Author Note:

Recommendation: To fully get the references and events in this and future chapters, you might want to brush up on your FE 7 history knowledge. Or you can be surprised! Whatever floats yer boat. Please review if you like it!

On another note, things are desperate. I feel like an idiot! Stories, games, music, drawing... those fun, awesome things, they've distracted me, and made me lose progress in real life. I had too much of it to snap clear! I need to lay stuff on ice until I'm back on track. So this is the last entry for a long while, I think. Many apologies to those who actually like my story, and have been with me until now... I appreciate your interest.

Chapter 16: Quintessential menace

Roy had sat for a long time in the mess tent, wondering what the result would be like. Marth would return, unbreakable and never questioning how people saw him again.

"It was still a bonehead move. He had so much, and just threw it away... yet what friend am I if I opposed his greatest wish?" He asked Lon'qu, who was tending a frying pan with pork.

"It is honorable, giving up your independence in order to stay focused." He replied. "During my years as West Ferox's Champion I only focused on my missions, training myself depending on the circumstances I could encounter. Only the orders and their completion mattered, as well as increasing my skill to serve better, until my post could be filled by another aspiring Champion.

"But did you want to? It seems pretty thankless..."

"Of course, I had some small moments of selfish indulgence. They are required to stay sane. Food, first-rate equipment... w-women. The last part seldom got further than hello and goodbye." He admitted slowly.

"Hah! By the way, Marth gave you tips, right? Have you spoken to Teach?"

"...Yes. In short time, he has explained many things. I only believe two: his nostrils can fit a sword hilt, and he is blatantly unaware that the sun doesn't actually sink into the earth at night. No one knows where it goes, except maybe Miriel. The rest... well, Marth tried to pull a fast one before he left. Good thing I'm no fool."

"Florina's here." Roy said convincingly. "Hey, you look good today! Lon'qu, say hello to this adorable young lady!"

"Oh please... I will never fall for your juvenile tricks again. When I turn around, I will only see a BWARGH!"

Roy wasn't lying, and Lon'qu looked like he'd just died, holding the frying pan in a stiff, near post-mortem grip. His face was white instead of red this time.

"Geez, he's gonna be a good role model if he has kids... oh wait, right." Roy thought. If he couldn't even see some women without a heart attack, then...

"I-I-I am so sorry, sir Lon'qu. I j-just came over here with a list of suggestions for cooking... did I mess up with something?" She said weakly. Her eyes were very watery, and she was about to turn around.

Smacking Lon'qu on the head, Roy got the lethal swordsman to snap out of it. "GET. YOUR. ACT. TOGETHER." He spelt out.

"Eh... hrm. Yes, thank you. Your service is appreciated." Lon'qu finally said, without stammering. He took the list, and also apologized for the time when he had screamed before. Florina looked relieved, and now blushed instead, accepting the apology and running off.

"See? You're the new ladies man!" Roy said, lightly poking his elbow into Lon'qu's side.

"Get out, Roy. I need some peace." He said seriously.

"Fine... you dirty rascal, you!" He jested, running away outside to avoid a viciously tossed knife. He saw the small group return from the desert just then. It didn't look like they'd had a good time... "Wow... they're back already? It only took two days! Hey, guys! Let's see... eh-hrm! I understand we have a new companion. May you introduce him?"

"Yes, Roy." Chrom said, looking calm while unsaddling the pack mule. The group of five returned with one extra person in deep purple robes. "Here. This is..."

"Wait, Marth didn't wear robes. Anyway, nice to meet YOUHUHUHU!" Roy stuttered in fright when he reached out his hand to the stranger, and saw his face.

"Good day, young sir. I... am Nergal."

Some sand blew by, and Roy stared disbelievingly at the quite scary-looking man.

"I have come from Elibe to fight. From what these fine people told me you are also Elibean, sir Roy. The son of Eliwood. He was a fine man, stout and trustworthy." Nergal said, almost over the top hospitable. However, as soon as the others did not look at them, the Dark mage looked down at Roy with an acid glance, twisting his face into a sinister grin.

"N... Nergal? The dreaded warlock who wanted to drain the force of life from the world, to open the Dragon's Gate and take the quintessence of all dragons, becoming a god? That utter maniac? How the hell did he get his own card?! Father always warned about men such as him. In turn, I must warn the others, this card is beyond dangerous!" Roy thought quickly, and was about to open his mouth, when the sorcerer pointed a finger at him, making the boy lose his ability of speech. "Damn this devilry! My voice!" He thought.

"It seems young Roy has a problem with his throat. Perhaps you have something for him?" Nergal said kindly.

