Wow, when I mentioned pairings, I wasn't expecting people to say RobinxCordelia or RobinxLucina. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the opinions, but I'm probably just going to stick with the current path and we'll see what happens when we get there. I realize that might not make sense, but what I mean is that I'll just write whatever the hell comes to mind in those situations.
So anyway, this is the first battle against the Risen. Since this is from Robin's point of view, I won't describe what happens to Chrom and Lissa.
….
Robin slept fitfully that night. It took nearly an hour just to fall asleep, and even then his dreams were plagued by horrors, such as Frederick killing him while he slept, or worse, the so-called 'fell dragon' being awakened. Robin couldn't quite put his finger on it, but that phrase rang a bell somewhere in the back of his mind.
To be honest, he wouldn't have been surprised if Frederick took the opportunity to end him then and there. He couldn't blame the man. After all, Frederick had likely spent his entire life trying to keep people safe, and from the way he addressed Chrom, he had likely known the young man for many years. If Robin really did have a connection to a being that nearly ended the world, Frederick had ample reason to kill him.
He was awakened from his not-so-peaceful slumber by a loud, piercing shriek. Panicking a little, Robin picked up his blade from the ground and searched for the noise, his fear growing with each passing second. Frederick had obviously heard it too, gripping his lance tightly as he called for his mount. The night sky had gone from black to fiery red, illuminated by the blazing forest. Chrom and Lissa were nowhere to be found.
"Frederick, what's going on?" Robin asked.
"I don't know what happened, but that scream sounded like Lissa. And if she's in danger, we have to get there fast." He climbed onto his horse and motioned to Robin. "Come on, you'll have to ride with me to keep up." The white-haired man nodded and sat behind him, holding on to the knight's armor with one hand and his sword in the other. They set off at a blistering pace through the forest in the direction of the sound. Neither spoke as they travelled, but they both kept their weapons ready for any sign of trouble.
A second scream cut through the air, chilling Robin to the bone. Frederick drove his heels into the horse's sides, trying to move as fast as possible. His companion held on for dear life as the animal sprinted hard through the thick undergrowth.
They stopped in a large clearing dotted by structures that looked on the verge of collapsing. "Are those…" Robin began, trying to search for the words.
"Abandoned forts, yes." The tactician nodded, filing it away for memory.
"Frederick! Robin!" The men could hear Lissa shouting their names from the other side of the clearing. The girl appeared unharmed, but Chrom was fighting off several attackers at once, desperately trying to keep his sister out of their reach. Strong as he was, it was easy to see that Chrom couldn't hold them all off for long. Robin's decision was made when he saw an archer in the back of the crowd lining up an arrow at the blue-haired man's chest.
"Frederick, come from the right around their main force and kill the archer," Robin commanded, his voice deceptively calm. The knight obeyed, circling around the group. As soon as they were behind enemy lines, Robin leapt from the saddle and brought his sword down upon the shoulder of an unsuspecting fighter. Surprisingly, the blade was met with little resistance as it cut through the man's torso. Instead of blood, black smoke seeped out as though escaping a container. Robin's mouth widened in shock as his opponent simply turned its head a hundred and eighty degrees and stared him down with unearthly red eyes. It opened its mouth and roared, smoke coming out of its mouth. The rest of the monster turned and raised its axe, swinging downward with Robin's sword still stuck in its abdomen. The tactician tried to jump back, but the heavy axe cut deep into his chest. Blood gushed from the wound, staining his cloak, but Robin barely felt it as the beast swung again. This time the man was prepared. He ducked under the swing, stepping inside and gripped the hilt of his sword. In one quick motion, Robin turned on his heel and brought the weapon over his right shoulder, slicing through the monster once again and leaving a V shape from its shoulders down to its waist. Finally the creature died, its body becoming black smoke.
Chrom struck down another enemy, and Frederick a third, but there were still too many for Lissa to reach Robin with her healing staff. His sword held limply in one hand, his other trying in vain to stop the bleeding in his chest, the pale-haired man was an easy target. A beast rushed forward, axe raised high to deal the finishing blow. Robin brought his weapon weakly up to block, but he knew that it was futile.
The monster stopped suddenly, a lance protruding from its chest. Then a blur of red and white streaked across Robin's vision, and his would-be killer was sent flying to the dirt as a hoof connected with its head.
"Alright, you ash-faced freaks!" shouted the rider, her crimson armor glinting. "Who's next?!" She turned to Robin. "You're lucky I got here when I did. That thing would've cleaved you in half!"
The man tried to smile. "Thank you, er… Sorry, what's your name?"
"I'm Sully," the redheaded cavalier said proudly, "and I'm a shepherd."
