Begin Author's Notes.
*Camera turns on*
*In front of the camera is M3 and Ice, looking ready as ever.*
M3: "Hello. It's time for us to announce something exciting…"
IceBite: "A brand new story?"
M3: "Yes...That's actually what it is. Mind giving them a hint about what it is, Ice?"
IceBite: "Well...it's from a series we've done repeatedly…"
M3: "And that's all we will tell you. You mind starting the chapter, Ice?"
IceBite: "Alright…"
*Chapter 1 starts.*
Arc 1: In the Beginning
Chapter 1: Arrival
"Oooh! You're here? There's TWO of you? The ritual worked better than I thought!"
"... … ...This is definetly not my living room. Where am I?" The man on the right said aloud.
"Dunno..." the other stated.
They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat, before the individual said, "Ahem... Oh Great Hero from another world! Thou hast come so far to fulfill your role in our legend! For our kingdom now stands on the very brink of ruin, and thou... And thou…" The figure paused. "Hold on. Are you really our Great Heroes? You don't look like the thee-and-thou type."
"And here I though my clothes would be able to blend in wherever I ended up..." The first man snarky joked.
The second man, however, merely asked, "Where are we, exactly? And...how'd we end up here?"
"Fair enough. You're in-" the figure began...before…
"FOUND YOU!" a voice called. Turning in the direction the shout came from resulted in a man in scale armor, with black clothing and a dark blue-green cape. Said man was also wielding an axe.
"Drat! How did one of those Emblians get here already?" the figure cursed, before pulling out an axe of her own, "Stand back! I'll take care of him somehow!"
The first man just bluntly said, "What perfect timing...Just as we were going to know where we ended up..." looking to the man to his left. The other man, however, did not answer, seemingly in thought, occasionally patting the pocket on his right that was occupied by something large and boxy.
The battle...if it could be called that...didn't last long, as the individual that summoned the duo managed to finish off the attacker.
It wasn't long before the individual returned. "Whew! We took care of him. My name's Anna. I'm the commander of the Order of Heroes."
"Order of Heros?" The first man asked.
"We believe that Heroes should live free. Our enemies, however, enslave them-the fiends. This realm has gateways to the worlds where Heroes come from. Have you heard of the World of Awakening?"
Both men just nodded back in response.
"How about the World of Birthright? Or the World of Conquest? There are so many more!"
"I think we both know how many worlds are there...Am I right?" The first man said to the second man.
The second man nodded, and then he asked, "And what of these enemies you mentioned?"
"The Emblian Empire invades those worlds and binds their Heroes to service. We fight for their freedom!
"So, I take it that we weren't summoned here to fight off one guy with an axe? Did you summon to fight two guys with axes?" The first man said, not taking things seriously.
The second man just gave the first a deadpan stare.
"Look, I'm just joking around cause things aren't hectic yet…" The first man retorted. "But back on point...that axe carrying guy was the enemy...The...What where they called?"
"...Anyways...that soldier was from the Emblian Empire, which will soon invade our neighboring kingdom Askr. I was desperate for help. I performed a summoning ceremony. And you two just appeared out of nowhere. Lucky us! But there's no time to rest. We have to act fast if we're going to save our kingdom!"
The first man looked to the second man saying, "You heard the lady, we're here because they needed help…"
The second man seemed deep in thought.
"While he thinks, you can count me in for helping, Anna." The first man said as a follow up.
Anna nodded. "Thank you…"
Anna then turned to the second man, who continued thinking for a time, before finally replying, "...Very well…"
Anna smiled. "That's good...as I said before, my name's Anna...and you?"
"If you're asking me first, name's Connor Thomas. If not, then I can't answer for him." The first man responded.
The second man...was now staring at Connor. "Is it really?"
"Yeah, that's my name. Yours is…?" Connor said as he looked back at the second man, as he felt like he seen this guy before.
"...Daniel Mitchell…" the second man replied.
"Good name...A...Oh, it's you." Connor said before he smiled. "Find it funny it took this long for us to recognize each other…"
"Well, we never really met in real life, so…" Daniel replied, shrugging.
Anna then asked, "Am I missing something here?"
"We know each other...Just not face to face till now." Connor answered back.
