Considering my injuries, there was no way in hell I was going to be able to participate in the battle going on in front of me. However, from the vantage point given by my position as I was tended to by two soldiers, I could see most of our ruined camp.

It was not a pretty sight.

"B-by the Gods!" The soldier to my right murmured. "W-where did they come from?"

"Same place we did, man," I replied, "Underground. I saw a shit load of 'em down there."

"Sir?" The soldier to my left said, confusion etched in his features.

"You'll hear about it soon enough." I waved off, getting a handle on my mouth. It probably wouldn't have been a good idea to worry them. Maybe I was just antsy, despite my injuries and fatigue.

Truth was, I wanted to be down there fighting with them. My friends were fighting for their lives down in the camp, and what was I doing? Laying on my frozen ass with two soldiers to keep me company. I didn't blame them for leaving me behind; hell, I would've done it if any of them had been in my position, but the frustration and helplessness was there all the same.

The abomination dragon things crawled around the ruins of our camp like ants. Bodies of men and monsters alike dotted the ground. A single roar rang across the landscape, one I was all to familiar with, and a second later fluorescent flames flowed across the frozen ground, engulfing several of the dragon-things as it went along. The ground became a half-thawed slurry, and I saw someone trip from it, making it easier for one of the monsters to tear into his back.

I could see Nowi in her dragon form. I'd forgotten how awe-inspiring she was. Unlike the abominations, which looked like a human and dragon mashed together, she was a pure dragon. As far as I knew, at least. The usual disgust and revulsion I felt for a lot of the more fantastical creatures was gone, replaced by admiration. For dragons, at least.

This is getting weird, boy scout.

My mind had become strangely clear since Sully and Vaike charged into camp, to be sure. I couldn't really explain it, but everything just seemed so distant; so far away, like I was watching through a television screen.

A shiver went up my spine. I, of all people, should've known just how dangerous that was. I couldn't afford to be overly clinical, especially given the situation.

Nowi roared again as a wave of wind magic swept an abomination away from her. Ricken, probably. Little man was all about wind magic from what I could remember. I recalled how he sent several men to their death falling from a cliff back when the war with Plegia first started.

I shook my head. I hated it, how I was thinking, but I couldn't help it.

In the end, the fighting lasted for another ten minutes. Ten minutes of me doing nothing but sitting on my ass, doing nothing but staring as everyone fought. If there was one thing I hated more than my head at that moment, it was that I could do nothing.

When the fighting was over, the two soldiers with me helped me up and took me to the camp. A calm, light snowfall arrived, in complete defiance of the chaos from before.

I took a deep breath, my breath misting in front of me. I shouldn't have been surprised that everything had gone to hell.

I hate the cold.

I downed the bitter concoction like my life depended on it. It was my fourth one, and I was feeling a bit better, although not by much.

"He's drank, what, four already? The hell happened in there?" Sully asked pointedly, crossing her arms. "Don't care what it is; can't be any worse than what's gone on here. Most of our supplies are destroyed, little shelter, and we got a shit ton of goddamn monsters out there ready to come outta the ground and eat our asses."

I furrowed my brows. Somehow, the news didn't affect me as much as I thought. Or as much I'd have liked. "Sully, if you keep hyping yourself up like that, you'll have an aneurysm."

"Oh, and why can't I!?" She growled, whirling on me. "We got to this hellhole with fifty men. Fifty. Now all's we got is thirty-five. We lost fifteen men in a single day. How in the hell are you even keeping yourself from doing the same thing I am?"

There was only a handful of tents in the camp that remained intact. We were in one of them, trying to decide our next move. What Sully was saying was completely accurate; our camp was in absolute shambles, with a good portion of our food missing, and other supplies being drained by the wounded. Of our original fifty, only thirty-five remained.

Murphy's Law is in full effect.

"And she said Teach was on the rag," Vaike mumbled, sitting down on a half-broken crate, his usual attitude gone.

"Oh, Gods, if we weren't already 'bout to run out of healin' shit-!"

"This conversation serves no purpose," Miriel said curtly, "We must plan our next course of action. I am most curious about what Alexander has gone through, however. I do not believe we will be able to make an educated decision until he tells of his experiences."

Sully looked like she was about to argue; her mouth opened and closed several times before she eventually nodded. "Fine. Whatever you say, big hat. You're the one who got him in that mess in the first place, might as well figure out what that got him into, yeah?"

I could see Miriel grip her robe tightly, although her face remained as stoic as ever. "Quite," was her only response.

I sighed. "You guys. I know things are looking bleak right now, but I don't think taking potshots at each other is really gonna solve anything. I don't mind telling you what I saw down there, but it ain't pretty."

That was putting it mildly, but at that moment I didn't care.

I leaned back, trying to get myself as comfortable as possible. "There's something down there. Something evil. Fucker stalked me through the entire ruin. Showed me some pretty awful shit; a battlefield filled with corpses and weapons, my homeland, Donny. All kinds of crap. When I got fed up with its bullshit, it came right at me. Gave me a nasty bruise. What I saw looked a lot like all those monsters swarming the camp earlier, just a giant mixture of a human and a dragon, and it spoke to me. Called itself the 'Pontifex'. Think it's what turned Ransom into a monster; said I'd make a 'good soldier' and that I'd be transmogrified or some shit. Jabbed a torch into its eye and got away, and saw a giant silo filled with a shit ton of those monsters, all just hanging around like they didn't have a care in the world." I looked down. "That's when you and Vaike found me. I thought you guys were just another illusion at first. Er, sorry about that by the way, Sully."

