Disclaimer: I don't own FE and whatever
To Dairokkan: All the sword users will have a different class of their own when they promote. They will promote later on in the story, using 2 promotion items. Remember that Karla had a Hero Crest and an Ocean Seal with her?
To Black Lord 500: Of course
I'm going to make these characters evil...not alignment wise, but personality wise, like Serra evil, just nowhere as bad. I'm thinking about making Raven, Erk, and Matthew more evil than usual. Raven's not going to be too overprotective of Priscilla, so he'll be evil in a different, more gangster, badass way.
By the way: new class promotion. I think that although soldiers should actually promote to generals, but I felt like making up a new promotion for it; a dragoon.
This episode, introducing: Einharjar, and its owner. And a dragoon to be.
THE TACTICIANS' WISH
Eliwood's and Hector's Tales Chapter 7: Whereabouts Unknown
An arena far away in Bern:
"The newly famed Princess of swords has shown herself in our arena!" the announcer yelled as Karla stepped out of her side of the arena. She readied her Diabolique in one hand and another sword in the other. Her second sword was a WoDao, a rare and valuable sword only a few smiths could make. A fighter stepped out of his side of the arena, and smirked.
"What? You're kidding me...the princess of swords is but a mere girl? HAHAHAHA!" the fighter laughed.
"BEGIN!" the announcer yelled. As soon as he finished, Karla focused blue energy into her Diabolique, and disappeared.
"Huh? What?" the fighter said, surprised to see his enemy just vanish into thin air. He didn't feel much after that when his head fell to the ground as Karla reappeared behind him. Surprisingly, none of her swords had any blood on them. She pushed her bangs away from her forehead, and walked away to collect her winnings.
A young girl blond haired girl with light green eyes watched from the shadows in the arena's preparation area, playing with the hilt of her sword. She saw the myrmidon's face when Karla pushed her bangs out of her face. The blonde was surprised to see the face. 'Lady Mitsuna...?' the blonde thought, curious.
Inside Castle Caelin:
"Ri... Ridiculous... Even Bauker?" Darin asked Hausen in disbelief.
"Lord Darin, it's time to give up this madness. Further resistance is meaningless. For what you've done, you may never be forgiven, but it's not too late to try. Tell Eliwood everything. He'll intervene with Marquess Ostia on your behalf..." Hausen tried to reason with the ex-marquess of Laus.
"I... I've lost..." Darin looked defeated.
"Hurry! Eliwood will be here in no time. Let me speak for you. Gurr...Guaaaa!" Hausen screamed in pain, and he fell down forwards. Behind Hausen's body stood the cloaked figure of Ephidel.
"None of that now. Marquess Laus needs no troublesome advice," Ephidel said calmly, and grinned.
"L-Lord Ephidel!" Darin stared at the cloaked man in shock.
"There is no turning back for you now. You should know that. First, Marquess Santaruz... and now Marquess Caelin. Both deaths are on your head," Ephidel warned.
"What? It was by your hand that they both died! I-I never asked for this," Darin said.
"Yes, I killed them... for you."
"To...to trap me?"
"Don't be absurd. I follow my master's orders. My only wish is to deliver your dreams to you. The crown of a united Lycia... And once that is done, dominion over the entire continent. Is that not what you desire?"
"... Yes... Yes, of course. That dream IS still worth a few sacrifices, isn't it?"
"You're exactly right. Our plans may have gone drastically awry, but as long as we have the master's power behind us, we cannot be defeated. We'd do well to leave now, before those meddlesome worms arrive. You will leave everyone from Laus behind. We will use them to delay our foe," Ephidel instructed, and got ready to leave.
"Everyone... My soldiers? But... who will protect me?" Darin asked Ephidel, obviously concerned about his own safety.
"The Black Fang and I will more than suffice for that task. There is nothing else you need, I assure you."
"Yes... I... I see that now. Where do we go from here?"
"To the Dragon's Gate... Our master awaits us there. The master has informed me our hostage may be all we need. If all goes well, we may be able to perform the ceremony with them alone."
"Oh? Is that so? I suppose we've nothing to worry about," Darin sighed in relief.
"That is correct. Now please, begin your retreat. I have two or three orders to give, then I will be right behind you," Ephidel told Darin, as he walked out of the room to meet someone.
"Pathetic imbecile... Leila? Where are you?"
"I'm here," a young purple haired woman replied as she came out of the shadows. She had a brown cloak on, and underneath it, a purple shirt and white pants.
"While Eliwood is occupied, finish off Marquess Caelin and hide the body. The enemy will waste precious time searching for him," Ephidel instructed the thief.
"As you command..." Leila bowed, and set off to do her job.
"You know, you've only been with the Black Fang a short while. However, you are quite skilled... I look forward to watching you."
"Yes sir..."
Meanwhile, at Dragon's Gate:
"EARTHSHAKER!" Kuro yelled, and slammed his sword down hard into the ground, and opening a crevice in front of him to swallow anyone unlucky enough to have been there. A few of his pursuers managed to jump away, and all dashed at him. "CHRONO BREAK!" He yelled, and the sword activated its powers to stop time. Kuro took this chance to strike the ones closest to him, and ran.
