Chapter 18: The Dread Island
Eliwood and his companions have landed on the Dread Isle, with a new companion in their number. An egnimi...egnomi...engema...
"Enigmatic" Chibi-Zell pointed out.
I know what it says. An eniginematic girl named Ninian. The majority of the Island is covered in dense forest. Legend has it that no one has returned from these dark woods. A dense fog covers the party one by one. Cautiously, they advance. Little do they realize how screwed they are.
"Hold on" Fargus asked the group to stop. Eliwood turned around, blinking.
"What is it, Captain Fargus?"
"I've got a dope here who wants to do some sightseeing. He'd like to come with you."
"I don't see why not" Cecil shook his head. "Who is he?"
"Dart! Front and center!" Fargus barked.
Dart rushed over to Fargus, and gave a salute. "Sir!"
"His main advantage is his sturdiness. Maybe he'll come in handy."
"Maybe? Ha! I WILL come in handy, I say!"
"Of course you will..." Kozo muttered to himself.
A man shrouded in black robes stood tall before his prisoner. He wore a long red, gold and black tunic that reached his ankles, and a dark violet turban which also covered his left eye. His other eye was a shaded teal colour, and he had a pointed, teal goatee. He waggled his finger, and clicked his tongue. "Shame. Shame. Bad Marquess Pherae. You freed both the boy and the girl?"
A man with short, kept red hair coughed, clenching his shoulder gingerly. He wore a noble purple suit, with gold and blue embroidery. He had fiery red eyes, and a wild red moustache. "I will not let you go unopposed" he growled.
Darin was pacing around, griping his face panickingly. "What are we going to do?" he cried. "Without the kids, we can't complete the ceremony! We're finished! Toast! Game over, man, game over!"
Elbert glanced over at the fallen noble. "How many times do I have to tell you, Lord Darin?" he asked. "You're being used by this man. By helping bring dragons back into this world, you're helping him destroy all mankind. Does any of this make sense to you?"
Darin stopped in his panicked rambilings, and just laughed. "Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha! Destroy mankind? Sure they were a pain in the royal arse in the past, but oh no, not this time 'round! Cause big boss Nergal can control dragons! We've got NOTHING to worry about!"
"Lord Darin...oh I give up. I don't even know why I'm trying to help you..." Lord Elbert groaned.
"You know, this is why you should always have a plan B" Nergal shook his head. "I'd plan on starting a war in Lycia. I was hoping I could gather up a lot of FORCE in one fell swoop, but oh no. Thanks to sure incompetence of Lord Dingus here..."
"That's him, right?" Lord Darin asked, pointing to Marquess Pherae.
"...Yeah, you think that. Anyway, thanks to the sure incompetence of Lord Dingus here, that plan's now a complete flop. But I have other means."
"You black hearted fiend..." the Marquess Pherae growled, before Nergal raised a quick knee to his gut. "OOF!"
"Hold your tongue, worm" Nergal growled. "There is still a task I need you to do for me." Nergal backed up a few paces, and snapped his fingers. "Limstella! Ephidel! Attend me!"
Suddenly appearing in a wisp of air was Ephidel, his cloak, as usual, covering his face. Beside him was a female, with long, silky black hair with gray highlights. She wore a white sorcerer's gown, with a black, waist length tunic with red and gold embroidery.
Nergal smirked. "My beloved Morphs. My perfect creations. I've new jobs for you, my pets. Limstella, you are to go to Bern and contact Sonia. I want you to arrange a meeting with the king."
"Understood" Limstella said flatly, before vanishing in another whisp.
"Ephidel, take this...man, Marquess Laus, and exterminate the mice that have landed on the island" Nergal ordered.
"Yes, master" Ephidel nodded, before vanishing as well.
Marquess Laus smirked, and saluted. "I get those twerps covered, boss!" With that, he marched off to gather his weapons.
"And that leaves...you" Nergal said, looking around and pointing at Marquess Pherae. "It seems that your legacy is one of endurance."
"What are you yammerin'..." Marquess Pherae asked.
"The mouse who interfered with my conquest of Lycia is named Eliwood. Should he get a cookie for making it this far?"
"What? No, leave my son out of this! Do what you will to me, but give him the cookie!" Marquess Pherae begged.
Nergal interrupted the Marquess with a laugh. "You know those siblings you freed?" Nergal said after his laughter died down. "Hee hee, this is the real clincher: The girl's here too. And she's with Eliwood, no doubt. Can you taste it? It's the sweet, sweet taste of irony."
"...Well, this throws a wrench in my plans..."
"Let's see, Eliwood will die in the woods, the girl will return to me, the ceremony will take place, and we'll be back home in bed by eight." Nergal gave a sideways glance at Marquess Pherae. "Except you. You? You'll make the perfect sacrifice." Nergal turned his back to Marquess Pherae, and took a few steps towards the door to the room. "Well, I'm off to take care of a few things. Ta ta." With that, Nergal teleported away.
Leila peeked from around the corner, biting her lower lip. "I have to inform Lord Hector" she muttered. She turned around to rush off, only to see Ephidel staring her right in the face. "Eya!"
"Hello, Leila" Ephidel said with a cold smile. "What are you doing this fine day?"
