Morgan-Maura, means "dark"
Morgan slowly opened her eyes as the bright light Anankos summoned dissipated. This is why I hate teleportation magic. The sight was breathtaking, and Morgan took it all in. Islands were floating in midair, water flowing off of them into an endless void below. At least I hope it isn't endless, that wouldn't be a good way to go. The other warriors surrounding her were similarly in awe, but their benefactor was completely unfazed by the sight.
"There. We have arrived. Welcome to the great kingdom of Valla, young warriors." Anankos spoke calmly, seemingly unaware of the stupefied state the warriors were in.
"Woah! Are those rocks floating?" Owain's question was barely a whisper, and went unanswered.
"That lake... is upside down. That's, um, different. What's going on here?" Ingio was a little louder, but unanswered nonetheless.
"Is that pit bottomless?" Morgan willed herself to ask, fearful for what the answer might be.
"I am not surprised you find my homeland to be a bit strange." Anankos laughed. Strange doesn't begin to cover it, there's magic power I've never seen before all over the place.
"Why is it so quiet?" Severa hissed, " Do people really live here?"
Anankos took on a grim face, "No, they do not. Hardly anything dwelling here lives anymore. Vallite soldiers are the only ones that roam around outdoors."
"Oh, I see. Is that what those things were that followed you into our world?" Owain put a hand to his chin in thought, or dramatic posing, you can never really tell with Owain.
"Yes. All of the soldiers in this kingdom are reanimated puppets of the dead." Anankos's face turned even more sour.
"So the ARE zombies! I mean… sorry that was tactless." Owain rubbed the back of his head in shame.
"No need to apologize. I'm afraid that's not far from the truth. This was once a prosperous kingdom… Now it's nothing more than a wasteland." Anankos looked down, disheartened.
"Mr. Anankos, if I may be so bold... You're essentially a god, correct? Then why would you bother yourself with saving this dying kingdom? Did you come to us for help because you love this place? If so, I can definitely understand that." Ingio asked, making the god look back up, sadness looming darkly in his face.
"What you say is partially true… and partially untrue." Anankos decided on, looking away from the group.
"What do you mean?" Ingio's face showed nothing but confusion.
"To properly answer your question, I must first tell you a story about a dragon." Anankos sighed.
"A dragon?" Severa hissed, as Morgan looked down to the ground.
"Yes. It's the tale of the dragon that helped to build this kingdom. This dragon loved humans with all of his heart. So he gave them knowledge and longevity. He even chose to live among them. He was especially close with a long line of great kings, whom he spent much time with. But hundreds of years ago, the dragon realized something terrible. His ancient animal instincts were beginning to invade his thoughts. Though he adored his kingdom, he also felt an intense desire to destroy it. Each day, those feelings grew stronger, and his control over them began to wane." Anankos spoke grimly.
"That sounds familiar. A friend of ours can turn into a dragon as well. She said sometimes she gets an incredible urge to rampage a bit. Is that what you mean?" Ingio pressed the god for information. Come to think of it, Nah was right there at the Mila Tree when we were fighting, I wonder why she didn't hear us. Maybe the sound jus't didn't reach up at the temple.
"Hmm, perhaps it was something very similar to that. But as the dragon had tremendous power, those urges were also tremendous. He knew someday those urges would drive him mad, and the thought terrorized him. That is why he left an ancient and powerful song with the Vallite king of the time." Anankos visibly relaxed, despite the grim story he told.
"A song? Interesting. What happened when someone sang the song?" Ingio continued to press Anankos, ever careful as he did.
"Singing this song weakened the power and destructive urges of the dragon. However... Only those with the same ancient blood could unlock the song's power. That alone was not enough, as a fragment of his Dragonstone was also required. To ensure this world's safety, the dragon increased his blessings of power over time. He bestowed this gift upon each generation of the royal family, and them alone. He did so hoping one day, when the time came, they might be able to stop him. Sadly, the final king in that royal line was killed before he could sing the song." Anankos looked down, grieving.
"Does that mean... Did the dragon...?" Owain allowed himself to trail off, watching Anankos's reaction.
"Yes. It all started with a single act of rage. The dragon could not contain himself and obliterated an entire forest. Fortunately, no one was killed, but humans still cursed the dragon for the destruction. Believing he had grown dangerous and murderous, they tried to kill him. And that is when the dragon lost himself to a most unfortunate thought... That humans were loathsome things. It was he who had blessed them with such power and prosperity. To turn on their benefactor, their god, and try to destroy the hand that fed... He felt it could only mean one thing." Anankos paused, as the warriors all expressed their disbelief, a quiet "Gods" escaping Owain's lips."The dragon went into isolation, locking himself away in a remote mountain cave. He spent his days detesting mankind and cursing their very existence."
"The poor thing. What an awful situation. I feel sorry for him." Severa whimpered.
"To think that the dragon who created a nation…" Morgan trailed off
"Yes, it's easy to see why the dragon would feel that way." Owain seemingly understood what Morgan left unsaid.
"True. After all, the people he tried to help ended up trying to kill him. It's sad." Ingio murmured.
