Author's Note: Yeah, yeah. I know it's been forever since I updated this thing. Well, this chapter proved to be very difficult to write, and it still hasn't come out quite the way I wanted it to. Regardless, it works well enough, and I think it's about time I gave you guys an update to this thing.

It may have taken a year to write, but at least this damn chapter is long. Fair warning, this chapter is almost 27 pages in length. This is more than triple my average update length. Hopefully the wait was worth it to you all. Leave a review on your way out. It'd be nice to get some feedback on this thing after beating my brains out for so long trying to get it done.

Anyway, here we go:

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"If I win this fight, I want you and your forces to withdraw!" Picard shouted, swinging his sword high at Agatio's chest.

"That is not my call to make!" The Mars Adept grunted, parrying the strike with relative ease. Agatio quickly countered by swinging low at his foe's legs. The King quickly danced aside, then tried to swipe at the massive fighter's side. Agatio quickly blocked and swung Picard's sword about in a circle. The disarm failed to work however, and the King quickly readied his weapon once more. Both foes took a step back and sized each other up after their scuffle.

Agatio was obviously a seasoned fighter; his technique was superior and well practiced, and his manner was surprisingly calm. Not only that, this man was very strong and obviously powerful with Psynergy. Judging from his demeanor, Picard ventured the guess that his foe was a Mars Adept. Fortunately for the King, that was advantageous; unfortunately, that looked like the only advantage he had! Close to twice his size, the enemy was much stronger and was just as skilled. To make matters worse, Agatio was wielding a two handed sword, the blade itself being just over four feet in length. His own blade was almost a foot shorter. Though it would be easier and quicker to swing, Agatio's girth made up for the weight difference.

Picard was not quite what the Mars Adept had expected. Having heard that the King was a warrior beyond compare, he assumed the man would've been about his size. Picard, though very strong, was still obviously much weaker. It was a given that in a straight test of strength the Mercury Adept before him would crumble. However, there was one thing that Agatio could tell was special about his opponent. Though he was no more skilled, he possessed a degree of guile not commonly seen in skilled swordfighters. This fight would be interesting indeed.

After the brief pause, Picard lunged for Agatio with his sword point. With a quick sidestep, he let the king brush past. With his foe now at a disadvantage, the Mars Adept swung at him from behind. However, his blow failed to land home thanks to the Mercury Adept's agility. He quickly noticed that his foe tried to flank around him and strike similarly. Agatio wheeled around and kept the enemy in his line of sight. However, as soon as he focused on his opponent, he was taken aback.

Picard now was awash in a water-like aura, waves of energy rippling about him like a stormy sea. The flows of azure power seemed to drift from every pore; it lit both his figure and a good deal of the room at once. Then, the waves of energy all focused upon his sword. As the King concentrated, the more intense the glow on his weapon became. When he finished, he suddenly lashed forward at Agatio.

Agatio brought his weapon forward and held the strike back, but he strained to hold the force of the blade. As he struggled to parry the strike, he could feel the air temperature around him chill to freezing. His breath soon became visible, and ice crystals began to form all over his sword. With a great amount of strength, Agatio finally shoved Picard out of the sword lock.

"What the hell was that?" The Mars Adept sputtered.

"You like it?" Picard smirked. "It's a technique I perfected myself. My guess is you know how the Frozen Rapier works now? Of course, it works on other weapons aside from rapiers."

Agatio snorted. "It was a foolish gesture and a waste of energy. If you're going to use Psynergy, use it right!" He threw out his palm and dozens of tiny orbs of fire formed around him. Then, with a throwing motion of his arm, the orbs all launched toward Picard.

Surprised, the king dashed away toward the inner chambers of the castle, narrowly escaping the spell. Agatio cursed under his breath for his missed opportunity and the waste of his Psynergy. He immediately gave chase through the corridor into the next room.

The chamber he arrived in was a lounge of sorts, with chairs and small tables scattered about. There were a few bookcases in the room, each filled with various tomes. Lit by several small torches, the room was dim, but not nearly enough to hinder vision much.

Picard immediately opened a series of offensive strikes when his foe entered. The Mars Adept defended each attack with relative ease. Then, with a mighty swing, he locked his own blade against Picard's cross guard. Taken aback, Picard lunged backward and freed his own weapon. He had no time to relax however; the moment he unhooked his weapon, Agatio let loose a Flare Storm. Picard felt the flames burn his skin and armor. The inferno seemed to last for hours as he felt pain surge all throughout his body. When the flames finally did abate, Agatio looked shocked that Picard was still even on his feet.

"You… you survived?" Agatio questioned. "No man outside of my brother has taken my Flare Storm and lived."

"You'll have to do better than that." Picard grunted. His hands glowed with a blue light, and he touched his left hand to his face. The visible burns inflicted by the magical fire quickly dissipated with his Mercury power.

"Ply? My brother was right; you do know defensive techniques too."

Picard laughed. "What kind of Mercury Adept would I be if I didn't? Now, prepare yourself!" The King quickly retaliated with an Ice storm and caught his foe off guard. Crystals of frozen water showered fiercely upon Agatio and slashed at his body. The frozen storm stung the very surface of his skin, but as it abated he shook off the pain. Once he shook off the last of the chill, he leaped toward Picard, who dodged backward. He then wheeled around and jumped over one of the smaller tables, then spun back to his enemy.

Agatio swore as he charged his foe and batted the table out of the way with a swift and strong sword stroke. The Mars Adept then thrusted at the King, who leapt to an adjacent chair. From the chair he quickly tackled the Mars Adept to the ground then rolled away. While his foe was stunned, he took the chance to run to another room.

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"How many are injured, Sheba?" Mia called out to the other side of the square.

"Dozens are dead, scores more are wounded. It's looking really bad right now!" She shouted back.

"Do what you can, Sheba. We've got to help them." Mia sighed, looking about. The town square had been turned into a makeshift infirmary and dozens of warriors and civilians had been brought here to be taken care of. Fortunately, Mia and Sheba were not alone in healing these people. Vale had several skilled Mercury and Venus Adepts who specialized in healing, and every last one of them was tending to a patient.

The scene was grim indeed. Wounds came from everything from injuries sustained from Psynergy, blunt trauma, to sword gashes. Some people were already dead, others passed before their wounds could be healed, but most of them were calling out for help. The healers were quick to oblige when they could, and the less injured warriors drew their swords after their treatment and returned to the lines. Though the healers continued to tend, many of them were showing severe signs of fatigue and it was unknown how long the healers could last at this rate.

Mia was currently treating a Knight who had been bashed around by an enemy shield and then stabbed with a sword. He had lost consciousness moments before his healing, but the Mercury Adept had been quick enough to stop death from reaching him. As she finished her treatment, the blue light that illuminated her palms faded. She was quickly becoming drained from healing so many in rapid succession. As a healer in Imil, her services were rarely needed on such a scale, and injuries rarely got this severe. She already brought four people back from the brink of death and patched up countless others with minor wounds.

