Chapter 16+A: Flames in the Darkness
As the stone doors slide up, you delay for a moment to allow June's group to enter. As they start entering, you proceed into your own. A sharp turn to the right leads the path into a large, stone arena. You collect your bearings as the rest of your group funnels in. The room's big enough for cavalry to fight comfortably, perhaps even wyverns or pegasi. Another of those bright crystals hangs from the ceiling, illuminating the room with a pale glow.
As your group finishes entering, the door slams shut and nine wisps swirl around. You're excited for a moment, until three of the things reveal themselves to be horses.
"Einharjar..." your Terranus mage whispers under her breath. She seems to be surprised. Reverent, perhaps? No matter. Legendary warrior or no, they're between you and your goal.
The first of the spirits takes the form of a scrawny, dark-haired girl on one of the horses. She doesn't look particularly impressive, but her sword certainly does. The dark-haired, dark-suited man who appears on the horse next to her looks to be a bit more tempting fare, but still... Oh, what's this? You notice they both clutch to golden tomes. Ah, mage knights. Perhaps I was hasty in my judgement.
"Challengers? It has been many a year since my last opportunity to fight alongside my sister."
"You had that opportunity, brother, and you cast it aside in the name of duty. Be grateful fate places us on the same side this time."
"You'll have to forgive the bickering couple over there," a voice from the far side of the room states. Another of the shades has revealed itself as a blue-haired, white-caped man, wielding a brave axe, on the final horse. "Name's Lex, and our friends over there are Olwen and Reinhardt. And this here's my buddy, Azel."
A red-and-white mage shifts into existence beside him. He merely nods respectfully at you as the final two shades reveal themselves. Dark cloak, black hair, green tome. Another wind mage, nothing special. Do not underestimate that one. Observe his brand... His forehead has a strange mark. A brand? That would make him half-laguz. Perhaps he's... Hm?
The final shade begins to reveal itself. You attempt to hide your excitement. Long, red cloak, blue, spiked hair, headband. Giant, golden broadsword, wielded in one hand. This just got interesting.
You step forward to greet your opponents. "Greetings. I am Paen, king of Carcina."
"King Paen, huh? I'm Ike, leader of the Greil mercenaries. I've gotta say, your armor looks rather familiar."
"You refer to the Black Knight, I assume? Your duel with him is legendary. I must admit, this is quite exciting for me. A chance to duel with Ike, to test how far I've truly come..."
"Heh. I don't know who you are or why you're so interested in me, but you look pretty strong. And I never turn down a challenge."
"Ike. Do not underestimate him," the mage behind him admonishes. "We should be cautious here. They outnumber us."
"You're right, Soren. Still, if possible, I'd like to go one-on-one with that one."
"Bah, let the numbers fall where they are! I want my chance to spar with the mercenary-turned-general. ...Gods, I wish the Girly could be here, you would have much to talk about, I'm sure," you mutter. "Listen well!" you announce to your friends... "Do as you please, but allow me the pleasure of fighting that one."
"King Paen," a feminine voice calls from your side. "Perhaps you should get a hold of yourself, and actually consider strategy?" Rain chides. "He's not the only one we need to defeat, you know."
"She has the right of it," Azel confirms. "You must defeat us all if you wish to obtain this power."
"There, see? Even the ghosts think you're acting childish. Now, what are your orders?" Rain asks. You notice Saul chuckling behind her. When you glance at him, he realizes what he's doing and looks away nonchalantly.
(A) Stick with your plan, you want that duel (Rain leads)
(B) Split your forces evenly among the three groups of enemies
(C) Have a few people harry the others while focusing on the left group (Olwen/Reinhardt)
(D) Focus on the right group (Azel/Lex)
(E) Focus on the center (Ike/Soren)
"Bah! I won't pass up this chance, it's once-in-a-lifetime! Rain, you have command. Duel me, Ike!"
"Very well. Soren, don't interfere. I'll leave command to you."
"King Paen..."
"Ike..."
It's too late for arguments. The only thing in the world right now is the man before you. So, how to do this?
(A) Silver sword
(B) Steel axe
(C) Arcwind
(D) Gae bolg (close-range)
Note: Gae bolg's ability activates when thrown. If you don't choose D...
(1) Throw it immediately
(2) Throw it after weakening Ike
(3) Throw it only as a last resort
(4) Don't throw it
Custom: Start with arcwind, use Gae Bolg if Ike closes the distance
You start the fight by hurling an arcwind at Ike. He leaps back, and counters with a shockwave, flung straight from his sword. You know you can't avoid it, but you manage to bring your shield up in time. The shock of the impact runs down your arm - it's as if you actually got hit by the sword itself. You rip your shield to the side as you hurl another gust of wind, this time anticipating Ike's dodge. Instead of leaping back, he charges you head-on. Not expecting such a risky maneuver, you don't react in time. Even in your thick armor, the impact hits you like a ton of bricks, and that sword slams into your side before you can recover.
