"Radiant Dawn! Binding Blade! Blazing Blade! Thracia 776!"
"Coming up with new names for your attacks again, Owain Dark?"
Owain chuckled and smiled as he sheathed his sword. "Yes, my friend. I must be prepared to strike fear into the hearts of my enemies, and if it just so happens that the presence of Owain Dark is not enough to terrify them, then my magnificent battle cries most certainly will. So, what say you, Red Death? Did any of those names strike terror into your heart?"
Ananias sighed and shook his head. "We really need to change my nickname," he muttered. "There's no way I can pull off a name that dark."
Owain's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Because I think -"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. You think it fits me perfectly... based on my appearance."
"Well, you wear a lot of red! And your demeanor, so icy! So cold!"
"Oh yeah? And what about you, huh? Why give yourself the name Owain Dark then?"
"Simple." Owain grabbed one of his own hands and gravely looked at it. "My sword hand. It twitches for the blood of evildoers."
Ananias sighed and rolled his eyes. "Is it cursed?"
"Yes, it very well may be."
"Then maybe you should go see Tharja. Who knows? Maybe she'll have a hex that can help with that sword hand of yours."
"Er, um, no." Owain nervously coughed. "That won't be necessary. For you see, I have decided to face it head on. After all, my sword hand is my burden to bear."
Ananias sighed. "Fine. As for those names of yours... I don't really get those names either."
Owain blinked in confusion. "Huh? What's not to get? Didn't any of them strike even the tiniest bit of fear into your heart the moment you heard them?"
Ananias shook his head. "No. If anything, they sounded pretty hopeful."
Owain's jaw dropped. "'Hopeful'?! How did any of those names sound hopeful?"
"I don't know. Radiant Dawn? Binding Blade? Blazing Blade? Those all sound pretty bright, you know? And I doubt bright things seem very scary to most people."
"W-well, what about Thracia 776?"
"That name's just weird."
"What's so weird about it?"
"Owain, what the heck is a Thracia? And why are there already 775 of them?"
"I-I don't know! I just thought it sounded cool, alright?"
Ananias folded his arms. "I thought you were trying to strike fear into your enemies."
"Well, there's room for cool names too!"
"So you're okay with just making up words and spouting out random numbers for no rhyme or reason? In that case, why don't you just call one of your attacks... I don't know, 'Tokyo Mirage Sessions'?"
Owain's eyes narrowed in disgust. "What? No! What the heck's a 'Tokyo'?"
"Beats me, but it makes just as much sense as 'Thracia 776' does."
"Yeah, see, I don't think you understand the subtle nuances of that particular name."
Ananias groaned. "Look, if you like the name so much, then why even bother asking me for my opinion about it?"
"I wasn't asking whether you liked them or not! I was asking whether you found them scary!"
"I don't."
"Well then, what names would you suggest then?"
Ananias shrugged. "I don't know. Camilla?"
Owain gaped at him. "What?! No! What is your obsession with naming things after women in your life? First you name your sword 'Anna' and now you're suggesting I name one of my attacks 'Camilla'?"
"Well, when I think about my sword, I think about my family, and when I think about something scary, I think about Camilla!"
"Okay, so let me get this straight. You want me to shout Camilla's name, at the top of my lungs, in battle?"
"Would that not scare the enemy?"
"Well, yeah, because it sounds like I'm calling Camilla for help!"
"So, what's the problem with that?"
"Well, what if she does come to help?"
"Even better! You called for her, she came, and now there's a reason for people to be scared of you."
"By calling someone else for help?!"
"I mean, if it works!"
Owain sighed. "Okay, clearly I need to spell this out for you. I want to look cool out there, man! Like, really really unequivocally cool!"
"And you're asking me to help you out with that? ME?!"
"What? You're cool!"
"Not in the way you want to be," Ananias murmured.
"Put yourself in my shoes," Owain suggested. "If you were me, what would you call one of your attacks?"
Ananias sighed. "To strike fear into my enemies or to look cool?"
"Both!"
"I'd still just call my attack, Camilla!"
"Besides that!"
Ananias looked at Owain long and hard before flatly suggesting, "Lissa."
"Hey! That is not funny!"
"I thought it was funny."
Owain groaned in frustration. "Okay, creating names for attacks isn't your strong suit. How about backstory then?"
"Backstory?"
