AN: Heads up before anyone says I did not warn you; this is roughly the night of the previous chapter…just avoiding those messages now. Ok, enjoy folks.

Chapter 32

Battle of the Blackwater

Davos Seaworth never felt more at ease than when he was on the deck of a ship out at sea. With how things had turned out with the ritual Melisandre had performed, his newfound religion had come at great personal cost for his own pride. The fact that she had been telling the truth and not just spinning a tale to bewitch the king didn't help either. That's how he found himself int his new predicament. Standing on his king's right side with the priestess on his left, with the young Jon Snow behind them donning a brown cloak with its hood drawn up over his head.

"How much longer?"

Davos peered ahead over the waves, the faint outline on the horizon of Kings Landing far off in the distance "Nightfall, perhaps…if the winds are kind and the tide be with us."

Stannis crosses his arms against his chest, eyes narrowed on the horizon where he is sure the Red Keep is "What do we know of Robert's forces?"

"Not nearly enough to worry about given our own forces strength," Melisandre assures him "However the flames…these allies he has, I cannot see them in the flames."

"You cannot see them?" Davos asks in shock "Some sort of…magic?"

"I am unsure, but what R'hllor has shown me is that they are dangerous." She casts a glance and smile behind her towards the Beast of R'hllor "But with him, victory in the end is assured no matter how long the journey to it."

"Then we shall batter the walls until they crumble and burn any who oppose us." Stannis says it with such finality that Davos is not sure if it is the middle of the Baratheon brothers standing before him or a Dragon disguised as a Stag. A thought he keeps to the back of his mind given present company. "Davos, get some rest while you can. I will have need of you in the battle at your best, go."

Davos bows his head, making his exit from their company but not before catching the way that Jon's head seems to jerk up and his stoney gaze locks on the horizon. Something was coming, he'd bet his other fingers on that. As he made his way below deck, he could hear the rumblings of the men mirroring his own thoughts. He pushed through the fog of their views for his own peace of mind. It wouldn't do to dwell on it all now. Not before a battle as big as what they had all been dreading this one would be.

"Your Grace," Robert's eyes briefly flick to the right before moving back into position on the horizon. The man joining him atop the walls bows his head, a shallow dip of respect "It is almost time."

"Time," he scoffs "Time enough for your fellows to abandon the city more like. Tell me Sanguis, where are the rest of your little group hiding? Not in a brothel, I hope. Or in some sept."

Sanguis rolls his shoulders. The black cloak he wore hiding nothing of the monster beneath it. "Vega is tracking a lead. Ignis shall return within the coming days as will Havoc and another of our number."

"And Raven?"

"He had business to attend to in our homeland," Sanguis rumbles deeply "Which is why I was chosen to remain behind."

Barristan stood off to the side, directing the men to their positions as the ships slowly made their approach. He was close enough to aid his king should he require it, and close enough to overhear every word Sanguis spoke. Raven was a smart man, of that Barristan would bet his life, but he was also a man of mystery. So many secrets were hidden, buried at such lengths not even Littlefinger had found anything. Varys too with his birds was in the dark as to just who Raven really was.

"Tell me, do you think that they can win?"

Robert's question gave Sanguis pause. The goliath of a man contemplating his next words carefully "No. Not so long as I am here, your Grace."

Sanguis body seemed to freeze, locking up so sharply it startled Robert to see the larger man so…still. The mercenary snarls, rolling his shoulders just before the alarm went out. A call to arms as the enemy approached their shores. "To arms!" Robert roars above the clamoring noise of armor and the rushed steps of men scrambling to their positions "Time to earn your weight in gold! Sanguis…I do not know what all you can do, but Raven spared naught but praise for you. Show me just why he would leave you here alone to guard this city."

"Hmph, you shall see but we are not alone this day." The man strode up to the wall, eyes locked on the first ships as they made their approach. Barristan stood by his Kings side, handing him his helmet.

