A/N: WARNING! This chapter is by no means for the faint of heart. It's rated M material for extreme violence and foul language.
Some of you are probably wondering why I would do this, especially since I have often openly advocated against foul language. Answer: Stupid shit-face of a guest reviewer has been harassing me for more than a year, and has ignored my warnings. He has made countless pointless criticisms that make absolutely no sense, insulted my family, even going so far as to saying I should get rid of my brother, JoshthePoser. And as we all know, I place a very high value on family. So hear me well- this is what happens when you push my buttons too many times. I will get violent.
Fun fact for you- if not having diplomatic immunity earlier in my life, I would likely be in jail right now. Why? Someone tried to mug me, and I retaliated with extreme force- the man is now paralyzed from the chest down because I stabbed him in the back with his own knife.
I am beyond pissed, so listen up, unnamed Guest. Pay attention to the character named Gustavo. That's what I hope happens to you, you talent-less piece of filth.
Spilled Blood
The entire group of Shepherds walked through the dark hallways of Plegia's palace, the dwelling place of King Validar. "Anyone else getting a serious case of the creeps here?" Yuuki shuddered as she looked around.
"They worship a dragon of destruction," Mataras muttered with a scowl. "What did you expect?"
"Keep your voices down," Robin ordered, his eyes scanning their surroundings. "We're guests here, so let's not upset our hosts, shall we?"
"Since when do hospitable receptions include soldiers in the shadows?" Sinon whispered to Kirito, her sharp eyes spotting several moving shadows slightly behind the pillars they were passing by.
"Saw that too, huh?" Chrom muttered in the same undertone. "We did use to be at war with this country, you know. Makes sense that they wouldn't trust us."
"I don't recall this kind of reception the last time we were here," Robin whispered.
"We weren't here in full force, either," Chrom muttered back. "All the same, keep an eye out. I have a feeling that this is going to go south very quickly."
"You and me both," Kirito replied.
Then the time for secret discussion was over as they found themselves in the throne room, where a tall, ominous-looking man with red eyes awaited them, next to a blonde woman who could quite frankly do a better job of covering herself up. "King Validar," Chrom said as he strode forward, Robin at his side while the others stayed back as a courtesy.
"King Chrom," the tall man replied. "I see you have finally decided to grace us with an audience once again."
"Apologies," Chrom said, keeping his tone as respectful as he felt was appropriate. "We had many details to attend to after the war with Valm had finished, both domestic and financial."
"Ah," Validar said noncommittally. "Very well, I suppose it can be overlooked…"
"We come in response to your claim to have the final gem that fits into the Fire Emblem," Robin said after a slight lull in the conversation. "Is this true?"
"My my, impatient isn't he?" the woman said with a smug smile.
"Cutting to the chase, are we?" Validar smiled sinisterly. "Very well, then let's get to it. Hand over the Fire Emblem. Now."
"Oh no, who would've seen that one coming?" Mataras said sarcastically as his hand went up to his sword. "Sounds like the negotiations are over."
"You must be out of your mind," Chrom scowled as he placed a hand on Falchion. "The Fire Emblem belongs to Ylisse's royal bloodline."
"Then it shall be a part of my spoils of war," Validar snapped. "Aversa, if you would…"
"Come, men!" she called out. "Let us show these degenerates who holds the true power!"
"Over my dead body!" Mataras bellowed, whipping out his sword and flaring his wings as he shot into the air.
"Shepherds, attack!" Morgan shouted, and the battle began.
Kirito, Asuna, and Mataras all blasted forward at top speed to interpose themselves in between the four leaders of the opposing factions. "Robin, lead the others through the escape route we discussed!" Kirito growled as he stared down Validar, who was eyeing him with interest.
"Fascinating," the king of Plegia remarked. "I had heard tales of these winged warriors, but to see them in person is something else entirely."
"Let's see if you're so fascinated once I've engraved my blade in your heart," Mataras snarled, his rage already pulsing through his body. "Hand over the final gem if you value your life."
"No," Validar smirked as he thrust out with his hand and engulfed Mataras in dark magic. "It is you and yours that will die, boy."
"I suggest we all run," Robin said with wide eyes.