He was starting to feel the effects of fatigue. The food had replenished him, but he needed rest. 'Just...gotta...make it...to water...' he thought to himself. He couldn't fly, because his wings had been dehydrated by Nergal's mages. 'Damn these weak human legs...' he thought, as he kept on running. Soon the Chrono Break's effects will subside, but he could just cast it again, as long as he had the energy.
Kuro couldn't run anymore. He was tired. He had been running for a few hours from them now. 'Almost...at...the beach...' he thought, smelling the salty air of the sea. 'You can do this...and after this...gotta go to Caelin...' he thought, as he picked up his pace.
"THERE HE IS!" Kuro heard a voice yell behind him.
'Crap,' he thought, and turned around to see 3 mercenaries advance upon him. He turned around, and continued running towards the beach.
'He escaped again...he's very persistent,' Limstella thought. 'What could drive him to do something so futile, over and over again?'
Now, back to Caelin:
"There are still quite a few Laus soldiers in the castle..."Eliwood remarked.
"Where are the Caelin guards?" Hector asked Lyn.
"Most of them were killed during a surprise attack, and more of them were killed when they fought back. However, thanks to Hiro's tactics, there is only about a third of the Laus force inside now..." Lyn commented. "The survivors must be here somewhere."
"They might be locked away as prisoners... We'd better rescues them quickly. If Marquess Laus decides to hold them hostage, it will make seizing the throne much more difficult..." Eliwood commented.
"It's settled! Let's find the guards and retake the castle!" Hector said, cracking his knuckles.
"Hold on, Grandfather. We'll be there shortly..." Lyn muttered to herself.
"All right! Let's go!" Eliwood raised his rapier up high to signal the army.
"Hiro, this is Hannah. She can do an augury to give us some information about the battle," Mark introduced the fortune-teller to the myrmidon. "For a fee, of course."
"Here," Hiro offered her some gold, which Hannah put in her robes.
"Sky riders beware... This battle is not for you. You will need a thief. There
will be a meeting... Take the polite girl... The flame-haired beauty. And
again, take your rapier and hammer..." Hannah said, and she came out of her trance.
"...That's freaky..." Hiro commented. "Flame haired beauty? Who's that?"
"I take it that's Priscilla; Hannah mentioned polite girl..." Hilda replied.
"Okay. I'll strategize for this battle, since I know the location," Hiro said. "To the west is a room with weapons for an emergency, and there's another one to the northwest. I'll be sending Wil, Florina, Matthew, Guy, and Rebecca to take care of them. We need to protect the merchant and Hannah; you guys told me Marcus is doing that, but he might need backup, so I'm posting Eiji here with him. There's an empty room used for storage; that's where the survivors should be if they were locked up. Everyone else, we'll clear the way until we get to the throne. Priscilla!" Hiro called the troubadour, who walked up to him, holding Erk's left arm, dragging the mage, while Serra was holding the mage's other arm. "...okay. Anyways, first of all, you and Serra, get off of Erk. Secondly, Priscilla, you need to be on a lookout for someone you recognize. Hannah said something about you having a meeting with someone." Priscilla nodded, then resumed to hold onto Erk. Hiro sweatdropped. "Well, since that's all, COME ON!"
A myrmidon, a mercenary, a knight, and a cavalier were blocking the way, but soon they were barbequed. Then the small army stormed the castle. Wil, Florina, Matthew, Guy, and Rebecca went to the west to go to the first weapons room. They were greeted by a few guards; shaman, by the looks of their clothing. Wil got on Huey, and started to snipe them while Florina dived and dodged flux spells thrown at her. Guy slashed any that came near him and Rebecca, and Rebecca sniped any that were charging up spells. While the shamans were distracted, Matthew snuck by them and opened the door to the room. He saw an archer, waiting by a window, to snipe the main force. Matthew grinned, and slit the archer's throat. He then opened the chests to find a Hero Crest and an Unlock staff. He smiled again, proud of his find, and exited the room.
"Hey, you. Let me out of here," a flame-haired mercenary said from inside one of the storage rooms. He was addressing a Laus soldier outside, and he didn't sound too happy. He was being locked up with 3 Caelin soldiers and Lucius.
"What?" the soldier asked.
"Marquess Ostia's brother is among your enemy, right? Let me out, and I'll help you. But I must have the brother. I've a score to settle with house Ostia," the mercenary told the soldier.
"Do you think me a fool? You work for house Caelin! I cannot trust your word!"
"Then I'll have to break down this door and go through you. You were using Lucius as a hostage, but now he's here with me..." the soldier could hear the mercenary crack his knuckles.
"Uh..." the soldier was unsure of what to say; he was scared and he didn't know if the mercenary was bluffing or not.
"No, Lord Raven! You musn't! You cannot betray your debt to Marquess Caelin," Lucius pleaded.
"Shut up, Lucius. You think me foolish, but you don't understand...How about it?" Raven turned towards the soldier again.
"Very well. You! Get out! Remember, if you betray us, your companion dies," the soldier threatened.
"I see. Just remember, if that happens, you die next," Raven said as he calmly walked out the door, glaring daggers at the soldier.
"Wait! You can't go alone! It's too dangerous!" Lucius pleaded to his friend.