Robert bore a smile he hadn't had in years as he donned his helmet. The silver plate, adorned with the antlers of a great stag representing his house, shone in the faint light of the flames. The sun was setting, its final moments a glimmer of hope should they survive this night and live to see it again come morning. "Tonight, we show my brother just why I am the rightful King of Westeros."

Barristan dons his helm, head turning on a swivel as he hears a shout from the left "Monster! Demon in the bay!"

Before a word could be uttered in question, a roar reaches them on the wall. A sound so deep, so strong, the old knight swore it must have been from a dragon…but that would be impossible. Robert steadies himself, grip tight on his Warhammer as the men begin to shout and point. Off in the distance, standing amidst the bay at the head of his brother's fleet was a monster. A beast of rock and fire, born of the seven hells themselves he would swear it true, with eyes of a flaming yellow and orange was slowly skulking towards the city. Towards him.

"By the gods…what is it?" Barristan heard off to his left.

"My torment," Robert mutters as the heat rises all around "Not even the Mad King could ever have thought of something like this. A beast of fire, a devil from the seven hells."

The beast roars, breaking out into a run as the ground around them trembled. The very city itself shook as the beast drew near. "Steady lads! Steady!" shouts one of the older knights manning the wall "The Seven are with us, we will not fall to this beast!"

There's a roar of agreement from the men. Robert knows it is halfhearted as any war cry but in this moment, it will have to do. The beast was far closer than Robert would have liked when it leaped into the air, raising one arm as fire came to life in the palm of its hand. He had a brief glimpse back in his memories when that upstart Clive Rosfield had done something similar before he had absconded with his future queen the Lady Warrick. "I will not fall here to a beast, not until that boy is begging at my feet for mercy."

There was a rumbling crash. Heat washed over the men on the wall causing many to drop in fear. Robert stood tall, defiant as he watched the flames die around a pillar of rock. The beast stops short, watching and waiting as the ground trembles beneath its feet. Another pillar of earth juts out from the ground, striking the beast in the chest and sending it back into the bay.

"Now, it is my turn."

Ifrit glares at the stone goliath before it, roaring in defiance as the earthen eikon's body slowly assembles itself. Boulders, chunks of earth and rock pulling themselves together to form a being that could tower just over the city walls but still short of Ifrit.

"Not much of a talker? Fine, I wasn't looking for conversation anyway." The eikon rolls its shoulders, rocks coming together to form its arms "Still, for something like you this is overkill."

Ifrit lunges forward, body launched into the air from a pillar to its stomach "And to think that Ignis had trouble with you, pathetic."

Ifrit shakes its head, eyes flickering blue before settling back onto pure yellow. It raises its right arm, a ball of fire forming in the palm, and lets gravity do the rest. As Ifrit made its descent back to earth, the eikon of earth finally managed to form its arms. Rocky head tilting back ever so slightly the eikon gives Ifrit a quick glance before turning its attention on the fleet before it. "You are not worth my time," Sanguis says. Ifrit roared; thirty feet from the target of its rage before something slammed into its side. "But you might be worth his time."

Sanguis focuses his time on the enemy fleet. Ranged attacks were limited in options, moreover he could not attack at range without sacrificing part of his body to do it. He raises his arms, unleashing a veritable storm of stone as individual segments of his hands broke down into shards and were fired at Stannis first wave of men. Aboard the decks of his ships, knights and bannermen alike were knocked down from the force of the shards. If they were lucky, a loss of consciousness was all they suffered. Men were impaled to the deck, some had holes blown right through their armor and others found themselves knocked clean off the deck into the dark depths of the bay weighed down by their armor and the stones. Below deck was worse. Unaware of the danger above, the crew were cut up and blasted through the hull. Ships sank, some outright were cut in two.

Ifrit rolls, crashing into he waters of the bay, the rippling waves knocking some ships off course and into their own. Flames reigniting along its body the infernal eikon glares up at the new contender before it. An almost human shape in a purple robe with six white feathery wings.