"You are all kind souls. In truth, there were people that said those very things to the dragon. The king and his family... They alone continued to believe in the dragon. They visited him in his isolation countless times and tried to salvage his mind. They tried explaining things to the people as well, but it was no use. The dragon simply wasn't strong enough to believe in humans anymore. In a moment of weakness and madness, he attacked his one true friend." Anankos paused, as the warriors all took in the information, an audible "No" coming from Ingio. "Killing his friend, the king, was the last straw. Madness overcame him. Now alone in his insanity, he began to destroy the kingdom he once loved. But before this, in a final moment of clarity and desperation, he tore out his soul. That soul took on the form of a human and began to think and act on its own. That soul...stands before you now."
"WHAT?!" Severa yelled.
"Are you serious?" Owain sputtered in disbelief.
"So that means your the dragon who made this land flourish… and also the one who destroyed it." Ingio spoke fairly calmly.
"And now trying to save it again, almost a bit too familiar." Morgan joked half-heartedly. Sort of like Father, in a way. But Father didn't want his power and refused it, Anankos here always had it.
"It is so. The desolation you see is my fault for not being able to suppress my rage. I grew to detest even the people who I cared for most and who cared for me. I could not believe the king when he said he trusted me still. Everything that happened is because I was weak. And now my entire kingdom is…" Anankos's eyes began to tear up.
"Mr. Anankos…" Ingio placed his hand on the man's- no dragon's- back, in a comforting manner, before Anankos pushed his hand away.
"I am sorry. Please give me a moment to compose myself. Now is not the time for sorrow. I must finish telling you my story. After breaking free from my former body, I lost all of my memories. I wandered aimlessly for an indeterminable amount of time, lost in shadows. The one who saved me was the Vallite queen's younger sister, Mikoto. Over time, she and I fell in love. Eventually, she gave birth to our child." Anankos spoke solemnly, tears still threatening to form in his eyes.
"WOAH! Back up! You have a kid?!" Owain waved his hands in front of his face in a "stop" motion.
"I do. She has never known me, nor called me her father though. Just before Valla fell to ruin, I finally regained my memories. I told Mikoto everything and did all I could to help her escape this kingdom. She took our daughter and left, along with her sister, Arete, and her sister's little girl. That was the last time I saw her... Still a tiny, helpless babe. She can't possibly remember me." Anankos was once again on the verge of tears.
"But wouldn't Mikoto have told her about you?" Severa asked gently, in an attempt to ease his pain.
"No. I asked Mikoto to never speak of me to her." Anankos spoke grimly, clearly the words pained him to say.
"Why?" Severa asked a bit harshly.
"Consider what knowledge like that would do to a child's mind. Knowing your father is to blame for destroying an entire kingdom... I did not wish to burden her with the sins of my past." The words Anankos spoke were painful to all those who heard them.
"Do you ever regret your decision? Wouldn't you like to hear her call you 'Father' one day?" Ingio asked, careful of his words.
"I'd be lying if I said I did not wish for it every day. But in this world, just as in any world, some truths are better left unspoken." Tears began to leak from Anankos's eyes, incapable of staying put any longer.
While Ingio could barely mutter an "Oh", Morgan decided it was time to speak up. "You made your decision, the same on any parent would make, protecting your child, either mentally or physically, even if it causes you pain. You must be proud of that decision and never look back on it, if you truly believe it right." The words flew out of Morgan's mouth before she even knew she was speaking. Did I actually say that? You'd think I'm the one who's royalty here, not Ingio or Owain. When she looked to her comrades, they all were attempting to hide the sorrow they felt. Oops, right, only one without memories of my parents dying in front of me. Sorry.
"Well spoken, Morgan, but I fear we have strayed off topic again. When I helped those four escape, the dragon sensed my existence. For years, it has been only good fortune that has enabled me to avoid his wrath. When my powers of foresight returned, I saw a distant world... One where brave warriors defeated a fell dragon. It gave me hope. I decided to try bringing those warriors to my world." Anankos's eyes had begun to dry upon hearing Morgan's words of encouragement.
"So that's why you contacted us." Owain spoke to himself.
"Now that you have heard my tale, you must listen carefully. The knowledge you've acquired cannot be spoken outside of Valla. Anyone who speaks of such things elsewhere will vanish." Anankos spoke with complete seriousness, his calm exterior now once again upon him, despite his still-red eyes.
"Understood. We promise not to repeat anything we've heard today." Owain decided to hold the theatrics, arms crossed, completely serious.
"Now, for the task I wish to ask of you. First you'll need to travel to the kingdom of Hoshido." Anankos pulled a map out of his cloak and handed it to Morgan who began to study it. Valla doesn't even appear on this map, perhaps that's why the destruction is contained, and no soldiers have attacked Anankos.
"Hoshido? That's outside of Valla, I'm guessing?" Severa looked at the map over Morgan's shoulder, also taking in as much as she could from it.
" You're very sharp, Severa. Yes, it is. Hoshido is one of the two great kingdoms outside of Valla. It's where Mikoto fled to. I'm sure she would be happy to offer safe harbor to all of you. I want you to accompany our child in a quest to obtain the five divine weapons. Once you have them, I trust that fate will somehow lead you back to this land. When you return here, I want you to defeat me...to defeat the beast I have become." Anankos spoke of his own death with the same calmness he showed when they first met. We probably should have seen this coming, after all he chose us because we defeated the Fell Dragon.
"You want us to WHAT!" Severa hissed.