"Illusions," Miriel echoed, brows furrowing. "It tried to break your will?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "Something, something, pacification process or some bullshit. Don't know why it needed something like that, 'cause it said that being turned into one of those things would erase my personality." I chuckled humorlessly.

I didn't mind talking. It felt like I was explaining something that happened to someone else instead of what I'd actually gone through.

"Gods, what hell's gotten into him?" Sully asked loudly. "You sound like you're givin' Robin a report."

"The Pontifex," Miriel murmured, her eyes showing that same old twinkle of curiosity. "Of course, the ruler of Khadein. The last ruler of Khadein in the records was the Dark Pontifex, Gharnef. If what you say is true, then…" Miriel became quiet.

"All I heard him say is 'we need to get the hell outta here for reinforcements'," Sully said, crossing her arms. "Didn't need him to tell me there were a shit ton of monsters down there, and now he tells us about this goddamn 'Pontifex'. Ain't no way in hell we're gonna beat something that can just make you see shit like that. And turn ya into one of 'em"

"Scared of a challenge, Sully?" I replied airily. "I hurt it; we can kill it."

"Don't think that's what's worryin' her, Alex," Vaike said suddenly, "It's those monsters. Teach had to hit 'em hard just to make a dent in 'em. Ain't even sure how we were able to drive them off. There's only thirty-five of us, yeah? We don't stand a snowball's chance in the desert."

I shrugged. "What more do we have to lose, guys? The next Griffin Rider doesn't come for another fuckin' week, and even then do you really think he'd be able to get help or, God forbid, supplies before we run out?"

"Are you suggestin'-?" Sully began.

I nodded. "Yeah, I say we go back down into that goddamned hellhole and burn this Pontifex fucker. Even if we don't survive, we'd probably be doing everyone a favor."

"Naga, listen to this dastard!" Sully exploded, waving a hand at me incredulously. "There's only thirty-five of us, Alex, not a goddamned army! I ain't gonna run away from a fight, but this ain't one we can win on our own!"

I shook my head, leaning onto my left hand. "So I guess we just go out into those mountains and freeze to death, huh? Perfect plan, Sully. Why didn't I think of it? At least if we go down there, we'd be able to fight the monsters. Can't exactly fight the cold, can we?"

"Alright then, smartass, keep talking like that and we can take this outside," Sully said coldly. "So that's just it, then? Either go back down into those ruins or freeze to death in the mountains? Those men out there, they're depending on our decision. And we can't just wait it out 'cause those monsters'll come outta the ground at any moment and finish us off."

I blinked. "Fuck, I didn't even think about that." I looked up to the beige canvas above us. "We're really fucked, aren't we?"

Sully was fuming like a bull. She grabbed the edge of the table so hard I swore I heard cracks. "Guess we're all just gonna die out here. I knew this entire thing was a trap. Gods, did I know! Thought I was just my gut actin' up but nope. Monsters underground and nothin' but freezin' shit everywhere else. Gods damn it all to hell!"

She grabbed the edge of the table like she was about to flip it before releasing her grip and slumping on one of the chairs. Her head slumped to one side, defeated.

For once, I felt a pang of fear. The first since I left the ruins.

Sully shouldn't be like that.

"I believe that we must return to the ruins," Miriel spoke up, causing my head to perk up. "But not without insurance, as it were. I believe the manakete – Nowi was her name, correct? – could fly over the mountains and inform Ylisse and Ferox of our situation. While that is occurring, we enter the ruins once more and attempt to destroy this 'Pontifex." Miriel began pacing. "Indeed, that should solve many of our issues; I am making an assumption, an educated guess on the nature of this entity. I believe that it controls the abominations underground, or is in some way connected to them in an integral manner. The shaking of the ruins, the ambush, and your injury of the Pontifex, all of it is connected."

Her words washed over me; I could make sense of them, but they were overwhelming. My state of mind didn't help with that. At least I could understand what she was getting at.

"So," I began, leaning forward. "You think that, if we kill the Pontifex, the rest of the monsters will fall, giving us enough time for Nowi to get to civilization and get us help?"

"That is the gist of it, yes," Miriel replied, adjusting her glasses. "It is a risky plan, one that could result in all of our deaths. But as you so eloquently put it 'what more have we to lose'?"

"I don't think those were my exact words," I mumbled. "But, well, yeah. Personally, I was- No, nevermind." I shook my head. "You're right."

I was forward-thinking maybe a little too much. If we got reinforcements, it could interfere with Robin's army. And we needed that for Valm. Or, God forbid, if those monsters got out and invaded, that would be even worse. Grima would probably crush both us and the Pontifex if he were to get his way, and he would allow it all to go down if it weakened Ylisse, even if there was Valm to still worry about. Not to mention it could make more of them.

A headache is what it would be. A mess, for everyone involved. There was no way we could let the Pontifex and its army out. I knew the plan would either work or we'd die trying.

That sparked a memory, a warm hand grasping my own tenderly. And suddenly, I didn't care if I might've died, as long as she could live.

"Don't think the men'll like that all too much," Vaike said suddenly, running a hand through his spiky blond hair. "They just got done fightin' monsters that just shirk off their swords, yeah? Sure, the axes got through, but it ain't like that'll get their hopes up."

"Vaike, it isn't like you to be a fuckin' downer like this," I replied. "It's not like we have a lotta choice, do we? Either go down there with a chance of stopping this shit before it turns into a crisis, or we run and definitely freeze to death in the mountains."