"Well, well, it appears there truly is a dark eikon of fire in these lands that isn't his," the eikon chuckles, twirling a golden staff in its right hand "Tell me, which do you serve Infernian?"

Ifrit snarls "Stannis Baratheon!"

"Oh? So, you do speak…curious." Ifrit's eyes widen before it dodges to the right, narrowly avoiding a blast of golden light. "Quick too…no wonder I was called for this. For you."

Ifrit leaps back into the air, throwing its own fire balls at this new foe. The eikon swats them aside with its staff. As it lands on the shoreline it raises its head high and unleashes a defiant roar in response. "To the seven hells with you! If you stand in my way, then you are my enemy."

"Enemy? Hardly," the eikon floats idly in the air "We just have differing orders, but we need not be enemies. Simply allow us to kill the false king and we would accept you in our ranks."

"Enemy of my Lord, my King, is enemy to me," Ifrit snarls, right fingers clenching, forming a fist "And an enemy of mine, must die!"

The new eikon's brow lifts in intrigue as a sword-like object juts out from the wrist of Ifrit, a blade made of pure fire and Aether no less. "You are truly full of surprises. Perhaps I was too hasty in offering you a place amongst us."

Ifrit roars, leaping into the air and taking a swing at its foe. The blade misses its mark but as the Eikon of Fire moves past it turns, left arm lashing out and blasting its foe with a fireball. The resulting explosion propels Ifrit back into the bay.

While the Eikons clashed, Stannis fleet sailed on. Though the first wave were all but lost, the second wave managed to reach the mouth of the river mostly unopposed. Flaming arrows from the defenders stood upon the walls of the capital rained down on the men. Davos Seaworth stood beside his liege, the man he would lay down his life for in the past, feeling an unsettling weight within himself. Knowing the great beast they had under their control…Stannis' control…was a blessing given by the Lord of Light, it kept their spirits high knowing a God was on their side. That their cause was a just and righteous path eased their lingering doubts. Seeing these monsters before him, the stone behemoth guarding the capital and the winged man up above…were they agents of their enemy? The Great Other? They did not bear the ice and cold that he had felt - that he had witnessed at Oldtown all those months ago. A glance around at the men nearest to him showed that their thoughts were similar. For if their enemy was not the patron of these beasts, who was?

"Soon that monster will be back to fighting strength," Davos could see the monsters arms reforming, rock and stone moving along its body back to its arms "The third wave won't make it to the shore."

"Have faith Ser Davos," the red woman smiles, an unnerving look to all but Stannis, "The first wave may have been lost, but the second has landed. It is only a matter of time before our beast is free to tear down the wall."

"To say nothing of the literal mountain between both us and the city?"

High atop a hill to the south, watching the battle with the faintest hint of a smirk on his face was Hugo Kupka. Having ridden ahead with a small party of his own men, the Dominant of Titan had hoped to see for himself just what it was that made King's Landing so special. A faint feeling, tugging at his senses, drawing him ever further north to the capital. "Now, it all makes sense."

Knights and levies under Stannis service stormed the Mud Gate in the second wave. The third and fourth following close behind while the rival Eikon of Earth readied its next assault. Hugo folds his arms across his broad chest, his critical eye on the fiery form of Ifrit as flames burst to life around its body.

"Still trying to stand up?" Sanguis asks in slight surprise "No matter, this will put you back where you belong."

As the second Eikon of Earth raised its reformed arms in preparation for its next barrage, Ifrit let loose a mighty roar and charged. Stone shards streaked through the air and struck parts of the third wave of ships. As Ifrit was making progress forward, and with his partner content to simply watch from the sky, Sanguis moved his arms out in front. The barrage of stone punctured the Infernian's body before it ignited, the intense heat melting the rock as it charged forward with greater speed.

Ifrit's body crashed into the stone Eikon, pushing its back up to the very wall it was fighting to protect. Men unfortunate enough to be still near were incinerated as the flames whipped around, lashing out and reducing them to piles of ash.