The Adept rose and moved on to her next patient. She could feel her powers begin to drain further from fatigue. Only the battles with the phantom mage and the summoner had ever taken this much of her energy. The difference between then and now was the surge of battle kept her on her feet and charged. Though she was concerned about everyone's safety, she was not only lacking the rush of the fight, but she found herself distracted. Mia had not heard anything regarding Isaac since her encounter with Sheba earlier that day. Her intuition told her something was seriously wrong, especially when he was not at dinner.

She pushed her thoughts aside a moment as she allowed her power to close a sword wound in a victim's side. The man rose after she finished and thanked her. Picking up his trusty bow, he ran off to the sound of battle. As he left, her instincts screamed out about Isaac again. His attitude when she last saw him was bizarre and unsettling. Something was up, and it was a good bet that Sheba knew something about it.

"Miss Mia, you're needed over here!" Another healer called to her. "This man is very badly hurt and I need help healing his injuries!" The Mercury Adept quickly answered the call and began to assist as best as she could.

Sheba, being the only Jupiter Adept amidst the healers, felt rather odd in this crowd. She had to rely completely on using medicinal herbs and potions, and thus she was given the milder cases of injuries. Of course, because using potions and herbs was more fuss than Psynergy, she got a lot more complaints from her patients. Healing potions and salves either tasted horrible or stung like a burn when used, and the already injured men didn't particularly enjoy such treatment. Irritated, tired, and frustrated, Sheba cursed every time one of the soldiers made an unpleasant sound while she treated them.

To make matters worse for the Jupiter Adept, she was constantly berating herself for not coming up with a plan. The city needed Isaac in this fight, even if he was only one of the countless warriors defending the King. The winds constantly nagged at her head, warning the situation would not be resolved until something was done. Of course, she desperately wanted to do something, but considering what she had to do, all the Jupiter Adept could do was hope Ivan was able to act on the issue alone.

"You there, we've got one with some scratches and burns coming in!" Another nurse yelled to her. Sheba nodded in compliance and prepared her salves for more patients. She could hear the shouting of other nurses saying the injured would soon have to be moved closer to the castle because the battle was growing closer and closer to the town square. This wasn't over yet, and it probably wouldn't be for quite some time.

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"Go! Drive them back!" Felix cried out above the chaos of battle. "We cannot fold! If we withdraw, our families and loved ones are doomed!" The Venus Adept swatted away a skeleton with his shield, and then crushed its skull with a powerful step from his armored foot. During all of the commotion, he had been separated from Dargon and Garet, and though they were both skilled, he worried for them. The chaos in the battle could confuse and bewilder even the boldest of fighters, so no matter how skilled they were they could be cut down if they weren't paying enough attention. "You!" Felix cried out to a nearby mage. "Clear me a path to the gate!"

"Yes sir!" The mage nodded and shimmered with a bright lavender aura, just as a blast of Spark Plasma rained upon a cluster of undead soldiers. They all quickly disintegrated in the face of such a mighty offensive, and Felix was quick to rush into the breach. Sadly, as fast as the breach was opened, it closed back up, and Felix found himself battling through waves of foes anyway. With a few strong strokes, the Venus Adept hacked his way through ranks of enemies, trying to reach his allies. Several more Knights came up from behind to cover him, and they continued penetrating the enemy force like an arrow.

The cracking of bones and the clashes of swords continued growing louder. Felix pushed through his foes, both fallen and alive, to reach anyone familiar. Moments and a score of skeletons later, the Venus Adept caught sight of what he was looking for. Amongst the crowd of undead and soldiers, Felix could pick out a unique winged helmet. Still at least fifty yards away, he cut through another wave of foes and pushed his way to Dargon.

"Dargon! Are you okay?" Felix shouted when he was about ten feet away.

"I'm alive but I've been wounded." He shouted in reply, batting away a skeleton with a swift swing. His technique was a bit unkempt, but the reason as to why quickly was obvious. The Knight had a sword wound in his side, though it didn't look serious. The golden light of Cure Well quickly mended the injury, but Felix soon found himself swamped with undead. Dargon had gotten caught in a bad area, and now he was stuck with him as well. He continued to beat back anyone who got close, but the numbers were just far too great to continue this forever.

"Felix! There's too many of them!" Dargon shouted, casting a Fireball spell to remove some enemies from in front of him. Even with the great numbers it dispatched, new foes fell into their places almost immediately. "What are we going to do?"

"Continue to fight, of course! Try to push back toward our lines!"

"Watch my back, I'm going to try something drastic!" Dargon replied, glowing with the red fire of Mars. The glow reflected off his well-polished armor and made him look more like a flaring beacon rather than a warrior. The ground around him began to shake violently. Skeletons and defenders alike lost their balance to the sudden quake. Dargon's aura broke, and then the ground erupted around him in a fierce Pyroclasm. Over two score of skeletons were instantly incinerated, and several more thereafter by the spraying lava. As soon as the lava fountains ceased, the ground closed back up as though nothing had even happened. "Let's go, Felix! I think I cleaned us out a path!"

Felix nodded and charged down the open corridor right behind Dargon, escaping a potentially lethal area. "Dargon," the Paladin said while running forward, "are you okay? Using that kind of power is bound to be a strain on your energy."

"I'm fine." He replied, though his Psynergy reserve had been drained considerably. "Just focus on the attack and worry about me later."

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The arcane library was almost in sight. Saturos had given her detailed instructions as to its location and she followed them to the letter. Getting through the streets was easy, given a great majority of the guard was fighting at the front lines.

As she rounded the corner, Karst finally caught sight of the building. The library was a huge stone structure, with broad and elaborate windows along the walls. The building looked as prideful as it could, its stone and mortar well-kept and windows crystal clean. The gigantic wooden doors were locked up tight, barring any entry.

"Figures. Nothing's ever easy anymore." Karst snorted, trying to open the door. "The only question that remains is to burn it or cut it open." She smirked. She had already cut down a fence, so it was time to burn something. It took two powerful Flare Walls to set the door ablaze, making it fall apart in a shower of burning embers. The fire quickly extinguished itself at Karst's will and she then stepped inside.

The library itself was surprisingly empty. There were a number of bookcases stuffed with tomes and books, but nothing looked special near the door. There were a few doors along the walls, but Saturos had said that the books that he wanted were near the back of the library. She walked down the central path, eying the bookcases around her for anything of interest. It was markedly odd that all of the books here were beginner's guides to Psynergy. Most of the books in here were worthless. Was this an academy instead of a library? Saturos' information might've been wrong. Regardless, she pushed forward.

