Fire Emblem: Legend Of The Chaos Hero

Book One: In The Grip Of Hatred

By Chaos Hero Mark

Chapter X: Chambers Of The Mythic Beasts

"Boss , I've found our target."

"Good."

The leader looked over his subordinates carefully. His entire force consisted of twenty-one Assassins, twenty Swordmasters and ten Snipers, all garbed in dark blue clothing. This deadly force, gathered inside a large, empty house was ready to execute their target. All except a handful, who was conflicted on certain issues. The leader saw this and went straight to one of them.

"Is there a problem?" He began in a deadpan tone.

"Yes, there is." The Assassin glared in defiance. "Our pay's inadequate."

"Really?"

"Yes. And I'm not the only one who has a problem with this."

"Our Pay's inadequate?" The leader mused to himself, then confronted his subordinate. "Lest you forget, our benefactor has been good to us so far."

The subordinate protested. "That doesn't excuse this! Why the Hell should we run around killing people for this meager fee? We deserve better, Viper!" The leader remained silent as the Assassin continued his tirade. "We don't care if you're feared among the denizens. There are others in the guild who can do better. We feel tha-" Was the last words he spoke. Viper's quick hands had plunged two daggers into his shoulder blades and pulled it out so fast that the victim didn't even have time to react. The blades that pierced in the man's shoulders were coated in a paralysis poison, which numbed every part of his body permanently. As the man stood groaning in agony with blood dripping his shoulders, Viper looked at his underlings and spoke in an tone that betrayed no emotion. "Does anyone else have an issue with me?!"

The guild and those who protested along, now remained quiet. "Some of you seem to be unhappy with the wages present. Our benefactor has given us, free food, water and a roof over our heads. So you lot should be thankful... besides, he will give us the rest when the job's over. Think of this as a stepping stone towards our next job... and a bigger pay. Now, there seems to be loyalty conflicts among ourselves. When this happens, the body is unable to fight as one! Do not forget who pays your wages!" The message was sent through to the men in the room. After that, not one dared challenged Viper. "Dump his body into the sea." The leader whispered venomously, motioning to the defiant Assassin. One of the other assassins was only too happy to do so. After that, the callous leader then gave orders. "The target is one man, and I've word that he's alone. This task will go to five leading the attack, one which I've already selected." He turned to the Swordmaster on his left. The same man who gave him the report, whispered in his ear.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, sir." The Swordmaster confirmed.

"Very well then. You know what to do."

"Of course, boss. Compared to our last jobs, this is like robbing a blind man."

The leader only nodded in approval and saw his subordinate pick out a Sniper and three Assassins, to help lead the attack. Some distance from the arena, Viper gave everyone their orders. The Swordmaster's party would lead the assassination, while everyone else blocked off all possible escape routes, kill any witnesses whether they carried a risk or not. If any were to encounter their targets, they were to kill them without hesitation. Viper made sure that not even the slightest of chances were taken. Under the snow white moonlight, Mark would be fighting for his life and the life of the young girl.

- I -

"What? You wanna see the arena?"

The child kept pointing to the arena with one finger and tugged on his pants with the other hand. Mark thought there was no harm in giving her a little tour and complied as they proceeded to enter the Colosseum. The Colosseum's outer walls were blue during nightfall and during the day, the walls would reflect a raw sienna color. If it was cloudy, those same walls would give off a silver color. At the entrance, one of the three guards, a middle-aged, female Halberdier stopped them.

"Why are you out here so late? It's nearly curfew."

"I would like to show this girl around the arena."

The guard got irritated and wanted to send him away, but when she recognized Mark was a noble, she bowed and swallowed her tongue. "Forgive me, Lord Stu. I didn't know it was you."

"Of course." He waved his hand passively, as to excuse her. Once Mark and the girl was let through, the Tactician showed her the arena center, where the deathmatch was held recently. She looked at him with hands clasped in front of her chest. She was expecting an explanation, which he began to notice after a while.

