Chapter XVIII: Risen in the Snow

Ragna lay inside his tent, deep in thought as the snow slowly fell to the ground outside. The Shepherds had marched for several hours after the cliffside battle and had only recently allowed themselves to break for camp. The Reaper couldn't quit worrying about what was happening; Plegia's full scale attack on Ylisse, the slaughter of the Pegasus Knights, and Emmeryn's resolve to end the problem herself with talks of peace. It was a lot to take in, even for him, and as a usual result…

"Damn it, no sleep again..." Ragna grumbled before getting out of his cot, standing, and retrieving his jacket and sword. He wasn't in the mood for any practicing after what happened, but figured a walk could do him good.

Outside his tent, Ragna felt the frigid cold quickly hit him and felt the snow as it began to fall on his already white hair. He started to walk around, heading for the edge of the camp so that he wouldn't awaken anyone or disrupt the guard duty. As he steadily got closer to the tree line, the snow softly crunching beneath his feet, he started to hear something in the distance… crying.

A Shoulder to Cry On

'That sounds like Sumia,' Ragna thought to himself. He half considered heading off and letting her work the problem out on her own, but he remember that he'd just been told that she'd lost all of her former unit of Pegasus riders. 'Guess I'll go talk to her, not sure what good I can do though…' he thought to himself as he headed to where he heard the crying.

Sumia was sitting on top of a fallen tree, crying in her hands. Her shoulders and hair were already covered in snow, letting Ragna know that she'd already been here for a while.

"If you stay out here like this you'll catch a cold," Ragna told her as he approached. Sumia lightened her crying for a moment to address him.

"Oh, Ragna… Uh, what are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Couldn't sleep again, so I thought I'd take a walk," Ragna told her as he cleared the snow off a small section next to her and took a seat. "Heard you crying, so I thought I'd make sure you were… all right."

"I'm not," Sumia told him sadly. "I spent a lot of time in the Pegasus Knights before I became a Shepherd, back then I was really clumsy, tripping over practically nothing and forgetting all of the basics during training."

'And you're not doing that now?' Ragna thought to himself, but refrained from saying it.

"Th-they still never gave up on me," Sumia told him, tears continuing to fall from her eyes as her voice became shaky. "Even after all of my blunders, even after I let all of the Pegasi out by mistake and they had to round them, even after I-" Sumia couldn't take it anymore as she burst out sobbing.

Ragna was unsure how he should handle this, so he settled for putting his hand on her shoulder for reassurance. He didn't say a word and patiently waited for Sumia to finish.

"Sorry you had to see that," she told Ragna wiping her eyes. "It's just that with everything happening recently I've been overwhelmed."

"Not really surprising, anyone would feel like that," Ragna assured her. "I can't say a whole lot, but the best thing to do is to keep moving forward and rely on your friends from time to time. Maybe think about fighting for their sake if it helps."

"What about you?" Sumia asked him. "Back when you lost your home for the first time, what did you do?"

"I wouldn't recommend trying it if that's what you're getting at," Ragna told her darkly. "Living for revenge… it's not worth anything."

"You wouldn't? But… didn't you get strong because of it?" Sumia question, leaving Ragna to give an amused chuckle.

"Nah, I got strong starting off because of my master, not because of revenge. The idea of taking down the NOL and ending Terumi… well it didn't make me strong, more like it made me dangerous. I kept everyone I came across at more than arm's length, I acted without thinking, and I started getting into fights at the drop of a hat." Ragna turned to Sumia with a kinder smile. "But you're better than me."

"B-Better than you?" Sumia stuttered. Like many of the other Shepherd's she saw Ragna as their greatest fighter, and having him tell her that she was better than him was something she wouldn't have expected. "What makes you say that?"

"Have a little self-confidence," Ragna chuckled. "So maybe you blunder every now and again, I'd bet good money that you'd never once thought of passing the blame to someone else. You're good at listening to people and keep trying your best. I don't really know what you're going through, but you'll find a way to get through it."

'Well if you really think so…" Sumia said before smiling and standing. "Maybe I'll try reading a good adventure novel. I can just imagine all of the Shepherd's as the heroes who come in to save the daAYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

The last part was screamed as Sumia performed her usual miracle of tripping over absolutely nothing, this time while standing in place. Ragna watched in surprised awe as she face planted in the snow right in front of him.

"Uh… Sumia?" Ragna asked as he stared at her body implant in the snow. The Pegasus knight finally managed to pick her face out of the ground, the snow clung to her face and made it appear that she had a frosty beard. The Reaper laughed at the display, though not mocking or unkindly. "Never change Sumia, never change."