"Now, where are those books?" She whispered, looking about. The books were slowly getting more advanced as she moved in deeper, but it still bothered her how many of the books were copies of each other. Eventually, she came to another large set of doors, this time unlocked. She cracked open one of the doors and peered inside. The room was relatively small and was nearly pitch black. Cautiously, Karst stepped past the door, and shut it gently.

Her senses tingled. This place was dangerous. She could sense Psynergy all around her, but she couldn't figure out where it came from or who was in control of it. The Mars Adept quickly became frightened and reached back for the door. She pulled the handle to leave. To her dismay, the door wouldn't budge. She was locked in! A dark sense of foreboding took her mind again as she tried to blow open the door with a Dragon Fume. The mighty serpentine spell simply deflected off the door and fizzled out as it struck the stone ceiling.

"What now?" She whispered. "I don't understand… Saturos said this place wouldn't be defended." She paused. It was an arcane library… it would make sense that some rooms were trapped, but something wasn't adding up. Karst turned forward and allowed a tiny flame to light in her hand, illuminating a small area around her like a torch. Walking forward slowly, she kept her scythe ready at all times. There was no telling what lurked here. However, the farther she walked in, the stronger the room's discomforting aura became.

There came the sound of stones sliding seemingly from all around. Karst almost jumped out of her boots, and she expanded the flame she used as a torch to better see. From straight in front of her, she saw a terrifying sight. A giant, headless suit of armor stood, wielding an awesome greatsword. The suit began to walk toward her, shaking the ground with every step. The room then lit fully, and it was clear this chamber was meant to house a fight to the death.

"It's a guardian statue…" She said, backpedaling quickly. "This is no library… it's a death trap!" Her face paled beyond recognition as she pressed her back against the door.

"I am the Great Defender." A voice boomed, seemingly from the empty neck hole of the armor. "The greatest of all guardian statues; I am made in the image of history's greatest warrior."

Karst swallowed a lump in her throat. Indeed, it was as she feared. This statue was made in the image of Dullahan, the once great hero of humanity. Though most of his tales were regarded as myth, there was enough evidence to suggest he was beyond merely skilled. Though it was lucky this wasn't the real Dullahan, fighting a guardian statue made in his honor and memory would be no simple task.

"You have intruded upon the soil of Vale and your greed shall cost you your life!" The giant statue lunged at her, swinging the giant sword down at her. Karst managed to roll out of the way in time, and the sword struck the ground, sending fountains of sparks everywhere. She got to her feet and darted around the outside wall of the room to try to attack from an angle. Her melee weapon would be useless against a colossal target like that, and she doubted her Psynergy would be enough to slow it down.

The armor spun around and intentionally walked slowly toward her. This was a very intimidating move on her foe's part, and Karst could feel her legs begin to lose strength. It was terrifying.

"Stay away from me!" She yelled, letting loose with a Heat Wave attack with one swing of her scythe. The powerful flames merely dissipated on his armor and did nothing to even slow him. Karst turned to run again, and this time she ran as far away as she could from it to prepare her next attack. Pulling from her reserves, the Mars Adept pooled a startling amount of power together. "I will not be defeated by the likes of you!" With a mighty scream, Karst unleashed a devastating Searing Beam strike. The blast rocketed from her palms and right into the suit of armor. A massive explosion of fire and cinders erupted and spewed everywhere in the room on striking. Smoke curled all around in the chamber, and the Mars Adept studied everything carefully. For a brief moment, she sighed in relief.

"You have intruded on the soil of Vale and your greed shall cost you your life!" It cried out again, causing Karst to tremble to the bone. It had survived the blast! The Searing Beam was her best shot and it was completely ineffective! The armor continued to walk toward her and it raised its sword again. Karst again ran for her life just before the mighty blade struck the stone wall behind her.

The clang was deafening, and it rang in the Mars Adept's ears as she fled toward the door again. She pounded on it with her fist in vain, hoping someone would hear her and let her out. Each strike only produced a thunk from the stout door, reminding the Mars Adept she was trapped. Frustrated, she banged her head against the door, looking down at the stone floor. Tears of fright began to well in her eyes. Death was coming and there was little she could do. The footsteps grew closer and closer, and she finally turned around to face the guardian.

It raised its weapon again, and as it came down, Karst jumped away out of reflex more than anything else. Again the sword clattered on the ground. Frightened, the Mars Adept watched the armor raise the blade from the ground. However, it was then she noticed an anomaly.

For all of the armor's power and strength, it hadn't put a dent or even a scratch on the stone floor below. Dashing away once more, she pondered this fact. Either the floor was more durable than she thought, or there was more to this than met the eye. She quickly brought her scythe into attack position, then scraped the edge of the blade along the stone floor. The blade, sharp as it was, made an obvious scratch on the stone, proving her theory.

"Nice trick." She snorted, color and courage returning to her. "Now I see how it works." Karst spun toward the advancing armor and charged it head-on. Dodging beneath its greatsword, she planted the blade of her weapon into the chestplate of the armor. The blade pierced through it with ease, and found its way out the back of the armored warrior. The guardian armor that once lorded over the chamber vanished instantly, leaving Karst victorious.

"An illusion." She grumbled. "To think I almost fell to such a false foe. The blade wouldn't have killed me… the fear of it doing so would've. Devilishly clever, these mages…" The Mars Adept concluded she was able to defeat it in a single attack because she figured out the armor was fake; if she still thought it was real, the illusion would probably trick her into thinking her scythe blade would snap off.

"Damn that Saturos!" She shouted. "He knew this was here all along! There are no books, and this is no arcane library!" Infuriated, the Mars Adept walked back to the door. She pulled the handle, which opened with ease and walked out. It was likely that the lock itself was also an illusion, and if it wasn't, it unlocked itself after the defeat of the warrior. She stormed down the passageway back to the main entry point, angered beyond belief. Oh, Saturos was going to pay for this. There was no way he didn't know that the "library" was really a trap for greedy and self-righteous mages. His intelligence network was far too good for him to mistake this.

She was about to step over the burned remains of the door, but she felt something move at her feet. Her survival instinct kicking in, she leapt backwards into the library. It was thankful for her that she did. The floor in front of the entryway gave way to a pit of spikes below, each looking very sharp and deadly. Her leap barely allowed her to catch the ledge of the other side. The pit was probably fifteen feet in length and width, and about thirty feet in depth. The Mars Adept looked down at the spikes and her eyes widened at the death she narrowly escaped. Karst pulled herself up to ledge and sat panting heavily for a moment. This tore it. Given Saturos' sources, there should've been no way he couldn't have found out about this trap.

