A/N: And here we are at the end, and it felt so good to mark this story as COMPLETE, even as I know I'm going to miss writing it. ;3 It's been a long and fun ride! Thanks have been given at the bottom, but first enjoy the final chapter!

Warning: Alcohol consumption

The heroes' journey to return the Jewels to their rightful altars was fast and mostly uneventful.

They started with Goldenbrick Resort, where they left the red Jewel that was stylized to look like a flame. The guardswoman who had gotten them the inn room discount was ecstatic to see the Jewel returned. Many people had seen the flashes of light from the heroes' battle against Godcat and they flocked to the altar to cheer as the Jewel was set upon it once more. The four stayed for free in the inn that night. They left before dawn the next day to avoid the crowds.

Next, they skirted around the edge of the factory, heading to Whitefall Town. The altar keeper had been stunned when they presented her with the blue Jewel, shaped like a four-point star. The woman had thanked them profusely as she placed the artifact on its rightful altar. While the four had been eating at the inn that evening, the keeper had come up to them with a large bag of gold. She explained that the money was the bounty reward promised to whoever found and retrieved the Jewel. The four accepted the money with huge grins.

The next morning, the party headed out on the last leg of their journey into the forests surrounding Greenwood. After three days of traveling, the entrance to Greenwood Village came into sight. Anna hesitated at the familiar tree-trunk houses, prompting Lance to turn and ask if she was okay.

"I'm just… worried that this is going to be like last time we came here," the ranger admitted quietly.

Matt gave her a grin, "C'mon, they can't yell at you for not retrieving the Jewel when you're holding it in hand."

Natalie nodded, "He's right, Anna. Just have the Jewel in the open when you walk in and I'll bet they will be tripping over themselves to thank you."

"I know they probably won't accuse me of slacking on the retrieval," Anna said, frowning. "I'm more worried that they'll accuse us of murdering Michael."

Lance nudged the ranger's shoulder, "Lana said she'd handle that, remember? Besides, I doubt any of them will want to say anything if we mention we fought Godcat and gained Her approval."

Anna still looked skeptical, but she nodded and led the way into Greenwood Village. Strangely, they didn't see anyone standing around. There were a few Idols bouncing here and there, but no villagers. The four heroes exchanged confused glances. Anna opened her mouth to call out when they heard a familiar voice, raised in a lecture, come from around the store:

"You call that a stance? I could march over there, take that practice spear from you, and trip you with it, all in five seconds! See? Five seconds! Spread your feet and hold your hands further apart on the shaft! You two over there think this is funny, do you? I hope you'll find it equally funny when I do the same to you! Get back to your drills!" Matt, Lance, and Natalie exchanged surprised glances at the raised voice of the priestess of Greenwood. Anna, however, merely doubled over laughing.

"Looks like I won't need to ask Lana to start drilling them in fighting," Anna said as she calmed down.

Her three friends grinned and nodded. Finally, they rounded the building and saw a large group of villagers standing in a semi-circle near the Altar of Greenwood. The priestess was standing over a fluster young man, fuming. She held a long practice spear in one hand and as they watched, she brandished it at a pair attempting to creep away from the lesson. Before she could launch into a hands-on demonstration of spearmen-ship, she caught sight of the four returning heroes. The woman's eyes widened and she dropped her spear in shock at the sight of Anna holding the leaf-shaped Greenwood Jewel. Soon, the other people turned to see what Lana was staring at.

For a few seconds there was a stunned silence, then:

"They've returned!" "They have the Jewel!" "We're saved!" "Does this mean we can stop learning how to fight?" "I can't believe it!" "Good work!" "Nice weapons!" "Nice boo- OW!" "Don't listen to him!" "Amazing!"

The villagers called out, all at the same time. Their cheers overlapped as they rushed forwards to greet the triumphant party. Lana stepped forward and reverently accepted the Jewel from Anna. Silence fell as everyone watched the priestess place the Jewel back upon its altar and bowed before it. The Jewel seemed to glow brighter for a few seconds and cheers erupted once more.

Lance leaned down to whisper in Anna's ear, "See? Everything is fine."

The ranger grinned up at him and nodded. She turned to the gathering and called, "Time to celebrate!"

The cheers grew even louder. Several people ran off to begin preparing food and seating. Others ran up to the party and shook their hands, thanking them repeatedly for the return of the Jewel. Several also apologized for their treatment of the heroes during their last visit, and thanked them for exposing Michael as a traitor. The attention was wonderful, but soon Anna was easing away. She promised to see the villagers later, and that the four would relate their tale at the party. Soon, Anna and her friends were sitting in the grass outside the ranger's house. Huge smiles lit their faces and Matt was drooling slightly as the smell of cooking food wafted past.

