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Artyom-Dreizehn: Glad you like it! Naming may be different to what you expected. To answer your final question, yep I intend to involve other characters once I feel the story mandates it!
Onto the chapter!
"You've got gall lass, to turn yer back to me is as good as embracin' death!" The bandit leader shouted, gaining Robin's attention as a result.
She turned back in time to see a spinning axe soar towards her. Panic spiked through her for a second as she swerved her body to the side, twisting in a funny angle. The axe was thrown with such precision and consistency that it sliced through a few of Robin's white hairs with minimal resistance. It clanked to the ground, ricocheting in a erratic manner before hitting one of the stalls.
Beyond the stall, Chrom, other Robin and Frederick were in the middle of dealing with the remaining bandits. Their motions weren't nearly as fluent as first Robin's. But adequate enough to give the bandits more than a difficult time.
Robin turned back to face the bandit with hatred burning in her eyes. Well, the emotion I was feeling was certainly hatred at the very least. The man had a cocky grin plastered on his face as he juggled another axe in his hand with practiced motions.
He was good. A capable fighter in his own right.
I think you have to take him out yourself.
Oh he'll wish I didn't.
Naturally, who ever wants to be taken out?
Robin slowly reached into her coat, retaining complete eye-contact with bandit. He looked unflinching, even excited for the bout. His face fell when he saw Robin pull out her salmon coloured tome.
"A tome? Yer really pushin' yer luck with me lass," The bandit said, catching his axe, his grip tightening on the handle.
Derek Kingsley, does the bridge appear to be made of sturdy stone to you?
It can be made of whatever the hell you want it to be so long as you never do that again.
You're ruining my moment.
You're just going to overkill the shit out of him, how is that even considered a moment?
"Well then sheepy, the butch'r has arrived!" The man said, charging towards the tactician with agility no man his size had the right to. He preemptively held his axe behind his body, ready to be swung the moment he got in range.
It was a brash strategy relying more on brute force than tact or ability. Something I knew Robin possessed. She could have blasted him with whatever spell her tome possessed and be done with the fight. She should have blasted him and be done with the fight. Instead, she charged head on, mirroring his overeagerness.
I knew she was strong. But she was still unarmed. What did she really intend to do with a tome from close range? My mental panicking became more and more frantic as the two got closer. They were both on the bridge sprinting at one another with no sign of relenting. It was like a really bad and drunk game of chicken.
When they were approximately a meter away from one another, they sprung into action. The bandit with one quick motion brought his axe diagonally down.
It was too telegraphed though, Robin rolled to the side, turning her body in a manner that ultimately took her forward after her initial roll, allowing for the axe to swing by harmlessly. But beyond dodging the attack, once she stood up, she was dangerously close into the man's guard. And given her feeling of accomplishment, no matter how small, it gave me the impression that that was her plan from the start.
His eyes widened in shock, but only for a second before scrunching into a hard glare, he jabbed his free hand forward. But again, Robin was one step ahead, she brought her arm up, and ushered his punch to the side. With her free hand, she started to channel an abundant amount of mana..
The similar sensation surged through her body and her hand practically ignited into a burning inferno. The bandit watched with unmasked horror as Robin brought her own fist into his unprotected and barren chest.
The flames made contact with his flesh, charing it quickly. Instead of leaving it at that, Robin continued her thrust, using her leg to swipe his from underneath him. He fell, and with the momentum slammed into the ground with an audible crack.
The flames spreaded across the ground on impact, and the bridge shaked. Cracks splintered from his body and stretched all across the bridge.
He was definitely dead. If not by the fire itself, then by the force the magic projected onto his body. But, really, his body was burnt to a crisp, and his face etched with a look of agony. He was charred flesh and the smell was so atrocious and overpowering that I felt delirious. Like my vision was spinning. The feeling didn't last long. As sickening as it was, I quickly became accustomed to it. Much to my displeasure.
T-that was brutal. I was just kidding about the overkill!
Your first time seeing death?
...No, but never seen someone... 'willingly' take another life like that.
I see I apologize, but you'll have to come to terms with it.