"This is your final goal. I need to you to kill me. You must kill the Silent Dragon, Anankos. I know how much he is suffering, for his pain is my own. That pain and anguish will not stop until he has destroyed every last trace of mankind. But he is wrong. So very wrong. It is he who must fall, not mankind. Just as a parent whose children have grown, he has served his purpose. But rather than offering love and support, he now only offers hate and despair. There is nothing left for him but to die. It is the only way." Anankos continued to speak calmly of his own demise.
"But… Now that we know you, how can we...?" Ingio trailed off.
"Because that is the way it must be. It is the only way to save this world. My world. And do not try to say you cannot do it. I know you have slain a dragon already." Anankos picked up where Ingio left off. Reminder, we had an enchanted divine weapon that we can't use, and we didn't kill him! That was impossible without Father, and possibly me, disappearing.
"... So be it. I suppose we should start by learning more about your daughter. Tell us anything you can about her. What is her name?" Owain took the words out of Morgan's mouth, she finally brought herself to tear her attention away from the map.
"Yes, that's a fine place to start. Her name is-" Anankos was interrupted as a mysterious figure in the shape of a girl, but translucent similar to the soldiers behind her, warped in. Teleportation magic, must be either a skilled mage or another person similar to Anankos.
"So THIS is where you've been hiding, you filthy imposter!" The girl spat, glaring at Anankos, who merely returned a puzzled look.
"I do not know you, creature. Who are you?" Anankos asked, cocking his head to the side.
"I'm the daughter and most loyal servant of King Anankos!" The girl put her arms to her hips in pride of the title.
"Wait! You have TWO kids?! You should have told us!" Severa hissed.
"It is a lie. This creature is no child of mine." Anankos growled, glaring at the girl.
"Of course I'm not! I said I'm the daughter of KING Anankos. You are merely a disgusting fake, not the true Silent Dragon." The girl hissed, angry she that the confusion aroused in the first place.
"Impossible! The wicked dragon that is my former self fathered a child?!" Anankos spat, looking at the girl right in the eyes.
"Likely a magical birth, creating life with magic as so he need not interact with humans, but still gains a useful pawn in a child." Morgan's explanation seemed acceptable to Anankos, as he seemingly relaxed ever so slightly.
"Heh. I'm surprised you didn't know about little ol' me. Guess you can't foresee everything, can you? Like say the fact you daughter resides in Nohr, not Hoshido." the girl laughed slightly, looking down on Anankos as if he were an ant.
"She's in Nohr?! But how? They must have kidnapped her for use as a pawn…" Anankos shrank, head in hands,"How could this happen? What about the future I saw?"
"Oh, I like that look of despair on your face, you imposter. My father thinks you're nothing but trouble. So it's time to die, OK?" The girl's face showed a sadistic smile.
"As if we'd allow that to happen!" Owain dashed forward, brandishing a steel blade, but when he brought it down on the girl, she didn't even flinch.
"Out of my way, outsider!" the girl blasted Owain with a magical blast, he was knocked back with a scream, but mostly unharmed. She sees us as an annoyance, not worth killing.
"OWAIN! Now you've gone and done it! Now I'm REALLY mad!" Ingio dashed forward, seething in anger, but his attack also was a mere annoyance to her. He swiftly returned, and held his body ready to defend an incoming attack. "My attacks aren't hurting her!"
"Of course not! You're nothing more than annoying little bugs in this world." When Ingio growled at her she began to laugh at them, " Aww, you look like you still want to fight. Do you wish to die that badly?" She spoke in a sing-song voice, as if she were speaking to a puppy.
"Stop this now!" Anankos's voice boomed as a bright light enveloped everyone.
" Oh, really now? Trying to immobilize me? As though a cheap magic trick could help you defeat me!" The girl hissed.
"You four! Use the crystal ball! Do it now! You can still escape! Please, return to your world while you still can!" Anankos ordered, but all of the warriors looked at him as if he was crazy.
"Huh? Are you kidding me?" Severa hissed.
"I'm so sorry... It seems my powers are weaker than I thought. The fact that my former body has created a daughter means the future of this world...is far, far bleaker than I foresaw. I once had a vision of a daughter, and her presence meant the death of you four! I can't ask you to remain in a world that is beyond saving!" Anankos pleaded.
"No! I won't accept that!" Owain snapped, drawing his sword once again.
"I think we've already proven the future isn't set in stone. Even she's proven your visions aren't accurate." Morgan smiled at the dragon, before turning back around to face their adversary.
"Do not worry. Your reward will remain even though you are retreating. I regret not giving you the chance to decide where you truly wish to return to... But thank you for believing me. It's time to go. NOW!" Anankos continued to plead, to no avail.
"Not a chance! We're not going anywhere just yet. You can't make us, either!" Severa hissed, prepping her own blade.
"What?" Anankos was at a loss for words.
"Are you daft? After all that's happened, you STILL can't believe in people?! It's not like we're destined to die here, you know! You sure sounded like you regretted not trusting humans before... So how about picking a different path and living without regrets, you fool!" Severa snapped back.
"Why would you tell us to abandon you? You said we were your last hope! We've bet our entire lives on hope before. It's the only way to live. Countless times, hope was all we had, and look how far it took us! Hope saved us, and it saved our world. We'll prove it can save your world too! Please, Anankos...trust us! Believe in us like we believe in you!" Ingio looked back to Anankos with a grin on his face.
"Trust you…?" Anankos repeated, still unable to find his own words.
