal himself just yet. Besides, he needed them to come. Eliwood for his fury, Dart for his strength, Lowen for his resolve, and Marcus for his experience. All would be good offerings for the being he planned to summon. But what he needed most resided with the other group. A young dragon of extraordinary power.

"Ephidel! Limstella! Sonia!" Nergal yelled and three beings warped to locations behind him. All had long, black hair and piercing golden eyes.

"At your service, master." The only male out of the three, Ephidel was wrapped in robes of black, his hood partially covering his face. Tall and foreboding, Ephidel was the one out of the three that focus with trickery and sneak attacks. He wore a small smirk on his face as he toyed with a small tome that was in his hands.

"What is your desire?" Limstella, the one with the expressionless face, stood to the side, wearing magic robes as well. However, hers were not all cast in black. The sleeves were white and when you looked at her from a distance, she looked like a doll. Limstella was the strongest out of the three, which earned her the position of being in charge of defense and magical barriers.

"Make it quick!" Sonia, the last of the three, tossed back her curly black hair. Aggressive and seductive, she was the one Nergal turned to for those that needed to be convinced…in a special type of way. The woman wore a very revealing dress, used only for the purpose of alluring others. She was a magic user as well and often used her talents in conjunction with her beauty to accomplish her deeds.

"Looks like they're coming. And they've brought the prize. Limstella, go and retrieve Ninian from Hector's group. It should be no problem for you." Nergal pointed to her and Limstella nodded, disappearing. "Ephidel! Your assignment should be to your liking. You see, I'd like it if Hector and Eliwood were to…encounter each other. After Limstella gets Ninian, I'd like you to spin a little deceiving magic and have Hector and Eliwood fight. I don't hold any illusions that your spell will last, but I have faith that you'll be able to succeed."

Ephidel smirked. "No problem, milord." He bowed before disappearing.

"And Sonia? Stick with Limstella and help her out. Make sure that they don't stop Limstella from coming here." Nergal smirked. "I'm certain you can succeed. If you want to play around with them, go right ahead."

"Right away." Sonia smiled and warped away. Nergal turned and walked towards an open window. He folded his hands and looked outside, smiling.

---

"Sir! I hear something approaching!" Lowen said.

"What? Where?" Eliwood drew his sword and looked around. Marcus and Lowen both jumped off of their horses since it would be stupid to fight in a jungle on top of a horse. Dart flipped his axes from their places on his belt and roared a battle cry. Eliwood turned and glared at the pirate.

"That's a great way for people to tell where we are." Eliwood muttered.

"Hmph." Dart shrugged and focused his senses. He trained his hearing to all around him and pinpointed the location of the noise. "From the north! Eliwood, watch out!"

"Huh?" Eliwood spun around, only to see a black-haired woman leap from the trees. His eyes widened as he saw that the woman was carrying a smaller figure with her, a girl with sky-blue hair. "Ninian!"

"Mmph!" Ninian struggled to speak, but the black-haired woman clamped her hand over Ninian's mouth.

"Get her!" Eliwood pointed his sword at the woman and charged at her. The woman stared at the lord.

"I am Limstella. And I am tired of hearing a puppy barking like it was a dog." She unleashed a blast from magic from her fingers and launched Eliwood across the small field, causing the lord to crash into a tree. "Farewell." Limstella went back to running, Ninian still struggling in her grip.

"Urgh…" Eliwood struggled upwards, helped by Marcus and Lowen. "Dammit! That was Ninian! We need to go after Limstella! Now!" Eliwood shook his head angrily. "I remember that name! She was one of the people who…who helped kill my father! I want her head!" Eliwood and his party were about to chase after the woman when two other figures burst out of the trees.

"I finally found you, bastards!" A tall, blue-haired man stopped in front of Eliwood, his armor clanking around him as he panted. "I'm going you kill you all!"

"Not without me, you aren't!" The second person, a young girl, pointed her sword at Eliwood's throat. "You'll pay for slaughtering my family!" The girl had long, green hair that was tied in a ponytail and she wore a dress that was commonly worn by people who lived on the plains.

"Hector? Lyn?" Eliwood stared at them, astonished. He shook his head rapidly, trying to shake himself out of the daze he was in. "What are you guys doing here?"

"You know why we're here!" Hector stood up and drew his axe. "You poisoned my brother and father! And then you tricked my populace into believing that I had done it!"

"And you ordered the assault on my village by the Taliver bandits! I won't ever forgive you for that!" Lyn shuddered angrily, tears falling out of her eyes. She swung her sword in the air once. "I will stake my life on this sword so I may strike you down!"

"What the hell are you talking about? It's me! Eliwood!" Eliwood backed away, confused.

"What kind of trickery are you playing now? I can see your true form, you bastard!" Hector swung a warhammer over his head and slammed it on the ground.

"Eliwood. Look at their eyes. I don't think they know what they're saying." Dart pointed at the two. Eliwood leaned in and got a closer look.