'Seems like everyone here is…' Robin thought to himself. "Thanks, Sully." The woman nodded and retrieved her lance. She charged off to assist Chrom, yelling swearwords and some very creative threats as she did. Lissa quickly ran over with her staff.
"Hold still," the girl commanded. The jewel on the head of her weapon glowed bright green as she passed it over Robin's wounded chest. His cut itched as it was knitted together, but immediately the man could feel the effects. The muscle that had been split in two was whole again, and Robin felt like he could take on the world. He thanked the girl with a smile, earning another in return.
Robin quickly analyzed the battlefield. Chrom and Frederick were fighting side by side against the monsters, striking so many hits that there seemed to be a black fog hanging around them. Sully had stopped for a moment and was speaking to a man with light blue hair and a bow on his back. The man must have said something wrong, for the next second Sully kicked him hard between the legs, earning a sympathetic wince from Robin. Still he kept talking, and eventually the woman shook her head slowly and ran off to join the charge. Robin decided to see what was going on.
"Who are you?" he asked the bowman.
"I am Virion, archest of archers," he said with a bow and a confident smirk.
"So are you here to help?" Robin asked, eager to get back to the fight.
"I suppose, if it means assisting the lovely Sully."
"So you're only here to… Bah, forget it. Just cover the rest of us from that fort, okay?" He pointed to the less-ruined of the two forts, a decent distance away from Virion to be effective. A balcony on the upper level was the ideal place for an archer.
"As you wish," Virion said. He ran with surprising speed and clambered up to the balcony. Satisfied that the man was in position, Robin returned to the fray.
One monster was out of the immediate range of Chrom and Frederick, charging toward an unsuspecting Sully. Robin ran to meet the beast, but just as its axe was about to strike the cavalier, an arrow sprouted from its back, followed immediately by another in the neck. The monster fell defeated, turning to smoke. Robin was impressed. At least Virion's boasting was well-founded.
As Chrom and Frederick met the beasts head-on, Robin decided an approach from the rear would be best. He circled the fighting, but as he looked for a way in he noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
A masked young man with dark blue hair was fighting back similar monsters alone with a sword exactly like Chrom's. But that was impossible! Chrom had told Robin that same night that his blade was sacred and one of a kind, although Robin failed to understand why a shepherd would be allowed to have such a treasure. Yet there it was again, right before his eyes. The young man wielded the blade with agility and accuracy, quickly thrusting it into one monster's heart before pulling it back, resuming a blocking stance, and repeating the process.
'I hope he's on our side…' Robin thought. He turned once again to face Chrom and Frederick, only to find that three monsters stood in his path. The group that his comrades had been fighting was now breaking into divisions, some going after him, others after Sully and Virion, and the last few staying to fight Frederick and Chrom. The center monster roared, raising its axe and exhaling acrid black smoke.
It charged. Steel met bronze as Robin blocked the stroke. Quickly breaking free, the man drove his boot into the beast's midsection and sent it tumbling to the ground. Before it could regain its footing, Robin's blade slashed across its throat, reducing it to smoke.
The other two rushed at the same time. One swung a punch into Robin's face, leaving him dazed. The flat of an axe collided with his other side and knocked him to the dirt. The man scrambled for his tome and launched a thunder spell just as a beast raised its weapon to finish the job. Smoke swirled around his cloak as he stood and crossed blades with the final monster. Their weapons sang through the air and collided, Robin's blade flying from his hand. His foe swung again, but Robin sidestepped and gripped the shaft, wrestling for control of the axe. The man drove his right elbow into his opponent's face, pulled the weapon from his grip, and brought it back down upon the monster's head.
The beast fell to the ground, its own axe stuck in its skull before they both went up in smoke. Breathing heavily, Robin picked up his weapon from where it had landed, the bronze now stained with dirt and ash. Virion was under attack from two opponents, one of which was several hundred yards ahead of the other.
The archer stood his ground, knowing full well that he couldn't draw an arrow and fire accurately before the first reached him. The beast tried to swing, but Virion smashed his bow into its face before it got the chance. He followed it with another swing to the back of the head, forcing the monster to kneel. Virion gripped his enemy's skull with one hand and drove an arrow deep into its neck with the other. As the beast turned to smoke, Virion quickly nocked the arrow, turned, and fired it into the second monster's heart. "Adieu!" he cried with a smirk.
Relieved, Robin turned his attention to Sully, fighting valiantly against three attackers. Her lance was ill-equipped to fight against axes, but the cavalier's experience made up for it. The beasts had no time to react as the first disappeared in a blur, Sully's weapon through its gut. The monster disappeared on the end of her lance as the cavalier circled around and rushed again. This time they were prepared.