"Um, where do I start?" He mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. From the crowd seats, he pointed to various points of the arena and looked at her and began his quick summary. "This arena was built upon ancient customs and beliefs in order to protect the common man. They had the beli-" He stopped himself short, realizing that he was speaking to a six-year old. Her mind wouldn't be able to process a whole long-winded history, so he decided to try a different approach. "If someone does something bad, like hurting someone, they get placed here and punished. Don't worry, only bad people get put here and if someone tries to hurt you, I'll make sure they end up here."

The girl pointed to the two statues, which caught Mark's attention. There was a vague familiar feeling about these two statues, especially the one carved out of white alexandrite alloy. She tugged on his pants to snap him out of his thoughts and waited for him to talk.

"The white statue is the good king and the gray one is the bad king. The good king shows mercy to bad people whose sorry and the bad king punishes those that aren't."

He stared at her emotionless as she tilted her head sideways and looked in confusion. As he looked at her, Mark noticed her left eye better with the swelling gone, but that same eye was permanently damaged. He then, turned his eyes towards the white statue. He felt vague feeling emanating from that sculpture. He didn't know too much about the history of Hera's Colosseum so to his convenience, he made up that story about the two statues. He saw her tugging his arm and chuckled to himself as they began to trek towards the throne area, thinking what a terrible tour guide he is.

As they got nearer to the throne area, Mark decided that he wanted to show her the view, so they climbed their way to the top of the balcony, high above the throne area. Mark was careful to make sure she didn't fall. When they were seated, the Tactician showed her the city from such a high view. The houses and buildings were stretched all the way to the castle with patches of forests in various places. On the other side were the docks and the endless blue oceans. It was like the evening fall shined its rays of sleep over the city of Hera. He saw her marveling the view and turned to see the sights himself. The young man was gazing at the cities until his eye caught an uneasy gathering. From what he could make out, there were a number of robed figures scurrying around the Colosseum. Mark felt his instincts telling him that danger was heading their way. He glanced at the girl, who was now gazing at the stars, and turned his attention towards the arena's surroundings. Mark didn't have his telescope with, so he couldn't make out who those figures were. If those people were after him, he thought of leaving the girl behind to protect her. But he decided against it, for fear of her being used as a hostage. He looked around and saw that they weren't inside the arena yet, so he had to leave before they discover him. "Hey, it's time to get you home." The young girl did as she was told. Mark gave her the impression that nothing was wrong when in reality, danger was coming for him. He didn't want to alarm her needlessly, but in the shadows of his mind, he feared the worst.

As they climbed down from the balcony, Mark had think fast. He wondered who were those people were and were they coming for him? Either way, he would not allow himself to take chances. As Mark and the little girl climbed their way to the throne area, he found himself fortunate to have his scimitar strapped to his sash. Inside the room, Mark encountered a Halberdier, whom he recognized as the same one from the gate. The older woman was slightly relieved to see Mark still alive.

"Lord Stu, we must not linger here."

"What's happening?"

"Our soldiers are being attacked. My captain sent me to look for for you."

At that point, there was little room for doubt, but Mark had to make sure. "Are they assassins?"

"Yes." The Halberdier spoke with haste. "Milord, we must leave."

Mark simply nodded in acknowledgment and took the girl in his arms. As they proceeded through the corridors, the Tactician asked, trying his best to avoid panic. "Is there anyway to escape without drawing the numbers against us?"

"There is, but..." Her voice trailed off. Mark saw the senior Halberdier was hesitant to answer and pressed her.

"Well, what is it?"

"The beast chambers are our only means of escape."

"What?" The Tactician muttered in disbelief. "There has to be another way."

"The entrance and most of the escape routes are guarded by the guild."

"Dammit." The pair stopped in their tracks. "So the only unguarded route is through there?"

"Yes. Lord Stu, I know its dangerous, but our time is waning."

"The assassins. How many are there?"