"Lucius, stay here and be quiet. I'll be back for you," Raven told the monk, and left.
"LORD RAVEN!" Lucius pleaded as the door was closed on him.
"I thought I heard someone familiar..." Priscilla said to herself.
Erk heard his companion's mumble. "What is it, Lady Priscilla?"
"Oh...nothing...let us move onwards..."
Erk and Priscilla were leading the way, and they were about to turn the corner at the end of the hallway when a knight and an archer ambushed them. "Lady Priscilla, watch out!" Erk warned her, as he blasted the archer with a thunder spell. He dodged a blow from the knight's lance, and electrocuted him with his thunder spell. "Phew...that was close..."
Raven heard the little scuffle on the other side of the wall, and prepared to ambush whoever came past the corner. He heard the clap of hooves on the stone floor. He prepared to strike, and was about to leap when he saw Priscilla turn the corner...with Erk. He sheathed his blade, and walked up to her.
"Ah!" Priscilla looked to her left, scared to see the mercenary walking up to her. Erk walked up beside her, and was about to attack, but stopped when he saw that the mercenary had his weapons sheathed. "Who..."
"Hm. I see. You don't remember me. I can't blame you, since I left when you were so young," Raven said to Priscilla, who just sat on her horse, speechless.
"B...brother Raymond?" Priscilla said.
"Yes...it's me."
"Lady Priscilla, you have a brother?" Erk asked the troubadour.
"Who are you?" Raven looked at Erk.
"Forgive me, sir. I was hired by Lady Priscilla to be her escort. I'm pleased to meet you, sir...um...Raymond," Erk bowed.
"...Raven. Call me Raven now. Erk...and sister...can we keep the fact that I'm Priscilla's sister just between us?" he looked at Erk.
"...of course, Lord Raven," Erk bowed.
"...Erk?"
"Yes, Lord Raven?"
"Don't call me that. That's Lucius's job."
"...Lucius is here, too? Where is he?"
"He's waiting for me at the storage room down the hall, being kept as a hostage. I...had to make up an excuse that I'll fight your army so I could escape and...come back with reinforcements. If I betray the Laus soldiers now, they won't be expecting it," Raven explained.
"I see. I'll help you save Lucius, he was a comrade of mine too," Erk told Raven.
"Let's go!"
Hiro turned around the corner. He heard the whole conversation, but decided that it was best to leave the matter for later.
"YO...YOU!" the soldier yelled as he saw Raven with his sword unsheathed. "DIE, TRAITOR!" he yelled, and called for a few cavaliers to back him up. "YOU'LL PAY FOR...OOMPH!" Raven slammed the soldier's skull into the wall with the flat side of his blade.
"What's that? I couldn't hear you over the sound of the wall cracking," Raven mocked the dead soldier as he kicked the corpse's butt, literally. Raven got into a fighting stance again, as Erk stood by his side, charging up his fire tome. "HERE THEY COME!"
2 cavaliers rushed at Raven and Erk. Erk just smirked. "SCORCHING HELL!" he yelled, and unleashed a wave of fire on the charging cavaliers, and the ones behind them, burning them to their deaths. Raven looked at the mage in awe. "...I love the smell of napalm in the morning," smirked the mage.
"...Do you, like, like my sister?" the mercenary asked the mage, scared of what Erk's answer would be, and scared of Erk's sadisticness.
"GAH! Um...why do you ask?" Erk's face turned red.
"...Nothing..." Raven looked away from the scary mage. 'Stay calm Raven, he's not going to kill your sister if he likes her. Stay calm...' "Look out! More are coming!"
"No problem! SCORCHING HELL!"
"...Well, that was a waste of breath."
Raven walked up to the door of the storage room, to hear a small conversation take place between Lucius and the soldiers.
"It must be Lady Lyndis! She's found reinforcements! It's time..." a soldier said.
"Hm? What... What are you doing?" Lucius stood up and walked up to the soldier.
"I thought aid might come, so I hid keys and weapons here," the soldier replied. "...What are you going to do?"
"Uh..." Lucius didn't know what to do.
"Your master... He's betrayed us. Lucius, I must ask. What will you do?"
"I... I want to stop Lord Raven. However... In his current state, I...doubt he will lend me his ear. And so... I will... wait. I will wait for Lord Raven here. I'm sorry... I cannot fight. ...Please understand," Lucius explained.
"I do. Here, these are for you," the soldier took out something from the hidden stash and gave it to Lucius.
"For me? Vulnerary and a book of light magic?"
"You don't have to fight, just protect yourself. I've known you only a short time, but you're a friend. I don't want to see you die..." the soldier said. Apparently, from his voice, it was noticeable that this soldier was a teenager; younger than twenty.
"Thank you Kain...thank you."
"All right boys! Open that door! On our honor as Caelin knights, we will save the marquess!" Kain raised his lance up. Just then, Raven kicked the door down.
"What? I go leave you guys for a few minutes so you can be safe, you plan to go on a suicide mission? What's wrong with you people?" Raven asked the soldiers and Lucius.
"You ruined the moment, man," Kain commented.
"I know," Raven smirked at the soldier. "Come on, Lucius, let's go. The rest of you, stay here."