"To hell with it all!" Sully exclaimed, standing up and marching to the tent flap. "It ain't like the news is gonna get any better; might as well give it to 'em now. Ya'll just gonna stand there starin' at me or are we gonna go break the news to 'em?"

"See, now that's what I expect outta you, Sully," I said, smirking a little as I stood up myself. My legs protested by sending a jolt of pain up my spine, but I'd been through worse. "Might as well get it over with, I guess."

I followed Vaike, Sully and Miriel from the rear, my legs still holding me back a little. The concoctions and vulneraries could only do so much, it seemed, if the pain shooting through my legs was anything to go by. Despite that, I kept up as best as I could.

I'd almost forgotten how fucked our camp was. Most of the fires had been put out – it wasn't until the battle was over that I was told Nowi'd set most of them – and the bodies were being cordoned and dealt with. One pile for our own, and another for the abominations. Or at least, the ones that weren't turned to ash by Nowi. I made a mental note to talk to her and Ricken before we sent them off.

The men remaining noticed us leaving our tent and gathered around us. We found a nice icy hill to shout from. With small snowflakes falling to the ground, and the misty breath of our soldiers, the scene was like something out of a movie.

I shook my head again, rubbing my forehead. That was a stupid way of putting it. I'd almost forgotten what a movie was, let alone what kinds of scenes could be in any of them.

"Alright, you lot, listen up," Sully began, her voice booming over the group. "Ain't no other nice way to put it: we're up shit's creek without a paddle. We don't gotta lotta food left, and our tents are shredded. But that ain't all of it. Just below us is a goddamn monster that puts the ones that swarmed our sorry asses look like plucked chickens. Can turn a man into a monster, just like them. And you know what we gotta do? We gotta go down there and beat its scaly ass into the ground. Either that or we try 'n leave through the mountains, which'd just freeze us to death. Anyone got any questions?"

The silence made my ears ring.

Soon enough, however, murmurs began. Those murmurs turned from quiet and conspiratorial into loud and angry within a few seconds, and not long after we almost had a full-on riot on our hands.

"After everything we've seen, we're just going to go back in!?" One soldier shouted.

Another man, a Feroxi based on his choice of dress, stepped up. "I ain't stayin' round here with all those Naga damned monsters down there! My axe could barely make a scratch on their hides!"

Sully turned to us, giving me a look. "Told ya they wouldn't like it. Think they'll mutiny? Bets on them mutinying. Ain't like they got much to lose out here."

My eye twitched. "You didn't give them much of a reason, did you? Just told them we're fucked."

"We're not?" Sully raised a brow.

"Oh, fuck off," I replied angrily, something burning in my chest again. I felt the need to do something, anything. "Alright, you know what? Let me have a crack at it. See if I can't get them to calm down."

Sully made a show of gesturing to where she once stood, as the men grew louder. Frowning, ignoring the agony my legs were in, I marched up to the plate.

This is either gonna go really well or really bad.

"All of you, shut up!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, my gravelly voice rolling over the group.

Somehow, it worked; they stopped speaking, although they did look at me like I'd murdered a puppy right in front of them.

"All of you, I know that shit's looking bleak right now. Lord knows it is. Our camp's fucking destroyed, and we got a whole shit load of abominations just below our feet waiting to eat us, or have their master turn us into one of them. But you know what? I'm still going to go down there. Do you wanna know why?" I stood up straight. Always saw leaders do that. "Because I know what'll happen if we just leave this problem right now. Those fuckers are gonna pop outta this hellhole and try to invade our home and murder our families. Is that what you want? Ylissean's, we're descended from Marth and his companions. Did Marth ever think twice about taking on Medeus with nothing but Falchion and the Fire Emblem? Feroxi, you fought a fucking war with us, I've seen you bastards charge straight into the Plegian lines during the last war and tear them limb from limb. Don't tell me you're afraid of some lopsided half-dragon monsters, huh?"

I took a deep breath, keeping an eye on the men. They were completely silent.

"We're going to send someone out. Think you've seen that little girl running around? Yeah, you also know she's a terrifying dragon. We're gonna send her over those mountains and tell somebody about what's going on here." An admittedly cute roar from the crowd, causing a few of the men to yelp. "Yeah, that's her. While she's doing that, we're gonna descend into that hellhole, stomp on this thing's neck, and then go home laughing and cheering, you hear me? Because I promise you, when we get back, they'll sing about us. The heroes who stopped an invasion of monsters before it could even begin!"

A few 'hurrahs,' mostly from the Feroxi, although many of the Ylissean Soldiers were looking at me differently than before.

At that point, I was running on fumes. Didn't know how much longer I could keep going, but I was going to see my little speech to the end. Even if my legs were beginning to shake because of the strain.

"We will tell you more soon. For now, let's fortify. Get this camp back into order. And burn the bodies while we can. We're gonna need to do a lot of preparation for this. Just remember: we can do this! No matter what, we are Archaneans, and no wannabe dragon fucker is gonna take us down! Who's with me!?"

That last bit got to them. Several cries of agreement rang out.

I turned back around, looking at my friends.

"I think I'm about to pass out, guys."

Fortunately for us, the one thing the abominations didn't get their clawed hands on were our weapons. We still had a veritable shit-ton of them left, everything from axes and maces to spears and swords. I doubted how much they'd do, especially the swords and spears, considering how mine just sort of bounced off the Pontifex's scales. Blunter weapons had a better shot, apparently; some of the men were even able to kill a few of the abominations with them. Still a far cry from what we needed, but it would have to be enough.