"That was a far better welcome," Anna said, "We got free rooms in Goldenbrick, a ton of money in Whitefall, and now we get a celebration here? Saving the world is awesome."

Natalie flopped backwards to lie down. She let out a content sigh, "And we don't even have to pay for the party."

Matt grinned, "Last time, we spent all of the gold we found on our adventure on the food. This is way better."

"You could have ordered twelve less pizzas. That would have saved us a lot of money," Lance reminded him with a snort.

"How can you say that? Get less pizza? Blasphemy!" Matt said with an indignant gasp.

Whatever Lance was going to reply with was cut off by the arrival of a villager, telling them that the food was ready. Matt sprang up with a cheer and ran off. Natalie rolled her eyes with a grin, chasing after the swordsman. Lance stood up and held a hand out to pull Anna to her feet. The pair walked next to each other to the party.

DDDDDD

"There we were, surrounded by eight skeletal cats, all rattling and groaning. Two of them leapt for Natz, but she blew them away in an awesome blaze of fire! Anna smacked the skulls clean off the shoulders of four more as Lance blasted six others with a pin-point Unload. There were still ten left so I jumped right into the thick of the group, taking all of them out with one swing! Soon the undead army lay defeated around us. Twenty-five boney felines will never again threaten the world."

Anna and Lance snorted as they listened to Matt tell the story of their quest to retrieve the Jewels and stop Godcat. The swordsman had been drinking beer after beer throughout the whole retelling and the feats they accomplished grew evermore ridiculous.

"From eight to twenty-five with nothing but beer, huh," Lance said with a smirk, sipping at a can of energy drink.

"Better not tell the monsters that, they might think that's true," Anna joked, drinking some juice. She shook her head with a laugh, "I liked the part where he claimed we defeated the first Godcat by throwing the Crystal Golem at Her. I can't believe he can be this articulate after that much beer; he's had to have had ten by now."

"Thirteen, actually," Lance corrected, "We should probably cut him off, soon." He gestured with his drink across the crowd, "I can't believe the villagers. They all seem to be believing his ridiculous and exaggerated story."

Anna sighed, "And I bet they'll write it down as the honest truth. I'm going to have to work with Lana and do some damage control." The ranger glanced around, "Where's Natz? I thought she'd be sticking with Matt."

The gunner let out a laugh, "I saw her a little while ago. She was having a very deep conversation."

"Oh, really? Who with?" Anna asked. The ranger blinked in confusion when he laughed harder.

Lance stood up and gestured for Anna to follow, "You won't believe me if I tell you."

The ranger's confusion grew as she followed Lance through the milling crowd. Soon she glimpsed Natalie through the mass of bodies. As the pair got closer, Anna could see the mage was leaning against a wood pile. Frowning, the ranger wondered who Natalie was speaking too. The mage's arms were gesturing animatedly as she explained some great idea to… Anna stopped, and stared.

"Is she talking to a Wooden Idol?" the ranger asked in disbelief. Lance nodded with an amused smirk.

Sure enough, Natalie's conversation partner was an idol. Empty cans of beer were littered around the mage as she spoke. "I'm serious: it could work! Just attach the bacon to the-" Natalie broke off to stare up at the appearance of her two friends, "Hey, Anna! I didn't know you had other family here, besides Sarah!"

Anna stared at Natalie, "I… don't." The ranger glanced sideways at Lance who was shaking with laughter.

"Then who's that person? She looks just like you!" Natalie asked. She lifted an arm to point at an empty space to Anna's left. In the process of pointing, the mage fell over sideways, toppling the idol next to her, and burst out in drunken laughter, "I've never been a domino before!"

Lance cracked up as Anna slapped a palm over her face. The ranger stepped forward and pulled Natalie off of the ground, "C'mon, Natz, I think you've had enough fun for one night. Let's get you to bed." Natalie fell back down giggling and Anna glanced over at the laughing gunner, "A little help, Lance?"

Lance grinned as he hooked one of Natalie's arms over his shoulder. Anna grabbed the other arm, and together they began maneuvering the drunken mage through the crowd. Natalie stumbled constantly and, with a hiccup, burst out singing an off-color song about a pirate and a barmaid.

Anna cringed at the horrible lyrics and off-key singing. "I didn't know Natz was such a bad drinker," she grumbled to Lance.

"Almost as bad as Matt," Lance confirmed with a grin, "Should we take her to the inn?"

"Yeah, I asked for some rooms for you guys earlier," Anna said, steering Natalie away from a table leaden with unopen beer cans.