"Fifty-something."

Mark cursed under his breath, not realizing that the girl could hear them. If there was a maximum of ten with average skills, he and the soldier could take them. Fifty was a stretch for him and it was safe to assume they were dangerous. The girl's presence made her prone to danger as well and he assumed that his assailants would show no mercy, even for children. Mark's memory of the Colosseum wasn't so good, so he asked the soldier to lead the way without giving away his identity. Halfway through the corridor, they turned left and opened a door. The Halberdier locked it quickly before the assassins made it to the same corridor. Before them was a short hallway which lead to a wooden, double door.

Before they opened it, Mark had to make sure and asked. "Do you know your way around these chambers?"

"Yes." The woman answered with confidence. "I'll do everything in my power to see us to safety. You have my word."

Mark said nothing as they proceeded to enter. He wasn't very confident about entering a dungeon riddled with mythical creatures. It was either this, or the assassins, both which slimmed their chances of survival.

- II -

"Find him! I don't care if you have to scour everywhere and break down every door! I want them all dead!"

The assassins relayed his orders as Viper walked up to the Swordmaster. The assassin leader had his enemies blood splashed all over his clothing as a result of the carnage. "The men have secured every exit point. There's no escape for them." Viper stared at his subordinate. "What can you tell me?"

"I've heard there's a series of chambers where the beasts roam."

"Really?"

"Yes. If our target went there, its possible that he'll encounter beasts like Leo or Hydra. I'm assuming there's worse down there, but..."

"I'll put a few units to guard the entrance. Your crew will enter and pursue him. Kill him and get out of there. I'll deal with any other interferences."

"But sir, we're talking about mythic beasts here. Even his survival's not guaranteed."

"So you're saying you won't pursue?"

"No sir, that's not-"

"We can leave nothing to chance. This is a simple operation and your chance to prove how good you are." The leader narrowed his eyes at his subordinate. "As you said, tis like thieving a blind man. Don't take unnecessary chances down there, but bring back evidence of his corpse."

"Yes sir." The Swordmaster was hesitant to go into the Devils playground, but he wanted to enlarge his reputation. Soon, his pride won over his reason and gave his unit their orders. He prepared himself to enter the nightmarish chambers.

- III -

It was a wide cave that was built more like a corridor. The bricks were an umber sienna, color and the earth's moss was burnt sienna mixed with orange. There were white crystals stuck in various places, illuminating light to make it easy on the eyes. It was a ruin underground kingdom, abandoned long ago by their founders. Mark drew his scimitar, prepared for the worst. They came to the end of the corridor and saw a very large room, riddled with very deep pits. In each pit resided Leos of different colors. Some were the same kind that Mark saw in the arena, while others had different color skins and mane. As they traversed through the path, Mark told the girl not to look anywhere else and keep her eyes on him. The Tactician didn't wish for her to lay eyes upon the heartless beasts roaming. To their surprise, a Leo shot up from the pit near them. Its upper torso gripped the edge of the pit, trying to get out of it. The Halberdier quickly reacted by thrusting her Silver Lance against the face of the beasts muzzle. This caused the Leo to lose its balance and fall back into its pit.

The woman turned to Mark and shouted. "We must hurry, milord! The Leos are becoming more aggressive!"

With one arm, Mark tightened his hold on the girl. "Keep your eyes closed." He whispered in her ear as they quickened their pace. As they came to a door, Mark turned to see if any other lions would climb out of their pits and dash at them. What the Halberdier never told the Tactician, was that she only memorized the ancient and revised maps by heart. Even she doesn't know the what creatures awaited them in the deeper parts. As they closed the door behind them, Mark saw fear in the woman's eyes, though her expression was grim.