Why though? Couldn't you have spared him like you did the others?
...No, some people can't be redeemed. Some need to be dealt with.
That's just screwed up.
Is it really such a foreign concept?
Yes! Killing because they deserve it is such a ridiculous notion! You're playing with lives here!
He's a bandit, do you think he cared about the lives he took?
Probably not, but shouldn't you?
I did. He was willing to fight to the death, even after seeing the display I showed earlier.
That only proves he's an idiot. Was. See! I'm still not used to him being gone!
Alright, you live in a time of peace then, you haven't seen war have you?
Peace? Yeah, I guess you could say it's relatively peaceful. But a bandit attack hardly can be considered equivalent to war.
An individual attack is never considered a war, simply a part of it.
I wasn't done with the conversation, just about ready to continue it when the sound of a friendly voice broke the relative silence. Or as much silence a post battle could generate.
"That was impressive magic there, friend," Chrom said, walking up towards us.
Robin turned to face the man, he had a cut on his face, a small knick. Worry spread through me for a second before fading. Robin bowed her head and stuffed her tome into her coat.
"Thank-you your highness, I only did what I thought was best,"
"Please, no formalities. Simply call me Chrom," The blue haired prince said, smiling warmly.
"As you wish, Chrom,"
A weird warm feeling followed. I ignored it in favour of looking beyond the prince. Lissa was practically skipping towards the pair with the other Robin in hand. Frederick was doing a quick sweep in the background for possible stray bandits.
He looked overly diligent in that regard. He stopped to pick up what looked like rocks from time to time. It was a peculiar sight. Speaking of sight, I noticed Robin already made her way from the bridge towards the inn. Standing before the tattered and scorched building was the royal siblings and male Robin.
"Oh my gosh, You were just as cool as Robin here! What's your name?" Lissa asked in an exuberant manner, dragging the amnesiac tactician.
She was good at making friends by the look of things. Also, looking at the other Robin more closely, he looked pretty similar to Robin. Which made sense, given how they were the same. But it was still an odd experience, Like meeting a peer you've known for a while only to realize they're utterly and completely different. A doppelganger I guess. Which, also makes sense. Because, he's basically a doppelganger. This was pretty confusing all things considered.
"Uh… my name? It's Robin," She introduced, only glancing for a second before looking over other Robin intently.
"Really? I thought it was an unusual name, is it really so common?" Chrom asked innocently.
The implications however, were there. 'What a lucky coincidence'. Lissa looked from Robin to Robin with starry eyes. The great knight seemed done with whatever he was doing, as heavy thumps headed our way.
"You're not Robin," The female one said bluntly.
"Huh? No, I'm almost certain I am,"
"No, Trust me, I'm Robin,"
"I am too,"
"You're confusing my name with yours,"
What are you doing!? Can't you deal with there being two Robins?
Noo!? I'm the only Robin, I should be the only Robin too, He should change his name.
Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?
I'm gonna make him change his name.
Whaaa? No, wait, think about it before you do anything! You're meddling with an innocent's life!?
He's me. He's definitely me from this world. He'll understand.
You're crazy!
Maybe, but crazy comes with the name, my name. Mine alone.
Just share it! What's wrong with sharing a name?
Too confusing, I'm not going to have someone specifically ask for me. Robin alludes to me. It's my identity and only memory before making new ones.
It's his too.
Yes, but he doesn't have any memories tied to it. He only recalls Robin. So…
So?
"I can't possibly imagine how you confused our names brother?" Robin sai-
What.
What.
Robin looked on with a placidly normal expression on her face. The reactions from everyone were equally different, but retained the general crux. Complete shock. Lissa's mouth hung open and Chrom coughed awkwardly. The other Robin- who's name Robin realized would need to come up with shortly, looked on with wide eyes.
"B-brother?" He repeated numbly.
"Yes, baby brother to be exact," Robin explained offhandedly with feigned exasperation.
What.
"Well… it certainly explains the… similarities," Chrom offered awkwardly.
"Woow! You had a big sister as cool as her?"
"I… I don't remember," The male tactician said, shrugging his shoulders, he turned to face Robin, "are you truly my sister?"