Support Rank B Obtained with Sumia

Ragna made his way back to his tent, his spirits feeling slightly restored thanks to the unplanned humor he'd received. As he moved to open his tent flap, an annoying flash of light hit his eye. Blocking the annoyance with his hand while squinting, Ragna glances around for the source before realizing that it seemed to be coming from the top of a nearby snowy hill to the north. Ragna stood there in confusion before the reflected light hit him in the eye once more.

'Wait a minute… Marth was using that back when I fought her in Ylisse,' he thought to himself. 'I guess she's going to need my help with something… One thing's for damn sure; I ain't getting a wink of sleep tonight.'

Ragna quickly made his way out of the camp once more and hurried up the hill, the snow did little to impede his progress as he made his way to where he saw the blue haired enigma waiting for him as she leaned against the tree, wearing a dark blue cloak to help protect her from the cold.

"I was hoping you'd have gotten my message," she said to him as the bone chilling wind caused her hair and cloak to flutter. "I'm here with a warning. There's a town a fair distance north of here that's going to be attacked by Risen soon. They're going to be coming from just east of here, so if you move now you can encounter them in the field and the village won't be at risk."

"East of here huh?" Ragna repeated before glancing at his Azure Grimoire. "Let's see if this works." Ragna focused his power into his arm and focused, imagining his power reaching out and locating Risen. Eventually he got a response signal and could tell where they were. Clearly a good distance away; though the force was much more sizable than even the massive one that he'd fought last time he was in Regna Ferox.

"All right, I got a lock," Ragna said as he began to head east.

"Where are you going? Aren't you forgetting the Shepherd's? My father doesn't know about this threat," Marth reminded him.

"So Chrom is your dear old dad," Ragna noted, making realization dawn to Marth that she'd unintentionally revealed her identity. 'Hey I already told you I'd keep it a secret, but I don't need Chrom or anyone else for this."

"Don't tell me you plan to wipe out the entire force on your own," Marth demanded from him. "The size of the force is larger than you could possibly imagine and the Risen are incredibly powerful!"

"Chrom and the others just had a rough enough day as it is, I can handle this myself," Ragna told her in a huff as he began to walk off.

"You don't understand, my father has to stop this, he called this his greatest failure!" Marth shouted at him standing in his way. Ragna considered it lucky that the wind was blowing strong enough now, he doubted anyone from the camp could hear the two from here. "In the future I come from, the town was almost completely destroyed in the attack and several townspeople were killed. My father never forgot what happened and constantly suffered nightmares, even five years after the event! I can't let that happen a second time!"

The young swordswoman glared at the Grim Reaper with conviction, showing just how serious she was about the matter. She'd already seen her father suffer enough; she couldn't stand to see that a second time.

"Well…" Ragna began, before simply walking past Marth and proceeding. "If you really think I need backup, go get them yourself."

"But I can't do that!" Marth shouted at him as he continued to depart. "If I encounter them again they could figure out my true identity! It could alter the history for the worse and I might not exist!"

"Not my problem," Ragna told her as he kept walking.

"It should be! Do you have any idea what happens in the-!" Marth started to get fed up and started following Ragna. "Will you at least stop when I'm talking to you!?"

"And let the Risen get closer to the town? Not a chance."

"Can't you at least be a little reasonable!?" Getting fed up with Ragna's actions, Marth grabbed the back of his coat and planted her feet firmly on the ground. She'd hope that she'd stop the Reaper, but she didn't even slow him and Ragna continued to walk. The time traveler continued to hold tightly to the coat as she was dragged, but to no effect.

"Chrom's daughter or not, you better hope my coat doesn't rip," Ragna threatened as he continued on his path with Marth still tugging in vain.

Meanwhile in Plegia

The Grimleal council was in full uproar, as was to be expected. After the death of their cultist leader Validar, the mad power grab for the leader's seat was inevitable. Each member of the higher council was making his or her claim as to why they should be the ones to lead their dark organization.

"Do you not understand the blessing I've been given?" Tridala Verner, a woman in her fiftieth age addressed the council. Her hair, while once considered to be beautiful and raven, was now dulling and graying and her once fair skin was wrinkled. "Out of all of the members of this council, who else has received over fifty visions from our dark lord, all of them proving to be true!"