Before them was another wide room. The cliffs and walls was a mixture of dark brown and black. In front of them was a short path, stone bridge that led to a small, open pillar temple. The temple was guarded by one seated Cyclops(No, not X-men's Cyclops), who carried a thick club. Far below them, the yellowish light was illuminated by molten lava. The bridge was wide enough for three people to cross at the same time. The older woman wanted to step on the bridge, but Mark told her to wait. He handed the girl to her and stepped on the bridge himself. She wanted to stop him, but then told her. "I need to test the bridge and see what's in that temple. Stay here." Mark walked slowly towards the temple, ready to sprint back at any moment. He made sure that the stone bridge was firm enough to hold their weight. He eyed the sleeping Cyclops as he got closer. The bald, one-eyed creature was an abomination to man. Its protruding teeth was sharp, like that of a wild beast and had hideous features. Its skin color was light green, it had a protruding belly and the only clothing it wore was a ragged, black kilt. Mark saw its club, leaned near it as he had his scimitar in hand. The youth had made his way to the temple without hindrance, but saw that the bridge end near the temple was weak. He made his way inside, where he saw the sleeping beast up close. The woman thought of crossing over, but Mark held out his hand towards her and then placed his fore-finger to his lips. She saw him indicating that she needed to wait and be silent. Mark was busy forging a plan in dealing with the beast first.

The Superb Mind looked over the sleeping beast. The club was too heavy for a regular human to lift and the space for maneuverability was limited inside the temple. Most of the Cyclops's skin was as hard as dragon scales, much like the Leo. He knew it would wake up the second he made any loud noises. Scimitar in both hands, Mark took his stance. He knew that blinding it was the best option. Legs spaced apart and sword above his shoulders, the Superb Mind aimed for its eye and lunged forward. The strike was swift and deep as the blade was plunged into the Cyclops's eye, waking it up screaming. Mark pulled out the blade and quickly stepped back as the beast clutched its pus-bloodied eye. The youth then, stood near the bridge, away from the arm flailing beast. With one hand, the Cyclops grabbed its club and swung it around effortlessly. Mark made sure to keep his distance by standing upon the bridge. He could feel the weak area tearing beneath him and went further back barely dodging the club swing.

"Lord Stu!" The woman shouted.

She stepped aboard the bridge and ran to his aid, while leaving the girl behind. Mark was fortunate to step on the solid area of the bridge, giving him an idea. The Cyclops tried to open its bloodied eye, but it was too painful. It screamed in agony as it was swinging its club wildly. What Mark never saw coming was that it threw its club horizontally, unwittingly aiming it at Mark. He barely managed to dodge the thick log, but this impact was so strong that Mark nearly fell over. He landed near the edge of the bridge as the log fell into the burning lava. Mark barely recovered as he felt his body slowly slipping off the bridge as well. Out of instinct, the Tactician grabbed the edge of the bridge and hanged on for dear life. Because he was holding his scimitar with one hand and the other on the bridge, he felt his grip weakening very quickly. His hand became numb to the point where he thought he'd die. A strong slender hand gripped him, pulling him up. He saw it was the older woman, saving his life. She helped pull him up while glancing at the Cyclops now and then. Once Mark was safe, she grabbed her spear and poised herself for attack.

The Cyclops was on all fours trying to feel the ground. Once it felt the bridge, the Cyclops slowly stepped on the bridge, screaming. Mark saw it stepping on the cracked area, hoping it would collapse under its weight. The beast waved its hand around as the cracked area did not budge. Its feet found itself in the solid area, leaving Mark with a last ditch effort. He quickly instructed the woman to thrust the spear against the feet and attempt to drive him back. She did so and took pokes at it, driving the Cyclops back. Once its feet rested upon the weak, bridge area, that part of the bridge finally collapsed beneath the Cyclops. The beast, out of instinct, grabbed the bridge area and attempted to climb its way back up.