"I, uh...well, it's a funny story, see..."
"You weren't spying on us, were you?"
"Erm..."
"You weren't planning on running back to Marquess Ostia's brother and telling him all about our plans, were you? You weren't planning on telling him our one weak point that would easily cause us to fall to shambles, were you?"
"No, actually, I was..." Leila tried to lie.
"Well, we can't go around having that, now, can we?" Ephidel asked. He clapped his hands. "Oh Jaffar..." he called.
"Ah crap..." Leila mumbled, as she backed away a few steps, before bumping into something. She yelped, and jumped to face the one she bumped into. Staring her in the eye was a man with spiked, red hair, and a long, tattered gray cloak
The assassin glared her down, as she backed away. "The punishment for death is treachery."
"..." Leila raised an eyebrow.
"...I mean...you know what I mean..." Jaffar groaned, before taking out his dagger, and rushed at Leila. She dodged to the side, causing Jaffar to miss. The assassin turned on a dime, and lunged, thrusting his sword at Leila. She tried to dodge again, but Jaffar's sword cut a large gash in her side.
Leila let out a scream as blood poured out. She fell to her knees, gripping her side gingerly. "M...Matthew..." she whimpered, before falling flat on her face.
Ephidel gave a laugh, and applauded. "Well DONE Jaffar! You truly are the Angel of Death!" He examined Leila, pondering. "Now then, what to do with the body..."
"Perhaps we could string her up in the forest?" Jaffar suggested. "That way, if the pests bump into her, they'll be demoralized. Especially their other spy, Matthew."
"No...I think I have a better idea..." Ephidel said, smirking.
"Eyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Jaffar screamed, as he fell off the cliff.
"Done, and done" Ephidel said, brushing off his hands.
"Sir, I think you threw off the wrong body" said a nameless member of the Fang.
"Hmm?" Ephidel looked to his side. Leila's body was still lying on the ground, and Jaffar was missing. "Oh...damnit all." Ephidel pouted, before scooping up Leila's body, and tossing it off.
"Eyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Leila screamed, as she fell.
"Did you just hear a scream?" that same Fang member asked.
"Can't say I did" Ephidel shrugged, walking away from the cliff. "So, what's cooking tonight?"
"Well, the cooks and I were planning a nice, beef stroganoff, with some three bean salad on the side. And maybe some bread rolls to go with it?"
"Whatever it is, just make it edible this time 'round."
"Okay, one time that happened! One! Time"
Ninian perked her ears, and looked straight ahead. "Beware! Something's coming!" she warned.
A sound was heard in the forest. The sound of a horse galloping. And rightly so, as a brown stallion leaped out of the woods, and blurred right past Lyn, scooping her up.
"H...hey! Put me down this instance!" she demanded.
The horseman came to a stop, allowing everyone to get a good look at him. He was a tall man, even when he was sitting. He wore a blue bandana, and a purple, nomadic outfit, the sides aligned with golden seams. He had pale skin, with a thin, light brown fuzz on his chin and the small of his cheeks. There was a quiver on his back and a sword at his side.
"Lyndis!" Eliwood let out, stepping forward, rapier drawn.
"Lyn-sama!" Florina cried out, stepping forward, holding out her lance.
"If you value your life, I'd suggest you put her down, now!" Hector demanded, holding his axe towards the nomad in a threatening manner.
"And if you value her's, I'd suggest you hand over the girl with the sky blue hair" the nomad ordered. "And I'm not fooling around."
Lyn choked a bit, as the man had a firm grip around her throat. "You're...you're a Sacaen, aren't you?"
The nomad gave a cold smile, and nodded. "Correct. I am Uhai, of the Black Fang. I have been sent to capture the girl, and eliminate those who trespassed on this island. However...if you were to hand her over peacefully...I will let you leave with your lives."
"And what if we refuse?" Eliwood jaunted, holding onto Ninian, protectively.
"Pansy boy!" Kozo snapped at Eliwood.
"Sorry." Eliwood moved his hand down to Ninian's waist instead of under her breasts.
"...You have no idea what you're getting your sorry lot into" Uhai shook his head. "No idea of Nergal's terrible power. To go up against him shows your ignorance. You are insects going against the heavens. Speak no more foolishness, and begone!"
"You're the one filling up most of this conversation..." Hector grumbled to himself.
"Maybe we don't know what we're fighting..." Eliwood answered in kind, "but if we leave now, our loss is assured."
"So we'll take our chances, and who knows?" Cecil pointed out. "We might just pull through."
"...Folly" Uhai mumbled, loud enough that they could hear him. He held his arm out, which was being gnawed at by Lyn. "I'm letting you go, now. You can stop biting."
Lyn blinked, and released. She dropped, and landed on her behind. Quickly getting up, and brushing herself off, she asked, "Why are you letting me go? I wasn't biting that hard yet."
"Holding a woman hostage is shameful" Uhai explained. "You, too, are of Sacae, and I will show you mercy here. I will let you die fighting. But rest assured, I will kill you all here." The nomad beamed widely. "But be in good cheer. In death, you will avoid the calamity that Nergal will bring."