"Yes! We came here knowing the risks. So give us our new powers! Hurry! Names and all that don't matter now... Give us the power to fight for this world! Don't believe in some bleak future you saw in a dream. Believe in the ones who are with you here and now!"
"We aren't going down to some 'fate', now trust us and let us fight! We will carve our own path, right here, right now." Morgan turned back to face Anankos for a split second. "I…"
"I…" Severa continued her chant.
"I…" Ingio let the tension build up.
"I… Will fight for you until the end!" Owain dramatically finished.
"Owain, Ingio, Severa, Morgan… Understood. I will trust you. All of you. I will trust you with all of my heart...and bestow new strength upon you. As the keeper of ancient knowledge... As ruler of the world when it began... With light from the land of rainbows, fill our last hope with power! Protected by the First Dragons, they shall henceforth be known as-" As he spoke a bright light washed over the fighters, and their blood pulsed, their clothes warped and changed, and Morgan felt her her pack become lighter, as her spare tomes flew away from her and found themselves with Owain.
"Woah! I look so different! And I feel so light on my feet." Owain looked at his new outfit, when his eyes rested on the tomes strapped to his legs, a mischievous smile broke across his face. He tossed his Steel Sword to Ingio as he pulled out his new Thunder tome.
"I can't believe it! I've never felt this way. It's like I'm burning with power!" Ingio flexed his hand after putting Owain's discarded sword in a scabbard.
"This feels great, I can definitely make some new strategies working with this." Morgan's outer cloak was largely unchanged, Thank Naga, this has all my notes and everything in it, but her clothing underneath changed largely, where her Dark Mage attire earlier had a tan skin tight suit underneath to cover herself from various conditions, her new outfit was lacking that, but was much longer and covered herself up more. She glanced over at Owain, who's outfit was similar, but also had a large triangular opening showing his chest, reaching down to his abs. Gods, it's a good thing mine is less revealing.
"Is this what your power can do in this world, Anankos?" Severa asked.
"Yes. My power...it's strengthened by my belief in you four. Odin. Laslow. Maura. Selena. Those are your new names, my warriors." Anankos pointed to each warrior as he said their new identities.
"Odin? That's so cool!" Owain- no- Odin pumped his fist, allowing it to catch alight with magical energy. Sounds like something he'd make for himself, no wonder he likes it.
"Maura? I like it, but it'll take some getting used to." Sounds a bit sinister, but what can I say? "Thank you, Mr. Anankos. Thank you for believing in us." Ing- LASLOW, need to remember the name changes, swirled his blade in his hand, focused on the enemy.
"See? This is what you can do if you put your mind to it! You won't regret believing in us, I promise!" Selena, her name barely changed at all, gave Anankos a heartfelt smile.
"Thank you… For helping me believe in mankind once more…" Anankos trailed off as Selena smirked and turned towards their foe, only to see Odin begin to charge his new spell, watching the spell itself transform from a simple Thunder tome to one that was more volatile, I don't recognize it, but no doubt Odin will give it some new name.
"This power feels incredible! There's no way we're gonna lose! Now, it's time for payback! MJÖNIR! HYAAAA!" Odin released the blast, but the majority of its power shrank back into an ordinary spell before hitting the girl, but the blast still pushed her back slightly.
"IT WORKED!" Selena let out a cry of achievement as the girl's startled cry pierced the air.
"We can actually put up a good fight now!" Laslow breathed a sigh of relief.
"If we can hurt them, we can win, listen to my instructions everyone!" Maura felt glee overwhelm her. We WILL save this world, with our new power!
"Don't get ahead of yourselves…" The girl's voice was ragged, still sparking from Odin's new spell, she raised her arm above her to summon reinforcements, forcing an angry growl from most of the combatants.
"More of these things? You don't know when to quit, do you?" Selena hissed, already slashing toward one of them.
"You may be a little stronger now, but you're nothing compared to my puppets! I hope you like it here. This will be your final resting place!" The girl spat, letting some of her "puppets" charge forward, only to be cut down by Selena and Laslow.
"Not a chance! We have places to go. Things to do. Worlds to save. Get out of our way, or pay the price!" Laslow's blade cut through the soldier's armour and "flesh" like wet paper.
Maura began to feel a magical tug toward a strange spot on the battlefield, but she couldn't note anything there besides the magical influence. "Anankos, I can sense something here, seems powerful. Is it a trap? There seem to be a few more scattered around the place."
"Those are Dragon Veins - places where energy below the earth has gathered. Only those with dragon blood can activate them."
"I assume since the Mark and their Brands are gone, we can't use them?" Morgan's thoughts were interrupted when she was forced to blast a soldier into vapor.
"I'm surprised you could sense them to begin with, but there is a way. I shall bestow my blood upon you. If you drink it, the blood of the First Dragons will flow through you. This will allow you to temporarily use the Dragon Veins." Anankos began to procure four vials and a dagger from his cloak. Did he predict we would need this? The dagger I could understand, but the vials are a strange thing even for a mage or scientist to carry around.
"Really?! I can't wait!" The idea of even more power obviously excited Odin.
"How long is temporary?" Severa slashed another enemy as she spoke.
"It varies, but usually several decades. It can even be passed to your children. However, there is not enough time to give each of you that much of my blood. At best, I can give you enough to last a few years." Anankos winced as he drew the dagger across his wrist and began to fill the vials, handing the first one to Odin, who chugged it quickly, then Selena who merely pocketed the vial for the time being. Laslow gagged down the substance when he handed one and Maura pocketed hers like Selena did.