"What, why?" Chrom asked.
"Things are about to get messy," the blonde tactician said as the shadowy magic began to draw in on itself. "Mataras wasn't exaggerating about his ability to absorb others' dark power."
"Which means…" Chrom said as he stepped back a few paces.
"Run!" Kirito said as he grabbed Chrom by the shoulders and shot backwards, out of the reach of Aversa, who had just let loose with another dark spell. Asuna picked up Robin, and they head back to join the other Shepherds, who had already engaged with the forces that had been hiding in the shadows.
"What are they planning?" Validar wondered aloud. He wasn't concerned- Goetia was a spell designed to trap its target in shadow and then crush them in eternal darkness. Whatever the others thought that the boy was doing, they obviously had never seen the spell in action. He was as good as dead.
"Overconfidence is unbefitting of a king, wouldn't you agree?" a warped voice said from within the shadows, startling the two dark magicians. Their surprise was furthered when Mataras stepped out of the darkness, his body pulsing with a dark aura. "Don't underestimate my bloodline, or that of the Exalt's."
"This is… unexpected," Validar muttered to himself. "Aversa, would you mind taking care of this pest for me? I really must have a little chat with Robin."
"As you wish, my lord," she said with a wicked smile. Validar disappeared with a flash of light, likely the result of a teleportation staff, but that didn't concern Mataras right now. "IT will be a pleasure to tear a specimen such as yourself apart," she added as dark magic runes began to whirl around her. "I think I'll start by tearing off those lovely wings of yours… They'll go so well with my head collection."
"You have no idea what you're getting into, fighting me," Mataras growled slowly. "In the end, it will be you who screams for the nightmare to stop."
"Perhaps that would be the case if I chose to fight you directly straight away," Aversa shrugged. "But I think I'll play this smart… Here, why don't you play with this one, first?" She cast a spell that billowed into a cloud of smoke that temporarily blinded Mataras, forcing him to take a step back.
When the magic residue cleared out, he looked up to see something that made him freeze in place. Aversa was gone, but something much worse was in her place.
"I believe you two know each other?" Aversa chuckled. Standing before Mataras was a man dressed in dark clerical robes, a purple tome in his hand. Pale skinned with dark hair, a wispy beard, and large glasses framing his face, his identity was unmistakable to the Black Spirit.
"How…?" he asked, eyes wide.
"Did you really think that you and that little brat Noire were the only ones to make it through the portal?" the man smirked, his nasally voice grating on Mataras' nerves in the extreme. "I made it back in time as well."
The man's name was Gustavo, and he had long been a tormentor of Mataras in the future that was past. Not only had he been responsible for the deaths of many shepherds, it was his risen forces that Yui had died battling against. The last time Mataras had seen him, Gustavo had been giggling to himself as he slaughtered his friends while they made a desperate break for the portal that would take them back in time.
"Time I finished the task that lord Grima assigned me so long ago," he grinned evilly. The sight made Mataras sick.
"You know what?" he hissed. "I think you've forgotten something, you sick bastard."
"Hmm?" the other man cocked his head.
"It's been at least six years since you were within reach of my blade," Mataras said as he raised his sword. "And the last time we saw each other, I was too busy with your soldiers. Now it's just you and me, you son of a bitch."
"Foul language is hardly becoming of the young," the man giggled. "I'd have thought that your sister would have raised you better… Oh wait, that's right! She's dea- hurk?!" Gustavo looked down to see that Mataras' sword was now in his gut. One second the boy had been ten paces away. The next, he was face-to-face with his hated foe.
"You're going to suffer," he snarled, his eyes glowing silver, even as his dark aura pulsed stronger than before. "You just crossed a line, prick. You don't get to mock that which I hold dear and get away with it. Now… You'll scream in AGONY!" He gave the sword a sharp twist before yanking it out and kicking his enemy away.
Ramming his sword in the stone ground hard enough to split the stone and lodge the blade in place before pulling a small fire tome from inside his gi. "Can't have you bleeding out, can we?" he hissed with a deranged gleam in his eyes. A small fireball erupted from his hand and smote Gustavo in the chest, cauterizing the wound, and causing him to let out a high-pitched shriek.