An axe collided with her horse's right foreleg, sending Sully to the dirt. She quickly picked herself up and smashed the butt of her lance into one foe's temple, then reversed her grip and drove the point into its left shoulder. Without hesitation she yanked the weapon out and turned to face her last foe.
She was too late. The axe slammed into her side, Sully's armor protecting her vital organs but still breaking at least one rib. The cavalier gave a defiant snarl and thrust the lance into her opponent's chest, pulling it out and smacking the beast to the ground with the shaft, and finally ending the fight by stabbing it through the monster's skull.
The battle was done. The monsters had been vanquished; the only evidence of their existence a fine black cloud of smoke. The forest seemed to have stopped burning for the most part, thankfully. 'I suppose it must have rained not long ago,' Robin thought. It was the only explanation he could find for the sudden stop.
"Is that all of them?" Lissa asked as she healed Sully. When she was sure the woman was alright, the cleric mended her horse's leg as well.
"Yes," said Frederick as he dismounted. The knight had sustained only minor injuries, his armor taking most of the damage for him. He gestured to the blue-haired youth that Robin had seen earlier. "This young man took care of the rest."
"Thank you for your help," said Chrom with a tired smile. He was sweating heavily, but Robin doubted that Frederick would have let him get hit at all. "What's your name?"
The other man was silent for a moment. "You may call me Marth," he said at last. There was something odd about his tone, almost like it was being forced.
"I never got a chance to thank you for saving me earlier," Lissa said with sheepish smile. "So, er… Thank you."
"It is fine," Marth replied. "I came here only to deliver a warning: This world teeters at the brink of destruction. What you saw here tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned." With that he walked away.
"Hey!" Lissa shouted after him. "What's teetering where now? What in the world did he mean?"
"Hmph, I guess he's not one for talking," said Chrom.
"Perhaps his talents lay elsewhere, milord," Frederick replied.
"Perhaps you're right."
"Whatever the case, I don't think that's the last we'll be hearing from him," Robin said, folding his arms.
"Glad I got here in time, Chrom," Sully chimed in. "Would've been hell to pay if I missed a battle like this!"
"And it likely would've been hell for the rest of us if you and your friend hadn't helped out." Chrom smiled, turning to Virion. "What's your name?"
"Virion, archest of archers," the man said with a bow.
"Thank you for your help, Virion. It turned the tide for us."
"But of course! As I said, I am archest of archers."
"Er, right. Anyway, we'd like to have you come with us, if you would. We could use someone like you."
"Who am I to decline your generous offer?" Virion smiled, "Especially when you travel with one so fair as dear Sully!"
"Oh can it, Ruffles," the cavalier said, "or I'll shove my lance straight up your arse." From what Robin had seen so far, he didn't doubt that Sully would make good on that threat.
Virion appeared to have reached the same conclusion. He gulped. "O-of course, milady! A thousand apologies!" This drew a few laughs from everyone.
"Well, it's nearly dawn already," Robin spoke up, "so we should probably just keep marching."
"Right," Chrom agreed. "Ylisstol's not too far, anyway. We should be there by noon, if all goes well." On that note, the group set off once again.
….
Alright, one more chapter in the bag. God, that chapter was a pain. I kept wanting to type 'Risen,' but I know that the game hasn't established what they're called until the next mission. Not to mention that as awesome and hilarious as Virion is, I have trouble getting good dialogue for him. If it's not up to snuff, please let me know.
On a random note, apparently 'archest' can mean 'mischievous', 'cunning', or 'superior'. Huh. Guess ya learn something new every day.
Thankfully we'll meet the other Shepherds in the next chapter. That means the story can expand beyond retelling a little bit so that I can get some interaction in. Here are the pairings I'm thinking of right now:
Chrom/Undecided
Robin/Undecided (most likely Cordelia or Lucina, but nothing's certain)
Sully/Kellam
Stahl/Lissa (For some reason, spellcheck thinks that 'Stahl' is correct, but spellcheck is misspelled)
Vaike/Cherche (Vaike is one of my favorite characters, I gotta pair him up with somebody XD)
Virion/Tharja (Weird, but I like it)
Gaius/Maribelle or Nowi (Somehow 'Nowi' is correct, but Maribelle isn't. What the hell, spellcheck?)
Everyone else is undecided. God, I've had to fix my spellcheck so many times that I'm considering just turning it off, but then I wouldn't notice mistakes and my fic would look like hastily-typed crap. (Which it usually is, but at least it doesn't usually look like it.)On that note, I'll say goodbye for now. Or adieu, whatever.