A/n:Please tell me what you like in the fic. Don't just tell me you like it.
Chapter 26: The Dragon's Gate
Our heroes arrive at the Dragon's Gate and look in awe as they walk thru the halls that weren't wrought by human hands... but by something else and abandoned it centuries past. The ruins, massive beyond belief, have nothing to do with humankind. They have arrived. They have arrived finally at the Dragon's Gate.
"This place is huge, whatever lived in a place like this was really big" said Hector.
"..We're here, the Dragon's Gate" said Eliwood.
"What's wrong, Ninian? Your trembling" asked Eliwood.
"...This place... so frightening. Something... powerful.." said Ninian.
"It's her power, isn't it?" said Lyn.
"Her power? What's that?"asked Hector.
"Ninian has the ability to sense impending danger. Her memory may be gone, but her power remains" said Lyn.
"What is it you sense, Ninian?" asked Eliwood.
Ninian walks a short distance away.
"I... should not have … come here. Something awful will happen if I'm here. Ah!" said Ninian.
"Ninian!? Snap out of it!"said Eliwood holding on to Ninian.
"This place... No... I... I..." said Ninian.
"She's getting worse!" said Eliwood.
"Let's get her away from here... Wait someone's here" said Mark, as he drew Masamune.
"How right you are... You'll not be going anywhere" said a sinister voice.
"Who are you show yourself" yelled Hector.
Ephidel appeared before the group.
"That little bird has escaped this island cage twice. Now that she's back, she'll not be allowed to fly away again" said Ephidel.
"Who are you!?" shouted Eliwood.
"We meet at last. I am Lord Zero's apprentice. I am Ephidel. Pleased to make your acquaintance" said Ephidel.
"Where is your master, Ephidel" asked Mark.
"In the back waiting for you, Mark" smirked Ephidel
"Your Ephidel? I've been looking forward to this" said Hector cracking his knuckles.
"...Gallantly spoken. Of course, I know who you are. Marquess Ostia's younger brother, Lord Hector.
And here we have the soon to be couple of Lady Lyndis and the Tactician Mark"
Lyn glares at Ephidel.
"You touch her, you die" said Mark, threatening Ephidel.
"By the way, the gift I left for you in the forest... Was it to your liking? The filthy red-haired traitor died in those woods" asked Ephidel.
This pushed Hector over the edge, Leila had been severely injured and could no longer be a spy for Ostia.
"Monster! Stay right there! I'm going to crush the life from you with my bare hands!" yelled Hector.
"Now I see! She was an Ostian spy, wasn't she? Did she suffer?" asked Ephidel.
"Die!" yelled Hector as he slammed his axe were Ephidel was.
"He vanished!" said Mark.
"Eliwood, He's after Ninian" shouted Mark.
But it was to late Ephidel appeared next to Ninian and grabbed her arm.
"Wha-!?" said Ninian.
"This girl is needed for my great master's ceremony" said Ephidel.
"Ninian!" shouted Eliwood.
"Lord Eliwood!" shouted Ninian.
"Let me go!" yelled Ninian before Ephidel teleported away with Ninian.
"Vanished..." said Lyn.
"Blast!" said Hector.
"We have to save her" said Eliwood, with concern in his voice.
"Right everyone let's go" said Mark.
A Paladin rode up to the group and showed he was a enemy.
"I have been waiting for you, son of Pherae" said the paladin.
"Where is my father?" asked Eliwood.
"Inside.. farther inside. You'll never see him, though. Even if you break through here, the path you seek is guarded by Marquess Laus. Will you not withdraw? It's too late for that isn't it? You'll never leave here alive" said the paladin, before riding away laughing.
"Here's the plan. Wil, Rebecca, Dorcas and, Bartre you guys will guard Merlinus. Matthew we'll need you a lot to get through this place, so you need to be extra fast. Erk, you take Canas, Lucius and Priscilla and head thru that closed off passageway as soon as Mathew opens the door for you. Everyone else follow behind Oswin, he'll take point his armor is impenetrable. So let's Save Ninian" ordered Mark.
After fighting thru the many enemy soldiers, the group arrived to face Marquess of
Laus, Lord Darin.
"Hahaha, none of you can stop me, I'm the future ruler of the world" shouted Darin.
"He's gone mad" said Hector.
"Let's take him down" said Mark.
"Lyn, y-" started Mark then he turned wide eyed and the world seem to slow down. The man behind Lyn grabbed her and disarmed her casting the Mani Katti away from Lyn.
"LYN" yelled Mark, as he ran towards the man with rage in his eyes.
"Harris?" said a thief.
Harris looked at the thief and warped himself away with Lyn.
Mark fell to his knees and stared at where Lyn was moments ago and all that was there now was the ring he gave her when he asked her to be his wife. He walked over and picked up the ring and then the Mani Katti and put them in his pack. Then he let the pain he had just suffered into a roar of anger for he had failed, the Black Fang had the only thing he now cared about.