"That should be more than enough." Laslow coughed, still gagging from the terrible taste.
"It's at least enough to get past these things. Thanks, Anankos!" Odin pocketed the empty vial and tried to hide the disgusted face he was making, to little avail. He then charged that volatile spell again. What did he call it? Mjölnir? Could be a useful spell, I'll see if we can't recreate more of it and put it in additional tomes later. This time, the spell kept its explosive power, perhaps more that Odin anticipated, as it pushed Selena and Maura away from the others.
"Well, this sucks! First we're in another fight, and now we've been separated." Selena hissed, cutting down one of the few troops who didn't dissipate when they flew off.
"Could always be worse, Selena." Morgan always tried to keep an optimistic view, even when things didn't go to plan, don't see why that should change even if I'm not Morgan.
"How exactly could our current situation be worse, Maura?" Selena growled, knowing Maura had multiple answers ready.
"Well, for starters we can actually fight them. Neither of us are injured from Odin's blast, which luckily destroyed most of the enemies that would have landed with us. And as always, it could be Risen." Maura listed her "benefits" rather matter-of-factly, but a small mischievous smirk grew on her face as she named the last one.
"Don't even joke about that! Even if it is true!" Selena shivered at the thought of the zombified remains that the warriors fought regularly, the ones that killed their parents. "A-anyways, something about that girl bugs me."
"True, giving a title, but no name, knowing fully well we can't simply research who she is should we escape, she knows what she's doing. A real threat, even with our new power, I don't think we'd be able to take her out." Maura went into thought about how the group should play out their strategy. She only returned to her senses when flowers suddenly grew under her feet, despite the wasteland that they were standing on previously. Magic flooded the landscape in their surrounding area, the same ancient power Maura felt sealed away behind a Dragon Vein.
"Wha?" Selena gaped, reaching down to touch one of the lilies growing around her boot.
"I guess this is one possible power of the Dragon Veins, which means the others found one and should be close." Maura also held one of the plants in her hand, it's real alright, accelerated plant growth, what else can they do?
"Then let's go find them!" Selena was already running south, where the wave of plants had come from, Maura followed her wordlessly.
After a couple minutes, a Vallite soldier had tried to jump the two of them, only to be blasted by Odin's Fire tome, a smile growing on the new mage's face. After quickly asking where Laslow was, Selena ran off to assist the lone Mercenary.
"Morgan! This is awesome, have you seen me! These spells are really strong!" Odin was as giddy as a child, or Selena's father, in a candy store.
"First, Odin, my name is Maura. Second, I'm fully aware how powerful those spells are, they were sorta my spare tomes." Maura snapped in a joking manner.
"Right, sorry about that." Odin rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.
"Don't worry about it, somehow you turned one of them into a new spell, even I can't change a spell once it's in the tome." Maura pointed to the second tome strapped to his leg.
"Wait, what? I changed the spell?" Odin grabbed the book on his leg with wild eyes.
"Yes, idiot. Have you ever seen me use a spell called Mjölnir?" If Odin heard her, he didn't respond.
"Is it bad? Did I ruin the tome or something?" Odin looked at Maura with apologetic eyes, to which Maura laughed.
"Actually, no. If anything that's really good. It's likely going to be difficult to find tomes that we're used to in Ylisse, such as Thoron or Rexcalibur, so any new spell is an advantage, when we're done here, I'll help you recreate the spell so we can put it in more tomes." Maura watched as Odin's face went back to the stupid grin he had earlier.
"We can do that?!" Maura laughed at Odin's sheer excitement.
"It wouldn't take that much, just research and time mostly, and a few blank tomes." Maura settled down the excitable mage.
"Sweet! And, uh... One more thing?" Odin looked at Maura with a look in his eyes that Maura could tell exactly what he was thinking.
"It's a great name for a spell, majestic enough to be you, but simple enough for others in the army to use it without feeling embarrassed." Maura laughed.
"Very well then. It's time for Odin Dark to finish this duel." As he ran off, Maura laughed before realising she was alone and would left open.
"Wait up! ODIN!" Maura began to ran after the excitable mage, but still was separated from him regardless, only to be soon reunited with her knight-in-shining-armour.
"Mor-Maura! These new powers Mr. Anankos gave us are amazing! But the blood part is a bit disgusting." Maura could see Laslow semi-jokingly gag. He almost slipped up on our new names
"Yeah, the powers are great, Laslow, but most of it is our own skill, we make ourselves, we need to remember that." Maura reprimanded the Mercenary with a mischievous smile on her face.
"Obviously, yes, but the boost definitely helps our current situation." Laslow returned Maura's smirk, He loves these little debates that we do, it too obvious, definitely better than Laurent.
"Definitely attracts some attention to us though, if our cover gets blown, it wouldn't be good." Maura wasn't an expert in undercover missions, planning them yes, she had experience, but living through one, brand new experience for everyone.
"We certainly don't want to attract too much attention." As the two of them strategized, Laslow's face took a pink blush.
"We have to focus on the task at hand though, escaping this place, finding Anankos's daughter, and eventually," Do I have to say it? "killing Anankos." Maura gulped when she said it, just the words left a bad taste in her mouth. Why can't this be like killing Validar? He was my actual grandfather and I didn't hesitate to blast him with Ignis.