"Oh sure, I can feel happy. I'm about to DIE" Cecil said sarcastically.
With that, Uhai rode off into the fog.
"Ninian, go and hide" Eliwood instructed. "We'll face the enemy."
Ninian nodded deafly, and ran over to Kozo's side, as it was his turn to stay at the back as tactician.
"You're okay!" Florina cheered, rushing up to Lyn and hugging her tightly.
Lyn flushed a tad, and squirmed her way out. "Yeah, well, I would've gotten away even if he hadn't let go" she explained.
"By chewing his arm off?" Kozo asked.
"Something along those lines."
Cecil looked over at their oldest team member. No, not Merlinus, Hannah. "Alright, miss Fortune Teller lady, what's in store for us?"
Hannah was busy grumbling and complaining. "Bringing a poor, old woman to the Dread Isle. You should be more careful of my frail, little self. I'm not young, you know. I'm not sixty."
"Hannah..." Kozo let out venomously.
"Oh, right, the augury. Come on, sonny boy, pay up." She pulled down the shoulder of her cloak, revealing the coin slot.
"See, this is one of the reasons I don't like women..." Kozo muttered underneath his breath, as he put in five gold coins.
Hannah pulled up her shoulder, and spread her arms wide. She smiled, and looked up. "I see it now. Fog. There will be lots of fog."
"No shit" Cecil said to himself.
"You will need thieves and torches. Lots of torches."
"Got it covered" Matthew beamed, holding up a box of torches. "Just light a match and start the fire!"
"I sense a foe who carries a strange item...the thief will come in handy. But watch your possession, because he will not be the only rogue in the area. Hmm...bring the orchid haired girl. Someone close to her should appear."
"She's already right here" Kozo pointed out, thumbing towards Lyn.
"Shadap."
"Also, beware of the little pest who will arrive in one minute and forty two seconds." She lowered her arms. "That is all I see."
"Once again, your divining skills astound me..." Kozo said sarcastically. "Alright, we know for sure that you four are going in" he pointed out, looking over at the three nobles and Cecil.
"It's a given" the spear wielding tactician shrugged with a smile.
"And thanks to Hannah, we know you two are going in" Kozo said, pointing to Florina and Matthew. "So...who else do we send in to battle? I suppose we could always use a healer, so Serra, you're in. Guy, Sain, Canas, you guys are going in as well. Let's see...I suppose we should bring Merlinus, since we might need supplies...Erk, you're coming in as well."
"No. No, dear god, no, don't make me go in there with...her!" Erk begged.
Before Erk could put in further argument, there was the sound of rustling in the bushes. Eliwood looked towards the foliage. "Who goes there?" he demanded.
A few seconds passed, before a little figure came out of the bushes. He was garbed in a forest green cloak, and wearing a muddy brown tunic. At either side, he carried a rapier. He pulled his hood down, revealing a somewhat puggish face, with thin, brown hair, and a brown beard forming on his chin. "Who wants to know?" he asked.
"I am Lord Eliwood of Phreae. Now, little man, tell us: Are you with the Black Fang?"
"Well, I do tend to swing by their headquarters every now and again. Their meatloaf's pretty good, and you'll just die for the..."
"Then you're with them! Have at thee!" With that, Eliwood charged, and thrust with the rapier...only to miss. "..What the? Okay, let's try this again." He thrust forward again. And again, he missed. "Okay, this isn't funny..."
"I think it is" the little man beamed. "Now it's my turn!" He folded his arms over his chest, and leapt at Eliwood. He pulled his two arms back, slashing at the red haired noble's chest.
"Ack!...good shot...just give me a minute...Serra"
One Healing Spell later...
"Okay, let's try this again." Elwiood sighed, before shifting to a fighting stance. "En Guarde!"
"Guard on!" the little man chirped, leaping at Eliwood again and stabbing him in the gut with a rapier.
"But it was my turn"
One Mend Staff later...
"Okay, I think I see the problem here..." Eliwood noticed, as he oberserved two little windows at his feet. He bent down, and rearranged some of the numbers. "There we go."
"Hey!" the little man complained.
Eliwood. Hit Chance: 79. Damage: 15. Critical: 2(former Hit Chance)
Unknown. Hit Chance: 100. Damage: 0. Critical: 19
"Now we're ready." Eliwood raised his rapier, and charged. He stabbed the little man in the shoulder. "How do you like that? Huh?"
"Wow, would you look at that?" Matthew pointed out, reading from the walkthrough. "This guy has a 1-Hit-Kill ability."
"A what? ...What am I worried about? He only has a 19 Critical Chance."
The little man changed around some numbers.
"Okay, 91...but still, that's only a quarter of a chance, so what are the odds that--GAH"
One Phoenix Down later...
"Okay, that's it. I give up. Hector? You take him."
"Got it. This little punk's going down!" Hector charged, and swung his axe.
"You know, I'm over here" the little man pointed out, standing behind Hector.
"...Right. Right. YAH!" He swung his axe in a different direction.
"Nope. Still behind you."
"Okay, this isn't right. I mean, look!" Hector pointed at his window. "I have a 100 chance to hit him!"
"I see a negative sign..." Kozo observed.
"Ah, damnit--GAH!"