"Your foresight is nothing more than a grandiose display coupled with the few spies that you own!" Matthew Nightcrawl, a man only in his mid-twenties, but already carrying a pot belly and a messy blonde beard, shouted in retort. "I have been the most loyal servant to the cult since the very day I willingly gave myself to the cause. Who else has managed to bring back more sacrifices for our god to feast on? Who else could make anyone be it man, woman, or child, willingly give their life for the honor of appeasing our lord!? No one I tell you! No one!"

"And perhaps you have forgotten who the crown called upon to represent us in our darkest times," a man simply referred to a Pharos said to the rest, in a much calmer matter. He had a black hair and beard, both freshly cut and maintained. Unlike the other members at the table, he bore several scars that he'd earned in Plegia's previous war. "It was I who lead our forces of mages, I who stood against the slaughter, and I who slew many of the Ylissian curs. Has anyone here the courage to stand on the battlefield, having only your fellow mages and spells to rely on, or has your largest battle only ever been to stand from those seats you seem so fixated to?"

Pharos's insult did carry plenty of weight, but many members returned the insult with barrages of their own. At this rate it might only have been a matter of time before the tomes were brought out for combat, had the doors to the council not been flung open with a sudden crash. The councilmen and women stopped their bickering long enough to observe the newcomer who approached… or as much of him as they could.

The being in question only wore a long black robe with a hood that covered his face and was so loosely fitted they could discern whether it was a man or woman they gazed upon. While the robe itself was mostly in tatters, markings of the Fell Dragon's eyes adorned the front of the coat while older markings of Grima's jaws adorned the hood and largely unused markings of the Fell Dragon's wings were etched onto the coat's back. On his sleeves, which were kept together by the figure, a newer marking of the Fell Dragon's wicked flames. Outside the doorway, the council could see the temple guards, all on the floor beaten with purple flames licking their bodies as they groaned in defeat.

"What a pitiful gathering," the voice under the hood spoke. It was terribly raspy and forced, but could be confirmed as masculine. "If you are the current heads of our cult, it is reasonable to see why we are in a dire state such as this."

"How dare you!" Tridala shouted. "How dare a ragged stranger as rotten as yourself judge us so!"

"What is the matter? Did Grima not send you word of my arrival and insults through your so called 'visions' Lady Verner?" the figure said again, though his voice seemed void of humor. The noble woman began to sputter, so the figure continued. "Yes, I know who you are, all of you. I knew of this gathering, and I even knew of what claims you had made mere moments ago. You all may suggest to have gifts granted by Grima so that you may serve him… the difference is that mine. Are. REAL."

"So you might say," Matthew said unimpressed, rolling his eyes at the thought. "I haven't seen you perform anything to prove your worth."

"I could say the same about you Lord Nightcrawl," the enigma said. "Purchasing slaves and abusing them, only to make their sacrifice to Grima seem like a blissful escape. That practice was outlawed by our cult long ago, and the dark lord is not pleased to receive such… violated offerings. Were these the old days your head would now be on a pike." Watching the color drain from the fat pompous face, the cloaked man moved on. "And lastly we come to High Sorcerer Pharos."

Pharos said nothing as he waited to see what the man had to say of him. Unlike the others, he was curious of his shortcomings and how this man could see them.

"While your power of the dark magics is far less than mine, your claims are valid and you very well could have usurped Validar given the proper time. You have been one of the few to serve this cult properly and it is both a pleasure and an honor to stand before you." Still unsure, Pharos gave the man a small nod.

"Enough of this game!" Matthew demanded. "What do you want with the council and while we're on the subject, who are you!?"

"What do I want? I thought that would be obvious, I have come here to lead the Grimleal to our destiny. I have seen Grima with my own eyes as it has stood before me and this is how the Fell Dragon placed my fate. I am to be both his tool and his herald. As for my name… you may call me Minos."

Minos… in this world that was a name of both power and legend. In the Grimleal legends, Minos was a powerful figure who judged those killed by Grima's godly flames. He would judge what fate their afterlife would lead, whether it be to serve Grima in glorious afterlife or the far more terrifying option of suffering in the Fell Dragon's stomach for all eternity. Unlike Grima itself, Minos was never known to actually exist, more like he made a representation of something beyond this world.

At once the entire council was roaring with laughter, all except for Pharos who did nothing, but stare at the man who made the ridiculous claim. Minos (as he was now calling himself), simply stood at the laughter, not appearing irked in the slightest.

"Oh this is a joke, isn't it?" Tridala said, wiping a tear from her eyes. "I'd never thought the Mad King would have such a sense of humor to send you to us."