Also given that Saturos had let Agatio go off to fight Picard, she quickly figured out that she and her companion had been used. It then struck her. If Picard and Agatio were to fight on equal ground, Agatio would surely lose. And if he lost, the likely vindictive king would take his head. This could not happen. Filled with the oldest of rages, she rose and blew out a window with her Psynergy. She quickly escaped through it and looked to the castle. If she hurried, she might arrive in time to rescue Agatio, and then the two of them could formulate their revenge together.

It was not hard to believe that she ran off as fast as her legs would take her.

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"Sir Dargon!" A low-ranking Knight shouted to his commander. "Sir! A small group of undead warriors have broken through our lines and is heading for the castle!"

"Where did they break through!" He demanded, bashing in a skull of a skeleton with his shield.

"Sir, the left flank of our division! The second division wasn't able to stop them from advancing to the middle of the town!"

Dargon's blood ran cold as he parried away another foe, splintering its spine with his sword. The wounded were being taken to the town square, and the skeleton hordes were advancing on them. "Soldier! I want you to plug that hole in our lines right now. I don't care what it takes, get it done! We have to protect our people!"

"Sir, we've already filled in the break in the lines. Captain Allsman wants permission to pursue the enemy into the city!" The soldier exclaimed, batting away an enemy.

"Do it! Our duty is to protect those wounded! Tell Allsman to grow a spine and take some initiative next time!" Dargon grunted, thrusting against another foe. "What are you waiting for soldier! Move out!"

"Sir!" The soldier pushed his way back through the Knights and Paladins, disappearing into the crowd.

"That is troubling news, my friend." Felix replied, fighting at Dargon's side. "I'm afraid for those people. Do we have anyone capable of fighting off a group like that stationed there?"

"Just the Adepts that focus in healing Psynergy. Some of them are competent in melee combat, but not enough of them to stop a large enough group. It's a good bet that many of them are drained of power as well." He replied in a short lull in fighting, but he was stopped by another skeleton rushing him. Effortlessly dispatching his would be attacker, he continued. "Though I do believe Sheba and Mia are there as well. They have quite a bit of experience fighting forces like this."

"Let us hope they have enough." Felix muttered, carefully watching for his next opponent. The enemy appeared to be thinning in numbers, but there were still a great deal of them left. This battle was going on for far too long and the soldiers were going to grow weary if this continued much longer. Irritated, Felix shook the ground beneath a patch of clustered enemies with a Quake Sphere attack, sending them falling over. Though he wanted to say they were winning, the fight was long from over.

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"We have to evacuate this area!" A citizen screamed, running into the middle of the medical camp. "They're coming! Skeletons! The army has failed us!"

Panic immediately arose within the ranks of the non-military healers, causing some chaos in the area. The military healers quickly gained control of the situation, however, barking orders and pulling the fearful clerics aside to calm them. The general consensus, however, was to indeed pull back to the castle proper and defend the wounded as long as possible until help arrived.

"How many of you healers can fight or use offensive Psynergy?" The leader of the would-be hospital demanded. He was a tall, older looking man, a thin gray beard on his chin. His eyes were piercing brown, though the same color had long since left his hair. He wore simple long brown robes, which looked a little too big for him. This old but not decrepit man was known as the retired Paladin general Sile Dermont, famous for being a difficult taskmaster and a cunning commander in battle.

A show of hands quickly rose, including Mia's and Sheba's. Dermont looked back and forth between the volunteers, and nodded. "How many of you still have any power left?" Half of the hands that were raised fell. The former Paladin's eyes darkened. He had twenty capable warriors left, most of them Mercury Adepts, and half of them were women. "Well then, the rest of you, start moving those wounded! We don't have any time to goof around. Move it!" A grim determination was on his tongue, and the other healers quickly did as they were told.

"You who can fight, quickly fall in!" He ordered. The twenty healers quickly lined up, and among them were still the two women from Imil. "Now, I have no idea what sort of training or experience you may or may not have. This means it is imperative that you follow my orders to the letter. You will form a line and you will not budge to let the enemy through. You will fight as though you are a wall, and you will launch your attacks to halt the enemy before they reach you."

"Sir!" A male Adept cut in. "Sir, what do we do if we run out of energy?"

"Then you reach deeper. Retreat is not an option until we are sure the wounded are completely evacuated or until reinforcements arrive. It is a good bet that many of you will not survive this assault if the incoming wave of the enemy is as strong as predicted. However, we are left with little choice now but to stand our ground and buy some time. Now, line up across that street, draw your staves or swords, defend, and prepare to repel an assault!"

The group quickly did as ordered, though sweat was beading on the heads of many of the less enthusiastic would-be heroes. Sile Dermont stood square in the middle of the twenty-one person group, brandishing a spear that he had another citizen retrieve for him. Mia and Sheba lined themselves near the end of the left flank, making sure to stand next to each other.

"Do you think we can do this, Mia?" Sheba asked, surprisingly collected.

"I'm not sure." She replied. "But what else can we do? This is just like Imil during the times we had."

"Except we're not alone and we're fighting a much, much larger force." She returned, a less than pleased inflection in her words. "At least I still have all my energy for this fight…"

"We will need it." The Mercury Adept sighed. "A good deal of my power has already been depleted, and I've never been too good with my offensive Psynergy." The sound of hollow marching echoed from down the street, and a large group of skeleton soldiers were approaching them quickly. They were outnumbered two to one, and most of their foes appeared to be decently armored and well armed with swords, shields, flails, and maces.

"Here they come, steady troop!" Dermont's sounded over them. "Prepare to cast!" The skeletons advanced within a hundred yards, and as they did, waves of ice and rock slashed through their lines, rocking many of them off their feet. As many as half of them were slowed by the torrent of the spells, but they quickly shook off the shock and continued the advance.

"What's with these things!" One of the clerics yelled. "They just aren't going down!"

"Steady!" Dermont's reply came. "Let them have it with everything you have!"

More waves of ice and earth struck the lines, slowing more, but destroying very few. This situation looked grim. These armored skeletons appeared to be resisting a great deal of the damage being dealt to them, and many of the healers lacked the punch needed to penetrate their defenses.

Then came a blast of Shine Plasma. The lightning blasts tore through the ranks, causing four of the skeletons to explode and sent bones flying about in the street. Sile immediately turned his head and stared at Sheba, his face full of surprise. There was a Jupiter Adept among them. How could she have been a healer? It didn't matter. The other Adepts among them were lacking in good offensive power, but she certainly wasn't. If anyone could stop them, she could.

"Protect the Jupiter Adept!" He barked. "She is our best hope!"

Sheba's eyes widened in surprise at the attention and soon found two people in front of her, one of them being the former Paladin himself.

"Hit them again, girl! Hit them with everything you have!"