"Yeah, you're right. Good eyes, Dart." Eliwood backed away and drew his sword. Both Hector and Lyn seemed to be under some sort of spell that warped their visions to make them believe they were fighting their hated enemy. It didn't take much brain power to figure out who they believed they were attacking.

"Come on, Nergal, you bastard! Let's fight!" Hector slammed his warhammer onto the ground again.

"Uh…" Eliwood thought frantically. He didn't want to harm his friends at all, but it seemed that they wanted to hurt him. He had to find some way to even the odds somehow. "Two against one isn't really honorable! Let me bring in a friend of mine!"

Hector spat on the ground. "Hell! Looks like the bastard is afraid to die!"

Lyn grimaced and rapidly swung her sword, carving a symbol into the bark of a nearby tree. "Just like the coward he truly is! Fine! Bring in one of your lackeys! We'll kill you no matter how many people you bring against us!"

Eliwood groaned. The spell must have been strong to delude his strong-willed friends this much. He looked behind him. Marcus was standing at the ready with a spear at his side. Dart was flipped his two axes in the air, whistling jauntily. And Lowen was scuffing the ground with his boots, patting his sword.

"Lowen! Let's go!" He motioned to the green-haired boy and Lowen ran up, his face flushed with excitement. "Now remember, they're under a spell. Don't kill them! Small wounds are okay. But most importantly, try to knock them out!"

"Got it, sir!" Lowen nodded once and unsheathed his chain sword, Soaring Heaven.

Lyn and Hector looked at each other once before racing at Eliwood and Lowen, roaring battle cries.

---

Eliwood took out Durandal, not bothering to change the shape of his weapon. He needed it normal sized since it would be speed that would win this battle. Hector was a renowned fight known for his strength and his resilience. However, Eliwood knew he could dance circles around him.

"Just like when we used to spar!" Eliwood brought his sword up to counter the first strike of Hector's warhammer. He quickly used his momentum to push Hector backwards slightly and then he went on the offensive. He swung his sword at Hector's side and heard it cut against Hector's side. Eliwood hissed and willed the edges of the sword to be dull. He had forgotten about his rule to not hurt his friends.

"Bastard!" Hector yelled in rage and spun his warhammer in the air before slamming it hard on the ground, causing a large shockwave. Eliwood jumped over the shockwave, where he met Hector's gauntleted fist as it crashed into his face. The red-haired lord slammed into the ground, coughing up blood.

'Ass…I didn't realize he would do that.' Eliwood wiped his bloody lips with his free hand and watched Hector closely. In his friend's slightly berserk state, he doubted if words would affect him. So, Eliwood just decided to do what he planned to do from the beginning. Give Hector a nice, big can of whoop ass and knock him out cold.

"I haven't finished with you!" Hector charged again, swinging his hammer in a wide arc around him. Eliwood judged the timing and ducked within the swing, appearing right in front of the lord. Then he decided to do something weird on the spur of the moment. Quickly dropping his sword, he ducked under Hector's swing again and quickly stuck a finger from each hand into his mouth. (A/N: Note that Eliwood is not wearing gauntlets. He's bare-handed.)

As Hector recovered from the momentum of his swing, Eliwood sprang up.

"Hey Hector!" Eliwood smiled. Hector would hate him forever if he remembered that Eliwood had done this.

"What is it, bastard?" Hector brought his hammer of his head, ready to send it crashing on top of Eliwood's head.

"Wet Willy!" Eliwood stuck his spit-encrusted fingers into Hector's ears and wiggled them.

"ARGH!" Hector stumbled backwards, releasing his hammer and trying to wipe spit out of his ears. "You filthy bitch! I can't believe you did that!"

Eliwood chuckled to himself. "Sorry, Hector!" He swung his fist directly at Hector's face, sending the lord backwards and making him hit a tree. Eliwood walked over to Hector's unmoving body and nudged him with his foot. Hector gave a slight groan before falling into unconsciousness.

Eliwood smiled. "I always knew Hector could never stand a Wet Willy. I just can't believe he fell unconscious that quickly." He went back to his sword and picked it up. "I better go help Lowen."

---

"Urgh!" Lowen's sword clashed against Lyn's and the cavalier was pushed backwards. Moving quickly, he managed to deflect most of the blows directed against him, but one hit across his cheek and another slid through his armor and hit him on the arm.

Lowen was at an extreme disadvantage. He was slower that his foe and the only reason why he wasn't dead right now was because of the armor he was wearing. Add to the fact that his sword wasn't the strongest weapon in the world and you get the fact that he hadn't been able to hit Lyn once.

"You're such a weakling!" Lyn laughed before attacking again, striking with a quick uppercut slash that Lowen barely managed to block. Lowen grimaced as he was forced to block another attack of Lyn's. He hadn't been able to go on the offensive even once in the whole battle. Granted, it had gone on for only a couple of minutes so far, but still! It was kind of embarrassing.

Lyn let out another laugh before appearing behind Lowen and striking him on the back. It did no damage, thanks to the durability of his armor, but it only showed Lowen that he was no match for Lyn's speed. Lyn jumped backwards, preparing herself for another attack on Lowen when the cavalier finally found his chance. She probably didn't realize what kind of sword he was holding.