We decided when we'd go back into Khadein: just a day from then. Almost three since we got out of there. I wasn't thrilled at the prospect of going back in, especially after all the shit I went through, but I'd already galvanized the troops. Somehow, I knew that if I backed out, things would get a whole lot messier.

Not that I would, but still.

The question of how in the hell were we going to damage the things came when I found Miriel torching one of the bodies.

I stumbled upon her towards the edge of our ruined camp. I'd just gotten done sorting our weapons, making sure we had enough. With a fire magic tome in hand, she sent a fireball towards the corpse of one of the abominations. It slammed into its scales, making them bubble and burst as it traveled through its cold flesh. Its draconian head slammed backwards as the blow traveled through its body.

"Miriel-?"

"Shhh!" She shushed me.

Once more, fire surged from her hand towards the body, burning another black hole into its flesh. I looked at her like she'd gone mad.

"You think it's dead yet, or do you wanna do that a couple more times just to make sure?"

"I am aware that it is deceased, Alex," Miriel replied, taking a quill and scrawling down a few notes in a different tome. "I believe I have just found a curious weakness in our enemies defenses."

I looked at the smoldering corpse of the abomination as smoke trailed up from its open mouth. "Lemme guess: fire?"

"Indeed," Miriel confirmed. "No doubt you saw the holes in Ransom's body when we examined it? Those were caused by fire magic. Your testimony regarding the Pontifex, in which you lodged a torch into its eye, and finally, the manakete's flames burning them into dust, all of it points to that conclusion, does it not?"

I thought for a moment, putting the pieces together before nodding. "Yeah, guess it makes sense. Don't think we can set our weapons on fire, though, so that means we'll have to protect the remaining mages, then."

"A viable stratagem; while the soldiers are distracting the abominations, the mages should be able to use magic to tear them apart," Miriel answered, putting her tome away. "However, it could result in significant casualties if even one soldier falls, breaking the line. We must be prepared if that occurs."

I nodded, humming. "Yeah, I hear you." I frowned. "I know I'm the one who proposed it and all, but do you think our plan's kinda stupid? I mean-"

"It is not as if we have much choice in the matter, Alexander," Miriel said quickly, looking me in the eye. "Why do you think I supported your decision? We came here in order to discover what turned Ransom into a monster, as well as to destroy it if necessary. Your plan correlates with your Lord's, does it not? It is quite obvious that there are no other alternatives other than to destroy this 'Pontifex' and prevent an invasion by these monstrosities. Were we not sent here, it is likely that we would not even have this chance to prevent it before it began."

Adjusting the fingers on my iron hand nervously, I conceded her point with another nod. It was amazing what a night of sleep could do, even if it wasn't particularly restful. Even the bruise on my chest and my legs didn't really hurt anymore.

"Thanks, Miriel," I replied, my corners of my lips upturning in a small smile. "That actually means a lot more than you know."

"I am pleased to see I had that effect. The men are looking to you for leadership now, after your speech, and it would be disastrous should that image of you fail in their eyes," Miriel continued matter-of-factly, "I hope you realized this."

"Yeah," I rasped. "Yeah, I did. Said all that shit while I was still off my rocker, but I won't take anything I said back."

A pseudo-leadership role was not something I signed up for, but I'd bear it if it meant we got out of Khadein alive. Hell, if the men went farther and fought harder if they thought I was some sort of leader to look up to, I'd gladly be it. I actually felt more put-together than before, if that made sense.

"Excellent," Miriel said, taking out her tome again. "Then we may have a chance. Good day, Alexander."

I watched her walk off. Soon enough, I left that scarred corpse behind. Had one more thing to do before we left the following day.

I found Ricken with Nowi, behind a few of the remaining crates. I couldn't exactly tell what was happening, considering his back was to me, but I didn't really have the time or patience to let them finish whatever it was they were doing.

"Ricken. Nowi," I said, my armored footsteps clanking against the ground. I went for heavier armor, considering it probably saved my life earlier. Besides, never knew when those abominations would pop out of the ground again. It was better to be prepared.

Ricken jumped nearly a foot off the ground, whipping around so fast the tip of his hat lightly slapped a confused Nowi on the nose. "A-Alex!" He half-screamed, his voice getting to an uncomfortably high-pitch. "E-er, uh, I mean, hello! D-did you need me for something?"

I stared at the both of them. Ricken looked like he was just about to piss himself, while Nowi simply pouted, crossing her arms.

"Jeez, Mr. Frowny Face, way to ruin the moment!" Nowi groused, her pout growing more powerful by the second. "Could've at least gave us a warning before you stomped in here!"

I shook my head. "There isn't a lotta time for warnings. You of all people should know that."

"I-it's fine, really!" Ricken said hastily, staring up at me with wide brown eyes. "Is there anything I can help with? M-maybe Miriel needs something-!"

I groaned, rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Ricken, for Christ's sake, I know my face isn't pretty but this is ridiculous. I just wanted to tell you something, not scold you, alright? And I guess this goes for Nowi too."

Nowi flailed her arms around wildly. "What did I do!?"

I stared at her pointedly. "You slept in our supplies the entire way here without Robin's permission. Although I guess that works in our favor; you're our only hope right now. You can get over those mountains, right?"

"Of course I can!" Nowi claimed exuberantly. "I'm a big, scary dragon! I can take on anything! Even those big scary things!"