"Yes?! Are you pulling my leg? It hasn't been more than a few years? How could you have forgotten me."
"Er… well, I apologize then… I just don't have my memories right now,"
"What do you mean?" Robin asked, raising a furrowed brow, she folded her arms too, to further solidify the look of skeptical confusion.
"Oh, He's an amnesiac, it means he doesn't have recollections of his memories," Lissa explained.
"Milord, milady, the area is clea-, may I ask who this is?" Frederick reported, interrupting himself as his eyes fell upon the new face amongst their band.
"Frederick, this is… well her name is Robin, she's… uh," Chrom faltered, he didn't know who their friend's name was now that it was cleared up.
"Well, if he truly doesn't recall his name… It's... Raven," Robin said, pausing to think a bit before deciding on the first name that came to mind.
Are yo- that's a girl's name!
Shut up you, I panicked.
No shit, and now he's gonna live the rest of his life as Raven, the teen titan.
Pardon? He's only going to remain a teenager for another year or two if he was as old as I, when I started off.
Oh… Wait, how old are you?
It's not nice to ask a lady that.
"Raven? Truly? That's odd, I don't remember it at all," Robin, newly dubbed Raven said, looking puzzled.
"Perhaps it's because my name is better,"
Hey don't rub it in! You stole his name!
"Ha, Raven sounds nice. I'm glad for it, certainly better than Robin," He remarked smoothly
Robin practically seethed at the remark, turning and just about lunged at her counterpart before the great knight cleared his throat loudly. All turned to face him.
"It's nice introductions are done and all, but shall we get onto more pressing matters? Those brigands spoke with Plegian accents, milord," Frederick said, bringing the conversation back to reality.
Robin heard this before, and sure enough, Raven asked what it meant. Lissa explained. And so forth, although Robin couldn't really recall exact word for word. The theme remained the same. As such, she did her best to pretend to be paying attention as she surveyed the area.
The bandits that fought Chrom and Raven were dispatched, killed whereas those she fought remained alive and free. Although she did it intentionally, she couldn't help but feel she may be doing an inservice to her adoptive country.
Of course, it led back to the debate she had with Derek. He seemed very against the act of killing. Which made a semblance of sense to her, given how he was apparently vastly from the future.
That statement in itself had many implications. Reassuring ones. If he was from the future it meant the world was saved, correct? Except, that idea was dashed due to the multiverse theory. She knew that, she had evidence of it before her in the form of Raven.
So, although Derek's world was saved, hers and Raven's could very well still be in jeopardy. She couldn't rest easy. Not until blatant results were evident. Not until Valm was one conqueror less, and the Grimleal godless. Also, she had to deal with the tenant in her head. In other words, she had another three busy years ahead of her. Luckily, she's already done it all before.
She knew all the twists, it was like reading a mystery novel from the back forth. There was nothing that should surprise her. And as such, she felt herself confident. Not to mention just how powerful she was. She could do plenty of things on her own.
For instances, contacting the future children. That was a priority of hers. If she could get battle ready elite fighters like them much earlier on, there may very well be things she could fix, solve, or daresay prevent.
Too many things to think about for her to delve into specifics. But the gist of things was to contact Lucina, and to persuade her into aiding them. How? Not a clue, she could simply claim to be a time traveller. It would probably work, maybe.
She wouldn't dwell on the possibilities until they were present.
To conclude, she felt as if this time, she wouldn't impose on the shepherds. She wouldn't join them directly. She had another more pressing agenda. She was safe in thinking this way because of one person. Herself. Or more accurately, the male version of herself.
Raven.
If he was anything like her, it meant he was a tactician with phenomenal knack for growing, exponentially. He would be a valuable asset. One that basically threw her out of a job. Although it bothered her slightly in thinking so, it did open up the chance to contact future children as well as get Derek back into his own body.
However, she'd need to find a safe place to put his body. Which was the tricky part, the priests? A hospital perhaps? It would cost coin, a consistent amount. She'd need to convince Chrom to make her a shepherd, one who did her own thing, almost like an honorary member.
Hey, your emotions are all over the place, what's up?