"I am no jester, you'd be a fool to think so," Minos said darkly. There was still snickering in the background at his claims, so the enigma tried a different approach. "What say we settle this with the old ways?"

Immediately there was silence in the court. The old ways of settling this matter was not a pretty one, as it included combat to where only one was ever permitted to survive; it was ceremonial combat to the death.

"Are you mad?" one councilman demanded. "Who says that we shall play your game!?"

"Though this method has not been used in over a century, it is still a valid trial of decision. Should no one accept I will declare myself leader of the Grimleal here and now!" The deafening silence that followed lasted a full two minutes until Matthew raised his fist.

"I shall accept your challenge!" he shouted, receiving many hushed whispers from the council. "If all I need to do is destroy a petty usurper like you, then it will be a simple matter. I shall lead the Grimleal as soon as I am done."

"Not if I have anything to say about this," Tridala told him. "I've been eyeing Validar's seat for far too long to let you simply take it. I enter as the third contestant!"

Pharos starred in slight awe at the man who'd entered less than five minutes ago, but had already bent the council to his will. This Minos character, anyone could tell that he was dangerous. And the guards at the door had been downed easily… but just how far did the abilities go?

"You need not accept High Sorcerer," Minos spoke to him. "I could very well need you at my side in the coming days, surely one last other member would take your place? There can only be up to four in this battle."

At the rest of the council's silence, Pharos knew his duty bound path. 'Grima grant me strength.' "I shall be the fourth and final participant," he said before rising from his seat. He stood as a warrior and a man of Grima, he would not fail.

"Very well," Minos said, seeming somewhat disappointed before addressing the council like he already owned them. "Prepare the trial."

Back to Ragna and Marth

"I'm telling you; you can't go!" Marth shouted as she continued to tug on Ragna's coat, even now.

"Marth…" Ragna began.

"You'll get yourself killed and then what? The town will be destroyed and father will have to live with that feeling of failure again!"

"Marth."

"I can't understand why you won't just-"

"MARTH!" Ragna shouted as he finally stopped walking causing the blue swordswoman to lose her footing and fall backwards into the snow.

"WHAT!?" she shouted back from the ground. Trying to get the snow out of her hair.

"We're already here." Scowling, she stood and saw that Ragna was right, they were on a mountain overlooking the army of 300 Risen as they marched onwards towards the settlement. This group not only composed of foot soldiers, but mounted horse riders and flying units. "I'm surprised your arms didn't fall off from all of the walking I did," Ragna said to Marth after glancing over the forces.

"Well now do you see why we need my father and the others?" Marth said, gesturing to the Risen and making a face, that plainly said, 'I told you so.'

"Not really, I was honestly hoping for more Risen than this," Ragna said as he unslung the Aramasa, much to Marth's bewilderment. He was about to head to meet the army before he caught a glance of a small group of travelers. "That ain't good."

"What's wrong?" Marth asked as she glanced to where Ragna was looking. "A trade caravan this far east? Why are they out here?"

"Look closer, that's not a trade caravan, those are refugees," Ragna told her. "And it looks like the Risen are heading right for them… looks like I'm going to change up my plan a bit."

"So you had a plan after all," Marth noted. "And what was it?"

"Go right down the middle and keep slashing until no Risen are left standing" Ragna said seriously, causing the young woman to deadpan. "Actually… I might just stick with that. Can I count on you to protect the convoy from any Risen that decide to go for the easy targets?"

"I suppose…" Marth told him. "But do you actually intend to take on all of those Risen all by yourself? It seems suicidal."

"Then you don't know me," Ragna told her before running down the hill. Once he was close to the Risen he leapt into the air and poured energy from the BlazBlue into his sword. With a roar he brought the blade down, creating a powerful burst of darkness that sent a large section of the monsters flying.

"Still not back up to full," Ragna groaned as he looked at the large crater he'd created. Several of the other Risen were covered in the large clumps of snow he'd sent flying, so much so that some even fell over. A thief type Risen let out a snarl and headed for Ragna, his sword held in a backhanded position. Ragna switched his sword so that he held it with his left hand as he transformed his BlazBlue into a claw of darkness and impaled it into the thief.

The monster went limp after the implement and while the Reaper began to absorb the dark energies from it several other Risen came from behind to attack him. Still gripping onto the thief, Ragna cleaved through the attacking Risen before flipping his sword around and stabbing behind him impaling the Risen that was trying to sneak up on him.