Roy viewed the returned party with panic. He had no way to show that Nergal was a rotten egg now. The others simply shrugged at his stressful look. Chrom ordered him to show Nergal around, and Roy could only comply for now. Silently, he walked beside the dread magician.

"Little sheep awaiting the slaughter... how ironic that they're named Shepherds, eh? Can't see the wolf in their midst!" Nergal laughed silently, looking around. "I see your intentions. When the spell wears off, you'll tell them, and they will believe you. But not before I recover a modicum of my strength... then you'll see."

Roy gritted his teeth hard. If he attacked Nergal it would only give the mage time enough to do something sinister when Roy's allies investigated the cause. Instead, he simply met the mage's gaze, and smirked.

"Oh, a little plan in your Einherjar eyes, I see. And now confusion!, Splendid, heh heh..." Nergal jeered. Roy was indeed taken off guard. What did Nergal know of the Einherjar? Wasn't he under the illusion he was still alive? And... by the gods, Roy had forgotten about Marth! Where was he? What had happened?

"About your friend... apparently they left him back there. He was damaged, useless. No memory wipe could repair him. So he is stuck in the care of a stupid old goat!"

"Hnnngh..." Roy struggled with his vocal chords. He was really angry now. Marth was damaged? He had internal conflicts, yes, but... could his card have broken down, so he had to stay forever in the Outrealms now? Roy turned red at these thoughts. Maybe it was a mercy for Marth, but that son of a harpy had left behind so many friends to grieve him... Roy wouldn't stand for it, not ever seeing his face again. He was a better friend this way, he thought, and would set out to get him. Only, it would be hard to find him...

"So, this is where you sleep. Dinky little tents... oh, and more blinded fools, long dead and still walking the earth! Like Florina, there... I knew of her, the vile little bitch-"

Roy punched the mage in his stomach. Nergal bent over slightly, and hissed at the young Marquess.

"I won't call for help... and disrupt my chances." He groaned, getting up to his full stature. "But I can see why you'd protect them. Your pretty allies... though I may have to drop my charade anyway now. So inconvenient..." He sighed deeply.

"What is... EEEEEEEK! NERGAL!" Florina yelled, pointing in fright. "Nergal's in camp! Chrom! F-Frederick! Eirika!"

"What is going on? Slow down, Florina." Eirika said, having appeared from their shared tent. "Who are you?" She asked Nergal, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Ah... I am, how to say, your... doom. It awaits you in the palm of my hand. How gracious of you to not ride your Pegasus now, Florina... it gives you an easier risk to die... ERESHKIGAL!" He yelled, launching an orb of concentrated darkness with a tome he whipped out.

Eirika tossed Florina and herself aside, flying through the air from the explosion and landing hard against a bench. "I never was subtle in person... only when pulling the strings from a distance." The Dark mage said under his breath, amused.

"EIRIKA!" Roy's voice came back, and he immediately turned on his heels instinctively, completely against his true will, seeing that he was no match for this fiend alone. "Damn you, cowardly legs!" If he had the chance, he would stomp the mage's face in for Eirika's sake. Nergal stepped after him slowly, drawing force from the air around him.

"In life, I was great... and failed. In death, I yet linger, and my power is unknown to this fool world. It will be mine, and... the Outrealm gates! Far better is he who possesses godhood across dimensions, than over a single planet!" He laughed, tossing dark orbs around at random, enjoying the chaos.

"What the crap is going on?!" Gaius said loudly, about to eat a piece of peanut brittle near the mess table. Roy ran past him, screaming to regroup. The thief went bleak, dropping the snack when he saw the mage standing behind him, emitting a dark aura.

"You... you remind me of that weasel Matthew, of Ostia... he was quicker, though." Nergal said, and whispered the name of his devastating spell, hand almost on Gaius's chest. The thief came to his senses, and barely snuck away, planting a dagger in the mage's leg before yelling for Roy to wait up.

"Gods, what was that explosion? The Risen? Plegians?" Chrom said, drawing his sword quickly at the command tent's entrance, Frederick beside him.

"Milord, I think our new arrival wasn't so much a hero in life... as a villain." Frederick said, unrelentingly certain.

"...Damn Hubba. His shenanigans have made us lose a dear friend, and gain a foe..."

Just then Nergal emerged, blasting apart a set of tents in his path, facing the two commanders. He gruntingly dislodged the dagger from his leg, and seemingly absorbed it into his robe.