Anna nodded. "Alright...well...you can catch up later," she stated, before pulling something out. "First things first. I summoned you here with the divine Breidablik." Anna then showed the group the device. "That's the name of this relic I've brought. It fires something out of it, according to legend, but Breidablik doesn't look like any bow I've ever seen."
"Yeah, that definitely ain't a bow…" Connor retorted after seeing the Breidablik.
"Either way, the legend also calls it "the true key," which, if raised high, will summon the Great Hero who can fire it. That's what I did. And now you're here. So it's all yours now. Hopefully you can figure out how to-"
Before they could continue…
"THERE SHE IS! GET HER!" called an Emblian soldier.
"Drat. More of those Emblian soldiers. I can't defeat them all by myself, and you're not equipped to help me," Anna commented, before passing the Breidablik over to them. "You run while I hold them off. Take Breidablik and get out of here!"
Connor took the Breidablik… … ...which began glowing…
"What's that?! That bright light, coming from…" Anna began, only to be interrupted by… … …
...A figure appearing from the Breidablik. "I am Virion, the finest archer of the fairest of realms. Delighted to be of service."
"Huh...Didn't see that coming." Connor said, unaware of what to do next.
Daniel, however, replied, "...Yup, that confirms things, we're in THAT universe… … …" He then turned to Virion and Anna. "Virion, I suggest you soften up the target, Anna should be able to take it from there…"
"Yeah, go do what Daniel said…" Connor said.
"Very well," Virion stated, before advancing, firing on the incoming Axe Fighter. The Axe Fighter wounded, Anna closed in and took him down. Unfortunately, an opposing Bow Fighter approached, opening fire and wounding Anna.
Anna, however, closed...a flash appeared, and Anna lunged, slashing multiple times with her axe. It was more than enough to take down the Bow Fighter.
"Good thing she got a skill to activate...If that's what just happened." Connor mumbled as his mind seems to catch up with what was going on.
"We won! And it's all thanks to you!" Anna cheered, "Why, none of us in the Order of Heroes can actually summon these Heroes. Ha! I never doubted for a second that you were the Great Hero...Heroes, actually, I guess...You're the ones who will save our kingdom."
"Actually, as it stands...I'm the only one for sure who can summon heroes. " Connor pointed out. "Here, you have a crack at this to see if it works for you as well."
Connor hands the Breidablik over to Daniel. The Breidablik glowed and flashed for a brief moment...before falling silent.
"That's still more than any of us got from the Breidablik...maybe it used too much energy summoning for you, Connor...I have no doubt that if it had more energy, Daniel would have summoned something," Anna stated, before continuing, "Our order is small, but welcome to our ranks. Please, help us find more Heroes to assist us. Now that you're here, I just know that we'll win our fight against the empire."
"Then how about we stop dilly dallying and get to it then? Before more soldiers keep showing up and slow us down…" Connor said aloud.
With that, the group departed.
The group soon reached their destination, where they found a new person: a young man wearing similar armor to Anna's, and having blue hair with blonde highlights.
"Commander Anna! You're all right! Wait, who are these with you? Could one of them be...?"
"They both are, Prince Alfonse! The legend is true. I raised Breidablik, and then Daniel and Connor appeared! Our Great Heroes are here... and can use the divine weapon too! As for what Breidablik shoots? It's truly wonderful. It fires Heroes right out of it!"
"Unbelievable. So you're our Great Heroes, come to us from another world?" Alfonse asked
Daniel shrugged. "I guess…"
"Though probably a world way different from the ones you know of…If I'm honest." Connor added.
Alfonse nodded in reply. "Maybe...I am Alfonse, Prince of Askr and member of the Order of Heroes. A pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry to ask this of you so soon after we've met, but I have need of your help. Our order is devoted to fighting the Emblian Empire, which invades worlds where Heroes are from. One of these is the World of Mystery." Alfonse turned to Anna. "I have dire news. The empire has newly taken over that world. We need to make our way to the World of Mystery to free it! And, Commander Anna, there's one more thing. I spotted someone odd with the soldiers near here. A strange man. Not an imperial soldier. Nor a Hero from the World of Mystery now under their control."
"A strange man, you say? Did he seem allied with the Emblian Empire?" Anna asked.
"I don't know. I've never seen him before. He wears a mask and keeps his face a secret even from them. But now, we must rush into battle. Soldiers approach!" Alfonse warned.