Just then Hiro appeared and stepped into the doorway. "Actually, Kain, you come with us. I've seen you fight before, and you could actually help us."
"Um...yes, sir Hiro!" the soldier picked up his steel lance, and exited the door.
"Um...who are you...and where did you come from?" Raven freaked out when he saw the myrmidon appear out of nowhere.
"I'm Hiro, tactician of the House of Caelin, and recently joined the combined force of Pherae and Ostia..."Hiro said. "I overheard your conversation with Priscilla. Tell me, why is it that you don't want your identity to be known?"
Raven stopped in his tracks. "...I have a grudge against the house of Ostia. Wait, why am I telling you this?"
"I don't know. But please refrain from doing anything stupid. You look like a good person, and it would be a waste of a life to see you go so quickly. Warriors of Ostia aren't easily defeated, you know."
"...I know."
Matthew, Rebecca, and Guy snuck past the enemy forces by hiding in the shadows under Matt's lead, and reached the next treasure room. Rebecca aimed very carefully, and shot at the knight guarding the path into the room. It went through the visor of his helm and impaled his head. The knight soon started falling. Guy and Matthew caught him before he fell to stop him from alerting the other Laus soldiers. However, the knight's hand went limp as his dropped his lance. Guy noticed this and caught it on his foot. The lance was heavy, and balancing it on one foot, while holding onto a giant knight that's about to fall while standing on one leg is no easy feat. Rebecca giggled, and picked the lance up, careful not to let it fall. Matthew and Guy dragged the body inside the room, and laid it to rest on a wall. Matthew then opened the chests to find a Knight Crest, and another Silver Axe. 'Damn,' he thought. 'I'll give this to Eiji later...'
Priscilla, Raven, Kain, Lucius, Hiro, Matt, Guy, and Rebecca arrived at the throne room at the same time. They saw 10 knights standing there, as well as a general standing in front of the throne. "They're here? Hmmmm..." the general raised his eyebrows in surprise; he hadn't expected them to come so quickly, if they could even get there at all. He looked at Hiro. "I am Bernard, Knight Commander of Laus! I would test the might of those who bested Bauker!"
The knights readied their lances, and started attacking. Rebecca readied her new Steel Bow, and aimed it at a knight that was rushing at her, while running backwards. She pulled her string to its maximum elasticity, and fired, making a large dent in the knight's armor, stopping him in his tracks. Rebecca continued strafing and firing as the knight charged at her. After a while, Rebecca finally got a good shot at the knight's head, and took it. It struck true, and the knight fell to the ground.
"Ragh!" Raven yelled, deflecting a lance thrust from an enemy knight to the side. He jumped up, and kicked the knight's shield away, making the knight lose his balance. He then bashed his steel sword onto the knight's thick armor, making a huge dent in it, he continued bashing, not realizing that an enemy knight was sneaking up on him.
"Lord Raven!" Lucius warned the mercenary. "Behind you!"
Raven turned around to see another knight, and smirked. He back flipped over the dazed knight he was pummeling earlier, and let the second knight's lance strike his comrade instead of the mercenary. Raven then dashed out to the side of the first knight. "WINGS OF DARKNESS!" he yelled, as his sword started shaking and trembling, as if possessed by an evil spirit. Raven threw his sword up in the air above the knight, and jumped up after it, dodging a lance thrust from his opponent. He grabbed his sword as it descended, and brought it back over his head. He then struck downwards with great force, and cut through his opponent in the middle, slicing the knight in half.
Matthew and Guy ganged up on another knight. Guy parried the lance thrust, while Matt went behind the knight and slit his throat. They did the same thing will 2 more knights.
Lucius and Erk charged up their electric tomes. "SOARING BOLT!" they both yelled, releasing a thunder spell and lightning spell at the same time. The bolts came down from one place in the sky, but separated into many balls of electricity and electrocuted 2 knights. That just left one more, which Hiro easily sliced into ribbons with an Armor slayer and his Muramasa.
"Leave this place at once! How dare you desecrate the throne of Caelin!" Kain yelled in rage at Bernard.
"What will you do, boy?" Bernard threw his steel axe at Kain, who dodged it by sidestepping. Bernard pulled it back by the chain attached to it and spun it over his head like a morning star, and tossed it at Kain again, who dodged it. 'This one's pretty fast,' the general thought.
'Damn!' Kain thought. 'I can't get close to him!' Hiro then stepped up beside him. "Sir Hiro! I require assistance...GWA!" Kain yelped, as Hiro pushed him away from another toss of the axe from Bernard.
"Hmph..." Hiro grumped. "Kain, come here. I have a plan. I'm going to lure him to strike one of us. He seems to be really dependant on those chains of his. When the axe is stuck in the ground, roll the chain up with your weapon. He'll pull you back with him, and he looks strong enough to win tug of war with us. However, when he does this, he'll have no other method to defend himself. That's when whichever one of us isn't pulling will strike him."