"Aim for its eye, quickly!!" Mark ordered the woman. The woman did so, but the attack was blocked by its one hand. Mark saw this and picked up his scimitar as quickly as he could. He aimed for its fingers during its distraction by the spear. Due to the backhand being covered by the scales, its fingers were among its weakest points. With careful aim and all the might his right arm could muster, Mark severed its fingers. This caused the Cyclops to lose its grip and plummet to death, screaming. Its body splashed into the lava, burning. It gave a deafening scream as the hellish furnace ate through its flesh and consumed it, silencing the Cyclops forever. Mark paid it no heed as he went to check upon the girl. She had her ears covered and her eyes shut tightly. He gently touched her saying. "Its okay. The bad monster's gone." She eventually opened her eyes and saw his face. She clinged to him, as they made their way to the temple.

- IV -

"There's nothing here that we can use." Mark muttered in disappointment.

The temple had some large gold coins, lying in various places and a small alter. Opposite the bridge they came from, there was a short bridge leading to the exit. The problem was that the exit was too small and buried by large rocks, making it near impossible to squeeze through. In front of them was another stone bridge leading to a cave where the Gorgons resided. Mark and the woman were debating on their next move.

"The girl should stay with us." The woman attempted to reason with him, but Mark was slightly hesitant on going through with it.

"Take a look at where we are." Mark's tone was slightly irritated. "That Cyclops isn't the worst I've seen. Her safety isn't guaranteed with us."

"So you're saying we send the girl?"

"Yes. At least she...at least she has a chance."

"She'll be killed out there."

"Then is there another exit?"

"Yes, but..." She hesitated for a moment.

"Don't tell me its the Snake Pit."

The older woman nodded hesitantly. Mark took a moment to silently absorb all of this. After a moment, he said. "No matter how much we hate the idea, she is not safe with us. I don't wanna send her out there, but every second we waste arguing, is another second for them to discover that route. She can go for help and I know Captain Knarvet personally."

"Forgive me." The Halberdier mumbled, lowering her head. "I only thought... I didn't take this into account."

"There's no time for tears or regrets." Mark simply motioned the woman one side, out of earshot and pointed towards the landslide. "From over here, that cave looks like it leads to the outside. I'm assuming its in the trees, near the city. Those rocks are too heavy for us to remove, but she's small enough to squeeze through that passage."

He removed his green cloak and went to the young girl. As he knelt to tie the cloak around her, Mark looked her straight in the eyes. "Do you know where the castle is?" She nodded her head. "Good. I need you to do something very important. Go straight there and find Captain Knarvet. You know who Captain Knarvet is, right?" She confirmed him with a nod. "Good." He walked with her to the bridge. Judging by the way Mark spoke to the girl, the Halberdier felt his hesitation in sending the girl into danger. They knew there was no other choice and neither knew what nasty surprises awaited them in the deeper parts of the cave. When they came to the landslide cave, she climbed her way, squeezing through the narrow passage. Mark silently stared at her for a while. He wanted her to stay with them, but he knew that even more terrifying beasts, lurked in the caves.

The pair sat near the Gorgon cave, tired. They were struggling to remove the rocks and chains blocking the way, despite lighter rocks than the exit path. They thought of going back the way they came from, but went against it, knowing that they risk having the raging Leos and killer assassins after them. They needed to find another way out and Mark wondered if the girl was safe. As they were resting, the Tactician decided to get to know the woman a bit and ease his troubles.

"I never got your name."

"Milord?"

"Your name." He asked calmly, hoping to ease his worried mind a bit. "And please, call me Gary."

"Alovandria, milo- I mean Gary."

A moment passed when he asked her a personal question. "Do you have family, Alovandria?"

The woman was curious as to why Mark wanted to know about her. After a moment of silence, she answered. "A son."

"Husband?" He saw a sad look in her eyes and quickly refuted his question. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"Tis alright." She assured him and began. "He passed away four years ago. My husband was a farmer from Elabark. He wasn't very bright, but he was a good man." She tried to smile, but her tears began to fell upon her cheeks. "I never knew how much I missed him, till he was taken from me." Mark saw how hard she was fighting her tears and her voice was filled with sorrow. After a while, she sniffed and wiped her tears. "I'm sorry."