The sky, but beyond that, I'm just thinking about our next step.
Ohhh. I'll leave it to you!
...You're not curious?
Well, yes, but I'll probably disagree with you.
Hmm, I see. In that case, don't worry about it.
Will and won't!
"Robin, you've been awfully quiet, what's your purpose here in Southtown?" Frederick asked, snapping the tactician from her trance.
"Hmm? Oh, I- my companion and I were looking for a place to rest," Robin responded, pointing towards the inn.
Might as well time them I'm in a coma. They could probably help us.
"Oh? Are you telling me to believe they slept through all of the chaos?" The knight said, gesturing to the bloodied and defaced plaza.
"Frederick, easy, not every stranger we meet will be a spy or brigand," Chrom stressed, sighing afterwards.
"Of course, milord. However, I'm simply doing what my job mandates,"
"That's completely understandable sir knight. He's in a coma, so waking up is a bit difficult for him," Robin explained nonchalantly.
Despite the somber undertones the statement had, Lissa giggled a bit. Everyone turned to face her with raised eyebrows. She panicked and started frantically waving her hands, "That wasn't funny, I just thought, Raven called Frederick 'sir knight' too. You two really are siblings."
Everyone was appeased by the response, not that they were really bothered by her reaction anyways.
Frederick hesitated, and ultimately gave up on the matter, "I apologize, I did not know the whol-"
"Water under the bridge, I actually have a request,"
"As do I, Robin, would you join us? The shepherds could use a powerful mage such as yourself," Chrom offered.
Robin noticed the distinction, and felt oddly saddened by it. Nevertheless, she did intend to request assistance from the shepherds. It ended up working out as she wished, since if she were a member, she wouldn't feel like a burden dragging along an unconscious body.
"Of course! That was exactly what I wanted to ask myself!" Robin beamed, Lissa giggled at her exuberance, finding it contagious.
Frederick on the other hand sighed before slowly placing a hand before his face.
"Your companion too. Ylisse has the best clerics in the kingdom, Lissa here could probably patch him up right now," Chrom said.
Something told Robin that the problem was a bit more intricate than that. But ultimately led them towards the room. She had to go pick him up anyways. She opened the oaken door, to reveal Derek's body, sprawled on the ground, somehow falling off from the chair he was draped on.
"Shit," Robin hissed under her breath as she went to pick his body up.
"Si-Robin, who is this man? Did I know him too?" Raven asked, absently looking over the room.
"No, I'm afraid, I've only known him for a bit,"
"Hm... "
"Robin, how did he fall into a coma?" Lissa asked, going towards his body, staff in hand.
"Uhh…." She hesitated, her brain lagging for another lie to say.
Well?
Well what? I said I was leaving it to you didn't I?
Are you kidding? I don't know what caused this? What kind of lie could I possibly make?
You seem like a far better liar than me.
And pray tell, what do you mean by that?
Nothing, you said I was a bad liar, remember?
You vindictive son of a-
"Robin?"
"I'm sorry, I think it was some sort of illness, I don't know much about medicine though,"
"A likely story," Frederick murmured under his breathe in a manner that certainly was loud enough for anyone to hear.
"Well, I tried my staff and nothing changed. He's physically healthy," Lissa reported, a puzzled look on her face.
She pouted and shrugged her shoulders to which Chrom placed a reassuring hand over her head. She squirmed from under it and glared at her brother in mock anger.
"In that case, I was wondering if the priests of Naga could be of any help," Robin said, smiling at the display.
"That might work, I'm sorry I couldn't do much to help," Lissa apologized, her face falling again.
"No, no, it's fine, I appreciate the attempt," Robin answered smoothly, smiling towards the young princess.
"Carrying him may prove to be difficult though, can your mount carry another person Frederick?" Raven asked as his hand rubbed his chin.
The great knight refrained from answering instead, turning to face Chrom, who in return gave him a stern look.
"Yes, it can carry one additional person," The knight said after much reluctance.
"Great, then we should press forward to Ylisstol once all of this is arranged," Chrom said.