"I got it," Kain nodded, and got his lance ready. Bernard threw his axe at Hiro, who sidestepped it nonchalantly. He rolled the chain attached to the axe, and pulled onto it. Bernard was surprised, and started pulling his weapon back with both hands. "This is my chance!" Kain said to himself. He prepared to jump, as he ran forwards. He stuck his spear in the ground, and pulled back on the stick. He then leapt up like the lance was a catapult, and launched himself high into the air, pulling the lance out of the ground. He twirled his lance around in midair, and straightened him self. He then swung his lance down hard into the general's head. It...didn't have the expected results. It just made a large dent in the general's helmet. "What...what is that armor made of?"
"Hah hah hah! This armor is made of very tough rare metal; adamantium! This is one of the few armors made with this kind of metal, even Lord Darin doesn't have this. You think you can hurt me with that puny attack of yours?" Bernard then pulled Hiro with all his might. The myrmidon went flying towards the general. Bernard pulled a hand back, and formed a fist with it. He then launched it at Hiro, sending the myrmidon flying backwards, and knocking him out. He started spinning his axe again, ready to launch it at Hiro. After he was satisfied, he tossed his lance...only to have it blasted back at him by a very large dark energy ball.
"Oh no you don't!" Mark yelled. Then Florina and Wil came flying in riding on Huey.
Hiro got up, and choked out blood. "Damn...his armor's made out of adamantium..."
"What? You're not serious?" Mark said.
"ERK! LUCIUS! STRIKE HIM WITH YOUR LIGHTNING SPELLS!" Hiro ordered the magic users.
Erk and Lucius started charging their spells, and launched them. "HAH!" Bernard laughed, and took out an iron lance. He then stuck the lance into the ground, and kneeled beside it. The electric spells were drawn by the lance instead of Bernard and went into the ground. "DAMN!" Erk yelled, but got an idea. He looked up to Florina and Wil, hoping they could read his mind. Wil nodded, and whispered to Florina.
Florina divebombed towards the iron lance, as Bernard started getting back up again. Bernard noticed Florina and Wil, and got his axe ready, but Rebecca shot it out of his hand, making him have to bend down to pick it up. When he got up, his iron lance was gone. "Wha...?"He looked up to see Florina, with her hair all raised up; obviously from the leftover current when she picked up the iron lance, which was in her hand.
"ARROW SHOWER!" Rebecca and Wil both yelled at Bernard, who just laughed at their futile attempt as their arrows easily bounced off of his armor like raindrops. The hailstorm of arrows did nothing against the general's armor. The general stopped laughing, to see Erk, Lucius, and Hiro in front of him with fully charged spells. 2 thunder spells and a lightning spell fully charged, to be exact.
"Oh...crap..." Bernard cursed.
"ELECTRO BOLT!" Hiro, Erk, and Lucius yelled, releasing their spells. All three spells came spiraling down on Bernard in one giant heavenly bolt, smiting the general. As it struck the general, there was a flash of bright white light, blinding everyone in the room for a few seconds. After the light subsided, Bernard was just a smoldering pile of ashes, and the armor was gone.
"GRANDFATHER? GRANDFATHER WHERE ARE YOU?" Lyn yelled as she ran into the throne room.
"Lord Hausen? Where are you?" Eliwood called for Marquess Caelin.
"Eliwood. Here, on the throne... It's blood..." Hector pointed at the red substance staining the throne.
"BLOOD? No...It can't be..." Lyn said, as she drop down on her knees.
"Lyndis! Calm down. He might only be injured. Come, let us find him," Eliwood comforted her.
"Yes, you're right. I must be calm. There! Over there! There's someone..." Lyn pointed to the shadows behind the pillar on the right of the throne.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Eliwood ordered. The young female thief from earlier stepped out.
"You...Leila!" Hector greeted the thief, and he and Matthew ran up to greet her.
"You know her?" Eliwood asked his friend.
"Yes, her name's Leila. She... works for Ostia... All right, she's a spy..." Hector confessed.
"Lord Eliwood of Pherae and Lady Lyndis of Caelin, correct? I am Leila. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Lady Lyndis, Marquess Caelin is back there receiving treatment," Leila bowed.
"My grandfather is alive?" Lyn asked the thief hopefully.
"His life is yet his own," Leila replied.
"Ah! Father Sky and Mother Earth! I thank you for your mercy!" Lyn sighed in relief.
"Leila, what are you doing here?" Hector asked his vassal.
"I... I'm following Lord Uther's orders. I'm investigating Marquess Pherae's disappearance," Leila told Hector.
"My father? What have you learned?" Eliwood asked the thief.
"Come with me. We should talk in private," Leila said, motioning for the lords and Matthew to follow her.
"Huh? Come on, Eliwood," Hector called to his friend, who didn't move. "Worrying about things won't change them."
"I know. I'm fine. Let's go!"
"Let me start with my conclusion. Marquess Pherae...is alive," Leila told the lords the good news.
"WHOOO! ELIWOOD!" Hector slapped his friend hard on the back, making the poor red-haired noble fall flat on his face. Eliwood got up.
"That's wonderful!" Lyn said.
"Are you sure?" Eliwood asked Leila, while rubbing his nose, so it sounded kind of like 'arh yoo shure?"
"I've been posing as a member of the Black Fang for several months. That's where I got this information. I believe it is true," Leila told the lords.
"Black Fang... They're the assassin guild that Erik spoke of," Eliwood remembered.