"If you sorta think about it, Anankos is sort of like your family." Laslow put a hand to his chin in thought, barely hiding the grin that wanted to spread across his face.
"Care to explain, Laslow?" Maura cast a slight glare in the direction of her ally. He knows I don't like to think about that"
"Well, Anankos is a dragon god, just like Grima, which kind of makes him your uncle." Laslow's smile was clearly becoming harder to hide, much to Maura's chagrin.
"One, neither Naga or Grima are gods, you heard her say that yourself. Two, by that logic, Naga is also my aunt, and Lady Tiki would be my cousin. You know what number three is." Maura snapped at Laslow with ferocity that most would connect to her mother or sister, she turned away from her frightened friend and began to march away, safety in numbers be damned.
"Maura, I was joking! Maura! Morgan!" She didn't even respond when Laslow tried to call after her before cursing to himself.
She ended meeting up with Selena and Odin standing near another Dragon Vein, as she walked up, Odin began to tap into the Vein's power, releasing one last field of flowers. Once the flowers stopped spreading, Maura could sense a new Dragon Vein, with a different power apparently based on the feeling of the magic seeping out of it. "Another one, to the north." Maura pointed in the direction. "Seems different, but before, did anyone see where the commander was? We'll likely have to defeat them to escape."
"We caught a glimpse of someone who looked like they would be a commander." Selena piped up.
"What were they like?" If Maura was correct this would affect how they would use that last Dragon Vein.
"A Valkyrie, or at least similar, tome-wielding healer on a horse, stationed over there" Selena pointed to a cliff face to the east.
"The magic coming from that Dragon Vein feels similar to a Ward staff, so we'll likely get some kind of similar effect from it, making us stronger against magical attacks, plus a Valkyrie's armour is extremely light in order to allow them to heal and use magic, so a physical attack will be our best way to take it out, especially if we target the mount." Morgan strategized out loud so her allies could assist or ask questions. Odin did the latter.
"The horse? Wouldn't the rider be unharmed?"
"Laslow and I found out last time they attacked that the rider and mount are one and the same, if you slay the mount, the rider disappears." Maura realised that she had no chance to tell them this information beforehand.
"Speaking of which, where is he?" Selena looked around, trying to find the last member of their group.
"He was right behind me…" Maura feigned innocence. "Maybe he got caught up in a fight, we should wait for him."
The other two merely gave her unbelieving looks, but voiced no questions.
Before long, Laslow crested a small hill and approached the others, panting and gasping for breath, water and sweat soaking his clothes.
"Great, now let's move. Dragon Vein to the north." Maura gave Laslow no time to ask questions before turning and beginning to march again, not even paying attention to the Mercenary. As the group marched towards the final Dragon Vein, Odin tried to fill in the silence with conversation, while Selena caught Laslow up on the strategy they would be using.
"You mentioned that this one had a different feeling than the other Dragon Veins. How were you able to sense that? We were given the same power boost, and it's not just because you're a mage, so how?" Odin decided that would be a safe path for conversation.
"I guess experience, when you've been using magic for literally longer than you can remember, you can connect the effects by how the magic feels." Maura shrugged, I figured that Odin would be able to sense it too, maybe it has something to do with Father. "If you can't sense it, it could also be because, unknowingly, I've used a dragon's power for a long time."
"Ignis." Odin shuddered at the thought of the blue flames possibly covering his body at the use of a Dragon Vein.
"Yeah, but still, after working with magic for a long time, you begin to pick up on the different elements feeling different." Muara decided to turn the conversation away from her bloodline, in case she snaps again.
"I haven't felt anything, just magic fills the tome." Odin shrugged
"Have you only been using one tome? You should have also gotten a Fire tome when Anankos took those tomes from me." Maura had noticed multiple times in the battle he never took the Fire tome off of his leg.
"Oh, yeah. I didn't really use it that much because it's a lot weaker." Odin laughed until Maura playfully whacked him with one of her tomes.
"Weaker tomes charge faster and are often more accurate, same way if you want to swing faster, you use a lighter blade." Maura scolded, but stopped herself before she started going into too many details.
"Yeah I guess you're right." Odin apprehensively took out his Fire tome and put away his treasured Mjölnir.
"Now try charging it, see if it feels different." Maura instructed, taking out her Nosferatu as a second example.
"I think I feel something, but it might be my brain." Odin closed the tome without firing the spell, letting the magic energy flow back into his body.
"Now try Nosferatu, you'll definitely sense something with this." Maura handed him the tome, watching with glee as he began to charge the weapon.
"Woah! It feels completely different!" Odin closed the tome after only a few seconds of charging.
"Yep! Thunder, Fire, and Wind spells, are considered Anima magic, while Dark magic, such as Nosferatu are completely different. That's why you struggled to find a difference in the first two, but could feel a difference instantly in Nosferatu. With enough experience you can distinguish the different types of Anima magic and others magic, like staves." Maura puffed her chest up in pride of her small lesson.
"Oh hey. We're almost there." Odin handed Maura back her weapon and the group began to pick up the pace, before the group knew it, they were in front of the rather large sigil in the ground.