Taking advantage of the force of the blow, you let yourself be knocked back a few feet as you rip that lance off your back. If Ike's going to fight with a powerful ancient weapon, it's only fair to respond in kind. Ike's charge leaves him off-balance, and you manage to stab at him. He barely manages to avoid the worst of the blow, but you still graze his flank.
"Not bad..." he mutters. "But let's see how you handle this!" He hurls his blade into the air. Leaping after it, he catches it in midair, slamming down towards you. You raise your shield skyward, and the blow glances off. Before you can even lower your shield, he backflips out of the way, slashing deep across your chestplate. You can feel blood running into your shirt, though there's no sign of damage to your armor. Oh, this just keeps getting better...
"Nice trick... but now it's my turn!" When Ike backflipped away, he gave you all the space you needed to hurl your lance. As you throw the gae bolg, Ike leaps out of the way - not far enough. A gust of wind seems to blow from nowhere, correcting your lance's trajectory slightly. It bites into his stomach, and he doubles over in pain. He screams as spikes seem to erupt from his skin. But... He's still standing!?
"I'm not... done yet!" Again, he throws his sword. You aren't going to fall for this trick again... You catch the downslash with your shield, jumping back just as it impacts. The second swing finds only air, and you've already finished reciting your spell. As Ike lands, gusts of wind surround him. As they come together, he momentarily disappears in a flash of green. When you can see him again, he is on one knee, barely holding himself up with his sword. "Well... fought..." he manages to squeeze out, before dissipating into a purple haze.
You let yourself fall as you reach for your concoction. You need to hurry up and stop that bleeding. "Here, let me help you..." a familiar voice says. You feel the glow of a healing staff as Saul starts healing you and Rain undoes the latches to your chestplate. You'd almost forgotten there was a battle raging around you. As you look around, you see most of your team is badly wounded, but none of them are corpses. There's no sign of the other einharjar. Looks like the Lady pulled it off well enough.
A small section of stone on the far wall slides open. An altar rests behind it, with a single orange-and-red bound spell tome. You reclaim your feet, retrieve the gae bolg, and move to claim your prize. Rain protests. "King Paen, please don't-"
"Bah, I'm fine," you cut her off. "It's not like we're in any danger, anyway. Hold on to my armor for a minute." As you step forward and place a hand on the tome, you can feel a warmth spreading up your arm. This book positively radiates power... You pick it up, and scan through it. "Forblaze... A powerful spell indeed. Who wants to help me try it out?"
"King Paen!" Saul protests. "You can't just test things out on-"
"I jest, I jest. You've all earned a rest. I'll let one of the slackers outside volunteer. I'm sure Claudia would let me, if I but asked her..." Catching the look Rain gives you, you hold your hands up in mock surrender. "I wouldn't, of course."
The stone door you entered through begins to raise again. "I suppose it's time to leave, then?" Taika asks. As if in response, two of the shades begin to reform. The scrawny mage knight, Olwen appears beside Taika, and Ike before you. You reach for your lance, but he stops you by jamming his sword into the ground.
"Peace, friend. You're a powerful warrior, indeed. I can tell you've a long road ahead of you. Perhaps I can make it a bit easier." With that, he vanishes, but the sword remains. He means to give me Ragnell? How is this possible...? You return your lance to its sling, touch the sword hit. It doesn't fade. The blade begins to glow, lightly at first, then brighter. You grasp it with both hands, pulling with all your might. You can feel the wound in your chest reopening with your efforts, and some of the others gasp - Saul merely sighs - but the sword slowly slides free. You hold it aloft. Its weight is immense - Ike made it seem almost light.
"Thanks," you say to the air. You clutch your chest. "And know I'll wear this scar with pride."
You almost forgot about the other shade. "Only a select few can use this tome," she is telling your mage. "It is a weapon passed down through my family, but I shall teach you the secrets needed to wield it." You notice Taika holding a tome you don't recognize.
"Thank you..." she begins. "Ah, the rest of you should go. I will join you in a few moments." With a shrug, you lead the rest of your group out. As you approach the door, you hear an earthshaking roar, even through all the stone. You think you you heard it coming from the center chamber. You hurry to the antechamber. The center door's still closed. Everyone's staring at it, worried looks on their face.
Tsk. That was fun and all, but I should have been with June. Sounds like she may be in trouble... "Bah, I'm sure they're fine!" you boast. "They're with Girly!" Everyone looks a bit calmer. Even if you're a worried, you certainly can't show it. A good leader inspires their troops, even when - no, especially when - they have doubts themselves. Still, that roar... Could it have been a dragon? June's strong, but dragons are on a whole other level.
End of chapter 16+
Taika received Dime Thunder as a unique weapon!
Paen received Forblaze!
Paen received Ragnell!
Aside: Ragnell was given to Ferris, Forblaze was given to Agni