"Not bad," Sanguis compliments, body reforming faster "But not good enough boy!" Ifrit is flung back, flames dissipating just before hitting the water of the bay. There were shouts from the men in the fleet as they sailed past, more ships making it to shore than the first wave.

"Perhaps if you knew how to fight properly rather than toying with your prey like a cat with a mouse, you might actually have finished this one off sooner."

Sanguis stone fists clench "Shut up and handle him then! Why we keep you around Avarice is beyond me, but if you wont interfere then just watch and enjoy the show…I will end this on my own terms."

As Ifrit locks its molten gaze on the pair, Sanguis arms reform. The stone giant slowly trudged into the water until he was up to his proverbial knees in the bay. The two Eikons stared one another down, then Ifrit struck. The Infernal Eikon of Fire leaped into the air, throwing a fireball at its opponent's head. Sanguis brought his right arm up blocking the shot. Ifrit's claws scraped along the rocky appendage, swinging its body under the arm and up towards Sanguis' head. The resulting blast of Hellfire up close made Sanguis stumble and fall back. His body fell apart from the resulting explosion.

"Now…for you," Ifrit snarls, landing in the water with its claws ready to carve up another foe.

"Hm? Oh, you meant me," Avarice chuckles "Well, if you insist." Ifrit leaps into the air again, claws meeting the golden staff of its foe in a violent clash. Avarice swats the Eikon of Fire aside before blasting it with golden light. "If this is all I have to expect from you, then I will not struggle near enough to try."

"Hold! Hold you bastards!"

Robert Baratheon stood tall with his men, shoulder to shoulder as the mud gate rumbled under the pressure as the enemy brought up a battering ram. He would give his brother this, the man was prepared for this assault. "Steady! Steady now!"

Barristan the Bold kept his sword up on his king's right side. The men around them were nervous, frightened in some respects. It didn't help when the screams from the wall reached their ears. Barristan hazard a glance, catching a glimpse of fire lashing out against the wall as men were engulfed in the flames. This was not like the old wars nor was it the legend that Aegon's Conquest had been turned into overtime.

This was a new hell entirely.

The gates burst open. The roar of men charging into battle filled his ears along with the clashing sounds of steel. Blades were crossed, shields slammed against one another, men screaming as they were cut down or trampled underfoot by their own brothers in arms. The Battle of the Blackwater had well and truly begun for the men guarding the Mud Gate.

"If any of them gets past, I will personally introduce your skulls to my hammer!" Robert shouts, swinging said hammer down on the head of one of his foes, then brought it back up driving the claw into the next man, right up into his jaw from below. "This is more like it, finally something worth doing in this kingdom!"

Barristan grimaces as he cuts down a knight. His king could at the very least try and act like he wasn't enjoying the bloodshed like a ravenous beast. Another knight came to challenge him, a simple parry was all it took to create an opening for the old man of the kingsguard to end his life. A shame, most of the opposition appeared to be green, far too inexperienced to be a threat. "Young boys in their first war, always the first to die," he grimly muses, ducking under a swing and slamming his shoulder into his attacker's chest "But you will get no pity from me."

There was a deep rumbling that shook the ground beneath their feet as those divine beasts did battle in their own way. Men on the wall cheered as they witnessed ships being sunk by the dozen in the bay, not a care for the horrid screams as men died in such a grisly manner at the hands of monsters. With a roar of its own the hell beast signaled its renewed efforts to rain fire upon Kings Landing.

"Does it ever stop?" Robert asks himself, swinging his hammer and hitting a man so hard his chest plate caves in "A monster of our own and still that one persists…very well then, so shall I."

Barristan parried a swing, driving his blade forward into the chest of a knight. The battle for the gate was not lost, they still had their enemy contained just to its opening…but for how much longer? Every moment that their allies took to crush the enemy fleet was a foot further from the gate they would have to take. "For our sakes, I hope that Raven was right about you Sanguis."