"Quick recap. As far as we're aware, the commander is a Valkyrie, meaning Odin and my magic attacks aren't going to be very effective, but Selena and Laslow's attacks will be able to take them out fairly easily, so one of you should activate the Dragon Vein in case it only benefits the one who activates it." When Selena and Laslow wordlessly nodded, she continued. "Once one of you activates the Dragon Vein, we move out, so pay attention. Odin and I will draw the commander's attention with our magic attacks, as we'll be able to receive any counterattacks better than you two. While we have the commander distracted, you two will attack the mount, remember that it doesn't matter if we kill her or the mount, so the mount will make an easier target. If there are reinforcements protecting the commander, Odin and I will attempt to protect you, but if need be, the one who doesn't activate the Dragon Vein will take the vanguard. Everyone understand the plan?"
"No matter how many times I see you do this, it still astounds me to this day." Laslow gave the mage a smile, but she brushed him off, still angry with him.
"Distract the commander, deal with reinforcements if necessary, got it." Odin nodded.
"Fair warning, as you and I will be acting as bait, our job is more dangerous." Maura warned him.
"Just makes it that much more heroic." Odin gave her a smile. Which is why I'm trusting you, our job holds Laslow and Selena's lives in the balance.
"So which one of us will use the Dragon Vein? That's the only question I have." Selena looked to Laslow before looking back to Maura.
"Out of convenience sake, Laslow has already drunk the blood, so he should do it." Maura pointed to the vial still in Selena's pocket.
"Got it, everyone ready?" Laslow moved to stand in the center of the Dragon Vein while everyone prepared their weapons to move.
"Do it, we move in three, two…" Maura's final number was silenced by the loud noise roaring out of the Dragon Vein. Did they all do this? I just realised I haven't been in close proximity to one when it was activated.
The group all began to run southeast, following Selena's lead. As they ran, Laslow piped up," I feel an even greater power than I did before. Is it...from the Dragon Vein? It's hard to explain, but I feel like I'm a better fighter than ever before! Leave the strong ones to me! I'll show everyone what I can do to help."
"That was the plan, were you paying any attention? Selena hissed.
"We told you the Dragon Vein would make you more powerful." Maura spat. "Just don't mess up your part of the plan."
"I would never ruin one of your strategies!" Laslow defended himself. A glare from Maura shut him up, leaving many harsh words unsaid.
"What happened between you two?" Odin whispered to his cousin once Maura looked away.
Laslow never got to answer him, as the Maura silenced the group as the approached the commander, surrounded by backup forces. A couple Paladins, A Wyvern Lord, Two Sorcerers, a few ordinary soldiers, a Wyvern Rider that seems to be wielding a tome, and are those Maids? We should let them approach us, rather than walk forward into a death trap. Maura stopped the group before she fired a small Thunder to attract the enemy soldiers, which ended up hitting the strange Wyvern Rider in the mount's wing.
"Incoming!" Laslow stepped in front of a magic attack meant for Maura, only to shrug it off like it was nothing. I didn't recognize that spell, but it seemed pretty strong, I didn't expect the Dragon Vein to make him that much stronger. Almost reminds me of how well Stahl would take any magic attacks. Speaking of Paladins…
Maura slipped to the side, narrowly avoiding a lance coming toward her, and blasted the knight in the face with a Thunder, causing him to disintegrate. However the other Paladin quickly slashed with it's sword, and Maura wasn't so lucky to avoid this time, receiving a gash on her arm, which began to heal once she blasted her adversary with Nosferatu. She glanced to her side to see Laslow assisting Odin with the strange Wyvern Rider, getting in small attacks on each wound that Odin inflicts, normally that would only annoy the mount, but since he was attacking the wounds, he was inflicting great pain to the mount. Before long, the beast fell and the two began to assist Selena with the Soldiers. As Maura began to duel the Sorcerers, she began to think of where she had seen a similar style before. Say'ri? Lon'qu? I think Odin even did that back in Ylisse.
The Sorcerers were a pain to take out, but they both fell without Maura taking too many injuries, and any she did take would be healed by her Nosferatu tome. As the second one disintegrated she turn to see the Wyvern Lord let out a final cry of pain, Selena's blade piercing through it's chest. As it disintegrated the warriors turned to the commander and its two lieutenants, Maids. They're maids. I'm assuming they can heal, but I don't think they'd be defenseless, we'll have to keep an eye on them. Odin and I could likely take them out before we face the commander.
Maura waved the others over to her so she could speak with them. The three jogged over, taking care of their small injuries, nicks and cuts being quickly being covered in small bandages.
"Is there a change in plans?" Laslow spoke once he was done wrapping a cut on his leg.
"Only a small one, Odin and I should be able to take out the lieutenants-"
"The Maids?" Selena interrupted.
"Yes, I expect they'll be able to heal the commander, so we'll need to take them out, especially since i doubt that they're defenceless. Anyways, Odin and I take out the lieutenants and then we'll give the signal to move on to the original plan. Wait for my signal, got it?" Maura didn't take long to explain her slight changes, and the others simply nodded. She and Odin moved forward Nosferatu and Mjölnir in hand, once the Maids were in range, the two looked to each other and Maura mouthed a countdown.
Simultaneously, the Maids were blasted with the tomes, Odin's victim had disintegrated instantaneously, but Maura's had just enough time to fling what seemed to be a flaming knife at the mage, which she narrowly avoided. She turned to see what the Maid had thrown at her, only to find the dagger had disintegrated with the Maid. I knew they wouldn't be defenceless, but what was that? She quickly regained her breath before flashing the signal to the Mercenaries lying in wait. Again, she and Odin blasted their opponent with spells at the same time, only for the Valkyrie to counterattack, launching a spell towards Odin.