"Alright, good." I nodded. "Just making sure. Ricken?"

"Y-Yes?" The brown-haired boy answered nervously.

"When Nowi leaves, I want you to go with her." I said bluntly.

Ricken's brows furrowed. "Why? I thought I was gonna go with you guys."

"I know." I frowned. "I know you did. Listen, kid, I know I did you wrong back in Ylisstol all those months ago. Should've just kept my goddamn mouth shut back then. But this isn't about ability or shit like that; you're young. You've got your entire life ahead of you. It'll be cold as hell but you'll make it outta here. I won't lie to you: I think we're heading into a really bloody battle at best and a suicide mission at worst. Don't want someone like you getting caught up in that." I looked to Nowi, smirking a little. "Besides, I think Nowi'd enjoy the company, wouldn't she?"

Nowi's eyes lit up and the smile on her lips could almost outshine the sun. She bounced in place, grasping Ricken's hand in her own. "Oh, please, please, pleeease! It'll just be the two of us and the woods- well, I guess it's good enough with just the two of us! I promise I won't fall asleep with my dragonstone and burn down an entire forest!"

I looked to Ricken. "Think you can say no to that- Wait, what the hell did she just say?"

Ricken looked down, his lips pursed. If I were him, I would've taken the chance in a heartbeat, but then again that may have been the difference between us.

"Are you sure I should go?" Ricken asked, turning his head back to me. "There aren't a lot of mages left here, and-"

"Oh, trust me, Ricken, I know," I chuckled humorlessly. "These things get hit hard by fire and considering you're a mage and Nowi literally breathes fire, I'm kinda concerned we're shooting ourselves in the foot." I adjusted a few fingers on my iron hand. "But, she's also the only one who's getting outta here anytime soon. So, you know, fucked if we do, fucked if we don't. And, Ricken?"

Ricken stared at me intently.

"I know I'm not the smartest guy, but I can tell what's going on between you two." I tilted my head to them. "I'd take this chance. I'm not forcing you to do this; this is your choice."

For a few seconds, the silence was deafening. Only the soft rustling of snowflakes falling to the ground broke it. Ricken looked like I'd just dropped a hundred pounds of armor and weapons on him, what with his shoulders slouched. I gave him as much time as he needed. Nowi looked at him from the side, her eyes pleading. For once, a serious expression gripped her face.

Finally, he broke the silence. "Alright. I'll go."

The smile that broke out on Nowi's face was somehow even more radiant than before, and Ricken barely had time to move before the manakete wrapped him into a bear hug. Ricken sputtered but returned the embrace as he tried to stop himself from falling to the ground. Giggles filled the cold air.

I nodded, a faint smile still on my lips. "I know it isn't in my right to judge you, but I honestly think you made a good decision. Don't worry, I'll cover for you. Nobody's gonna give you shit over this, I promise." I turned around and began walking away. "I'll leave you two alone for a while."

Ricken was able to get out a simple 'thanks' before I went out of earshot. My small smile faded the farther I went.

I hoped I had a chance to see Cordelia again.

I saw Ricken and Nowi off.

The brown-haired apprentice looked almost comical, with the layers upon layers of cloth covering him, something Nowi did not hesitate to poke fun at. I could see Ricken's luminescent blush from beneath it all.

In a blinding flash of light, Nowi transformed. She spread her feathery wings, and craned her neck around, apparently stretching. Her dragon form was as impressive as ever. Ricken climbed on top of her back, looking like an ornament rather than a person. Soon enough, with a beat of her wings, Nowi was in the air. She flew like a feather, cutting through the cold, frozen air with grace and precision, a far cry from her more obnoxious personality. Well, obnoxious to me. Thankfully, they were packing light; nothing more than Ricken's layers of clothes, really. Nowi could probably get them both food.

Moments later, I couldn't see them; they began crossing the mountaintops, past several grey clouds.

My breath came out in a fine white mist. I hated that. I wanted to be somewhere warm. I wanted to get the hell away from the cesspit known as Khadein.

I shook my head, unstrapping the mace at my belt and walking to where everyone else was.

Maces were not swords. That may have seemed obvious, but really, they were fundamentally different. The weight was not as evenly distributed, being more top heavy, and it was heavier. The weight wasn't the problem, the problem was trying to use it without throwing it like a moron. It was also shorter, which meant I didn't have a lot of reach.

And considering how strong those abominations were, that was a problem.

It wasn't as if we had much of a choice, though. It was either that or an axe, and I was even less competent with axes than I was with maces, even if I blurrily recalled using one once. Axes and maces and anything blunt were the only weapons that could physically get through those things' tough scales. The shit was like heavy plate armor. The only other weapon we had was the fire magic from the handful of mages we had left.

Things weren't looking good. We didn't even really have a plan for when we went down into the depths. How would we even find the Pontifex?

If we ever made it back to Ylisstol, I noted to myself, I was going to figure out how to use more weapons than just a sword.

Those thoughts were shuffled away for later as I came upon our group. All thirty-five soldiers ready and able. Makeshift torches in one hand and axe or mace in the other, alongside the few Fire tomes of the mages. It looked like were going on a fucking witch hunt.

"And the man o' the hour himself," Sully remarked, although I doubted she meant it mockingly. "Been waitin' for you. Wondering if you decided to cut loose and run for the mountains."

"Ain't like him to just up and quit, is it?" Vaike replied, crossing his arms and smirking. "'Sides, the old dastard's a fighter, ain't that right?"