Lowen quickly felt for the button on the bottom of his hilt and when he found it, he faced Lyn and pressed it. There was a small click and suddenly the blade split into five pieces, all of which were launched at Lyn in a straight line. Lyn's eyes widened and she jumped to the side, avoiding most of the blades, but the first one caught her across the arm, shredding the fabric of her dress.

"Not bad." Lyn said. "Not good, though." She ran towards Lowen, swinging her sword. Lowen brought the hilt up frantically, calling back the individual blades but he quickly saw that his sword wasn't going to reform itself in time to block Lyn's assault. He pointed the bottom of the sword hilt to the ground and pressed the two buttons on top of the hilt. The bottom of the hilt sprang open and a small, collapsible sword sprang out, which Lowen used to counter Lyn's sword strike.

"Another surprise!" Lyn smiled and backed up, analyzing this new threat. Lowen now carried a double-sided sword, something that was hard to control since it could not be counted on for slashes due to its nature. Lowen panted heavily. It was pure luck that he was able to bring out his secondary sword in time. He hated doing so, since it completely neutralized the point of having the chain part since the springs were not accessible.

"I'll take it from here." Eliwood smiled at Lowen before turning to Lyn. Lowen nodded gratefully and backed away, sweat falling from his head. Eliwood pointed his sword at Lyn and smirked.

"Nergal! You bastard! You finally come to fight, huh?" Lyn yelled angrily.

Eliwood just nodded while thinking about what Lyn hated most. Ah…He quickly remembered. She hated people hitting on her and pawing her flesh. Eliwood grimaced to himself. Both of them were going to hate him after this. But it's for a good cause, so he had to do this. Making her unfocused would be the best way to take her out of the battle. He looked up at her and smiled his best smile, one that had earned him the affection of Ninian. "You know, Lyn, it's a shame that you are fighting me."

Lyn blinked, confused. "What?"

"You're such a beautiful creature…" Eliwood winced mentally. He really didn't want to say what was coming up next. "Perhaps…You'd like to be part of my little harem? I've got a lovely, revealing outfit that I set aside just for you."

Lyn blinked, standing extremely still. Her fingers started to twitch and there seemed to be a vein throbbing in her forehead. She let out a fierce yell and slammed her sword on the ground to vent some of her anger. "You. YOU. YOU! YOU BASTARD! HOW…HOW DARE YOU!"

Eliwood gulped. He had never seen Lyn this angry, and frankly, he never wanted to see her this angry ever again. Dart scratched his forehead and backed away slowly, looking uneasy.

"Um…Perhaps you shouldn't do that anymore, mate…"

"I know…" Eliwood backed away, also looking uneasy. Lyn was stomping towards him, completely forgetting about her sword, and by the look on her face, she didn't seem like she really needed it. He quickly motioned to Lowen, who slowly walked up behind her, careful not to alert her to his presence.

"NOBODY SAYS THAT TO ME! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS!" Lyn roared and jumped at Eliwood, wrapping her fingers around Eliwood's throat. Eliwood struggled against her, trying to pry her hands off.

Lowen, seeing the danger his lord of was in, quickly ran and smacked Lyn on the head with a tree branch, rendering her unconscious. Eliwood pushed her limp body off and weakly stood up.

"Wow…Ow…" Eliwood fell to the floor, breathing slowly. "I'm so tired…"

"She's a mighty fine lass, if I do say so myself, but boy, she's got quite the fiery temper!" Dart said, amazed.

"Yes…Yes she does…Whew…" Eliwood closed his eyes and let his mind wander. He was certain they would wake up soon and if he was lucky, they wouldn't remember anything of what had happened. Actually, he also hoped that they wouldn't ask him how he got them out of their trances in the first place. Eliwood thought quickly. He would have to lie about that.

---

Dart's Twin Axes - Ocean and Sea

Unlike most pirates, who use only one axe because they are not ambidextrous, Dart uses two of them. Dart has trained night and day with both arms, making them as strong as possible and learning to use them both well. However, he still doesn't have full control of both arms, so he doesn't use heavy weapons yet. However, his axes, Ocean and Sea, are lightweight, allowing him to use them both with ease.

One thing that differentiates the two weapons from normal axes are the patterns on the blade. Neither axe edge is a perfect curve. The edge of the axe Sea is shaped like its namesake, the sea. Slightly curving, it bobs up and down the length of the blade. As like Sea, Ocean's edge is designed after its name. Curved and pointed at many areas, it shows no mercy and is often a hazard to Dart as it is to his foes. Dart wields both of these axes with skill and he is often seen using these when on the high seas, beating back boarding parties or merchant guards.

Chris: Ahem, yeah. This is like the humor chapter of it all. Cause I needed to find a way for Eliwood to defeat Hector and Lyn without seriously hurting them. So he comes up with ingenious and slightly stupid ways of catching them off guard.

And you see Lowen's chain sword in action! He knows more tricks with it than just shooting out the blades, but that's all you'll see in this chapter. When I write his tale, then you'll see all of his tricks.

Review please!