"Heh heh... forgive the little mess... I must be quite unreasonable in your eyes. Such a wretched face, sir Chrom... maybe eternal slumber will relax your muscles?" He said threateningly, raising a glowing sphere of purple above his head.

"Ugh... before we battle... I must know what is wrong with you. You aren't working like you should." Chrom said, sweating slightly. "Are you aware, like Marth was? That you're a memory?"

"Yes. But I intend to be more. I am still Nergal, and my seal was never made. While I yet had a sliver of life in me, alone and bleeding before the Dragon's Gate, a wicked relative of Hubba saved my soul, copying it onto this card. All my powers are intact, and amplified by this spirit existence. I have waited for these times... seeing the signs... listening to the old fool babble in his sleep while I was in his pocket. As a fortune-teller, he sleep-talked of the future. The coming of the Risen is just the first step. As is the war with Plegia. More will come soon... and I may just help it along."

"You didn't influence any of that?" Chrom asked. He also thought of what could happen if the Fire Emblem, currently in his possession, was found. It did not radiate much power in these days, since some of the crucial gemstones were missing, and Chrom only possessed one, Argent. Nergal seemed to not care about the existence of the artifact, focusing on using his own, already immense powers to fulfill the dark goals he held in mind.

"Of course not! If I wasn't fully active, how could I? I have you to "thank" for releasing me, though... Enough chatting. You will all see as the deities in this world face a new player on the field. Nergal, Dark Druid... the Master of Death!" He spoke out, and tossed the orb at the two warriors.

"MILORD!" Frederick yelled, tossing himself in front of Chrom. They both flew backwards to the ground, caught in an engulfing explosion of dark force.

"That deals with them... now, with their escaping life essence I open gateways, to summon forth my servants. Hubba, the dope, should never have spoken aloud of how to open these! Heh..."

Nergal waved a hand, speaking ancient verses, and opened portals to the Outrealms on the ground. Some of his dead allies came out as Einherjar, ready to serve, along with many hollow card spirit soldiers, printed with only basic features, but decent skills. The few in camp not taken completely off guard were quick to stand by Roy. Mostly because he was in a central part of it. Gaius had followed, and Stahl. Miriel stood ready with her fire spells, and Cordelia was flying alongside Sumia, throwing down javelins at the Dark mage. He only swatted them aside on impact, ordering his archers to fire at their Pegasi. The arrows were barely dodged, and they both set down with their other friends, slowly encircled. The little company of warriors broke lances, shattered shields and dodged spells, until the attack stopped.

"Neyahh hah hah! Such pitiful resistance... your friends are alive, don't cry little tears yet! Well, except for Chrom and his left-hand man..." Nergal smirked as he approached the tiny resistance group, signaling an easily breakable ceasefire to his men.

"NO! Chrom!" Cordelia shrieked. She was known to care for him deeply.

"Captain Chrom..." Sumia said silently, enraged.

"Guess I'm the only one who grieves for Frederick..." Roy said with a tired expression. Everyone around him found that very insensitive, but inessential at this critical moment.

"Dark mage... I have some bittersweet news. You're going down... somehow." Gaius said, looking deadly. "Now you see me... now you don't."

In a flash Gaius had disappeared, moving in a blur such as only a skilled thief and assassin could, and drawn his blade. Nergal looked almost bored during the attack. Gaius swiped once with his sword across Nergal's chest, and landed behind him. His blow had been fatal... to someone.

"Let's see your magic work on that. There are no healers around." Gaius said, adjusting his trademark toothpick and facing the warlock from behind.

"I do not need healing... you do." Nergal said quietly.

"Huh? That s'posed to be a joke? I don't see a punchli...! HAGH!"

Gaius's chest was bleeding out heavily, and he went down, looking Roy in the eyes for what seemed like an eternity, before hitting the ground. "F... fudge it all."

Those left standing could not believe it. In war it was natural to lose comrades... though it still hurt like hell.

"GAIUUUS!" Sumia shouted in terror.

"Pitiful. Though not even Jaffar would have fared much better... hm... he cut my robe." Nergal remarked casually, but quaked a bit. "Reflection magic is still an unstable concept, like Hubba said during his experiments... yet another snippet of info he foolishly provided, thinking no one heard. Though I cannot use it many times yet. Ugh, that smarts, despite my power... Would you like to risk your lives too? Stand down as prisoners, or die like mongrels!"

"I'm fine with being a mongrel." Ike's voice said from somewhere nearby. He jumped down from a tree branch above Nergal, hitting the hilt end of his Silver sword into the mage's skull, causing a cracking noise. Nergal reeled, but regained his balance unnaturally quickly. The merc ran over to the group of his friends, glowing a burning blue. He'd learned of the spirit surge through Chrom's briefing as well, and was waiting for the right moment to release it. "You dare to hurt my allies? Hope you don't mind me cutting those hands of yours off, mage..."