Sheba nodded, and casted her mighty Destruct Ray into the skeletons, causing many more to expire the way they had before. The crowd was slowly thinning, though they were now growing dangerously close to them. Sheba let off another Shine Plasma mere seconds before the enemy was upon them, evening the odds closer to one to one.

Once the enemy engaged in direct combat, however, many of the brave fighters began to fall. Three on the right flank were almost immediately cut down by a pair of skeletons armed with flails. Dermont struggled to keep a trio of skeletons from reaching Sheba, and it looked like he was slowly losing the fight. Mia blasted one of skeletons harassing him with Ice Missile, stunning it and rocking it backward. Though the attack did not destroy the foe, it did give the aged warrior some breathing room.

Sheba finally let loose with another blast of Shine Plasma, weakening the enemy a little more as they defeated three more of the clerics. They were now reduced to fifteen, and the enemy still numbered about twenty.

"Miss, you have to keep casting! You are our only hope right now!" Dermont shouted back at Sheba, who was already preparing another burst of Destruct Ray. "Do hurry!"

"She's working as best she can!" Mia replied, swatting at a skeleton with her staff. It struck the horror squarely across the face and knocked its jaw bone clear off, but the injury did little to actually stop it.

"Destruct Ray!" Sheba cried out, destroying five of the enemies, evening out the odds again.

"Keep it up!" Sile shouted.

"Buy me a few more seconds!" Sheba cried, tapping deep for enough energy to use Shine Plasma again. Using powerful spells consecutively was starting to drain her easily accessible power and she found herself having to work a little harder to cast after each wave of attacks, particularly after using Destruct Ray. Though she still had enough energy left to finish the foes, she wasn't sure if she could use it all in time before they broke past.

Four more healers fell wounded as she charged her Shine Plasma. The other healers worked hard to try to get their offensive abilities off to slow the skeletons, but none of them had the time they needed to call upon their spells. The frail healers had to resort to fighting with hand to hand weapons; something most of them were ill-trained to do.

In an instant before another healer was about to be struck down, Sheba's Spark Plasma went off and devastated two more enemies. She flowed into her next spell quickly, and she prepped herself for another Destruct Ray.

As she was tapping her power, one of the skeletons ran the healer on her right through with its sword, and he fell over immediately dead from the puncture in his chest. Harried, Dermont struck the skeleton with his spear, knocking it slightly off balance and stopping it from attacking the Jupiter Adept.

"This is bad." Mia grunted, trying to strike the same skeleton she was grappling with since the battle started.

"No kidding!" The Adept on her left griped. She was doing her best to fight off a skeleton armed with a mace with a short sword. "Hey, you! Get that next spell ready now! We kind of need it!"

Sheba obliged, the powerful Destruct Ray thrashing three more. The defenders now outnumbered the enemy, but that did not last very long with two more of the humans falling incapacitated shortly thereafter.

"Sheba! Hurry! We're getting overwhelmed here!" Mia cried, barely parrying a sword strike from her foe.

"I'm working on it!"

"Spark Plasma!" A male voice from behind shouted, with a sudden downburst of violet lightning flashing in front of them. Five of the remaining ten were destroyed instantly by the sudden strike.

"Take this!" Another voice from behind yelled as he dashed into the now tattered right flank. A sword of concentrated Venus energy struck down in the battlefield, annihilating one of the skeletons by its sheer force.

"Destruct Ray!" Sheba called out. The final blast of Jupiter Psynergy incinerated the remaining enemies, finally ending the skirmish. The remaining healers quickly rushed to their fallen comrades, trying to save the ones they could. Dermont, on the other hand, looked at their reinforcements.

"Two men? Is that the best the army could come up with?" He snorted. "Hmph. Well, well. If it isn't Lord Felix's squire and the mage, Ivan." Isaac had already sheathed his sword and was bending over a wounded victim, doing his best to use his Cure Psynergy to close up their wounds. Ivan quickly went to his side and watched him intently. "Isaac! Ivan! Get over here this instant!" Sile demanded. The squire and the mage looked up in surprise, recognizing the warrior who had called to them. Once Isaac finished healing what he could, they obeyed. "It took you two long enough to get here. What, were the field commanders hesitant to spare soldiers to spare innocent lives?"

"Lord… Lord Dermont? What are you doing here?" The squire asked.

"I may be an old man, but that doesn't mean I don't remember how to fight. What are you two doing here?"

"We're not reinforcements quite like what you thought. We were on our way to the main battle when we received word from one of the fleeing healers that you needed help. We came as quickly as we could." Ivan stated. "Though it looks like we arrived a little too late."

"Well, it's good that you showed up at all. You probably just saved a few more lives, but I think this young woman right here could've handled the rest of them even if you hadn't shown." Sile stated. "Now, young woman… what is your name? And are you a mage of the king?"

"My name is Sheba, sir. And no, I'm not a mage, just a visitor from Imil."

"Not a royal mage? With your ability? Hmph. Your skill and mastery is impressive, isn't it, Ivan?"

"Yes it is. I'm amazed that she is so powerful with so little formal training. It truly is something else."

"Sheba, you just saved us all today." Sile said. "I shall inform his Highness Picard when this battle is won and see if we can't get you enrolled into the mage academy as an advanced student."

"Now's not the time to talk about this, sir." Sheba returned, changing the subject hastily. "We have wounded to evacuate. I'm going to go help with whatever's left." The young Jupiter Adept dashed back into the square, eager to get away from the constant praise she was receiving. Though she had no problem with being praised, she would prefer it if it was after everything was cleared up.

"She has a fair point." The elder commander turned toward the remaining defenders. "Hey! After you see to your comrades, continue the evacuation as planned. We don't know if the line has been secured and if more are on the way." The healers were already carrying out this order even before he gave it, but he really didn't care. He turned back to Isaac and Ivan. "Damn good short bit of fighting, you two. I can see why Lord Felix took you as his apprentice, Isaac. You've got talent, I can tell." Something then caught the old Paladin's ear. He readied his spear and looked down the way, afraid more skeletons were approaching. The armored footsteps sounded markedly similar, and this sudden change in the elder warrior's expression caused Isaac to draw his sword again. Thankfully, their worry was for nothing. The armored knights on their way were indeed friendly, and they headed for the square quickly.

"Allsman's squad, it would appear." Sile grumbled. "Late as usual. He never was good at getting to places right on time."

"Isaac, what should we do in the mean time? Should we continue to the main battle?" Ivan asked.

"I would prefer that you did not." The old man interjected. "Given that Allsman and his troops are here, that means they have men to spare at the front lines and it also means that the puncture in our defense has been patched up. We need help moving the wounded and protecting them should something go wrong. Truth be told, I'd feel more comfortable if I knew you two are here."

"Our reputation precedes us then." Ivan chuckled nervously.