As the Risen on his claw fully dissolved into dark energy, the flying unit from above started to dive at him. Ranga dodged the diving attack from one of the Pegasus riders before retaliating with a Thunder spell, which was still powerful enough to slay the creature. As a wyvern rider attacked him, Ragna changed his strategy by leaping onto the creature and taking out the rider before leaping to the next one and disposing of that one as well. He continued jumping from rider to rider until he was high in the air above the risen.

"Nightmare Edge!" Ragna shouted as he brought his sword down and dived towards the ground, cleaving through the few remaining flying units and cutting down the Risen below him. He then sent out a wave of darkness wiping out even more Risen.

'Just what is he?' Marth thought as she stood between the refugees and the rapidly decreasing Risen force. She stood at the ready with her sword drawn to prepare for the usual onslaught of Risen that she'd had to fight through time and again in a hopeless battle to defend both herself and those she had put under her protection, but no monster seemed to escape the Reaper's sword.

A few horse riding Risen broke away from the combat and rode to slay her and the refugees. Marth prepared her sword to strike the beasts, but a sudden flash of steel cut the riders clean in two. The swordswoman expected Ragna to have activated a spell, but instead she saw his weapon had changed from sword to scythe, now completing his image of the Reaper. With one final swing of his weapon, Ragna cleaved through the remaining ranks of the Risen, ending the battle with ease.

"Now I've seen everything," Marth said to herself, as she saw Ragna reset the scythe to its form of a sword, equipped it to his belt, and approached her. "You just slew over a hundred Risen."

"Yeah, sorry, did you want to tackle a few yourself?" Ragna asked with a small smirk.

"I suppose I would have liked to participate in the battle and aid, but I'm more than content that they're finished," she told him.

'She didn't pick up that was a joke?' Ragna thought to himself, a little concerned. "How are the refugees?"

'They seem to be all accounted for, but they're still gripping their spears… I'll be honest, I didn't know that these Risen were on the verge of attacking these people so I guess you were right to leave early."

"I guess I was," Ragna told her before focusing and using his newly acquired Risen finding ability. "I'm not sensing any Risen nearby so I guess the refugees are safe to go the rest of the way to the next town."

"I certainly hope so, but just to be certain I may trail them for a distance, just to make sure."

"If that's what it takes kid," Ragna said before cricking his neck. "I'm going to head back to the camp, I guess I'll see you around."

"Farewell Ragna," she told him with a nod as the two went their separate ways.

Plegia

A Sorcerer's battle within the Grimleal is a strange thing indeed, much different than Regna Ferox's duels or Ylisse's Sage tournaments. Not only are these battles to the death, but the presentation is also very different. The battles are free-for-all, again only over once there is only one survivor. Pre-battle alliances can be made, but they are not expected to last long and have often led to early betrayals.

Participants are required to wear only black cloaks and loincloths (although women are permitted to wear addition fabric to cover their breasts). This is used both as tradition and to discourage any forms of cheating via sneaking weapons in. Speaking of weapons, no tome, staves or other magic items can be used. Participants must cast magic by their own power, not of an object's.

The ability to cast Dark Magic by natural means have been used to determine certain leadership role in the cult, but the ability is rare and even some of the most qualified and practiced dark mages can suffer difficulty in casting the simplest of spells. The reason that this rule is so important is because many people feel that those who are strong with this ability are chosen by Grima and should be treated correctly.

Currently the four participants stood in each a corner of the large hall that was to be used in their battle. Pharos was having trouble averting his gaze from the stranger Minos who had the hood he'd requested to come with the cloak covering his face. From what Pharos could see under the coat's opening, Minos had looked like he'd already been through death several times. Horrible scars and burns covered him and there were few parts of him that appeared to be unmarred.

"Are we going to start this or not?" Matthew Nightcrawl asked in a rather bored manner. He was wearing the same outfit as the other men and seemed to be growing impatient.

Three masked priests of Grima stepped towards the room entrance where they stayed standing to proctor the fight. The priest on the right's hands began to glow with purple flames, signaling the start of the battle.

Pharos glanced around in as his opponents as he readied his himself for the fight to take place. Now that a battle was about to start his perception was one high alert, but it seemed like he was the only one. He couldn't see Minos's face, and by his power of persuasion he exhibited earlier it made sense for him to be calm, but the other two were another matter. They weren't battle mages, they were mere political head figures, unprepared for combat.

'They seem awfully calm for a fight to the death, but why?' Pharos thought to himself as his face started to give off small beads of sweat. 'Have they formed an alliance to kill me? Knowing them perhaps… but still…' The second priest (the one on the left) had their hands became encased in purple flames.