Roy's eyebrows twitched with rage. This... Nergal's act was unforgivable. But with so many foes, he couldn't hope to win. Instead, he lowered his sword.

The impulsiveness in his mind ceased, and his former life came to him clearly. For his friends' sake, he would use his past self's intelligence to its limits. Roy of Pherae would act the fool no longer.

"Stand down. We've lost."

"Huh?! We can't just..." Ike said, gazing around carefully at the blank stares of the basic-printed Einherjar Nergal summoned.

"But, Roy..." Miriel said, calculating their odds quickly. She honestly didn't care about them, though. She was infuriated.

"We will need to live on. Even at the mercy of this beast. Until a solution presents itself... soon. Maybe right now."

He turned around, and smiled at his comrades. A plotting, compassionate smile they had never seen before. "I'm not abandoning you. I will be back... and with a friend. This'll be a chancey business, but... Ike, you and me! Let's go!"

Nergal barely shouted out his orders before Roy had drawn his blade again, slashing down a summoned soldier in his path and diving into an enemy Outrealm portal. Ike followed suit, but stopped for a second. He saw a uncomfortably familiar face among the tents, clad in revealing sorceress clothing.

"IKE! What are you doing in this chaos?! I bet you're involved somehow!" Micaiah yelled, walking up to him straight through the crowd of plain soldiers, tossing them aside with Arcwind spells. She did know Light magic as well, but Ylisse had a shocking lack of such tomes, which meant adaptation was a good idea...

Ike, in turn, bowled right through the blocking Einherjar soldiers with a broad, spinning slash straight after Roy, just wanting to escape HER. She was soon captured, though.

"Hey, let me go! Stupid faceless spirit things!" Micaiah said, struggling against her captors. She was forced to sit with the other recently captured troops. No ropes would be needed, simply because of the great number of available troops Nergal had to watch them. "Darn... Ike... was it something I said? I don't think I treated him so bad he'd just bolt on sight. That jerk... still, I hope they know what to do..."

"Duuurgh! Like father, like son, huh?! First Eliwood, and now his offspring! Hunt them down! These other twits will be completely rounded up, and interrogated on what they know of this world. I don't even know it's name for now. That won't get us far, now will it?" Nergal directed at his commanders, picking one to stalk the two young warriors until the right time to strike. A force of Wyvern riders and Cavaliers was dispatched into the vortexes. The chosen commander, someone who moved like a swift sword swing, followed them in. "Gather them up, then, you slow-minded goons! Including the thief's corpse!"

They all looked at the crumpled heap that was Gaius. He was unceremoniously tossed together with his friends. Lissa, having been gathered with the rest, was shocked, running over to check the man's blood pressure. To great relief, he was fortunately alive. Her staff was at the ready, but the outcome would be uncertain. He'd lost a quarter of his blood already. The two chief healers of the army brought out some bandages, telling him to hang in there.

"Roy, Ike... no matter what he'll be able to do, bring him back. Please try." Sumia said, thinking of Marth intensely. "Brave Hero-King... those bedtime stories better be right this time."

Author Note:

You thought I was gonna bring Canas into the story, eh? Well... it was a fifty-fifty chance of the card being him.

And because of Hubba's age-related lapses in judgment, they're now all in danger. Isn't that old ditz just the friggin' BEST?!

Roy also breaks my personal interpretation of his character, becoming more like the original, clever Lord. That's a good thing, switching between how he once was and how he is now, when needed. I get his character and story a bit better now, since I started playing the translated patch for The Binding Blade. The RNG there has no mercy! D:

Deciding on an antagonist felt... strangely straightforward. I just thought Nergal would fit in as the main villain, however late he was introduced. It's also kind of hard to make him go OOC, I think. He's an obsessed nutter nearly to begin with, after all... unless you count his backstory. Also, his spell's visual effect is described as an orb because he concentrates the blasts this time. I've seen Ereshkigal usually is much flashier... Oh, and I call him a Dark mage, dread magician, Dark Druid and whatnot to vary the description of the same character (those all fit him, and just writing his name would get stale).

As for not going for the Fire Emblem... Nergal didn't go to great length to use the Seal of Bern in FE 7, so I figured the Emblem holds little interest to him, no matter what form it takes. Besides, at this point in the actual game it doesn't have its full power. His strange reasoning will just have to apply, okay?