The three made it to the inn and hauled the mage up the stairs, depositing her onto a bed. Natalie promptly fell asleep, her deep breaths occasionally broken with a hiccup or two. Lance and Anna headed back outside to hear a commotion going on by the altar. They raced towards it to find Matt attacking a chair with Heaven's Gate and raving about being it 'one of them'. The number of empty cans of beer had doubled in their absence. As they watched, Matt stabbed the chair and a Holy Sword came down, disintegrating the offending object. The crowd surrounding the swordsman clapped, oohed, and ahhed at the display.

Matt spotted Anna gaping at him. "Don't worry," the swordsman hollered, "I've taken care of the problem!"

"Matt, I don't think the chair was the problem," Lance said with a shake of his head.

"What?! It was a decoy?" Matt yelled. He began twisting around to find the 'threat' and his eyes fell on a lone table, empty of food, "Ah, ha, it was you!"

"Wait, don't-!" Anna yelped a second before the drunken swordsman crashed down on the table, snapping it in half. "Matt! That does it, I'm cutting you off before we don't have any furniture left," the ranger huffed. She walked over to the dazed blond and kicked his sword out of his hand.

Lance scooped up the blade in one hand and dragged Matt away with the other. "I'm just going to say, 'I told you so' when you have a killer hangover tomorrow," the gunner grumbled.

"Killer? Where? Who?" Matt asked, twisting in the grasp on his collar.

"Me, if you don't quit thrashing," Lance muttered. He readjusted his grip, "Anna, clock him for me."

The ranger stared, "What?"

"You know: smack him unconscious. He'll just head back out after we get him to bed, otherwise," the gunner explained.

"Hmm, good point," Anna she grabbed a piece of firewood off of a stack nearby and clonked Matt over the head. "I hope that didn't damage anything important," she mused.

Lance grunted as he shouldered the inn door open, "Nah, he'll be fine." He deposited the unconscious swordsman on one of the beds in their room and turned to Anna. "Sorry about them, they never know when to stop."

Anna shrugged, "Eh, it was kinda funny. Besides, we did save the world; I think I can forgive a couple pieces of broken furniture." She grinned, "I don't envy them tomorrow, though. Keep Natalie's staves hidden so she can't cure their hangovers. Maybe that will teach them."

Lance smirked, "Good idea; although, they certainly won't think so." He smiled at the ranger and stepped up to her to give her a quick kiss, "Good night, Anna. See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Lance. Sleep well," the ranger said with a soft smile. She closed the room door behind her and walked outside.

The party was still going strong and probably wouldn't end until dawn. Anna skirted the edge of the crowd of revelers, and mused that the idols would have a lot to clean up tomorrow. The ranger was almost home when she spotted Lana and changed her course to speak with the priestess.

"Good evening, Anna," the old woman greeted, "Are you and your friends enjoying the party?"

"We did, although Matt and Natalie might have enjoyed it a little too much. Lance and I got them to the inn and I'm actually headed for bed, now," Anna replied. She hesitated before continuing, "I actually wanted to tell you something."

"You want to keep adventuring with your friends, correct?" Lana asked, smiling when the ranger nodded. "I thought you might, that's why I began training the villagers to defend themselves. Well, that and they need the training, anyway. We had several problems with forest creatures while you were gone and I cannot be bothered to scare all of them off with my magic."

Anna grinned, "Yes, we saw that when we first got back. It looks like you have your work cut out for you. Maybe we can give them a few pointers before we go."

Lana smiled, "That would be helpful. You'll be leaving soon, then? A safe journey to you, and remember that all four of you are welcome here at any time should you need a rest." She bowed to the ranger, "You and your friends have accomplished a great feat in your fight against Godcat. Not many would choose to face Her and then succeed in winning Her favor. I am proud of you Anna, and everything you achieved on your journey. I know your quest was not nearly as easy and glorious as Matt made it seem; yet, you four persevered and now humanity has earned the freedom to continue its existence. At some point I would like to hear the true tale, but for now: good night, and may your dreams be filled with gentle breeze of the forest." With that, the old woman bowed once more and walked away.

Anna stood there for a while, watching after the priestess, long after the woman and melted into the crowd. "It's over," she murmured. "It's over and we won," the ranger said slightly louder, a smile breaking across her face.

A surreal feeling washed over Anna. When she had set out to find the thieves who had stolen from the village, she hadn't expected anything like what had followed. She had met and befriended legends. Together they had traveled the world, delving into deep caverns, traversed jungles, and explored ancient ruins. They had found ancient enemies and treasure. They had faced danger and found love. They had challenged monsters and robots, man and god, and they had won. It had been an epic journey and, she hoped, only the first of many to come.

A/N: The end! The drinking party was a request from Sylveon0902 that was originally planned to be here, then I decided to move it to the oneshot fic, then it fit so nicely for an epilogue that I put it here after all. Anyway, I hope it was what you were looking for!