"Huh. Two one hit kills in one chapter" Cecil noted. "What are the odds"
A second Phoenix Down later...
"Okay, Lyn, you're up" Eliwood groaned.
"Wait a minute, guys, are we even sure this person..."
"Gnome" the little man pointed out.
"...is with the Black Fang? All he said was that he hung around near their headquarters."
"And eats meatloaf" the gnome continued.
"Right. Ergo, he's with them" Eliwood pointed out.
"Ergo...ergo...ergo..." Hector groaned into the dirt, completely out of it.
"Let me handle this." Lyn knelt down next to the gnome. "Who are you, anyway?"
"The name's Winny, Winny Gnome." He straightened out the collar of his cloak.
"Winny Gnome Winny?" Serra asked.
"Where'd the extra Winny come from?" Erk asked in response.
"Well, he had a comma after the first..."
"You know what? Forget it."
"Are you with the Black Fang?"
"Well, they've got great meatloaf, and their dental plan is the best I've seen, but I'm really not interested with the whole kill or be killed principle. And I don't think Nergal likes me."
"Why?"
"Well, you steal one guy's bagel, and he's got a whole squadron of goons after you. I mean, sure it had all the works, but it was a little bagel."
"Shopping is fun..." Hector groaned, still out of a loop.
"Could someone snap him back to reality?" Cecil asked.
"On it" Kozo assured, walking over to Hector with a board with a nail through it.
"So, if you're not in league with the Black Fang," Lyn continued, "what do you think about helping us defeat them?"
"Hmm..." Winny pondered. He hummed and hawed, tapping his foot and looking everywhere for a good five minutes. "Eh, why not? They're the ones that destroyed my boat and kept me stranded on this island."
"It took you that long to decide?" Lyn asked, unbelievingly.
"No. I figured that part out in thirty seconds. It's just that my mind is easily distracted and-Albatross!"
"Oh, never mind" Lyn sighed. "Look, we need your help getting around this island. You look like you might know your way around."
"Certainly!" Winny beamed. "Just follow me, I'll take you to their headquarters!" With that, the little gnome rushed off.
"Wa-wait!" Lyn shouted out to him. "We're kinda in the middle of something, could you wait until--!"
"I think he's gone" Cecil pointed out.
"So, what do you suggest we do now?" Hector asked, rubbing his behind. Kozo smirked, hiding the board with a nail behind his back.
"Well, I figure we should try to stay close together, just in case--" Cecil started.
"Hey, I'm the one in charge here" Kozo snapped, interrupting Cecil. He coughed, getting everyone's attention. "Stick with a partner, you'll never know when someone will jump out of the woods. Everyone, pick your partner."
Erk instantly latched onto Canas. "I'll go with you, provided I don't have to interact with...HER!" Erk begged, pointing fearfully to Serra.
"Absence makes the heart grow fonder, Erky!" Serra teased, before the second tactician grabbed her by the back of the collar.
"I'll take Serra" Cecil pointed out, dragging her off. "You owe me later, Erk."
"Noted." With that, Erk and Canas left to the left.
Matthew took a hold of Guy's arm. "Alright, slave boy, you're with me."
"What? Do you know what kind of message that'll send to that guy's head?" Guy complained.
"Well, if I'm with you, he'll think we're flirting, so he'll leave us alone" Matthew explained, dragging Guy off.
"But...but...but..." Guy blubbered, being dragged off.
Florina instantly rushed over and stood by Lyn's side. "I'll go with Lyn-sa--" she started.
Kozo grabbed her, and yanked her to him. "You're with me and the pirate boy to protect Merlinus and Ninian" he said coldly.
"But...but then who will Lyn-sama go with?"
Sain beamed widely, and rubbed his hands together.
"Oh, she can go with pansy-boy. He could use the protection" Kozo said tauntingly.
"I can take perfectly good care of myself!" Eliwood snapped at the shaman.
"Oh, like when you took care of yourself while fighting that gnome?"
"Oh, shut up. Lyndis, let's go." With that, Eliwood stormed off, Lyn close by.
"And I guess that leaves Sain to go with Hector. You'd better take care of him, loud mouth" Kozo ordered.
"LOUDMOUTH!" Hector bellowed. He started screaming curses at Kozo, as Sain dragged him off.
"Ahem..." coughed a voice from behind. Kozo blinked, and looked over his shoulder. Standing there was Wil, his arms folded over his chest. "And what do the rest of us do?"
"I would've gone with Erk..." Priscilla said to herself dreamingly.
"At least he has SOME respect around him..." Raven muttered.
"You can...I dunno...help us with protecting Merlinus and Ninian, you could play games for all I care. Just be sure to stick with us. After this battle, we head for the Black Fang headquarters."
Marcus and Kent immediately took post. A few moments later, Dorcas also went into guard-mode. Everyone else started screwing around. A card game had started between Bartre, Raven and Lucius. Rebecca was off casually flirting with Lowen, and Wil was glaring at them from behind a crop of bushes.
"We have to be careful, Serra" Cecil pointed out. "We don't know where that thief is that Hannah warned as about. Or what else is hiding in these woods."
Serra nodded, actually quiet for once, and clinging to her only form of protection at the time: Cecil.