Over the bay, Avarice could see it all: the battle, the struggle of Life and Death. It was intoxicating to be able to just float above it all and watch like a God. Ifrit was the sole entity standing between himself and victory now. One imperfect flaw to an otherwise perfect piece of art. "A shame that you shall die this night, you could have been one of us, your kin."

"As if!" Ifrit roars, flaming blade forming again as the Infernal Eikon pushed off into the air.

Avarice allowed a smirk to form as the raging beast blindly allowed its anger to guide it in battle. Before Ifrit could reach him, the rogue Eikon of Fire found that its momentum had been lost suddenly. "A pity then. What comes next will be…unpleasant for you."

Ifrit's molten yellow eyes widen as its body is pulled back down and its back is slammed down into the bay. The resulting tidal wave crashing down upon the nearest ships and sending their crews to a watery grave. Swift, unfeeling, brutal in its path. The waters of the bay began to part as Ifrit stood up. They did not part for it, but for what lay beneath the surface. Already towering over the Eikon of Fire was a large stone arm, and as the water began to part, following behind was the rest of the body of the Eikon of Earth.

"Thought you had finished me, didn't you?" Sanguis rumbles, body sturdier, larger than it was before "But you should know, no one topples Golem, especially not an Eikon of Fire as pitiful as you."

Ifrit growls, roaring in defiance before igniting its body and charging forward blindly.

"Not this time!" Golem raises one of its arms, slamming it down right on top of Ifrit. The Eikon of Fire stops short, raising its hands to keep the stone palm from squashing it into the watery depths below. "You've left yourself open you know," Sanguis chuckles "Forgot I have more than just one hand, didn't you?"

Ifrit's eyes widen as a second hand comes in from the left, stone fingers wrapping around its body as he is put into a vice grip. The beast roars in fury, flames bursting to life but doing nothing to the stone giant. The first hand comes down, adding pressure on top of the second as Ifrit is slowly crushed in Golem's grasp.

"Ha ha! But wait! There's more for you little hell beast." Golem's attention shifts to the fleet now. Two more stone arms rise, mirroring his early actions as each individual segment breaks down into shards of rock and stone and launches themselves at the fleet. Ifrit roars as the shards cut through the air and the sound of splintering wood reaches his ears. The fleet would not survive this barrage if it was allowed to continue.

"A stray Eikon captured, soon to be put down like a rabid dog," Sanguis chuckles "And an entire fleet left to be slaughtered…Avarice! Go help those fools on the wall, I can handle this stray myself now."

"Hmph, just don't expect me to back you up again."

Ifrit watched the other one fly off, body trembling as pressure was applied "Don't think…you've won…just yet!"

"Tell me, how can I lose to you now? Four arms, and you are held by two of them," Golem laughs "Where is my disadvantage?"

"Right here."

Avarice landed on the wall, breaking out into a run. His body felt somewhat sore from the sudden reversion as he ran across the ramparts. Seraph was a power he was eternally grateful for. The power to set things right, to be a God amongst men but not truly all powerful. That was a role reserved only for him and Avarice would ensure that was always true no matter how painful the road ahead may be.

He leaps from the wall over the gate, scythe in hand, and swings.

Barristan had seen many grisly battlefields in the past. He had killed men in battle, bandits on the road, slavers, pirates, if you could describe a band of men, a people or a fighting force he had likely fought them and won before. As the most decorated of the kingsguard he was Lord Commander. As the most decorated veteran of Westeros who had yet to retire or be put down, Barristan the Bold was no stranger to blood and death. But what he just witnessed as this new man in the black cloak cut down five men with little more than a scythe in a single swing…he was not prepared for this.

The man moved with a chilling ease as he cut down one after the other. Bodies were piling up now, much to Robert's own ire they were no longer focusing on the King and his guard but on this newcomer.

"Who is this bastard then!?" Robert shouts over the sounds of battle, hammer bloody "I was just about to show these miserable fucks why I won the Rebellion."