"Yes, we've known of their existence for quite some time. The Black Fang is a guild of assassins founded about ten years ago by Brendan Reed. They're based in Bern. Their arms reached quickly in several other countries. Originally, they targeted only nobles who abused their positions. The masses saw them as chivalrous, defenders of the common man. Their activities found wide support," Leila explained.
"Chivalrous..." Hector commented.
"Then about a year ago, Brendan got married again. Black Fang's operations have slowly changed since then. Now, they'll take on any target, no matter how difficult, as long as they're paid. And they're no longer killing only criminals; anyone is a fair target."
"Is this Black Fang responsible for what's happened to my grandfather?" Lyn asked Leila.
"Yes. We've learned of a mystery man named Nergal, behind Reed's wife. It seems the Black Fang is performing secret tasks across Lycia for Nergal. Nergal's trusted retainer Ephidel is with Marquess Laus. He manipulated Laus into hatching the rebellion plot against Ostia. The first to answer Laus's call for rebellion was... Marquess Santaruz."
"Lord Helman... Why would you..." Eliwood shook his head.
"Next was Lord Elbert, Marquess Pherae."
"You're telling me that my father endorsed this plan?"
"I cannot say. I do know that he is with Marquess Laus currently. In a place called... the Dragon's Gate."
"Dragon's Gate? Where is that?"
"On an isle called Valor, off the southern coast of Lycia. I apologize, but that is all the information I have," Leila said.
"Of all places to be, Valor... Blast!" Hector cursed.
"What kind of place is it?" Lyn asked the big lord.
"It's said that those who step onto the island never return. The common folk call it the Dread Isle. If that's where my father is, however, I will go and find him. And this 'Dragon's Gate,' too!"
"I'm going with you. I'll tell you right now, you can't stop me," Hector told his friend.
"I'm going too," Lyn said.
"Lyndis, I appreciate your kindness, but... Shouldn't you stay with Marquess Caelin?"
"Laus must be stopped. Otherwise, they might target my grandfather again. I also wish to help Eliwood's father. Losing a parent... It's an unbearable pain. It's something I'd rather you didn't have to feel yet."
"Lyndis... Hector... Thank you. You give me strength."
"Don't mention it."
"We're friends, Eliwood. This is what friends do."
"I'm also going to continue searching. Lady Lyndis, I think it would be prudent to let the world think Marquess Caelin is dead," Leila advised.
"I understand. I'll do that. Thank you," Lyn thanked the spy.
"No thanks necessary. If you'll excuse me..." Leila walked away from the lords.
"Leila! Nergal and this... Ephidel? What are they like?" Hector asked the thief.
"I've yet to lay eyes on Nergal. I've spoken to Ephidel on several occassions, however. He's... eerie. He always wears a cloak that covers his face. And yet..."
"What is it?"
"His eyes glow golden... You can't miss them. They seem... inhuman," Leila shuddered, obviously very creeped out by Ephidel.
Leila then walked off to talk to Matthew.
"Matthew. It's been a long time," she greeted the brown haired thief.
"What have you been doing? More dangerous work?" Matthew asked her.
"We're spies, Matthew. Everything we do is dangerous."
"That's true. So how long do you think this mission's going to last?"
"My objective is the same as yours: to rescue Marquess Pherae. If things go well, I'll be in Ostia at the same time as you are."
"Is that so? You need to visit my hometown."
"Is this where you were born? Why?"
"... To meet my parents."
"Hm? Matthew...mmph!" Matthew dashed towards her, embraced her, and kissed her. Then they slowly parted lips.
"Ha ha. Well, that's that! See you," Matthew said as he walked off.
"As slippery as ever... Didn't even wait for my reply."
"Lady Lyndis!" Kain called to the lord.
"Everyone... I'm happy to see you all well. I'm going after Marquess Laus. Protect my grandfather," Lyn told him and the other soldiers.
"Well, actually, milady, I plan on joining you and your group. Also, we found this earlier," Kain told Lyn, and gave her a Light Rune.
"Thank you, Kain. We'll stay here for the night to rest and prepare."
Later that night:
Priscilla went to talk to her brother; to talk to him about things that happened way back. She found him hanging out with Erk and Lucius.
"Lord Brother..." Priscilla called to Raven.
"One sec, guys. Ah, Priscilla..." Raven turned around to see her sister.
"It is I...Might I be with you a moment?"
"...Certainly," Raven looked at Erk and Lucius, who told him to go.
"Thank you," Priscilla replied.
"Something wrong?"
"I...am very happy. To be next to my lord brother like this...I have dreamed often of this day. Um...Lord Brother? ...Do you remember this ring?" Priscilla took a ring out of her robe.
"Hm? What's that?"
"You have forgotten... That is too bad. When I was young...When I was with you in Cornwell... You made a promise to me, brother. You said: When I grew larger, you'd take me as your bride."
"GWA? Yes...but surely...Priscilla," Raven yelped in surprise.
"Yes, I know. It was a child's game. So you said to me as I cried and cried... And then you gave me this ring."
"And...And you still..."
"I am still a child -- So allow me one more childish wish of you. Please, let me stand here, by your side. Don't make me suffer in loneliness again..." Priscilla hugged her brother and started crying.