"Yes, see, I have my sword hand, which makes me the tragic, but cool avenger that I am now -"
"Sure."
"But what about you? What makes you, the 'Red Death'?"
"Nothing," Ananias deadpanned. "Absolutely nothing."
Owain sighed. "Look, can you just, try to make it work?"
Ananias sighed. "Alright, fine." He thought it over for a moment before suggesting, "I'm a Risen."
"... what?"
"Yeah," Ananias excitedly whispered. "I'm a Risen, or like, an evil spirit or something. I creep around, waiting for someone to just... slip up, and once they do, that's when I get them."
"So then, you're not a hero on the battlefield?"
"I mean, I could, I just wouldn't be fighting like the rest of you, you know? I'd be like, walking around, minding my own business, and then when I run into an easy kill, I do it."
"... that doesn't sound very cool."
"Really? Because I think I'm starting to get into it."
"Really?" Owain skeptically asked. "You're getting into the idea of just, walking around and stealing easy kills?"
"Are they easy kills though?" Ananias asked. "Or is that just the Red Death finally claiming the lives he's been sent out to collect?"
Owain gave him a cautious, but intrigued look. "... go on."
"What if, the Red Death is just the right-hand man to something much more scary and powerful?"
"Okay," Owain said, his excitement building just as much as Ananias' was. "And who is this scary and powerful person that we're talking about?"
"What if, it wasn't a person? What if it was a spirit? No! Many spirits?!"
Owain's eyes widened as he gasped. "Of course! They are both one, but many!"
"Sure, yeah, we'll go with that!"
"And just who or what is this collective force that sends for you? The spirits of the dead? The spirits of the fallen who demand justice? The spirits of vengeance?!"
"The... the spirits of... the spirits of...," Ananias then looked down and saw his sword, "all the Annas!"
"...what."
"Yeah!" Ananias unsheathed his sword. "The spirit of the Annas call to me through this sword!"
"You mean the sword your mom gave you with the teddy bear attached to it?" Owain mumbled.
"Yeah! That's how it sees! Through the teddy bear!"
Owain threw his hands into the air. "Are you for real?!"
"More real than anyone could ever know," Ananias cryptically said. He then hunched his shoulders, extended his sword out, and began to creep around. "Ughhhhh. Rughhh."
Owain sighed. "Please stop."
Ananias pointed his sword at Owain, looked at it, and then looked at Owain. "Ughhhh. Rughhhh!"
Owain rolled his eyes at this. "Oh please, just what exactly are you going to do? Bite me?"
Ananias then slowly placed his hand onto one of Owain's shoulders and raised his sword. "Now," he chillingly whispered, "I claim your life!" He then made a slow and very telegraphed swing at Owain. "Camilla!"
Owain glanced at the still slowly lowering blade before looking back at Ananias. "Really?"
"Sorry. Lissa!"
Owain sighed. "I've created a monster," he muttered.
"Not a monster! The Red Death!"
Owain removed Ananias' hand from his shoulder. "I'm going to go to bed and rethink my life."
Just as Owain was about to leave, Ananias asked, "What's the matter, Owain Dark? Do even you fear death?"
Owain stopped. "Owain Dark, afraid?" He clenched his fists before turning around and unsheathing his sword. "Never! I, Owain Dark, embrace death! Prepare yourself, vile creature, for you've now officially lost the opportunity to save yourself and flee!"
"'Flee'?" Ananias creepily laughed. "It is you who should flee. Death comes for everyone, even a dark avenger such as yourself!"
"I know. Unfortunately, my sword hand still quivers for justice and vengeance! I cannot allow myself to die until its taste for blood has finally been quenched."
"The spirit of the Annas has spoken! You! Must! Die!"
"Okay, I'll just ignore that Anna part," Owain muttered. He then turned back to Ananias. "Have at thee!"
Dual Special #1:
Ananias: We need a hero!
Owain: Worry not! Owain Dark is here!
Dual Special #2:
Ananias: Watch out, Anna's coming!
Owain: (groan) We really need to change the name of your sword.
Dual Special #3:
Owain: Thracia 776!
Ananias: (sigh) We're using numbers now?
Dual Special #4:
Owain: Behold, Owain Dark and the Red Death!
Ananias: There's no light for you in sight!
Author's Note: The next Warriors supports will be:
8. Marth
9. Lianna
10. Chrom