Meanwhile, hiding quietly in the bushes, a man cloaked in deep blue smirked. He slithered through the bushes, getting into position. He then sprung, sword out and ready.
It was as though it was all in slow motion. Serra spotted the man lunging for her out of the corner of her eye. She let out a scream, before clinging to Cecil tightly, and spinning him between her and the assailant. Now, Cecil was holding his lance in such a way, that the blade connected with the handle, right between Cecil's hands.
Both the assailant and Cecil were a bit shocked. Cecil quickly sprang into action, lifting his legs, he kicked the rogue in the chest, sending the foe recoiling a few feet. Cecil then squirmed his way out of Serra's grip, and charged at the thief. Now, the thief was no idiot, and quickly tried to escape.
"I don't think so!" Cecil shouted, before stopping. He weighed his lance in his hand, and aimed his best. He then threw the lance like a javelin, and...missed completely.
"Ha! You missed!" The thief taunted, looking over his shoulder. "You'll never catc--"
BAM!
The thief ran head first into the butt of the silver lance, leaving a bruise on his forehead. He was lucky not to have cracked his skull, but he was still sent to the ground, gripping his head, breathing rapidly and seething.
Cecil used this to his advantage, and closed the distance between the two. He bent down, and relieved the squirming thief of his sword. "Funny how the thief is getting robbed" Cecil pointed out, before bouncing the little sword in his palm. He then gripped the handle, and slit it across the thief's neck.
Cecil pulled his lance out, and pantsed the tiny sword, before he heard Serra scream again. Cecil perked, and rushed back towards her. "Serra!"
The cleric girl was confronted by a trio of nomads, armed with bows, all aimed at her. She was whimpering, her arms raised. Cecil growled, and came to a stop in front of her. "If you want to harm her, you'll have to kill me first!"
The nomads looked at each other, and nodded. Cecil groaned. "I really, I really, I REALLY should've worded that better..."
Five seconds later, Cecil was running through the forest at top speed, dragging Serra along by the arm. "New strategy: RUN LIKE HELL!" he screamed. A rain of arrows landed behind them, and the nomad were coming after them fast.
Eliwood thrust his rapier forward, before swinging it upwards. "Ah-ha!" he laughed out, before spinning around, and impaling the opponent with his back to them.
Lyn blinked, and looked over at Eliwood, still effortlessly blocking and slashing at her opponent. "Well, you've gotten better" she commented.
"I won't be humiliated like that again" Eliwood said coldly, before slashing rapidly at the next shaman's face. Over the shaman's screams of pain, Eliwood continued. "I won't be made a mockery of!" He held his sword to his chest, looking skywards. A patch of fog parted, causing a beam of sunlight to shine on the young noble. "I will fight to protect those I love!"
WHAM!
A pirate's fist connected soundly to Eliwood's jaw, sending the noble flying into a tree. The fog bunched up again, blocking the sunlight.
"So, how's the wife?" asked the pirate to the cavalier, before sipping his coffee.
"Oh, it's just been horrible" the cavalier sighed. "Two weeks ago, the wife left me for another man, a sniper I believe. And she didn't take the kids, which I thought could work for me. Instead, they get kidnaped by a swordmaster, and, get this, they love it at his place. They say he's been a better father than I could ever be."
"Harsh..."
"I failed to pay the rent on my apartment, so now I'm living in the Black Fang bunkers. And now I have to live off of mooching other members. I've really hit rock bottom." The cavalier then smiled. "But now, the only way I can go is up!"
ELFIRED!
The cavalier lay on the ground, turning into ash. Erk and Canas rushed in, their hands glowing with magical energy. "Feel the fury of team magic user!" Erk said evilly, before throwing another Elfire. Canas followed up with a classic Flux spell. The pirate met the same fate as the cavalier.
"Oh, that was too easy!" Erk laughed.
"Wait, what's this?" Canas wondered, kneeling next to the toasted pirate. He pulled out a black tome, and brushed some of the ashes off. He flipped through some of the pages. "This looks...this looks like the spell of Nosferatu. Why would a pirate be carrying this?"
"Maybe he dual classed into a shaman?" Erk kidded, with a joking smirk.
The two magic users laughed, before Canas noticed a few other things. "A Flux tome...some magic components for spells...a monacle..."
The shaman and the mage looked at each, nervous. "I wanna dual class" Erk said, after a somewhat awkward pause.
Florina huffed, her arms folded across her chest. "Stupid Kozo and his stupid orders..." she pouted.
Kent looked down at the pegasus knight. "Perhaps he just didn't want you to miss out on seeing this person who's important to you" he offered.
Florina huffed again, and looked at her feet. "Who could be more important than Lady Lyndis?" she asked.
"Indeed..." Kent nodded slowly.
Suddenly, there was a furious beating of wings. Florina looked up, and saw a pegasus flying towards them. She gasped. "Could it..."
The pegasus, apparently looking tired, touched down near the group. The pegasus whinnied in pain, as it looked gingerly at its leg. The rider got off, and started digging through her bag for first aid equipment. The rider had short, aquamarine hair, with eyes of equal pigment. She wasn't very tall, almost a full head underneath Kent. She wore armour similar to Florina's, although it was more formal, well kept, and was a deeper shade of blue.