"I'm right here, guys!" I said heatedly. "And can we not do this right now? We're about to delve into the fucking Cursed Dread Fort again."

"Well hey, it ain't like you didn't have a hand in that," Sully replied.

I opened my mouth but closed it a moment later, nodding. "Fair enough. Anyway, we ready to get this show on the road?"

"In a sec," Vaike said. "Men are all jumpy-like, like they got rats shoved down their trousers. Think ya can work a lil' of that magic ya did a while back?"

I was going to protest and whine, but I thought better of it when I looked to my right. The men, the soldiers, the Ylisseans and Feroxi, they watched me, looked up to me. Standing in front of the same busted open spire we went down almost a week prior.

I turned back to them. "Are you sure, guys? Not gonna lie, I kinda said that on a whim, you know? Wasn't really right in the head back then."

"And you are now?" Sully snorted.

I frowned. "That was really funny, Sully. I'm laughing my ass off."

Sully hooted a laugh while Miriel came forward. "A small speech should suffice," She began, "Something to soothe their nerves. If not, then many of them could break long before our task is complete."

I took a deep breath. "Alright. Fine. They're looking at me anyway, might as well make the best of it, I guess."

I stood up, looking down at the men gathered before me. My heart beat in my ears, drowning out any other noise. I had to do something, but for a few moments, I was completely frozen. Like I was encased in ice or I'd become a statue.

Say something, boy scout, or else they'll think you're stupid.

"Men," I began, my voice almost surprising me with how loud and booming it was, despite the usual gravelly sound to it. "Today, we delve into an ancient ruin to root out and destroy an abomination. This horrible monster that's responsible for everything we've been through. The one that, if we let it, has an army that will invade our land, murder our people, and burn down our homes. But you know what? We are not going to let that happen!" A threw my arms out to my sides, almost like I was caught in a trance. "We are going to go down there, find this fucking scaly bastard, and we're gonna burn it 'til it's nothing but ash in the wind! Feroxi, Ylisseans, are you with me!?"

A resounding cry from the mob was my response, nearly sending me tumbling into the ruin then and there. Instead, despite my heart pounding away, I smiled. "Damn right you are! With me, everyone! Let's show those bastards who the real monsters are!"

I spun on my heels, staring at my friends. Sully looked at me her expression unreadable, but maybe just a hint of respect. Or maybe that was just hopeful thinking. Vaike gave me a thumbs up, and Miriel nodded once.

"Well, what're you guys waiting for?" I asked loudly, hefting a mace in one hand and a torch in the other. "We got a Pontifex to kill!"

The darkness of Khadein's depths, something so alien yet so familiar at the same time, surrounded us again. I hated it. I hated the time I spent in it, and I hated how I chose to go into it again, taking my friends and the men who followed me. It was a suicide mission, there was no doubt about it. The chances of us succeeding were already slim, but also getting out? Probably not zero, but somewhere close.

The sounds of our footfalls echoed through Khadein's halls as we pressed forward. The darkness skittered away as the light of our torches drew closer. None of us spoke a word; there was no need to. No last-minute jabs, no sarcastic remarks, nothing. The only sound was our footsteps, the clanking of our armor, and the crackling of our torches.

My heart beat in my chest like a drum, as it was want to do. Silence in Khadein was not good. Silence meant death or another illusion or the Pontifex screaming out at me from the abyss-

We went down familiar hallways and corridors, those goddamn statues from before staring at us gormlessly. Eventually, we made it to the bridge where I was first separated. The sight sent a chill down my spine as I looked around.

A burnt-out torch laid on the ground, along with puddles of dried blood. But no bodies.

"Sully," I called to the red-haired cavalier. "When we were attacked here, how many of the men died?"

"Two," Sully answered, putting a hand to the blade of her axe. "Scaly bastard came from the ceiling and tore 'em apart. That's when we fell back. 'Course, didn't realize ya weren't with us 'til we were almost to the surface."

I nodded, looking warily at the blood and the bridge. "We either get across this bridge, or we go onto the one below. Found fuck all on that one, so I say we get across this one and see what we find."

"No more than two individuals could cross it at once." Miriel surmised.

"Gods, lets hope nothing grabs us-"

"Vaike, shut up," I said sternly, "Let's not jinx our chances, please."

Vaike shrugged in response.

"Alright, everyone, two at a time, one after the other!" I called out, deciding to conquer my fears and get over it.

My already fraying nerves nearly made me jitter off the bridge. Despite me shutting him up, what Vaike had said got to me, if only a little bit. The abyss was on either side of us except for a thin stretch, and one wrong move, or God forbid, a single push, would send us into that dark oblivion.

I steeled myself as best as I could as I made it to the other side, the incessant humming of the bridge gone. The other side was just the same as the one we just left, with one key difference: a door, not an archway. Doors were apparently a rarity in Khadein, only to be used when you wanted to torture the ever-loving hell out of someone.

I took a deep breath for what felt like the thousandth time. Turning back, I saw the men and my friends crossing the bridge. Idly, I watched the sides of the construct, staring into the black abyss below, searching for anything.

Nothing came up. No giant tentacles, no massive monster. Not even one of the abominations of the Pontifex. Nothing.

"Careful 'bout lookin' into Tharja's soul, Alex," Vaike chuckled as he walked past me. "May just curse ya for it!"

"Ha, I'd like to see her try!" I laughed, tension ebbing it's way out of my body.

