Screams were common in Robbie's life, from both the innocent and the guilty. Today was no different.
The small town ahead of him was ablaze, no doubt caused by Plegian raiders. Though the war ended years ago, the invaders had an incredible thirst for blood, as if the war had never ended. They cared for no one but themselves, slaying the townspeople without hesitation. And that did not sit well for Robbie and his... "partner." Bronze sword drawn, he marched towards the town, his head and weapon literally burning with anger.
Most believe that "The Ghost" was a myth, a lunatic's tale to strike fear into those who did wrong. For those present in Southtown, however, The Ghost could not be more real. Both settlers and barbarians were instantly petrified at the sight of the burning cloaked skeleton, eyes glowing with vengeance. The settlers took advantage of their attackers' shock and ran, but the barbarians were foolish enough to charge at him. One of them attempted to axe Robbie down, but it proved no match against a sword imbued with hellfire. A swordsman attempted to flank him, so Robbie pushed the axeman away and slashed at the swordsman with great force. The swordsman screamed, having been hit with hellfire, burning not only his body, but his tainted soul. The fire spread across his clothes, encasing him in a flower of death. Robbie paid no attention to the burning man, instead refocusing on the axeman. Grabbing him by the throat, he slammed the killer to the ground. Before he knew it, the barbarian was also covered in hellfire.
"Gwa ha ha! Get to it, lads! Grab anything shiny, and put the rest to torch!" a rough voice boomed. "We gots an example to set to these Ylissean folks! Ain't that right, lass?"
"No, please! Stay away from me! Someone! HELP!" a woman's voice screamed out in despair. And that was the only reason The Ghost needed to exact vengeance on those degenerates.
The Shepherds arrived the next day, having recieved news of an attacked town from a fleeing settler. Upon arrival, however, the town was not in chaos as one would expect, although many buildings were destroyed and burnt. A woman near the entrance noticed Chrom, surprised, and bowed to him and his Shepherds.
"Greeting Lord Chrom, I am happy to welcome you and the Shepherds, but we need no assistance, unless you wish to help repairs," the maiden greeted.
Chrom, uncertain about the situation, asked, "We heard that a brigand of barbarians attacked the town. How did you defend yourselves? As far as I know, there are no Shepherds in the area."
"Why, The Ghost saved us! He walked straight into town and burned them all," she recalled, remembering how The Ghost killed her assaulters with ease. Chrom and Frederick looked at each other with a wary expression, startled that The Ghost was mentioned around these parts. He looked back at her again.
"I'm sorry, did you say that The Ghost killed the invaders?"
"I'm sure of it! What else could be a burning skeleton with glowing eyes?"
"Do you know where it went?" asked Frederick, interested that they might have a lead on the infamous Ghost. Reports of prisons literally being broken into ending with the charred remains of the prisoners emerged all over the continent. While most of the prisoners were scum, the Shepherds could not simply ignore the fact that something that could easily kill countless people on its own was on the loose.
"N-No, but ask some of the other townsfolk. I'm not the only one who saw it."
Most of the villagers around town mostly had the same answer: They saw a burning skeleton clad in a dark cloak. Some said that it wielded what looked like a bronze sword, but it was on fire. No one knew where it went afterward, since everyone hid for their safety. Or at least, they said that no one knew.
"Chrom, this questioning is going no where. The Ghost is probably long gone, let's just get something to eat," complained Lissa, bored of the repeated answers. As much as Chrom wanted to scold her, she was sort of right. The attack on Southtown was yesterday, so it would be logical to say that it had fled the scene by now. So the three head out to the nearby tavern, being greeted and offered gifts from nearby folk. As expected, the royalty of Ylisse were treated with the finest food in town. Chrom and Lissa downed their food, hungry from the journey to Southtown in the first place. Something caught their weary knight's eye, though.
A lone dark-red haired man sat in the corner of the pub reading a book, his sword leaning against him, seemingly not noticing the royal siblings and their knight. Instantly noticing the dark coat and his bronze sword, Frederick stood up and immediately advanced towards him, confusing Chrom and Lissa until they saw the cloaked man. Robbie looked up at the knight from his book, not impressed at all despite the full layer of armor. "Excuse me, do you need somethi-"
"Enough talk, Ghost, in the name of the Halidom of Ylisse-"
"Frederick, what are you doing?" Chrom interupted, unsure of why exactly his great knight was accusing a stranger of being the mythical vigilante. "You can't just go around accusing random strangers of being our suspect."