"My Lady has ordered me to eliminate you." The commander bellowed, blasting a similar spell at Maura, not noticing that Laslow was about to slash at her mount. Almost at once, the horse and rider began to disappear, Laslow's blade dripping with water. "To think, outsiders could be so powerful…"
"LET'S MOVE" Selena's voice rang out, and the group ran away from the battlefield. "Thank the gods! Somehow we managed to break through."
"Is everyone alright?" Laslow looked around to check everyone's conditions.
"Yeah, a few bumps and scratches, but I'll be fine." Maura spoke. Using Nosferatu helped me stay healed up.
"Of course! They were no match for me. Mostly…" Odin dropped his dramatics when he saw a certain figure teleport back in front of them, surrounded by more Vallite soldiers.
"Did you really think you could beat me? Foolish humans! King Anankos gave me an endless supply of soldiers. Ready for round two?" The woman continued to speak down on the warriors, much to Maura's chagrin.
"They still want to fight?!" Odin hissed as a few of the soldiers ran forward, only to meet the steel of Laslow and Selena's swords.
"I've had it up to HERE with these with those creeps!" Selena cut down another two enemies as she spoke.
"There's no end to them… but we don't have much choice!" Laslow avoided a slash and returned with with his own.
"We just have to cut our way through!" Maura blasted one of the soldiers before it could slash Selena's back.
"...No, there's no need for you to keep fighting. I shall send you to Nohr from here." Anankos suddenly warped behind the warriors makeshift line of defence, startling Maura who had temporarily forgotten about the dragon-god.
"To Nohr?! Didn't you say we were supposed to go to Hoshido?" Odin yelled over the sound of magical explosions.
"And what exactly are you planning on doing here all by yourself?! You should come with us!" Selena hissed as another soldier disintegrated in front of her.
" I must remain. Even if I could leave, there's nothing I can do in the other kingdoms. I wish I could have told you more—told you everything. This is...farewell." Anankos spoke grimly, the light he was charging glowing brighter.
"You can't be serious!" Laslow growled, slashing another Vallite soldier before it could defend itself.
"Who cares if you'll be powerless, you should come with us! Don't you want to meet your own daughter!" Maura blasted another powerful spell, hitting two soldiers in opposite arms, they both disintegrated due to the damage they took.
"Listen carefully. Head to the royal castle in Nohr immediately! If you demonstrate your skills, you can become retainers for the royal family. Then maybe...just maybe you can find my daughter…" Anankos tried not to let any tears flow from his eyes to no avail, but the show of emotion only seemed to annoy the girl summoning enemies.
"That's enough out of you!" she hissed, blasting Anankos with a strange purple energy that formed directly in front of Anankos, leaving him defenseless. Just like Mire! We can't help him!
The energy exploded, wounding Anankos as he gave a painful cry, but that only caused the light to grow brighter.
"Anankos!" Laslow cried out in surprise, a soldier tried to take advantage of his distraction, only to be destroyed by Odin.
"When next we meet...it will be as enemies. Promise me you will return. I've put my faith in you. No matter what the cruel fates have in store... I trust you to return here. I trust you to end my suffering." Anankos's light exploded once he spoke, and instantaneously Maura felt her body disappear in the bright light.
Once Maura could see again, she was in an open field, a small river running through the middle of it. He sacrificed himself for us, people he barely knew, but put all his trust into. We didn't even get to see his death. Is this what it was like for the others to watch their own parents die? I barely knew him, yet I feel as if a saw is tearing through my heart. Maybe Laslow wasn't that far off, maybe there is some connection between him and Grima. That only means that we have to follow his final wishes.
Author's Note : Chapter 2 is complete! I made a few changes from canon dialogue once again, most notable would be the fact I hid Lilith's name. I have my reasons for this plot-wise , obviously, but I also just found it annoying how Selena, Laslow, and Odin never recognize Lilith or just stay quiet about it. I hope no one minds the change in style for the Arete fight, but I figured since Maura/Morgan wasn't directly involved in the battle itself, I would have a strategy section. Also I'll admit, I probably should have actually finished Hidden Truths 2 before writing this, I honestly didn't know much about this one since I don't like the reward that much.(I mainly use the Dragon Veins to keep track of who's safe to S-Support for children, I don't like pairing cousins.) I honestly didn't know much about the final Dragon Vein, like the skills it gave(I looked that up, for anyone curious, Maura would likely have Countermagic, Armored Blow, and Vengeance) or the fact that It moved the entire island closer to Arete(whoops! Oh well, I liked my way a bit better). I really like the way I handled Maura, I definitely want to write her angry more often(*cough* Takumi *cough*) because I like the idea that no matter how passionate she gets in an argument, she always will remain professional when dealing with strategy(such as giving Laslow the final Dragon Vein, even though she was still angry, or not purposely killing a few later characters.)
Anyways, I really like this chapter and the next few chapters, to make up for a time skip, will have a bit of canon divergence, sort of. The tournament where Selena, Laslow, and Odin earn their status of royal retainers(at least I think Camilla said it was a tournament) wasn't really explored much in the Supports(which I'm fine with) so I'm going to take a few creative liberties. But for imagery sake, I don't want to think of some royal area, so it'll happen in an arena identical to the MyCastle one. I really hope you guys enjoy and please comment, any feedback is appreciated!