Mark then sought to ease her pain and change the subject. "You've nothing to apologize. Tell me about your son."

At hearing this, she began to smile more naturally. "My son Arel, is a pager, cook and a servant for the crown. He works very hard and never complains. My only wish is that he'll have a good woman who'll take care of him." Hearing Arel's name caught Mark by surprise. He'd forgotten what his parents looked like, so it actually shocked him that he's talking to his mother. Alovandria noticed this and asked him. "You seem baffled. Do you know my Arel, by chance?"

"I met him a month ago." Mark lied about the first part. "He's a very hard-worker. I think it be wise for his majesty to give him a higher position and better wages." He smile and added. "In fact, I'll even put in a good word for him." The Halberdier was staring at Mark's face for some time, as if trying to remember who he is. Mark noticed this and asked. "Lady Alovandria. Is something troubling you?"

"Do you know of the Four Cornerstones of Trivalon?"

"Yes. Captain Knarv-"

"I mean the Four Cornerstones of ten years ago." Mark fell silent at hearing this. "Among the four was a young boy, an extremely gifted Tactician. He wanted to take up music like his uncle, but his father kept pushing him into stratagem warfare. Within six months will be the seventh anniversary of their death."

Mark's expression became unreadable as he asked. "How did they die?"

"They were killed by a rogue faction. Word of mouth had it that it was conspired by the royal families. To this day, there was no proof of what really happened." She narrowed her eyes and asked. "Are you truly who you say you are?"

"Of course!" Mark became slightly irritated. "Gary Stu of Archanea, explorer and servant of the crown ruler, King Marth of Altea."

"Then may I ask, does King Marth have any blood relatives, besides his mother and father?"

"Yes, he does." Mark answered hastily. He wasn't sure where their conversation lead, but he played along confidently. "Two sisters and a brother."

"I do not recall him having a brother, nor two sisters." The woman smiled and corrected the Superb Mind, much to his surprise. Mark was confident that none of Olympia knew a thing of Marth. He wondered how this woman knew as he folded his arms. "My cousin, Merric is married to her." Mark became afraid of where this might lead. "King Marth only has an older sister by the name of Elice. Maybe you've never been to Archanea or perhaps you're an exile. Either way, there's no need for you to lie... Prince Mark."

He froze the second she addressed him by his real name. After a moment, he collected himself. "...and what...makes you think that I'm this Mark?"

"Your face...your eyes. You look a little different, but there's no mistaking it." Her smile shone across her face, overjoyed that the crown prince has returned. She bent a knee, acknowledging him. "Milord Ma-"

"Please stand to your feet. I'm not your prince."

"I know its you!" She shouted with joy. "I can never forget the face of the boy who saved my son."

Mark realized it was pointless to deny it further. The older woman remembered him and he knew it wasn't good. "H-how did you know?" Her next words grabbed his attention. "Nearly nine years ago, you saved my son and the captains daughter. While Prince Edgar and his majesty's children were praised by the people, very few knew of what you did. You weren't strong as your peers, but you bravely risked your life to save those children. We never forgot our son's savior. My husband and I were heartbroken that you all died, but I wish he was here to see you grown up and ready to lead our people." She looked at him as she spoke that last sentence.

Mark fell silent at her words. He didn't want to tell her anything yet. Right now, they needed to escape. As they stood to their feet and began to move the obstructs, Mark smiled at her. "We can reminiscence later. Let us escape first."

"Yes, my liege." She exclaimed with renewed joy.

- V -

Before they were ready, Mark and Alovandria went back and gathered a couple of the large coins in the temple and filled their pockets. The Tactician thought it may come in handy. They heard a door burst open from where the Leos resided, revealing three men. The Swordmaster ordered the Sniper and Assassin to help force the door shut, leaving the other two Assassins at the mercy of the Leo herd. The three men were unaware of Mark and Alovandria, who saw them, hid themselves and planned their element of surprise.