I had an amazing time writing this and I hope you all had just as amazing of a time reading it! When I started writing, I expected to be horrible at it. Before this fic, I had never written anything besides school papers; hardly fun and interesting writing. XP I thought when I posted the first chapter that it was eh, at best. Certainly, there was a lot of room for improvement. :P I didn't think anyone would see, much less READ my story, nor did I think it would be as long as it has gotten. Now, I look at it and I go," Holy, Hell, I can't believe I wrote this much…" I believe a major part of the reason it got so long is because you all were such amazing followers. I never expected to get as many reviews as I did. Epic Battle Fantasy is such a small section of FanFiction that I thought I would be lucky to get one reviewer outside of my family. Instead, I netted seven or eight reviewers—many of which came back again and again. And there were many more who read the story, and I assume came back to see more! Thank you all so, so, SO much! You made writing this story more fun, entertaining, and rewarding to do!

FierceDeityMask: Thank you for spending the time, even when you just got home from long day at class, to read my chapters over; I definitely improved as a writer with your help. Also, thank you for being there to bounce ideas off of. Your reviews were always amazing to read, it was a major boost to my confidence to see someone who would say what they liked and any little errors that could be improved.

Mysteriousguy898: You left so many witty and amazing reviews and they almost all made me laugh so hard I cried. Your PM chains were so much fun to read and that LAnna Meter and Obliviometer made my days for weeks! XD I also really enjoyed tossing tidbits of the EBF-verse around with you. Thank you for your support and humor over the course of this fic!

Kelly: I only saw you for a couple of chapters, but I hope you were one of the many silent readers of my story. You were among the first of the non-family reviewers and the positive feedback you left was a major boost. Thank you so much!

Lucaura678: Your reviews were witty, sometimes painful with their puns(that leaf one especially), and a fairly good indicator to have me go back and re-read a chapter. I know I bothered you a lot while writing, and I really appreciate the time you spent to leave me some feedback. Thanks a bunch!

ShadowPulse160: You were definitely reading this story, even if life got so busy you couldn't always review. Thanks to our many PMs early on and emails later, I figured out how to write/explain many of the finer details of EBF4. You gave me a much higher opinion of my own writing, which I definitely needed to finish this story. Thank you very much! I'm looking forward to seeing more from your own EBF story when you get the free time to write!

LoveDoctor0037: You started out as a guest reviewer but later came back as a FFaccount. You left so many reviews that pointed out things you liked in the story. I love those kinds because how someone reacted during events of the story are some of my favorite kinds of reviews. I really enjoyed our PM chats as well. You have been a constant and major supporter. Thank you so much!

Sylveon0902: You were my biggest non-family support. You gave me dozens of wonderful ideas, many of which were used in the story and others that have been/will be in the oneshot collection. I loved messaging back and forth with you over the course of the entire fic since you first reviewed. Thank you for the many reviews, the awesome chats, the laughs, the morale boosting, and the wonderful ideas! I appreciate it more than I can say!

WriteyouCleverGirl: I hope that you think the rest of the story on from chapter 7 was as good or better! It was immensely reassuring to hear from yet another person that what I had set out to do(namely novelize an awesome game) worked out! I hope your friend—whom you said was playing the game—enjoyed it!

Mochi Ice Cream: Thank you for coming back again and again and reading the story! I'm very glad you enjoyed reading and I hope to see you in other and later EBF stories!

Guest reviewer on Ch23: I'm so glad liked my story! I've had a lot of people say they would like to read the sequel story. I will almost certainly be posting it at some point. Not for a while, as I want to write it completely as I change things in 'completed' chapters to fix plot-holes and continuity errors. I hope to be done with the story before the year ends, but that might not happen.

And finally, THANK YOU MATT ROSZAK! You'll probably never read this story, but thank you all the same! You created an amazing flash game series in Epic Battle Fantasy and I have enjoyed playing them time and time again! I hope this story did the game justice (even if Lance and Anna were incredibly OOC) I'm looking forward to the eventual release of EBF5 so I can buy and play it on Steam! Keep up the awesome, amazing, spectacular work!

As I said in my thanks to the guest reviewer: enough of you have expressed an interest in the sequel I started writing back in the Rafflesia chapter. It will almost definitely be posted, once it is done. A few heads up warnings now: it is graphic enough to warrant an MA rating by fanfiction's standards. There will be detailed death, blood, and horrible experiences. There will be strong language and it will reference things that happened in this story. There will still be lighthearted humor in it, but overall it is far darker than 'An Epic Retelling' was. I'm actually very proud of how it is coming along now and I hope I can finish it for any interested in reading it to see! In the meantime, I will be sporadically posting oneshots to the collection, so be sure to read those!