D a r k n e s s

                                                 Destroy.

                                                Destroy.

                                            Destroy them.

                                        Destroy everything.

                                                                              You don’t need them.

               They’re vermin,                                     traitors,                                                                  foul little leeches.

                                       Disgusting. Pathetic.

    Kill them all.

                                        Wring their necks.                           Drain the juices from their corpses.

                                                                   Make them suffer.

"There’s nowhere we can hide."

"Don’t get too close."

"Maybe I should kill myself."

"I’m not listening."

"No one can hurt you now."

"Who do you think you are?"

"You’re gonna catch a cold."

"I wish that you would just leave."

"I love the way you laugh."

"A little evil goes a long, long way."

"Drink the wine."

"Maybe we could stick around for one more drink."

"Here’s to us."

"The last few days have kicked my ass."

"Nothing lasts forever."

"I don’t know what went wrong."

"I don’t need you here."

"Did I fall asleep?"

"I will not die."

"I’ll wait here for you."

"I feel numb."

"Deal with it."

"I don’t care."

"I hate the way I love you."

"I have no regrets."

"I love you too much to hide you."

"I didn’t kill anybody."

"There is no God."

"All monsters are human."

"You look beautiful, but you don’t look fine."

"You’re a liar and a cheat."

"Why do you think I’m here?"

"Crap, are you pregnant?"

"This is just perfect."

"You’ve done enough already."

Battle intro:"…One of us is truly going to die here today, aren’t we? …Please, Ephidel… …Let this be the one battle I do not have to tell a tale of…" 

Victory: "N…No… You… Can’t be…! G-Get up…!!" 

Defeat: "…Ephidel… …Please know, this… …This wasn’t your… …Fault… It’ll all be… …Alright…" 

Assist: "Let’s finish this together!!" 

Taunt: "Come on, please— Don’t… Don’t bother holding back on me!" 

Reacting To Taunt: "It’s… …It’s okay. I know, these aren’t… …Your words…" 

Perfect Victory: "You… …You didn’t want to hurt me… …Didn’t you? Ephidel, I’m… …I’m so sorry…" 

"That would be interesting, I don’t know how many Black Fang are left, but I would wager not many." Mark answered. It was always strange talking to a former enemy, but somehow he managed to do it.

"And even if you did I’m sure it wouldn’t amount to anything other than what a band of bandits could do." Lyn chimed in, still a bit wary, but taking Mark’s lead nonetheless. "So, you say your wandering, we used to do that for a bit before we settled down."

Bandits were in fact dangerous, but nothing compared to the Black Fang. Even bandits sometimes had compassion, at least to a point. The Black Fang left none alive in their path, and took whatever they desired. "The Black Fang... Even its remnants would be more difficult to kill than ordinary bandits. That very thought itself, that they would be no different, could get you killed. After defeating someone as powerful as Nergal, to lose your life to his underlings would be shameful."

Yet, he had been so sure by the last plea he had heard from the voice, that he had not survived the explosion from the Dragon’s Gate. Or, had he simply warped away in time? He’d seen such ability far too many times during the war, and if anything was clear to him, it was that the impossible could always happen, and you should expect it.

Of course. He’d taken his father, and now, what next? Had he survived and simply came to rub salt in the wound, or maybe even finish off the bloodline entirely? The thought sent an urge to dash back to the camp they’d previously set up— He’d suddenly had the desperate feeling of needing Hector by his side. But would he even be able to outrun the cloaked figure if he could truly warp?

His thoughts were swirling faster than he could handle, and instinctively his hand rested on the hilt of his Rapier, unsheathing the blade and readying a defensive stance— If he had come to eliminate him, wouldn’t he have already done it by now? Either way, the safest way out was to assume that the enemy was hostile. Sheathing his weapon could result in disaster.

"—You,” there was no venom lacing his tone, how could there be? The death of his father still weight heavily on him, clenching his heart and stalling his emotions and his peaceful state of mind. He couldn’t hold any more poison than the amount he had taken. All that was left was grief, deep grief, and a sharp pang of anger, fury, that had nowhere to be dispersed.

In a way, he could agree that the show was not enough for him. There were people he would see fall, and it would be quite the ending. "I suppose you could say that. Nergal is likely struggling right now from that wound he took, and while I wish I could see his face, contorted in anger and desperation, I'll have to put that show aside for now."

It almost came as a surprise that Eliwood would not have his entire army with him at all times. They traveled together everywhere, but the thought did immediately cross Ephidel's mind that the redhead was trying to get time to himself. He needed it, and while Ephidel could not understand the pain of losing a relative, or anyone for that matter, it was he who was the odd one here. It was he who was not born, but created with evil intent and meant to be used as a heartless pawn.

The skies themselves seemed to side with Eliwood, cloudy and threatening a rain and thunder storm but holding back. There was a dimness about him that he hasn't portrayed at the Dragon's Gate. It made humans fragile indeed, right to their core... but also confusing. Eliwood was no Darin, whose heart was full of impurities and corruption. Ephidel could see it now... Elbert's spirit living on in his son.

Though even now, there was a Shine tome tucked in the bottom of his basket as he picked out potatoes for supper. Since Cornwell had fallen, he’d carried a weapon at all times—for fear that the one time he didn’t bring one would be the time he needed one. This habit had only been reinforced by his time as a mercenary, and he doubted at this point that it would ever be broken.

Raymond prefers it that way, in any case. He paid for his selection, and crossed “potatoes” off the list. He had just placed it back in the basket when an unexplained prickle ran down his spine.

He’d often heard it said that a woman’s intuition is rarely wrong, and he supposed that the intuition of a particularly feminine monk couldn’t possibly far off from it. He cast his eyes around uneasily, taking his time replacing the list in the basket and running his fingers idly along the binding of the tome. Of course everyone in the crowd was a stranger, and any of them could be a threat—he didn’t know anyone in Araphen yet—but his eyes came to rest on a dark-haired man in a dark cloak. While there was no solid reason to distrust such a man, he felt the shiver again. Perhaps it was that the stranger was so pale, or that his eyes were trained on Lucius?

Bringing himself closer to close the distance rather than calling out loudly, he stopped directly in front of Lucius. There was no hint of anything in his eyes; just the usual gold color that denied his humanity. It was almost strange, seeing all these people that lacked any part of his appearance. He'd once been in a place where everyone was no different in appearance, and were supposed to be no different in personality. Sonia, he had known, was a mistake all along. It was Limstella who was Nergal's perfect creation. Knowing they were both dead now was an oddly pleasing thought.

"I don't suppose you recognize me. Regardless, you are not in any danger. I've had no orders from anyone in a long while. It's almost dull." He didn't expect the blond to drop his guard just from that, but it wouldn't change Ephidel's intentions. Perhaps it was curiosity, but was not that a thing a human should have? It wasn't something Ephidel should be any bit aware of in his own being. In the end, it would make sense... This may have been the reason he was thrown away to begin with.