Mark stood up and watched as Hector finished off Lord Darin.
With an enraged look he said, "Let's go find Zero, SO I MAY KILL HIM"
"Mark, calm down why the sudden-" started Hector.
"Hold up, where's Lyn?" asked Eliwood
"I don't know, but" turning and grabbing the thief by his collar and slamming him into the wall, "He knows who did it" growled Mark.
"Now first, Who are you?" growled Mark.
"I am Legault, former Black Fang member" said the thief.
"Who took Lyn?" asked Mark.
"That was my former partner, Harris, he's a well trained assassin in every type of weapon. He even uses magic, which is how he warped away from here but, you might want to stop the ceremony" said Legault.
"What ceremony?" said Eliwood.
"The one with the strange girl" said Legault.
"Ninian!" said Eliwood and ran towards the backroom.
"Oswin, keep an eye on him, you try to leave you die" said Mark., before following Eliwood and Hector following him.
When they caught up to Eliwood he was talking to his father. He didn't care what they were talking about, he walked deeper into the chamber and saw Ninian and two men. Mark quickly drew Masamune.
"So you have arrived, I am not surprised you have, but a question for you? Did you you like your present?" asked Zero.
Mark replied with a roar of anger and charged Zero.
Zero pulled out a sword similar to Masamune but was made out of a mixture of iron, steel, and silver and blocked Marks attack.
"I thought you were better than this. Mark" said Zero.
"Don't act like you know ME" yelled Mark, kneeing Zero in the gut.
Zero rolled away and got up and said, "Oh but I do little brother"
"What did you call me" growled Mark upon hearing Zero.
"Little brother, don't tell me you've fallen so far from my graces"said Zero.
"You can't be...It's impossible, you died in my arms" said Mark.
"Nothing is impossible" said Zero.
"Then, return her to me now" ordered Mark.
"I will tell you were she is but you must fetch her yourself. She's in Bern in an abandoned fortress two miles southeast from the Manson that prince Zephidel lives in" said Zero.
"Zero, stop playing with him and let us proceed with the ceremony" said the other man.
"Yes master" said Zero.
"Who are you" asked Mark.
"I am Nergal" said the second man, " Now stay there"
Mark became frozen and saw Eliwood, Hector and Lord Elbert run into the chamber and watched as Ninian stole Lord Elbert's life force from him.
"Lord Elbert!" shouted Hector.
"Ninian!" shouted Eliwood.
Mark used all of his strength and broke the spell.
"She under his spell Eliwood" shouted Mark.
"Po..power..." said Ninian in her distant voice.
"Yes, Now Ninian, open the Dragon's Gate" yelled Nergal.
"Gate... gate open" said Ninian.
The earth began to rumble as energy flowed to the center of the chamber and opened a portal to another dimension, and in that portal stood a dragon, a fire dragon the most fearsome kind of dragon in the world.
"Come forth... child of flame" said Ninian.
"It- it can't be..." said Mark.
"That impossible" said Hector.
"Is that... a dragon?" said Eliwood.
(Well what else walks on four legs and can fly)
"Yes squeeze every ouch of quintessence from your body dragon" yelled Nergal.
"STOP THIS!" yelled a familiar voice.
"It can't be... Nils?" said Mark.
Nils came running down the hallway and into the chamber and stopped in front of Ninian.
"Ninian stop this don't do what they want" shouted Nils.
This broke the spell Nergal had put over Ninian and brought her back to her senses.
"Everyone flee the dragon is crumbling" yelled Nils.
Everyone fled from the area as the dragon exploded and the gate closed.
"Nils you ruined everything" yelled Nergal as he tried to grab them but Lord Elbert ran up to him and stabbed him in the back.
"I told you Nergal, I will appose you at every turn" said Lord Elbert.
"Huh? What I will not die by your hands" said Nergal as he faded away.
"Father!" said Eliwood.
"Eliwood, Beware for he is not dead. I'm sorry my son but I will not see the dawn of the next day" said Lord Elbert.
"Don't say that father. Mother is waiting for you back in Pherae" said Eliwood.
" Ah..Elenora, my dear... I am truly sorry" said Eliwood.
"Father don't leave me" said Eliwood.
"Goodbye my son" said Lord Elbert fading into a whisper.
"No Father not after all we did to find you don't leave me... FATHERRRRRRR" said Eliwood breaking down into sobs.
"Eliwood we will avenge him but you aren't the only person who lost someone today and we must stop the Black Fang from doing this to anyone else. We must destroy the Black Fang." said Mark.
"Lets leave this place, Lord Eliwood" said Ninian, with tears in her eyes.
Eliwood got up carrying his father's body and lead the group back to the boat, and no one asked or said a
word about anything.
A/N: the twist with the Harris guy is a little surprise to everyone. Tell me what you liked tell me what you hated so I can make this a whole lot better.