"To think you'd use rare Drakeblood drugs to heighten your spiritual abilities," Minos spoke from under his hood. "They may not be explicitly outlawed in this combat, but it should beneath even you."

'Drugs?' Pharos thought to himself as the middle priest activated their own purple fire. Sure enough, he could see the bloodshot after effect in Tridala's and Matthew's eyes. While the boost to ability was substantial, Pharos was more assured from this development and allowed himself the smallest of smiles. 'And I was worried that they'd actually have a good plan.'

(Cue Darksouls III Nameless King)

"Begin!" the priests shouted as one.

Matthew and Tridala immediately went on the offensive, blasting at Pharos was bolts of fire and lightning. Pharos dove to dodge the attacks before sending a fireball spell of his own at Matthew. The fat man shielded his face with his hands as the attack tore at his flesh. The drugs ensured that it was not a mortal attack through spell resistance, but it was still substantial damage.

"Damn it to hell Tridala! Kill him!" Matthew shouted as he gripped his bloody arms. The corrupt Sorceress charged a spell of dark wind blades, but smirked as she pointed the palm of her hand at Minos.

"Deal with him yourself! This easy target's mine!" Tridala said with a dark grin as she fired the blades at Minos. The hooded figure did not try to avoid the attack, but it mattered naught for the magic shattered like glass the moment it touched his skin. "W-What?"

"That is really the extent of your abilities?" Minos questioned, causing Tridala to growl in anger as she charged a giant fireball of darkness. "I could have killed you over twenty times with how slow you're performing."

"Silence!" she roared as she blasted him with the flames of darkness. Minos again made little effort to dodge as the attack consumed him.

Pharos meanwhile was locked in a duel with Matthew. While Matthew's drugs had put him at a higher level of magic potential, he didn't have the training or combat abilities that Pharos had acquired on the battlefield. The two sorcerers sent out blasts of dark lightning at each other and the spell collided and disbursed. Shrieking at the closeness of the blast, Matthew tried his hardest to channel his next spell, but before he could cast it he was shredded by a quickly charged dark wind spell from Pharos.

"Gah!" he screamed as he fell to his knee, deep gashes covering both his arms and his chest. Pharos began charging a spell of purple flame in his left hand. "Please don't kill me! I-I stand down! I stand down! You can have the seat! JUST DON'T-!"

The word's fell on deaf ears as Pharos's spell blasted him in the chest full force, causing Matthew's chest to erupt and send gushes of blood and bits of organs all over the floor. The corrupted man for gave one last bloody gurgle before falling forward, dead before he hit the ground.

"Now there are only two," Pharos heard Tridala say as she charged black lightning, the dark flames still burning around Minos. "A pity I couldn't kill that fool myself, but you may prove to be more of a challenge."

"Have you already forgotten about me?" Minos spoke coldly from the flames. A single powerful wave of his arms caused the dark inferno to disperse. Tridala growled further and continued to charge her lightning as the hooded figure spoke to Pharos. "This will only take a moment; do you mind waiting?"

"I do not," Pharos told him with a nod, still standing ready should either opponent attack him.

"You shouldn't keep your eyes off someone who can kill you!" Tridala yelled as she moved to cast her spell. A sudden sharp piercing sensation to her left leg made her lose focus and she screamed as the spell misfired. Looking down in ire and pain she noticed an arrow through her left leg, but this was no ordinary arrow, this was made of pure dark energy. "W-What?"

"I told you that it took too long to perform your spells," Minos told her before waving his hand, conjuring another arrow sending it fly at her. Tridala tried to dodge the attack, but with her crippled leg it was no use; the arrow impaled her other leg and sent her falling on her back.

"What is that style!?" she demanded with a pain filled scream.

"This is the Ancient Style of Grima's Magic, dating back long before the Hero King was born. As I said before, your so called gift are no match for Grima's true chosen," Minos said as he formed a throwing dagger in hand and flung it. "Perish fool."

The magic blade stuck home, impaling itself in Tridel's forehead. As the woman breathed her last, Minos turned to Pharos.

"Now then, show me your true power!" he shouted as purple flames appeared under his hood where his eyes should be. Pharos quickly sent a single blade of wind at his opponent, but Minos created a longsword of Grima's flames and broke the spell before approaching on the offensive, much faster than what should have been possible with skin as rotten and abused as his.