Lissa spluttered, staring wide eyed at her brother, "Chrom! It's almost night time! Just look outside, even the sun's going to bed!"
"I apologize milady, but we must make haste back to the capital," Frederick explained calmly.
"You guys suck," Lissa pouted, sulking as she scrunched her brows together in childish frustration.
Raven laughed despite his best efforts to contain himself, "you shepherds are quite the dedicated bunch."
"Dedicated isn't what I'd call them," Lissa mumbled offhandedly, still sulking.
Robin watched the scene pan out with a strong sense of nostalgia, with minor tints of sadness. On one hand, it was splendid to see these variations of her friends remained similar as the ones she knew, but bothered her deeply that she wasn't the one participating in their conversation.
This feels familiar yet so different at the same time.
Different because I'm here?
You're more of an unfortunate accident. You don't play any part in how I feel right now.
Okay, true. But still, ouch.
Robin, preoccupied, missed the rest of the conversation. She clued in again once Chrom turned to face her.
"Well, Robin, are you ready to head towards the capital?" The prince asked.
The tactician stared at Chrom before smiling warmly at him, then nodded in agreement.
The walk towards the capital started relatively uneventful. We made some relatively good ground with the dying embers of daylight. The interactions between all of the members were oddly funny.
It was a bit surprising to find Raven very adamant about learning as much as possible. It made me wonder if Robin was like that too when she woke up. Frederick led the pack, with my body practically strapped around him.
A bit humiliating yes. But I couldn't imagine what the great knight was going through. From Royal Guard to pack mule. I'm sure he was suffering embarrassment just as badly as I. I just hoped he didn't snap and simply turn on us all with the vengeance of an underappreciated servent.
The image was pretty fun to think about. But ultimately was unlikely. Robin, demonstrated her prowess. And holy, did she have prowess. Practically a monster on the battlefield if the small sample was anything to go by. Just thinking about it gave me phantom shivers.
After what felt like an hour or two of walking, nightfall soon descended upon us. The sun slowly fell over the horizon, it's light bleeding onto the ground and stretching out for miles.
"I told you! It's getting dark already!" Lissa whined.
She proceeded to complain about insects and their sudden appearance before having the misfortune of eating one.
"Agh! Won goph in mah mouph! Blech! Ptooey!" She animatedly exclaimed.
I think I remember that line. It was also the title for the joke song right? Huh, hearing it out loud sounded more like she said 'one got in my mouth'.
Oh, now that I thought about it, that's probably exactly what she was trying to say. Moments later, as if rehearsed, the rest of the party started to talk, teasing Lissa as the formulated a plan to rest for the night. I tuned them out in favour of surveying Robin's surroundings.
It was just trees. I don't even know why I bothered. Trees lined the wide dirt path, and with the descending sun, it gave the whole area a general vibe of spooky foreshadowing. Perhaps, that had something to do with the fact I had hindsight bias. I knew things were going to go south. Robin did too. She did well to mask it, but I felt a tinge of anxious excitement swirling around her.
Nervous about something?
A lot hinders on this meeting. How much do you know exactly?
You realize asking a question as vague as that would be the equivalent of me responding with 'enough'. Right?
Hilarious, do you know about the Risen?
A feeling of serious no-nonsense washed over me. I decided to mirror the emotions I temporarily felt for once and adopted a similar stance and tone.
I do, they're dangerous. Grima's underlings essentially.
Correct, they will appear tonight, as well as an essential ally.
A lot is at stake then.
Right, So I'm going to ask you preemptively not to talk during the battle.
Heehee. Wait… you're serious?
Of course! You were highly distracting! I sounded like a crazy woman!
For the record, you don't just sound crazy.
Don't talk. At all.
Fine! Fine. What about my body?
What abo-
You can't answer with that line every time I feel worried about the fate of my body!
It'll be protected…
Whew. That's a reli-
Maybe.
Huh!?
"Robin, can you fetch some firewood for us, since Lissa doesn't seem particularly enthused by the idea," Chrom asked, snapping Robin's and my attention respectively.
"No more character building!" Lissa repeated vehemently.