"As you wish." Isaac replied, bowing to the wish of his experienced elder. He wanted to move on to the main front, but he knew well of this Paladin, and he was known not to take no as an answer from his subordinates except when it suited his needs. Though he may have been retired now, he still held a higher rank than Isaac. "What do you want us to do first?"

---------------------------

"All too easy." He sneered, looking at the chaos his minions were causing in the city. Though it looked like his forces were thinning out, he still had his most powerful troops in reserve. Many of his special armor skeletons remained behind in case things became sour, and even with his weakest minions the defenders were only barely pushing them back. This was proving to be amusing, especially considering he and Menardi still had not joined the fray. "I suppose we should begin the assault in earnest, shouldn't we, Menardi?"

"That is up to you, of course." She replied, grinning devilishly. "I'm quite enjoying this whole spectacle. Do you think we're weakening their spirits yet?"

"Considering they're starting to win, I think it's time we gave them a nice dose of what they're really up against." Saturos chuckled. He made a simple gesture over his left shoulder, and the heavy footsteps of his steel skeletons sounded as they crossed the drawbridge and into the Vale proper. His Bone Wyrm gave off a hiss at the passing troopers, as if to warn them of the price of failure. This brought another smirk to the Mars Adept's face, seeing his faithful pet so anxiously carry out his will.

The shouts and barked orders by the Knights and Paladins beyond were heard echoing throughout, and their panic made Saturos's blood boil with anticipation. He knew the Mercury Star was here in Vale somewhere. He could feel it. Though he was no Jupiter Adept, something called him to this place, and he was sure that he would find the answers here. Besides, even if this invasion failed to turn up the sacred Star, he would in one quick sweep wipe out the greatest force of resistance to him this side of the continent.

"Shall we join in now?" Menardi asked.

"Are you truly that bored?" Saturos questioned back, a strangely innocent tone in his voice. "If so, I'm sure we can put an end to this battle quickly."

"No, it's not that the rending of this accursed town is boring, it's just I would like to… assist in furthering it."

"If that is what you wish, you may proceed." Saturos bowed. "However, I intend to stay put. I am quite enjoying myself simply watching this fight. Besides, where would the drama really be if I went in there and wiped out all of those Knights and Paladins?"

Menardi cackled frighteningly at his remark. "It would make things too predictable, now wouldn't it? Well, do as you please. I'm going to go have some fun."

"Do be careful. It would be… difficult to find an assistant of your caliber on such short notice if something unfortunate were to happen."

"Indeed." She smirked. "Stay out of trouble then, Saturos. I will be seeing you soon." She quickly dashed off into the crowd of skeletons, her Psynergy blasting off in every direction as she went.

Saturos folded his arms in a sadistic joy as he observed her rampage. Watching Menardi fight was oddly pleasing; arousing, even.

A glance over his shoulder revealed to him that he wasn't the only one observing her fight. He knew a pair of eyes had been watching them from the castle rampart for quite some time now, and he first suspected them to belong to Darkfire. As time progressed, he ruled her out; these eyes were cooler, more calculating, and possibly far more dangerous. The Mars Adept continued to watch Menardi's sorties against the Valeans, waiting patiently for his foe above to make his move. Finally, he grew tired of waiting and looked directly up at where his spy was watching from.

"I know you're up there, you fool. Stop pretending you know how to be stealthy and show yourself. I may let you live if I like what I see."

The figure rose immediately; he was a tall man, with flowing blue hair brandishing a staff and a sword. He looked calm, almost serene when faced with his foe. His robes appeared to be druidic in nature, and he was quite obviously a Mercury Adept. This man definitely looked like a foe who would prove to be difficult to handle if Saturos was any weaker than what he was.

"Ah, I see. Just a druid who has lost his way? Or more likely a druid who thinks he knows all." Saturos waved a finger at Alex above him. "I'll wager you think you can best me in combat?"

Alex's reply came in the form of a nod.

"I see. You must have a great deal of confidence in yourself if you wish to challenge me. I'm warning you, I'm much more dangerous than I look. Do you still wish to go through with this?"

"I do." Alex flatly stated.

"Very well." Saturos called, climbing onto the back of his Bone Wyrm. It quickly lifted him to the castle wall, where he jumped off carefully and eyed his foe. Alex did not appear to be particularly strong, but he knew that druids excelled at shielding their combat abilities until they actually began fighting. With a cautious smirk, Saturos drew his blade from its sheath. He was quite sure the victory would be his, but he was ready for quite an intense battle. "Are you ready, druid?"

"Quite so."

Saturos smirked and lunged at his foe. Alex blocked quickly with his staff and then spun about to swing his blade at the Mars Adept. Saturos effortlessly swerved aside and swung his weapon again as he went. The druid quickly turned aside the attack with a quick spin of his staff. Saturos lunged forward with another attack, leaping off the ground. Alex caught the jumping strike with his blade, and weathered the heavy blow by digging in his heels.

The druid could feel every muscle in his legs tighten and strain. Saturos' strength was amazing. Though the Adept was not overly brawny, he was stronger physically than he anticipated. He managed to push aside the Adept, but it took a good deal of his own strength to do so. Sweat beaded on Alex's forehead.

"You're quite good." His foe quipped. "You're the first man I've seen wield a staff and a sword together as an efficient pair." A soft red glow enveloped the Adept. "Though, it will not save you. Prepare yourself!" With a forward thrust of his palm, Saturos shot a Cycle Beam at Alex, who barely managed to leap out of the way, rolling to the ground. The beam soared over him, and exploded when it collided with one of the lookout keeps atop the wall.

Alex retaliated with a wave of Diamond Dust, the frozen storm ripping across Saturos' armor like a blizzard of blades. Each shard that struck made a distinct clinking noise, and it soon filled the air. Knowing the strike wasn't enough to stop him, he quickly launched an Ice Horn attack to follow up. However, before his second assault managed to hit home, Saturos had already lunged at him again, his sword nearly slicing him in two.

The cold attack Saturos had received did little more than scratch his plate armor. Having trained against far more powerful drones of his own, he had grown accustomed to the chilling power of the Mercury alignment. Nevertheless, he was determined to be rid of the nuisance. He pushed several strikes on Alex, leaving him on the defense.

"What's the matter?" He taunted, kicking Alex to the ground in a sudden attack. "You're not handling yourself very well." The Mars Adept loosened his fighting stance and glared at his enemy with disdain. "You're not proving to be much fun. On your feet. If you're going to waste my time, do it while trying to kill me."

Alex leapt to his feet and let off a Glacier spell, nearly catching Saturos off guard. The powerful cold strike chilled him slightly, and he could feel Alex's power growing. After he shook off the momentary frost, Saturos pressed a physical offense again, this time being more graceful with his attacks. Before he had simply been swinging his blade like an amateur to test out his opponent, but now he began to bring his more advanced swordplay to bear.