The group looked out, and saw: a Lance Fighter, an Axe Fighter, and a Sword Fighter. "Hmmm…" Daniel thought, looking out at the battlefield, "Anna...you go after the Lance Fighter. Alfonse, the Axe Fighter. Virion, you take out the Sword Fighter from range…"
"Keeping the Weapon Triangle in mind...very well," Alfonse replied. The trio moved out.
"You're going to have to help me out when it's my time to give out the orders." Connor mentioned to Daniel. "I know the basic weapon triangle as well...Just not the other parts."
"Well...Fire Magic and Dark Magic go under the same category as swords in this world, Wind Magic with Axes, and Thunder Magic (and some Ice Magic) as Lances…" Daniel explained, "Bows, Staves, and Daggers are outside the Weapons Triangle…"
Okay...Is there anything else I should know?" Connor asked as a follow up.
Daniel shrugged. "Just keep an eye on the enemy and know if you're getting in over your head…I guess," he replied.
"...I'll keep that in mind as well." Connor retorted...before he remembered he was lugging around a useful tool inside his backpack.
As he searched through the pack, he asked Daniel, "So, how's the team doing? They...Oh come on, I just saw it…" as he stuck his head inside the bag to keep searching.
"Hmmm...Anna finished off her opponent...Alfonse has his on the ropes… … ...Virion's having trouble, but should be able to finish his foe off…"
"Found it!" Connor announced as he pulls his head and arms out with a digital camera. "This should help out for keeping track of the enemies we fight...and the notes I'll have to make just in case."
Soon enough, the others managed to take out the enemy, and returned to the duo that was waiting for them. Before they could act, however, the masked man Alfonse spotted earlier appeared.
"..."
"Who are you, stranger? Alfonse, this must be the masked man you saw!" Anna commented.
Alfonse then added, "You! Tell us-are you a soldier in the Emblian Empire? If so, then you stand on the side of evil. The empire shouldn't be entering the worlds of Heroes-let alone conquering them!"
"Oh, really? And I suppose you want us to close the gateways too?" the man began, but Daniel interrupted him before he could finish.
"Oh, you'd do that? We'd like that as well...I'd also like fries with my order, anyone else want anything?" Daniel commented.
"And I'd like some cheese with my fries as well…" Connor said before he used the camera to snap a photo of the masked man. Anna and Alfonse seemed REAL amused.
The man sneered. "ENOUGH!" And the man began to depart.
"Get back here and answer for yourself! Damn fellow. He's gone," Alfonse replied.
Anna then turned to Daniel and Connor. "Those gateways he mentioned...They connect our world to all those where Heroes live. The royalty of the Askran Kingdom, like Alfonse, have the ability to open these gateways."
Alfonse then continued, "And the royalty of the Emblian Empire are able to close the gateways."
"So...that means they have free reign over any world they want to go to or…" Connor paused.
Alfonse nodded. "Exactly. Long ago, our two families worked in harmony to open and close these ways to other worlds. But then Embla began using its power for evil, leaving all of the gates open. The empire began invading those worlds. We cannot slam the gates shut. Only they can."
Anna then continued, "We can fight them, however. That's why we Askrans formed the Order of Heroes-to stop the Emblians. Now, let's hurry to the World of Mystery. Alfonse... your sister has been on a scouting mission. I fear that she may be in danger."
"Then we better get moving…" Alfonse replied.
"Agreed," Daniel replied.
The group eventually reached the World of Mystery, and met up with a young woman with the same outfit as Alfonse, and blonde hair. "Commander Anna! Brother! What has taken you so long to get to the World of Mystery?" she called.
"Sorry, Sharena. We had to battle our way here," Alfonse explained.
Sharena then noticed Daniel and Connor. "Who's this with you? Oh my! You're holding the divine relic... and it's all aglow! Are you... the Great Hero? Our group has hoped beyond hope that you might come to save us!"
Alfonse then explained, "Please, calm yourself, Sharena. This is Daniel and Connor. As it turns out, the Great Hero is actually two people, and are talented tacticians as well. We're already in good hands."
"Actually, I'm sure Daniel here is the better tactician...But yeah, best to have two instead of one." Connor stated.
"I'm just...better with the simple stuff, I kinda mess up when it comes to more difficult tactics and strategy…" Daniel admitted.
"You've still done well for us so far," Anna encouraged.