"That's more like it," Mataras grinned savagely. "Now, what's next? Ah yes…" Extending his right hand out in a claw-like motion, he leaked out some of his newly obtained power to envelop Gustavo's right arm.
"Wh-What are you-?" His question was once again cut off as he was suddenly relieved of his limb, ripped right out the socket, causing blood to spray everywhere while his scream echoed through the throne room.
"You're going to die for everything you've done to me!" Mataras roared, yanking his sword out of the ground before he re-planted it in the ground through his victim's leg. "I've suffered through your mockery and torments for too long! Now I repay with interest!"
"No, stop!" the man begged. "Please, I- Eeeeeeeeeeyaaaaaah!" His scream echoed once more as Mataras enveloped his own arm with dark energy and used a knife-handed technique to stab into the man's innards, splashing them both with warm blood as he gripped his entrails.
"Why…?" he cried piteously.
Yanking on the guts of his enemy so that they were outside of his body, Mataras hissed, "For the Shepherds you killed." Using his other hand to grip his enemy's throat, he raised his head and slammed it back into the stone floor as he growled, "For my comrades."
It was clear that the man was not going to last long after enduring such abuse, so Mataras decided to speed things up. "For myself!" he shouted as he began to fill the man's body with an excess of dark energy. "And for my family!"
There was an explosion that echoed throughout the palace. From her vantage point, Aversa's eyes widened a bit as she witnessed the carnage displayed before her. Many others would feel sick at the sight of such brutality, but she found herself admiring the young man. "He certainly doesn't hold back," she muttered. "I'm surprised that the noble Shepherds allowed one such as he into their ranks… Still, he does have talent."
Considering her options for a moment, she finally said, "It might be more interesting to let this one live… The darkness he absorbed seemed to relieve him of some of his self-restraint… I wonder what will happen if he tries to face our lord Grima?" She found the prospect rather exciting indeed.
"You sure Mataras is gonna be okay back there?" Kirito asked with a worried glance over his shoulder, even though they had long since battled their out of the throne room.
"I'm sure he's got Validar begging for mercy by now," Chrom grunted as he shoved back a Plegian axeman. "Besides, he prefers to work alone, right?"
"He'll be okay," Yui said in support of her father as she blasted an enemy mage with her light magic. "The only thing that he might be in danger from is his own rage."
"I thought he was better?!" Leafa asked as she blocked a sword strike before leaping back to let Ricken finish the job.
"He's teetering," Yui answered. "One shove could send him back into his old mindset, while a nudge in the other direction will bring him to the light."
"I dunno if that's right…" Asuna said. "He seems very changeable to me. It's different for each circumstance, unlike most of us. We usually abide by a standard of morals, whereas he seems to change his stances on a flip of the switch."
"True, but I believe that he's come a long way," Yui said. "I'm just worried that something will- oh no."
"What's wrong?" Chrom asked as Yui looked up. Following her gaze, his eyes widened in a combination of shock and horror.
Hovering above the battle was Mataras, though he was almost unrecognizable. His clothes were soaked with enough blood that it was dripping off of him, along with what looked like piece of entrails, bones, and other guts hanging off of his clothes. His eyes were wide with fury, and his dark aura was practically ablaze with power.
"Brother, what did you do…?" Yui gasped.
He quickly dropped from his position and dove right into the fray, frightening both friend and foe as he slashed through any Plegians that dared stand in his way. Truly, in a lifetime filled with terrible sights, Chrom easily put this occurrence at just under the then-apparent death of his sister, Emmeryn.
"No time to worry about it," Lucina said grimly as she saw the Black Spirit tearing through the Plegians. "As long as he's on our side, we should deal with this later."
"She's right," Robin said, though he had to suppress a shudder. "We need to get out of here with the Fire Emblem."
"Not to mention our lives," Sinon said as she shot down an opposing assassin.
They had nearly made it to the exit when Validar suddenly materialized in front of them. He raised an eyebrow as he looked Mataras up and down, but he did not comment on his appearance, despite the fact that it was obvious the youth wanted nothing more than to tear his head off.