"This man obviously matches the description the settlers gave us. He's even wearing a cloak, and he makes no effort to conceal his bronze sword."
"Frederick, just because he's wearing a cloak doesn't mean he-"
"Enough!" Robbie yelled, tired of this bickering. "I confess, I am The Ghost. I'm the one who burned those invaders," he said with no hint of regret nor worry. "I accept being a prisoner, and I offer no resistance." The Shepherds, even Frederick, were surprised that the man confessed this quickly. They expected complete denial, but instead this man told him that he was The Ghost like it was his first name. Frederick narrowed his eyes, suspicious of this unfearful behavior.
"Alright then, come with me. Any signs of aggression will be dealt with. You will stay in our sight until we reach Ylisstol, where we will decide your fate, although I don't envy you considering all you have done."
"Every single man and woman that I killed rightfully deserved it. It's not like I went around looting villages and killing innocent people like they did," Robbie shot back, closing his book and leaving it on the table. Frederick saw no point in continuing the argument, and went back to eat, keeping watch on their new "prisoner."
"You know Frederick, he could be lying," stated Lissa. "What kind of person could just say something like that so casually?" Chrom nodded in agreement with his sister. So far, this stranger has not shown any physical proof that he is The Ghost. He could be a decoy, or perhaps a prankster.
"He at least knows of The Ghost. If it turns out he isn't, he could still have information for us."
The Shepherds came to the agreement of taking this man with them back to the capital, but the siblings felt unsure about holding him prisoner without seeing first hand if he is the murderous skeleton. After all, how could a human even survive being just a skeleton? Let alone on fire? The man did agree to come with them, though, and there are no consequences of bringing a willing traveler.
Soon after thanking their hosts, the Shepherds and their new prisoner began their journey back to Ylisstol, where they will decide The Ghost's fate, if he actually is indeed The Ghost. The group was mostly silent during their trek to the forest, so Lissa decided to break the ice with their captive.
"So... what's your name?" Lissa asked, curious about who The Ghost really is. Chrom was curious too, having forgot that they didn't even get this guy's name.
"Milady, you shouldn't speak to the pris-"
"It's okay, knight Frederick. I would never harm the royalty of the Ylisse, so long as they are innocent." Robin interrupted, the last part a whisper. "My name is Robin, though the few people I knew called me Robbie."
"Robbie? That name sounds foreign," Chrom said. "And yet you know who we are. Where are you from?"
"My story is a bit of a long one, and where I am from probably won't please you. I will be truthful once we take a rest."
He had a point, as it was approaching nightfall. They decided to set up camp for the night, with Chrom and Frederick going out to hunt some game, much to the discomfort of the great knight. Robbie offered to help set up a fire, with Lissa staying behind to watch him. After they both piled up wood, Robbie decided to surprise Lissa, asking, "So, you want proof that I'm The Ghost, right?"
Lissa's eyes widened, not knowing if she would be harmed or not. Remembering Robbie's earlier words about how he wouldn't harm her, she reluctantly agreed. Robbie smiled, and held out his gloved right hand. Lissa looked at his palm, curious about what he was going to do. As if it was out of thin air, a small flame of hellfire(though no one can tell the difference compared to regular fire) quickly materialized slightly above his hand, making Lissa flinch a bit. She eyed the flame with wonder and awe. "You can cast fire without a tome?" Robbie chuckled.
"It's not just fire. We-I call it hellfire. It burns both the body and the soul." He brought the flame down to the wood pile, and a fire instantly erupted. It was as warm as regular fire, but it felt different. Like it was more... alive.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" asked Lissa, wondering how Robbie could cast tomeless magic. If only Miriel was here to see this!
"Let's wait for Chrom and Frederick first. They'll want to listen too."
"... And then, the fire just appeared out of nowhere! He just held out his hand and woosh! Instant fire!" babbled Lissa, who, like Frederick, did not desire to eat bear meat. Chrom and Frederick listened to hear, intrigued by her story of what recently happened. Robbie just sat on a log, eating away at the meat.
"Fire? Without a tome? Lissa, such a thing has not been heard of for ages, if at all!" argued Chrom. No one, at least in Ylisse, has been able to cast a fire without a tome. Even if Robbie was The Ghost, there must be some sort of tome that he used, right? But he was proven wrong, as Robbie casually stuck out his left hand and summoned hellfire on his palm, the flame radiating actual heat. Both Frederick and Chrom stared at it, mesmerized at the sight of tomeless magic. Every mage in the halidom would die to learn this!