Barristan was at a loss for words. He could only shake his head as Stannis men were now being pushed back to the gate. Before the old knight could open his mouth to speak there was a low roar, the very ground beneath their feet shook as a tremor rocked the city, then another, and another. "By the Gods…"

Sanguis shook his head, grip on Ifrit loosened from the sudden punch. His eyes lock on a towering form, one far larger than even himself. A blue eyed giant with skin of stone and the presence of a real deity. This was Titan, the Eikon of Earth that Valisthea had known since time immemorial. Since as far back as the days following the loss of the Fallen.

"Mind if I cut in?" The giant asks of the flaming beast attempting to get back on its own feet.

Ifrit cast its glance skyward at the giant. A faint feeling of pain in its skull made it look back to Stannis command ship and what remained of his fleet. "Do what you will…we are leaving."

"Guess that means it is our turn to do battle then while they escape." Titan's fingers tense, flexing as Ifrit makes his escape.

Golem brings up all four of its arms "I've been dying for something like this."

In a single punch, half of Golem's body is reduced to rubble. While it begins to reform, Titan lifts the rogue Eikon of Earth high into the air before slamming it right back down again, shattering its body. "I know that isn't enough to kill you, your fight with the whelp showed as much."

"So, you were watching…I thought I sensed something strange." Golem reforms, body forming faster this time, larger than before. Now the rock giant stood level with Titan's chest. "It appears this is one of the few battles to actually push me."

Titan throws another punch; a clear hole being formed in Golem's chest from the impact "And you have yet to push me it seems."

"You think so?" Golem's injury repairs itself, the Eikon of Earth growing just a fraction larger. This time when Titan throws a punch the Giant of Dhalmekia finds its fist stopped by two of Golem's hands "Let us test that theory then."

Golem hits Titan with such force with two punches that the giant is knocked back into the bay. Any ships fortunate enough to be past its head are knocked back by the resulting wave of water and pushed further out to sea and safety. Those unfortunate souls who had yet to regroup with the rest of the fleet were pushed back towards the city and battered against each other and the shoreline. As the Warden of the Earth rose to his feet there was a fire in his eyes. "Very well then, our battle shall shake this land to its core!"

With each thunderous punch and earth-shattering rumble Barristan the Bold felt his old bones tremble within his body. Stannis' army was in disarray, in full retreat truthfully but who could blame them? With the gate secured the men of Kings Landing were free to stand in awe of just what they were witnessing as two stone giants did battle in the bay. Unsure of who to root for, the men stood still as each blow threatened to bring the city down upon itself.

"Such a waste of time and potential," Avarice mumbles as he witnesses Titan rip off one of Golem's arms just to have the other three send the giant stumbling back. "For one of them to put up such a fight is impressive, but to be so blind…Earth truly is the element of the dense."

With a roar Titan leaps into the air, body coming back down atop of Golem. The rock giant grabs onto the stone giants' ankles and swings, spinning the large brute around before throwing him back across the banks of the bay to the south.

Golem turns its head, eyes settling on the remnants of Stannis fleet as it makes its retreat to Dragonstone. A glance back to where Titan had been thrown revealing a distinct lack of the giant. "Hmph, my job is done."

With the last of Stannis men captured or dead, and the lack of any opposing Eikons to do battle with, the men cheered. The smile on Robert's face threatened to split his jaw with how wide it was. This was a battle. This was his war, his glory. There would be much to celebrate, knighthoods to grant, songs to be written and most of all his power was assured now.

"Well-done, well-done lads!" he shouts "That was the best fighting I have ever seen! Lets see those traitors find men better than you lot here!"

Barristan gave a subtle nod of his head. The men did perform admirably…but what he had witnessed from those men of Raven's…those two beasts that attacked as well…none of this bode well for the realm. This was something beyond just mortal men.

Harrenhal

"So…that's it then?" Clive sighs, hunched over the table, newly delivered letter in hand "I shall leave at once."