The presence of this woman was enough to bring Florina out of her sour mood. Her eyes glistened, and a wide smile spread on her face. "Sister? Fiora!" She rushed over to the woman, and leapt at her with her arms wide.
Fiora looked up, and dropped her equipment. She smiled in response, and caught Florina. "Florina! It has been a long while! What are you doing here?"
"I'm here with Lady Lyndis. What are you doing here?" Florina asked in kind.
"I am here to investigate the Dread Isle at a noble's request."
"By yourself?" Florina asked, with an innocent tilt of her head.
"No. I had a full company of fellow knights. We were attacked..."
"You don't mean..."
"...I misjudged our situation" Fiora explained, letting go of Florina. "Only two of us escaped...the rest are dead because of me...I'm a failure..."
"Don't say that!" Florina yipped up. "You're a splendid pegasus knight! I chose to become a knight because I admired you so much! Please, don't...don't beat yourself up like this!" Florina sniffed, some water falling to her cheeks.
"Florina...please don't cry." Fiora wiped a few knuckles across Florina's cheek, wiping the tears away.
Florina gasped a bit, and looked at the ground, ashamed. "I'm...I'm sorry..."
"No, it's my fault. The pain of being the sole survivor...it had me trapped..." Fiora smiled brightly. "Thank you, Florina. I can see clearly now."
Florina smiled in kind, before putting on a pondering face. She scratched her chin, before getting an idea. "Fiora! Come and travel with us! It's better to travel with friends then to struggle alone!"
Fiora thought a bit, before smiling. "You're right. I hate to admit it, but I can't do everything alone. Nor can I render my companions sacrifices moot by going home. Florina, please introduce me to your commander. I'll see if I can offer my services for a short time."
Florina nodded. "Well, Cecil's off in the battle field, and Kozo's gone off somewhere, but when they return, I can introduce you!" She looked down at her sister's pegasus. "What happened to Duey?"
"During our retreat, one of the Fang got mad and threw a rock at his leg. It must've been a hard toss, since Duey can't support himself on his front left leg."
"I'll take care of it, then" Florina insisted. "Go on, walk around and familiarize yourself with the group."
Fiora nodded, and walked off, allowing Florina access to the first aid materials.
Kent sighed, as he looked around, arms folded over his chest.
"Been rather quiet, hasn't it?" Marcus asked.
"You snake!" Raven shouted. "You've been hiding cards in the back of your headband!"
"What? It must've been an accident!" Bartre protested.
"How could you ACCIDENTLY have cards in your headband? You cheating dog, prepare to die!"
"No Lord Raven! It's not ri--"
WHOOSH! There was an audiable swing of an axe, although it didn't seem to hit anything.
"Are you okay, Lucius?"
"He...he sliced at my hair...YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
KA-BLAM!
"Yes, it has" Kent nodded. He continued looking, before his eyes stopped.
She walked by. The goddess of pure beauty walked by. With her hair, shining even in the fog, and her serious, but kind eyes. Her perfect shape, her perfect curves, Kent couldn't help but watch.
I believe in miracles...where you from? You sexy thing (sexy thing, you)
Kent watched as the woman of his dreams continued to walk by.
Vrrzzt!
Under the Sea...under the sea...darling it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me...
Kent glared over at Wil, who was listening to the stereo, doing a little mambo.
Wil got the gist of it, and stopped. "Sorry." He set the song back to what it was previous.
Kent kept his glare.
"What? I like that song."
Glare.
"Leave me alone! Don't judge me!" Wil ran to the nearest tree, scurried to the highest branch, and started crying.
Uhai smirked, as the group approached him, weapons ready. "So, you've bested the Black Fang I dispersed to kill you. Admirable."
"Wasn't too hard" Hector smirked, popping his neck.
Eliwood held his rapier forward. "But enough of the pleasantries. It's about time for you to die."
"Oh, I don't think I'll be dying any time soon" Uhai smirked. "I predict that by when this is over, I'll have trouble stepping over your corpses that litter the ground."
"Do you honestly think you can win against all eight of us?" Lyn asked, arms folded over her chest.
"No. Probably not all of you...at once."
"What are you imply--"
"But true to theatrical form, I know that you'll attack me one at a time, extending the fight scene and giving each member of your team a chance at the spotlight."
"That is just the stupidest reasoning..." Lyn started.
"Me first!" Sain cheered, raising his hand.
Lyn sighed.
Sain took out his sword, and urged his horse into a gallop. He swung his sword around above his head, approaching Uhai. The nomad smirked, and raised his own sword calmly.
CLANG! The swords clashed against each other. Uhai, not even trying, was able to keep Sain at bay. He then pushed forward, causing Sain to lose a bit of balance. The nomad trotted by, and pushed Sain off his horse, and into a mud puddle.
The green knightsquirmed a bit, before getting on his knees, and glaring at Uhai. "Not funny!"
Erk started shifting his hands around, magic glowing and pulsating between them. He then threw his hands forward at Uhai. "Elfire!"