We stared at the massive doors, easily towering over us. They were certainly bigger than the ones I had to open before. I turned to Vaike and Sully. "Alright, don't think any one of us can get this thing open. Guess it's a group project."

Sully snorted a laugh. "Heh, and here I thought you were gonna try and break it down yourself. Not quite that mad, eh?"

I chuckled. "I learned my lesson the last time."

We would've been fucked if the door was locked, but thankfully it wasn't. It creaked open, scraping along the white stone floor as our group pushed against it. With one final heave, the doors opened fully, accidentally slamming into the sides of the stone walls behind it.

What we saw was breathtaking.

It was an entire city frozen in time, buried underneath the earth. The ceiling was full of small, faintly glowing purple sparkles, embedded in the rock. Just in front of us was a street made of cobblestone, going down further into the city. On either side were buildings, their doors faintly ajar or smashed entirely. Despite that, as far as I could tell, they showed no sign of decay. The buildings were made from the same material as everything else; white stone, carved into intricate patterns in some places. The ceiling was high-enough up that we could even see into the far distance.

Something glowed, far away. It was small, almost insignificant, but it was there.

"Holy," I mumbled to myself, looking back to where we came. It looked like the base of a tower, which was, well, obvious. It was one of the last indications that Khadein was there. That there was a whole world right beneath our feet.

"I'll be damned," Sully said, looking up to the ceiling and whistling. "Never thought we'd see anything like this."

I turned to my left to see Miriel. It looked she was about to start hyperventilating. "Astounding! Absolutely astonishing! To think that it was all right here, frozen in time! If only I had time to completely explore these ruins, the knowledge I could glean from it!"

"Heh, yeah," Vaike chuckled. "It's mighty pretty, but don'tcha think we should be getting a move on? Those things could jump out at us at any second! Hell, think they burst outta the towers last time."

I snapped myself out of that trance, turning to the men who had been whispering and murmuring among themselves. "Alright, let's get a move on. Longer we stay here the longer the Pontifex can do- well, whatever the fuck it wants to do." I motioned with my right hand to move.

We went down the street and towards the glow in the distance; might as well start there, I thought. It was either something important to the Pontifex or the Pontifex itself. Nothing but a guess, of course, but it was the best option in my mind at the time. We were already down there; what else were we going to do?

Sully placed a hand to my chest, stopping me and the rest of the men from moving. "Did you hear that?" She whispered.

My brows furrowed as I looked around and strained to hear anything. The purple light from the ceiling was enough to make sure that we weren't completely blind without our torches, but we still needed them to make out any useful details.

Nothing but darkness and silence. I knew better than to not take Sully at her word, though. It was obvious what the fuck was happening.

I turned to the men again. "Get your weapons ready, guys. I think we've got company."

Gotta keep up a brave face. It's the only thing I'm useful for right now. Besides bashing shit in.

Even though we weren't in hallways and corridors anymore, we were still in close quarters; the streets of Khadein didn't allow a lot of breathing room. On either side of us were buildings, with only a few alleyways between them to break up the monotony. I wondered just how the people were able to live there without going absolutely bonkers.

I didn't even know how I was keeping it together. I wondered how long that would last.

We all stopped when a scream echoed through the street. I shot around, mace in hand. One of the men was being dragged into an alleyway, and before we could even do anything, he was dragged kicking and screaming into the black. The sound of crunching bone and tearing muscle replaced his shouting.

Turning around, gritting my teeth, I saw them, at the edge of our torches. The light reflected off their eyes, glaring at us from the dark.

My breathing came fast and quick as I shouted: "Mages, fry them! Fucking burn them!"

My orders were followed. Fire surged from behind me, striking one of the abominations in the face. It tore through it like a knife through butter, making its scales bubble and crackle. It fell to the ground with a smoking stump where its head used to be. The other one ducked underneath another fireball with agility I wouldn't expect, coming straight towards us.

It came right at me.

It was my first real combat experience since losing my hand almost a year before. My grip tightened around the mace, my heart beating in my chest so fast I thought it was going to burst. Despite the adrenaline flowing through my veins, demanding I either charge or run, I stood my ground, readying myself. The creature came into range, and when it did, I swung. I was right; maces were very different from swords. I almost missed the abomination entirely. Luckily for me, the creature's head was massive, meaning I didn't have to aim well. The head of my mace slammed into the monster's face, and I heard the cracking of its scales. Shards of it dropped to the ground.

Finally, I was up close and personal with one. Its scales were the same color as the Pontifex; an oily black. It was big, taller than me. It didn't have wings, thank the lord, but what it did have more than made up for it. A wide open mouth filled with razor sharp teeth, and long claws that tapered to a fine point.

It was only when I hit it that I realized it was aiming for my head as well. Because of the blow I dealt it, though, it swung too high, missing my head entirely. Dumb luck, I'd say. A fireball came a second later, tearing through its midsection and out the other side. Smoke billowed out of its mouth as it fell to the ground, its oddly human eyes staring up at me listlessly.

The sound of battle surrounded me. A familiar noise, almost welcoming all things considered. The mages were in the middle, tearing holes into the monsters with their fire magic, Miriel among them. Everyone else was fended off the monsters as best they could, and even then it was clear we were losing. Badly. I saw a man get torn apart when several of them ganged up on him, tearing through his armor and throwing away his axe. His screams would haunt me until the day I died.

Many things will haunt you until the day you die, boy scout.

"Everyone, keep moving!" I shouted, smashing my mace into the side of an abomination. "We're sitting ducks out here! Get moving!"