"Are you mad!?" Clive didn't spare the older man a glance as Cody broke out into one of his infamous tirades "With all due respect, you cannot just wander the countryside as you please! If our enemies discover your identity, we…we cannot protect you out there in the wilds!"

"What else would you have me do then Cody?" Clive holds the letter up "We all have read this; I cannot ignore it. Not this one…not again."

Cody looks around for support. Rex and Thorn showed signs of agreement with him, as did the young archduke but when he looked to Lord Stark and the future Queen…there was no support. How could there be? The letter arrived just as the battle had finished, carried by a raven flying from Winterfell. The news was not good, it never was in these lands, but to send the future King north was…it was absurd.

"Still…let us send someone else, our best men can get the job done, Rex can lead them!"

"It would be no trouble my lord," Rex confirms.

"Uncle…" Clive glances over at Ned who had remain solemn throughout this discussion "I will go north; I will write to Cid and have him send Hunter and Wrecker out to meet me. We will move swiftly; we will find him and bring him back home."

Ned hardly gave so much as a nod of his head. Robb stood beside his father, showing far more emotion than the older man as he bowed his head in thanks to his cousin. "Be careful," he says, "We truly cannot afford to lose you Clive."

"Not to worry," Clive felt himself tensing as that slow and cold voice spoke, "My men here will remain behind, I shall accompany him myself. Two Dominants are better than one, wouldn't you agree your grace?"

Jill's frosty glare did not faze Benedikta in the slightest. The Dominant of Garuda ignored the looks from the Rosarian group, focusing on the westerosi nobles from the North. Lord Bolton did not trust her, no matter what the knights of the Vale would say, he would not be swayed. Maege Mormont, for Benedikta learned quickly not to call her a Lady, was another story entirely. She had been made aware of the letter's contents, and promptly slammed her spiked mace down onto the table, before declaring that this matter was too important to just ignore. Ned Stark however was an enigma to her, a man of great virtue and honor unparalleled by any man in any realm. Being the uncle to the rightful king and champion of her liege's chosen deity was a bonus.

"If there are no further arguments for why I should not go…very well then, we can leave in the morning."

"Morning?!" Robb's own body shook as his father levelled a hard look on the golden-haired woman "You would have us wait that long for you to set off? He has been missing, likely for weeks, a month perhaps by the time this arrived…"

"Uncle!" Clive's words carried weight to them, a heat washing over the room as he stood "I will leave within the hour…or however long it takes Benedikta to prepare. I shall bring Ghost along, he knows the North, and he is an excellent tracker."

Torgal whines by Jill's feet, the poor wolf no doubt wishing to go along with his master on this quest instead of his new brother in this odd pack. Jill runs a hand gently down his back, giving the loyal hound a smile before turning a stern gaze upon Clive. For his part, the Dominant of Ifrit did not flinch when he felt the chill upon his skin. "Bring him back."

A smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth "I will," he says, eyes moving back to his uncle "We will bring Rickon home Uncle, you have my word."

AN: ….ok, for once I don't actually have a good explanation of the shenanigans that happened this time. I will say thank you to you guys, gals, and every one of you guest reviews who doesn't want to be named…seriously, at this point y'all are just named Dave and have agreed to accept that name now. Great to know complete strangers, friends and two cousins all have the same opinion/advice…because no one else in the family seems to care so yeah, there's that. Moving on…I may have spent this entire chapter just listening to Titan's theme on a loop, and can you blame me with how this came out? I also may have looked up the anatomy of a Warhammer…and gotten too many results for 40k -_- Did that just so if any of you were history buffs in the medieval weapons section, I wouldn't have too many reviews about 'that isn't what it was called'. Turns out, modern hammer analogy is just the same. So, you have all just met another of Raven's band of merry men (and one woman) as well as his Eikon. You also have now seen Sanguis Eikon and just what sort of 'fun' little gimmick I gave him. Without further ado, say hello to another of my psychopaths: Avarice. As for his Eikon, and because I don't want you all to spend chapters trying to guess, his is Seraph which I was surprised months ago to find out was a lesser known summon in the franchise and is representing Light in Raven's little group. Obviously Ignis and Cerberus are Ice, and if you couldn't tell Sanguis is Earth with his Eikon Golem…and yes, his gimmick is probably what you are thinking it is. Also yes, I have figured out his ending as well as a weakness for said gimmick just so it isn't too OP. Oh…and Hugo/Titan finally made their appearance here, but honestly how many fans of the big man are still reading this after that one? …probably should prep the bunker for the angry mobs assault soon. To the reviews!