The nomad flipped so that he was sitting on his horse's belly. The fire ball flew off into the forest, and Uhai flipped back into position. Erk snapped his fingers in disappointment. There was an explosion and a scream deep in the woods. "...Oh yeah, Elfire activates on a snap"
Meanwhile...
Cecil looked up from his hiding place. The nomads who were previously chasing after him and Serra were now busy running in circles, on fire.
"Well, that was lucky"
"I'm on!" Hector beamed, before taking out his axe. He charged towards Uhai, and swung. The nomad easily leapt over the blue haired axeman's head, and landed behind him. The horse lifted its hind legs, and punted Hector into a nearby tree.
Hector landed, his eyes spinning. "Ergo...ergo...ergo..."
"He's out of it again!" Canas called out, before the horse used its two FRONT legs to punt him.
"He didn't even get his chance, yet!" Guy complained.
PUNT!
Matthew flipped through his walkthrough. "Is he even supposed to be able to do that?" he wondered out loud.
PUNT!
"Stop relying on that stupid walkthrough" Kozo scolded, after kicking Matthew square in the rump.
"Dully noted..."
Lyn drew her Mani Katti. "Okay, that's it. Now it's my turn!" She raced towards Uhai, and suddenly vanished. She reappeared behind Uhai, and slashed him in the back. She then vanished again, appearing above him. She slashed at his shoulders. Again, she vanished. She appeared on the ground in front of him. She weighed her sword in her hand, and charged at him, slashing along the way. She sheathed her sword, and back flipped to her original position.
"Excellent, Lyndis!" Eliwood commented. He raised his rapier. "Now, it's my turn!" He charged, and thrust the rapier towards Uhai. It pierced the nomad's hand, causing him to scream.
"And now, for the finisher!" Eliwood raised his sword to his face, before flipping it back. He pulled his arm back, and...
IMPALE!
Uhai choked, a sword through his chest. Hanging from a tree branch, by a whip, was Winny, holding the rapier that was causing the pain.
Eliwood's jaw dropped. Uhai smirked. "Well done...you've killed me...with my dying breath, I shall tell you how to get to the Black Fang's headquarters. All you must do is--"
IMPALE...AGAIN!
Winny stuck his second rapier through Uhai's neck. Uhai choked again, and fell off his horse.
"Winny, you creep, he was about to tell us the location of the Black Fang's headquarters!" Lyn screamed.
"What part of Meatloaf don't you understand?" Winny asked.
"...What?"
"Anyway, I'm taking you to their headquarters myself. Don't need him telling you nothing anyway."
"Yeah, but what if we have to come back for a final battle or something?"
"Oh, what are the odds of that happening?"
"WINNY GNOME, YOU LITTLE BASTARD! YOU STOLE MY EXPERIENCE!" Eliwood started throttling Winnie.
Winny smirked. "Well, I suppose I didn't need to kill him, what with being a level 99 Ranger/Druid and all."
"But...but the maximum level is 20 per class, giving a perfect total of 40..." Eliwood let out.
"That's what this is for" Winny continued, holding up a cartridge reading "Gameshark".
"He used a cheat code" Matthew whistled in awe.
"Now why didn't I think of that..." Kozo muttered, scratching his chin. He then shrugged, and took Sain by the collar, and dragged him off.
"Where are you taking me?"
"I'm getting you out of those dirty clothes, and giving you a bath."
"Oh. Thank you. Um...you do have a change of clothes, right?"
"Not on hand."
"... ...Well, Lyn will be there, right?'
"No."
"HELP! HELP! I'M BEING REPRESSED!"
"Weren't you supposed to be helping us get rid of the Black Fang troops?" Erk asked.
"And I was" Winny Gnome nodded. "There was originally LOTS more than this. But I took care of 'em"
Meanwhile, in the Nabata Desert, a small army of shamans, pirates and myrmidons could be seen just idling by.
The shaman scratched his head, as he looked over the map. "Damn, I knew we shouldn't have listened to that Gnome and took that left."
"I think we should've stopped when we hit the ocean" one of the pirates pointed out.
"Now then, if you'll just get your other companions, we can be off. Of course, I'll have to slap on a time limit" Winny explained.
"Of?" Erk asked.
"Five seconds. ... ... ...Time's up." Winny Gnome took off.
"What the--YOU LITTLE!" Lyn shouted.
"Come on, let's just go get the others" Eliwood sighed.
"Oh! Lady Lyndis! Thank heavens you've returned!" Kent said, his lips quivering. He latched onto Lyn's leg, scared.
Lyn blinked, looking down at him. "Kent, what happened? What are you--"
"Lyndis! You're okay!" Florina cheered, leaping at Lyndis, and giving hera hug.
"Why's everyone so grabby today?" Lyn nearly snapped. Florina let go, but Kent kept his grip. "Kent, what are you--"
"EYAAAAAAAAAA!" Sain screamed, running past in his knickers.
"Wait! I haven't finished washing your back!" Kozo called out, jogging past the group, and holding a soapy sponge. "Hi Lyn. Hi Kent."
Lyn watched, as the two ran off. "Kent what are..." She looked around. "What are you talking about?"
"It's...that...GNOME! He just won't shut UP! He keeps talking and talking about the most inane things!"