Daniel shrugged. "I guess so…"
"But... that's amazing. And, even if there's two of you, you're as great as I imagined. I'm going to be your number-one fan. Oh! My manners have gone right out the window. I'm Sharena, Alfonse's darling little sister," Sharena replied.
"Nice to meet, Sharena. I'm Connor...and as I said, this fellow tactician is Daniel." Connor retorted.
"Pleased to meet you!" Sharena replied cheerfully.
"All right, all right... Just tell us, what's the situation here?" Alfonse stepped in.
"Simply put? Absolutely dreadful. The empire has taken control of a Hero from the World of Mystery. She swoops through the skies, a fearsome figure, all in red," Sharena explained.
"A red flier from Mystery? It sounds like Princess Minerva. This battle will be tough. We should bring a Hero who's an archer, or perhaps…" Anna mused.
After a plan was drawn up, the group arrived in the zone where Minerva was last seen, and…
"Begone, outsiders! I am Minerva, Princess of Macedon. Now, I'll warn you once-return to your world. I am bound to serve the Emblian Empire, and the imperial princess, Veronica, has given me an order. She has commanded that I attack a kingdom near her empire. I have no time for the likes of you."
"Princess Minerva, please hear me out. My name is Prince Alfonse, of the very kingdom you plan to attack. I beg you, put down your weapons. We of Askr have no desire to battle you noble Heroes," Alfonse replied.
Minerva countered, "I am under contract to obey Princess Veronica. There is only ONE way to release me. Prove you are stronger."
"Must we resolve this with a battle, Princess Minerva?" Alfonse questioned.
Anna, however, commented, "Prince Alfonse! She has named her terms. We must fight-and win! Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Daniel looked out, as Connor took the helm of coming up with the plan.
Alfonse was sent to deal with Minerva, Anna to fight Catira, Sharena focused on Palla, and Virion was following Alfonse as backup. The battle started as the enemy advanced and got attacked.
"So...I think they'll do fine. Is there any advice you can give?" Connor asked Daniel.
"Regarding what?" Daniel asked, shrugging.
"I don't know actually…" Connor looks out to see the battle still going on. "We got time to talk...about something..."
The duo pause to think about what to bring up, when Connor says, "Well...Didn't Minerva mention some princess called Veronica?"
"Yeah...real piece of work, that one…" Daniel replied, "Parts of the lore hint that some evil deity has some influence in the Emblian bloodline, and that's potentially what's driving Veronica to...act this way…"
"And I take from that she's not a Brotherhood of Steel Scribe that managed to end up in this world?" Connor joked. "Cause when I heard that name, I was expecting you to say that..."
Daniel merely raised an eyebrow.
"...Never mind." Connor said as he looked to the battle.
The wall that was in the way blocking sight was broken as Connor and Daniel can see Alfonse and Virion attacking separate enemies. Alfonse was focusing on someone with a staff, while Virion finished attacking Minerva, defeating her.
"Hey, you happen to see who Alfonse is attacking?" Connor asked Daniel as he kept watch.
Daniel looked, then asked, "What about her?"
"She just has a staff...And I don't think I know who she is…" Connor clarified a bit.
"She's Maria, Minerva's younger sister...as for the staff...we won't encounter this for a bit, but in this universe, even Staff-wielders have offensive abilities…They, like Dagger-users, mostly just debuff when attacking, though..."
"They can still heal others I assume…Or is that not the case?"
"Yes, they primarily heal others…" Daniel replied.
"Well, it was good that Minerva was defeated first, so Maria couldn't heal her….And speaking of defeating, I think the battle is over." Connor said as he checked again.
Sure enough, the rest of the fighters were defeated and...getting back up...even though they were taken down. After saying something, Minerva and the other Heroes left, the fighters returning.
"That completes this mission," Alfonse commented.
"You're such an excellent tactician," Sharena commented to Connor, before turning to Daniel. "And if you're as good as the others say...Why, I think I'm going to be very fond of you."
Just then, an Askran soldier emerged from the gateway and arrived, talking to Anna, who then spoke up. "Everyone, listen up. I've just gotten a report that Emblian soldiers are advancing on our kingdom!"
"What? Then all of this, here-?" Alfonse began.
"It was just a distraction," Sharena confirmed.
"SUNOVABITCH!" Daniel cursed.