"...You won't suffer again. We'll make sure of that," Raven said, and looked at his friends. "Lucius, Erk, and I will be there for you. But...Priscilla..."
"Yes, Lord Brother?"
"You...should return to Etruria. You should not stay here any longer."
"What? B-But why?" Priscilla looked at her brother in disbelief. "Please, don't make me leave! Not after I came all this way to see you again..."
"But, there are things I must do. And I don't want you getting involved!"
"Lord Brother! You are not planning something dangerous?"
"... It's nothing you need know of."
"It is something dangerous! Then, now more than ever, I cannot be made to leave! If you are to face danger, then let me face it by your side!"
"You're not listening, Priscilla. You were sent to Etruria for adoption-- You are no longer of House Cornwell. And...I am no longer your brother," Raven said, and walked away.
"Lord Brother! How could...Lord Brother!" Priscilla pleaded, and hung onto Raven.
"Priscilla... I am through speaking with you. I am your brother no longer. Please, return to Etruruia..."
"No, I cannot. No matter what you say... I cannot go home. I cannot bear to be somewhere where you are not! I love you, Lord Brother. I want to be with you, together. I...cannot leave your side."
"I see. You...were always like this, though, weren't you? So gentle at most times, until you got an idea in your head--then you wouldn't budge, no matter what people said..." Raven said, and sighed.
"Yes... I'm afraid I caused you much trouble."
"Priscilla..."
"Brother... Say what you will, I shall not leave. As long as you are here, lord Brother, so, too, must I remain," Priscilla looked Raven in the eye, showing him that she was determined.
Raven slumped down in defeat. "...Understood. You win, Priscilla."
"What...?"
"I planned to get revenge on Ostia for the destruction of House Cornwell. Since I cast aside the name Raymond and took the name Raven, revenge is all I have lived for. But...now, I have given that up. ...It is not right to abandon my little sister. That is all I have to say. Let's be off, Priscilla. You were going to stay by my side, were you not?"
"I...Yes, Lord Brother!"
"And don't you have more important matters to attend to? Like Erk?"
"Um...er...Erk...what...what does he have to do with me?" Priscilla blushed.
"You like him. It's obvious. Look, if you need any help, Lucius and I will be there to help you. If there's a problem..."
"Serra."
"What?"
"The pink haired cleric...she's kind of...competing with me for Erk."
"...Don't worry about it. You'll win. Erk seems to have his heart set on you, as well."
"Is...is that true, Lord Brother?"
"...Yes, Priscilla."
"Then if Serra wants to compete with me for Erk, I'll just have to show him I'm more suitable than that tramp!"
"...excuse me, Priscilla?"
"Um...I'm sorry. It just came out of my mouth..."
'...Lucky Erk,' Raven shook his head, and gave his friend a pitying look. Erk caught it, and gave a 'You ain't seen the best part yet' grin. 'Hmm...Serra, eh?' Raven thought. 'Her personality's not much, but she's not bad to look at either.'
Meanwhile, on the other side of camp:
"Leila's story contradicts your story on a few points, Lucifer..." Kyo pointed out.
"...I didn't want to tell you about the first wife of Brendan Reed. The memories are just too painful to bear," the mercenary replied. "I wanted to alter the story so it wouldn't have anything to do with her. But if you want to hear the true story, listen to me now." Everyone nodded, and started listening intently.
Lucifer sighed. "Sonia, Brendan's late wife did marry him a year ago. However, she started to date him way before then. She had small control over the Fangs, but not too many noticed her until she brought Nergal into the picture. During the time they were dating, I was called by her, and rest of my story is truth."
"Alright, we'll go to bed then," Kyo said, and went to his tent. Fiaa followed, and soon Mark and Hilda did, too. Soon, only Hiro and Lucifer were left.
"...Tell me more about your family. Your sister...Karla...that's her name..." Hiro said.
"Yes. Even as a child she was beautiful. She forsook the art of the sword, but mother made us learn it. Our family, from the mother's side, had a...rather unique tradition. We have a powerful sacred sword in our family. Our family must learn the art of the sword and fight for it to get to wield it...But then we get to the part where my father was forced to give us to the Black Fang. It was stored in the necklace it came out from by our mother, and gave it to Karla to protect her. There are runes on the blue blade of the weapon. No one could read it, except Karla. It was called...Diabolique," Lucifer told Hiro.
"...In the Black Fang, was there an assassin that specializes in the use of smoke bombs?" Hiro asked.
"...Yes. His name was Villa. He has great skill with swords, and can throw daggers and explosives at his enemies with great skill and accuracy..." Lucifer said. "...Why do you ask?"
Hiro told Lucifer about what Villa said.
"Wait, what about my sister?" Kyo walked out of his tent, hearing the name of his sister being mentioned.
Hiro told Kyo what Villa told him as well.
"...These stories fit to well to be a lie, that's for sure..." Lucifer said.
"...It's true. She has to kill me. It's her job, or else she dies..." Hiro murmured.
"Not necessarily. The Fang's rules...can be bent a bit, especially by people with creative minds. There was a rule; as long as you get the job done, you're good, as long as it's under the given time limit. But Villa didn't say anything about a time limit; he just said, as long as she sees you. The mind control they have on her is flawed like that. I bet this was another one of Jonah's sick experiments..." Lucifer clenched his fists. "...Many good men...their corpses...he dug them out of their graves and used them for his experiments...the nerve of that monster..."