"Now you know how I feel when I'm with Serra..." Erk mumbled to himself.
"You mean he's here?"
"Been here for the past half hour..."
"...SothenIrealizeditwasinherfooddishallalong!BoywasmyfaceredAswasShitaira'sbutshehadallherfurandsuchWhichremindsmeoftheonetimesomeonetriedtoshaveherface..."
"AND HE'S STILL TALKING!"
"He hasn't stopped for breath once..." Marcus groaned, throwing in his two bits.
"YAAAA!" Raven screamed, charging at Winny with his sword held high. He swung, and...missed. Completely.
Winny just gave the mercenary a funny look, before continuing. "SoasIwassayingDiaswasalittledrunkandhewantedtoseewhatabearlookedlikewithoutfursohetookaconvientlyplacedrazorand..."
Lyn nodded slowly, before looking over at Florina. "Florina, have you seen Cecil or Serra?"
Florina shook her head. "No...why?"
"They must be lost, then. Florina, pack your things, we're going after them."
"Right!" Florina said with a cute salute. She rushed off to get her things.
"That goes for the rest of you too!" She shouted out over top of the group.
"Yes ma'am!" The group packed up their things, and went off to look for the two.
"AndtothisdayDiasstillhastroublesittingdownoncruiseships" Winny concluded his story. He looked around, seeing them leave. "Um, I think they went that way..." He pointed out, pointing to a pair of Cecil sized footprints, accompanied by some Serra sized footprints. Winny stared a bit, before shrugging, and following the group.
"Cecil, where are we?" Serra asked.
Cecil smiled, but his lip twitched a bit. "Well, we're obviously in a FOREST!" he snapped. He breathed slowly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"Do you think we'll get out of here?"
"Of course we will. I know exactly where I'm going." The two continued walking. "Yes sir, you have nothing to fear, because I know exactly where the others...Oh, who am I kidding, I'm lost! It happens again!" Cecil ran off in another direction, crying.
"C...Cecil!" Serra yelped, running after the tactician.
A few seconds later, Lyn and Eliwood walked up to that same spot. "Well, they're not here either" Lyn sighed.
Winny looked down at them from a nearby tree branch. "You people took the long way" he pointed out.
Eliwood shook his head. "We'll have to go on without them. They can probably take care of themselves."
"I'll never see them again" Erk sighed.
"Don't worry, Erk" Lyn pointed out. "Cecil can protect Serra if they're ambushed, and she can cast some curing spells if he needs it."
"I'll never see him again."
"Come on, follow me!" Winny beamed, before rushing off.
"What the...hey! You run too fast!" Lyn complained, rushing after Winny.
"I'm not to fast! You're just tooooo slow"
Jaffar grumbled under his breath, as he continued to swim for shore. "I don't know why I put up with all this, I really don't" he continued to curse.
The soft sound of coughing caught Jaffar's attention, and he turned in the direction of the noise. Leila, who also, for some miracle, survived the fall, was clinging to a piece of driftwood for dear life.
Jaffar kept his glance at her. So, she's not quite dead yet he thought to himself. He felt his side. He still had his daggers, and she was in a very weak condition. He figured he could just quickly swim towards her, and...
Something stopped him. He kept treading water as he held onto his dagger. She'll die out here anyway he concluded. I don't need to beat an already forsaken horse. With that, he resumed his swimming. Besides, I've got bigger fish to stab.
A few minutes later, Winny walked over to Yoshimo, grinning. "So, what'd you think of my performance?"
"Remind me...why did I put you in this picture?"
"Contract" Winny said, holding up a sheet of paper.
"I have got to start reading those things..."
"Anyway, now's no time to mope, we need to do the Wheel of Morality!"
"Yeah, about that. I got a call from Warner Brothers, and they wanted to complain about copy--"
"Wheel of Morality!" Winny repeated, dragging in the large dial.
Yoshimo sighed, and stood up. He took the dial, and spun. "Wheel of Morality, turn turn turn, tell us the lesson that we should learn" Yoshimo said with no enthusiasm.
The dial came to a stop. "Moral number 3!" Winny pointed out. "And the moral of today's story is..." he continued, as the paper printed out. He took a look at the sheet, and raised an eyebrow. "Never read over contracts given by gnomes."
Yoshimo blinked and looked up. "Wait, that actually had something linked to the story...Winny, would you give me that?" He took the sheet, and looked it over. "...Winny, you read this wrong."
"Did I?"
"Yes. It says Never listen to any scheming dogs when they talk about how to hook up VCRs. How could you honestly get..."
"Say, before you turn in for today, would you mind signing this?"
"Sure, let me just put my--OH NO YOU DON'T!" Yoshimo threw both papers down, and stamped off.
"Oh, and I was going to do something nice for him..." Winny sighed.
Winny's Contract:
Yoshimo gains properity over Winny Gnome's Gamecube, N64, XBOX, SNES, Playstation, Playstation 2, Intellivision and 72 inch high definition plasma screen TV while the loaner in question is away on vacation, such as Christmas or Easter, as well as any vacation days used.
Winny Gnome
(Yoshimo's name goes here)
"Oh well." Winny struck a match, and held it under the paper.