Or as vehemently as an adorable princess can sound like. She pouted childishly while crossing her arms. She glared a very non-threatening glare towards her brother who took it all in stride.
"Of course, Chrom," Robin responded smoothly.
She didn't waste any time in heading into the ominous looking forest. She was way too calm. The branches, the dark bark, it all looked alive and scary. I heard the soft tap of her booted feet pressing against the dry forest floor. She marched on utterly cool. Honestly, she was peerless, impressive even! She knew what she was doing too. Her movements held purpose and she examined fallen branches for but only a second before adding it to her bunch or tossing it aside. After scavenging for a few minutes, she headed back towards the site with a pile of dead branches and leaves in her hands.
She was unfazed by how dirty it ended up getting her. She did make the effort to roll up her sleeves first though. Her priorities, I found felt a bit backwards, but I decided against commenting on it.
The site looked rather tidy given how it was just a gravel trail. The surface was smooth, Frederick really knew how to clear a site. That was for certain. His mount was tied to the nearest tree, idling. Raven and Chrom were absent, likely hunting for game.
The great knight was currently inspecting the trail for any marginally big pebbles to evict from the site. He turned once he noticed Robin advance and quickly pointed towards a pile of sticks.
Robin nodded and plopped them in the pile with a satisfied smile. She turned and faced the princess who was currently crouching over my body with her staff in hand. My body was resting on a cot, It was then that I realized that my winter jacket was long discarded, and all that was left was a shirt, jeans and scarf.
I was touched by her dedication. Regardless, I really feel like it's just something out of her depth. Robin felt the same in some regard, as she felt slightly saddened or troubled by the scene.
"Thank-you for all you're doing Lissa," Robin said, placing a comforting hand on the princess' shoulder.
She startled a bit then faced the tactician with a forced smile. I didn't fool me, no way it fooled someone as perceptive as Robin.
"I haven't really done anything though," Lissa faltered, her voice slowly dropping to a quiet murmur.
"Knowing someone as kind as you is watching over him undoubtedly brings him strength," Robin affirmed with confidence.
The princess smiled again, this time slightly more genuine before giggling.
"Look who's mood improved!" Chrom says, emerging from the woods along side a rather miffed Raven and what appears to be a… a bear?
Is that a bear?
Why yes, yes it is. I haven't had any since my first time.
That sounds horrible.
I was pretty famished, actually. I still am now. Any food is good food.
"No thanks to you and Frederick" Lissa bemoaned, garnering the attention of both respective people.
"But Lissa, life in the wilderness-"
"Builds character, yada yada! I'm seriously regretting this decision ya know!" The princess interrupted exasperatedly.
"Wild game milord?" Frederick asked walking up towards the commotion.
"Yeah, Raven and I were lucky enough to find this guy," Chrom explained, patting his comrade on the shoulder.
Raven paled, clearing not agreeing on the sentiment the blue haired royal had. He turned to face his sister and subtly shaked his head in disagreement.
I'm almost certain that would fall directly under the category of misfortune really.
Can't imagine what prevents you from complete certainty.
The group quickly assist Raven with the corpse and neatly cut it up, place it over the fire, and rotate the meat in proper intervals. Well, in all actuality, the entirety of said duties fell to the great knight. Who for whatever reason obliged the requests with utter gusto.
I knew he liked to serve, but it's just plain unnerving seeing him abide to all of Chrom's commands. Even if the prince himself was unaware of the fact half of what he said was interpreted as such.
Before long, the group was situated around the rather large and crackling fire. Cooked bear meat was passed around on sticks. Robin was quick to plunge into the meat.
I'm filled with satisfaction for a second before it ebbed away. It tasted like unseasoned meat. Objectively, it tasted horrible and I quickly pool all of focus into the sense of sight. Anything to get rid of the horrid taste.
I feel a bit giddy when my allocation of points proved to actually benefit me. It made me feel smart, clever even. I got around the taste through my ingenuity!
Damn, I'm good.
Any sentence that starts like that, can't be anything more than unwarranted hubris.
No way, I'm serious. I just outplayed the hell out of that.
Weren't you complaining to me about vagueness like an hour ago?