"...It's unbelievable that she's part of the Fang..." Kyo commented.
"Well, we'll solve this problem when we get to it. I found out that the best way to solve a problem is by winging it," Hiro commented.
"...I hope you're right..." Kyo said. Neither he nor Lucifer wanted to lose a sister, and Hiro didn't want to lose his lover as well.
Back at the arena:
"Tiring day...10000 G in prize money...that'll last for about a few months..." Karla muttered, as she started to pack up her things at the inn. Then someone knocked on her door. She opened her door to see a girl with long light blonde hair, slightly older than her, and with light green eyes. The girl was wearing a white shirt, with tight white pants and brown boots. She had a white cape with a pink underside on. She had a small bracelet made out of silver. However, she had a golden necklace exactly like Karla's except that instead of a Sapphire, it had Orihalcon, the rarest gem in the world. "...May I help you?"
"...Lady Mitsuna, is it really you?" the girl asked Karla.
"Wha...who are you?" Karla asked the girl.
"Oh...it looks like you don't remember. I'm Elena; one of the girls in your swordsfighting classes! I'm Eiji's cousin! You look well, milady," Elena bowed.
"SHH!" Karla pulled Elena inside the room, looked around to see if anyone else was in the hallway, and slammed the door shut. "Okay. I'm trying to remember. But Elena, please, I have a different identity now. It's Karla."
"But, why milady?"
"..." Karla said nothing, and looked outside the window, and closed it.
"Why are you being...forgive me, milady...so paranoid?"
Karla told Elena her story.
"...That's...quite a story. But at least you've found your loved one..." Elena commented.
"I wasn't finished, my mouth was just dry," Karla said, and continued. After that, she and Elena were crying madly and hugging each other.
"THAT IS THE SADDEST STORY I HAVE EVER HEARD! (wails)" Elena sobbed madly.
"I KNOW! THE WORST PART IS...IT'S TRUE! (wails)" Karla cried as well.
"YOU HAVE MY SIMPATHY, MILADY...(sniff)!"
Later that night...
Karla woke up to a sudden sound. She stood up, and saw that her companion is still asleep. She looked outside the window, and saw nothing. 'That's weird...' she thought. Then she heard it again. It sounded like a...roar. A battle cry. Then...
"THEM BE SOME FINE WOMEN IN THIS TOWN! THE BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS OF SWORDS WILL BE OUR PRIZE TONIGHT! HAHAHA!"
'Bandits...' Karla thought, and got her swords ready.
"What's going on, milady..." Elena woke up to the sound of the bandits.
"Bandits are attacking us. I'll go outside and fight them. It's me they're after; I've heard what they said. I can't risk them hurting the people here just because of me..." Karla said, sheathing her Wo Dao and Diabolique.
"Then I shall help you! I am a good swordswoman as well," Elena strapped her sword onto her belt. "Let's go, Lady...Karla."
"And please don't call me that...it sounds weird."
"Of course, Karla."
The two women ran out of the inn, and told the innkeeper of what's going on. Karla and Elena ran outside, and went to greet the bandits. The bandit leader spotted the 2 women, who had their swords unsheathed. "AHAHAHA! These girls want to mess with us! AHAHAHA! They're not so bad to look at...We could make them harem girls later! CAPTURE THEM!" the brigand ordered.
"...Wow...I think there are about 50 of them, at least...and there are 2 of us," Karla remarked, tilting her hip, and stood in a cocky way, as the bandits ran up to them. "Unfair odds, don't you think?"
"You're right, milady. They wouldn't stand a chance," Elena replied, unsheathing her sword. Its blade was made of silver, but the middle was lined with the finest Orihalcon. Its hilt was platinum, with an orihalcon crest in its middle. "The Einhenjar shall purify their dark souls with its light of holiness."
"Elena?"
"Yes?"
"Don't say milady either. Remember, it's just Karla now. And you don't need to talk formally to me now, too, since I'm not exactly a princess now."
"Got it."
The bandits all started coming, but Elena just laughed, and gathered yellow energy all around her sword. It looked like spirits were fusing together into the blade. She aimed the blade at the oncoming bandits. "PHOTON BEAM!" Elena yelled, as her blade launched a powerful beam of white onto the enemy swarm. It pierced through whatever it hit, killing many bandits in a line.
"Sub-Zero Flare!" Karla raised her Diabolique up to the sky, and swung it towards the bandits. She released a cold blast from the tip of the Diabolique, which then hit a bandit. The blast exploded into an explosion of cold, freezing everything in its explosion radius, which included a great number of bandits.
The bandit leader stood speechless. Realizing that his men were getting slaughtered by these 2 girls was just amazingly humiliating. The truth is, they couldn't even get near the girls. So he decided that enough was enough. "ENOUGH, BOYS! RETREAT!" he gave the order, turned tail, and ran.
"Well, that was a good workout..." Elena commented.
"Foolish people..." Karla commented. "Why would they do this...? Isn't there a better way to live life that wouldn't hurt other people?"
END Eliwood and Hector's tale chapter 7
Please R&R!