Alex now found himself having an even harder time blocking. Saturos fought with a strange agility, not relying much on power at all. His strokes were quick and fluid, almost as though he was fighting with a dueling sword rather than a long sword. Finding and exploiting a weakness in his style would be difficult. As he continued to parry his foe's attacks, he found himself being pushed around the border walls.

The techniques were working perfectly. His light sword attacks were confusing the druid and keeping him from attacking. The only reason he still lived was his dual wielding. He eyed Alex's blocking patterns carefully, looking for the chance he needed to unleash one of his signature tricks. He found it the moment Alex spun around after blocking his attack with his staff. This was a chance he did not miss. Swinging his sword high in the air, he leapt up and brought his weapon down at Alex, a powerful flaming aura surrounding his blade.

Saturos' Heat Flash struck home, dealing a minor cut to the druid's side, the bright fire and smoke throwing him into confusion. Alex winced in pain as he tried to see through the haze that clouded his eyes. He could see little, but he could make out the outline of the Mars Adept laughing at him.

"Heat Flash." Alex muttered. "Not bad. Your form is excellent…. however, you picked a poor target for it." He brought his glowing blue hand to his eye, and the smoky haze cleared in an instant.

"It was merely to prove a point." He smirked. "You can't hope to best me."

"Then you have no idea just what I'm capable of." Alex's eyes flashed cerulean for a split second before he threw his hand forward. Saturos' eyes widened as he realized a solid block of ice froze him completely. Alex drew his sword and quick as a flash, cut the ice block apart.

Freed from the block, Saturos was knocked to his back. The Diamond Berg was far stronger than any he faced before, and Alex's power seemed to be unnaturally boosted by something. Three cuts had opened on his face, and the Mars Adept wiped some of his blood from his eyes. This was the first time a foe had drew blood from him in quite some time. He rose immediately, raising his sword back into attack position. It was time to really take this druid seriously.

It was at that moment Alex's staff caught Saturos' eye. A blue gemstone gleamed in the top of it, and an odd energy radiated from it. A powerful energy. It seemed to dull his senses the more he studied it as well. Narrowing his eyes, he decided it was time to end this.

"Very good, druid." He spat. "You've managed to impress me. Something not easy to do. But you have something I want, and I will stop at nothing to take it. You see, that little gemstone on top of your staff is quite valuable."

"I know that you seek it, fiend. You shall not have it."

"I will. You see, I have not tapped all of my power yet. And better yet, I have something that is far more powerful than any weapon you possess." He held up his sword. It was a terrible looking weapon, the edge sharp and deadly, already slightly coated with Alex's blood. The hilt was dark crimson, and on it were carved patterns of raging flame. The pommel was shaped like a demon dog, and the whole sword seemed to emit a powerful aura. "Do you know what this is, druid?"

"I don't really care." Alex replied.

"You should." Saturos waved his finger. "You see, this sword is part of what many simply call a legend. Allow me to demonstrate exactly what it can do."

The blade of the weapon flashed brightly, and then a storm of flames charred the druid nearly to the bone. Alex fell to the ground and let out a chilling scream of pain, the fires being more intense than any of the attacks that had hit him with earlier. He struggled to escape the storm, but its might couldn't be resisted.

"Do you see now, fool?" Saturos laughed, his red eyes flaring with sadistic amusement. "This is the Muramasa, the infamous blade of fire. Its power is legendary!" Alex struggled to move, and he couldn't speak save for a growl which he directed at Saturos. To this, the villain simply laughed harder. "If you spirit was weaker you'd be dead now. It is fortunate for you that I found the fight you gave me entertaining. And I should thank you for bringing the Mercury Star right to me. I have been looking so hard for this. I thank you, druid. To show my gratitude, I won't run you through. Whether or not you choose to die from your injuries is your own prerogative. Now, if you would excuse me, I have business to attend to." Saturos picked Alex's staff up from the ground and sheathed Muramasa.

Alex's eyes watered as he tried to stop him. The burns he suffered were deep, and the pain shot through him with every breath and movement. He could barely lift his arm off the ground before the excruciating pain paralyzed him. "Sto…" He tried to say, but even trying to speak hurt.

"Still breathing? Wonderful. You can watch me take the last thing I need to take care of everything I desire." Saturos promptly used his might to pry the Mercury Star from the staff's head. Once the sphere was safe in his hand, Saturos discarded the staff with disdain. "Ah, this is indeed it. I can feel its might." He looked down at the struggling Alex.

"Thank you, wandering druid. I owe you a debt I can never repay," he said, chuckling evilly before kicking Alex in the side. "I don't know if you really want to survive this. Because if I ever see you again I promise you that you won't walk away from it… and to remind you of my promise…" Saturos pulled his sword from his sheath once more, and grabbed solid hold of Alex's flowing hair. Most of it was badly singed and it hurt the druid even more to be having it pulled on. With a quick cutting motion, Saturos sliced off a great majority of Alex's long hair, leaving it barely reaching neck length.

The Mars Adept simply tossed the hair away and let it fall to the ground. As the villain paced away deliberately, Alex could hear a solid chuckle escaping Saturos' lips. Fighting back his injuries, he could barely make out the Adept climbing upon his undead mount and flying off. He watched the wretched nightmare soar through the air, cutting through the sky above his troops, sending fear into the hearts of the Valean defenders below.

He tried to push himself up. He tried with all his might. Every sinew and tendon in his body felt like they would snap. Though he struggled valiantly, he couldn't get up. He couldn't even focus enough energy to heal himself. A loud thump resonated from the stone as Alex collapsed back to the floor. The only option was hoping that someone would find him. Though the pain was intense, the Mercury Adept was quite sure he would live. Cursing himself for being overconfident, he closed his eyes and quickly lost consciousness.

-----------------------------

"Ha ha!" Picard taunted, blocking another strike gracefully. "I must admit I am enjoying this! I haven't felt this alive since before I was the King!" They had been fighting for quite some time now, and though Picard was growing a little weary, he felt like he could keep going for days.

"You are a worthy foe, as I hoped you would be." Agatio sneered. "You've kept me occupied for quite some time." He swung at the Mercury Adept again, only to miss as his foe slipped away. Annoyed, Agatio flung a group of fireballs at the king.

The fiery projectiles fizzed through the air toward him, but Picard was quick to use a Douse spell to extinguish them before impact. Steam filled the air for a moment, but it was quickly dispersed as Picard lunged forward at the Mars Adept with his long sword. Agatio parried the strike, sending a flurry of sparks to the ground. The massive Adept pushed the king away with his girth and tried to attack again. He failed, the clang of clashing steel a dead sign that he was prepared.