Pharos dodged the initial sword strike, but a knife Minos formed in his free hand cut him at the arm. He grunted as he sent out a hastily created fire spell, but Minos reformed his spells to create a shield that absorbed the blow before using it to bash him backwards. As Pharos stumbled backward, Minos quickly transformed his shield into a spear and lunged forward. The High Sorcerer leapt into the air and sent a wave of dark energy towards the ragged man, but the attack didn't harm his target in the slightest.

'My spells are doing nothing against him, how are his defenses so powerful?' Pharos thought as he landed. 'Is he toying with me? He barely seems to be using any effort!'

Minos changed his magics to construct a magical throwing axe and hurled it at the sorcerer. Pharos cast another ball of purple fire and blasted the axe. Making another swipe with his hand Minos cast three more dark arrows. Pharos managed to avoid the first one, but the other two hit his thigh and right elbow. As his opponent grunted in pain, Minor conjured a spear and moved to throw it like a javelin.

'This is my last chance!' Pharos thought as he gathered all of his magic prowess. "GRIMA'S TRUTH!" It was Validar's main spell and even he hadn't been able to use it without a tome assisting him. The explosion of darkness that followed hit Minos at full force, but as Pharos began to sag, the spear jetted out from the flames and impaled him in the rib cage.

(End Theme)

Pharos yelled in pain as his body was wracked with terrible pain the spear dissolved. Losing the last of his strength he fell to his knees. His eyes and ear rang from the force of his own magic, he'd managed cast one of the most powerful spells in the world without the use of a tome, but it hadn't been enough. Even if the attack had killed his opponent the backlash from using that technique would soon kill him… but Minos wasn't going to wait that long.

"You had resolve, you had training… but I'm afraid you still fall short against me," Minos said as he walked directly in front of his victim. "Had you chosen differently you could still live on in the cult… I am sorry it ended this way."

Using Grima's powers he created his final weapon, a black and purple scythe that pulsed with energy, and raised it above his head. As he was about to perform the Coup De Grace, but paused seeing that his opponent did not even flinch. In fact…

"Why are you smiling?"

"I… I have no regrets… You've proven to be the better man… the one Grima chose to lead… so lead on… and bring back our dark lord… " Pharos said though he was weakened and bleeding. As a last rush of strength he flung out his arms and yelled to the heavens. "LORD GRIMA! I OFFER MY SOUL TO YOU AND THE GRIMLEAL! TAKE ALL THAT I AM SO THAT IT MAY HASTEN YOUR GLORIOUS RETURN!"

"...Magnificent."

The final slash was both clean and quick as Minos removed the Arch Sorcerer's head from his body. Looking at the slumped figure as the man who he could have seen as his ally or quite possibly friend, Minos let the scythe of darkness dissolve in his hand without the smallest twinge of regret.

"You've done well," one of the obvserving priests spoke. "On this day you shall be known as our leader, until the day where Grima may choose another."

"Our lord will not," Minos told them with confidence as he bundled his clothes closer together to expose less of his horribly scarred skin.

"I'm sorry?" the priest asked, unsure of why the newcomer seemed so confident in his own abilities.

"Grima won't chose another, in fact there may not be another leader after me," Minos spoke as his eyes became shrouded in flames. "I already know of our dark lord's return; it is approaching rapidly. Soon the world shall quake before him as it did in days long passed and the descendants of the so-called Hero King shall be the first of many to burn in his fire."

Author's Note: Don't own anything here, except for the OC's… three of whom died.

Well that was entertaining, I'd like to think. Minos will be taking Validar's place in his own special new way, adding a bit of a different context to the story. Now for the bonus Omake.

Son of a-

Ragna laid in his bed at the town inn, getting a well-deserved nap in. He'd already made breakfast earlier today for all of the Shepherds, sparred with them, practiced his spell work, snuck out and wiped the floor with a couple of Risen, more training, and now it was his time to take a nap before dinner.

"Yo Ragna, you in?"

'Of course, right when I'm about to doze off,' Ragna groaned to himself as he got out of bed and opened the door. "What do you want?"

"Hey, c'mon don't be like that, just wanted a word," Kagura said, giving Ragna that shit-eating grin that he always hated. "You know, maybe grab a drink, talk amongst friend, that sort of thing."

"Save the song and dance already, just tell me what you want so I can say no and get back to my nap," Ragna grumbled.

"Hey c'mon, I just wanted to talk alright? Right now (as depressing as it is) you're the only guy in this world that I know."

"So what, you want a friendship bracelet from me?" Ragna vented. "You got two minutes, then I'm slamming the door in your face and hitting the sack."