"And go where, Alex!?" Sully snarled, her axe finding its way into the eyeball of an abomination, causing it to let out a horrid screeching noise, like metal scrapping against metal. "Ain't like we got a lotta options!"

A fireball went through the monster I was fighting, and with my attention free, I scanned the area around us, looking for anything that could serve as shelter or a defensive position. After a few seconds, I found one. A church-like building, not quote a cathedral but bigger than any church I'd ever seen, stood out among a line of uniform buildings. A small light, even less luminous than the tiny glow we saw before, emanated from it.

This'll either be a stupid decision or the best choice of my goddamn life.

"To the church!" I declared, my iron hand clanking slightly as I pointed to it. "Everyone, to the church!"

We fought abominations at every turn, our men being either dragged off or torn apart as we went. It was getting so bad I was beginning to think we wouldn't make it to the church at all.

My heart dropped into my stomach when I saw that the door to the church was closed.

Well, we knew we'd probably die here anyway.

I turned around just to see another one of us swarmed and eaten. A mage sent a fireball directly at the abomination, but it ran away with the remains of a soldier in its mouth. I swore, they came out of the fucking ground, there were so many. I knew there was an army. A massive one. It was to be expected, but a part of me, a small part of me wanted to believe that it was better than either freezing to death or waiting for them to come to us.

Then? I wasn't so sure.

Hearing a noise like a door creaking open, I whipped around to see exactly that. The doors of the church slowly moved, like the jaws of a giant predator. We were out of options, so really I didn't have time to think about the implication of a door opening on its own. I just did what I thought was right; I rushed the men inside ahead of me, while I watched the exit for stragglers.

"C'mon, c'mon! Let's go!" I ordered, getting the last of the men inside. "Help me get this fucking thing shut!"

We pushed the doors closed, the mages sending fire through the door, burning monsters with every wave of flame they shot out. With one final heave, the doors slammed shut again.

Despite the dire situation, I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as I slumped against the door. It might not be able to hold the abominations for long, but considering they weren't hurling themselves against it yet, I was counting my blessings.

Mental note: when I get home, talk to Frederick. I am going to learn to use whatever weapons I can. Maybe how to ride a horse, too.

Wouldn't have helped in Khadein, but it was the thought that counted.

"Shit," I mumbled, gazing at our exhausted and wounded group. Looking around, I saw Sully pacing around. "S-Sully. How many did we lose out there?"

"Damn, do I look like I wanna count right now!?" She exclaimed, before sighing. "I- twenty-four, I think. Came down here with thirty-five and got here with twenty-four. Alex, how in the seven hells are we gonna kill that Pontifex bastard with only twenty-four men!?"

I looked down. "I don't know. We both saw that light, right? Got a feeling that's where it is. But, with that fucking horde outside…"

"Yeah, lookin' real damn bleak, don't it?" Sully asked rhetorically, her fists clenched so hard they were shaking. It almost looked like they were bleeding.

I nearly slammed my fist into the wall. Standing up, a ran a hand through my wet hair. Trying to get a hold of myself, I walked forward, looking at the group. Many had scratches and cuts, a few were bleeding, and one in particular looked as if he would die at any moment from the deep gouge in his side. Miriel was attending to that one, while the mages did the best they could. They weren't trained healers or clerics, though, and the best we could really provide were the vulneraries we brought with us.

Belatedly, I looked to the back of the building, staring into the darkness. My heart jumped in my chest when I saw a robed figure, its back to me. My grip on my bloodied mace tightened.

What in the actual hell is that!? I didn't-!

It turned around, whatever it was, with fire in its hand and a tome in the other. Before I was able to shout, it sent it forward, sailing just above my head and hitting something behind me. The smell of burning, rotten meat reached my nose as I turned around, an abomination no one had seen writhing on the ground before laying still.

"Hmm," Whatever it was hummed, stepping closer. His footsteps sounded like a dog walking on floor tiles. Several men got up, including Vaike and Sully, and stood beside and behind me, pointing their weapons at it.

"Who's this dastard?" Sully growled. "We didn't have a black-cloaked mage with us."

"Woulda been real suspicious if we did though, wouldn't it?" Vaike commented.

"Both of you, please," I pleaded, before turning back to the cloaked figure. "Who are you?"

"An astute question," It answered, pulling at the edges of its hood with scaly hands. "One I hardly know the answer to. I know who you are, scurrying around within the halls of Khadein as you have. Modern Archaneans. Come to pillage the last remnants of your forebears, or to perhaps rid the world of the evil within? Nonetheless, you asked a question, did you not? Very well, I shall answer."

I took a step back as its hood fell away, revealing the same dragon-like face as the other abominations. I didn't even know how it was able to speak, what with its snout. After a moment, it bowed extravagantly.

"My name is Mikael, advisor to the Pontifex of Khadein. It is a pleasure to meet you." He looked back up. His mouth did not move when he spoke. "If you would humor me, I have a request for you."

Sorry about not posting last week like I said I would. Fuckin' work man.

And Khadein is almost over. Thank God. This has been a nice experiment but I don't think I'm very good at writing this kind of stuff. Also, this is now the longest Chapter. The first to break over 9k words. No chapter will be over 10k, I'll promise you that.

Anyway, don't have anything to say, really. Chapter 27 is already done is it's going to be uploaded next week, that way it'll be finished quicker.

The nightmare's almost over!

Here's our Discord server: discord .gg/9XG3U7a

Edited on 3/2/21. To this day, this is still the longest Chapter in the fic.