"The Fire Emblem," he said calmly, his red eyes glowing. "Give it to me."
"Try and take it," Mataras said as he wiped blood off his face. "I'll add your lifeblood to this new wardrobe of mine."
"You mistake the severity of my words," Validar said with a deep frown. "They are not a request, nor a suggestion. If you do not hand it over willingly, I will have Robin take by force."
"Um, excuse you?!" Morgan said as she shouldered her way up to the front of the group. "What makes you think that my Dad would ever follow your orders?!"
"Your-?!" For the first time since they had seen him, Validar's eyes widened with rage. "Robin, how dare you?!" he practically shrieked. "Centuries of trying to create the perfect heir, and when I finally create you, you have the audacity to corrupt our bloodline with the vile descendant of Naga?! What have you done?!"
"Hey!" Marth shouted as he leaped forward, slashing at Validar, who dodged just in time to only receive a slight cut across his ribcage. "Who are you to question our bloodline?! We'd take the blood of the Exalts' over your filthy lineage any day of the weak!"
Kirito shot a quick glance over at Robin, worried that the words might sting his friend, but instead he saw grim determination and complete resolve. "You just crossed a line, Validar," he snapped as he whipped out his lightning tome. "Don't ever mock my children!"
"You will stand down!" Validar roared as he stretched out a hand towards Robin, who suddenly froze in place. "As your father, I command you to give me the Fire Emblem! Pry it from the prince's dead body if need be!"
"No!" Robin shouted, his voice strained, and his eyes wide as his limbs began to move of their own will. "I… won't do it!"
"You have no choice!" Validar thundered. "You are my son, and you will do as I order you to do!"
"Father?" Morgan asked with worry as the blond man suddenly turned to face Chrom. "What are you-?!"
"Chrom, run!" Robin groaned, even as lightning danced across his body.
"No, fight hi- argh!" Chrom dropped to the ground as Robin's magic struck him in the arm. Before anyone could intervene, Robin had grabbed the golden shield and thrown it to Validar, who caught with a confident smile.
"Good work, my son," he said, his voice dripping with dark pleasure. "Now… kill your friends."
"Oh no you don't!" Mataras roared as he leaped forward and slammed his fist into Robin's head, knocking him out cold instantly. He turned back to attack Validar, but the man was already gone. "Damn him!" he seethed.
"Forget him, we need to go!" Kirito said as he hoisted Chrom to his feet.
"Then let's move!" Frederick said as he led the Shepherds out of the castle. "Make haste for the border!"
"I've got Robin!" Asuna said as she took off on white wings, the unconscious man being held by his shoulders.
Mataras eyed the blond man with narrow eyes, but he decided that for the moment, escape was the top priority. Looking back once more at the palace, he spat on the ground and said, "May your ancestors reject you in the afterlife, filth. May your spirit find no peace for all of time, and may your every moment be one of misery in knowing that all of your acts were futile. Rot here forever." His vengeance finally sated, he took off on midnight wings and left the palace behind him.
Kirito: Okay, umm... You think you might have taken that too far?
Mataras: No. I think that damn prick got exactly what he deserved. No one gets to insult my family and get away with it.
Asuna: Uh... What you said about you paralyzing someone IRL...? Was that an exaggeration?
Mataras: Again, no. Look, I've done my best to be patient and restrain myself, but I am well past furious at this point. The little bitch crossed a line while insulting my brother. I'll not tolerate it.
Robin: Do you need some time to cool off?
Mataras: Perhaps, but I do not regret writing this chapter. Part of my authenticity is the fact that I show both my strengths and my weaknesses to my readers. Whether or not this is a strength or a weakness, I'm not sure yet, but again I say- no one is going to get away with insulting my family. Ever.
Kirito: I think they get that...
Mataras: I don't know that 'Gustavo' does. But I do have one last thing to say to him before my vengeance is sated...
Robin: I hate to ask...
Mataras: No wonder your parents hate it when you open your mouth- you whine too much.
Chrom: Damn... That's cold.
Mataras: No regrets. For those of you that still want to read this (honestly not sure how many that's going to be after this...) the next chapter will be out next month. Hopefully I'll be in a better mood by then.