"Shit." Mark cursed in a low voice and whispered to his companion. "We need to take the Assassin and Sniper out."

"The Swordmaster looks dangerous."

"I know. But the Sniper puts us at a bigger disadvantage. We can still win if we eliminate him." The Halberdier silently nodded. She was confident in her lords tactical genius and her skill with the spear. Mark indicated that they wait and attack from the temple. When he was sure she understood, they lied in wait with their weapons at the ready. Once the door was secured, the Swordmaster and his underlings took a look at their surroundings. The swordsman looked at the bridge and saw that it was weak. He told his subordinates to lead the way, which they reluctantly did. Mark was hoping to take the Sniper out first because next to the Assassin, he was more deadly. They knew that just peeking would give them away, so they remained silently hidden. As the footsteps and voices got louder, Mark readied himself. Through the temple entrance, an Assassin stepped through. He looked left and saw the older woman, not realizing death came swiftly for him. The second the Assassins presence was made seen, Mark, with one swing of his scimitar, decapitated the man's head. Blood gushed from his severed neck as Mark had to only worry about the Sniper. The two assassins were caught off guard for a moment as they saw the man's head fall into the lava. Soon, they quickly collected themselves and readied their weapons.

"Damn." Mark sneered.

"Tis futile to run! This is where you die, Lord Stu!" The Swordmaster taunted him.

Mark wanted to peek his head out a bit, but was met with an arrow. He pulled his head back just in time to avoid the oncoming arrow. Immediately afterwards, the Swordmaster ran and leaped over the hollow area of the bridge. Mark was swinging his scimitar, hoping to hit his next victim. He missed, not realizing that the swordsman slid his way in. He quickly launched himself to his feet and counter attacked an off-guard Mark. The sword stroke was blocked by Alovandria's spear. The swordsman took a step back and observed his opponents for a moment.

"Distance yourself. Don't let his sword get near you. I'll handle the Sniper." Mark whispered.

With that, Mark ran out of the temple. The swordsman wanted to stop him, but the woman barred his way. Leaping over the bridge gap he landed as an arrow flew in his direction, leaving him one moment to block. Out of instinct, he held up his scimitar and successfully repelled it. As he ran towards the Sniper, the man took out another arrow, spinning it rapidly and calmly took aim. As he got closer, Mark saw it was a Killer Bow he was up against. If properly used, Killer weapons were considered by many to be very dangerous, perhaps even deadlier than Silver weapons. The youth stopped in his tracks as the Sniper fired, not realizing the impact was deadlier. Mark tried the deflect maneuver but it was all in vain. Knowing that the Tactician would try to block it, the Sniper let his arrow flew against his shoulder, near the neck and opened a gash. As the arrow flew past the Tactician, it landed near the woman's feet who was too busy holding her own against the Swordmaster who in turn, was trying to get near in order for his sword to reach her.

Mark felt the bleeding flesh wound, but payed it no heed as he began to charge in again, not giving the Sniper another chance to use his arrows. The Sniper couldn't grab another arrow as Mark was too close to him and swinged his scimitar, horizontally twice. The Sniper dodged both times. The man had to be wary as an opening for Mark would cost him. As for Mark, he was in a dilemma thanks to the limited width of the bridge. The Sniper dashed in, bare fists as Mark tried to cut him vertically, only to be blocked with his metal, left arm gauntlet. He followed up with his right clenched fist, striking Mark's cheek and a kick to the stomach. He staggered back, trying to regain his control as the Sniper removed his bow, quiver of arrows and advanced towards him. Mark took another swing, but the Sniper dodged it calmly. He landed two right hooks in Mark's face, followed with a left strike. The youth tried to get his bearings but the Sniper taunted him further. When he got a breather, Mark took his stance with his blade touching the ground. The Sniper began hopping in a boxer stance and threw out taunting right jabs and feint lefts. Mark was waiting for an opening even though the Sniper was taunting him and smirking. Once the man threw a full-blown right hook, Mark did a 180 degree spin, further right in order to dodge the jab. In that split second, he swinged his scimitar, burying the thick blade deep into the unsuspecting man's, unprotected ribcage.