Right. Uh, well I remember when I said I can sense the same things you can?
Yes, it was only a half a day ago.
Exactly. Anyways, I can focus on only one of your five senses. For example, given how disgusting the meat tasted, I shifted my focus to your sense of sight. That way I do-
Wow cool your sails there. One, bear meat isn't disgusting. I've had it twice and both times it's proven to taste like ambrosia. Two, are you saying you're willingly denying yourself access to some of my senses?
Yeah, It's not permanent. Just until you're rid of eating that stuff.
Huh. Interesting I suppose.
In typical fashion, a sense of disinterest washed over me. If only I had a mouth to scold with. If only. With my enhanced sight, I scan over the fellow group members.
Lissa appeared thoroughly dissatisfied. Refusing to take a bite from the meat, whereas Raven was ravenously devouring his food as if he hadn't eaten in a while. Chrom showed evidently far more poise, which is impressive for skewer eating and finally, Frederick simply appeared slightly greenish in his complexion. I guess wild game didn't sit well with him.
I saw their mouths move, but given the allocation of my senses. I couldn't hear a single thing. It was a bit off putting, but it's a small price to pay for the absence of gummy and overly chewy taste in my mouth. Hers. Whatever.
Eventually, Robin does end up finishing and I revert back to all senses. I experience a temporary sensory overload due to the absence persisting more than a couple minutes. Regardless, I'm meet with the cool breeze blowing across her cheeks, the chill of the night sky, the crackle and pop of the flames, the heat it emits, the chirps from the crickets, the cries from the owls. The whole place, the whole area felt so alive.
It made me dread for what was about to happen. Magma to spew from the earth, zombies to fall from the sky. The very thought would have given my shivers if I had any body to shiver with. Speaking of a body, or lack thereof. What was I going to do for sleep?
Yo, Robin, are you going to sleep?
I'll get some rest before the events play out, yes, why?
Was wondering if I go to sleep too, ya know? I mean, how does that even work?
You raise very strong and valid points.
Think so? You fla-
I'm going to go to bed now though, so let me know what happens.
Wha- There's no way you could go to bed this easily even if you wanted to!
Of course I can.
This seems like a highly weird topic to argue. But alright, how would you?
It's because I'm Robin.
You oughta stop with that. Seriously, you're teetering on the edge of a lawsu-
Robin's eyes snapped open. It was quiet, way too quiet for what was essentially a site in the middle of a forest. The birds and bugs stopped their respective nightly song. Robin blinked the sleep from her eyes, rubbing them to hasten the process before scanning her surroundings.
Chrom and Lissa were absent from their sleeping cots. Frederick and Raven however, were blissfully asleep. Derek's body was dragged closer to the fire before everyone turned in for the night.
Which reminded her.
Well, think I can't go to bed on command?
It's probably the most startling realization I've discovered thus far...
What's the verdict anyways? You go to bed as well?
Yeah, but the moment you wake up, I do too.
Robin schooled her features, but felt a tad bit disappointed in hearing that. She was hoping he would stay asleep a bit longer, give her a sense of normalcy again, or as much normalcy a time traveller warranted anyways. She didn't dwell on it for long, she did expect something like that. They share the same senses, perhaps they also share consciousness as well?
Robin nimbly slipped out of her cot, fetching her tome and slowly ventured into the depths of the forest. The moon acted as the sole source of light, giving everything it touched a silvery hue.
She made her way deeper into the forest, stealthy, as her steps left nothing to be heard. From time to time, Robin would stop to inspect the ground, or survey the trees, looking for a trace of the royal siblings.
Panne taught her enough in regards to tracking, meaning those who weren't masking the trail were relatively easy to lock on. Before long, Robin was well on her way towards where the siblings were.
All of this was done due to what she remembered Lissa telling her about the incident in her previous life as well as her own recollections of the event. 'A handsome boy saved her after leaping out of an eye looking portal thing'. Those were the words, she believed.
Additionally, Robin remembered being abruptly awoken by a loud explosion, a wave of vibrations and the smell of ash and thick smoke. Explaining to Frederick that she was just as confused as him proved easier than she expected as well. With his missing liege, his goal was to assure their survival before cutting down possible spies or traitors.