Drakon45: Considering I was actually praying to the dead for the strength to get through that day, and I sure as heck ain't religious either, yeah…me thinks that mess was serious enough for a police call. When I first saw your review, I had to double check what you were talking about because I forgot I left that title for George in there…started thinking maybe I posted the wrong chapter in the wrong story or something

Jebest4781: It sucks. But I'm not going to cater to the 'illness' or to the walking on eggshells routine the family seems to have. That was strike 2, so next one is a call and a whole lot of stupidity. Hopefully the hype here was still just as good. I'll admit…Avarice was a planned introduction for much later whenever it suited me…but this actually worked to give some more trouble to our heroes later, now.

Furvustocs: Been a while since I've seen your reviews here. Yeah, my situation sucks but that's life, nothing I can do now until the next incident happens. So instead, I shall write! …hope this chapter didn't bore you though.

RedAlpha22: Did not catch that…could have been an autocorrect issue, mostly happens when I type a name and it automatically fills in my name -_- That one I usually catch, but thanks for pointing that out. As for my situation…24 days onward and no contact has been made, no apology and no actual measures taken by family so…yeah, still just winging it on my end.

MrSir17: I don't see it as a criticism. I expect, until its finished anyway, that people will have questions or be confused because not everything will be explained in one chapter or even by the end (in which case a continuation is required be it a sequel or a crossover etc) as for your confusion, lets take care of that shall we? In the game, Clive is found to be alive and is conscripted into the Imperial army and branded offscreen during that first time skip. Since it was Anabella's plot, and the captain shows that he knows Clive is her son then that part should be fairly obvious. I did not want to make it a huge coverup seeing as it wasn't really a coverup in the game itself. Of course, in universe, anyone who uses magic and is not a Dominant is a Bearer. Though Clive canonically is a unique case as his powers as a Dominant don't manifest until Phoenix Gate technically, Caer Norvent if we want to be more precise. Everything he has up until awakening Ifrit is purely the blessing of the Phoenix. As for the branding and sending him to the frontlines; that is intentionally not the plan. Keep in mind, the unit Clive is with in canon are assassin's. They are not standard frontline infantry but a special unit meant for these sorts of jobs, such as trying to kill a dominant. So, what does that mean for me writing this? I needed something to sort of shed light on what happens during the timeskip. Had to show how he received the brand in a way that would make sense as at the time I believe the Ultimania had yet to be released, still haven't read that myself quite honestly, but did not feel like a simple "and let's slap on a brand for good measure just because". Your point about the instant kill or prisoner route, that falls flat due in part to canon Anabella and deciding that Clive should serve on the front line. Which again, don't want him on the front line for a number of reasons biggest being that the only conflicts we hear about in the beginning are the Iron Kingdom and Dhalmekia, and the remnants of Rosaria and the Empire. We put Clive near Rosaria he will run off without a second thought. But by putting him closer to the capital of the empire, and as far from Rosaria without being near say…Waloed's borders, it ensures that he is in the heart of enemy territory and subject to the biggest manhunt should he flee. …came out longer than I wanted that to be, apologies. Hopefully this cleared some of it up…of course by the time you see this, you will either have read past chapter 9 and maybe gotten that explanation already through the other chapters or will have stopped reading by this one. In which case…sorry to see you go then.

Sageofchaos: …well, I think your wish has been granted and hopefully in the future it will continue to be granted.