Mark had already studied the basics of what Archers and Snipers wore. The most armor protection they'd have is an arm brace upon either arm and they wore little to no armor for easier movement. The Sniper gnashed his teeth in pain, which increased as the genius pulled the blade out and blood gushed from his side. Mark was trying to get his balance as he was near the edge of the bridge. The enraged Sniper attempted to violently tackle Mark, which led to his death. The genius was collected as he countered the Sniper on the moment of impact, by turning half-circle and pushing him over the edge. The Sniper was unable to stop his charge and plunged into the furnace sea. The Superb Mind kept a grip on his scimitar the entire time, afraid to let it fall into the lava. He gripped his neck wound and winced in agony. A piece of flesh was missing, thanks to the near fatal Killer Bow. Mark knew he had no time to waste and ran to the aid of his companion.

When he got there, the unconscious Swordmaster's limbs was covered with severe pierced wounds and the older woman was bleeding profusely from her leg, rib side and her thick chest wound.

"He was...stronger...than I thou..." The woman gasped in pain. Mark assumed the assailant to be no longer a threat and went to the woman's aid. He looked around for a vulnerary, anything to ease his companions pain.

"There has to be something I can..." He whispered in a panicky tone. Mark was trying to think of anything to help his companion.

"I forgot my vulneraries. The first in... a long time."

He stared her in the eyes, trying to give her hope. "Listen to me. You are not gonna die, you hear me? We'll make it through this. Help is on the way." But even Mark knew the inevitable. True to Alovandria's word, she forgot her vulnerary at home. A mistake she never knew would cost her this day. The wound inflicted by the Swordmaster caused a deep wound, unless properly treated, she would bleed to death. Mark was looking desperately, his face showed signs of panic. He checked the Swordmaster and the Assassin's body for vulneraries but only found an Antitoxin on the Assassin. The Sniper's body fell into the lava so he checked the weapons, lying near the entrance. He only found a Killer Bow and a quiver full of arrows. He took them and ran back. Kneeling near the woman, he sought to carry her, but she refused.

"Milord, I so sorry..." Her tone became a whisper and her breathing became shallow. Mark sought to stay with her to the end. "Arel..."

"Do not despair. I'll watch over him."

With that, he took her hand in his as she gripped it tightly. She smiled at Mark, happy that the crown prince has returned home. Unbeknownst to them of the time passed, her grip eventually weakened and her breathing ceased completely. Alovandria had finally passed away. Mark remained silent the entire time as he used two fingers to shut her eyes. Though his face showed nothing was wrong, the youth felt sorrow at the loss of a person he barely knew from his past. A mother who knew more about him than he thought and believed in him. He mentally cursed himself for not being stronger and quicker, but even that couldn't undo what happened. He heard a loud bang coming from the door of the Leo cave. The door eventually collapsed, revealing a number of Leo beasts scrambling to get over the bridge. This caught Mark's attention as he prepared for the worst. What the Leo beasts didn't know was that their weight combined caused the old bridge to give out. Mark's possible retreat collapsed, along with the multitudes of lions. He silently watched the bridge collapse into the lava, then grabbed her body, bridle style and went to the bridge, leading to the Gorgon cave. He stood in the middle and silently threw her body into the fiery lava, which would be her grave. Concern for his young companion was another reason for him survive. His only way out is to descend deeper into the hellish chambers.

Trivia

Cyclops - Yes folks, THAT Cyclops from Sacred Stones makes a cameo.

Elice - Marth's older sister from FE: Shadow Dragon. Starts as a Cleric class, I believe.

Merric - Also from FE: Shadow Dragon. He starts as a Mage.