"We've left our kingdom open to attack," Sharena finished.
"Then the only course of action is to head back and go on the defensive…" Connor added.
"Agreed," Anna replied, "Now, let's make haste. Back to Askr!"
"Scurry, scurry, little Heroes... Steal for me. Spread destruction. Kill all those who stand in your way. This kingdom must fall. Once it's gone, no one will oppose me. Every Hero, in every world-they'll all be mine. Every last one."
"... … ...Am I the ONLY one who thinks Veronica is trying WAY too hard to sound 'evil'?" Daniel asked, in response to Veronica's command.
Connor quickly snapped multiple photos of Veronica, as he said back, "Hey, If I was the bad guy, I would love to do that as much as I could...Not that I would now."
Alfonse, however, seemed to ignore the banter of the 'Great Heroes', and called out, "We won't allow it, Princess Veronica. And I will personally never forget this violation of my kingdom!"
"Oh, it's you. And after I went through all that trouble to arrange your playdate," Veronica moaned, "Now, who are YOU, strangers? One of you has that silly relic. Then you must be the legendary summoner...or summoners...No matter. It simply means that you two must be the first to die. Oh... Xander!"
Then, the aforementioned Prince of Nohr approached. "You wish these ones slain, Princess Veronica? As you wish."
Alfonse gasped. "No! She has Xander, one of the most powerful Heroes from the World of Conquest."
Connor, as part of his response, snapped a photo of Xander, before quipping, "She's only got him and a bunch of no-name backup...I think we can handle this."
Anna commented, "Xander is not one to be trifled with...he is quite powerful…"
"Don't worry. We'll protect you two…" Sharena commented.
Anna then commented, "Get ready, everyone. Let's show this rotten princess what the Order of Heroes can really do!"
Daniel nodded. "Alright. Sharena, Alfonse, you two try and take on Xander. Anna, you keep back and go after the Cleric and Bow Fighter…Virion, you try to support Sharena and Alfonse..."
The group then advanced, ready to join the fight. The two forces clashed… … ...but Xander was as strong as the Order warned, and took down the ones attacking him before taking Anna down. However, they were left alive, as Xander turned his attention...at Connor and Daniel.
"You guys...get out of here!" Sharena called.
"If you two die, then we'll DEFINITELY have failed!" Anna replied.
Daniel looked around, trying to find something to use...before remembering the thing in his pocket he felt. He pulled it out...and gasped at what he had...and how real it felt...
Connor still held onto his camera as he dug around in his bag finding something...pulling it out into the air. All he noted that it's an advanced device compared to what the enemy had...
Daniel meanwhile, looked around, and found what he was looking for: a pool, or rather, a reflective surface. He held the object he found out to it, hoping it was as real as it felt… … ...and to his joy, it proved itself...as a belt emerged from the pool and strapped itself around his waist. He ran back over to Connor, who was messing with… … …
"...Where'd you get THAT?!"
"Found it in my bag...Along with a lot of other 'good' stuff. But I'll stick to this for the time being. By the by, the same question can be said to you...What is THAT?" Connor answered...and questioned back.
Daniel smiled and held up the item he had. "Look familiar? Maybe...described somewhere?"
"Now that you mention it, I do see what 'that' is supposed to be...Though not what I imagined." Connor commented.
"Yeah, this one's a bit different...a bit…'special'... … …" He then tossed the item into the air, and stepped forward a step. "HENSHIN!"
Connor, while not saying anything, focused on the enemy. His thoughts were, "Hope these punks feel lucky…"
*Camera switches over*
M3: "And that was the chapter."
IceBite: "Looks like our guys are about to kick things up a notch…"
M3: "Of course, I like to note the line Connor used to end the chapter with. Its clever…"
M3: Is there anything else we want to note for this chapter, Ice?"
IceBite: "Well, if you can't already have guessed, we're in Fire Emblem Heroes, the mobile Fire Emblem game…"
M3: "A new experience compared to the usual place we stuck to with some of our other works. Though it is safe to say things will be...different."
IceBite: "Yeah: wherever our story-counterparts go, we ALWAYS rock the boat..."
M3: "Hopefully not too much…"
M3: "And I think that's it for now. This has been Triple M…"
IceBite: "And IceBite…"
M3: "See you folks in the next chapter."
*Camera turns off*
End Author's Notes