"Hey c'mon, what'd I do to deserve this? So sure we might have some rough history, but it can't be that bad right?" Kagura said with a guilty smile."

"Is that so? Well back in my world I distinctly remembering all of those manhood insults you decided to throw at me you son of a bitch!" Ragna shouted at him.

"And you let that get to you? If anything you just have thin skin," Kagura defended.

"You get depressed every time someone talk about your junk in anything less than worship! You're the one projecting!" Ragna took a deep breath to get his nerves under control, something he was starting to get better at as of late, even with these annoyances. "So what did you come here for anyways?"

"For help I'm afraid," Kagura admitted with a sigh. "I gotta ask Ragna, how the heck are you so popular here?"

"Popular?" Ragna repeated in surprise.

"You can't be that oblivious can you?" Kagura groaned.

"Well since I have literally zero interest in gossip at all, I guess I am," Ragna told him crossing his arms.

"Come on in the Shepherds always seem to come to you for help or advice, and you're already on good terms with anyone. Not to mention you even get us new members from time to time. And when we're in the village I notice you can't help but get stared at by *ahem* the occasional maiden."

'So that's what he's getting at,' Ragna thought to himself before realizing what Kagura was implying and giving off the smile of wolf that just corned its prey. "Oh man Kagura, are you really doing this? Is this really happening, 'cause I sure hope it is!"

"Doing what? What are you talking about?" Kagura questioned, but he was so defensive that Ragna could see that he was on his last ropes.

"You, the legendary Black Gale and Womanizer Kagura, is coming to me, the most wanted bounty in history, for advice on picking up chicks?" Ragna said with a laugh as the shiver on Kagura confirmed he'd been found out. "I never thought this day would come! Now I really wish they'd already invented the camera!"

"Y-you're crazy! I didn't come to you for that! I just wanted… help getting along with the Shepherds better," Kagura said.

"Yeah, getting along with all of the girls more like it," Ragna said with a smirk. "Seriously man, how hard did Sully kick your jewels? I thought I heard them pop!"

"... Are you going to help me or not?" Kagura decided to ask, hoping that Ragna would quit with the jipes he was used to giving.

"All I can say is give it time or try something out that can make you stand out," Ragna told him. "Like when I got here, first thing I managed to do was save a town from bandits."

"Stand out huh?" Kagura said thoughtfully before smirking. "Think I've got an idea."

"Good for you," Ragna muttered as he was about to make his way into his room. "Now to get back to my nap." In that next moment Kagura grabbed Ragna by the scruff of his collar and shoved his back against the wall. "What the hell is this?!"

"I think we're a little overdue for our 'rematch' isn't that right Ragna?" Kagura said as he held Ragna in place.

"What the hell are you getting at? I wanted to take a nap dammit!" Ragna shouted at him.

"Way I see it if your reputation's so great what would that make the guy who beats you down? I win against you in a fight, that'll make ME the new alpha."

"That's your game?" Ragna growled as he grabbed Kagura's arm and pushed him back. "You know what? I don't give a shit what you're trying to do, I'll kick your ass any day!"

"Then it sounds like we got a fight!" Kagura shouted with triumph before realization dawned on him. "Just one request."

"What is it now?" Ragna groaned.

"No uh… no nut shots while we fight, okay?" Kagura seemed to be begging for this.

Support Rank C Obtained with Kagura Mutsuki

Well that's Kagura being Kagura. Now let's move on the the review responses.

RedRat8: They'll live… I hope.

Greyjedi499t: Well here you are, with a few new characters to the mix.

Kalakauai: I already have a plan coming up.

EternalCobra34: A cleaver review is always a pleasent surprise. I'm always up for a bit of wit.

warrior of six blades: Another long review works for me.

Shikyo no Kyoufu: Yeah, he may have a bit of a temper, but he's been described as 'the guy who'll take the bullet for you before kicking the crap out of the shooter.'

The Bag of Holding: True I've got a bit to worry about, but I'll manage. Also, it wasn't a poll it was SURVEY. I wanted to see where everyone stood, but in the end I had the final say, hence why I came to that decision.

Mugen7: Hmph, another long reflective review. I hope you're enjoying the story thus far.

Adv: Thanks for the support.

Marconator360: Let's hope, the poor guy's been through enough as it is.

Beggar: I guess it all hinges on how closely I decide to follow the canon.

Sugouxxx: We already talked via PM, but I hope you can still enjoy my decision on the story.

Leekz01: Certainly food for thought, but I think I can figure something out. Things will work out in the end.

Until next time everyone, Ciao!