Robin's plan would be simple, meet up with Lucina before she had the chance to slip away, and the best chance of making that happen was by seeing her as she arrived. It wasn't a complex plan by any means, but there was hardly and need for overcomplicating things anyways.
Robin, I'm hearing something strange from the distance, it's faint but increasing rapidly.
I see, thanks for the heads up.
As if on cue, a rumble swept across the ground, causing tremors of varying degrees to run rampant. The earth splintered and cracked, and soon Robin was steadying herself for balance. The silvery hue of moonlight was quickly replaced by the ever glowing pool of magma piercing through the grounds. It rained ablaze boulders, lighting up the dark sky, and engulfing the forest in an inferno.
Robin was in temporary awe before her nose was wafted by smoke, she also realized things were getting uncomfortably hot, as the engulfed branches slowly crept up onto her position.
I think you should run.
Ever the voice of reason.
She didn't require a reminder, she bolted away from the source. Despite the dangerous situation she found herself in, she still remained aware enough to continue tracking the siblings. Which was incredibly easy as they practically left a wake of their own through the forested path.
She soon spotted the two siblings ahead of her, running at Lissa's pace. The poor princess was exhausted from today's events, and it showed. Chrom matched her pace, making sure she was never drifting too far from him.
Robin was divided whether she should catch up to them, as the feat was rather feasible with her Pass skill. Or if she should allow the events to pan out as she was told and remembered. She could simply hide at the edge of the clearing and intervene once Lucina did. The signal should be rather conspicuous given how it was a portal, twenty or thirty feet in the air. Robin doubted she'd miss that, so it ultimately came up to what she thought was the best course of action.
She was still racing across the uneven ground, but spared enough time to rub her chin in thought. Before she could come to a sound conclusion, however, her decision was abruptly made for her. The two siblings leaped down beyond her view over an edge of sorts, just as a meteor smashed into the ground, digging up dirt and sprinkling embers against the highly flammable trees.
A fiery wall and boulder blocked her immediate path towards them, she was forced to improvise. Pass gave her a burst of speed, and ability to seemingly shift through other people, not objects. Nor did she want to test her durability with real fire over magical ones. However, she didn't pause in her pace and instead diverged from the path the siblings took. She ran alongside the ledge.
Watch out! Fireball flying your way!
Robin flicked her head to the side, blinding herself slightly to the sudden source of light and made a split second dive off the ledge. She landed hands first, and used her momentum to roll out of the dive, landing smoothly into a run again.
"Thanks, I guess I'm a bit overly excited," Robin said.
That was badass! I can't believe I just felt that!
"Uh… right," She mumbled lamely, swaying her head from side to side.
She lost the trail, which made sense given that she actively took herself off it. The dive also slightly disoriented her, mix in the adreadline she felt pumping through her body. It was simply too much effort to calmly pinpoint their location. Life-death situations had that kind of effect on her.
Instead, she would look for the meet up instead. The clearing as Lissa explained those years ago. It didn't take nearly as long as she was expecting.
Robin found herself on the edge looking into the aforementioned clearing. There, a doubled over Lissa and panting Chrom were recuperating, taking a much needed breather after their recent forceful excursion. A fiery lightshow illuminated them as a backdrop.
Their moment of respite was hastily interrupted. Lissa pointed towards the sky. Robin followed her hand and witnessed small specks of white energy gather into a center, materializing a small ball before erupting outwards.
The sky fell into a black overcast, Slowly, glyphs formed a magic circle around the blinking portal. It's resemblance to an eye did not go unnoticed by Robin.
She was quickly fetching out her tome, preparing for combat.
What in the hell is that?
The portal. The Risen are here.
Author Note: Absent for months, comes back, drops a cliffhanger. I apologize, but it felt like a decent spot. Anyways, university is a pretty tricky thing. Also, last year for me I needed to do well in some repeated courses. Hope you understand. If you spot any typos, let me know! I edited this a few times, but looking for mistakes in one's own work can be difficutl. he. he.