They were now in one of the great dining rooms, and they fought alongside the massive table. Picard took a quick step and turn, and leapt atop the table and crossed blades with Agatio again as he tried to climb up. The Mars Adept launched a few more fireballs for cover while he jumped up on the table. The king summoned another Douse to stop the flames, and clashed blades with his foe again.

"Fighting on one of your tables? Hardly a gentlemanly thing to do." Agatio taunted.

"Like I care." Picard laughed. "As long as I beat you, it doesn't really matter. And hell, if I lose… who's going to care that there are footprints on here?"

Agatio suppressed a chuckle. Picard was not what he had envisioned, indeed. Strange, as much as he wanted to win, Agatio didn't want this fight to end. He was actually having fun. The adrenaline pumping through his veins excited him, kept him on edge. This was a feeling he had not felt in years. Excitement, fear, competition. What was more, he could tell Picard was feeling the same thing. The fire in his own eyes matched the chilling resolve in the Mercury Adept's. They both had forgotten about the battle outside. All that mattered was fighting the one in front of them.

The clangs of their swords echoed through the dining room as they pushed each other back and forth around the table. They each threw various Psynergy spells at each other, most of the time to little avail. Half the time they dodged, the other half the spells were countered. However, they failed to hear the cracking of the wood below them. Their weight along with their armor overburdened the table, and with a powerful cracking noise, the table split in two, sending the combatants falling clumsily from it.

Picard got up quickly, seeing stars for a moment. Agatio was rising when his vision cleared, so he dashed off for the doorway to move the fight to a safer environment. The Mars Adept followed rabidly behind, wanting to quickly continue the fight. He followed Picard into one of the castle's antechambers, just outside of the foyer where they had begun. They had been circling about in the castle's rooms for awhile now, and the changing scenery kept everything interesting.

The antechamber was actually pretty small, and there were a few small couches and chairs lying about, but that did little to even slow their dueling. In fact, they ended up knocking over a lot of the furniture, and if they didn't do that, they had stepped on them or put sword marks in them.

"Your servants will not be pleased with how we are handling your things." Agatio muttered, as he locked his blade against Picard's and they got into another pushing contest.

"I'm sure they'll get over it." Picard caustically replied. He skipped back a few feet toward the door back into the main foyer. After toppling a bunch of chairs and tables, he figured the open space of the foyer might give for a better location. After a few more tense moments of swordplay, they finally ended up back in the grand foyer.

"Couldn't resist finishing this where it started, huh!" Agatio demanded, sending a Flare Wall at Picard. Unable to dodge or counter, Picard bared the burns and clenched his teeth. He had one move left in his arsenal, and he needed to time it just perfectly in order for it to work.

As much as Picard was enjoying this fight, he needed to put an end to it. The incident in the dining room jogged his memory about the battle outside. The sooner he dealt with this, the sooner he could get outside to help his people. He grimaced as he turned aside another sword stroke from Agatio. The Mars Adept was actively pressing the attack now that they were in the open and it gave Picard a very small counterattack window.

"Heh, what's the matter? Getting tired, your highness?" The Mars Adept jeered.

"Not at all." Picard frowned, blocking another attack. He struck back with two swift swings, but missed both times. Agatio lunged toward him, but he quickly dashed aside.

And found his opening.

"This ends now!" Picard growled, throwing his palm out at Agatio, who was swiftly engulfed in a frozen cloud. The cloud hardened into ice, and Picard dashed toward him and split the ice surrounding him many times with his blade.

The pain Agatio felt when frozen in the ice was bad enough. Being sliced several times with the sword while inside made everything much, much worse. Eventually, the ice around him shattered away, and he fell to the ground, wounded and exhausted. The ice somehow had sapped all of his strength away on top of leaving him completely open for attack. He struggled to get up, and he managed to pull himself up to his feet after a few moments, but the injuries all over his body were apparent. Though he could stand, the warrior knew there was no more fight left in him.

"It… it seems as though you're more powerful than… I imagined." Agatio grunted, straining to keep hold of his sword.

"Go back to your brother and have him remove his troops from my city. I grow tired of this nonsense!"

"He would not listen to me."

"Do it!"

"I cannot."

Picard could feel his temper starting to rise. Now that the fight was over, his blood started boiling in anger for his people. "Then I should finish you?" He demanded.

"If that is what you wish." Agatio replied, setting his sword on the ground. "I've finally been bested. The price is death. That is the warrior's path."

Picard stared at him for a moment, and raised his sword.

Suddenly a voice shot out from behind him, at the front door. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, King Picard." The voice was feminine, and very angry sounding. Picard glanced over his shoulder to see a woman carrying a scythe looking like she had been to hell and back. "You will leave him be, or I will kill you in retaliation. I really don't want to do that right now."

"Karst! What are you doing here!" Agatio demanded.

"We've been duped, Agatio." Karst snarled. "Saturos and Menardi had this whole thing set up from the beginning. Where they sent me was a trap, and they both knew you would lose if you went against Picard." She shot Picard an ugly glare, but she loosened her stance.

"What are you after, knave?"

"Nothing anymore," Karst muttered. "Though I've been played for a fool by my own sister." She looked over at the wounded Agatio and then back at the king. "Your highness, now is not the best time to discuss this, but I have a proposal to make."

"Speak it now before I change my mind about caring."

"Considering I've been stabbed in the back by Saturos and Menardi, I'd like to return the favor."

"Karst, what are you doing?" Agatio demanded.

"Getting even. King Picard, I offer you my service in hunting down the man who attacked your city. I can tell you everything you'll need to know about him. Agatio can too, if he's willing."

He was silent for a moment, but soon replied. "Yes, I will tell you about my brother." He never thought he'd have a divided loyalty, but out of his brother and the female Mars Adept sisters, he trusted Karst the most. "You proved yourself to me. I would follow you now."

Picard glared back and forth at them, and before he could reply, he heard the sound of footsteps charging up the stairs to the castle door. Suddenly Felix and Dargon burst into the castle, swords drawn. Several other soldiers were with them, and they looked battle worn.

"Highness!" Felix shouted. "The enemy is withdrawing. They are in full retreat." He quickly realized Picard wasn't alone. "My liege… what has happened in here?"

"It's… a long story." Picard muttered, sheathing his sword. "For now these two are to live. I will want to speak to them later. Dargon! Round up the straggling Knights and Paladins and look for wounded soldiers. Get them healed up and report back to me right away."

"Yes, majesty!" Dargon saluted, running back outside.

"Felix," the King sighed, "how many are dead?"

"I don't know, sir." He replied. "Hundreds, at least. Perhaps thousands."

Picard's expression darkened. "Maintain a constant patrol and keep all able-bodied men on alert. I fear that we did not actually win this battle. I think it may be time to resort to drastic measures…"