"Where did you learn to do this?" asked Chrom. "To think, even our best mages require a tome to cast fire, and yet you can make it with only your hands. Just who are you, Robbie?"
Robbie cast out the flame in his hand, and stared at the campfire, the roaring fire he used for vengeance beckoning for him to spill the truth. To the others, it looked like Robbie was arguing within his mind, which was partially true. Finally, after a moment, he decided to tell his tale. 'Okay,' he thought. 'I need to keep out some details. There aren't any risks to telling them about him, but if they knew of what I was before...'
"My parents and I are Plegian, my father a Grimleal. I was to be used in... rituals, but my mother ran away with me in her arms when I was an infant. We lived in a small village northwest of here, where I spent most of my life. I studied, I worked, and I cared for my mother. It seems like a lifetime ago," Robbie started, leaving out the part where he was supposed to be Grima's vessel. The Shepherds were surprised to hear that Robbie is Plegian, considering how he seemingly dispatched the Southtown raiders brutally. They said nothing, allowing Robbie to continue. "One day, the Grimleal came to my village, demanding that my mother and I were given to them. Of course, the village denied them, having welcomed us despite our heritage. So, the Grimleal attacked. They burned houses, looted valuables, killed innocent people. They even killed my mother, who refused to go with them without a fight. I saw her get axed down in front of my very eyes." Robbie had said this in a cold, emotionless manner, but Lissa was already crying. Chrom and Frederick were astonished to hear that the Grimleal were cruel to their own people. "I ran as fast as I could to the outskirts of town, unable to fight back. No one else but me escaped alive. I broke down in tears, my life ruined in a single day. Then, I heard a voice in my mind, a godly one."
"Naga?" asked Chrom, knowing that the Divine could have helped Robbie like she did to countless others, although most recorded events revolved around his family.
"No, something much more powerful. Someone that would bring both Naga and Grima to shame. A spirit who hails from the realm above ours, an immensely powerful being who desires vengeance for the innocent." Robbie replied. "I heard his voice as I lied there. He asked if I wanted to avenge my village, its people. He asked if I wanted to avenge my mother."
"And? What did you say?" Chrom asked, curious about a supposed entity more powerful the most worshipped dragons in the continent.
"I said yes. I said that I wanted to kill all of those Grimleal, and anyone who has killed an innocent person. So we made a deal. He would bond with me, housing himself inside my body to give me extraordinary powers, and in return, I must become his hunter, burning all sinners that I find. The next day, I tracked down and killed each and every Grimleal that burned my home. My real home."
"How long ago was this?" Frederick asked.
"Only about a year ago. But this past year felt like a decade. I started out hunting down known murderers, concealing my tracks. After experimenting with my powers, I went around to prisons, judging each prisoner. Those are probably the stories you have heard about me."
A long silence filled the makeshift camp. Lissa had calmed down by now, but still felt a bit gloomy. Chrom was lost in his mind, taking in Robbie's story, and Frederick merely stared at him. Their opinions of The Ghost that night went from cold-blooded murderer to sympathetic vigilante. How could they prosecute a man whose sole purpose is to protect the innocent? This thought expressed itself as a question from Chrom. "What should we do now, Frederick? Robbie has told us that what he does is for our people. Sentencing him to death is like ordering a Shepherd to be killed."
Frederick himself was unsure, as moments ago he wanted The Ghost brought to justice, but to hear that he brings villainy to justice himself? He simply did not know what to think of Robbie. "So this thing inside of you, are you possessed?"
"In my more human form, I have full control over myself. When I transform, though, we both control my body's actions. If a situation is dire enough, such as if I am refusing to kill someone who has clearly sinned, he will take over me completely until that someone is dead."
"So, do you know a bit of combat yourself?"
"Of course. I used to minimalist my transitions, since burning my flesh off causes a lot of pain. I got used to it after a while, but it still hurts like hell, heh. During my early days as The Ghost, however, I learned to use a sword."
The Shepherds decided that they asked enough tonight. It was going to take long for the Ylisseans to process this information, so they decided to all sleep on it. Meanwhile, Robbie heard the voice he hears every day. "You didn't tell them the full details of our deal? A wise decision."
'They could hardly take in my backstory. I doubt they could comprehend what awaits in the future."
"Perhaps. Tonight will be the night those abominations arrive. Be alert, Robin. We shall not let those things kill more than they already have."
'So I'll finally get to see why these "Risen" make you so angry.'
"Both you and I will take pleasure in burning those disgusting mistakes. I promise you that."