Author's Note: So this is how we first shall start, my first published story. I do not, in any way, own the rights to Fire Emblem Awakening or any related properties besides the original characters. And so it begins, please enjoy!...
Chapter 1: Friends and Fireballs
Ever wake up with a terrible headache and not know where you were? Probably not in the way I am right now. I bolted upright when I felt something biting me. I notice when I stand up that nothing is there. What there is, I don't know either. Everything here is numerous trees and lush greenery, no place I've been recently.
Where in the blue hell am I, I thought to myself. I look at into a pond's reflection to find that my clothing has been replaced by a dark green cloak and poofy pants.
More importantly, what am I wearing? I feel like MC Hammer in these pants.
My hair also happens to have changed a bit, being mostly white, although it appears to have not affected my sideburns, chin beard, and roots of my hair, which are still black.
I also happen to be carrying a satchel, which is weird since in regular situations I wouldn't be caught with one of these things. I look inside it and find a red book and a little slip of paper. "Follow the road to the south and you'll find a town," I read out loud, "There you will find the answers to your questions."
Great, the guys are pulling something on me again, I grimace to myself as I find which direction south is and head that direction.
When I see those guys I'm gonna mess them up so much, especially that idiot Tristan.
Fifteen minutes after walking, I come up to a town, but I realize that it looks not like any town I've seen before. All of the buildings and houses are made of stone, some with thatched roofs made of hay. Hay! Every person I see is wearing dull clothing and hauling around horses and cows.
Okay, this is gonna be hard to figure out where I am, but this place does look familiar, I ponder as I come up to what appears to be an inn, and I read the sign hanging off the front.
"The Wyvern's Pillow, finest bed & tavern in all of Ylisse..."
My mind froze as I read that last part.
Ylisse?! That's impossible! There's no such way I'm in a fictional town in a fictional country in a fictional world from Fire Emblem. This makes no damn sense!
I decide to go into the inn to see if I can drink my sanity back in the tavern when I hear a very familiar voice screaming.
"Dude! Can you just tell me where I am?"
I look and see someone having an argument with the innkeeper. I realize that even though he is wearing strange clothes, I recognize his short black hair and unshaven goatee anywhere.
"Zaine!" I shout out to get his attention.
"Niko?" he says, turning around and rushing up to me, doing the manliest bro hug.
I get a better look at him and realize he has knives of all sizes in sheathes all over his belt.
Then he asked,"Do you know where we are?"
"I have a good idea though you won't probably believe it," I replied.
He was about to say something when this large man wearing what looked to be a wolf pelt comes in brandishing an axe.
"Alright you worms, this is a raid! Hand over all the gold you got and we might let yous live!"
Zaine tenses up, reaching for his knife when the burly man notices.
"I don't think that's a good idea, boy," he says closing the distance.
Zaine, realizing that a single knife might not take down a guy of his size, pulls out his his money pouch and gives it to him.
I reach into my sack and pull out that red book from before, stopping for a second on it
If we really are in Ylisse, then I know what kind of book this is.
I open the tome, point my hand toward the brute, and close my eyes. All of a sudden the book glows, and my hand feels hot for a second. I open my eyes, and find the fighter on the ground, dead and slightly charred. Zaine is looking at me with wide eyes and mouth ajar.
"Niko...when did you learn to shoot fireballs out of your hands?!"
I smirk a little bit, my thoughts confirmed.
"To be perfectly honest, just now."
"Well, can you do that again? 'Cause more guys are coming."
As he says that, two more men with weapons make their way towards us. Zaine removes two knives off his belt.
"Hang on, I got this," he says as he hurls both knives at the brigands.
One hits a fighter in between the eyes, while the other embeds into a myrmidon's shoulder. Before the swordsman can react Zaine unsheathes a larger knife, dashes out of the inn to the wounded brigand, and stabs it right into the chest of the guy. I follow my friend outside into the town square.
"Dude...How did...when did...," I try as hard as I can to muster up a sentence, but he seems to understand what I'm trying to ask.
"Good thing I played all that Assassin's Creed," he says with a smug smile.
"Oh great, you're making jokes now," trying to be serious but holding back laughter.
All of a sudden that chuckling is replaced by convulsions of pain on the ground as I am hit in the leg by a fireball. Zaine tried to dodge them as well, but took a blow to the shoulder and is down as well.
Damn it, I forgot about that hurts like a mother. Oh, this is just perfect. Wait, are those hoofbeats?
Out of the corner of my eye, I found the source of the noise and noticed it as one of the guys in this world I'd be completely ecstatic to see at the moment: Frederick with his spear right through that stupid spellslinger. I then notice someone get off from Fred's horse and run up to me.
"Niko, my cousin!"
No freaking way.
Wearing armor and brandishing a sword comes another one of my good friends, extending his hand to pick me up.
"Walt? Is that you, you crazy bastard?"
"Who else could it be?" He says as he pulls me up.
"Zaine got hit really bad. He needs more help than I probably do."
"Not anymore. I'm as good as ever." Zaine comes striding over as he says this along with a girl in a hoop dress carrying a staff.
"Don't you worry," says the girl. "Lissa will take care of that nasty burn with the help of my trusty staff!"
Lissa arrives next to me while Zaine and Walt run on ahead to engage any brigands they come across. Metal rings and light flashes as both my two friends cut down any ruffian that stands in their way. It's almost shocking to see how well they perform with the endeavor, but I suppose this makes sense since they both had practiced swordplay. As Lissa raises the staff, an ethereal light seems to emanate from it. The feel of a third-degree burn go away in a snap is a weird experience to say the least.
As the healing was done and my leg ready for action, I look around and catch two people striking a very large man with an axe. I notice that one man has blue hair, which I assume is the ever serious Prince Chrom, while the guy next to him with the pure white hair has to be everyone's favorite amnesiac, Robin, which is good.
As the fight has now ended, the villagers have now come out of their homes to celebrate their brave defenders. Walt, Zaine, and I briefly bask in this shower of praise as Chrom and Frederick made there way up to us.
"You three had done yourselves a good job out there in that fight. If not for your assistance, the death toll in this town would have been astronomical." Chrom places his hands on Zaine's and my shoulder.
"You're welcome," Zaine responded curtly.
"It was no real trouble at all," I answered back.
The prince of Ylisse smiles and looks at Frederick, who just nods his head at him.
"Well then, how about you three also join the Shepherds since Robin has just joined us? We could use the extra members, so how about it?"
Well, I guess nothing would happen if we didn't.
I look at my compatriots, who both nod in approval.
"Sir, we hereby accept your invitation to join your ranks," I reply with a bow.
"I am Niko," I gesture to my friends and continue,"This is Zaine, and I assume you've already met Walt here."
"Excellent." Chrom then proclaims, "Then we shall leave now for Ylisstol, since we have grave news to share with the exalt immediately."
About a half hour later, in the middle of our journey back to the capital, Walt starts talking to me.
"I'm getting kinda hungry. You think they got anything good to eat?" He asks.
I reply with a couple of snickers the most mischievous of grins and, "that depends, how do you feel about eating bear meat?"
A/N: And there we go, my first chapter. Hopefully some people enjoyed it. I will be continuing this story and expect to see in the next chapter meeting a few more of Niko's quirky friends. For any constructive criticism or outright praise, please feel free to review as it will be greatly appreciated. Anyways, enjoy your day keep cookin'.
